Private Tour Puerto Plata

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We booked a private excursion in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic with our friends. The ship docked around 9 AM and we were cleared to go ashore around 9:30 AM.  We met our guide, Erwin, outside the port gates (since only organized tour buses are allowed in the port area).

Awesome Day!  Approx. 6 hours (10:00 am - 4:00 pm) 

 

     INCLUDED:  Coke, Water & Beer...and, entry into the Fort

 

Rum Factory Tour, Chocolate Factory Tour, Walking Tour around Downtown (Central Park, Umbrella Street, Cigar Shop - rolled own Cigars, Church, etc.), Ride down the Beach & stopped for Pictures, Tour of the Fort - and, more!

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Edwin Taxi Transfers Tours
@EdwinTaxiTransfersTours · Taxi Service

We highly recommend Edwin Taxi Transfers Tours for your day in Puerto Plata.  Edwin showed us all the sights and provided excellent service from booking through the tour completion.  We had a great day.

For more pictures and details of each stop on our tour, see our Shutterfly albums.

Puerto Plata Pier
Macorix House of Rum
Walking Tour Puerto Plata
Paseo de Dona Blanca
Umbrella Street
St. Philip the Apostle Cathedral
Driving Around Puerto Plata
The Chocolate Store
Puerto Plata Beach
Fortress of San Felipe
Taino Bay Puerto Plata

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Fall in Love With Nha Trang

Nha Trang

The city was a popular spot for U.S. servicemen during the Vietnam War. Today this seaside resort is popular among tourists to Vietnam.

Nha Trang offers white-sand beaches, azure waters and palm trees swaying in the breeze. Colorful fishing boats line the harbors. Small farm villages nestle in the countryside's lush valleys. The area is rich in history.

What's not to fall in love with.

The most popular Nha Trang shore excursion, offered by Princess Cruises, was Ponagar Cham Tower, Long Son Pagoda & Embroidery.  Take in Nha Trang's highlights on this half-day excursion. Visit the Cham Tower Complex, tour the Buddhist shrine at Long Son Pagoda, and discover the ancient art of Vietnamese picture embroidery. Then, enjoy refreshments, browse for souvenirs, and view a traditional Vietnamese cultural performance to complete your tour.

If you have been following our entire journey, you know that due to high winds and rough seas, Sapphire Princess could not tender in Nha Trang. We can only imagine these highlights of this seaside resort in Vietnam. Thanks to the destination expert, we have some images that we can share here of what we would have seen.  Follow us on this imaginary journey to Nha Trang's highlights.

Colorful Vietnam

Leaving by motorcoach from the pier we'd depart for a scenic drive to the first stop. Arriving at the Xom Bong Bridge, we'd disembark for the opportunity to view and photograph a charming fishing village and its colorful boats.

Next we'd continue to the historic Ponagar Cham Tower, you'll stand in awe before the best preserved relic of the thousand-year-long Champa dynasty. A commanding presence overlooking the Cai River, the complex boasts four intricately carved towers set amidst lush tropical gardens.

Ponagar Cham Tower & Long Son Pagoda

Tip: At the Cham Tower and Long Son Pagoda visitors must climb at least two flights of stairs - 70 steps each way.

Each of the towers revealed a different architectural style indicating that they were built over an extended period of time between the seventh and 12th centuries A.D. The largest was built in 817 A.D and contains a statue dedicated to Ponagar, or Lady Thien Y-ana, the beautiful wife of Prince Bac Hai. Legend has it that she was born into a peasant family in Khanh Hoa province and that spirits assisted her when she sailed on a drift piece of sandalwood to China.

At Long Son Pagoda, dragon-shaped balustrades flanked the entrance and lead the way into an imposing sanctuary decorated with murals and images of the Buddha. Behind the pagoda sat an enormous white Buddha built in 1965. The Buddha commemorates those monks who protested the abuses of the Diem regime by setting themselves aflame.

Visiting a silk embroidery workshop provided a fascinating glimpse into the ancient Vietnamese art of picture embroidery. Skilled artisans illustrated a dazzling array of subjects ranging from mythology to scenes of everyday life.

The return drive to the ship, through the downtown district, provided views of the cathedral, the small shops, and the few remaining French colonial-era buildings. Nha Trang Beach was another of the highlights seen during the excursion.  


Whatever you do in Nha Trang, we are certain that you'll fall in love with this city.

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Related Album:

Nha Trang

Additional photos can be found on our Southeast Asia Shutterfly page

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Exclusive Grand Turk Experience

Crystal Clear Blue Waters 

Are Calling You

If blue is your favorite color, then Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, is the place for you.  As your ship pulls into the harbor this picture unfolds in front of your eyes.   A short walk from your ship, and you can immerse yourself in these beautiful waters or relax on the beach and just enjoy the scenery.

But first, it was time for us to explore the island on an exclusive shore excursion offered by Shore Excursions Group.  Working with a Professional Travel Planner, you rely on their recommendations. In order for me to provide those recommendations, I need to experience the ships and tours myself. Since I hadn't done that before on Grand Turk, we decided to book the "Exclusive Grand Turk Experience" during one of our recent cruises in the Caribbean.

Guided Island Tour

Click images to enlarge - view Grand Turk Album

Grand Turk Island is the administrative, historic, cultural and financial center of the island nation of Turks and Caicos. Grand Turk is largest of all the islands that comprise the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. With crystal clear waters, gorgeous climate, and a unique culture, Grand Turk has become a popular cruise destination for travelers visiting from all around the world.

This guided island drive tour showed us the highlights of Grand Turk Island. We visited the island's top attractions, including the former United States Air Force Tracking Base and a replica of Astronaut John Glenn's Friendship 7 space capsule, which splashed down off the island's coast in 1962 following the United States' first successful manned orbit of the earth.

We also saw several 18th-century churches, beautiful Bermudan-style buildings, and salt ponds. In this peaceful town you may also see wild horses and donkeys freely roaming the streets. There was a brief photo stop to see a working lighthouse that has been in service for more than 150 years. Built in London in 1852 and shipped to Grand Turk, it was assembled in hopes of saving the salt trade. Standing sixty feet, it was designed by Alexander Gordon, who designed lighthouses throughout the British Empire.

Next we had an opportunity to visit "The Salt House", a recreated 17th-century saltpan that chronicles the history of the salt and slave industry.  View Grand Turk Album for more images from our excursion.

Margaritaville Grand Turk (photo album)

Margaritaville Grand Turk

Following our shore excursion tour, we had plenty of time to enjoy Margaritaville which is within walking distance of the ship.   Find your place in the sun or shade by the beach or around the pool for a relaxing day in the Caribbean.

Enjoy some food or your favorite beverage while lounging on your beach chair by the pool.  Salt water or fresh water - the choice is yours and there is no charge (other than for food and beverages) to enjoy this oasis in the sun.

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Our Recommendations for Grand Turk

If this is your first visit to Grand Turk, or if you have never explored the island on past trips, we'd encourage you to explore via a private shore excursion, such as the one we took from Shore Excursion Group.  The reason we suggest a private tour is that you'll have less people in your group and it will cost less than ship organized tours.  We even had wi-fi on our mini-van!

Grand Turk is a great place to enjoy the beautiful crystal blue waters of the Caribbean.  Book a snorkeling or scuba tour if you are adventurous or simply relax on the beach by Margaritaville.   Your ship is your floating base, so you can go back and forth for meals if you don't want to purchase food at Margaritaville.   Should you decide to stay on board the ship, odds are you'll have the ship to yourself as most people will be hanging out at the beach.

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Parasailing Excursions Suspended

Cruise Lines 

Suspend Parasailing Excursions

A tragic accident, during a ship-sponsored shore excursion, has prompted a federal and local investigation and put the popular water excursion on hold.

A 60 year old female passenger was parasailing in tandem with her 34 year old daughter in St. Thomas, USVI, when she fell to her death.  Her daughter, who was also injured, is recovering in a local hospital.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, strong gusts of winds in the area may have contributed to the accident.  The local parasail company has suspended operations voluntarily until the investigation is concluded.

The passengers involved were sailing on Celebrity Eclipse.  Both Celebrity Cruises and parent company, Royal Caribbean, suspended all parasailing shore excursions in the Caribbean following the accident.  Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Lines followed suit, cancelling those excursions in St. Thomas pending the outcome of the investigation.  All lines took this action "in the abundance of caution".

Additional Resources:

Professional Association of Parasail Operators 

US Coast Guard Prevention Blog

Parasail Safety Council

Adriatic Coastal Drive

Scenic Drive

Along Adriatic Coast

to Krka National Park

Our day in Split, Croatia, began with a tender ride from the Star Princess to the pier where our guide and a motorcoach awaited our arrival.  Our ultimate destination, Krka National Park & Waterfalls, was approximately two hours away from the pier.

If you haven't already read about our tour to Krka, see our blog post, Off the Beaten Path Krka National Park, and be sure to view our photo album on Facebook: KRKA National Park & Waterfalls.

Our journey onward from the pier went through the Croation countryside, which has a beauty all its own.  Special points of interest to look out for on this exceptional bus journey include the limestone plateaus and river canyons.The Adriatic coast attracts tourists from all over the world.

We invite you to sit back and enjoy a virtual trip from the pier in Split to Krka.

Which Side Has the Best View

Stepping aboard our tour bus, we wondered which side would offer the best view for this two hour journey.  Since the bus wasn't completely full, we were able to spread out, which meant we could have someone on both sides of the bus.  In fact, the entire back seat was empty, so that's where my husband camped out with his trusty digital SLR in hand.  We hope you enjoy seeing the Adriatic coast through our lenses.

Facebook Photo Album:     Adriatic Coastal Drive to Krka

Having just left the Greek Isles the day before, with white-washed buildings and blue-domed churches, the first thing that struck us was the red clay roof tiles on the houses.  It reminded us of houses on the west coast of the United States, perhaps those in California.

The next thing that captured our attention was the various shades of blue waters as we drove along the scenic winding roads by the Adriatic Sea.  Separating the houses from the sea were white sandy beaches that were, for the most part, untouched in this early morning light.   From our vantage point looking down from the winding road, both the sea and the white sand seemed to go on infinitely.

Picture Perfect ...

Boats of every size, from small row boats to yachts, were seen in the marinas and small inlets along the path to Krka.  Their white shapes provided contrast to the green landscape, crystal clear blue waters of many shades, and the red-roofed buildings.  Even the sky cooperated, having cleared up after an early morning gentle rain that had fallen before we arrived.

It wasn't long before we arrived at Krka National Park.   The two hour drive seemed to pass quickly, perhaps because it had been so scenic.  We hope you enjoyed your ride to Krka.  If you are still longing for more images, click the link above to view our Facebook album.   When we return to our visit to Croatia, we'll be at a hotel near Krka for our lunch stop.

Off the Beaten Path Krka National Park

Krka National Park 

& Waterfalls

Split, Croatia

Continuing our 12-Night Mediterranean & Greek Isles Cruise, our next port of call was Split, Croatia.  Here we ventured off the beaten path one more time to Krka National Park & Waterfalls.  Our day began with a big drive, almost two hours from boarding the bus at Split pier, onwards through the Croation countryside to the glorious national park.  We'll talk about the countryside in another post - this one will focus on the park itself.

The Adriatic coast attracts tourists from all over the world and you'll quickly see why as you enter Krka National Park, a breath-taking natural wonder. This vibrant area was declared a national park in 1985, one of seven in Croatia, and is named after the river that runs through all 35,000 acres. Krka River, with its seven magical waterfalls, travels two thirds of its way to the sea through canyons.

The Sounds of Nature

Close your eyes and listen intently to the sounds of nature that surround you...    One of the 222 species of birds sings out in the silence, searching for a mate.    The water rushing is getting more intense;  a waterfall must be just around the bend.  A gentle breeze ruffles the leaves.  You continue walking and silence returns, but only for an instant as once again you hear water rushing.

The park is a natural haven for over 400 species of animals, including Adriatic salmon, and thousands of different types of plant life but the true spectacle are the waterfalls.  Skradinski Buk, the part of the park we visited, features the largest and most dramatic waterfall in Krka National Park at 151 feet in height and approximately 1,312 feet wide.

Footpaths that meander above and below the falls offer the most dramatic and extensive views of this natural wonder. Swimming is allowed in some pools at certain times (your Guide will be able to advise you) so you may want to pack your swim gear and towel just in case you get the urge to jump in and cool down.

We leave you with a sampling of images...  

More can be found on our Facebook Fan Page in our album:

  KRKA National Park & Waterfalls

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

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