Panama Canal Voyage: Cartagena
In this fourth post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores Cartagena, Colombia on her Panama Canal Voyage on Azamara.
After a rejuvenating day at sea, we arrived into the vibrant city of Cartagena, Colombia on the morning of December 10, 2024. First, I enjoyed gorgeous views as we sailed into port, and then I set out with my excursion group to explore some of the best that Cartagena has to offer. The day wrapped up with an awesome AzAmazing evening show. Follow along as I explore captivating Cartagena.
Panama Canal Voyage Full Itinerary
Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about Cartagena, Colombia and the following day at sea. Looking for info on other stops? Check out the ‘Links’ section at the end of this post!
- December 3: Miami, Florida
- December 4-5: At Sea
- December 6: Oranjestad, Aruba
- December 7: Kralendijk, Bonaire
- December 8: Willemstad, Curaçao
- December 9: At Sea
- December 10: Cartagena, Colombia
- December 11: At Sea
- December 12: Cruising the Panama Canal
- December 13-15: Panama City, Panama
Captivating Cartagena
The views of the vibrant city skyline of Cartagena as we arrived into port were stunning. I captured a selfie with my 40th country flag on this hot, humid, and sunny morning. I first spotted the skyline when I was out on the veranda of Windows Cafe enjoying my breakfast. After that, I headed out to the pool deck for some more views of the pretty sail in.
Intimate Cartagena
My excursion today, “Intimate Cartagena,” allowed me and our small group to see several sights in the city. The first stop was La Popa Monastery. This monastery was founded in 1607 atop the highest point in Cartagena. The views from here are pretty amazing!
Both the views and the monastery itself are quite beautiful. The two-story stone building wraps around a calm and peaceful courtyard.
The main altar here in the monastery is gorgeous.
The next stop on today’s excursion was the San Felipe Fortress. This bastion is hailed as the greatest ever built in a Spanish colony. We stopped here for a few minutes to take some pictures of the exterior before heading on to the next stop of the tour.
After the fortress we headed back into the bus (which thankfully had very good air conditioning on this rather hot and humid day!). We took a short drive into Old Cartagena. Here we wandered along cobbled streets filled with bougainvillea, old churches, and historic treasures.
Today’s excursion ended at Fortress of San Sebastián del Pastelillo. We stopped at Club de Pesca restaurant for a light lunch of fresh ceviche and other local specialties. There were plenty more gorgeous views here at this waterfront restaurant.
Back to the Ship
After the excursion ended, we were dropped off at the port. I walked through the small animal park here at the cruise terminal before heading back to the ship. There were many large and colorful birds serenading us and patiently posing for pictures. The flamingoes were also quite happy to wander around, enjoying snacks in the sun, as we all “oohed and ahhed” over them.
I then walked back to the ship. On this hot and humid day, there was really only one choice of afternoon activity: a refreshing swim in the pool and a cool ice cream snack!
An AzAmazing Evening
I caught a breathtakingly beautiful view of the sunset from the ship. The buses were lined up and ready to whisk us off to the AzAmazing Evening off the ship tonight. Azamara Cruises offers an AzAmazing Evening on each cruise, which is a free event that everyone is invited to attend. Sometimes they are held on the ship, while other times they are off the ship. I was fortunate to have one off the ship on this cruise.
The entire ship headed into downtown Cartagena for the AzAmazing Evening at the Teatro Adolfo Mejia Cartagena. We were welcomed to the gorgeous venue by many lively performers.
The interior of the historic theatre is stunning. I found a seat in an upper balcony and settled in for a wonderful performance.
Tonight’s show was a vibrant carnival folkloric show. We were entertained with songs and dances all evening. Scroll through the slide show below for pictures of the various acts:
After the energetic show ended, the performers paraded out of the theater. They were all out front, waiting to greet us as we made our way back to our buses to head back to the ship. What a fantastic evening in Cartagena!
Another Day At Sea
After a fun (and hot!) day in Cartagena, I was glad to have another relaxing day at sea the following day. It was another gorgeous day as we made our way closer to the Panama Canal. I started with some cross-stitch in the Drawing Room. I eventually made my way back to the pool, sipping on my new favorite pool-side drink: a Miami Vice (a strawberry daiquiri and Pina colada mixed together). Cheers!
Tonight I returned to Discoveries, the main dining room, for dinner. Afterwards, I headed to The Den to try another after dinner cocktail from the Atlas Bar menu before enjoying the evening show in the Cabaret Lounge. Everything was delicious as usual!
- Soup: New England clam chowder
- Entree: Crab ravioli with shrimp and tomato
- Dessert: Medley of mango sorbet, dark chocolate mousse, rum-soaked pineapple and coconut, chocolate brownie
- Cocktail: Prince of Wales (Courvoisier xo cognac, Grand Marnier, Angostura orange bitters, sparkling wine)
Conclusion
I really enjoyed my day in captivating Cartagena. The excursion I chose was a great way to sample a few different parts of the city, in a smaller group setting. I always enjoy the AzAmazing Evenings on Azamara cruises, and this one was wonderful for both its location and the performance itself. Cartagena is a large and vibrant city, but still has so many pockets of old world charm and history.
Links
Check the main page for this cruise to read more about my adventures:
Click the button below for more information about Azamara:
