Transatlantic Crossing on Holland America

Transatlantic crossings call to mind a romantic, old-world glamour, harking back to the days when kids wore little sailor outfits and men and women played shuffleboard on sunlit promenades to pass the time. This type of cruise is still around, but a lot has changed since the days of steamer trunks. So when a 15-night Holland America cruise that starts in Ft. Lauderdale and ends in Tilbury, England, appeared on this month's Hot List, we wondered: what do people actually do with that many days at sea?

Turns out, there's no shortage of things to do to stay busy, relaxed, edified, or entertained: it's what you make of it. Why not try a  cooking class in the state-of-the art culinary center? Or, if you've always wanted to learn a new computer skill or technology, like digital photo and video editing, there are classes for that.You could take an iPod-guided waking tour of the onboard art collection. Young people have their own, including scavenger hunts and culinary classes geared towards teens.  There are yoga, Pilates, and Aquarobics classes in the fitness center and, of course, the Greenhouse spa.

Holland America's Explorations Café is the place to while away the hours reading, using the Internet, playing games or doing puzzles with other guests, or listening to a guest lecturer as part of the Explorations Speaker Series. 

Looks like there won't be any problem deciding what to do on a transatlantic cruise-- the only dilemma might be deciding what to do first!