Life is a patchwork of experiences
I did not need a formal tour to see the Falkland Island penguins. This is how I saw three different species of penguins on my own at Gypsy Cove outside Port Stanley during a cruise to Antarctica.
One of my biggest wish list items on my Princess cruise to South America and Antarctica was to see and photograph penguins. I saw penguins floating on large icebergs as our ship cruised the Antarctic peninsula, but even with my big telephoto lens, they were small black dots on a bluish white surface. I finally had the perfect photo opportunity when the ship docked at Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands.
Continue reading “My Unforgettable Day With the Falkland Island Penguins”
Photographing in Antarctica can be challenging. Whether you use a cell phone or a large digital camera, use these tips to help you get the best possible photos of your once-in-a-lifetime trip.
This story has received an Honorable Mention in the annual Society of American Travel Writers Lowell Thomas competion in the Service Oriented Consumer Work category. This is the premier awards recognition for American travel journalists.
You’ve just booked and paid for that top bucket list trip to Antarctica. It will be your dream trip come true and you want to make sure you come home with the best possible Antarctic photos along with all those special memories.
Continue reading “Photographing in Antarctica – 19 Antarctica Photography Tips for All Skill Levels”
I visited Norway on a cruise which was a very easy way to discover the beauty of this highly scenic country. I am sharing my best Norway photos to inspire you to plan your own trip to Norway.
As I cruised through peaceful fjords surrounded by mountain peaks, and visited colorful towns and villages in Norway, I could clearly see the inspiration for a fairy tale movie. As a photographer, I found the scenery to be point-and-shoot beautiful and it didn’t take much artistic license to take Norway photos worthy of a high end magazine spread.
Continue reading “Beautiful Storybook Norway Photos to Inspire Your Next Trip”
A traditional Costa Rica cooking class showed me that I could still make local connections in a meaningful way on a cruise ship excursion.
I love cruising, but I am very picky about my cruise excursions. Typical ship excursion involve big busses and large tour groups that take passengers to the most popular sights. This may let you check off one more item on the “bucket list” but does nothing to provide a true connective experience to the local culture or the environment.
However, on my recent Princess Cruise through the Panama Canal, a ship excursion in Costa Rica billed as one of their “Local Connections” program had me intrigued. The tour promised to take us to the Macaw ecolodge high in the rainforest where we would take part in a cooking experience using locally grown ingredients. This sounded quite appealing and would not be something I could easily do on my own, so I signed up and hoped for unique glimpse into Costa Rican culture.
A full transit Panama Canal cruise was on my travel wish list for a long time. I finally had the chance to experience it and was not disappointed.
There are some places on this planet that are easiest to experience from the deck of a ship – the Panama Canal is one of those sights. This “Engineering Marvel” was built to aid in the faster transport of goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, thus bypassing the long and hazardous journey around South America and Cape Horn.
But transiting through the Panama Canal has also become a very popular cruise ship destination. I recently took a 16 day full transit Panama Canal cruise from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco on the Ruby Princess and going through the canal was the highlight of my cruise.
Continue reading “A Full Transit Panama Canal Cruise – Passing Through an Engineering Marvel”
Besides seeing an engineering marvel, my Panama canal cruise excursions also took me to other other unique and interesting sights at each port stop.
There are some place in this world that can best be seen from the deck of a ship. The Panama Canal is one such a place.
Continue reading “I Loved these Panama Canal Cruise Excursions”
I had only one day in Cartagena, Columbia on my Panama Canal cruise and I made the most of it by exploring the city’s UNESCO listed sights on my own.
This story was recognized by the North American Travel Journalists Association with a Silver award in the Photography – Cover or Feature Photo/Illustration category in the 2022 annual media travel awards competition .The first stop on my Ruby Princess full transit Panama Canal cruise was Cartagena, Columbia. This was my first visit to Columbia, and I would only have six hours in port so I was going to make the most of it. My focus for my one day in Cartagena was on the UNESCO listed Old Town and the nearby Fort Castillo de San Filipe de Barajas.
Continue reading “One Day in Cartagena, Columbia – A Colorful, Independent Cruise Excursion”
