Sunday, November 23, 2025

Day 802-806 South American Cruise Day 7-10

 Cruise Day  7 -Day 802

Nov 23, 2025

Crossing the Equator

The equator crossing ceremony, or "Crossing the Line," is a long-standing maritime tradition where a ship’s crew initiates those crossing the equator for the first time. "Pollywogs" (novices) face trials to appease King Neptune, transforming into "Shellbacks" (veterans). It acts as a fun, often chaotic bonding ritual, featuring costumes, symbolic baptisms, and certificates





Captain of the Ship



It's a tradition to kiss the fish as you cross the equator. 


Cruise Day 8 -Day 803

Nov 24, 2025

Manta, Ecuador

Manta is a port city on Ecuador's central coast. It's known for its tuna-fishing industry. The popular Murciélago Beach is on the city's northwestern tip. Bars and restaurants are clustered along the Malecón Escénico promenade and nearby streets. The low-key Tarqui Beach has a waterside fish market. Nearby, the Central Bank Museum contains pre-Columbian relics from indigenous tribes.







Cruise Day 9- Day 804

Nov 25 2025

Days At Sea

When traveling with friends you get to have fun. Today was the Welch pick for group t-shirts. 



Cruise Day 10- Day 805

Nov 26, 2025

Salaverry (Trujillo), Peru

Trujillo is a city in northwestern Peru. It's known for the nation's traditional dance, marinera. The colonial center is home to the grand Trujillo Cathedral, with its bright yellow facade, and the blue Casa Urquiaga. Nearby, the neoclassical Iturregui Palace has Italian marble statues and a courtyard. West of the city, the huge adobe complex of Chan Chan is an abandoned city once home to the ancient Chimu kingdom.




Ruins of the Sun and Moon Temple 

(Huacas de Moche) are a massive adobe archaeological complex built by the ancient Moche civilization between the 1st and 9th centuries AD. Located just 15-20 minutes south of central Trujillo, Peru, this site highlights the political and spiritual center of the Moche empire







Trujillo Town Center
The statue in the center of the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo, Peru, is the Monumento a la Libertad (Freedom Monument). Created by the German sculptor Edmund Moeller, the monument was inaugurated in 1929. It represents the process of Peru's independence. It features three sections: the first shows a man crushed (symbolizing oppression), the second with arms back (the emancipatory struggle), and the top features a man with raised arms and clenched fists (liberation).



Dominating the main square, the cathedral is a vibrant yellow-painted 17th-century landmark.


The "blue house" on the Plaza de Armas of Trujillo (Peru) is widely known as Casa Urquiaga (also called Casa Calonge). It is a stunning, 18th-century colonial mansion distinguished by its Royal Blue facade, white window grilles, and historical significance





Located on the northern coast of Peru, Huanchaco is an internationally recognized surfing reserve and a historic fishing town famous for its caballitos de totora (traditional reed watercraft)






Chan Chan is the largest pre-Columbian city in South America and the largest adobe (earthen) city in the world. Located on the desert coast of northern Peru near modern-day Trujillo, it served as the capital of the powerful Chimú Kingdom from approximately 850 CE until its fall to the Inca Empire in 1470







Saturday, November 22, 2025

Day 795- 801 South American Cruise Day 1-6


2 years since the start of our new adventure-It was high time to give The Hut a timeout. Sailed through the Panama Canal , now heading south for some well-deserved R and R. It’s tough being retired, dont recommend it. Panama City is full of stunning architecture, great people, awesome culture and outstanding ceviche.  Enjoying the adventure!



Cruise Day 1 -Day 795

Nov 17 2025

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US

Fort Lauderdale, also known as the Venice of America, invites visitors to explore its intricate canal system on a paddle wheeler or water taxi. Discover the city’s vibrant nautical lifestyle, upscale Las Olas Boulevard, and the cultural delights of the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District. An airboat adventure through the Everglades offers an unforgettable Florida experience, solidifying Fort Lauderdale as a top cruise destination.


Beach Time




Setting Sail


Monica made us a room marker

Cruise Day 3 -Day 798

Nov 19, 2025

Georgetown, Cayman Islands

George Town is the capital of the Cayman Islands. It lies in the west of the largest island, Grand Cayman. It’s known as a financial hub and a port of call for cruise ships. Tax-free shops cluster around Cardinal Avenue. The Cayman Islands National Museum is housed in a 19th-century building on Harbour Drive. It contains displays on local history, culture and wildlife


Cayman Island Sandbar Australian bartender 







Cruise Day 4- Day 799

Nov 20 2025

Days At Sea

‎⁨Caribbean Sea⁩

Cruise Day 5- Day 800

Nov 21, 2025

Enter Panama Canal Cristobal

The Panama Canal is an artificial 82-kilometer waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a conduit for maritime trade between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.



 Sunrise ‎⁨Colon⁩, ⁨Panama⁩, ⁨Caribbean Sea⁩

Cruise Day 5- Day 800

Nov 21, 2025

Enter Panama Canal Cristobal

The Panama Canal is an artificial 82-kilometer waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a conduit for maritime trade between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.







Cruise Days 5 & 6 -Day 800 & 801

Nov 21, 2025

Nov 22, 2025

Fuerte Amador, Panama

Fort Amador, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, is an artificial peninsula and key cruise port connected to four islands by the Amador Road. This former U.S. military base. (returned in 1999) is today a vibrant tourist site with cruise terminals, restaurants, shops, the Biomuseum and stunning views of the city skyline





Metropolitan Cathedral of Panama City

The Arco Chato (Flat Arch) is a historic 17th-century landmark in Casco Viejo, Panama City, located within the ruins of the Santo Domingo Convent. Built around 1678, it famously stood for over 300 years without support, symbolizing stability and colonial engineering



The Plaza de Francia (French Plaza) in Panama City's Casco Viejo honors the French role in building the Panama Canal, featuring an obelisk with a rooster, busts of canal figures, and the French Embassy. It is a top attraction in Casco Viejo, offering panoramic bay views from the historic Paseo de las Bóvedas walls














Day 1,021- Keys to Canada- Lunenburg & Halifax

Battery Point- The original station was built on Battery Point 1864 (named for early fortifications like Fort Boscawen). It featured a 1.5-s...