Category Archives: Ports of Call

Nuku’alofa Tonga Island Tour

Posted on March 6, 2026 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Approaching the port in Nuku’alofa on the island of Tongatapu in Tonga on Holland America Noordam, we saw a pilot boat keeping pace with us for awhile. Whether the same boat had dropped off our pilot or not I don’t … Continue reading →

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Maho Beach Revisited

Posted on March 3, 2026 by LBcruiseshipblogger

When we took our granddaughter Hannah on a Caribbean cruise, the one thing she said she wanted to do was see the airplanes at Maho Beach at our port stop in Saint Martin – which is actually Sint Maarten since … Continue reading →

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Saint Lucia Segway, Sightseeing, & Beach

Posted on February 27, 2026 by LBcruiseshipblogger

With an excursion title like Segway Sightseeing & Beach, you might think that would include sightseeing on Segways, riding them on the beach – or both, but it was actually neither. When the gangways on Enchanted Princess finally were in … Continue reading →

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Nuku’alofa Tonga Cruise Port

Posted on January 30, 2026 by LBcruiseshipblogger

The Kingdom of Tonga is a Polynesian country in the south Pacific. It is made up of over 170 islands, of which about 45 have human populations. It is the only monarchy in the south Pacific and the only country … Continue reading →

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Seattle Cruise Ship Ports

Posted on January 27, 2026 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Seattle Seattle is the largest city in Washington State with a population of over 800,000. It’s nickname is the Emerald City due to the abundance of year-round greenery. Washington is called the Evergreen State due to its native evergreen trees. … Continue reading →

Posted in Carnival, Luminosa, Port Cities, Ports of Call, USA, Washington | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Saint Lucia Cruise Port

Posted on January 23, 2026 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Saint Lucia is an independent country, but also a member of the British Commonwealth. It’s a volcanic Caribbean island in the Lesser Antilles with reefs, rainforests, and waterfalls. The capital is Castries, the official language English, and currency the east … Continue reading →

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Punta Arenas, Chile Cruise Port

Posted on January 9, 2026 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Punta Arenas, Chile Punta Arenas lies on the Strait of Magellan near the tip of southern Patagonian Chile. It’s often a starting point for those heading to Antarctica. It has a population of over 145,000 and is the coldest coastal … Continue reading →

Posted in Holland America, Oosterdam, Port Cities, Ports of Call, South and Central America | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cartegena Cruise Port

Posted on January 2, 2026 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Cartagena, Columbia Cartagena’s tourist draws include the 16th century walled old town and its beaches. Temperatures in Cartagena generally stay with lows in the mid to high 70’s F to highs in the high 80’s to low 90’s year-round. Annual … Continue reading →

Posted in Holland America, Nieuw Amsterdam, Port Cities, Ports of Call, South and Central America | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Nuku Island and Swallow’s Cave Snorkel Excursion

Posted on December 26, 2025 by LBcruiseshipblogger

I was happy to see that Holland America’s information on our transpacific cruise on the Noordam for this excursion from Vava’u, Tonga specified reef-safe sunscreen and that there was no mention of insect repellent. So many snorkel excursion instructions say … Continue reading →

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European Christmas Decorations

Posted on December 24, 2025 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Throughout the areas in Europe where Christmas markets flourish, those markets provide a lot of festive decoration for the areas where they reside. Some of them get quite creative. Even the market stalls are sometimes festive. Nearly every Christmas market … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Port Cities, Ports of Call, Skirnir, Viking | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments