Background and Planning: Later this year I turn 50 years old. While previous milestone birthdays did not bother me, for some reason this one does. Luckily, most days I feel like I am in my 20s, and I still possess the strong desire and curiosity to see as much of the world as possible. So what better way to celebrate the half-century mark than to take to the skies and the sea to explore new and exotic locales?
My partner is just as adventurous as I am and is the perfect traveling companion. When he turned 50 a few years ago we spent 12 fantastic days and nights sailing around Scandinavia and the Baltic countries. In our 18 years together we have spent a significant amount of time in Europe, and since moving to California eight years ago have traveled extensively in Asia. When we sat down early last year to plan my 50th birthday trip, we decided that we wanted to travel in early 2013 (even though my birthday is in July) and go somewhere in the warm Southern Hemisphere. Our first thought was a cruise around South America's Cape Horn. We also considered doing an adventure cruise from South America to Antarctica. In the end, and after watching The Lord of the Rings for the tenth time, we ended up looking at cruises in and around Australia and New Zealand.
As seasoned cruise experts and after researching cruise lines and itineraries, we decided on a 14 night voyage on Holland America Line's ("HAL") Oosterdam from Sydney, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand, with a variety of interesting ports-of-call along the way. I booked the trip online in late April 2012 using HAL's website. At that time, there was a plentiful selection of cabins in all categories. I chose a Superior Verandah Suite (category SS) on the starboard side of the ship's Navigation Deck (deck 8).