Reset search
European Cruise 2025
  • Sonia Gelman
  • Boris Gelman

European Cruise 2025

A 60-day adventure by Sonia & Boris Read more
+7
FollowInsightsInsightsCalendarCalendarShareShareBucket list
Newest first
  • European Cruise 2025
    5

    Mykonos, Greece

    October 26 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Today’s tour took us to a deserted beach. The tourists season is over, the beaches are empty and some stores and restaurants are closed. We had 20 min to walk on the beach and get our feet wet.

    Then we drove to The Panagia Tourliani monastery. It is a functional church, but no monks. The monastery of Panagia Tourliani was founded in 1542 and renovated in 1757 - 1767 . On the plaza in front of the monastery we had Greek coffee and some kind of backed desert.

    Our next stop was old town with its narrow street, lots of overpriced touristy shops and restaurants.
    Boris stayed on the shore and I follow our tour guide to the windmills. At that point, I left the tour and went back through little streets back to the waterfront to find Boris.

    I realized that he can probably make to the windmills and we slowly strolled along the streets and steps. On the way back, he had to rest for few minutes. We walked to seabus to take us to our tender boats.

    It was a nice day.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025

    Athens, Greece

    October 28 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    We have been in Athens before and had an extended tour of the city. For today, I booked a free walking tour that concentrated on Greek history.

    We took a bus from the port of Piraeus to the nearest metro station. From there we had to take line 1 to the meeting place. Unfortunately, the elevator did not work. Lukely, local guy helped me to take a wheelchair down. That was not the end. We could not find the right train. The woman in the ticket window told us to go up. Again, no elevator. This time local woman helped me to go up.

    At this time, I did not want to deal with public transportation anymore, so we took an expensive taxi. The lesson…taxi drivers in Athens are taking advantage of tourists.

    We met our guide and the group at 10:00AM and had an amazing tour for three hours. Lots of history, funny stories and inside viewpoints. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, engaging and a good actor.

    We were done shortly after 1:00PM and since we were hungry, stopped for a lunch at Greek taverna.

    After lunch, a little more walking and then we got on the bus towards cruise ship terminal.

    We got off the bus about 1.5 miles before the terminal to walk in Piraeus. My plan was to catch a bus to get to the cruise terminal, but Boris wanted to walk the distance.

    It wasn’t an easy walk, but we made it.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025

    Split, Croatia

    October 29 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    In Split we took some introductory tour. We drove for about an hour around and then for another hour we had a walking tour in the old city.

    The city was founded as the Greek colony of Aspálathos in the 3rd or 2nd century BCE and in 305 CE, it became the site of the Palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian.

    The walking tour took us to Diocletian Palace. It is a massive building that looks like a fortress. Then we walked small narrow streets and old plazas.

    After the tour, we did a little bit of walking by ourself and then took a bus to the port.

    We were thinking of taking a wheelchair and then going to the shore again, but I was too tired to do it.

    The rest of the day we allocated to doing nothing.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025

    Kotor, Montenegro

    October 30 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    The day started very interesting. We took a render boat to the port. The meeting time with our tour guide was around 8:45AM. Since I did not find our tour guide, I called him. The answer was “I thought the tour is tomorrow.” I told him my paper said it’s today, on what his reply was “See you in 5min”.
    Ten minutes later, he called me and asked if we can move the tour to 12:00PM. I refused and asked for refund.

    Instead, we decided to take Hop-On-Hope-Off bus.
    The bus took us along the beautiful shore to Perast town.

    Perast is a historic, picturesque town located on the Bay of Kotor, known for its Venetian-style architecture, maritime history, and proximity to the islets of Our Lady of the Rocks and St. George. It is now a quiet, charming destination with a single main street, Baroque palaces, and a peaceful atmosphere.

    The bus that drove us to this town was open, with out windows and roof. Because of that we were very very cold and we really needed very expensive cappuccino. We also enjoyed a stroll along the waterfront.

    After cappuccino, we returned to our bus stop. Luckily, the next bus had covered windows and roof. Not as cold.

    We returned to Kotor and went for a walk in the old town.

    In the afternoon I went for a good massage and very hot shower. That kept me a little warmer.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Achillion Palace
    Empress Elizabeth1Achilles13

    Corfu, Greece

    October 31 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    This is our second time in Corfu.
    For today, I booked tour to Achillion Palace. It is located in the village of Gastouri, approximately 5 miles from Corfu Town.
    The place was built in 1891 as a summer home for Empress Elizabeth of Austria and was named in honor of her favorite Greek hero, Achilles. The palace is still close for renovation, but beautiful garden with its numerous sculptures of Greek gods and goddesses and beautiful view of surroundings landscape is open.

    There many steps (some w/o rails), so I was concerned if Boris will be able to do it. Fortunately, he managed to see everything.

    Our second stop was Kanoni town to take pictures of incredible view.

    After that, we had a short tour of Corfu and stopped at local eatery where Jackie Onassis was buying butter and milk product. The owner of the little cafe has cows and all products made by him.
    I has rice pudding and Boris had some rich cake. We were so full after that, we skipped lunch.
    In the evening, we had light dinner and went to bed very early.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025

    Katakolon, Greece

    November 1 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    The weather promised to be good. Since we have been in Katakolon and Olympia twice, my plan was to go on the beach and have a relaxing day outside.
    At early morning, we woke up to the sound of thunder, wind, rain and lightning. The beach time was out.
    I tried to go out around noon, but the wind was too strong. By 2:00PM the sky cleared and it became very warm. We went for a little walk, but it was too late to go anywhere.

    Still, it was a relaxing day.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    CathedralInside CathedralInside CathedralCathedral clock towerNeptune fountain in front of the CathedralGalleria Vittorio AmanuelInside galleria.Clock tower mechanismOur lunch

    Messinana, Sicily, Italy

    November 2 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Today, we decided to do the city on our own. We really did not know the condition of the streets for the wheelchair.

    It turns out the center of the city is passable.
    I guess since the earthquake was in 1908, the sidewalks were rebuilt.

    Our first stop was few minutes from the cruise ship terminal, Church of Annunziata dei Catalani. It is 13th century church that the only structure to survive earthquakes of 1908.
    We could not go inside and I did not take pictures of the outside.

    Another few minutes walking and we were at Messina Cathedral. It was still early and the plaza in front of the Cathedral was empty. In addition, it was Sunday and all locals were sleeping. All stores closed.

    We took few pictures, went inside of the Cathedral and decided to come back around noon for clock tower show.

    We visited few more churches, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (all stores and restaurants were closed) and walked back to the plaza in front of Cathedral. We had time before noon show, so I climbed 280 steps to the top of clock tower for the view and to see the clock mechanism.

    When I came down, we found a nice place to see the show at noon.

    The astronomical clock of Messina is constructed by the Ungerer Company of Strasbourg in 1933. It is built into the campanile of Messina. The idea was to restore the ancient astronomical clock of the old medieval bell tower of the cathedral of Messina, destroyed in previous eras. It was commissioned by the Archbishop of Messina to mark the reconstruction of the campanile after the 1908 Messina earthquake.
    The clock's displays appear in several different levels of the campanile, on the sides facing the square and the cathedral.

    The show lasted 10min with Ava Maria by Schubert.

    Boris recorded the whole show. I did just little sections.

    After the astronomical clock show, we went for a lunch. Fried calamari and delist pizza lunch was wonderful. We walked around town a little more and returned back to ship.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    The gate to Mdina
    Cathedral

    Valetta, Malta #2

    November 3 in Malta ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Our second time in Valetta on this cruise. For today we joined a private tour for 8.
    Our first stop was town Rabat.

    Rabat is an ancient town in west-central Malta, adjacent to the historic city of Mdina, and is one of the oldest on the island.

    During Roman era, the site was once part of the Roman city of Melite, Malta's capital at the time.
    After the Arabs captured Malta, they fortified the inner city, naming it Mdina, and the area outside the walls became known as Rabat, the "suburb".
    In post-Arab era the Knights of St. John made Rabat a significant center due to its proximity to Mdina, its connection to St. Paul's Grotto, and the presence of various religious orders.
    Rabat continued to develop, with the British introducing modern services. After World War II, it experienced significant residential expansion.

    Mdina was founded over 4,000 years ago, Mdina was Malta's capital until the medieval period. It was shaped by various civilizations, including the Phoenicians, Romans, and Arabs.
    The "Silent City": The nickname comes from its quiet, tranquil atmosphere, partly due to the limited number of residents and restrictions on car.
    Anywhere you look in this medieval city, you see beautiful architecture. We had 20 min to visit St. Paul’s Cathedral and museum across the square. The Cathedral was rebuild at the end of 17th century after the earthquake. We could have spent a whole day in this museum.

    Our next few stops were taking pictures of more churches. Malta has 366 churches….one for every day of the year.

    The next stop was to take pictures of the arch. Then we drove to the fisherman village for seafood lunch.

    After lunch, it was time to go back to the ship.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Men's world
    Women's WorldAmerican CemeteryAmerican CemetaryAmerican CemetaryRoman aqua dockEmpty church.

    La Goulette, Tunisia

    November 5 in Tunisia ⋅ 🌙 66 °F

    We never been in Tunisia and I did not know what to expect, because of that I booked Oceania tour. It was a panoramic tour.

    After walking thru a rows of vendors selling all kind of tourist stuff, we boarded our tour bus.
    First, my seat was broken and luckily there were few empty seats.

    After driving through not very attractive areas, we stopped at the so called restaurant for 30min toilet break. There was one toilet for men and one for women. And that is for a big bus full of people.
    It was around 10:00AM and restaurant was full, but only men. There were no women. I asked tour guide why and was told all these men are retired and women are working. Have not seen even one men over 50.
    The unemployment in the country is very high. That is probably the reason they are in the restaurant in the morning on weekday.

    Five minutes later we arrived at North Africa American Cemetery. It is a Second World War military war grave cemetery, located in the town of Carthage in Tunisia. The cemetery, the only American one in North Africa and dedicated in 1960, contains 2,841 American war dead and covers 27 acres. It is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

    We were given only 30 min to see it. Wish we had much more time for it. I asked our guide how many people buried in the cemetery and he had no clue. So I google it and show to him.

    We stopped at empty church. No more Christian’s in that area. There is only 1 percent Christian population in Tunisia.

    We came back, walked through shops again to get back on the ship. I was thinking of taking shuttle and just go into the town, but decided to rest. It felt like I was getting sick.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Cathedral
    2Reflection from the stained glass windowsPalace decorationIn PalaceRoyal GardensMarket

    Palma de Mallorca

    November 6 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    The forecast for today was warm weather with some rain. By 9:00 it was wall of rain with 70 miles per hour wind.
    The captain announced a warning not to go ashore. By 10:30AM the rain stopped and we went out. From that time on the weather was perfect.

    Our first stop was Palma Cathedral. Construction of Cathedral began in 1230 and it went for 350 years. The nave, last to finish, is among the largest in Europe. The sunshine thru stain glass windows making everything sparkle. The organ is eliminated with ray of colors.

    Few steps away is Royal Palace of La Almudaina was our second stop. It is a fortified palace was build in 1309 by King James II of Majorca.
    We walked thru the first floor decorated with art and furnishing dating from the 15th century. We could not get to the second floor, the elevator was too narrow for a wheelchair.

    The Palace is official summer residence of the Spanish Royal Family.

    Next to the Palace is 14th century Royal Gardens. Small nicely laid gardens with the fountain.
    By now we were very hungry and in hope of finding good food, we walked to Oliver Market. The market has been in place since 1951. Great place to shop and get some snacks.

    After visiting the market, we walked to Plaza de España. A statue of James I, 13th century King of Aragon, in the center of the Plaza.

    We retrace our steps back to the shuttle bus location, walking thru Born Passage. It is a wide promenade and two traffic lanes on either side of.
    The weather was so nice, we decided to take another stroll along the waterfront and enjoy the view of the Palma Cathedral again.

    Back on the ship for some rest.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Chocolate sculpture

    Barcelona, Spain

    November 7 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    We have been in Barcelona many times. Today I was planning to take it easy… one church, one museum and the rest is to enjoy the city.

    So, first we visited Old Monastery of Saint Pau Del Camp, the Romanesque church is one of the best preserved in the city of Barcelona. It was rebuilt in 11th century.

    Then we walked to Picasso Museum. It houses an extensive collection of artworks by Pablo Picasso, with a total of 4251 of his works. It is housed in five adjoining medieval palaces in the La Ribera neighborhood in the Old City of Barcelona.

    After museum, Boris’s wanted to see the progress of construction of Sagrada Familia.
    While walking towards it, I spotted Chocolate museum. Can’t pass it. The museum is small, but very nice. Lots of chocolate sculptures.

    We checked the progress of Sagrada Familia and it was time to go back. It took us another hour of walking to reach shuttle locations.
    Total walk today is 21,450 steps.

    In the evening we had a lovely dinner at Polo Grill.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Beautiful road
    Cathedral.Picasso DrawingPicasso sculpture of pregnant womanLots of orangesBuilding where Picasso was born6 years old PicassoRoom in Picasso's apartmentRoman theater

    Malaga, Spain

    November 9 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Yesterday was much needed day of rest…sea day.
    We left the ship around 9:00AM. To get to the center of the town we had to take port shuttle and then Oceania shuttle from the port to the city. There was a huge Norwegian ship in the port and we had to share shuttle with it. What a mess. Even a Crue members from Norwegian ship were fighting for the space in the shuttle.
    Finally, we made to the center and from there we walked to Cathedral. Unfortunately, it was close till 2:00PM.
    Our next destination was Pablo Picasso museum. When we got close to the museum, we saw a line stretching for at least 2 blocks. There were no tickets available, but when they saw Boris’s on a wheelchair, we were given a preferential treatment. No staying in line and free entrance to the museum. Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, so the city is very proud of this. It is a beautiful museum depicting chronologically the live of Picasso and his work.

    After museum, we strolled through narrow and wide streets until we reached the building where Picasso was born. It is now housing an additional museum of his paintings. There is a small room showcasing the furniture and a style of the time he was there.

    We then walked to the open mall located on the seafront. Lots of vendors, stores and restaurants and people enjoying great weather during weekend.
    We continued walking to the cruise ship terminal and then instead of taking a port shuttle, we walked all the way to the ship.

    It was very enjoyable day.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Gates Of Earth
    CathedralLots of huge ficus treesMy octopus

    Cádiz, Spain

    November 10 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Our ship docked right in the city.

    Our first stop was 10 min walk from the cruise ship…The Puerta de Tierra (Gates Of Earth)

    We knew that the stone walls of Cadiz were among the city’s most notable features. At one time, each wall had a corresponding gate that provided access to the city. The Puerta de Tierra (Gates Of Earth) was the entrance between the Old Town and newer sections of Cadiz. This used to be the only way to get into the city by land.

    From the Puerta de Tierra we turned back towards Old Town and wandered along the Paseo Del Vendaval.

    We continued along the Paseo Del Vendaval towards the Cathedral of Cadiz. It was interesting to see many architectural styles of the buildings. We decided not to go inside of Cathedral, but just admire the beautiful facade of it.

    Then, we just wandered very narrow streets of the old city and many plazas. We got to the beautiful waterfront promenade and strolled around the peninsula.

    Then we went to a tiny restaurant to have tapas. Delicious!

    We walked some more and returned to the ship.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Mosque 🕌 grounds
    Inside the MosqueIn the basement of the Mosque, where the worshippers wash themself before praying.Rick's Cafe (not from the movie)The churchBazar

    Casablanca, Morocco

    November 11 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Let say that my expectations of Casablanca were much higher than it delivered.
    Too long to write the negative side of the tour, so I will concentrate on the best.

    Our tour took us to the Mosque. The Hassan II Mosque is the second largest functioning mosque in Africa and is the 14th largest in the world. Its minaret is the world's second tallest minaret at 210 metres. In was build in 1993 and cost 800 million dollars. It is build on reclaimed land. A maximum of 105,000 worshippers can gather together for prayer: 25,000 inside the mosque hall and another 80,000 on the mosque's outside ground.

    After this Mosque our next stop was church. There are less than 1% Christian population in Morocco, so the church was very empty.
    We drove thru some nice wealthy areas. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to see anything. We stopped in the bazar.

    We returned to shuttle bus area and took the bus to the ship. Very good dinner at Toscana with nice couple ended the day.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Beautiful beach on Atlantic Ocean

    Agadir, Morocco

    November 12 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Agadir is a resort town, where many French people spend their winter.
    The weather was beautiful and we decided to enjoy a long walk in the Corniche, a seaside promenade. It was an ideal stroll along with cafes and restaurants lining the beach. Modern buildings and people watching. What’s not to like?
    We walked total of 3 miles. At noon it became pretty hot, so we took a shuttle back to the ship, had lunch and a massage.
    We finished day with a drink at captain’s party.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    SunsetWaiting for octopus 🐙It came

    #1 Las Palmas de Grand Canaries

    November 13 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Today we were supposed to dock in Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, but due to high wind, the ship was not able to dock in the morning. Instead of that we proceeded to Las Palmas, Grand Canaria and docked there around 1:00PM for overnight stay.
    When we disembark the ship, we were met with high wind, but it was nice and warm. We walked total the Technological Museum. Not a huge museum, but very nicely made. Some English explanations. We enjoyed it. Then the rain started. Nearby was an Aquarium. It is the biggest Aquarium in Europe. We decided to hide in it. The Aquarium was fantastic. Not too big, very nicely built and big variety of fish and plants.

    By now it was getting pretty cold, so we walked back to the ship to put something warmer.

    Our plan was to walk to the promenade, have dinner and see the sunset. We accomplished all three.

    We retuned to the ship around 8:00 PM. Total steps today 23,000.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Art Center
    Fountain in the ParkView from the Top of CathedralView from the TopInside of the CathedralMarina is Getting Fresh Paint

    #2 Las Palmas de Grand Canaries

    November 14 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    We left ship at 9:00 AM and walked to Hop on Hop Off bus.
    Our first stop was Art Center overlooking Atlantic Ocean. We spent a little time walking around. Then we stopped at the park with an unusual fountain. The next stop was old town, where we visited Cathedral of Santa Ana.
    We walked around old town, had very good lunch and then Boris had a “brilliant” idea to walk to the ship instead of taking the bus. Only 5.5km. We made it, but it was not the best way of sightseeing.
    After some rest, shower and trivia game, we had very pleasant dinner at specialty restaurants.

    During trivia, we learn that our planned next stop tomorrow will not be Funchal, Madeira, Portugal due to high winds, but Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands. We missed it on November 13 due to high winds.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Small fruit and vegetable marketCobblestone path to the fortress

    Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain

    November 15 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    As captain announced yesterday, instead of Funchal, Portugal we are docking in Arrecife.
    It is a small city with Mediterranean-style promenade.

    We took a shuttle from the ship and were dropped at the city. Except shopping and restaurants there really not much to see. The walk was pleasant, but by midday it became pretty hot, so we turned back to take a shuttle to the ship.
    The rest of the day we spent by the pool.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Natural spring water, where women use to do their laundry.
    Coffee breakDriving thru cloudsTiny shrimp for lunchBlack sand beach

    Santa Cruz De La Palma, Spain

    November 16 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    When we got off the ship today, we did not have a plan on what to see and do. Few meter from the ship we started to talk to a taxi driver and in Spanish he convinced us to take a three hours tour with him.

    I was wondering how we will communicate with him. The driver did not speak a word of English and we do not have much of Spenish.

    But, when we got into the car, the driver turned on Google translate and for 3 hours he was the best tour guide. Did not stop talking and telling us all about the island.
    We drove serpentine roads to the elevation of 1.5km. Some places, two way roads were barely wide for one car. Few stop we made were beautiful. One side of the island is very lush with many orange, banana, mango and banana trees. When we got on the top, we visited small village.
    The other side of the island is mostly pine trees. Lots of trails for hiking.
    We stopped for a very delicious coffee. And then drove down to the area where in September of 2021 was volcanic eruption. Many people were displaced, but there were no casualties.

    We asked to be dropped at Santa Cruz. We walked in the city for few more hours, had a snack of small shrimps and a beer. Then walked on the beautiful black beach.

    Beautiful weather and island made our day.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Looks lake layers cakeNational coffee. Barraquito

    Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

    November 17 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    Tenerife is the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, off West Africa. It's dominated by Mt. Teide, a dormant volcano that is Spain's tallest peak.
    Today we had a semi private tour of the island.
    The tour consisted of driving around this beautiful island and stopping at beautiful places to take pictures. We drove to elevation of 2km. The weather was perfect. And we were over the clouds.
    We stopped at the restaurant and tried Barraquito.
    A barraquito is a layered coffee drink from the Canary Islands, made with sweetened condensed milk, Licor 43 (a Spanish liqueur), espresso, and frothed milk. It is typically garnished with a cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon and a twist of lemon peel, and is known for its sweet, spicy, and citrusy flavors. To drink it, you stir all the layers together.

    Can’t say that I loved it.

    By the end of the tour we stopped at the La Corona town for little tour around and a lunch.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Topical island's terrain
    Few black sand beaches111Driving two way road

    De La Gomera, Spain

    November 18 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    La Gomera, the second-smallest of the main islands in Spain’s Canary Island chain. The ship docked in the capital city San Sebastián.
    The city is very small, we were more interested to see the island. 90% of the island is under water, only 10% of mountain terrain is surfaced. There is no road around the island, to get from one place on the shore to another one, you have to go over the mountains.
    The population of the island is 22.000.

    The special language of La Gomera, Spain is Silbo Gomero, a whistled language that substitutes whistles for spoken Spanish words. It was developed centuries ago out of necessity due to the island's rugged, mountainous terrain and is now taught in schools, recognized by UNESCO as a protected cultural heritage.

    The drive through island was nerve wracking. The roads are barely wide enough for one car with two way traffic.

    There many terraces to create flat surfaces to grow fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, most of them are not maintained anymore. The labor is too expensive.

    We has few pictures stops. We also stop at the information center in the National Park. It had small, but extremely well made museum and botanical garden.

    Overall it was a great tour. The next 5 days we are crossing Atlantic Ocean.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Little snack after snorkeling
    Beer on the beach

    Barbados

    November 24 in Barbados ⋅ 🌬 86 °F

    After 5 days at sea we arrived at 9:00 AM.
    I booked a combination tour of beach and shipwreck, turtle snorkeling.

    By 10:00AM we were on the beach. The sand, the water and the sun were perfect. At 11:15AM we boarded a small boat for our snorkeling trip. First stop was a shipwreck with lots of fish, the second stop we saw two turtles and big fish that looked like a small shark.

    After 90 min on the boat, we had more time on the beach. By 3:00PM we were back on the ship.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    1

    Antigua

    November 25 in Antigua and Barbuda ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    I really wished we would dock in the morning. Morning is gentle. Morning is breezy. Morning is merciful.

    But no. We glided into Antigua at 11:00 AM—prime “let’s bake humans like pastries” hour. And as a bonus, three giant cruise ships were already there, probably unloading half the population of North America onto the island.

    We’ve been to Antigua before and even spent a week here, so we know the beaches are stunning—white, silky sand that feels like walking on sifted flour. But I was absolutely not interested in going to the beach in the afternoon with a thousand fellow sun-seekers. I like the beach; I do not like being sautéed.

    So instead, I made the most luxurious choice possible: a haircut on the ship. Followed by a lazy day at the pool, where the only heat I had to face was whether to sit in the sun or the shade (shade won, obviously).

    We did step onto land in the afternoon, but only for a brief moment before deciding, once again, that the heat was the real captain of this trip. Back to the ship we went.

    Tomorrow—Puerto Rico.
    Fingers crossed for a cooler welcome… or at least shade within sprinting distance.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    Tasting Pina ColadaOld town San JuanWalk neat cruise ship port

    San Juan, Puerto Rico

    November 26 in Puerto Rico ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    This was our very first time in Puerto Rico. We arrived bright and early at 10:00 AM, ready to explore… or so we thought. Because it was our first U.S. port, we had to do the whole face-to-face customs thing. By the time we emerged, it was 11:30 AM and approximately the temperature of the sun.

    Walking? Beach? Outdoors??
    Absolutely not. We’re adventurous, but not melting-adventurous.

    Plan B: Uber straight to Barrachina—the legendary birthplace of the Piña Colada. If history demands we drink a Piña Colada, who are we to argue?

    Barrachina is a gorgeous indoor-outdoor restaurant in Old San Juan, where Don Ramón Portas Mingot allegedly invented the world’s most refreshing vacation beverage in 1963. Naturally, we honored his legacy by ordering one. For scientific purposes. Also some deep-fried food, because vacation calories don’t count (this is a scientific fact we personally believe).

    After hydrating responsibly with rum, we grabbed an Uber back to the port and attempted a small walk. Very small. Like… “we made it 50 steps and reconsidered all our life choices” small. The heat said “no,” and we agreed.

    That evening, we headed to Prevee, the ship’s private dining venue, for a group dinner with ten people. Old friends, new friends, great food—basically the opposite of the sweaty afternoon.

    Now we’ve got two more days at sea before we reach Miami.
    Plenty of time to recover from our heroic battle with Puerto Rican humidity.    Read more

  • European Cruise 2025
    2
    2

    Last Sea Day

    November 28 on the Bahamas ⋅ 🌬 75 °F

    The Last Sea Day – Packing, Art, and the World’s Least Competitive Boat Contest

    The final sea day on the Marina was dedicated to the three great cruise traditions: packing, attending the art show, and of course… the boat competition.

    Well, “competition” is a generous word, considering there was exactly one boat entered. But honestly? With a boat like that, no one else even needed to try. This thing was a floating masterpiece. It had two elevators, a swimming pool, two saunas, portraits of the officers, and more tiny details than a luxury real-estate listing. The floor was even made out of wine corks—eco-friendly and classy.

    If ships had LinkedIn pages, this little boat would have been endorsed for “architecture,” “engineering,” and “dramatic flair.”

    Between admiring miniature maritime engineering and trying to squeeze our belongings back into the same suitcases they magically escaped from, the day sailed by.

    Sadly, tomorrow we fly home.
    But honestly…it’s time. Even paradise eventually calls for laundry.    Read more

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice