Often when people think of ocean cruising they think simply of port days and sea days. Port days are the time you visit the destinations you have so been looking forward to, immersing yourself in the local sights, sounds and smells of the place you are visiting. Sea days are the days to relax when you get chance to kick back and look out over the endless ocean.

If like us you’ve taken a number of cruises, you’ll already know however that this split of the days of your cruise doesn’t tell the full story. One of the most underappreciated aspects of a cruise is the time you spend sailing either in to, away from or through a destination. Sailing through natural wonders like the Norwegian Fjords on your ship is awe inspiring. Transiting the Panama Canal and watching life on the banks is not to be missed. Sailing in to Palma in Majorca passing the cities beautiful Cathedral is bound to build your excitement for visiting your destination.

There is a long list of ports and destinations in the world which get you close enough to the land to appreciate your surroundings from the comfort of your ship. You can view glaciers in Alaska, sail past small islets on your way in to Stockholm and cruise past the Statue of Liberty in New York or the Canals of Venice. You’ll marvel at the harbours of Sydney or Hong Kong as you arrive in these iconic cities and be amazed by the luxury yachts in Monaco.

Given this, it’s well worth a bit of research before you head on your cruise to understand whether the ports or places you are visiting afford you fantastic viewing and photo opportunities as you sail in or away. Just imagine sitting on the deck or your balcony having breakfast as your ship sails down Oslo Fjord or past the British Virgin Islands, it’s quite simply bliss.
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Even in some of the more industrial ports you visit, there’s something special about the sail away as you watch the land disappear out of site as you head to your next destination. Grab some fizz and drink in your surroundings as you depart, there’s bound to be a band on hand to act as the soundtrack to this magical part of your voyage. So on your next cruise make sure you have your camera ready to capture some of the highlights!

Want to know more about some of the best sight seeing opportunities from the water? Travel writer Stephen Garone has written a nice article looking at his top 10 boat rides in the world. He highlights in detail his top 5, all of which are cruise ports that can be visited by ship.

View the article at stephentravels.com >

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