Favorite port

[Bookish Angel]

Sydney.

 

The opera house, the bridge the glorious harbour.

 

Followed closely by Port Arthur in Tasmania, the savage landscape, the wilderness

 

These are some of my faves, too. We sailed from Sydney at night when the opera house was lit up - that was beautiful.

 

I include any Galapagos Islands stop and my absolute fave, Antarctica.

[Floridiana]

We were there years ago but I don't think many ships go there now except maybe the pricey ones. We'd go back in a minute if ships went there now!

 

We went there on a HAL ship. Nobody tossed coins or apples.

 

To the coin tossers:

If you want to contribute to the economy of a village, buy a handicraft. Even if you don't need the item, it is honorable for the local person to sell something that they have made.

Back home, you would never throw coins at children in a market. Why do it abroad?

 

Favorite ports: Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, Hong Kong, New York, Hamburg, St. Petersburg

[PROCRUISE]

Curacao and Aruba - Singapore and St. Petersburg.

[new_cruiser]

My favorite (so far) for embarkation/debarkation was Istanbul. We were there around 2006. I hope that someday that part of the world stabilizes enough for ships to visit it again.

 

It's too hard to pick a favorite intermediate port - I like so many different ones for different reasons. How is one supposed to rate a Caribbean port with great snorkeling vs a Med port with great scenery and culture vs an Alaskan port with wildlife different great scenery and culture. I've been happy with all the ports we have visited so far.

 

For the Caribbean, the cruises I've taken left from San Juan or St. Thomas so we visited the ports that the 7-day cruises from Florida visit on days when those ships were still at sea. Probably a very different experience for being in those ports when passengers from 3 or more big ships are there.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Santorini in the Med is breathtaking, also Mykonos. I love the picturesque harbor in Grenada.

 

Most of my favorites in the Caribbean are the less commercialized ports like Grenada and Dominica.

[Psycho and Barb]

My favorite port is EVERYONE I get to visit by cruise ship [emoji568] Sure beats any day at work

 

 

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[GUT2407]

These are some of my faves, too. We sailed from Sydney at night when the opera house was lit up - that was beautiful.

 

I include any Galapagos Islands stop and my absolute fave, Antarctica.

Sydney at Dusk, the red sky over the bridge the lights starting to come on on the Opera house, city and suburban skyline, spectacular

[printingchick]

Another big THANK YOU to Tapi. I can't agree more. People who think all Caribbean islands are the same are those who never venture further than the commercialized pier area. You know, I can't even say that. Dominica doesn't HAVE a commercialized pier area. They do have a marketplace, but no Diamonds International or anything resembling such. Same for St. Croix. Someone mentioned St. Lucia - if you didn't venture much past the dock area, you'd report the island dirty and quite possibly unsavory. But tours including the pitons, the volcano, etc. are absolutely amazing!

 

Everyone thinks Hawaii is THE place to go. (Yes, I've been.) If you live on the East Coast, there are many southern Caribbean islands that offer what Hawaii provides. Volcanoes? Black sand beaches? Amazing resorts? Great weather? And for a lot less money and travel time than Hawaii.

 

Walmart of vacation options?? Not even close.

[Aquahound]

What is your favorite port and why? I’m looking at Caribbean ports but interested in all the favorites so I can make a list of places to visit. [emoji6]

 

In the Caribbean, my favorite port is Bonaire. One, it's much less commercialized, so if you're like me and like to wander off the beaten path, it is a great island to explore. And two, if island exploring on your own isn't your thing, they have the best diving/snorkeling in the Caribbean.

 

I also love Dominica for the rain forest and Tortola for Virgin Gorda.

 

But my all-time favorites are outside the Caribbean. For now, I'd have to say Venice tops my list, followed closely by Santorini and Sicily.

 

That comment shows how stereotyped the whole Caribbean region is. There's much more to the Caribbean than Cozumel, Nassau and St. Thomas.

 

I totally agree. The Caribbean is only "wal mart" if people make it that way. That is, by being part of the Diamonds International/Senor Frogs/Cariloha crowd. For those who prefer exploration, there is a lot of history, culture and beauty to be found.