Best Liberty Ports: What's to know

[DocT]

I did a search and didn't come up with anything. My idea for this thread would be a list of all the ports you've been to and the gouge for how to maximize the experience there. I.E. Where to stay,best way to get around, best bars, cultural sites, where to stay away from, how expensive it is, etc.

What say you?

 

[phrogpilot73]

Dubai - can be pricey. Go to the tailor at the sandbox the first minute you get off the boat. He can custom tailor your suits before you depart, and he will get swamped quickly. Mall of the Emirates - must see. Gold Souk? Yup. That's another must see. You'll have fun, even if it is Ramadan.

Malta - don't try to drive, worst drivers ANYWHERE. Try their national dish, which is a rabbit stew. It's excellent. Also try the pastizzi - pastry stuff with pasta & ricotta. Stay in St. John's if you want to party. You also have to go see the church that had a bomb fall on it during WWII that didn't detonate, they have a replica on display.

Toulon - Smash sandwiches.

Marseille - Some phenomenal restaurants right around the marina. Look for the ones that don't have English translations on the menu, they may only have one or two employees that speak English. You will not regret it - it was the best meal of my life.

 

[DocT]

Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Small Euro-trash/ Cambodian beach community. It's dirt cheap ($20 will get you a tuk-tuk driver for the day), about .50 for 22oz Tiger Beer, $25 for a hotel room). Go to the beach, there lots of clubs and stuff right on the water. Most everybody starts out at the Golden Lion and works their way up the hill. Monkey Republic is a good place to start with a beer tower. The actual port is small so you'll probably be on liberty boats which suck. The locals are great and very accommodating.

Singapore

EXPENSIVE as hell! Hotels on Orchard Road or Clark Quay are the way to go but you'll pay for them (~$300 a night) Beers are about $10 and mix drinks start at $20. Cabs were reasonable and the shopping is second to none. Go to Orchard Towers (4 Floors of Whores and head staright to the top floor to stay away from the he-shes) just to say you went. The subway is pretty cheap transportation and clean but crowded. It's a big international city so you can do just about anything you would want to. It's the Fine City for a reason. They will fine you for just about anything. Your liberty briefs will be extensive and painful.

 

[johnnyfive]

Palau - This little country is off the beaten path. Not many ships get to visit. If you do, stay at Palau Plantation Resort. Excellent facilities and really nice staff. They had a really fun party while we were there with a huge buffet and different games (ex. who can drink the most beer in one minute). There are also tons of fun karaoke bars with cheap drinks and good food. Also, be sure to see Jellyfish Lake and snorkeling in the bay. Here's a picture of PPR taken from the balcony.

 

[TheBubba]

So I've never had a real "port call", but I have gotten to stop in Sicily and the Azores a few times.

Sicily: Stay in Catania. It'll be a little pricey, but its well worth it. That's where all of the night life is, as well as one of the main train stations, so its easy to get to most of the island from there. For sights, Mt. Etna is close, as is Taormina and Siracusa. Taormina is my second favorite, right behind Catania. If you end up in Taormina at the bottom of the hill, there are two ways to go up: cab or walk. Walking is going to be a good workout, but the views are awesome. As for Catania, aside from the bars, there is alot of good shopping and eating, as well as sights and such. Driving is not that bad, but parking is a b* and a half.

For the Azores, stay in Angra on Lajes Island. Its about a 15 minute drive from the airbase. Not as much to do as Sicily, but still fun. Lots of sights, shopping and good eating. There is a small strip of bars, but they are fairly expensive. There's also a restaurant that has "Steak on a Rock", but I can't, for the life of me, remember the name. Driving on the Azores is similar to Sicily... not bad, but good luck finding a place to park. No trains that I remember, so you'll have to rely on cabs for public transport.

I'll also put a plug in for Doha, Qatar. Nice place, good shopping. If you go, stay at the Intercontinental Hotel. There is almost always some event at the hotel. Very expensive and touristy hotel.

 

[PhrogLoop]

Best Ever: Haifa Israel
Great Ports: Rijeka Croatia, Rota Spain, Pearl Harbor HI, St John USVI, Curacao, Marmaris Turkey
Okay Ports: Jebel Ali/Dubai, Guam, Malta, Diego Garcia (fun for about a day when it's been a few weeks since you've had a beer)
Places I'd like to forget: Djibouti, Fujairah, Panama (port only liberty)

I'd be glad to expand on any of them you're interested. Several stories will be NSFW...

 

[Gatordev]

Places I'd like to forget: Panama (port only liberty)

Was that Colon? I have a special hatred for Colon. Panama City can be fun, though.

 

[CAMike]

Torremolenos Malaga Spain: Although my experiences there occurred many years ago it was a great time, from what I recall. No matter wether you're riding along with Shore Patrol or you are avoiding SP it's a great time. Don't be put off by girls in need of a dentist, it's a fairly common problem there. They are open and warm. The food and sangria was tasty and affordable.

Carribean Ports of Call. Get your JOPA juju on early. Discuss with your CO the crew moral benefits associated with learning to Scuba dive as a group. Use some moral and recreation funds to go 50/50 towards scuba certification back home prior to deployment. Ships pays half/you pay half towards certification. Dive at every port as you will not have a bad experience. Water clarity is good even when the locals say it's not so good. Food is "good to great" nearly everywhere.

Kristiansand Norway and Copenhagen Denmark were awesome. Food and hotels were very pricey but the locals were very friendly. Do the Carlsberg Brewery tour if you can!

Dubia, Manama, Muscat in the Persian Gulf. All great opportunities for Gold/Silver purchases. Indian and Persian rugs are also excellent values. Stay away from the raw tobacco leaf bundles, as they were very harsh.

The only bad port visit that I recall was a week in downtown Kingston Jamaica. It made the Persian Gulf ports seem quite safe. Although it was kind of fun to watch the BM's use the fire-hoses to knock the mentally ill off the mooring lines at 2 in the AM. Yes- we had a fire hose watch added to the watch bill there.

 

[Recovering LSO]

Awesome: Palma, Corfu, and Naples (only because we split to Rome for several days), Singapore (golf).

Pretty good: Pataya Thailand (I suspect Phuket is much better?), Pearl Harbor (once, maybe twice and NEVER for two weeks.....), Dubai (no need to go more than once), Marmaris Turkey.

Ok to never go again: Sasebo, Hong Kong (due to numerous visits), Bahrain, Busan.

Ft Lauderdale once during a C2X - but that doesn't really count.

 

[PhrogLoop]

Was that Colon? I have a special hatred for Colon. Panama City can be fun, though.

Yeah, we were restricted to beer on the pier and the duty free...

 

[Gatordev]

Yeah, we were restricted to beer on the pier and the duty free...

That's Colon. There used to be an actual restaurant there and now that's even gone.

"They" claim that Colon is really unsafe. My parents actually visited the town and said it wasn't that bad.

 

[707guy]

Toulon - Smash sandwiches.

I've been talking about those sandwiches for years....and I was there in '89...

 

[jbuck387]

Rota- Everyone stop here so often it gets lame fast. It's the Norfolk of east coast cruises. The MWR tours to wineries are pretty awesome though.

Bahrain - next please.....

Dubai - MWR tours again, Mall of Emirates, and the famous water park.

Civitavecchia - the port city for Rome, probably the best port call I've ever had. Endless things to do and see, the food was great, and the locals loved us.

Athens - Kind of dirty and the ruins aren't that great to see, but the booze is cheap

 

[Fallonflyr]

To bad there is no more Subic/Cubi.

 

[BackOrdered]

Dubai - MWR tours again, Mall of Emirates, and the famous water park.

Umm the Mall of Dubai, Seven star hotel and the Burj whatsits where they shot MI:4 didn't please you?

I had a blast in Dubai.