Category Archives: South and Central America

El Salvador Cacao Plantation

Ancestral Cacao Plantation & Chocolate Making Workshop At our port stop in Acajutla, El Salvador on Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam we booked an excursion called Ancestral Cacao Plantation & Chocolate Making Workshop. The excursion information from the cruise line differed … Continue reading

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Acajutla, El Salvador Cruise Port

Acajutla, El Salvador We were told by an excursion guide in Costa Rica that El Salvador is both the smallest and most populated country in central America. It’s a small country on the Pacific side of Central America, near but … Continue reading

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Rounding Cape Horn

On days when there’s something especially scenic Holland America opens up the front bow so people have somewhere outside to go besides the promenade deck and back deck to see the scenery. The Crow’s Nest observation lounge with its floor … Continue reading

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San Antonio, Chile Harbor Tour

While staying in San Antonio, Chile for a couple days before embarking on a cruise to Antarctica on Holland America Oosterdam, we took a harbor tour available on the spot at a dock along the waterfront promenade. After walking down … Continue reading

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Train to the End of the World

The Train to the End of the World in Ushuaia, Argentina is a ride in a vintage railcar on the world’s southernmost railway. The ride includes views of Tierra del Fuego National Park and from Ensenada Bay views of the … Continue reading

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A Walk In the Clouds

Costa Rica Costa Rica is a country in central America sitting north of Panama and south of Nicaragua. It has coastlines on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Within the country’s 19.730 square miles there are beaches, volcanoes, … Continue reading

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Easter in the Panama Canal

Our cruise on Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam passed through the Panama Canal on Easter Sunday. Although it was Easter, most people spent the day canal watching and there wasn’t a lot of Easter activities on the ship. There probably wouldn’t … Continue reading

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Ushuaia Cruise Ship Port

Ushuaia, Argentina Though people seemed to have slightly different pronunciation for Ushuaia from one another, most of the locals seemed to say something like ooo-shy-uh, only all ran together smoothly rather than obviously separate sounds and the ooo part rhymes … Continue reading

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Panama Canal Transit

Our Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam cruise transited the Panama Canal on Easter Sunday. There wasn’t much Easter stuff on board. A few decorations, some Easter food options, and a couple church services scheduled. Since we spent the day going through … Continue reading

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Hike at Magellan’s Strait Park

In Holland America Oosterdam’s shore excursion descriptions the hike at Magellan’s Strait Park is billed as a visit to a national monument at Fort Bulnes and a walk through a native forest and coastal shores. Fort Bulnes is the first … Continue reading

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