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    I was nearly LEFT BEHIND in Puerto Princesa, Philippines!



    I was nearly LEFT BEHIND in Puerto Princesa, Philippines!

    Welcome to Puerto Princesa on the Norwegian Spirit! I took a HUGE risk today and booked a third party shore excursion to the Underground River in Puerto Princesa, a UNESCO heritage site, and I did not know what was in store for me as the day progressed. This is one of those times where booking with the cruise line would have been a better option, but I was unaware of several factors that I’ll explain in this video! Watch to find out if I recommend this excursion or not, and whether there were extreme circumstances that contributed to the problems we faced! That said, Puerto Princesa is an absolutely beautiful place and like everywhere else I’ve visited in the Philippines, somewhere I would definitely return to in the future for a longer visit! Enjoy this vlog of my experience with only ONE day at this port!

    Viator Underground River Shore excursion: https://viator.tp.st/qT2HGCvG

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    48 Comments

    1. @TravelWithBen121 on

      Wow! What an adventure 😂 talk about nervous! Waiting around is never a good thing but the cave looked incredible. 16:45 those sounds are eery 😮 another great video, Mer! Your day was a lot more exciting than mine 😂

    2. @a.y.4894 on

      I was there November 2024 we booked through cruise because is far we were 30 Vans from cruise ship… our first time we enjoyed we still wait at least 1 hour….

    4. @KikiB90 on

      My godness Mer, that was nerve wracking 😬 to watch and am glad you made it back safe. But on the other hand, what an awesome cave experience. You are so brave. You had my heart racing. Your Dinner looked so yummy and now I'm hungry. Great vlog like always, keep it up. Waiting for your next port in anticipation.😁

    6. @5starJeffy on

      Oh great, thanks for raising my blood pressure! I watch your videos for the beautiful scenery and your calming commentary – I need a drink now. I am really enjoying yours and Ben’s posts about this cruise, great content. Question. I’ve only cruised NCL’s bigger ships (fan of the solo suites), now that you’ve had time to reflect, how is sailing on their smaller ships?

    7. @Tinrebel on

      Meredith, I’ve just come across your videos, I’m enjoying them, like the way you show the areas your visiting, the ship, food and your views on everything. Especially like your emphasis on solo cruising, at 65 I did my first solo in 2023, loved it, I plan on doing more, wanted to do Alaska this summer but with the economy I’m a little hesitant. ☹️ So in the mean time, I’ll travel with you! Thank you! 😊

    11. @samquinn6427 on

      Being in the PH several times, I had to watch this entire series. When one is told a wait time in The PH, times it by 3. Not sure why, but a 20 minutes wait really means 1 hour. Also, always have a backup plan, for things never go as planed. The roads are in bad condition and vehicle maintenance is only for the rich. Tires get changed only once they blow out or fail. There are few road rules outside of major cities so drivers tend to go to fast and not obey any rules.

    14. @hawaiianrays913 on

      Super interesting caves but the length of the drive both ways and all that waiting would have made me a nervous wreck. This is good information for our March 2025 Asian cruise.

    16. @ronplourde7658 on

      My God it looks like you had one heck of a day. I don’t think I would have enjoyed being whipped around on that bus either. Sorry to hear that your sunglasses broke also. But at least you made the excursion and it was very beautiful in those caves. And thank God you made it back on time. Like you said it’s a good thing that there were ship excursion buses that were still coming. If not that could’ve been a disaster.

    20. @helenhelen7822 on

      This taught me to just do only the cruise excursions and not others. Way too much stress and chancing if I attempt not going with cruise lines excursion. But you did see some really cool things! 😊

    24. @emilioba6770 on

      You're always welcome to our country,,,, maybe someday for your next tour, don't forget to pass by but no cruise, so that you will not be pressured by the departure schedule of the ship☺️☺️☺️☺️,, see you soon, take care and God bless

    25. @oldgadfly8398 on

      Quite the adventure! I have learned the hard way about not giving yourself extra time before and after cruises and also there is an extra peace of mind with the cruise sponsored shore excursions that is usually worth it. Although, I have used both options.

    27. @thelifeofreillytravels on

      Hey Mer, we did the underground river tour too!😆 It was amazing seeing one of the 7 wonders of the natural world, such an ethereal feeling inside the caves! Sorry your experience was spoiled by the stress of the hold-ups, I totally get the anxiety you were going thru & can imagine how it would affect what is meant to be a very relaxing, almost spiritual experience. I think you just had a very busy day due to all the cruise ship guests, we only had to wait maybe 30 mins max at the dock. Strange that the tour company didn't inform you of the travel time, ours told us it'd be 2 hours at least & warned us of the rough roads. We asked to sit in the front with the driver on the way there coz I can get travel sick, but the middle front seat was very hard, especially on those rough roads! So on the way back, I sat behind Phil, actually, the motion & long drive made most of us fall asleep! 😴😴 Next time you visit the Philippines, spend longer in Palawan. We were 3 nights in Coron, 2 in El Nido and 2 in Puerto Princesa, but there's still more to see further south of PP.

    28. @mobaili3770 on

      Yeah! You are right. Don't recommend it! There are just so many fuc*ing people in the Ph who only care about profiteering. They don't care about the welfare of the tourists. It was such a bumpy hell ride for you and it doesn't give you so much good experience!

    32. @BlueSkyB-ne4iz on

      Thank you for recapping your shore experience for future cruisers. It will be helpful to decide whether to go with NCL or private. It is cheaper but is it worth the anxiety it can cause…

    37. @pauliejojo8241 on

      Puerto Princesa is the City Proper. Better go directly and book a flight to El Nido and Coron for more convenience the next time you visit Palawan. Passengers are not normally left behind. Ships normally patiently wait them compared to the ship's team of crew.

    38. @BojasFamily on

      We learn that you so much in your unforgettable visit in Palawan.But we regret that you missed to visit Bohol Please see to it try your best to include your iterenary to include our beautiful and amazing Bohol. Thanks.

    40. @imanneanne on

      I've spent a few days in Puerto Princesa for vacation (not through the cruise line). One of our tour guides told us that when cruise ships are in port, the cruise line excursions have priority with everything. Apparently the government has a contract with the cruise companies to make sure that the ship excursions will always have priority over any third party ones

    41. @tessrnwannagoplaces1995 on

      You really can't enjoy Palawan Island in one day on a cruise. It is stressful when you have limited time. Next time fly in land and spend for 4 days in Island hopping tour in Elnido or Coron Island.

    42. @DaveLovesToTravel on

      Hey Mer! WOW!!! I'm glad you were able to get back in time. Like you said, the only reason you got back on the ship was because of the Norwegian booked van's behind you. That was too close! I was getting stressed just watching it. I know you were trying to play it cool, but I could see the look on your face that were starting to freak-out a little on your way back. THE CRUISE GOES ON!! 😅 I'm enjoying this series. A lot of cool places, and exciting experiences…some more then others! HAHA!! Looking forward to the next stop! Happy Cruising!! ✌❤🚢

    45. @PeteClemente on

      We were on that trip with you! While we were all excited about the Underground River, let’s just say the real adventure was the stressful countdown to 3:30 pm when we were all convinced we’d miss our ship! 😂 It wasn’t exactly the relaxing day we had in mind, but definitely turned out to be an unlikely adventure.
      Wishing you nothing but the best in all your future travels and content.

    46. @LindaBulman on

      Although I've had good excursions through Viator, I've always booked through NCL when on a cruise. Many people have told me I could save money if I booked third-party excursions, but I've always been nervous about doing that. Your tour seemed awesome, but the anxiety was more than I could take. It appears that your group researched in advance, so I don't know what you could have done to predict the less than leisurely outcome. You've reaffirmed my decision to stick with the ship tours. Thank you for sharing. It's all part of the adventure!

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