December 15, 2025 – Cartagena, Colombia – Warm – 87F

December 15, 2025 – Cartagena, Colombia – Warm – 87F

Day 2 in Cartagena

Additional passengers boarded at the Visitor's Center Immigration Area.

The ship is now sailing with 550 passenger, of which 298 are in transit.  On a percentage basis, that is the largest number of continuing passengers we have encountered in our travels.  Fortunately, I am giving a new presentation on this leg for those folks who are staying on.  The 550 count means that there are some vacant staterooms on the homeward leg.  

I had breakfast up in the Marketplace and then joined Ellen in the Bistro for her breakfast.  Not as crowded today.

Our plan today involve a trip into the city to find an inexpensive spa.  I did some pre-checking on line and our best bet was “Luxury Spa”.  The website (grain of salt) showed a clean and professional place (good reviews) so that would be our destination.  We would need a cab to get there.  We have taken cabs before in Cartagena and it’s a tricky process.

Because of the heat, we took the port shuttle to the Visitor's Center.  The cabs are located beyond the Visitor’s Center through a maze of paths.  We encountered lots of peacocks on the way as well as the Colombia Sign (this will have to do).

The first taxis are located right at the end of the path.  These taxis really want to take you on a multi-hour tour.  One particularly pushy woman even said she was a massage therapist (she showed her IDs and business cards) and she would combine the tour with a spa session.  The prices that these people quoted were from $20 to $50 for the ride to the old town only.  We passed and went out to the street where the bulk of the cabs are located.  I got some high quotes there, as well, but I told them (and it wa the truth) that the last time I took a cab into Cartagena it cost $5. Only one cab would take my latest offer of $11. That would be our transport.  

I gave him the address and we were off to Luxury Spa in Cartagena.  The ride was slow and in traffic the whole time (expected in Cartagena).  Lots of construction going on but the area around the cruise port was still very rustic and iffy.  When we got close to our destination, some directions from locals got us to Luxury Spa.  I should mention that nowhere on the storefront was “Luxury Spa” mentioned but that was the place.  It was a small place on the corner and I communicated with the woman who was there via Google Translate and minimal English. She told us that we would need to wait an hour (and since I got the impression she was the only one working, that we would have to get back to back appointments and that would not work).  

The taxi left after indicating that he would be back here at 12:30 PM (it was just about 10:30 AM now).  The woman at Luxury Spa told us that there was another spa nearby so we walked a couple of blocks to the Hom Spa. 

I had looked this place up earlier on line and it would have been our second choice.  The spa didn’t look like much in front but inside it was new and modern (black was the motif).  A neon sign on a black wall in the waiting area was representative of the vibe ("The Best Place to Relax in Cartagena"),

There were at least five therapists in the place and they said we would be able to get appointments with no problem.  The bathrooms were clean and one of the therapists made sure we washed our hands after the washroom stop (the bathrooms were on the second level). That was a first.

The therapists were all in black uniforms with the Hom Spa Logo.  They were young and clearly local – almost zero English except the person behind the desk who took payment.  The price for a relaxation and sensitive massages was $47 a person – the masaje sensitiv is a technique using fingertips to give a feather like feel (I get that sometimes at home and I do like it) – Both Ellen and I opted for a hybrid (relaxation plus sensitive);  I charged the massages because we were running out of cash and I wanted to have some cash for the rest of the cruise. There was a $2 charge for using a credit card.  The place was clean, the ladies were great, and the sessions ran a full hour.  They gave us water before and after the session.  We tipped each of our ladies $5 - they do not expect tips so this was a bonus.

While waiting for our taxi pickup, we checked out some of the neighborhood; there was a festival at a nearby park that we went to and looked around.  We were the only non-locals there.  The spa was one block away from a main ahopping area - we went into one of the stores to see what they had.  

We were still early and it was hot so we went back to the air-conditioned spa and they said we could hang there until our ride arrived.  Interestingly enough, no additional customers arrived while we waited.

Then, off to the rendezvous point – as might be expected, our cabbie did not show– after getting some advice from a local (a travel or tour agent, I think) who spoke perfect English, we flagged down a passing Yellow Taxi and negotiated a ride back for $20.  The ride back took a different route and avoided traffic and got us back to the port faster.  

Before we hopped on the Port Shuttle, we spent some time checking out the other animals in the Center.  I got a great picture of a parrot 

and a group of parrots perched on a log structure

and even got photos of turtles trying to get out of the sun.

After a little wait in our air fryer bus, we headed back to the ship.  We cooled off over lunch in the Trident Grill.  

We went to the Afternoon Tea in the Palm Court – and listened to Ely Lee (doing a great version of “Hallelujah”)

and drinking fruity teas.  Today, they offered Chanukah Cookies - the cookies were OK but the blue frosting - well.

We had ordered special meals in the Waterside Restaurant – our old standbys, Hot Dogs and Lamb Chops.  They were delicious – the lamb chops were a bit under so they were sent back to finish them off. The hot dogs were cooked perfectly and delicious.  I wonder where they got them.  \

After dinner, we got some tea in Crystal Cove and I got the best picture of the cruise so far.

At 8:30 PM we went to “Crystal Variety Show” in the Stardust Lounge – Daniel Allain did a nice job on “This is the Moment” and Natalie Fine belted out a song I did not know.  Ely Lee did an encore of “Hallelujah” and was joined by Rafael on the Flugel Horn.  

Stephani Parker did “You Make me Feel Like a Natural Woman” and “Bringing All My Love”.  

We left before the end of her set – she was riffing too much.

Passed on James Fox, “My Influences” at 9:45 PM.  We saw this show on the last segment.

Back to the Room.

Clocks move forward tonight to put us on Atlantic Standard Time.

An interesting day in Cartagena, Colombia.