Recife Arrival and Cruise Terminal

Outside Cruise Terminal

We moored port side in an industrial port, with no option to walk directly to the terminal. It was a five-minute shuttle ride to the cruise terminal, which has about 10 small tourist stalls and little else. There were no food or drinks for sale, aside from packaged regional snacks and sweets from a Fino Nordeste stand in the terminal. Wi-Fi is available, though a few people reported trouble connecting.

Note: You will need a Brazil E-Visa to visit Brazil if you are a US citizen.   It’s still a little tricky to get the visa, but check out my How to Get a Brazil Visa GUIDE HERE for tips and tricks to make it easier.

Cruise Terminal Exterior

Shops Inside the Terminal

The small terminal includes a handful of souvenir stalls selling regional snacks, sweets, and basic souvenirs, but there is little else to do or see here.

Shops inside the Recife Cruise Terminal

Shuttle to Casa da Cultura

Outside the cruise terminal, a second shuttle bus runs every 15 minutes throughout the day to Casa da Cultura, about 1.5 miles away. Housed in a former 19th-century colonial prison, Casa da Cultura is now home to dozens of vendors selling local handicrafts, lace, leather goods, hammocks, regional foods, and souvenirs.

The building contains about 150 former prison cells, many of which have been converted into small shops, with one cell left in its original condition.

Mural Inside the Prison

A large mural inside Casa da Cultura depicts the history of Pernambuco, using bold colors and segmented panels to tell the region’s story.

Large mural inside Casa da Cultura illustrating the history of Pernambuco

Kissing Booth and Original Cell

Among the more unusual sights are a playful “kissing booth” and one preserved prison cell left in its original condition, offering a glimpse into the building’s past.

Finding the Return Shuttle

Holland America clearly marked the shuttle bus stops with a large blue banner. This was new to us and very helpful for finding the return stop, especially if you did not arrive on the shuttle.

Entrance to Casa da Cultura with clearly marked Holland America shuttle stop

Area Around Casa da Cultura

The area around Casa da Cultura is mostly local businesses, with nothing particularly tourist-oriented nearby. One person reported on Facebook that their necklace was snatched in this area, so it is wise to stay alert, avoid wearing necklaces, and keep your phone firmly in your grasp.

Onward to Recife Antigo

We walked around the neighborhood for a bit, checking out the electronics shops, of which there were about a dozen, then took an Uber onward to Praça do Arsenal in Recife Antigo (Old Town).

Embassy of Pernambuco Wax Museum

Our first stop was the Pernambuco Wax Museum.

Note: In this context, “embassy” means a symbolic cultural showcase, and Pernambuco is the Brazilian state for which Recife is the capital.

We bought a two-museum combo ticket for R$50 ($ 9.50 USD) each and spent about 10 minutes viewing life-size wax figures of notable Pernambucans, including musicians, writers, artists, and historical figures.

Pernambuco Wax Museum exhibits

Olinda Giant Dolls

A few blocks away, the Embassy of Pernambuco – Olinda Giant Dolls showcases the famous oversized Carnival dolls from Olinda. Bright, playful, and larger than life, they give a great sense of the region’s Carnival spirit. Many of the figures represent living and historical celebrities and politicians.

Oversized Carnival dolls from Olinda on display at the Embassy of Pernambuco – Olinda Giant Dolls.

Marco Zero and a Final Landmark

From there, it was an easy walk to Marco Zero, the city’s ground zero and the point from which all road distances in Pernambuco are measured.

Marco Zero, the point from which all road distances in Pernambuco are measured.

On our way back toward the ship, we spotted one last landmark: Leão de Nuca, a massive clay lion sculpture by Mestre Nuca, originally created for Fenearte and now standing in Recife Antigo to welcome visitors.

Leão de Nuca, the massive clay lion by Mestre Nuca, welcoming visitors to Recife Antigo

Ice Cream Social Sail Away

Back on the ship, we returned just in time to catch the Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social Sail Away in full swing at the SeaView Pool. Waiters dressed in crisp white shirts and red vests were busy scooping and serving as the ship departed Recife.

The menu included classic flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, along with vanilla yogurt, lemon sorbet, pineapple sherbet, raspberry swirl cheesecake, and a no-sugar-added butter pecan. A long toppings bar rounded it out with everything from marshmallows and rainbow sprinkles to crushed pretzels, coconut flakes, and cake crumbles.

The Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social in full swing as the ship sailed away from Recife

Ice Cream Social drink specials (all $12):

• Bailey’s Banana Split – Bailey’s, crème de banana, spiced rum, vanilla ice cream, fresh banana
• Key Lime Pie – vanilla vodka, vanilla ice cream, cordial lime juice, simple syrup
• Affogato Cocktail – Kahlúa, hot espresso, vanilla ice cream, crème de cacao

It was a nice twist on the normal Sail Away.

Sailaway sunset over the Recife skyline

Evening Entertainment

Gold Strings Duo were the featured performers for the evening, delivering a polished and engaging set.

This is an interactive map.  Click on the markers for more information.   The location of the ship in Recife is one of the markers