After spending a wonderful week in Mauritius, we boarded a cruise ship that would take us to Réunion, Madagascar, and South Africa as the first part of our African adventure on our fourth around-the-world trip.
We’ve taken loads of cruises, because we like using them as transportation to places that are often expensive and sometimes difficult to reach otherwise. It’s also nice to sleep in the same bed for a while when you’re traveling for weeks or months at a time.
Along the way, we’ve learned a few things about saving money on cruises, including avoiding the ship’s expensive excursions and planning our own activities when we’re in port.
We have also learned that some ports of call can be a bust.
Some places just aren’t equipped to handle the massive influx of tourists when a large cruise ship docks. There simply aren’t enough restaurants, shops, taxis, or activities to go around. And when new cruise ships can accommodate six or seven thousand passengers and there are multiple ships docked at the same time, it’s easy to see how a port city could be temporarily overrun with tourists.
A number of ports are also located in commercial or industrial areas that are far removed from the city center. These often require an expensive bus or taxi transfer, otherwise you’re often stuck walking an hour or more before you reach the first restaurant or museum — and then back again when it’s time to return to the ship.
Even when the cruise line provides a shuttle, there are frequently more passengers waiting than there are seats available, and queues are typically outdoors in the sun (or rain or snow, depending on your location).
After cruising to 44 countries and territories on all seven continents, here are a few ports of call we would skip on future itineraries — or do very differently the next time — as well as several we would happily take another cruise just to visit again.
Cruise Port Fails
Saint-Denis, Réunion
This port of call was the worst of both worlds for us — nearly every business we saw in Saint-Denis was closed, and the cruise line dropped the ball with their shuttle transportation.
We took the free bus Norwegian provided from the industrial port area to a stop in the center of town. After walking around for nearly two hours, we only passed one restaurant that was open. It didn’t have any tables available, because it was filled with other cruise passengers who also had no options for spending their time or money unless they wanted to go to a suburban shopping mall.
When we gave up and decided to return to the ship, we had to wait nearly two hours in the blazing sun for our turn on the shuttle, in a line that included an elderly man who was on the verge of heat stroke as well as three families with babies in strollers. We and several others tried to take a taxi back to the ship, but no cars would stop for cruise passengers.
Is Réunion a country worth visiting? Probably. But Saint-Denis is not a city for cruisers.
Mykonos, Greece
Mykonos itself is a beautiful city. The chalky white architecture, cobblestone streets, vibrant bougainvillea, and historic windmills are charmingly captivating, and the food is generally outstanding even at the tiniest hole-in-the-wall cafes.
However, the cruise port is in an industrial area that’s about a 30-minute walk from the old city of Mykonos Town (Chora), which is where most cruisers want to be. Royal Caribbean provided a shuttle for €12 per person, but it sold out before we were able to book seats. We didn’t think it would be a problem, since we could easily walk 30 minutes each way, until we started the route. There was no sidewalk or even a shoulder on the road, so it was like playing a half hour game of human Frogger that wound up and down steep hills and around blind curves.
Would we visit Mykonos again? Absolutely. But if the cruise line’s transportation isn’t available, we’ll book a private car in advance so we can enjoy the harbor town without risking our lives getting there and back.
Naha, Okinawa, Japan
Cruising is a wonderful way to see Japan, but it’s an ancient culture that existed long before cruise ships, so most of what you’ll want to see is not within walking distance of modern ports.
We loved our time at the ancient Shuri Castle built in the 14th century and the nearby royal mausoleum, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But they were a bear to get to. Transportation was provided to the castle, but only as part of a very expensive shore excursion that offered limited time at the site itself.
A one-hour walk got us to the castle, but a downpour later in the day meant we were unable to return to the ship on foot, and the taxis were all filled with others who were avoiding walking in the rain.
Now that we’ve seen the UNESCO sites and museums in Naha, it isn’t likely that we’d get off the ship and make the two-hour trek again on a future cruise to the port.
Luanda, Angola
Before we disembarked in Angola, Norwegian made several insistent announcements regarding personal safety in the port city of Luanda. We’ve found that practicing common sense — not wearing expensive jewelry, carrying our small bags in front of us rather than on our backs, staying alert and aware — is usually enough to safeguard us in most places. But that doesn’t mean we can always avoid trouble altogether.
We took the required shuttle from the commercial port to the city center, then we planned to make the 45-minute walk to the fortress of São Miguel. We didn’t make it a block away from the harbor, however, before children began begging us for money and two different teenagers tried to pick Michael’s pockets.
We turned around to head away from the waterfront, where most of that activity seemed to be located, but there were only half a dozen tents selling souvenirs in the square and that was it. We gave up and went back to the ship.
While we’d love to revisit Angola to see Kalandula Falls, the second-largest waterfall in Africa, we have no desire to return to Luanda as a cruise port.
Bridgetown, Barbados
The beaches are beautiful in Bridgetown, Barbados. But the beaches are not free. Far from it, in fact.
To access any of the sandy shoreline that’s within walking distance of the cruise port, you’ll have to pay a hefty entrance fee. The beaches are all controlled by private clubs, and while they offer restaurants, lounge chairs, beach umbrellas, and sometimes swimming pools as part of the price, spots fill up fast and average $40 USD or more per person. And that doesn’t include any food or drinks, which cost about what you’d pay at an international airport (for example, $55 USD for a fresh fish entrée and $18 USD for a glass of wine at the restaurant where we dined).
Next time a cruise docks in Barbados, we’ll either rent a car so we can explore the country on our own or stay on the ship where we’ve already paid for our food and drinks.
Now it’s time to highlight cruise ports so good we would book another sailing just to visit them again!
cruise ports we love
Philipsburg, Sint Maarten
Avoiding overpriced cruise line excursions is one of our top tips for saving money at sea. So naturally we love a port of call where you can find fun and interesting things that cost you little or nothing to experience.
One of the novelties of Sint Maarten is the flight path over Maho Beach to the airport, which is right across the street. While you’re perfectly safe, it really does feel like the planes are going to clip your head as they descend toward the runway. You have to take a taxi to reach the beach from the cruise port, but it’s easy to book one via Uber if there aren’t any available at the taxi stands. And there are some delightful restaurants like Sunset Bar & Grill where you can pass the time in the shade with a cocktail until the next flight lands.
Renting a car is another affordable option in Sint Maarten, and it means you can also bring your passport and cross over to Saint Martin, getting a visit to the French side of the island as well.
If you don’t want to get in a vehicle at all, there’s plenty to do within walking distance of the Philipsburg cruise port. Check out the Caribbean Brewing Co., the Yoda Guy Movie Exhibit, or historic Fort Amsterdam, all of which ring Great Bay Beach Cove.
We’ve been to Sint Maarten three times (and Saint Martin twice), and we always look forward to returning.
Kotor, Montenegro
If ever an ancient city was made for modern cruise ships, it’s Kotor, Montenegro.
We loved Montenegro during our visit to the capital, Podgorica, on our first around-the-world adventure. Several Montenegrins told us that most tourists only visit Kotor, and they were happy that we had seen the mountains and rivers of the country’s interior on our way to Podgorica. But that didn’t mean that we didn’t want to see Kotor, too.
The fortified city of Kotor is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it’s a jewel box of Middle Ages history with its Square of Arms, ancient clock tower, and Flour Square. There are also plenty of restaurants, bars, and shops, and it’s free to climb the stairs and walk the ramparts for a top-level look.
For a truly panoramic vista of the Bay of Kotor and the red roofs of the old town, hike up the hillside stairs to reach the San Giovanni Fortress, otherwise known as the Castle of St. John. And if you want to save the €15 fee, scale the Ladder of Kotor instead, which offers the same views for free.
To save even more Euros, have your food and drink just outside the walled city across the small stone bridges at Pont Scurda, which is also where you access the Ladder of Kotor.
Cape Town, South Africa
There is so much to South Africa — rocky coastlines, lush interior big game reserves, refined historic wineries — that it feels like several countries in one. For a bite-sized beginning, a port of call in Cape Town is a great place to start.
The obvious favorite here is Table Mountain, the national park that’s home to more than 8,200 different plant species as well as spectacular views of the country’s oldest city and its noted harbor.
Once again, it’s best to avoid cruise ship excursions to this UNESCO World Heritage Site. All you’re really paying for is a bus ride and entrance ticket, but because you’re visiting as part of a group, your time at the site will be very limited and much of it may be spent waiting in queues. For less money, you can take a private Uber from the cruise terminal to the base of the Table Mountain cable car and buy yourself a fast pass ticket that allows you to skip the entrance line. Then you can enjoy all the time you want exploring the park, hiking through its vast terrain and taking in the views, then stopping at the mountaintop cafe for lunch with a glass of wine or a local beer before catching a ride back into town.
If heights aren’t your thing or you’ve already visited Table Mountain, there’s still plenty to do within walking distance of the Cape Town cruise port, including museums, restaurants, shops, and galleries filled with local art.
If your ship is making an overnight stay in Cape Town or has an extra-long day in port, you can always use Viator, Get Your Guide, or Airbnb Experiences to book your own day trip to the Cape of Good Hope, head to one of the region’s many wonderful wineries (our favorite is the Vergelegen Wine Estate), or rent a car and drive to the southernmost point of continental Africa at Cape Agulhas (have a meal at Gavin’s Trattoria while you’re there).
And if your cruise begins or ends in Cape Town and you need a place to stay in the city, we adore the Cape Milner Hotel.
Santorini, Greece
Oh, the poor donkeys of Santorini. The town is famous for these beasts of burden that trek tourists up the more than 500 steps to the top of the 980-foot-tall (300 m) cliffs. In fact, it’s gotten so bad for the donkeys that the country instituted a weight limit for riders as well as rules requiring the animals to be given regular breaks and fresh water. It would be one thing if the only way up was to walk, but there is a cable car next door to the donkey station that takes only two minutes to the top. Take the cable car.
Once you’ve reached the summit, the sweet donkeys are forgotten as you bask in the panoramic views. The island of Santorini is the result of an enormous volcanic eruption, and the aforementioned cliffs slope sharply into the water. The Greeks don’t give any of this a second thought, however; they’ve built their homes and businesses right into the rocky cliff face, where they cling precariously above the Aegean Sea.
The island is covered with iconic white plaster churches topped with bright Greek blue domes. The most famous of these is the Church of Panagia on the main square in Oia. You aren’t allowed to take photos inside, but it’s still worth a peek if it isn’t too crowded.
After your walking tour, take a break at one of our favorite Santorini spots, Remvi Restaurant, where you have unobstructed views of the volcano and caldera as you snack on roasted Greek manouri cheese topped with a sauce made from locally-grown tomatoes and served with freshly-baked bread. And then take a leisurely stroll down the 500-plus steps back to the port. It’s always easier walking downhill.
Hong Kong
If you love food, then Hong Kong might just be your favorite cruise port in the world. Hongkongers enjoy five meals a day: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and siu yeh. But don’t forget about yum cha, the Hong Kong version of brunch that includes dim sum. Yum!
One of our favorite places to feast is the Temple Street night market, where you can get delicious street food and cheap beer.
The famous Kowloon Bay in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour is a great place to observe the skyline and enjoy the free light and laser show that happens nightly. It’s next to the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Space Museum, and it’s a short walk to Hong Kong Comic Avenue.
If you’re in port overnight, then you have time to hop over to Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau Island if you’d like. We enjoyed Lantau Island for quite the opposite of Disney: its traditional stilt houses and some really delicious old Nepalese cuisine.
Basically, if we’re in Hong Kong, then we’re eating. Which means we always love going to Hong Kong.
Willemstad, Curaçao
The duty-free cruise terminal at the port of Curaçao is so big that you’d almost be tempted to spend the whole day there, but don’t be fooled. There’s so much more to Willemstad, and it’s all within walking distance.
Cross the bridge at Sint Annabaai to reach Willemstad proper, where you’ll find the old market of Plasa Bieu along with loads of shops, bars, and restaurants, many of which offer delicious freshly-caught seafood.
If you’re looking for something special, try Mar & Tierra 91 for surf and turf, Bodega Siete Gotas for Caribbean cuisine, or Dal Toro for waterside Italian.
And don’t forget to play in the water fountains with the kids to cool off before you head back on board the ship.
a Port with the Best of Both
Valetta, Malta
One of our favorite ports of call on Mediterranean cruises is Malta. You can walk to beautiful gardens, interesting historical spots, terrific restaurants, and centuries-old basement brew pubs (our favorite, The Beer Cave, is now closed, but you can try 67 Kapitali or Gugar Hangout & Bar for a similar vibe). But the view from the ship is so good that you can also appreciate the old city of Valetta from a different perspective without ever having to leave the boat.
So it’s the best of both options — a great port of call to see on foot directly from the harbor and a port you never have to leave the ship to enjoy. Your choice!
Next Port of Call: Madagascar
Madagascar
On our first African cruise of the fourth around-the-world adventure, we stopped in two ports of call in Madagascar: Nosy Be and Antsiranana.
One was a hit, and one was a miss. We’ll tell you more about both in the next post from our fourth around-the-world adventure.
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