Tag Archives: travel

Beppu Monkey Park

Posted on November 15, 2019 by

We started our port stop from Holland America Westerdam in Beppu, Japan with a visit to Takasakiyama Monkey Park. This park sits at the base of Mt. Takasaki, and is populated by wild macaque monkeys. A sign at the entrance … Continue reading →

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Beppu, Japan Cruise Port

Posted on November 1, 2019 by

Beppu, Japan is a city of steam, best known for its multitude of natural hot springs and thermal pools. Some are used as day spas or resorts. Some are even used to steam food. Its 8 major geothermal hot spots … Continue reading →

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San Diego Trolley Tour

Posted on October 25, 2019 by

Before our cruise on the Royal Princess we had a ship’s excursion booked in San Diego, California. It was supposed to be a ghosts and gravestones tour in San Diego’s old town area on a hop-on hop-off trolley. We never … Continue reading →

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Osaka Cruise Port

Posted on October 4, 2019 by

Osaka, Japan With a population of over 19 million, Osaka is Japan’s second most populous city, and one of the most populated metropolitan areas of the world. This port city has served historically as a merchant city. Signs of human … Continue reading →

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San Diego Cruise Port

Posted on September 27, 2019 by

Royal Princess arrived in San Diego around 4am, though the scheduled arrival time was 7am. That gave the crew plenty of time to set up gangways on two different decks long before most of the passengers woke up. The morning … Continue reading →

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Hits and Misses on Holland America Veendam

Posted on September 20, 2019 by

Every cruise ship has its good features and its bad features. Holland America Veendam is no different. Even among ships of the same cruise line things vary, and of course likes and dislikes are a personal thing. Everyone is entitled … Continue reading →

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Maré Cruise Port

Posted on September 13, 2019 by

On our transpacific cruise on Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas, we made a port stop at Mare, New Caledonia. While this looks like the word for a female horse – a mare – it is actually pronounced Mar-ray.  It’s … Continue reading →

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Exploring Shimizu

Posted on September 6, 2019 by

We had just a short amount of time to spend onshore in our port stop in Shimizu, Japan. Holland America Westerdam had a brief port stop there mainly for the views of Mount Fuji, which can be seen from the … Continue reading →

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Aquarium Bar in Cozumel

Posted on August 30, 2019 by

Cozumel is full of little beach bars near the cruise ports. Most ships also offer a wide variety of shore excursions both on the island and on the mainland. When we stopped there on Holland America Veendam we walked around … Continue reading →

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Décor on Explorer of the Seas

Posted on August 16, 2019 by

For anyone new to sailing on Royal Caribbean, Explorer of the Seas definitely stands out above the average cruise ship. The most notable difference is found at the center of the interior of the ship. Standard cruise ships tend to … Continue reading →

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