AryMay Posted December 9, 2017 #1 Share Posted December 9, 2017 We are booked on the HAL Zaandam 23 day cruise leaving from Ft. Lauderdale in April. With so many ports I'm trying to find a balance between places we can enjoy by exploring the port area on our own or the ones that have nothing to offer close by and really require doing a tour (either booked independently or through HAL.) Here is our itinerary with some ideas of what we are considering at each port. None of these excursions have been booked yet and I would love to get some feedback from others who have visited these ports in the past. Tuesday, April 17 - Curacao Irie West Side Beach Tour or explore port on foot? Saturday, April 21 - Puerto Caldera (Puntarenas) Thumb's Up or GioTours Sunday, April 22 - Corinto, Nicaragua Leon City Tour with Julio Tours Monday, April 23 - Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala Antigua on Your Own (HAL). If it is offered. Wednesday, April 25 - Huatulco, Mexico ????? Friday, April 27 - Manzanillo, Mexico ????? Saturday, April 28 - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Walking food tour Sunday, April 29 - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico DH will scuba dive; Me - ????? Tuesday, May 1 - San Diego USS Midway Museum Thursday, May 3 - San Francisco Purchase all day MUNI pass and explore Fisherman's Wharf & Chinatown Sunday, May 6 - Vancouver Capilano Suspension Bridge? Monday, May 7 - Seattle Late afternoon flight home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Turtles06 Posted December 9, 2017 #2 Share Posted December 9, 2017 We did a full transit earlier this year on the NCL Jewel, and called at a number of the ports on your itinerary. I have a very detailed review here, including what we did in each port: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2456255 (I regret that you can no longer see the photos [except the ones I've added more recently] because Photobucket decided to hold its users hostage to absurdly high $$ fees.) A quick recap for the ports we had in common (with more detail on my thread linked above): Puntarenas: fantastic day with Gio Tours, I highly recommend them Corinto: debated about this (considered Julio) and wound up taking the ship's tour to Leon to see the Cathedral Puerto Quetzal: did Antigua on Your Own through our ship; I hope HAL offers it for you, it's a terrific option Huatulco: DIY day; really nice beach very close to the dock, bars/restaurants lining it; a welcome day of relaxation after the port-intensive post-Canal days Puerto Vallarta -- we went whale watching Cabo -- phenomenal morning of whale watching (we were there in season, but unfortunately you won't be) Have a great trip!! And read The Path Between the Seas before you go! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AryMay Posted December 10, 2017 Author #3 Share Posted December 10, 2017 We did a full transit earlier this year on the NCL Jewel, and called at a number of the ports on your itinerary. I have a very detailed review here, including what we did in each port: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2456255 (I regret that you can no longer see the photos [except the ones I've added more recently] because Photobucket decided to hold its users hostage to absurdly high $$ fees.) A quick recap for the ports we had in common (with more detail on my thread linked above): Puntarenas: fantastic day with Gio Tours, I highly recommend them Corinto: debated about this (considered Julio) and wound up taking the ship's tour to Leon to see the Cathedral Puerto Quetzal: did Antigua on Your Own through our ship; I hope HAL offers it for you, it's a terrific option Huatulco: DIY day; really nice beach very close to the dock, bars/restaurants lining it; a welcome day of relaxation after the port-intensive post-Canal days Puerto Vallarta -- we went whale watching Cabo -- phenomenal morning of whale watching (we were there in season, but unfortunately you won't be) Have a great trip!! And read The Path Between the Seas before you go! :D Thank you for the reply...and thanks for the great review! I'm sorry the photos got hijacked, but the information you provided was wonderful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now