February 9, 2025

USHUAIA, CHILE 

They call this port town the End of the World because it is where most of the ships that depart for Antarctica embark and it is the southern most tip of South America. We were here for four days instead of originally scheduled two days because the winds were to rough for our planned departure to the Falkland Islands. l used the time to try and find a deal on one of the cruises heading to Antarctica that may have had a cancelation or last minute opening to fill their ship while in port. Each day I walked the port and spoke to the 5 or 6 boats that were there to depart the next day to see what if anything they had available. I had my bag packed and ready to go on a moments notice. I thought I finally secured one the last day, but sadly it fell through right before our Ship was due to depart. Several others from our Ship did secure spaces and I have had FOMO watching their post and FUN. Next time !! The last minute deals are way to go - a typical booking on Quark - one of the nicest ships - goes for 30 to 33K typically - our friends got in at 5 to 6 K. I could have gone later in February - there were openings for 2/5 and 2/8 - but I would have had to stay in Ushuaia another week at a hotel and it is expensive there with not a ton to do. Also my travel partners keep varying based on deal and none wanted to hang that long.So it wasn't meant to be but I will have other chances and now have insight how to best do that elusive 7th Continent!

By Patricia Patrick October 13, 2025
Ternate, Indonesia, which is both the name of the city and island, and is part of the Maluku Islands in eastern Indonesia. It is a port that sees maybe 3 Cruise ships a year. However, they really made an effort to show us the best of what they can offer. It's mainly a Muslim country, and we knew we had to dress discretely, but we knew little else. We didn't have our typical port talk prior, due to a technical issue with the AV equipment. Ben a fellow resident, organized an island tour, with about 8 stops, for 90 of us residents.
By Patricia Patrick October 10, 2025
Cebu greeted our Ship with a big warm welcome, despite having just been rocked by a major Earthquake, days before our arrival. The Minister of Tourism arrived with a motorcade and she proceeded to chat with the residents and thank us, for all our support.
By Patricia Patrick October 2, 2025
Today we were Cave explorers! We went to the one of UNESCO newly classified 7 NEW WONDERS OF NATURE - The Puerto Princesa Underground River.