On a morning stroll through rainy Antwerp, I was struggling to appreciate the beauty of the Renaissance buildings in the city centre when I saw the telltale masts of a large sailing ship.
MS Nieuw Amsterdam’s inaugural cruise took place in July and I joined journalists and travel industry representatives from around the world for a four-day round trip from Venice to Dubrovnik. The cruise was packed with ceremonies and behind-the-scenes tours of Holland America Line’s newest ship, the line’s 15th and an almost identical sister to the Signature Class Eurodam, which launched in 2008.
It's been a long time since I took a cruise during such a high-anticipation time as the Christmas holidays, and I guess you could argue it was risky to embark attempt it on a ship and a new line.
Fernando is living the life we all aspire to. He has sailed for 130 world cruises aboard ultra luxury line Crystal. That's 15,600 days of being served the finest cuisine, sleeping in suites with a personal butler and visiting the world's most beautiful cities. Who better to tell us about Crystal's next world cruise!
