169 Days And Counting.....

There are 51 ports on the itinerary for this cruise.  There are World Cruise events in 6 of the ports.  We will miss 2 ports because of the mid-voyage land adventures we have booked.  I have identified 15 ports that we can comfortably explore on our own.  That leaves 28 ports that might require booking shore excursions.  I think Myster and I would be more comfortable with shore excursions in some of the more exotic ports.  Some options have begun to appear for those ports.  

Manila is the capital city of the Philippines located on the island of Luzon. Intramuros, a walled city in colonial times, is the heart of Old Manila. It’s home to the baroque 16th-century San Agustin Church as well as Fort Santiago, a storied citadel and military prison.  The shore excursion we are interested in offers a half-day tour of this part of the city.  A description of the tour appears below.

Charms of Old Manila

Explore the history, architecture and landmarks of Manila during this scenic, half-day tour of the Old City.

Fort Santiago

Depart the pier for the brief drive along Roxas Boulevard, a six-mile-long (10-kilometer-long) promenade that was reclaimed from Manila Bay. From here, proceed to the heart of the old walled Spanish city of Intramuros, where the history of Manila as a capital city began.

Your first stop is at Fort Santiago, which overlooks the Pasig River. It is the country's foremost cultural relic, and the site of key moments in Philippine history. 

San Agustin Church & Museum

Next, re-board your coach and proceed to the San Agustin Church and Monastery, also located within the walls of Intramuros. The church dates from the 16th century, and is the country's oldest structure. Its extensive collection of religious artifacts makes the San Agustin Church and Monastery the country's largest ecclesiastical museum.  

Rizal Park and Manila Hotel

Your tour continues with a brief visit to Rizal Park. The park is the former site of a native community, Bagumbayan, which stood beyond the Spanish walls of Intramuros.

Following a photo stop at the park's Rizal Monument, commence the approximately 30-minute drive back to the pier, with a welcome drink at the Manila Hotel en route.

Below is a picture of the Fort Santiago Gate.

The Manila Hotel which opened in 1912 and extensively remodeled in the 1970's is a Philippine landmark, home to high society and often a scene of historic events.  Here are pictures of the Manila Hotel:

In the course of my research for this trip I have stumbled on an app for iphone and ipad that is quite intriguing.  Myster bought it and downloaded it to his ipad last night.  The app is called Marine Traffic Ships and Wind.  Marine Traffic displays near real-time positions of ships and yachts worldwide. Connected to the largest network of AIS receivers, the app covers most major ports and shipping routes.  It allows you to track a specific vessel or check the ships in a specific port or find out which ships are close to the ship you are interested in.  We were checking the location of the Silver Whisper (the ship we will be on) last night.  It is very cool!  I think it will be a fun reference item for our cruise.