Met a couple from Miami (he Cuban, she Ecuador) at a taxi stand and jointly negotiated a tour of Recife and Olinda. Price was significantly less than the ship tour price. The driver's English was not great but, with our partner's Spanish, we got along fine. We had stops at several Recife sites including the main market, Republic Plaza, Justice Palace, Governors' Palace and numerous bridges. Recife has a Dutch heritage from the several decades in the 1600s t...

This is our longest cruise - 50 days. Friends ask - what do you do for 50 days. Nearly 30 of those days involve a port of call. We will usually go ashore and explore the town or take a tour. Port presentations the day or 2 prior help orient us, along with maps and highlights available either on board or on shore. The days at sea can be surprisingly full. We usually have early coffee in the room with breakfast at around 9:00. Phyllis will the attend a coo...