Annette's Cruise Blog

ALASKA

2010-07-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

ALASKA

2010-07-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

In May Stuart and I went on a wonderful cruise and tour of Alaska with Holland America.

If you enjoy beautiful scenery, wildlife and history you should consider a vacation in Alaska... Glaciers, mountains, lakes and rivers; bears, whales, moose, caribou; historic towns, Indian villages, gold mines, plus much, much more.

Let me know if I can help you plan a Vacation to Remember in Alaska.

Foodie Friends in South America

2010-06-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

Foodie Friends at Sea
South American Passage Cruise
January 28 – February 13, 2010

Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Foodie Friends met at the Tampa airport for our flight to Atlanta. We had a close connection in Atlanta so we ran (or wheel chaired) to our flight. We all made it, arriving in Santiago on time the next morning.

Friday, January 29, 2010
We were greeted in Santiago by our guide Chris, who after seeing the massive amount of luggage we had, called for a larger bus. We went to our hotel to rest before our afternoon tour of Santiago. Our hotel, Four Points by Sheraton, was located in the Providencia area with pretty tree lined streets and many shops and restaurants nearby. The Foodies were on their own for dinner and some went to Astrid & Gaston, and had one of the best meals of their lives.

Saturday, January 30, 2010
Due to extra cleaning of the ship because of stomach illness on the last several cruises we were late boarding the Veendam and did not sail until 8:00PM rather than the planned 5:00PM departure. However, Chris, our tour guide extraordinaire found more places for us to explore in Valparaiso until we could check in for our cruise.

Sunday, January 31, 2010
Our first day at sea was spent relaxing, acquainting (or reacquainting) ourselves with the Veendam, attending various lectures, eating and drinking, and enjoying our first formal night.

Monday, February 01, 2010
It was raining when we arrived in Puerto Montt. Puerto Montt is a tender port and though the seas were calm enough to safely board the tender, the ramp at the dock was quite steep when we arrived. By afternoon the tide had come in and our departure was much easier.
Puerto Montt is located at the southern end of the beautiful lake district of Southern Chile. It is not a very pretty town itself, but is the gateway to the beautiful Lake Llanquihue area. Salmon farming has been a booming industry in the area until a recent virus shut down most of the farms. They hope to resume farming in two or three years, but in the meantime salmon farming has moved further south.
We took a tour to two of the German towns on Lake Llanquihue, Puerto Varas and Frutillar. I was a little disappointed in Puerto Varas as it was not as I had imagined. It is called the City of Roses and did have beautiful roses throughout the city. The lake is huge and is has nice hotels along the shore.
Frutillar was a quaint little town and I liked it better than Puerto Varas. Stuart and I toured the historical museum, looked in some of the shops and joined Brenda and Jonelle for some Chilean Chardonnay and German sausage. Those that went to Petrohue Falls said they were beautiful. Maybe next time!
We ended our day in Puerto Montt shopping in the craft markets near the dock. Lots of choices of woven hats, scarves, and other local souvenirs.

Tuesday, February 02, 2010
We enjoyed a wonderful presentation by Pat and Bob Sheldon, “Fifteen Simple Recipes that will improve your Life” while cruising the Darwin Channel and Chilean Fjords.

Wednesday, February 03, 2010
We spent a rather lazy day at sea, leaving the Pacific Ocean at 6:00AM and entering Pitt Chanel to pass through the Chilean Fjords on our way to the Strait of Magellan and Punta Arenas, Chile. There were high mountains on both sides of the ship and we saw out first snow capped peaks.

Thursday, February 04, 2010
We arrived in Punta Arenas on time and were ready at 7:30AM for our trip to Isla Magdalena and the Los Pinguinos” (The Penguins) Natural monument. We boarded a bus to the ferry for a two hour ride to the island. The ferry, a refurbished LST, was comfortable and with the help of naps and good friends the time passed quickly. We were graced with beautiful weather – cold, no wind, and sunny!
What a treat! Thousands (estimated number is 69,000 couples) of Magellanic Penguins up close and personal! They were very tame and didn’t seem to mind having their pictures taken. They live in little burrows that they dig and decorate themselves. Smal fish, such as anchovies comprise their diet. We had to be careful not to stop them on their way to the water to fish. If you got in their path and broke their stride they will often get confused and go back without getting food for themselves or their young.
In the afternoon we went into town. Punta Arenas is a city of about 100,000 residents overlooking the Strait of Magellan. It was an important port city prior to the opening of the Panama Canal. In the early twentieth century fabulous wealth was produced by the large sheep and cattle ranchers and some of these buildings are now museums and hotels. We took a taxi to the Plaza Munoz Gamero with its bronze sculpture of Ferdinand Magellan and some native Indians. We rubbed the toe of one of the Indians which means we will return to Punta Arenas. We did a little sightseeing and shopping in the craft stands in the square. Again, the weather was very good as it can be very windy in town this time of year.

Friday, February 05, 2010
Wow! We thought the scenery was beautiful in the Chilean Fjords, but it was nothing compared to the Beagle Channel and the Avenue of Glaciers! I have never seen such beauty! Again we faced a beautiful clear and calm day.
We docked in Ushuaia, Argentina around 2:00PM and some of us went on a tour of the area that included a drive through the mountains with a brief stop for wine at the Morada del Aguila ski resort and back to town with a visit to their super market for more wine and other essentials. Ushuaia was founded as a penal colony and is very different than the wealthy beginnings of Punta Arenas.

Saturday, February 06, 2010
This morning we were awakened early (6:50AM) by the Captain announcing that we would soon be circumventing Cape Horn. The Captain commented on the absolutely perfect weather- calm seas and good visibility. The frequent storms, strong currents and icebergs can make this passage hazardous at times. Winds causing huge swells are treacherous and many sailors have lost their lives in these waters. There is a monument on Cape Horn honoring the seamen of all nations that have lost their life fighting natural causes in these waters. The winds are so strong as there is no land mass until Antarctica, 600 miles away. Also by the monument is the light house and residence of the lighthouse keeper.

I am the albatross that awaits you
At the end of the world.
I am the forgotten souls of dead mariners
Who passed Cape Horn
From all the oceans of the world.
But they did not die
In the furious waves.
Today they sail on my wings
Toward eternity,
In the last crack
Of the Antarctic winds.

By Sara Vial

Cape Horn is the southernmost point of South America and has a rocky terrain of mostly granite that rises to a height of 1391 feet. Due to the strong winds and storms there is little vegetation. No trees, only soft peat and hearty grasses.
The ship’s horn was sounded as we passed from the Pacific Ocean into the Atlantic Ocean. Ferdinand Magellan first navigated a passage through the complicated channels that was then thought to be the most southerly point of the continent. Drake and others followed through to the Pacific Ocean, but it was Le Maire and the Schouten brothers of the Netherlands who first sailed around the cape. They named the southernmost point Kaap van Hoorn in honor of their village in the Netherlands. The Spaniards adopted the Dutch name as “Cabo de Hornos”, but the phrase translates to English as “Cape of the Ovens”.
In the 1850’s it took 200 days to sail from New York to San Francisco. At one time the Falkland Islands were the closest place for supplies and ship repair. They were notorious for price gouging and ships were sometime abandoned rather than pay the high cost of repair.
We saw Black-Browed Albatross gliding around the ship. They spend most of their time in the air and only land to breed. Young albatross can spend several years in the air before ever landing. They fly 90 kilometers an hour and can fly great distances. There also were Antarctic terns, but they were difficult to see as they are all white and quite small. During migration time humpback whales can be seen traveling to and from Antarctica.
With binoculars we could see the Chilean flag, lighthouse, chapel, residence, and utility buildings on the island. We could also see the large sculpture of an albatross. As we were passing we could see a red helicopter bringing supplies.
By 8:15AM we were on our way the Pt. Stanley, Falkland Islands, or so we thought.

Sunday, February 07, 2010
This morning the Captain announced we would be unable to go to Pt Stanley because of heavy winds and poor visibility. The winds were from the east at 45 knots, gusting to over 50 knots. They were causing rough seas with up to twenty five foot swells. If the winds had of been from the west it would have been okay, but with strong easterly winds it would be unsafe to tender into Pt. Stanley. So we are proceeding on to Montevideo. We are all disappointed but are keeping ourselves busy with added ship activities. We also got a game of Foodie Fight going. They guys against the girls, of course the girls won!

Monday, February 08, 2010
A relaxing day at sea with an afternoon private wine tasting for the Foodie Friends.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Another day at sea. The highlight being a Foodie talk led by Foodie Leaders’ Pat & Bob Sheldon. We drank champagne and talked food. After our food discussion we moved to the Pinnacle Grill for a fabulous Foodie Friends luncheon.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010
We arrived in beautiful Montevideo, Uruguay early in the morning. Uruguay is one of the smallest countries in South America with a population of around three million, half of who reside in the capital, Montevideo. Montevideo has a very European feel and the country is unusual for South America as most of the population is of the middle class.
A group of Foodies took a highlights tour of Montevideo. Stuart fell in love with Montevideo and is ready to move there.

Thursday, February 11, 2010
Arrival in Buenos Aires and the end of our cruise, but not the end of our adventure. We were met by our tour guide and with a little difficulty managed to load the Foodies and all their luggage into the bus. We had a quick tour of the “Paris of South America” before settling into our hotel. First stop was Recoleta Cemetery to see the elaborate tombs and Mausoleums of the Buenos Aires elite. Eva Peron is buried here in her family’s simple dark marble crypt. Then a drive down the very busy twelve lane Avenida 9 de Julio, a stop at Plaza de Mayo, a drive through the Bohemian neighborhood of San Telmo, a stop for lunch and tango in La Boca, then through the Puerto Madero area and to our hotel.
That night some of the Foodies went to a fabulous dinner and tango at Gala Tango. We feasted on Argentinean cuisine and enjoyed a show of superb tango and other traditional dances and songs of Argentina. It was one of the highlights of the trip.

Friday, February 12, 2010
Our flight is at 9:30 PM tonight¸ so time for last minute sightseeing, shopping, and eating.

To see our book, go to:

The Foodie Friends in South America by Annette Hostetter Make Your Own Book

Rhine River Cruise

2010-01-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

Rhine River Cruise
November 2009

Stuart and I went on our second European River Cruise in November and had another wonderful time! Previously we sailed the Danube from Nurenberg to Budapest with Uniworld River Cruises. This time we sailed with Avalon Waterways on the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam.

Avalon Waterways is one of the Globus Travel’s family of brands and we sailed on one of their brand new ships, the Creativity. The Creativity carries 140 passengers in large, well appointed cabins. The standard cabins are 172 square feet and the largest of any river boat in Europe. Our cabin, as most on Avalon ships, had a French balcony – wonderful for viewing castles along the Rhine and for feeding ducks while in port in Amsterdam!

The cabins have ample storage space, a full length mirror (maybe a disadvantage by the end of the cruise!), a safe, and flat screen TV. The bathroom is roomy for a river boat with a nice shower and plenty of hot water.
The lounge on the Creativity is forward on the boat with windows all around and a small outdoor area, wonderful in nice weather. The dining room is below the lounge and is nicely decorated with nice large windows. There is also a wonderful sun deck with a hot tub, great for scenic cruising. In nice weather they sometimes grill hamburgers, etc. for lunch on this deck.

Both breakfast and lunch are buffet style with plenty of selections. Dinner is table service at around 7:00 or 7:30PM. It is open seating so you can sit wherever and with whomever like. The food was very good with appetizer, salad, soup, entrée and dessert. The appetizer and salad were the same for all, but you had a choice of soups, entrees, and dessert. The food was excellent and the staff very friendly and attentive. They are very helpful with special diet requirements as I am on a gluten free diet and they made sure it met my needs. In fact, one night the chef came running out of the kitchen to be sure I didn’t have a cookie with my ice cream! One of the best things about dinner of course, is the complimentary wine! There was always a selection of a white, rose, or red from various areas of Europe.

Those who have been on a river cruise know the best thing about river cruising is seeing the wonderful cities and quaint villages of Europe without having to pack and unpack every day. You mostly cruise at night and arrive in another wonderful city or village to explore in the morning. We sailed from Basel, Switzerland Sunday night and awoke in Strasbourg, France the next morning. Strasbourg is situated on the border of Germany and France and is the seat of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. We had a nice boat tour around town and then a walking tour through the La Petite France district in the morning. Back to the ship for lunch and then went on an optional wine tasting tour to Alsace region of France (Strasbourg is the capital) in the afternoon. (The tours are another great thing about river cruising - a tour (usually about ½ day) is included in the price with optional tours at an additional cost.)

The next morning we were in Heidelberg, Germany and had a wonderful tour of the imposing ruins of the Heidelberg castle above the city and the old town with our excellent guide, Bertroud. He also guided us to his favorite beer hall where we enjoyed a little refreshment.

We arrived in Mainz, Germany on November 11 and at 11:11AM their holiday carnival began! It was quite festive with everyone in costume and marching bands to the Schillerplatz. We also toured the Gutenberg Museum and saw a demonstration of how the printing press worked and an original copy of the Gutenberg Bible. After the morning in Mainz we sailed on to Rudesheim, a pretty little Rhine Valley wine town, where we enjoyed the little shops and a Rudesheimer coffee (German version of Irish coffee) at the Rudesheimer Scholss.

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Thursday morning we spent cruising the Rhine Gorge, the most beautiful stretch of the river, with beautiful castles everywhere! We passed the legendary Lorelei where sweet songs of the local beauties lured enchanted sailors to their doom. In the afternoon we docked in Koblenz, the 2000 year old cultural and business center of the Middle Rhine and where the Rhine River meets the Mosel River. We had a nice walking tour of Koblenz with another excellent guide (all of the Avalon guides were excellent). We finished our tour in Koblenz as we did in most ports, with a beer or wine in a bar, this time in a wonderful old place recommended by our tour guide.

Friday we were in Cologne and of course visited the magnificent Gothic Cathedral which took 600 years to build and dominates the skyline. Our last port was Amsterdam. In the morning we went on a canal boat tour with highlights pointed out by our tour guide. We chose to go on the optional afternoon tour to Edam and Volendam. Edam with its quaint tiny homes on small canals with hand drawn draw bridges is unforgettable. You have to call the bridge man to come open the bridge and then he rides his bike to the next bridge to open it, and so on. How wonderful to see up close and personal one of the remaining 1,000 windmills now protected in the Netherlands. Volendam is an old fishing village with a pretty view, but mostly made up of tourist shops now. A toddy warmed us up on that cool, blustery day.

We chose to spend two nights in Zurich prior to our cruise and two nights in Amsterdam afterwards. We always recommend arriving at least one day early for a cruise in case of flight delays. It also gives you a chance to see more of the embarkation city. It was our first visit to Zurich and we enjoyed getting to know the city by walking through the old town, visiting several museums, and taking a boat tour on the lake. We also enjoyed a delicious Swiss dinner of fondue and rachelette. After our two days in Zurich we took the train to Basel to board the Creativity.

Though we had been to Amsterdam before we chose to spend two nights after disembarking. We checked into our hotel, and immediately went to the Anne Frank Museum. The museum usually has long lines, but be being there early we did not have to wait. It is truly a moving experience to be in the place where Anne Frank spent over two years and wrote her diary.

We love to travel and we love to help people plan their travels. Let us know if we can help you with a river cruise or other vacation to remember.

Annette & Stuart Hostetter
Vacations to Remember
727-492-4479 ahostetter@earthlink.net

2nd Annual Foodie Friends @ Sea Cruise

2008-01-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

What a great time we had on the 2nd Annual Foodie Friends at Sea cruise! Twenty nine of us sailed January 6, 2008 from Tampa on Holland America’s Veendam. Some of us were local Floridians and others came from around the country or from the UK. Some of us were there for the “Foodie” aspect and others were there just for the “Friends”. Some were old friends and some were new friends, but by the end of the cruise we were all Good Friends! The one thing that tied us all together was Pat and Bob Sheldon, our hosts and guest chefs extraordinaire.

The Veendam is a wonderful mid size ship: 55,758 gross tons, 720 feet long with a passenger capacity of 1,258 and crew of 557. It is elegantly decorated with beautiful art work and subdued colors. The public rooms are all beautiful and comfortable and we never felt crowded. My husband Stuart and I were in a verandah cabin on deck 9 and it was quite roomy at 292 square feet with more storage space than we needed.

Our ports of call were Key West; Belize City, Belize; Santo Tomas De Castilla, Guatemala; and Cozumel, Mexico.

We gathered in the Crows Nest (a great lounge on deck 12 forward with wonderful panoramic views) for our sail away from Tampa. We were blessed with beautiful weather for the sail away, as we were for the entire cruise.

Monday, our first port of call was Key West. We docked right in town at Mallory Square. What a great port! Lots of things to see right in walking distance or by the Conch Tour Train or Old Town Trolley. Some of our group visited Hemingway’s house, Truman’s Little White House, and other tourist sites. While others spent their time in the numerous shops and bars (I have heard fun times were had and there are pictures to prove it!) along Duval Street. That evening we had a wonderful party in the Crow’s Nest to celebrate Seena’s birthday. Thank you Seena and Bill for letting us all celebrate with you.

Tuesday was a day at sea. In the morning we had a private galley tour, which was interesting, but not as good as some I have had on other ships. We basically did a quick walk through the galley with few comments or information on what we were seeing. One of the few disappointments of the cruise.

Next, many of us attended a beginner Tai Chi class in the gym taught by our own Seena Baker! Seena lead our group through some basic moves which was a little difficult for most of us that were first timers, particularly as the seas were a little rough. I don’t know about the rest of the group, but it made me want to find a Tai Chi class to attend.

The big event of the cruise was the cooking demonstration by Pat and Bob Sheldon (assisted by Karen and Mark Sheldon and Marcus, the chef for the Pinnacle Grill) in the Veendam’s beautiful Culinary Arts Center. They cooked up a delicious feast of tuiles (one thing I know we can all master!), croutons with tapenade and smoked trout, puff pastry stuffed with (olives, sausage, and chicken & spinach), Yorkshire pudding, and the final touch, the best Crepes Suzettes on the planet! Pat showed us the versitality of puff pastry and Yorkshire pudding (same batter as crepes). Bob reminded us that Recipes are living things. They mature with use and evolve as we do.

Wednesday we were in Belize. What a beautiful and diverse country….Mayan ruins, jungles, and some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world. Great comments came from those in our group that went cave tubing, snorkeling, and touring of town and the Belize zoo. The ship tour I was scheduled for was cancelled, so I ventured out on my own to find an internet café and tour Belize City. There are a couple of internet cafes within an easy walk from the dock. I found (or rather he found me) a taxi driver/tour guide that drove me to all the sites around town and waited while I toured the museum and church. He was quite knowledgeable and charged me $15 for the tour. His name is Daniel Dougal (danieldougal65@hotmail.com) and can do tours to the Mayan Ruins, Zoo, etc. There are lots of shops in the port buildings and also right outside the port. They expect you to bargain. Some of their things are made in Guatemala which I found to be cheaper in Santo Tomas. Tonight was the Master Chef’s Dinner. Great dinner, entertaining staff, and weren’t we all cute in our Chef’s hats!

Thursday and on to Santo Tomas De Castilla. This is a relatively new cruise port and I heard wonderful comments from all who ventured off the ship. It was a long and wonderful day for those that took the flight to Honduras to see the Mayan ruins of Copan. Others in the group enjoyed the closer Mayan ruins of Quirigua, a drive through the country side and visit to a Banana plantation, and San Felipe, a fortress built by the Spaniards. Stuart, Peppy, and I took what was called a “Nature and Culture Bay Cruise” offered by HAL. It was a nice boat trip around the bay and through the mangroves, but we didn’t learn much about the culture as the microphone didn’t work and we couldn’t hear what the tour guide had to say. The port has a wonderful terminal with entertainment, food and drinks, and vendors selling all the interesting and inexpensive crafts of Guatemala. They expect you to bargain. I bought necklaces for my granddaughters that started out at $5 apiece and ended up costing 3 for $5. There are also tour operators in the terminal offering many of the same tours as the cruise line at a lower cost. I don’t think it matters which one you use as I understand that individually they don’t usually have enough people to fill a group, so they combine them. Just know if you are on an independent tour and don’t make it back to the ship on time, it will leave without you! This was our night in the Pinnacle Grill. Wow! The best filet mignon I think I have ever tasted! I heard the same kind of comments from everyone.

Friday and we are in Cozumel, Mexico, along with 5 other cruise ships which made for large crowds. Our group went off on various shore excursions or took a taxi to town to explore on their own. It was a beautiful day for beach and water activities. I heard from some that the snorkeling wasn’t as good a Belize (the reefs have not recovered from the damage by Hurricane Wilma a few years ago). I also heard they make very good and strong Margaritas in San Miguel!

Saturday, our last day is spent at sea to rest and relax and enjoy the ship before returning to port Sunday morning. We got together in the afternoon for a little more food talk and a private premium wine tasting. The wines were personally picked by Bob Sheldon and Felipe, Cellar Master. Felipe is very knowledgeable about wines and led us through our tasting. The wines were excellent and Stuart will be checking with our favorite local wine source, Total Wine, for availability and pricing. Saturday night was another great dinner in the Rotterdam dining room. Many of us had lobster and escargot prepared specially for our group. We surprised Lois with a birthday cake (gluten free and it was really good!) and Marv surprised us all with Champagne for the group! Many of us went back to our cabins to pack and get to bed early, while others continued to celebrate the evening in the disco. I wasn’t one of those partying in the disco, so someone else will have to complete this part.

We woke early Sunday morning and though we couldn’t see a thing, thought we were docked in Tampa. Wrong! We were anchored four hours away as the port of Tampa was closed due to fog. We finally made it into port around noon and everyone that had flights was able to reschedule or make their original flight.

Thanks to all of you for being such a great group! It makes me so happy to hear that everyone had such a good time on the cruise! That is what keeps me doing what I am doing! Please give me suggestions for the next Foodie Friends Cruise or other group you would like to put together. I would love to help you plan your next trip!
Annette Hostetter, Annette@cwcruises.com, 727-492-4479

Cruising the Mediterranean in November

2007-12-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

My husband Stuart and I just returned from a wonderful Mediterranean cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas. We spent one night in Barcelona and then boarded the Brilliance of the Seas for a 12 night cruise of the Mediterranean. November is a great month for the Mediterranean as it is low season (lower prices), the weather is cool, and there are fewer tourists. It was a little chilly in Venice and we had a short rain storm that turned into hail in Dubrovnik, but other than that the weather was great. Most days were sunny with weather in the 60’s to 70’s. We have learned when traveling in the spring or fall to always pack an umbrella, rain jacket, hat, gloves, scarf, and clothes you can layer so that we are prepared for anything! I just kept thinking how hot and crowed it would be in July at Pompeii or the Acropolis!

Though we personally prefer small ships, I have clients that enjoy Royal Caribbean in Europe and I wanted to experience it myself. We found the Brilliance a great way to see a lot of interesting ports for a great value. The Brilliance of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbean’s Radiance Class ships. It was built in 2002 (refurbished in 2005) is 90,090 tons and caries 2,112 guests. It is a lovely ship and has all the amenities and activities of a large ship—fitness center and spa, casino, lounges, main dining room, casual dining area, pools and whirlpools, etc. It also has two alternative restaurants, mini golf course, basketball court, Royal Caribbean’s signature rock climbing wall, and more! With most days spent in wonderful interesting ports to explore we didn’t participate in many of the onboard activities.

As the airlines have such a problem these days with on time performance, we decided to arrive in Barcelona a day early to make sure we didn’t miss the ship. We were glad we did, otherwise we would have made the ship, but our luggage wouldn’t have, as it was lost in Madrid for a day. A couple we met at the Air Europa lost luggage counter sailed that afternoon and hopefully their luggage caught up with them at the next port. Barcelona is a delightful city and we enjoyed our stay at the newly renovated Rafaelhoteles Casanova. The Casanova is a modern hotel conveniently located near the Plaza de Cataluña and convenient to the metro and restaurants.

Our ports of call were Villefranche, France; Livorno and Naples, Italy; an overnight in Venice; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Santorini and Athens Greece, and ended in Civitavecchia (Rome).

We spent a couple of nights after our cruise in Rome at the Mercure Roma Delta Colosseo with a view of the colosseum from our room! The windows were high, so you had to stand up to see it, but what a view. The hotel has a roof top terrace that is open in the summer and It must be fabulous to watch the sun set over the Colosseum! From the hotel we walked to the colosseum, forum, and many other archaeological sites, monuments, and museums. It was also convenient to restaurants, shops, and a local grocery store.

When cruising we enjoy both the cruise line shore excursions and exploring on our own. On this cruise we mostly explored on our own, partly by choice and partly because the best shore excursions sell out early. My suggestion is to book shore excursions that sound interesting to you online and cancel if you change your mind (be sure to check the cruise lines cancellation policies).

Villefranche, France - Though a picturesque town with a few historical things to see, shopping, and restaurants, most people choose to tour more well know spots like Nice, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Cannes, Eze, and St Paul De Vence. As we had been to most of these places, except for Nice, we decided to take the train to Nice. The train station is a quick 10 minute walk from the port and Nice is just 2 stops away. You can walk from the Nice train station to the waterfront and old town.

Livorno, Italy – The next day we were in Italy! We took the ship’s shuttle into Livorno, the bus to the train station, and the train to Pisa. From the train station in Pisa it is about a 20 minute walk to the Field of Miracles where the leaning tower and cathedral are located. You can continue on the train to Florence, but we had been there and decided to spend our time in Pisa. The cruise line of course offered many shore excursions, but the one everyone was raving about was the Tuscan Countryside tour and wine tasting. Some very seasoned cruisers said it was the best tour they had ever been on.

Naples, Italy - The ship docked right in town and it was an easy walk to shops, restaurants, and historical sites. I had never been to Naples, but always thought it a dirty, dangerous city without much to see. We walked around in the morning enjoying the sites and searching for a place to use the internet (Found one - 1EU for 15 minutes) and were pleasantly surprised with how much we enjoyed it. In the afternoon we took a shore excursion to Pompeii. We had an excellent tour guide that pointed out many things we would not have noticed if we had toured on our own. So hard to believe buildings with frescos are still around 2000 years later. In Florida we would have torn them down and built condos. I definitely want to go back to this area as there is so much we didn’t get to see –Capri, Amalfi coast, and the Naples Archeological Museum where many of the artifacts from Pompeii are located.

Venice, Italy - We arrived in Venice around 1:00P and left the following day at 5:00P so we had a lot of time to enjoy this fascinating city. Our ship docked some distance from St Marks Square and RCCL offered water transfers ($13 per person round trip) to St Marks. The other options are water taxis (expensive) and the water buses (vaporetti). The vaporetti dock was about a 10 minute walk from the port. It is a great experience to take a vaporetti all the way down the Grand Canal to St Marks Square!

Dubrovnik, Croatia - What a beautiful city! It was heavily damaged during the war in the early 1990’s but has been beautifully restored. We docked about 10 minutes from the old town and the cruise line offered transfers for $8.00 round trip. Taxis were also available to take you to the old town or on tours. I had always wanted to go to Dubrovnik and it was all I hoped for. A wonderfully restored old town with marble streets, historical buildings, and ancient city walls overlooking the blue Adriatic Sea. Clouds were forming as we arrived so we decided to walk the city walls before the rain started. Wrong! First it started raining and then hailing before we were half way around the town! We pulled out our rain gear, got off the wall as soon as we could and ran into a cozy little café to dry off and have the best cappuccino ever!

Santorini, Greece – As I had heard that sailing into to the caldera (crater formed when a volcano erupted in 1500 B.C.) was a breathtaking experience I woke Stuart early so we could be on deck to experience it. I forgot the fact that it was still dark when we arrived and you couldn’t see a thing! The Brilliance of the Seas anchored and we were tendered to the port of Skala. You have three options to reach the town of Fira at the top of the hill above Skala; cable car, donkey, or walking up 587 steps (the same 587 steps the donkeys use). We chose the cable car. The picturesque town of Fira can be explored by foot. Taxis are available to explore the village of Ia or other parts of the island.

Athens, Greece – Cruise ships dock at the port of Piraeus, about 7 miles from Athens. There is so much to see in Athens that this is one port I wanted to take a shore excursion, but waited too long to book and they were sold out. There were four of us that decided to get a taxi into Athens to see the Acropolis and wander the Plaka (oldest neighborhood in Athens). The taxi drivers were everything I had heard they were! They are rude, dishonest, and want to sell you an all day tour rather than just a ride into Athens. After much argument we finally got them down to 20 EU for the four of us, which I think is high, but we were tired of the discussion.
One word of caution when you are arranging your own excursions, be sure you make it back to the ship on time! In Athens we left about 30 minutes late as we waited for people to get back to the ship. Several taxis came speeding in the nick of time, but two people didn’t make it. Bad way to end a vacation!

Sadly Athens was our last port of call. We spent one day at sea on our way to Civitavecchia where our cruise ended. Luckily we still had two days to spend enjoying Rome!

We loved our cruise and visited many places we had not been before and revisited places we had enjoyed in the past. Cruising is definitely a good value, particularly with the USD exchange with the Euro. It is also a lot of fun! After a long day of touring, it was great to get back to our cabin and relax and then meet with new friends in one of the lounges or our dinner table to exchange tales of our days adventures. We will definitely take another Mediterranean cruise. Maybe next November, let me know if you want to join us!

Holland America Enhances Online Check

2007-08-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Holland America Line has improved its Signature Preferred Online Check-in process to collect credit card information on its website. The secure online registration process will enhance and simplify the pier check-in process. "Collection of credit card information at the pier takes the most time in the check-in process," said Richard Meadows, executive vice president-marketing, sales and guest programs. "By collecting this information online in advance with other information such as immigration details, we've significantly sped up the process for those guests who choose online check-in."

Guests completing and submitting required information online will print out a Signature Preferred Boarding Pass and proceed to a special line at the pier. Information is quickly verified, identification is checked, and guests are photographed for ship security. They can then proceed to the boarding area with their staterooms keycards. Credit cards are only authorized when information is transferred to the ship just before departure. To access the online check-in, visit www.hollandamerica.com/checkin/loginStart.do.

Booking number and last name are required to enter.

Published by Modern Agent on August 1, 2007