Send off and first day of the Summer 2018 cruise north up the Inside Passage. The best part of cruising up the inside Passage is enjoying the incredible scenery all around us. Ama’s “house” has 11 windows, literally providing a 360˙ view, and depending on our location, breathtaking landscapes in every direction. We usually hang out together here, one of us (usually Peter) at the helm, monitoring our route, watching for other boats, crab or shrimp pots buoys and making sure our trusty auto-pilot isn’t steering us of course. The other (usually me) is manning the galley, stowing lines, clearing decks and preparing for anchor or docking. It’s the best place to be on Ama though we each have our favorite spots depending on the time of the day. (+ 360 movie) While I usually don’t ... read more

Cruise food is fantastic! At first, the choices seem endless and they do try for creativity, especially sharing the foods from the many cultures represented in their staff. I appreciated the consistency, especially because having passed through so many time zones, it was difficult to get my stomach in synch at first. The buffet dining room had 10 large serving counters, 8 that were 10’ ovals and two backed up to short-order stations. These two stations always served omelets, poached eggs and toast in the mornings, burgers, pizza & fries for lunch and steaks or fried chicken at dinners. The really good, creative dishes were found on the ovals with anything from grilled vegies, roast meats or fish and 4-6 types of starches nightly. The salad ovals had pre-made pastas, rice and vegies plus an endless ... read more

Aah, the island life, slow, relaxed and comfortable. That is, unless you have only a few hours at port on a cruise ship. At our Azores port of call, we opt for a bus tour to show us both ends of the Sao Miguel Island, with a few stops along the way. Before boarding our tour bus, Peter & I walk the artistically paved streets of San Juan, where our ship landed, and try to enjoy the relaxing vibes. Our cruise guide, a 30-year veteran in the industry, was funny, smart and also revered her homeland. Starting in San Juan she filled us in the background of the earliest Portuguese settlers (apparently there were no displaced natives to be displaced here) and the battles with Spanish and Vikings. They built fortresses and stunning structures meant to ... read more

For experienced cruisers, the best part is visiting ports along the route (besides the naps). Our first port of call was Valencia on Spain's SE coast, in the Baleriac Sea. It is one of Spain's biggest towns but we are only there for the day so we confine ourselves to the old town and take the cruise shuttle into the center of the city. We all troop in together (2 huge tour buses), cameras clicking away, making typical tourist sounds of aahs and wows. The center of their ancient city kept flooding so they diverted the Turia River and transformed the river bed into a long, central park and filled it with playgrounds, gathering spaces, beautiful gardens and paths. It definitely puts Portland’s Forest Park to shame. We cross a bridge to enter through one of ... read more

While in Rome, one eats, a lot! We awoke to pastries at home, found a cafe for breakfast, enjoyed street food (usually pizza) for lunch then met our friends for early dinner, then gelato for dessert. If it was a late night, we might even have 2 gelato stops. Sipping wine in San Gimignano. we met two couples from New Orleans who recommended a fabulous charcuterie on Via Della Scalla. While we did find the street, there were so many restaurants, cafes, charcuteries and more that we don't really know if we found the right one. But really, does it matter? All 3 mornings I would wake early and slip downstairs to pick up pastries and a cappuccino for Peter to enjoy in our apartment while readying for the day. We would then start wandering in ... read more