We had a great cruise on Holland America's Westerdam. This cruise was a last-minute impulse, booked about eight weeks before sailing. Since my partner teaches at a community college, we are hindered by his school's calendar. Spring break cruises usually cost too much. This year, the prices on some cruises went down after the final payment date. This was our 16th cruise in 20 years.

The itinerary for this cruise attracted us as much as the price: Half Moon Cay, a day at sea, Aruba, Curacao, then two days at sea. We had not sailed to Aruba or Curacao before. I like that Holland America alternated the Westerdam's itineraries between eastern, western, and southern. A co-worker friend was on the Westerdam itinerary four weeks before our cruise. He summed it up nicely: "A first-class ship."

This cruise was our second on Holland America. We sailed five years ago on the Maasdam on a Christmas cruise from Norfolk. In between, we had taken a few cruises on Princess and Celebrity. After this cruise, we will look to any of these three cruise lines for our next one. Read more