Category Archives: Shore Excursions

The Great Wall of China

Posted on June 18, 2021 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Considering the distance from Tianjin port to Beijing, we booked a ship’s excursion to see the Great Wall. This all-day excursion started with a visit to the Summer Palace with a lunch stop at a jade factory between there and … Continue reading →

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Summer Palace in Beijing

Posted on April 23, 2021 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Excursion information from Holland America gives this history of the Summer Palace: Built during the Qing Dynasty and surrounded by grounds laid out by Emperor Qianlong as a place of retirement for his mother, this summer residence took on special … Continue reading →

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The $6.95 Shore Excursion

Posted on September 11, 2020 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Shortly after booking our 28-day cruise from Vancouver BC, Canada to Shanghai, China on Holland America Westerdam I browsed through the shore excursions offered for the journey to get some sort of an idea about what we’d find in the … Continue reading →

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Snorkeling in Belize

Posted on March 22, 2019 by LBcruiseshipblogger

It’s a long tender ride from ship to shore in Belize. Tenders are used when there is no cruise ship dock and the ship waits offshore while smaller boats bring passengers to land. These are sometimes the taller lifeboats off … Continue reading →

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Bermuda Triangle Snorkel

Posted on November 9, 2018 by LBcruiseshipblogger

After crossing the Atlantic Ocean from a cruise starting in Barcelona, Carnival Vista stopped in Bermuda overnight before continuing on to the final destination of the cruise in New York. Cruises from mainland USA to Bermuda tend to stay a … Continue reading →

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Ponta Delgada, Azores

Posted on October 5, 2018 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Following a couple stormy days at sea between Gibraltar and the Azores, Carnival Vista docked in Ponta Delgada on a day with a weather forecast of cloudy with 20% chance of rain and a high of 69 degrees Fahrenheit. Once … Continue reading →

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Birds, Bears, & Barnacles

Posted on August 3, 2018 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Previously when visiting Sitka our ship anchored offshore and tendered passengers to town. On our last visit we were surprised when the Holland America Oosterdam pulled into a dock over 5 miles from town. Though this dock at the Halibut … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, Holland America, Oosterdam, Port Cities, Ports of Call, Shore Excursions, USA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Havana “Walking” Tour

Posted on July 20, 2018 by LBcruiseshipblogger

When cruising to Cuba it’s required to book an excursion through the ship for anyone who wants to get off the boat that didn’t book their cruise before June of 2017. That is if you are cruising from the USA, … Continue reading →

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What’s Inside the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

Posted on June 22, 2018 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Probably the first thing that comes to mind at the mention of Pisa is the iconic leaning tower. At Carnival Vista’s port stop in Liverno, Italy we decided to go to nearby Pisa to see it. Florence and Pisa are … Continue reading →

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Rome In A Day

Posted on May 18, 2018 by LBcruiseshipblogger

They say you can’t see Rome in a day, but if a day is all you have you see what you can. Carnival Vista made a port stop in Civitavecchia, which is as close as a ship gets to Rome … Continue reading →

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