Favorite cruise port you would like to visit again?

[MidShip55]

Would like to visit again;

Singapore

Hong Kong

Sydney

Papua New Guinea

Mumbai

Japan

[MrsBoxerDog]

Definitely will do the Panama Canal again - what an experience.

Sailing into San Fran, under the Golden Gate was something else as well.

Will continue doing the Caribbean Islands.

Madeira is always spectacular 

[montythecat]

In no particular order :

Skagway

New York

Buenos Aires

Stockholm

Sydney

Ushuaia

Quebec City

Manaus

[Krazy Kruizers]

St Petersburg (have been there a few times -- even when it was Leningrad.

 

Skagway

 

Buenos Aires 

[tring]

Scilly Isles,

Anywhere in Spitzbergen (but more then one port there), 

Narsarsuaq and Nanatalik in Greenland as well as sailing through Prins Christiansund when there,

 

You can tell we do not sail on big ships.  We have done these with Fred Olsen and CMV.

 

We have some really good memories and would also love to return to places visited on the old Swan Hellenic cruise line, when we landed on St Kilda by tender and stopped at some very small places when we spent two weeks up the Amazon in 2006 - not seen anything like that since.  Only possibility to return to those would be on an expedition ship and that is too expensive for us.

 

IMO cruising is all about being able to visit places like this that would be almost impossible to visit on a land holiday.  So glad we have been able to do this in the past and we really would love to return to those or similar if it ever becomes possible for us.

[cruznjan]

Aruba!

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, tring said:

 

You can tell we do not sail on big ships.  We have done these with Fred Olsen and CMV.

 

We have some really good memories and would also love to return to places visited on the old Swan Hellenic cruise line, when we landed on St Kilda by tender and stopped at some very small places when we spent two weeks up the Amazon in 2006 - not seen anything like that since.  Only possibility to return to those would be on an expedition ship and that is too expensive for us.

 

 

I am still struggling with what line(s) to cruise with since neither Swan Hellenic nor Voyages to Antiquity are options. Like you I loved their model and am not really in the market for (expensive) expedition lines.  I'm in the US -- but not the typical US cruiser. I have considered Fred Olsen and CMV.  Any thoughts you can share?

Edited May 7, 2020 by cruisemom42

[navybankerteacher]

43 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I am still struggling with what line(s) to cruise with since neither Swan Hellenic nor Voyages to Antiquity are options. Like you I loved their model and am not really in the market for (expensive) expedition lines.  I'm in the US -- but not the typical US cruiser. I have considered Fred Olsen and CMV.  Any thoughts you can share?

You made me think of CMV’s Marco Polo - I sailed her in (I think October - ideal Med weather) 1996 (then Orient line): after  a few days in Istanbul, then Kannakale (sp?) for the ruins of Troy (my lifelong dream), Kusadasi for Ephesus, Santorini, , Mykonos, Heraklion on Crete - for Minoan ruins, Rhodes - for the Hospitallers’ (later Mussolini’s) stronghold,   as I recall we were only ship in each port, then a few days in Athens.   An itinerary I would leap at again - on a reasonable size ship.

Edited May 7, 2020 by navybankerteacher

[cruisemom42]

29 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

You made me think of CMV’s Marco Polo - I sailed her in (I think October - ideal Med weather) 1996 (then Orient line): after  a few days in Istanbul, then Kannakale (sp?) for the ruins of Troy (my lifelong dream), Kusadasi for Ephesus, Santorini, , Mykonos, Heraklion on Crete - for Minoan ruins, Rhodes - for the Hospitallers’ (later Mussolini’s) stronghold,   as I recall we were only ship in each port, then a few days in Athens.   An itinerary I would leap at again - on a reasonable size ship.

 

Sounds very like one of the Voyages to Antiquity itineraries I sailed -- what I enjoy(ed) about that line is that, in addition to the wonderful, often themed itineraries, there were also top-notch lecturers onboard, and included shore excursions (in which the lecturers participated).

 

Troy is everything I love about an ancient site -- the literary, historical, and archeological information is so rich and intertwined. The first time I was there I stayed overnight in nearby Cannakkale (which has improved so much since then) in order to get a full day at the site. Even after an immense amount of study, I found it so difficult to interpret. Not one Troy but nine different Troys!!  Since then I've been back twice and each time understand a little more. A few particular memories that have stayed with me are:

 

1. My first crossing to Cannakkale on the local ferry and seeing dolphins, thinking about what the Greek sailors would've seen as they approached Troy -- although the modern shoreline is vastly different now. 
2. Standing beside the walls and realizing that I was actually here, at the "well-walled city" of Homer.
3. Seeing the site through Schliemann's eyes, especially what he thought of as the "Scaean Gate", in front of which Hector and Achilles supposedly fought and through which the Trojan horse entered the city. Very compelling...but problematically, too early to have been "the" Troy.

I have similar fond feelings for Carthage, another historical but almost mythic place about which much is known, but known wrongly...

 

[clo]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

Ephesus

It just blew our minds. I read that Azamara did an after dinner concert there. I can't even imagine. All of Turkey was wonderful. (Not on a cruise.)

[clo]

32 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Not one Troy but nine different Troys!! 

It's incredible, isn't it? And how far it is from the water now.

[navybankerteacher]

38 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

...

I have similar fond feelings for Carthage, another historical but almost mythic place about which much is known, but known wrongly...

 

I believe there are small ship cruises from various UK ports to stops around Ireland - which I’ve visited on land several times - the ruined abbeys (generally from the  Tudor and Cromwellian suppressions) offer amazing sense of clean gothic architecture (if that is of interest) - roofless, stripped of everything other than the native stone, usually standing alone - distant from all other man made structures.

[NavCom]

On 5/3/2020 at 9:24 PM, Ruthieofthesea said:

After almost fifty years of cruising and land trips I have many favorite ports. The most amazing sail in was Sydney.

Auckland

Dubai

Venice

Santorini

Hong Kong

Christ Church

Paris (river cruise)

I love to watch as the ship navigates to port, especially when they approach the dock from the side.

 

Happy cruising. 

 

 

New Zealand, Australia and the Persian Golf States are Bucket List items for us.  We envy all who have already sailed to these parts of the world.
Nice to find another cruise couple who like both ocean and river cruises:  it is usually one to the exclusion of the other.  The feel and format is most certainly different for each but we enjoy both equally.  I am trying to think which river cruise was our favourite but, truth be told, each one was memorable and we would happily do each one over again.  If forced to pick a favourite, I think it would be our Dahabiya cruise on the Nile.  

[tring]

20 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I am still struggling with what line(s) to cruise with since neither Swan Hellenic nor Voyages to Antiquity are options. Like you I loved their model and am not really in the market for (expensive) expedition lines.  I'm in the US -- but not the typical US cruiser. I have considered Fred Olsen and CMV.  Any thoughts you can share?

 

Well no one knows what will come after the events this year, but for the UK and Europe in general cruises are highly unlikely to re start for a vary long time to come, but I will give a brief comment on each.

 

Fred ships are very old, but he has had them refreshed considerably in recent years and the atmosphere onboard is not dissimilar to what I remember of VOD, especially for the less commonly sailed itineraries, but the normal shows etc. are offered as well (we rarely go).  Speakers can be good, but not all the academic based topics of the other lines.  Formals are adhered to and evening suit or a lounge suit and tie is needed for men to enter MDR on those nights, though there is always a self service alternative.  Unfortunately dining is fixed, so in the MDR you will be allocated early or late sitting with a set table for the duration of the cruise.  You will know before booking if your sitting preference is unavailable (first sitting fills up towards sailing date), though request for table size not guaranteed.  If you want a two it is more likely if you book earlier.  Braemar and Balmoral have smaller restaurants upstairs that can be booked if available and are what other lines would use as speciality restaurants, but are (well have been so far) just extra restaurant space on Fred.  Food is very good and better than any other line we have sailed with IMO.  You will find threads on the Fred section which could be of use. We already have our refund for an April cruise and Fred generally dealing with the current situation better than many cruise lines.

 

We have only done a couple of CMV and had not intended to return, but had booked a cruise with them recently, which will not now sail.  They are downmarket of Fred from our experience, but can get some good prices.  They have (or certainly had) a lot of Eastern European crew, which was quite different to the feel of the Philippinos on Fred, but they did their job and again I think the itinerary makes a big difference to ambiance.  Meals not the same standard and we felt it was not as well organised as Fred - though Fred has his bad days compared to the way Swan used to just run like clockwork.  They do some very good itineraries with more port visits than Fred has been doing in recent years.  Again set tables and sittings at meal times in the MDR and they do formals which are normally adherred to, though a lounge suit is quite acceptable and from some reports it maybe a bit more casual than that.  We were disappointed to find we could not guarantee our sitting time as we would want late and their early can be very early.  Again normal shows etc. are done.  I do not remember any speakers, but may just be my recollection as we have only done a couple of shortish ex UK cruises. 

 

Overall I would suggest both are probably worth trying if the itinerary is right, if they do re commence in the same form.   For fly cruises to the Med, you would likely need to look at Azamara, which we tried last Oct - it was fine, but we did get a good price for that, which is not always the case.  The open dining on Az was welcomed by us.  Yes, those sort of lines seem to be a dying breed, but we do hope something of that sort does come out of the embers.  We always choose a cruise by itinerary, but often end up on Fred.

Edited May 8, 2020 by tring

[cruisemom42]

2 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Well no one knows what will come after the events this year, but for the UK and Europe in general is concerned it is highly unlikely to re start for a vary long time to come, but will give a brief comment on each.

 

Fred ships are very old, but he has had them refreshed considerably in recent years and the atmosphere onboard is not dissimilar to what I remember of VOD, especially for the less commonly sailed itineraries, but the normal shows etc. are offered as well (we rarely go).  Speakers can be good, but not all the academic based stuff of the other lines.  Formals are adhered to and evening suit or a lounge suit and tie is needed for men to enter MDR on those nights, though there is always a self service alternative.  Unfortunately dining is fixed, so in the MDR you will be allocated early or late sitting with a set table for the duration of the cruise.  You will know before booking if your sitting preference is unavailable (first sitting fills up towards sailing date), though request for table size not guaranteed.  If you want a two it is more likely if you book earlier.  You will find threads on the Fred section which could be of use.  Food is very good and better than any other line we have sailed with IMO.  We already have our refund for an April cruise and Fred generally dealing with the current situation better than many cruise lines.

 

We have only done a couple of CMV and had not intended to return, but had booked a cruise with them recently, which will not now sail.  They are downmarket of Fred from our experience, but can get some good prices.  They have (or certainly had) a lot of Eastern European crew, which was quite different to the feel of the Philippinos on Fred, but they did their job and again I think the itinerary makes a big difference to ambiance.  Meals not the same standard and we felt it was not as well organised as Fred - though Fred has his bad days compared to the way Swan used to just run like clockwork.  They do some very good itineraries with more port visits than Fred has been doing in recent years.  Again set tables and sittings at meal times in the MDR and they do formals which are normally adherred to, though a lounge suit is quite acceptable and from some reports it maybe a bit more casual than that.  Again normal shows etc. are done.  I do not remember any speakers, but may just be my recollection as we have only done a couple of shortish ex UK cruises. 

 

Overall I would suggest both are probably worth trying if the itinerary is right, if they do re commence in the same form.   For fly cruises to the Med, you would likely need to look at Azamara, which we tried last Oct - it was fine, but we did get a good price for that, which is not always the case.  The open dining on Az was welcomed by us.  Yes, those sort of lines seem to be a dying breed, but we do hope something of that sort does come out of the embers.  We always choose a cruise by itinerary.

 

Thanks for returning to post this comparison -- it's helpful. I've sailed with Azamara and really enjoyed it. It was a voyage to Cuba, not a long trip -- I just wanted to try them out before I committed further.  They are less accommodating of solo travelers, though, than some of the British/European lines.

 

[tring]

8 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Thanks for returning to post this comparison -- it's helpful. I've sailed with Azamara and really enjoyed it. It was a voyage to Cuba, not a long trip -- I just wanted to try them out before I committed further.  They are less accommodating of solo travelers, though, than some of the British/European lines.

 

 

You are welcome, I remember you gave some very good advice to us in the past regards Alexandria and we had an excellent couple of days there.  I have made a couple of edits to my previous post, which you may want to see.

 

Cheers

[Ruthieofthesea]

On 5/4/2020 at 8:40 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

While I understand where you're coming from, the "islands" have little (actually almost no) interest for me. I'm not a beaches/natural beauty person. Give me a nice big city with lots of museums, culture, and history any day, every day.

 

While it's true that you cannot get the measure of many Med ports in a day, there are some of us who cruise the Med annually, more or less. Couple that with spending time pre- or post-cruise and it makes for a nice holiday -- and one that appeals to MY interests.

 

One other thing that I don't recall seeing anyone else mention about Med/Europe cruises is that I enjoy the fact that I am traveling, and arriving at, these ports in much the same way as visitors have always done up until the advent of the 20th century. There is something I find very thrilling about arriving at Istanbul just like the traders from Venice in the 15th century, or scouring the horizon for a sight of Carthage on the shores of Tunisia, much as the Roman fleets must once have done....

 

 

I simply love your response. You speak my heart for travel. I loved the Caribbean in college for Spring break. I no longer find interest in the Islands of the Caribbean. The beach in Sydney is lovely as are the beaches of Spain. 

I try to find off the beaten path places in countries, small shops, family restaurants and beautiful gothic churches.

Happy cruising everyone.

 

[MrsBoxerDog]

On 5/7/2020 at 3:18 PM, cruznjan said:

Aruba!

May I ask why Aruba?  Thank you.

[cruznjan]

17 hours ago, MrsBoxerDog said:

May I ask why Aruba?  Thank you.

Aruba is different. Besides the usual tropical landscape, there's desert. It an easy island to get around. My husband and I did a jeep tour of the island, and it was a blast. We were so dirty when we got back on the ship, we thought we would clog the plumbing. 😀 I enjoy walking around the shopping area near the pier. I just love being there.

[Aardvaark]

My wife's brother takes a month in Aruba every Frebruary.  Twenty-some years now.  We flew down to join them in their condo for a long weekend during Carnival.  Wow.  A great place, but you can't appreciate it on a one-day visit from a cruise liner.  We enjoyed our five-day stay, about right for a first visit.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Aardvaark

[Kate P.C]

Venice

Livorno

St.Petersburg

Rhodes

Kusadasi

Amsterdam

Dubrovnik

Kotor

Cadiz

Barcelona

Nice

Marseille

 

 

[awinkl]

18 hours ago, Aardvaark said:

My wife's brother takes a month in Aruba every Frebruary.  Twenty-some years now.  We flew down to join them in their condo for a long weekend during Carnival.  Wow.  A great place, but you can't appreciate it on a one-day visit from a cruise liner.  We enjoyed our five-day stay, about right for a first visit.

 

That is the Problem with most of the Port-calls ....... I just use it as a means to find "nice" places - and then hope to get back to them on a more extensive visit.

[clo]

19 minutes ago, awinkl said:

 

That is the Problem with most of the Port-calls ....... I just use it as a means to find "nice" places - and then hope to get back to them on a more extensive visit.

And then do you do that?

[ldubs]

On 5/5/2020 at 10:48 AM, Cruzaholic41 said:

Gotta love Cruise Critic. People list their favorite ports and sure enough, others need to come along and either lecture them about how they’re not ports, or contrast them by saying they do not care for those ports. 🙄

 

You can always count on some to relentlessly point out something negative.   

[ldubs]

I could swear someone already mentioned Gibraltar, but can't find it.  Very unique history.  Very interesting place.   And little Barbary apes run their own gift shop with all the stuff they steal off tourists.  😋