In 1964, I sailed on Holland America's MS Nieuw Amsterdam from New York to Rotterdam. The crossing on this classic Art Deco passenger liner from the 1930's was one of the most memorable events of my youth. Forty-six years later, I took a short Caribbean cruise on the "new" Nieuw Amsterdam. I enjoyed the "trip down memory lane" so much that when I saw there were plans for a mid-summer 2011 "classic crossing" from New York to Rotterdam, I was tempted to go. The first stop was to be in Ireland, and I had always wanted to visit the homeland of my great-great grandfather. Alas, it was not to be,...