We are a retired couple in our mid 70's. We both enjoy cruising as our cruise record shows. This was our 72nd cruise in the last 15 years. I have had replacements on both of my knees, so I do not get about like I once did. We selected this cruise because it did not require a long plane flight to Europe like our cruise last fall.

THE CRUISE START This was a 56-day cruise, starting and ending in Ft Lauderdale, Fl. It was called the Mediterranean & North Africa cruise and is considered by Holland America a "Grand" cruise. There are many additional advantages to a Grand cruise. It is in the same category as a world cruise. Additional benefits are provided at no additional cost if the cruise is booked well before the cruise start date. These included $1,000 shipboard credit, prepaid gratuities, complimentary first class air, unlimited luggage delivery before and after the cruise, limousine transfers, four bottles of liquor and a pre-cruise hotel stay. After a mid-morning boarding for the flight from Los Angeles, we arrived in Ft Lauderdale in the early evening. Flying in first class makes a flight almost acceptable in these days of extra security. As out luggage had been shipped a week ago, we did not have the job of collecting all that luggage after the flight. Holland American representatives met us and very shortly took the seven couples out to pick up our stretch limousines. Each couple was transferred to a hotel in a limo.

Our hotel, Hollywood Beach Marriott, was right on the beach and was everything that you could desire. A Note on the luggage transfer program: The company contacts you well before the cruise to determine how many pieces you will have shipped. Then about a week before the cruise a truck came to pick-up our tagged luggage. I was somewhat concerned, as the driver did not have any paperwork to show that he had picked up our luggage, but they would not have known to come to our house if not sent by the company. So, I just thought that someone would enjoy our clothes if we did not receive them on the ship. On the morning of the embarkation, we had a leisurely breakfast and walked out to the beach for a while. It was at this time that the Holland America representative confirmed that we had been upgraded from our veranda cabin to a mini-suite. I had guessed that we had received an upgrade, as two days before leaving home I found our cabin open for purchase on the H/A web site. Read more