We have become very accustomed to seeing the great cities of the world in an 8 hour port call. St. Petersburg is one that customarily demands an overnight stop. Otherwise there are few cities that we have devoted a pre or post cruise stay to.
Venice is one of them. The amazing attraction of this city for tourists is overwhelming. Perhaps a gondola ride is one of the most touristy things in the world, but it is a delight. Here are some pics of our post cruise in Venice:
Mike and Renée's Greek Isles Cruise 2007
Another world class city is right at home, Boston. We spent some days there, following our Canada/New England cruise. The history is amazing. We finished up on the Battle Green at Lexington on Memorial Day for a wonderful ceremony. Here are some pics:
HAL Maasdam Cruise Review
After we made "The Crossing" on QMII we spent several days in London. This is another city full of history and tourist traps. If you are going to take a city break, getting there on QMII is the way to do it! Some pics are at:
http://www.bully4.us/crossing.html
One of our best pre-cruise stays was NOT at the port city. Before we sailed from Southampton, we spent a pre-cruise in Iceland and it was marvelous. For scenic beauty Iceland is hard to beat. Geysir is the original geyser after which the rest are named, and the Mid Atlantic rift comes on land at Thingvellir, which is also the site of the Althling, the world's oldest parliament. Pics at:
Iceland Trip Report and Pictures
After our Indonesia cruise, we ended up in Singapore and chose NOT to post cruise there, but instead flew to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Although a few cruises offer an overnight excursion there, it is a place we probably would not have seen otherwise. Check out our trip report and pictures at
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Another great post cruise was Buenos Aires, Brazil, with a side trip to Igauzu Falls. The falls are undoubtedly one of the natural wonders of the world. Check out our trip report and pictures at
http://www.bully4.us/southamerica.html
I am more and more getting to the point that if I have to endure a long plane flight I want to get full benefit from it. City stays at one end of the cruise or the other make it worthwhile to suffer through the flight.