One of my favorite things about cruising with Azamara® is their AzAmazing Evenings. This was my third cruise with Azamara and of course my third AzAmazing Evening. They are very well thought out and put together nights of cultural entertainment in an important cultural place for the cities they're held in. For my latest cruise, it was an AzAmazing Evening in Manila, Philippines. It was my favorite one yet!
The Azamara Quest arrived early one morning and I caught an amazing sunrise pulling into port at Manila Bay. It was without a doubt the most spectacular way to arrive in Manila, a city known more for horrible traffic than anything else. But on my day around Manila, I was pleasantly surprised to discover some other interesting places to visit.
My only prior visit to Manila was ten years ago and I wasn’t too impressed. So I sought to change my opinion on the city by taking a city tour of all the important sites around town.
The tour started in Rizal Park, which is a nice reprieve from the traffic and craziness of the streets. We were there over a holiday so there were a lot of people out and about and it made it really fun to be there watching the local kids playing and families having picnics.
Next up was San Agustin Church; which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a nice enough church to visit. It won’t blow your mind or anything but it’s nice to see inside it for the beautiful chapel and interesting museum.
For me, the best part happened outside the church with school kids on a field trip. Filipino kids love selfies. In fact, the Philippines were named the most selfied nation or something like that in a recent article!
The kids were all taking selfies with us so I insisted on taking one with them as well. I think it came out pretty well and they made my afternoon for sure! Their smiles were infectious and their enthusiasm will stick with me!
After a visit to quiet Fort Santiago, where the AzAmazing Evening would be later that night, and Intramuros, we headed out to the American War Cemetery past Millionaires Row and Makati City.
This was my fourth continent visiting a US military cemetery and they are always somber but always fills me with pride. What the US and Allied soldiers did in World War II can never be understated. They truly were the greatest generation and should always be treated with respect.
Then it was time for the AzAmazing Evening at Fort Santiago!
Azamara arranged for Jeepney’s to take some guests over to the celebration although they were much nicer than regular Jeepney’s you’ll see around Manila - trust me on that one!
Once at the AzAmazing Evening, it was party time with some awesome Filipino bands and cultural acts in a really cool setting that looked much different and more festive than it did that afternoon!
Azamara really does an excellent job with these AzAmazing Evening productions and that’s exactly what they are - a production. Guests remember them long after the cruise. I still remember fondly the AzAmazing Evening I did onboard the Azamara Journey in 2013 at the Opera House in Livorno, Italy - it was fantastic and really the only thing from Livorno I do remember!
Aside from some great acts and great food and local drinks, Azamara nailed it with a big fireworks display midway through the AzAmazing Evening. It was pretty perfect.
As time goes by, some of what I saw in Manila may fade from my memory but I will always remember the AzAmazing Evening in Manila. It was fantastic!