Favourite place ever visited whilst cruising?

[Theosprey247]

7 hours ago, wcook said:

I can see loving Nassau. It’s obviously not a crowd favorite, but many great choices if you know what to look for. But Ensenada???? You gotta explain this one 🙂

Things Ensenada has going for it:

Good Food: Tacos Fenix the birthplace of the fish taco and numerous other great restaurants and food carts.

Good Drink: Hussong’s the birthplace of the Margarita 

Like wine? there’s Valle de Guadalupe (award winning wines).

Like to shop?  Ensenada has plenty of that.

Like historical buildings? Try the cultural center (formerly a hotel/casino frequented by the rich and famous in the 30’s and possibly the birthplace of the Margarita as well). 
Like natural wonders? Visit La Bufadora (blowhole). And while there try Lidia’s tacos.

beaches, horseback riding, zip lining, off roading, and brewery’s are also there.

[ldubs]

There are so many wonderful places and terrific memories that it is difficult and maybe a little unfair to name just one.  Lucca, already mentioned, is a great example and there are so many other places like that.    

 

If I have to name one, I would say sailing into Venice (before the ban) past St. Marks and the entrance to the Grand Canal is an incredible experience.  

[ilikeanswers]

16 hours ago, DarrenM said:

I just found Monaco pretentious beyond belief, and I also find folk with that much wealth just a bit sick.

 

When I visited Monte Carlo I saw mostly workers than rich people. Maybe because we visited in the afternoon so we ended up coinciding with the rush hour home. It is fascinating how much Monaco empties by the evening😂. Just buses and buses of people returning to France, it became a bit of a ghost town after. 

[DarrenM]

6 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

When I visited Monte Carlo I saw mostly workers than rich people. Maybe because we visited in the afternoon so we ended up coinciding with the rush hour home. It is fascinating how much Monaco empties by the evening😂. Just buses and buses of people returning to France, it became a bit of a ghost town after. 

Central London is very much like this.

 

I have worked there a lot over the years so always fancied a beer or three. Unless you have those beers straight after work, you will be drinking in an empty pub after about 7pm.

 

Its hard to believe but "the City" in London is like a ghosttown after that. And dont try and get food after about 10pm either.

[John Bull]

On 3/29/2023 at 6:30 PM, lenquixote66 said:

1) Costa Rica

 

2)Bermuda

 

3) Quebec City

 

I'd put Quebec at the top of that list 🙂

But Costa Rica and Bermuda wouldn't even be on my list 😜

 

JB 🙂

[Hlitner]

Such a difficult question, having been to more than 100 ports all over the world.  Istanbul would be near the top, but cruising in or out of Kotor and Venice (no longer possible) is hard to beat for the views.  

 

My message to folks, who have not yet been all over the world, is that it is a big world with many fabulous places (be it ports or land trips).  I could easily list a dozen amazing ports (none of them in the Caribbean).  So, for those that only have limited cruise/travel experience we would suggest that you have a lot to look forward to...on future trips.

 

Hank

[John Bull]

Since everyone else is breaking the one-port rule 🙃............................

 

in no particular order

St Petersburg

Bangkok

Saigon

Hong Kong

Istanbul

Rio

Buenos Aires

Devil's Island

Monaco

For the sail-in & sail-out Stockholm, Kotor, Venice, Halong Bai

 

JB 🙂

 

[lenquixote66]

8 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

I'd put Quebec at the top of that list 🙂

But Costa Rica and Bermuda wouldn't even be on my list 😜

 

JB 🙂

I love Canada.I have been there 17 times and most of the time to various parts of Quebec dating back to 1969

[boulders]

Alaska and Antarctica. 

 

I'm going to New Zealand on my next cruise and am excited to see it on some people's lists. 

[luvs2beachit]

My favorite places:

Venice and sailing in or out on the Grand Canal.

Eze

Bergan

Bruges

Santorini

MajorcaI

Iceland

Prince Edward Island

Newfoundland

Sint Maarten

Dublin

 

 

 

[donaldsc]

I can't see any place in Europe and definitely any place in the Caribbean on the list.  My top couple would be Antarctica, South Georgia Island, Galapagos, Greek Islands as long as you do it on a Star Clipper full rigged sailboat and Alaska as long as you do it on a ship that holds <200 people and does not visit any of the over crowded mass market cruise ports.

 

DON. 

[erby2283]

Took my one and only (so far) European cruise in 2019.

As for ports, I LOVED Venice.  Maybe it was because we had an overnight there and could just walk around and not care about time - and being able to see the city at all times of the day and night.  So many amazing churches, and foot bridges, and food... I just adored it.

 

By Kotor was by far the most amazing port to sail into/out of.  I can't even explain the beauty of the mountains and how they surround you...and it goes on for hours! Hope I can make it back one day.

Edited April 4, 2023 by erby2283

[slidergirl]

On 3/30/2023 at 2:50 AM, DarrenM said:

I just found Monaco pretentious beyond belief, and I also find folk with that much wealth just a bit sick.

 

 

 

 

That's a bit much.  Outside of Albert ("just call me Joe from Philly"), my Monaco bobsled friends from the early 2000s were not wealthy at all.  But, 2 of the pushers were his security guards. 

 

I think my fave has been Abu Simbel.  Paid extra for it on my Nile cruise.  I remembered hearing about it when I was a little kid from National Geographic in the 60s and how we collected donations from the neighborhood to help preserve it.  About 50 years later, I got to see it!!!   

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, erby2283 said:

Took my one and only (so far) European cruise in 2019.

As for ports, I LOVED Venice.  Maybe it was because we had an overnight there and could just walk around and not care about time - and being able to see the city at all times of the day and night.  So many amazing churches, and foot bridges, and food... I just adored it.

 

By Kotor was by far the most amazing port to sail into/out of.  I can't even explain the beauty of the mountains and how they surround you...and it goes on for hours! Hope I can make it back one day.

 

I could not agree more on Kotor.  And, you got to Venice prior to the cruise ship ban -- awesome!  

[erby2283]

16 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I could not agree more on Kotor.  And, you got to Venice prior to the cruise ship ban -- awesome!  

And before Covid! So sad you can’t sail in anymore. Glad I did a FB live and have video to look back on it as we sailed into the canal. Now I’ll have to choose a cruise that embarks in Ravenna and spens a day or two in Venice first. 

[ldubs]

36 minutes ago, erby2283 said:

And before Covid! So sad you can’t sail in anymore. Glad I did a FB live and have video to look back on it as we sailed into the canal. Now I’ll have to choose a cruise that embarks in Ravenna and spens a day or two in Venice first. 

 

I love hanging around in Venice. I think I'm to the point where I can walk from the train station to St Marks without getting lost. 😀  We have a self-guided land trip to Milan and surrounding later this year.   Even though it is kind of far off route, we will go to Venice because some in our family group have yet to experience the place.  

[donaldsc]

45 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I love hanging around in Venice. I think I'm to the point where I can walk from the train station to St Marks without getting lost. 😀  We have a self-guided land trip to Milan and surrounding later this year.   Even though it is kind of far off route, we will go to Venice because some in our family group have yet to experience the place.  

 

The best thing to do in Venice is just wander around w no specific destination in mind.  You will find it fascinating.  Just carry a card w your hotel on you so that when (not if but when) you get completely lost you can get back home.

 

DON

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

 

The best thing to do in Venice is just wander around w no specific destination in mind.  You will find it fascinating.  Just carry a card w your hotel on you so that when (not if but when) you get completely lost you can get back home.

 

DON

 

I like doing what you suggest in many places we visit.  

 

We were hopelessly lost several times on our first visit to Venice.  At this point we have been there several times and I can find my way around without the need for a hotel card.  I would still find the off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods a challenge, which is kind of part of the attraction.   

[Wayfairers]

We spent 5 days wandering around Venice and loved every minute.  Picked a different direction every day…no maps…no destination picked……just wandered and explored.   Perfect way to visit Venice. 

[cruisemom42]

On 4/6/2023 at 12:02 AM, erby2283 said:

And before Covid! So sad you can’t sail in anymore. Glad I did a FB live and have video to look back on it as we sailed into the canal. Now I’ll have to choose a cruise that embarks in Ravenna and spens a day or two in Venice first. 

Ravenna is also a wonderful place to spend a couple of days. The mosaics just blew me away.

[cruisemom42]

I love Rome more than anywhere but I wouldn’t say I love it due to visiting it from a cruise….

 

So with that off my list, what would I choose? So hard to say like choosing a favorite child, lol. Some favorites, in no particular order:

 

- Split

- Ravenna

- Istanbul

- Kusadasi (for the many nearby ruins)

- Naples  (same)

- Alexandria

- St Petersburg

- Siricusa (Sicily)

- Valletta (Malta)

- Israel (Haifa and Ashdod)

- Latakia (Syria) for Palmyra and Aleppo

- Beirut (for Baalbek)

- Portofino

- Sousse (Tunisia) for Roman sites)

 

Ports that surprisingly underwhelmed me:

- Kotor (pretty approach, but….)

- Santorini

- Singapore

- Dubrovnik

- Lisbon

- Palermo

- Stockholm

 

[DarrenM]

Istanbul, Kusadasi, and Naples are on the agenda for my upcoming cruise.

 

As is santorini.

 

I absolutely loved Dubrovnik. Would go back there in a heartbeat.

 

Been to Rome airport 6 times but never been to Rome. It just holds no appeal to me whatsover. Maybe my lack of religion?

[donaldsc]

I have noticed something interesting about most of these favorite places lists.  Most of the places on the lists are warm or even hot places.  My list is mostly cool or outright cold places.

 

DON

[Honolulu Blue]

4 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

I have noticed something interesting about most of these favorite places lists.  Most of the places on the lists are warm or even hot places.  My list is mostly cool or outright cold places.

 

DON

Most cruises are to warm places. Cooler places are undesirable or even physically impossible to cruise to when they're at their coldest. 

[ontheweb]

39 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Most cruises are to warm places. Cooler places are undesirable or even physically impossible to cruise to when they're at their coldest. 

There are people who want to cruise to Antarctica.