Really enjoyed that…. A port I’ve never seen anyone visit before. The city itself looks stunning, love all the colourful old buildings but the ‘shopping’ opportunities aren’t my cup of tea either.
Looking forward to my Cartagena visit onboard NCL Joy in 2025 after we transit the Canal. Your well done vlog makes me even more curious to see this city. Good job as always Fraser! Oh, if you want to experience highly aggressive street vendors, go to Egypt. It’s quite annoying there although I appreciate these folks are just trying to make a living.
Ahh, glad this video has helped you plan for your trip - roll on 2025! Thanks a lot for watching - I’ll maybe need to give Egypt a pass - I found these ones to be too annoying, haha! 😂
Stopped at Cartegena en route to the Panama Canal. Thoroughly enjoyed the old town but the humidity was pretty oppressive in January 2018. Would certainly go again.
33:45 Fraser I’ve made sticky pudding positively submerged in toffee sauce for 100+ people at a time so I think it’s reasonable to assume I should go along to support your demonstration 😂😂😂. Re the street traders in port: wonder if even the Germans have a word for the wrenching dissonance of these encounters. And finally ❤❤❤ prioritising keeping in touch with parents.
Ha, I do think there might be a lot of entries to the ‘join Fraser at Sea making sticky toffee pudding’ event…!! 😂 Thanks a lot for watching, and I always love keeping in touch with my parents when I travel! 😊
No one approached you to sell Hormegas culoñas (big ass ants) to eat? When I was there a couple of years ago they also hawked big fried wasps or hornets ... I didn't eat any. And it was SO hot in Cartagena ... interesting, but hot as the surface of the sun. Of course, it's basically on the equator so it's just hot all the time. We stumbled into the Gold Museum just because it was frosty and air-conditioned. LOL I do have to say, there were a lot of street vendors, but they weren't terribly aggressive ... we just showed we weren't interested and they didn't bother us.
Hey Sherry Ann, thanks for watching as always! 😊 It’s such a unique place, and you’re right - the HEAT… 🥵 Thankfully, I didn’t see any insects for sale - not sure my nerves would’ve handled those street vendors trying to sell me bugs, haha!!
Hiya Fraser, tickled pink you’re in Cartagena. We’re there late Dec on an Oceania cruise - Miami to LA. I did a fair bit of research and decided it best to take a ship excursion. 2 reasons, the traffic in Cartagena is really busy and slow. Also we ‘re only in port from 7am till 2pm. We’ve booked a sightseeing vessel to take us over the bay to the old city to avoid the traffic and to have a walking tour similar to yours. Thanks for the beautiful shots of the old city. I’ll be eagerly watching the rest of this series. Only 3 months still our adventures begin!
Hey Shona, thanks so much for watching, and therefore supporting my little corner of UA-cam - I really appreciate it! It’s funny you also have such a short call here - that was the same with us - excursions are for sure the way to go! Don’t worry - December will be here before we know it…!!
Very happy you enjoyed the excursion and have signed up for another one. I am half and half about them - some ports the idea of lining up and meeting and etc and other ports I wouldn't get odd the ship without booking one. Thumbs up for milkshakes.
Hello! 😊 Yeah, totally agree - for this port, it just felt safer to have one booked. If nothing else, it meant I wouldn’t miss the ship as it was departing so early. This excursion seemed to squeeze so much into half a day! Thanks for watching!!
Hey there, We’ve been to Columbia three times.. it’s much safer now than it was, but still don’t go alone.. small group and you will be fine in most major cities. We had a person come and start to bug us for money… three people (other residents) stepped in, moved him off and apologized… A Taxi Driver even stopped and told us that Colombians have started to realize the tourist are big bucks (can rob 😊us in the shops rather than at gun point ;-)) Many, will stand up to anyone bothering a tourist (in major cities).. I was both shocked and happy.. in the past you simply didn’t go into a major city outside of being on a paid tour.. it just wasn’t safe.. now.. don’t go alone but you should be fine.. 😊
Hey! Thanks for watching, and this is a really interesting comment - I’ve never been outside of the cities here, but would love to see more. Great that they’ve realised tourists are useful, especially with the money some can drop - I got a feel for that when I saw one of the jewellers VERY busy with tourists, ha! Thanks again for watching, and for taking the time to leave this comment! 😊 👋🏼
Think that day may have ticked most of your boxes, Fraser ! Coffee, small boats, unique architecture, sunshine and milkshakes ! Now if only they could have done a sticky toffee pud correctly ! 😂
Really enjoyed this. You captured the experience so perfectly. If my family ever takes this cruise, we’ll try this excursion based on your review. By the way it’s CartageNa, not CartageÑa, so you don’t pronounce the last syllable as “nia” but plain “na.” In Spanish, you pronounce “n” as “ny” (nya, nye, nyi, nyo, nyu) only if it’s written as “ñ” (España, piñata, Nuñez, Iñigo, año, señor, moñudo).
Ahh, thanks for this - my pronunciation can often be awful, haha! I’m so glad you enjoyed seeing the excursion through my eyes - thanks for coming with me! 😊 🛳️
@@mpb3481 , this confused me, in Romancing the Stone they said it as though it had the nya (I don’t know how to get it out of my phone) so that’s what I was expecting. I had to retrain myself when I realized that was wrong!
@@jeffkellyb7712 I don’t recall any longer if that’s how it was pronounced in RTS. (I’m awed that you do.) I guess many non-Spanish speakers are unfamiliar with the written “ñ” and tend to think “n” in names is pronounced as “ny.” Maybe that’s what happened in RTS and no one in the cast or crew was knowledgeable enough to correct it? Or maybe because “gena” is usually pronounced by English-speakers as “hey-na” rather than “henna,” some kind of carry on or misplace the “y” sound and pronounce it as “hen-ya” or “hey-nia.” 😁
You really should watch it when you get the chance. It is pretty funny! I would think especiallyif you have been to Cartage. Thanks for your videos! @FraserAtSea
We will be sailing on the Rotterdam next year in the Norwegian Fjords. We have added Club Orange to our reservation. This is supposed to allow for priority disembarkation/embarkation at port stops. Did you see a separate line for this or any indication that it was "working"? We added it mainly to avoid these lines I see in your video. Thanks.
Oh, Rotterdam will be such a beauty of a ship for somewhere like the Fjords - you’re in for a real treat there! Interesting point - I didn’t see a separate line for Club Orange guests, but then I also wouldn’t have been specifically looking for one - it may well have been there. Sorry I can’t give you a concrete answer!
We went through Cartagena last year on a canal cruise. It was a beautiful city, but I don’t think I’d go into the city again, the street vendors were just too much. If I recall, there was a shopping and zoo area right next to the ship, so you could get your souvenir fix, and see some local critters.
Hey Jeff, I think you’re right, but I missed this because our boat trip picked us up from within the port area. I feel like it’s a ‘been there, done that’ city for me, but I’d also be happy to go again if it fell on the right cruise itinerary. Thanks for watching!!
I really enjoyed that, I do like a good taster session, and those building looked ace! Gosh though, it did indeed look rather hot, I would have melted, being a peely-wally type.
I would recommend a trip to Medellin but since it is landlocked, it can’t be done on a cruise. It is on equator and at altitude so the weather is perfect all year round!
Hey! I don’t have the specific name to hand, but it was the boat trip with city tour - probably showing as about a 5 hour long tour? There was only 1 boat tour option, I think! Have the best cruise!
When you get off the ship in Cartagena, is there a building (like a terminal) where you have to check in and show a passport? and then have to go through again to check back onto the ship? Or can you just wander around anywhere?
Hello! I’d imagine there’s some sort of control, but I left the cruise and went straight onto my excursions boat from within the port, so totally missed the actual port area. Some people on the ship said there was a building with local animals and stuff there - I wished I’d gone to have a look!
Thanks for watching my video! If you enjoyed, please do remember to hit both the LIKE and SUBSCRIBE buttons - thank you!! ❤
What a brilliant port to visit! Looked a great day!
Oh, I loved it here - so different to experience. Thanks a lot for watching!
Really enjoyed that…. A port I’ve never seen anyone visit before. The city itself looks stunning, love all the colourful old buildings but the ‘shopping’ opportunities aren’t my cup of tea either.
Yeah, the city was beautiful, but the shopping was FAR TOO INTENSE 😂 Glad you enjoyed coming with me this week, Joanne!
"Sticky toffee loaf"...I'm still laughing! 😂 Granted, I've never had the pudding, but your distain was hilarious. Thanks for this one!
Ha, so Sticky Toffee Pudding is my all time favourite dessert - when it’s not right, I really get annoyed, hahah!
I have to say, I really loved all of this. I would have enjoyed that excursion. I'm also not a big excursion person either.
Oh, thanks a lot Barbara. This excursion gave such variety - I really did enjoy it. Thanks for watching!!
Looking forward to my Cartagena visit onboard NCL Joy in 2025 after we transit the Canal. Your well done vlog makes me even more curious to see this city. Good job as always Fraser! Oh, if you want to experience highly aggressive street vendors, go to Egypt. It’s quite annoying there although I appreciate these folks are just trying to make a living.
Ahh, glad this video has helped you plan for your trip - roll on 2025! Thanks a lot for watching - I’ll maybe need to give Egypt a pass - I found these ones to be too annoying, haha! 😂
Stopped at Cartegena en route to the Panama Canal. Thoroughly enjoyed the old town but the humidity was pretty oppressive in January 2018. Would certainly go again.
Ah, great to hear you also enjoyed it. I hear you re the heat - it was mad when I was there too, haha! Thanks so much for watching, Stephen!
33:45 Fraser I’ve made sticky pudding positively submerged in toffee sauce for 100+ people at a time so I think it’s reasonable to assume I should go along to support your demonstration 😂😂😂. Re the street traders in port: wonder if even the Germans have a word for the wrenching dissonance of these encounters. And finally ❤❤❤ prioritising keeping in touch with parents.
Ha, I do think there might be a lot of entries to the ‘join Fraser at Sea making sticky toffee pudding’ event…!! 😂 Thanks a lot for watching, and I always love keeping in touch with my parents when I travel! 😊
Been to Cartagena several times, it’s a fabulous city, a great port and one of the best ports to stop at, loved it every time
Ah, you and I both Dyllan - such a unique place, eh? Thanks for watching!!
I'm pretty sure that meat pie thing is an empanada. They come with different fillings. Very popular is South America.
Ahh, I think you’re correct actually - thanks for commenting this! Also, thanks a lot for watching!!
I am going on this exact same excursion in October!
Oh, small world. You’ll hopefully enjoy as much as I did 😊 Enjoy!!
No one approached you to sell Hormegas culoñas (big ass ants) to eat? When I was there a couple of years ago they also hawked big fried wasps or hornets ... I didn't eat any. And it was SO hot in Cartagena ... interesting, but hot as the surface of the sun. Of course, it's basically on the equator so it's just hot all the time. We stumbled into the Gold Museum just because it was frosty and air-conditioned. LOL
I do have to say, there were a lot of street vendors, but they weren't terribly aggressive ... we just showed we weren't interested and they didn't bother us.
Hey Sherry Ann, thanks for watching as always! 😊 It’s such a unique place, and you’re right - the HEAT… 🥵 Thankfully, I didn’t see any insects for sale - not sure my nerves would’ve handled those street vendors trying to sell me bugs, haha!!
Hiya Fraser, tickled pink you’re in Cartagena. We’re there late Dec on an Oceania cruise - Miami to LA. I did a fair bit of research and decided it best to take a ship excursion. 2 reasons, the traffic in Cartagena is really busy and slow. Also we ‘re only in port from 7am till 2pm. We’ve booked a sightseeing vessel to take us over the bay to the old city to avoid the traffic and to have a walking tour similar to yours.
Thanks for the beautiful shots of the old city. I’ll be eagerly watching the rest of this series. Only 3 months still our adventures begin!
Hey Shona, thanks so much for watching, and therefore supporting my little corner of UA-cam - I really appreciate it! It’s funny you also have such a short call here - that was the same with us - excursions are for sure the way to go!
Don’t worry - December will be here before we know it…!!
I share your love of coffee
Sipping my morning brew as we speak, ha. Cheers! ☕️ 😊
great vlog I would have loved the coffee tasting all of it looked great too 😻
Thanks a lot for watching, Christine! I did love the coffee tasting, but it was STRONG! Ha, I’d do it again though for sure!
Very happy you enjoyed the excursion and have signed up for another one. I am half and half about them - some ports the idea of lining up and meeting and etc and other ports I wouldn't get odd the ship without booking one. Thumbs up for milkshakes.
Hello! 😊 Yeah, totally agree - for this port, it just felt safer to have one booked. If nothing else, it meant I wouldn’t miss the ship as it was departing so early. This excursion seemed to squeeze so much into half a day!
Thanks for watching!!
Hey there, We’ve been to Columbia three times.. it’s much safer now than it was, but still don’t go alone.. small group and you will be fine in most major cities. We had a person come and start to bug us for money… three people (other residents) stepped in, moved him off and apologized… A Taxi Driver even stopped and told us that Colombians have started to realize the tourist are big bucks (can rob 😊us in the shops rather than at gun point ;-)) Many, will stand up to anyone bothering a tourist (in major cities).. I was both shocked and happy.. in the past you simply didn’t go into a major city outside of being on a paid tour.. it just wasn’t safe.. now.. don’t go alone but you should be fine.. 😊
Hey! Thanks for watching, and this is a really interesting comment - I’ve never been outside of the cities here, but would love to see more. Great that they’ve realised tourists are useful, especially with the money some can drop - I got a feel for that when I saw one of the jewellers VERY busy with tourists, ha!
Thanks again for watching, and for taking the time to leave this comment! 😊 👋🏼
Visited Cartagena 5 years ago. We booked a local guide and loved the city.
Yeah, it’s such a unique port call, isn’t it? Thanks a lot for watching!
Think that day may have ticked most of your boxes, Fraser ! Coffee, small boats, unique architecture, sunshine and milkshakes ! Now if only they could have done a sticky toffee pud correctly ! 😂
Ha, ruined at the last minute, eh? Hahaha, thanks for watching Stephen!
@FraserAtSea hey, they still did you well. Let's say 9 out of 10, and we know that's really good for most cruise lines! 🤣
Really enjoyed this. You captured the experience so perfectly. If my family ever takes this cruise, we’ll try this excursion based on your review. By the way it’s CartageNa, not CartageÑa, so you don’t pronounce the last syllable as “nia” but plain “na.” In Spanish, you pronounce “n” as “ny” (nya, nye, nyi, nyo, nyu) only if it’s written as “ñ” (España, piñata, Nuñez, Iñigo, año, señor, moñudo).
Ahh, thanks for this - my pronunciation can often be awful, haha! I’m so glad you enjoyed seeing the excursion through my eyes - thanks for coming with me! 😊 🛳️
@@mpb3481 , this confused me, in Romancing the Stone they said it as though it had the nya (I don’t know how to get it out of my phone) so that’s what I was expecting. I had to retrain myself when I realized that was wrong!
@@jeffkellyb7712 I don’t recall any longer if that’s how it was pronounced in RTS. (I’m awed that you do.) I guess many non-Spanish speakers are unfamiliar with the written “ñ” and tend to think “n” in names is pronounced as “ny.” Maybe that’s what happened in RTS and no one in the cast or crew was knowledgeable enough to correct it? Or maybe because “gena” is usually pronounced by English-speakers as “hey-na” rather than “henna,” some kind of carry on or misplace the “y” sound and pronounce it as “hen-ya” or “hey-nia.” 😁
Did you watch "Romancing the Stone" before arriving? I have never been to Cartagena, but that movie has stereotyped it for me 😂!
Ha, I didn’t actually, but SO MANY of my fellow passengers asked this during the cruise 😂 Thanks for watching, as always!!
You really should watch it when you get the chance. It is pretty funny! I would think especiallyif you have been to Cartage. Thanks for your videos! @FraserAtSea
We will be sailing on the Rotterdam next year in the Norwegian Fjords. We have added Club Orange to our reservation. This is supposed to allow for priority disembarkation/embarkation at port stops. Did you see a separate line for this or any indication that it was "working"? We added it mainly to avoid these lines I see in your video. Thanks.
Oh, Rotterdam will be such a beauty of a ship for somewhere like the Fjords - you’re in for a real treat there! Interesting point - I didn’t see a separate line for Club Orange guests, but then I also wouldn’t have been specifically looking for one - it may well have been there.
Sorry I can’t give you a concrete answer!
We went through Cartagena last year on a canal cruise. It was a beautiful city, but I don’t think I’d go into the city again, the street vendors were just too much. If I recall, there was a shopping and zoo area right next to the ship, so you could get your souvenir fix, and see some local critters.
Hey Jeff, I think you’re right, but I missed this because our boat trip picked us up from within the port area. I feel like it’s a ‘been there, done that’ city for me, but I’d also be happy to go again if it fell on the right cruise itinerary.
Thanks for watching!!
I really enjoyed that, I do like a good taster session, and those building looked ace! Gosh though, it did indeed look rather hot, I would have melted, being a peely-wally type.
Ha, don’t let appearances fool you - I’m a true peely-wally at heart 😂 🏴
Ha, don’t let appearances fool you - I’m a true peely-wally at heart 😂 🏴
I would recommend a trip to Medellin but since it is landlocked, it can’t be done on a cruise. It is on equator and at altitude so the weather is perfect all year round!
Maybe one to add to my bucket list - thanks for this!
What was the name of the tour you took? We are headed to Cartagena on the ROTTERDAM in Nov.
Hey! I don’t have the specific name to hand, but it was the boat trip with city tour - probably showing as about a 5 hour long tour? There was only 1 boat tour option, I think!
Have the best cruise!
Thanks.
The other thing on a HA canal cruise is that there were several canal specific shows on the on demand list! On top of the other presentations.
Yes, this is a great point! I was really impressed with the programming! 😊
When you get off the ship in Cartagena, is there a building (like a terminal) where you have to check in and show a passport? and then have to go through again to check back onto the ship? Or can you just wander around anywhere?
Hello! I’d imagine there’s some sort of control, but I left the cruise and went straight onto my excursions boat from within the port, so totally missed the actual port area.
Some people on the ship said there was a building with local animals and stuff there - I wished I’d gone to have a look!
I came very close to be kidnapped in Cartagena about 10 years ago. Don’t walk around alone-especially women
Oh, this sounds bad. I didn’t think it felt unsafe to be honest, but always important to have your wits about you! Thanks for watching, Barbara!
I found the talk is too long in this video
Ahh, thanks for watching!