For those of you who when you hear Holland America Cruise Line immediately think of a more sedate and older crowd let me dispel those thoughts immediately. I must tell you that things are changing on HAL. At present The Savvy Old Lady and The Crabby Old Guy are sailing aboard Holland America's Zuiderdam (Dec 29-Jan 5) celebrating their 2008 New Year's Cruise and it is an absolute blast. The passenger demographics range from singles to young families with small children to teenagers to middle aged couples and of course the senior set. Thanks to the hard working efforts of the crew and staff onboard each and every passenger had a very exciting, memorable and thoroughly enjoyable New Year's experience.

The onboard celebration officially began with the Captain's Champaign Toast in the lounge. This traditional, if not brief, event was followed by a wonderfully nostalgic stage show of 1950's vintage rock and roll hits and was preformed by two veterans of the rock and roll era. Now I will admit, some of the passengers began their celebrating a bit ahead of the rest of us - but what the heck, it is New Years. The good news is that all behaved responsibly if not a bit boisterous.

Our New Year's Eve dinner - which was totally sumptuous - was next on Crabby and my itinerary. Dinner started off with an appetizer of Gooseliver pate, Sevruga caviar, smoked salmon and shrimp. The soup was a Corn and Crab Chowder with hearty chunks of crabmeat definitely not the usual fare that you find on many ships where you need a magnifying glass to identify the crabmeat. Their New Year's Celebration Salad was winter greens with mozzarella, cucumber, tomatoes, walnuts and dried cherries drizzled with a balsamic reduction. Am I making you drool yet? Wait the best is yet to come, the entrEe was surf and turf, yes lobster tail and filet mignon (cooked to perfection) nestled on truffled mashed potatoes with a Perigourdine sauce and vegetable medley. For dessert we were served a decadent Chocolate cake with mascarpone and crème de cacao topped with fresh berries and fruit coulis. Was it as good as it sounds? And, of course there were other equally delightful options on the varied and well presented menu. In one word, YES. Kudos go out to Executive Chef Robert Steel and his 90 cooks and staff. It is no small wonder that the Zuiderdam has been chosen by the fleet for the past three years as number one in fine dining. Read more