2025 Holland America Line Pole to Pole Grand Voyage
First Two Weeks
Day 16 Callao (Lima), Peru
We’ve visited some fascinating destinations in the first two weeks of our Pole to Pole adventure. Our journey began in Santo Domingo, followed by Santa Marta, Colombia; Puerto Limon (San Jose), Costa Rica; a transit through the Panama Canal to Fuerte Amador (Panama City); then Manta, Ecuador; and finally, Salaverry, Peru.
Below are some highlights captured in photos.
Onboard, we’ve been amazed by the number of guests who are seasoned world cruisers – some now on their second, third, or even fifth World Cruise!
One standout guest is Nita, pictured below with Kathleen. Nita holds the distinction of being a President’s Club member with Holland America, having spent more than 1,400 nights aboard HAL ships!
It’s also incredible to see how many guests recognize each other from past voyages, eagerly anticipating reunions on these Grand Cruises. Many have also formed lasting connections with the staff, greeting familiar faces from previous ships and sailings. It truly feels like one big family at sea.
Below are a few snapshots from our journey so far. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll continue exploring South America’s stunning western coastline, with stops at several ports in Peru and Chile. Stay tuned!
Kathleen and her mother Nita. Nita has sailed more than 1400 nights aboard Holland America.
Friends Marg and Karen who both have been on many world cruises and counting!
With an average of $341K per ship, the Panama Canal generates over $4.99 Billion annually!
This revenue enables Panama to offer free education through high school, with university tuition averaging just $500 per semester.
Additionally, Panama boasts one of the lowest sales tax rates at 7% and an income tax of only 4% for its residents.
Picture one – a visit to a banana plantation with some of our group.
Picture two- The blue bags are placed over the banana bunch to protect the bananas from pesticides used and to create more humid conditions for faster ripening. Costa Rica has over 50 varieties of bananas but only export 2 types. It takes 9 to 12 months for a banana tree to grow and to produce fruit ready for export.
Picture three- our group learning about the many plants in Costa Rica and their diverse uses.
Picture four- A sloth we saw along the way! Interestingly, sloths only come down from their favorite cecropia tree once a week to do their “business”
Our visit to Manta, Ecuador, took us to the birthplace of the famous Panama Hat.
The story goes that during the construction of the Panama Canal, many Ecuadorians worked on the project, often wearing these finely woven hats. When the canal was completed, Panama’s leader presented a Panama Hat to President Woodrow Wilson, and from then on, the hats were mistakenly believed to originate from Panama rather than Ecuador.
These handcrafted hats can take anywhere from a few days to several months to produce, depending on the quality. Prices range from $40 to $5,000, with the finest versions requiring extraordinary craftmanship!