Our Most Memorable Moments Cruising in 2023

Although 2022 was a busy travel year for us, 2023 turned out to be just as hectic and fun. Here are our most memorable moments.

From the Caribbean to Asia, we traveled the world this year, expanding our horizons. Three bucket-list destinations were checked off—Panama Canal, the Baltics, and Japan—which were all amazing and bucket-list worthy.

Panama Canal – January

This Panama Canal cruise was our longest yet at fifteen nights, but we relished every moment. We were back on Norwegian Joy for this cruise, which began in Miami and ended in Los Angeles. We stopped in Cartagena, Colombia; Panama City, Panama; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

On this cruise, we:

Had our first Haven Courtyard Penthouse Suite With Balcony cabin, which was lovely. This time, I didn’t take photos of the room but did a video instead.

Visited Cartagena for the first time and were amazed at the juxtaposition between the new and the old. It’s a beautiful city. We especially enjoyed the aviary at the port and are looking forward to visiting it twice more this spring.

Were surprised that the Panama Canal crossing takes all day long, which is interesting at first but then is like watching paint dry. Still, Myron wants to do it again, in reverse next time.

Visited an indigenous tribe called the Embera outside of Panama City. The trip back and forth was via a motorized dugout canoe, which was an adventure in itself.

Enjoyed gorgeous sunsets.

Saw our first volcanoes in Guatemala and enjoyed an auto safari by bus. The ostriches and lions were the best part!

Played our first game of mini-golf together as a couple, and Myron beat me soundly. He also had fun bumping me from behind when I drove my go-kart too slowly on the racetrack.

Toured the retro part of Acapulco where the movie stars used to hang out. Honestly, we were a little bored. But the cliff divers put on a great show, as always.

Honestly, Acapulco is beautiful. We could see ourselves living there.

In Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, we stayed on the ship. We’ve been there before, plus I had lots of videoing to do of the ship for our YouTube channel. Be sure to check those out.

And we ate. Oh, did we eat! The Joy didn’t let us down in the fine dining department. If you’d like to see more, check out our post on the Haven restaurant.

Overall, it was a great cruise. Believe it or not, it wasn’t too long for us. Which is a good thing since we have some long cruises coming up later in the year.

Caribbean – March

This time we sailed on Celebrity Edge again, and were so glad to be back. Our eleven-day Caribbean cruise started and ended in Fort Lauderdale, and stopped in George Town, Grand Cayman; Cartegena, Colombia; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; and Nassau, Bahamas.

On this cruise, we:

Had another gorgeous Sky Suite on the Edge, and were pampered by our butler, Rodney, and cabin steward, Agus.

Toured the Queen Elizabeth II Royal Botanical Park in George Town, Grand Cayman, learning about the many indigenous flowers and plans of the island. Then we explored the Great House of Pedro St. James, known as the birthplace of democracy of the Cayman Islands, which has been lovingly restored to its 17th-century glory.

Tried a hop-on/hop-off bus tour for the first time in Cartagena, Colombia. With the heavy traffic in the city, we were only able to do a single circuit and then had to head back to the ship. I was disappointed that the bus wasn’t able to go into the old part of the city, but it makes sense considering how narrow those streets are.

Enjoyed our first ATV off-road adventure together in a twelve-passenger Jeep in Aruba. It was quite a ride! We stopped to climb the Casibari Rock Formation, and visited the Alto Vista Chapel and the California Lighthouse. Afterward, we had an hour or so to enjoy the turquoise water and white sand of Arashi Beach.

Took a bus tour through Curacao, enjoying its Dutch architecture and brightly painted houses. We stopped at the Curacao liqueur factory and had a tasting, then toured a small botanical garden.

Had a dolphin encounter and beach day at Blue Lagoon Island in Nassau. We had so much fun with the dolphins!

Onboard the Edge, we had a specialty restaurant package and made the rounds, enjoying some wonderful food, plus the delicious offerings at the Retreat restaurant, Luminae.

It was a wonderful cruise to the Caribbean, and we’re going back in a few weeks on Norwegian Joy. Next time, we’ll have three new ports to explore.

Caribbean – April

Back on Norwegian Joy for this round-trip Miami 12-day cruise to the Caribbean, we stopped in George Town, Grand Cayman; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Colon, Panama; Cartagena, Colombia; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas.

On this cruise, we:

Enjoyed our first Haven Forward Facing Penthouse suite, which was wonderful. With a living/dining room, separate bedroom, and huge bathroom, it was spacious and homey, feeling more like a small apartment than a cruise ship cabin.

Visited three sites on Grand Cayman including a stop at Hell, an area of above-ground coral formations whose forbidding look gave the area its name; a rum cake factory, where we tasted rum and the cakes made from it; and the turtle farm, where Myron got to touch his first green sea turtle.

Skipped going ashore in Puerto Limon and Colon because the tours offered didn’t interest us. Instead, we stayed aboard the ship, sleeping late and generally being lazy. Vacation at its finest!

Back in Cartagena, we boarded a boat that took us to Old Town for a tour, where we bought hats. Afterward, we boarded the boat and enjoyed cocktails and lunch on the way back to the ship.

Got to hold and pet our first macaws in the aviary at the port of Cartagena, which is a must-see stop. We’ve been there twice before but never had this opportunity to get so close to the birds. Luckily, this guy was very patient and accommodating.

Stayed onboard in Aruba and took our first Behind the Scenes Tour, visiting backstage, the laundry, and the galley. It’s fascinating how so much work is done every day by the crew that we usually never see. We weren’t allowed to take pictures backstage, unfortunately.

In Curacao, we took a walking tour of Willemstad, made a stop at the Curacao liqueur factory, and had lunch at Green’s on the waterfront.

Everywhere you look in Curacao is a riot of color. I could spend days exploring and taking fun photos.

Our final stop on this cruise was Norwegian’s private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay. It was a simple beach day with lunch, part of which we spent with a nice couple sitting next to us who turned out to be from the small town in North Carolina that we’d lived in before moving to Idaho. What a small world!

Although we had a great time on the cruise, getting there and getting home turned out to be stressful, which was unusual for us. All ended well, though, and we got home safely. Next up: the Baltics!

Baltics – May

On Celebrity Apex for the first time, we went on a 12-day Baltics cruise round-trip from Rotterdam, Holland. Port stops were Visby, Sweden; Stockholm, Sweden; Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; Warnemunde, Germany; and Copenhagen, Denmark.

On this trip, we:

Explored Amsterdam before the cruise, taking a canal cruise and making unsuccessful attempts to tour the museums.

Relaxed in a Sunset Sky Suite on the Apex, which gave us an extra-large balcony. Unfortunately, these suites are at the very rear of the ship, making us walk a LOT more than we normally would. The result is that Myron gained no weight on this cruise, and I only gained four pounds. Winning!

Saw a ton of churches and cathedrals, which ranged from ghostly to stunningly beautiful. Europe is full of medieval churches—the isle of Gotland in Sweden alone has 92—and it felt like we saw every one of them. Entranced, I took hundreds of pictures of the churches and had a ball.

And then there were the medieval church ruins with their ghostly beauty.

Enjoyed two canal tours, one in Amsterdam and the other in Copenhagen.

Took a ride on an antique steam train in Warnemunde, Germany.

Took a cooking class together for the first time on the Apex and thoroughly enjoyed it. We both learned a lot and would absolutely like to do it again.

Were welcomed into the home of a Finnish woman who shared with us about life in Finland.

One of my favorite photos of us was a selfie we took while on the balcony on the ship in Warnemunde. I love the rays from the setting sun in the photo.

So far, I think this was our best cruise yet. The weather was beautiful, no rain and comfortably cool, and we really liked that part.

Alaska – June

Aboard the Celebrity Solstice for the first time, we took our third cruise to Alaska. Round trip from Seattle, we stopped in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria.

This was our first time on a Solstice-class ship, and we were pleasantly surprised. The ship was impressive, especially the center atrium that could be seen from the glass-walled elevators from the fifteenth deck down to the third.

This trip, we didn’t get off the ship. After two cruises to Alaska, we’d already done most of what we’d like to do there, so we took the opportunity to simply hang out on the ship and relax.

We did take advantage of some of the activities. One day we entered a slots tournament, which both of us bombed. We also enjoyed the archery activity and had a silly time tossing rings.

The most exciting thing we did on the cruise was take our first hot glass class, and it was a blast! Over the course of twenty minutes, each of us was coached by an expert glassblower in the art and taken step by step through the process.

Myron made a vase and I made a bowl, giving us beautiful art glass pieces to take home to remember our time on the Solstice.

Transpacific to Japan – September

Another check on our bucket list is our cruise to Japan, our first cruise to Asia, and two checks because it was our first transoceanic cruise.

We cruised from Vancouver to Tokyo aboard Celebrity Millennium, our third time aboard her. Along the way, we stopped in Victoria, BC, and Sapporo and Aomori in Japan.

Our sky suite was comfortable for our fourteen-day journey, although we missed having a butler, as Celebrity has removed that perk from sky suites as of September 2023. The view was slightly obstructed, which was a first for us in a sky suite.

We had ten sea days on this journey, which was interesting. Sea days are actually our favorite, and we don’t mind rough weather. The first few days, the sea was rolling and winds were high, but everyone on board seemed to take it in stride.

One thing we didn’t expect was that the casino was closed while we were in Japanese waters, just as it is if you’re cruising around Hawaii. Be aware of that if you take a cruise to or around Japan.

Celebrity offered a cooking class on this cruise, a two-part experience that took place in the kitchen of the specialty restaurant Tuscan Grille. On the first day, we made a lobster ramen dish, and on the second day, we made pasta carbonara. Fun and delicious!

In Sapporo, we visited Mount Usu, where we took a gondola ride, and saw the beautiful Lake Toya.

In Aomori, we explored Hirosaki Castle and its gardens, and then visited Neputa Village, where we saw huge festival floats and handmade crafts.

Once we disembarked the ship in Tokyo, we checked into the Aloft Tokyo Ginza, which had an amazing breakfast buffet and enjoyed two full days of touring Tokyo.

On the first day, we took a full-day bus tour of Tokyo, visiting the Meiji Shrine, getting a peek at the Imperial Palace, exploring Asakusa, seeing the Senso-ji temple, and getting a quick cruise on Tokyo Bay. The best part was ascending the Tokyo Skytree, where we had fabulous panoramic views of the entire city. It was breathtaking.

On the second day, we took a bus to Mount Fuji and Hakone. We got a glimpse of Mount Fuji, which was a little disappointing, to be honest, but enjoyed the Hakone Ropeway, the Hakone Shrine (oh my gosh, the steps we had to climb!), and the cruise on Lake Ashi in a pirate ship.

On the flight home, we were upgraded to Delta One from Preferred Economy, which was wonderful considering I’d picked up a bad cold in Tokyo and was looking forward to resting on the trip.

Next up, Greece!

Greek Isles – November

After first traveling to the Greek Isles last year in August, in the heat of the Mediterranean summer, we were excited to take another cruise to Greece in November in order to enjoy it in a cooler climate.

Back on Norwegian Breakaway, we were scheduled for a 10-day cruise round-trip Rome that stopped at Corfu, Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Valetta, Messina, Naples, and Florence.

But things didn’t go as planned.

Corfu was struck from the itinerary before the cruise even started, and Athens was canceled due to weather. All excursions to Santorini were canceled (either due to weather or pier construction; we heard both stories), and Florence was canceled too, also due to weather. Half the itinerary that we’d booked to see was missed, which was incredibly disappointing.

However, we made the most of it.

We arrived early in Rome and I had a cooking class scheduled for us to teach us how to make fettuccine, ravioli, and tiramisu. We had a blast, learning a lot, and the food we’d prepared turned out delicious.

After the class, as we walked back to Le Meridien, where we were staying, I was able to get some lovely photos of Rome at night.

Onboard the Breakaway, we had a spa penthouse suite for the first time, which had a soaking tub in the corner of the room! We didn’t use it, but it was pretty cool.

Mykonos was a new port for us, and it was absolutely lovely. Whitewashed houses with not only blue trims, but also different colors, were often adorned with pink bougainvillea. We finally got to see the iconic Greek windmills, and found a restaurant to serve us an authentic Greek gyro. Delicious!

One thing that surprised us in Mykonos is the number of cats roaming the island. They’re everywhere! Here and there you will see water bowls and kibble set out for them. Myron made friends with one of them, who ate up his attention.

Our next stop was Malta, where we toured ancient temples and a cave that held a treasure trove of prehistoric animal skeletons. Malta’s cruise port, Valletta, is a beautiful pale yellow town, filled with buildings constructed solely of native sandstone.

At the cave of Ghar Dalam, we explored the chute that nature had filled with skeletons. The fascinating part was the site’s museum, which included the skeletons of dwarf hippos and elephants. Without any predators on Malta, the animals had eventually grown smaller over the millennia. Amazing!

From there, we traveled to the temple sites at Hagar Qim and marveled at the prehistoric stonework. The precision of the construction and the size of the stones used was mind-boggling.

Next up was Messina, where we toured the fabulous town of Taormina and visited a Sicilian vineyard.

Taormina is a breathtaking old town high upon a hill. Narrow streets are lined with shops and restaurants.

On the other side of the town, we toured the ruins of an ancient theater.

After some free time, during which we enjoyed a slice of pizza and cannoli, we returned to the bus for the ride to the Gambino Winery. There, we enjoyed a cellar tour and a fabulous wine tasting with lunch.

Naples turned out to be our last stop as Florence was canceled due to high winds. We were looking forward to this stop because we were visiting the Petrillo winery, and we had enjoyed the last one so much. This tour turned out to be just as wonderful, and the countryside was beautiful.

At the winery, we were greeted with breakfast, then were taken outside by the owner to see the vines and learn about how they are tended throughout the year. Our Italian guide translated for him. Then we had a wine tasting, followed by a fabulous lunch of handmade pasta. The owner’s grandmother gave us a demonstration of how to make rigatoni with wine, which was fun to watch.

Although the weather made this cruise challenging, we still enjoyed it. That’s the beauty of travel—taking the good with the bad and making lasting memories.