by John Bryant

Created on: May 19, 2008   Last Updated: May 21, 2008

Accurately or not, Holland America cruises have a reputation for attracting older' and linen and china' passengers. The line's Mayan Ruins' cruise over Christmas 2006 on board the SS Veendam (1200 passengers, 300 crew) from Tampa was anything but; perhaps the exception which proves the rule. Several friends, my wife, and I arrived at the designated boarding dock in Tampa in the early afternoon of the Saturday before Monday's Christmas Day, expecting to be among the youngest of the passengers and wondering what special treats a Christmas cruise would offer. Not that we wanted Christmas to be too quiet, of course; we expected the ship would make the holiday season very special. We were immediately struck, though and worried by the number of children running about the in processing area. There looked to be lots of three generation families lining up to board: grandmother, kids, and grandkids! Perhaps the cruise wouldn't be as quiet as we thought!

After we had gone through the usual boarding procedures, found our cabin, and practiced the lifeboat drill, we returned to an outer deck as the Veendam got underway and immediately slid past the SS American Victory, a restored World War II merchant vessel seemingly ready to get underway at any moment. Even its defensive guns were still onboard! This old warrior is adjacent to Tampa's 'Channelside', an area of shops, restaurants, and hotels which attracts tourists and those who just want to see the big cruise ships come and go! Small groups of people were gathered on shore waving to us as we began our journey. I heard at least one call, 'Wish I could be with you!'.

My wife and I had never been to Key West before so we were excited by the chance to spend several hours in the cruise's first port of call. It was what I expected - very touristy but walking around the town was still a lot of fun. 157 miles from Miami but only 90 from Havana, Cuba, Key West has certainly experienced its share of history. Pirates sailed throughout the Keys for three centuries and the islands played major roles in the Spanish-American War, both World Wars, the Bay of Pigs invasion, and the Mariel Boat Lift. For example, hidden away in a small cemetery we encountered is a memorial to the American sailors lost when the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana harbor in 1898, leading to war between Spain and the U.S. German submarines were sunk in waters just beyond Key West in later wars, too.

Our group also enjoyed a tour of Earnest Hemingway's home

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