Tag Archives: photos

New York City

Posted on May 10, 2019 by

We definitely made the right choice upgrading to a balcony on the port side for our Carnival Vista Europe and Transatlantic cruise. We had originally booked an inside room on deck 1, but a couple months before sailing the upgrade … Continue reading →

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Exploring Hakodate

Posted on May 3, 2019 by

Holland America Westerdam slowly glided into port in Hakodate, Japan escorted not only by the usual tugs, but also by a boat with Welcome to Hakodate painted in large bold letters easily readable from neighboring ships on its side. This … Continue reading →

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Mariner Lunch

Posted on April 26, 2019 by

Holland America honors all past guests by inducting them into the Mariner Society, which is what they call their loyalty program. For every subsequent cruise Mariners earn more points. Enough points increases the ranking to earn more privileges. Just one … Continue reading →

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Food on Explorer of the Seas

Posted on April 19, 2019 by

Royal Caribbean has lots of food options on their ships, and Explorer of the Seas is no exception. With a preference for eating at places that are included in the cost of the cruise rather than those that charge extra, … Continue reading →

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Hakodate, Japan Cruise Ship Port

Posted on April 5, 2019 by

HAKODATE One of our dining room tablemates on Holland America Westerdam was born in Japan so I’ll trust her on the pronunciation of this Japanese city. She said it’s Ha (as in ha ha ha) ko (rhymes with no) da … Continue reading →

Posted in Holland America, Japan, Port Cities, Ports of Call, Westerdam | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Snorkeling in Belize

Posted on March 22, 2019 by

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 →

Posted in Caribbean, Holland America, Ports of Call, Shore Excursions, South and Central America, Veendam | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Exploring Kodiak

Posted on March 1, 2019 by

We stepped outside the Holland America Westerdam into the strong aroma of dead fish. All explained by a glance at the nearest building, labeled Kodiak Fishermens Terminal. We’ve had port stops at container docks before, but this was the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, Holland America, Port Cities, Ports of Call, USA, Westerdam | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Kodiak Cruise Ship Port

Posted on February 15, 2019 by

Kodiak is one of Alaska’s lesser visited cruise ports with just a few mostly smaller cruise ships visiting each summer. Because of this the port currently remains as it was before cruise ships came to town rather than having the … Continue reading →

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Food on Holland America Veendam

Posted on February 8, 2019 by

Cruise food varies greatly from line to line, even from ship to ship on the same line. Sometimes it even varies from one sailing to the next on the same ship. Menus change over time. Sometimes they change due to … Continue reading →

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Double Glacier Visit to Glacier Bay

Posted on February 1, 2019 by

In a span of just a few hundred years Glacier Bay went from a fertile valley where native Tlingit people lived in the 1600’s with the Grand Pacific Glacier on high mountain ridges above the valley to completely buried in … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, Holland America, USA, Westerdam | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments