2026 Oceania World Cruise

Links & Updates

Item	Updated
Oceania Vista Current Location	Now
Photo Album	19 April 2026
Google Map (Revised Itinerary)	18 April 2026
Google Earth KMZ File (Revised Itinerary)	18 April 2026

Daily Log:

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- 19 April (Sunday): Day 43 - At Sea (UTC+8):
Extra sleep time, so woke up feeling pretty good! We did our typical trip to Barrista's, where we had some coffee/tea and fruit with Harry and Nita. Always fun talking with them.

Did some laps on the track. Very sunny on starboard side, but dark rain clouds off our port side this morning.

Renee went to Sing-Out-Loud rehearsal, then we went to the Grand Dining Room to check out the brunch buffet that Carlos told us about last night. It was quite a spread, but I limited my intake a bit as we have a dinner at 6:30 and really was not hungry. I invited a couple to sit with us, as seating was limited and we had a nice table by the aft window. Richard and Kelly, from Melbourne Beach, Florida, sat and chatted with us while we checked out the brunch fare. On the way out, we bumped into Shelley and James, who we'll likely dine with tonight in Red Ginger, as we both have sharing tables booked.

Renee then did some laundry and I worked on our photos and videos a bit. Amazing how quickly you can get behind!!!

We attended the Captain's Cocktail Party in the Horizon Lounge for Oceania Club Members, and sat with James and Shelley. It was the standard routine, with drinks and snacks, the Captain's welcome, the General Manager's comments, Future Cruise Director comments, then crew member awards. 

About quarter after 6pm, we headed down to Red Ginger on Deck 5 with James and Shelley. Dinner was as outstanding as we've come to expect at Red Ginger...same standard we've experienced on other Oceania ships for that restaurant. Much as I'd like to try something new as an entree, Renee and I both went with the miso glazed sea bass yet again...it's just that good! Conversation, as always, was good with James and Shelley. We covered many topics, from onboard lecturers to health, food, travel, and family.

We decided to follow them back up to Horizons for the evening Trivia Game. They had a team, so we were just going to do it by ourselves, but ended up joining with Dan and Christie from Boca Raton, Florida. We did not do too well, but it was fun and we enjoyed talking with them after the event. They were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, and would be disembarking in Singapore.

Time to call it a night, as we have an 8:15 show time for our tour tomorrow morning.


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- 18 April (Saturday): Day 42 - Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia (UTC+9.5):
Arrival at Darwin was around noon, so morning was pretty leisurely. It marks our time in the third of Australia's six territories. After breakfast and a stop in Barrista's, we gathered our stuff and headed to the Vista Lounge to exchange our tour tickets for our tour assignment numbers.

We boarded Bus #2 for our 1.5 hour drive about 40 miles Southwest to the Adelaide River for our "Jumping Crocodile" cruise. After a quick bio break, we boarded a boat with two levels of bench seating running lengthwise in the boat. We were given strict guidance on what not to do unless we wanted to give the world's largest reptiles an additional meal.

We first encountered "Wokeye", a 14-15 foot long beast, who gave the first show. A deck hand attached some chicken to the end of a long pole, then enticed Wokeye to engage. We got a few good shots of him propelling himself up out of the water after the bait.

Next, we moved further down the river to visit "Split-Lip". A bit smaller than Wokeye, Split-Lip jumped a lot more and cleared up to his hind legs out of the water.

As we headed back to the dock, we once again remarked to each other how well it has worked out to take the earliest departure for our tours, as a heavy downpour occurred as soon as we were back on the bus. Those we spoke with on the tour after us got drenched. We learned that they both relish their time at home with families.  They added that they are ready to go back to sea after 6 weeks at home.

While "All Aboard" time was 10:30PM, we could not take advantage of kicking around the town, as we had been invited to a dinner with two of the crew for 7:00PM, and had to get cleaned up first. We met Carlos Taveres, Food & Beverage Director from Portugal, and Keven Antao, Procurement Manager from India, at the front of Grand Dining Room Reception, and we headed straight back to the Starboard Aft corner table on Vista.

Another couple joined us...Mark and Karen Johnson from Scottsdale AZ. Mark bought/fixed/ran and sold many businesses before retiring. Karen was a CPA, which is how they met, and did a lot of charity work. This was their first cruise with Oceania and their first world cruise.

We had some great conversation, mostly about the challenges of the work that they do, especially when there are major itinerary changes. Shipping containers with provisions are positioned at intended ports, so they need to either move them or go local when there are changes. 

We also gathered a bit of insider info about Oceania plans to pass along to our fellow Oceania cruisers. Insignia was intended to be sold, but the deal fell through on the buyer's side, so it will stay with Oceania. Rumors about modifying one or two of the smaller ships to be ATW only are not confirmed. There are some considerations underway, but no decisions yet. There are 3 new ships on the way. Same length as Vista and Allura, but wider. They'll carry 1,400 guests. There will be a special restaurant on Deck 5 where the Concierge Desk is currently. It can be booked for an additional fee and will feature a dedicated master chef. Carlos said that Barrista's will be much larger...more like a no-kidding coffee shop.

Not sure, but our meals seemed to be especially good tonight. Guessing that the chefs like to keep the F & B Director happy.

Tonight we turn our clocks back 1.5 hours, so more time to sleep!


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- 17 April (Friday): Day 41 - At Sea (UTC+10):
Breakfast in Terrace Cafe. Renee had a Sing Out Loud rehearsal...they now have 8 songs to sing on the last day of this segment (before we get to Singapore). More people keep joining, so Renee says it's an interesting mix.

After that, she went to pick up the jewelry that she was asked to model by the Alberto store aboard. She would model a necklace, bracelet, ring and earrings made from the rare Paraiba Tourmaline. Mined in Paraiba Brazil, there are 10,000 diamonds mined for every single Paraiba Tourmaline gem! The collection she wore totalled over $30K, so needless to say she popped it in the safe until showtime.

We went about the day doing various sea day things, then got ready for the jewelry fashion show in the Deck 5 Atrium. We were first invited into the store for some champagne. Friends Mike and Billie Greene were also modeling, so it was fun to chat with them as we waited. I then moved out to the atrium to position myself for photos and videos of the event. As you might expect, Renee did a smashing job as a jewelry model. She was invited to keep the jewelry until after dinner, but we decided to eliminate that liability and return the collection right after the show.

We then had dinner with Mike and Billie in the Grand Dining Room, and we had yet another great time with them. Billie taught us a bit on how to sign the alphabet. We'll need to make it a goal to learn to sign.

Then it was off do bed to get some rest before our arrival in Darwin.


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- 16 April (Thursday): Day 40 - At Sea (UTC+10):
Peaceful day at sea. Not much to report today.

Renee had Sing Out Loud rehearsal at 1:00 pm.

We crossed over the highest latitude point of Australia, as we headed West toward Darwin.

Had a very nice dinner in Jacque's with Ray and Pam.


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- 15 April (Wednesday): Day 39 - Cairns, Queensland Territory, Australia (UTC+10):
Woke this morning to a rainy day in Cairns, but it would not deter us from our excursion. We docked right in front of the Carnival Encounters cruise ship, so we expected more crowds than normal today. After a quick breakfast, we checked in at the Vista Lounge and headed to tour bus #8 for our Kuranda Scenic Railway and Army Duck experience.

The railway started construction in 1887 to create a reliable route for gold mining. It's narrow-gauge (3'6" wide) and has 33 Km of track. 1,500 men, mostly Irish and Italian, provided the labor. The route goes through 15 hand-carved tunnels, 55 bridges, and 98 curves. 81 million cubic feet of earth were removed.

We were happy to see our friends Mike & Billie on the tour with us, so we stayed together throughout the tour. After a half-hour bus ride to Freshwater Station, we gathered together until the train arrived.  While waiting for the train, both Billie and Renee bought souvenir ball caps at the station. We then hopped aboard the early 1900's train carriage #10.

It rained all day, but it wasn't really that bad. The train trip was about 1.5 hours, heading up the mountain through Barron Gorge National Park. Clearance on each side of the train was tight most of the way. The rain and fog diminished most of the views, but we did see down into the gorge from time to time.

Once up top at Kuranda Station, we hit the restrooms and headed up to our waiting coach. It took us further up the mountain to the Rainforestation complex, which contains the Koala & Wildlife Park (small, but nice), amphibious Army Ducks (one of which we rode), and a small gift shop. The duck ride was wet, with rain coming into the open sides, but again, not bad. See the photos for the day for our group snapshot.

Back at the complex, we bought a decorative boomerang made by an aboriginal artist. We were fortunate enough be able to get a photo with Renee holding a Koala before making a quick pass through the park. We saw a salt water crocodile, dingos, a wombat, Tasmanian Devils, and a tree climbing kangaroo. We also saw a koala sitting atop a small tree, and two kangaroos laying around right in our path. Then it was back to our bus for the half hour ride back to the ship.

We dropped our stuff in the room and headed for the lunch buffet in Terrace Cafe. Not much else planned for the day...will need to catch up on things from the last three days with respect to photos and website updates.


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- 14 April (Tuesday): Day 38 - Townsville, Queensland Territory, Australia (UTC+10):
Woke up early to prep for our long day (8.5 hours) shore excursion to Mungalla Aboriginal Cattle Station.

We had a 2-hour bus ride North along the coast to get there, but it was nice to watch the countryside as we drove. We saw evidence of recent flooding from cyclone activity along the way.

Mungalla ("Meeting Place") was founded by James Cassady, an Irishman, back in the late 1800's. He had established a very trusted relationship with the local Nywaigi aboriginal tribe, and created a homestead there. He raised race horses, but after his death, the following owner converted the 2,500 acre property to a working cattle station. Our aboriginal guide there, Jacob Cassady, is a decendant of those who worked the station. Aboriginal people were given surnames when Europeans came, and they often took the name of the land or the owner.

We were treated to nice welcome drinks and snacks, then Jacob rounded us up beneath a large shade tree to tell us the "Dreamtime Story" of creation, and showed us many aboriginal artifacts. I summoned my inner Crocodile Dundee after the talk, and made an aboriginal phone call by swinging a piece of wood at the end of a string to make whirring sounds.

We then boarded small buses and were taken to the original homestead site where James Cassady is buried. Our bus had problems when it was time to leave...apparently a safety feature related to the door prevented us from moving. Once sorted out, we headed back to the station where lunch was waiting for us. Renee and I sampled many delicacies, to include crocodile, kangaroo, prawns, and what Jacob called "Bugs", which were a type of lobster. All very good.

We made our way over to the homestead house, which had been relocated from the original site and was now essentially a museum. It contained display posters of the inhumane capture for display of some of the local people for BT Barnum's Circus. A friend of Jacob's told the story, which was quite sad. We've seen many storied in many places related to inhumanity, but what seemed different to us is that the aboriginals seem to just take things in stride, objectifying the past, and living in the present. Very nice people. One concern that Jacob did share was that the culture is being lost, as youth are not interested in learning of their past. An ironic thing to me was the fact that those precious traditions are not allowed to be recorded, which seems to work against preserving the culture. We saw this same thing in Alaska last year.

We were the last tour to arrive back in port, and we had only about 15 minutes before the "All Aboard" time of 5:30pm. We used that time to quickly shop for some Australian opal jewelry for Renee...something she's wanted for years! I was very impressed with how quickly she was able to assess what was there and decide on 2 necklaces and a pair of earrings. The artists were Jenny and Claire, a mother and daughter team. Jenny made one of the necklaces and the earrings, both with a red-speckled opal. Claire's favorite piece was a black opal. She seemed quite pleased that Renee decided to buy it. As we often do, we took a photo with the items and the artists, then hurried to reboard Vista.

We grabbed dinner in Terrace Cafe, inviting James and Shelley to sit with us to share stories of the day.

With another early morning tomorrow, we decided to turn in after that.


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- 13 April (Monday): Day 37 - Whitsunday Island (Airlie Beach), Queensland Territory, Australia  (UTC+10):
We woke this morning at our first stop in the Queensland Territory. Our tour today was to snorkel the inner reef, which is in Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Our powered catamaran came straight to Vista for us to board, then headed out for several miles to our first snorkeling spot at Butterfly Bay. We were all given snorkeling gear and a "Stinger Suit". The suit was to cover our skin for protection against jellyfish. In particular, Northern Australia has the dreaded Irukandji jellyfish, that is about the size of the nail on your little finger. It causes intense pain and other severe symptoms that do not quickly subside. Fortunately, no one was affected during this snorkel. Visibility was not the best, but we did see many different types of fish and coral.

We then headed for a lunch spot near a sandbar, where we were treated to prawns, chicken, beef, salad, bread and drinks. While cruising around, the captain called out various places along the shoreline, to include a highly exclusive resort. He mentioned that a popular group called the Red Hot Chili Peppers had been banned from returning to the resort after they showed up at a black tie dinner wearing only black ties.

Once all were satisfied with lunch, we motored over to our third spot for another snorkel. Visibility was worse here, and tide was low so we could not snorkel over the coral reef, making it not too enjoyable.

All-in-all, it was still a nice experience. The crew did a great job with all...just not the best conditions today.

Tonight was "Australia Night" in Terrace Cafe, with three large Red Snapper on display at the grill. We had our share of it, and it was very good. We stopped over to Nathan and Dominique's table after dinner, and went with them to listen to the Panache String Quartet again (becoming a thing I guess)

We had to catch the second performance by Danny Elliot, who further impressed us with his musical prowess on many more instruments along with great vocals. Enjoyed it all...then called it a day.


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- 12 April (Sunday): Day 36 - At Sea (UTC+10):
Not a typical sea day, as we had to quickly finish our shore excursion preferences and get down to Destination Services right away. They published that they'd open to take our requests starting at 9am, but we learned from the last time that they could actually start anytime after 8am, so I headed straight down to get in line. These excursions fill up, and it's first-come, first served, so I was 4th in line. Sure enough, by 8:15 they started taking our request sheets.

Back in the room, we called our daughter to sing Happy Birthday to her and ask about her day (it was about 4:30pm there now). Our wifi calling worked well, and she was happy to hear from us. Sounds like she was having a very nice day, and it was great to talk with her and Casey.

We could now resume our more leisurely pace for a sea day, heading to Barista's, then up to the track for some laps. We met Harry and Nita there, so renee walked and talked with Nita and I walked and talked with Harry. Harry's a few years older than me, but our childhood expriences had a lot in common. He, like me, left home at 17 and joined the Air Force, which started his desire for travel.

The sea state was much calmer today, making walking much easier for all.

At 10:45, Renee headed to the Vista Lounge for Sing Out Loud rehearsal. I spent some time updating our website with the changes in shore excursions, assuming we'd get what we requested. I then snagged another cappuccino at Barista's on Deck 14 and took it to the Grand Lounge on Deck 6 to meet with the veterans' group at 1pm. We had a new guy join the group. Dave Drugman (real name, but they won't let him use it on his license plate!) was drafted into the Army in the late 60s. He became an interrogator who was stationed in Miami to focus on refugees fleeing Cuba.

Dave shared an interesting story about Cuban pilot Lieutenant Eduardo Guerra Jimenez, who defected in his MiG-17 on October 5, 1969, landing at Homestead Air Force Base near Miami. Dave and 4 others from the office were dispatched to interrogate the defector, and while a Cuban general quickly followed, notifying Homestead but not asking permission to visit, to recover aircraft and pilot. The general did return with the jet, but not the pilot. I did some quick searches for this guy and discovered that almost ten years later, in June 1979, he hijacked a Delta passenger jet and defected back to Cuba.

Dinner was with Paul & Carolyn, our Around the World hosts and the Sing Out Loud organizers. Also with us were Dave and Marta, who we met during our overnight stay in Moorea.


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- 11 April (Saturday): Day 35 - CHANGED - OLD: Mooloolaba, Queensland Territory, Australia NEW: At Sea (Port Cancelled due to sea states)  (UTC+10):
Woke this morning as we reached our anchoring spot, with the captain broadcasting that the large swells were breaking near shore, prohibiting safe tendering operations. Disappointed to hear this, as we were really looking forward to visiting the Australia Zoo here and paying tribute to "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin!!!

So...another sea day for us today!

Grabbed breakfast on Terrace Aft Deck, then headed up to the track for some laps. Very long, rolling, swells, adding slow but signicant roll and pitch to the ship's movements and messing with our sense of balance. No nausea, but the slow change feels like balance is off. Still, no major problems walking the track.

Renee had a Sing Out Loud rehearsal, and I lounged a bit on one of the large round chairs midship for a while. We met back in the room just after noon.

Since it was now a sea day, I joined the Veterans' standing 1pm sea day meeting. Only one other guy showed...Kurt. Kurt is a large guy with lots of very white hair who spent time as a military policeman in charge of the stockade and prisoners. He later did some commercial trucking and then more prison work. We had a nice talk about travel and other things. Dan Gowen dropped in for a short bit and added to the conversation. During this time, Renee continued working on the new Art Scavenger Hunt, finding all but 2 of the 44 items. Plenty of time to finish it up before turning it in, so we'll get the other two another time.

Renee wanted to grab a salad, but by this time Terrace Cafe was closed, so we headed to Waves Grill and I had a "Surf and Turf" (lobster medalions on a burger) and Renee went for the veggies. We regrouped in the room and hopped into swimwear, then went to the Spa Deck where there were perhaps 5-6 other people, but we were the only ones using either of the 2 hot tubs or the large spa pool. When adequately boiled, we grabbed towels and layed down on the nice heated beds in some shade near the entrance, dried off, and went down to shower and get cleaned up. 

Had dinner in Toscana with Graham and Louise from the Sydney area. Graham was a professional chef, and still cooks but not professionally. He had several tips on cooking that he shared during dinner. One tip, since the calamari that Louise got was tough, is that they soak calamari in sliced kiwi fruit for 7 minutes to soften it, then cook it. Since it takes me 7 minutes to eat a serving of calamari, that prep violates my cooking rule...if it takes longer to prepare it than to eat it, I don't cook it! They have 3 daughters and 3 grandkids who live a couple of hours from them, so short cruise just in Australia for them so they can get back to babysitting. Sounded like they'd traveled quite a bit though. We did learn from them how to properly pronounce Mooloolaba...it's more like "Moo-Lala-ba"

We mentioned to Graham and Louise about Panache String Quartet, and they joined us on Deck 6 in the Grand Lounge for some fantastic sounds while we waited for the 9:15 show. We sat with Dominique and Nathan, who are regulars there every night. As the quartet finished, Around the World host and hostess, Paul and Carolyn, stopped to chat with us a bit. We'll be dining with them tomorrow night and we invited our friends Dave and Marta, who we met in our Moorea overnight excursion, to dine with us. Marta is also in the Sing Out Loud group with Renee, that Paul and Carolyn lead. Should be a fun evening.

The show was Instrumentalist Danny Elliot, from somewhere in Australia. Danny played about 10 different instruments. It was the first time we had ever heard "Stairway to Heaven" played on the pan flute, and "Rock Around the Clock" on bagpipes, and Bolero on chromatic harmonica! He also played a sax, clarinet, didgeridoo, pennywhistle, triangle (one note), piano, banjo, guitar, and flute. He also had great vocals. We'll definitely return for his encore performance.

Returning to the room at 10pm, we found yet another surprise from Destination Services. The 2-page list of shore excursions had about 90 options to choose from, and we needed to turn that in first thing in the morning. This was another artifact of the major itinerary change, but we still think that they could do this better, as we stayed to nearly midnight completing it.

Midnight at our current location would be 8am on 11 April in Arizona, and our daughter Michelle's birthday. We opted to text before turning in, promising to call first thing when we awoke, as it would still be 11 April there.


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- 10 April (Friday): Day 34 - At Sea (UTC+10):
Typical start to a sea day for us, starting at Barista's. Renee went to Terrace Cafe for her yogurt/blueberry mash. She met Dominique there and sat with her for a while.

Most of the day we had winds and a fairly strong chop in the water, making it a bit bumpy. Really doesn bother us much, but it makes trying to walk on the track difficult at best.

At 11am Renee went to her Sing Out Loud rehearsal, then went for a workout. I had a different kind of workout, as Ruthy from India found every sore muscle I had and worked them over in the spa. The old expression "No Pain, No Gain" sure seems to apply with deep tissue massages!!! May have been the best massage of the cruise thus far though, in that I felt quite relaxed the rest of the day.

I met Renee back in the room, and we went to lunch at Aquamar Kitchen, where Renee had her usual avocado toast and I had a chicken pita...both very tasty. After lunch, we began roaming the ship looking for items in the new Art Scavenger Hunt. Found several. This is the third one of this cruise, so we could guess where many were very quickly, given our familiarity with all of the art from past hunts.

Sydney was a transition port for the cruise. 491 passengers disembarked, and 553 came aboard to join the 500+ continuing on. The change was noticeable. It's a strange thing, as you get used to the faces around the ship after being aboard for many days, then there are many new faces all of a sudden. It really does evoke a sense of tribalism in those who have been aboard. Who are these strangers?! Why are they taking my usual table in Terrace Cafe?! Why do they seem so frantic?! It does change the energy of the ship for a while, until the newbies settle in. We noticed, not surprisingly, that many new guests are from Australia.

Evening came before we knew it, and it was off to Terrace Cafe for dinner. They had some fresh Barramundi (Asian Sea Bass) at the grill, so we both had some of that. Naturally, then had a couple of the large fish on display there too, so took a photo. We sat with Dan and John, who had just come from a Founder's Bar on Deck 6. They attended the Captain's cocktail celebration, taking advantage of some free booze. Not our thing, so we passed of course, but it was funny to see them both so loosened up and not in their typical attire of shorts and sandals.

We joined Nathan and Dominique at the Grand Lounge on Deck 6 after dinner to listen to the Panache String Quartet. They're really quite good!

Thought we'd try our luck with the new magician/comic at the 9:15 show, hoping that it would be as good as the last one. Not the case though. Bodane Hattan, from Tasmania, had a very flat and lack-luster show. Somehow, he still expected the audience to like it, but neither the comedy nor the 3 tricks he did were very good. Won't be attending his encore show.


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- 09 April (Thursday): Day 33 - Sydney, New South Wales Territory, Australia (UTC+10):
Excited to FINALLY make it to Australia! Twice before, we were booked to visit here, only for something to happen to prevent that. We have now visited all 7 continents on planet Earth!

We were up at 5am local to watch our sail into Sydney Harbour, passed the Opera House and under the bridge, prior to docking.

Leaving the ship involved passing through Australian Immigration, where we presented our passports and visit passes. That went pretty quickly. Outside of the cruise terminal, we found our tour bus and we were off and moving by about 8:20am. 

We don't normally like bus tours, but we covered about 40 miles, up and down hills and all over Sydney, seeing sites we'd never be able to get to in the time we had for just one day. We visited Bondi Beach, drove past and through many popular areas, and had several photo stops. At King's Warf, we switched to a small boat for a harbor cruise. This took back out under the bridge, where we saw people doing the famous Sydney Bridge Climb. We continued past the Opera House, with views of so many homes, apartments, and condos overlooking the water. Guides pointed out Russel Crowe's 35 million dollar apartment a couple of times. There are about 5 million people in Sydney, and housing is at a premium, with a median residence price of about $1.2M.

After the harbor cruise, we reboarded the bus for a ride back to the ship.

We needed a bit of time to recover from the sun and heat, and had dinner out on Terrace Cafe with Dan Gowen. He and John are cruising segments, so they had spent the day moving to another stateroom and seeing Sydney with local friends.

After dinner, we joined most of the ship's guests for the sail out. The lights and sites were amazing. We took way too many photos, deleted well over a hundred of them, and only posted a relative few.

Sydney was great to visit, but we need more time here, so we'll be back!


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- 08 April (Wednesday): Day 32 - At Sea (UTC+10):
Woke to calmer seas today. Still a mild bumping back and forth, but the rough chop is gone.

Grabbed some breakfast in Terrace Cafe with John and Dan.

Dropped off our new shore excursion selections with Destination Services, then joined Renee in the Vista Lounge. Cruise Director Carson conducted a live morning show (normally recorded for guests to watch on their stateroom TVs). He'll be departing the ship tomorrow in Sydney. his replacement, Peter, will resume as Cruise Director. We attended, as Renee performed on stage at the end of the show with her Sing Out Loud group.

Lazy day for me...did not do too much, but did book my 4th deep tissue massage for the day after tomorrow. While up at the spa, I checked out the spa deck for good photo taking locations for tomorrow's sail into Sydney. On other Oceania ships that's a good viewpoint, but not so much on Vista.

While I was busy doing nothing, Renee got in a good workout. We did reconnect for a nice conversation with James and Shelley Campbell over lunch on the Terrace aft deck.

Walking from aft to forward ship across the pool deck, we encountered the end of the float test for competing "make your boat" competition at the pool. We did that back in 2022 and took 3rd place, but did not care to partake this cruise.

Dinner tonight was supposed to be Marco and Maria, a young couple from Germany. They did not show, and we later learned that Maria had fallen hurt herself earlier in the day. They will leave Vista tomorrow, so we'll likely not see them again.


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- 07 April (Tuesday): Day 31 - At Sea (UTC+10):
Relaxing day at sea. We gained yet another hour...so many 25-hour days when you travel continuously West!

Time and coffee at Barista's...chatted with Dan Gowen a bit. Renee had her Sing Out Loud rehearsal. I did some Python scripting to automate file size reduction of photos and videos to make it easier to upload them.

At 1:00 pm I went to the Veterans' meeting on Deck 6. Only 5 of us today, but the conversation was great. Lot's of discussion about the recovery of both F15E airmen and about several aspects of the current Iran conflict.

Had news from back home of our friend John, who had a major surgery today. Kathy kept us posted. Appears things went well, but recovery is and will be tough for him. Our thoughts and prayers are with you John & Kathy!

Renee did some line dancing up in Horizons Lounge around 2pm. 

We had to collect our passports (Reception Desk holds them most of the time) to prepare for our interactions with customs in Australia.

We took in the 5:15pm show in Vista Lounge. The string quartet joined the Vista Band to play music from countries around the world, and the singers and dancers did a fine job representing those places and that music.

Dinner tonight was in Toscana, at a sharing table with Rick & Diane from Halifax, Nova Scotia. We talked mainly about travel and family. They've traveled on some cruise lines we've not tried, so always good to get those perspectives.

Back to the room, where we quickly reviewed newly released shore excursion options for Bali, Surabaya and Singapore. Made our selections, then  called it a night.


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- 06 April (Monday): Day 30 - Noumea, New Caledonia (UTC+11):
Woke this morning as we were docking in Noumea. No booked excursions, so we took our time getting ready, had a bit of breakfast, then ventured out to see what we could see.

We snagged a tourist map inside the cruise terminal, and headed nearly due East away from the port, through a nice park in the middle of town. It was Monday, the day after Easter, and most everything was closed, but still nice to walk around. Following our paper map, we found the Protestant church, and from there, a stairway to take us up to a popular lookout point. Along the way, we saw our first New Caledonian wildlife, as we were attacked (albeit very slowly) by two large snails on the stairs. Once at the lookout, we sat at the Panorama Cafe, drinking some coffee and sparkling water, as we gazed over the port area and surroundings. After that refresh, we headed back down the stairs and then South, over St Joseph's Cathedral. We went inside for a look, then continued on our way. Now heading West through Chinatown and back to the port. At the shops in the terminal facility, I found and purchased a 1.5 foot long New Caledonia replica spear, then headed back to Vista while Renee continued to shop. She returned with a pendant and earrings containing crushed nickel, which is mined here.

Relaxing afternoon, backing up data, doing laundry, etc.

We had dinner on Terrace aft deck. The dinner theme was South Pacific fare, so nice assortment of different foods to choose from. We migrated inside after eating, and sat with Dominique and Nathan for a bit, then went with them to Deck 6 for the evening string quartet. They were playing a set of pieces by French composers, most likely to thank Dominique for inviting them all to dinner a few nights ago. We sat with Grant and Linda during the performance, then stayed and chatted with them a bit afterwards.

Back in our room and settling in for the night, Vista was getting pounded a bit by some rough seas. Guessig I'll sleep well tonight!


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- 05 April (Sunday): Day 29 - Mystery Island, Vanuatu  (UTC+11):
Skipped breakfast and quickly made our first departure tour time for the Keamu Cultural Village excursion. Boarding the tender from the ship was about the roughest we've experienced, having to time our step so as not to go for a swim. Once aboard and on our way, not so bad though.

Mystery Island is totally unpopulated, but vendors come over for the tour ship visits. The island is small enought to walk around in about an hour. We did not stay there though, as we crossed to the other side and hopped in small outboard motor boats for a ride to neighboring Anietyum Island.

After a somewhat wet landing, we hiked to a small village, where we were stopped in our tracks by a simple palm frond, stuck upright in the ground. This was the tribal signal for "Do Not Enter". We studied the stick as our guide explained, then were startled by a half dozen warriors suddenly in front of us with spears pointed at us! Fortunately, our guide had selected a representative who was waving yet another plant part to signal that we come in peace. After that, we were welcomed into the village, where we learned 101 ways to use parts of the coconut palm tree. Really quite resourceful! We also learned that one can buy a bride with plants, woven baskets, and wooden pigs, and cure many maladies with local plants as well. One of the warriors showed us how, in quick measure, to start a fire with a stick and piece of wood. Then we sampled fresh fruit from the area, and did some shopping before heading back to shore for our boat ride back to Mystery Island.

While waiting, I took the opportunity to summon a very bored looking youngster to the beach to teach him how to play Tic-Tac-Toe in the sand. Grinning ear to ear the whole time, he seemed to love it!

Back on Mystery Island, we took a nice casual walk around part of the island, posed for some photos in a large "Cannibal Soup" pot, then tendered back to Vista. Back on board, we were hungry, so we dropped our stuff in the room, then went straight to Terrace Cafe. There was a very nice Easter display outside of the cafe, and jelly beans for all who wanted them.

Later, we had dinner with friends Mike & Billie Greene in the Grand Dining Room. They were quite upset, as they'd learned today that one of their homes had been broken into, trashed, and robbed of many precious items. A fair amount of our discussion centered around what had happened since, but we did also have some fun conversation.

As has become somewhat routine for us of late, we then ventured out of the Grand Dining Room and straight into the Grand Lounge, where we sat and listened to the string quartet and visited with friends there.


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- 04 April (Saturday): Day 28 - At Sea (UTC+12):
Quiet sea day. Beautiful sunset, and some special foods in Terrace for dinner. Had to sample from the variety of crepes set up at a special table. We sat with Dominique and Nathan, which is always fun. Enjoyed after dinner entertainment by the string quartet, then turned in.


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- 03 April (Friday): Day 27 - Suva, Fiji (UTC+12):
We woke after Vista had docked in Suva. It looked like a nice day.

Renee did a quick breakfast, and I skipped today and prep'd for our excursion.

Off the ship, we had a short walk to a bus, then an hour ride Westward along the coast until we got to our venue, Takalana Beach. I bit before we got there, our bus was stopped by Fiji warriors. One of them boarded the bus, shouting out something in fierce tones. Turns out, he was looking for who our representative chief would be for the Kava welcoming ceremony. Our friend, Dan Gowen, was chosen...and he did us all proud!

We were greeted again with song and music, this time by a larger group of men and women. After being seated, we watched, and participated, in the Kava ceremony. We watched as one the warriors prepared the ceremonial drink. Yes...we drank yet another unfamiliar root powder drink, though we did watch them use bottled Fiji water to prepare it! Our tongues tingled a bit, as we'd been told they might, but as far as we can remember we did not do anything too foolish after drinking the kava.

Next came the fire walking ceremony by Sawau tribesmen from the island of Beqa. Again, very ritualistic, with several steps the procedure before setting foot on stones heated by fire prior to our arrival and while we were there. I did not seen anyone flinch, so either they can really do this stuff or the rocks were internally refrigerated.

More traditional singing and dancing, followed by the snake dance which Renee and I participated in. We then had some free time to shop (bought a small wooden kava bowl and coconut cup), take photos, and wander around.

Renee had fun playing with a young girl on a tree swing by the water, doing "High Fives" as the girl swang up to Renee.

Having enjoyed ourselves tremendously, we reboarded the bus for the ride back to the dock. This time it took about 1.5 hours, due to a security check stop near the port.

Back onboard, we freshened up and caught some lunch, then did our ritualistic, daily photo and data backups and updates.


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- 02 April (Thursday): Day 26 - At Sea (UTC+13 & UTC+12):
Up and at 'em...Barista's first, then Renee when to Terrace Cafe to fetch her blueberries and yogurt.

We split then, with Renee heading to Sing Out Loud rehearsal, and I went back to the room to watch and record the launch of Artemis II. Very cool to be returning to the moon, even if just as a fly-by this time.

Letters were delivered to the rooms for a meeting in Vista Lounge at 1pm. Prior to that, Renee did some laundry and went for a quick workout. We attended the meeting, where the cruise principals (Captain, General Manager, and Cruise Director) filled us all in on the latest feedback from Oceania corporate related to our change of itinerary. For us, not a big deal...we're on the for duration and we're looking forward to the new locations we'll visit.

Renee then went for her favorite lunch at Aquamar Kitchen...avocado toast with poached egg, followed by a short walk on the track to take advantage of the break in the clouds and nice sunshine. We've seen rain nearly every day thus far, but it really has not limited what we've done. When we've had excursions, we have been lucky to be out and back before the rain started.

We then prepared for the O Club party, which would start at 5:30pm in the Horizon Lounge (top deck forward). We sat with Grant and Linda from Calgary, but also chatted with several other friends. Two couples we know (James & Shelley Campbell and Pam & Carl Buck) were presented their Diamond Level pins.

As planned, we headed to the Grand Dining Room with Grant and Linda for dinner. As always great conversation and great food.

On our way back to the room, we stopped at Vista's Alberto Jewelry store. Renee had mentioned to one of the gals working there that she would be wearing a necklace that I'd bought on Insignia back in 2022 on our anniversary. The woman loved the piece, and pleaded with Renee to be a model for some of their jewelry during an upcoming event. Renee relented, and I humbly bowed out on the offer.

Time to call it a night and get some sleep for our day in Fiji tomorrow.


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- 01 April (Wednesday): Day 25 - Neiafu, Vava'U, Tonga (UTC+13):
Vista dropped anchor Vauleleva Bay at around 6:00am. We were originally set to visit another island in the Tonga archipelago, but instead we ended up in Vava'U (pronounced like "Vah Vah OO" with emphasis on the "OO")

On pulling and examining our GPS data, I discovered that we had crossed the IDL 2 more times since leaving Apia and arriving here in Tonga!!! They did not say anything about this to the guests, as it likely would have caused a great deal of confusion. This means that we went back a day, then forward a day, to return to UTC+13. 

Renee and I had a quick breakfast in Terrace Cafe, then tendered over to shore. There were vendor booths near the dock, but we decided to simply walk to and around town a bit. We had not scheduled excursion. Not much to see, but we did bump into a couple of 16 year old school girls who were returning from a pep rally. Renee posed for a photo with them and we chatted for a while.

Heading back, we walked around the shoreline a bit, then back to the booths for some light shopping. Renee picked up small a woven basket, some Tongan currency, and a woven fan. We posed with the woman who made the fan, and she hammed it up a bit. All very friendly people, like those we encountered in Samoa and American Samoa.

We tendered back to the ship, and cleaned up a bit, then decided we should attempt to finish our 2025 tax return, as we could not do it before we left. It was a royal pain, but we succeeded. 

We had a nice dinner in Jacque's Restaurant, then went to listen to the string quarted again. Tonight they played Viennese numbers, which were quite enjoyable. We sat with Grant and Linda from Calgary and Nathana and Dominique from Princeton, and saw several friends walk by during the performance.

The show tonight was one we'd already seen, but we enjoyed it so returned for the encore. It was just as lively and fun as the first time. 

We turn our clocks back yet another hour tonight. The ship will stream the live Artemis II launch at 12:45am local time. Cool event.


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- 31 March (Tuesday): Day 24 - At Sea (UTC+13):
Woke up to slightly rough seas and rain. We've certainly had more rain than on any of our previous cruises, but aside from the terrible problems that Hawaii had, it really hasn't been much of a problem for us.

We started the day up in Barista's, where we had our typical breakfast for that venue. From there, Renee visited Future Cruises again to confirm her addition of 3 more segments to our 2027 cruise (bringing it to 6 segments). Our friend and travel agent, Pam, worked with Oceania to ensure that the future cruise credits from this trip (totalling about $10K) were applied to the 2027 segments already booked. All-in-all, it will still run us about the cost of another world cruise. A jump in airfare prices due to fuel costs is partly to blame.

Renee hit the gym for a workout, then she went to a Tonga Lauhala bracelet making class. She weaved a bracelet from the lauhala tree material, then fastened it with ribbon and added some small seashells. 

I booked my third 75-minute deep tissue massage for 1:30 today. Pui from India is a very small woman, but she packed more punch than the first two combined! I passed on her recommendation for a future seaweed wrap though. Sounds too weird to me...conjures images of something former South Pacific Islander cannibals might do to prep a meal!

We received confirmation on shore excursion bookings for Mahe to Cape Town. Got all of our picks!

Dinner was in the Terrace Cafe on the aft deck. We sat in the light of a near full moon, which lit up the water behind the ship as we cruised. Very nice.

The string quartet played a variety of rock and pop numbers, to include Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Guns & Roses, and others. All sounded great!


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- 30 March (Monday): Day 23 - Apia, Samoa (UTC+13):
Where did Sunday go??? According to my GPS track data, we crossed the International Date Line on 29 March 2026 at 13:52:10 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This was 29 March at 02:52:10 local (UTC-11) East of the IDL and (at the very same moment) 30 March at 02:52:10 (UTC+13) West of the IDL. All in all, we did experience 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 10 seconds of Sunday, 29 March 2026 East of the IDL!!!

We were up and at 'em, eager to get out to see the capital town of Apia, on island of Upolu, in the Independent State of Samoa (as of 1 January 1962). There are 2 main islands, 2 smaller islands, and several smaller, uninhabited islands. Together with the American Samoa, the group of islands was known to early European explorers as the "Navigator Islands".

We skipped breakfast and exited the ship, walking past several vendor booths as we exited the port. We also had to pass a gauntlet of taxi drivers and independent tour operators, all wanting to take us somewhere. This occurred repeatedly, not only at the port, but our entire time walking around. I kinda felt like I wanted to support them, but the prospect of heavy rain was high, and being in a hot and muggy van with 8 other people stuck in traffic only to NOT get decent photos did not appeal to us...so we thanked them all politely and moseyed on.

It was a nice walk to town, skirting the shoreline for about a mile to get there. We passed a long canoe anchored just off shore, crossed a bridge into town. We passed a casino, a nice church, a cultural park, a "friendship park", a bank, a small clock tower, a McDonald's, many small businesses, a school, the back side of the nice church. We stopped at a "Samoan Water" store for a 2 liter bottle of water, which they gave us for free as they did not take US dollars, then returned to the ship. It was a bit over 3.5 miles in all, and we were happy we did it early, as we passed many from the ship just heading out, with heavy rain pounding down as we comfortably ate lunch in Waves Grill.

Renee did venture back out to the vendor booths when the rain let up, and returned a few souvenirs and some Samoan currency.

At 3:58 local time, the captain called out yet another "Code Mike". The guest was in stateroom 10041. We are in stateroom 10023, so just down the hall from us!!! While watching the Samoan show on the dock from our veranda, we saw the ambulance take the person away at around 4:10. Renee saw that he had oxygen on, so appears they're still alive, thank goodness. 

This island also boasts to have the Vailima home and burial location of Robert Louis Stevenson, but we did not visit it.

Dinner tonight was in the Grand Dining Room with Harry and Nita Leschinger. We had a very nice time with them. I love Harry's stories about when he was a young AF enlisted guy driving bombs around in Japan. Nita was raised as a farm girl and is a devout catholic. They are both on their second marriage. They met while working for Shell Oil down in Galveston, TX. We talked about happenings aboard ship and a bit about family.

That about did it for the day.


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- 28 March (Saturday): Day 22 - Pago Pago, American Samoa (UTC-11):
Nice arrival this morning in Pago Pago. Several of the locals were on the dock, singing, dancing and waving to the ship as we arrived. Cool to be in the only U.S. Territory with U.S. nationals vs citizens. The Pago Pago Bay, with a depth of 400 feet, is one of the best and deepest in the South Pacific...a key reason the U.S. and others had an interest in the island. Samoa is divided East and West, with American Samoa on the East and German Samoa on the West. Also learned that a large percentage of tuna fish comes to the U.S. from American Samoa.

We grabbed a quick breakfast, sitting with Dominique in Terrace Cafe, then headed to Vista Lounge to get our tour numbers (little numbered cards to help us navagate to our conveyence once off the ship).

There were a number of old-looking buses, painted up in various ways. We were on bus #3. Air conditioning was just having the windows down. Temp was low 80's, but humidity was 73%

We headed first up and over the center of the island, then down to a small village called Fagasa, Northwest of where we docked. We were treated to an 'ava ceremony (Kava elsewhere, but 'Ava in Samoa). The ceremony is used to appoint a new chief or to celebrate visitors. We sampled the drink...best mud water I've ever tasted, but it was an honor to partake!

We then drove back over the spine of the island to the main road, but headed East along the shoreline instead of back to the ship. Along the way, we heard about the 29 September, 2009 tsunami that hit Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga with 72 foot waves, devastating many areas and killing nearly 200 people. Areas are still being rebuilt to this day.

By this time it was pouring down rain, so everyone pulled up their plexiglass windows to keep the rain out. We made a wet photo stop at a rock that looks like a camel from one side, then a woman looking out to see from the other.

Once adequately drenched, we drove back toward the ship and stopped at a market place for a look around. We bought a large wooden, decorative fish hook, of the kind we've seen on other islands, but with "Samoa" on it.

Back on Vista, we dropped our stuff in the room and headed for Waves Grill. We sat with a Canadian couple, John & Joan, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This was their very first cruise. They got on in Papeete and will disembark in Sidney. John is a PhD Ecologist, and Joan is now retired from her career as an administrator at the university there. They were surprised when we told them that there were about 150 other Canadians aboard, as they've not yet met one. Later in the evening I introduced them to Grant and Linda from Vancouver BC.

Back to the room after lunch. Renee ventured out and about the ship while I worked on backing up our photos and data. Before I knew it, it was time to get cleaned up again for dinner. We sat by ourselves for a change, up in Terrace Cafe, then dropped down to deck 6 in the Grand Lounge to listen to the string quartet. They are really quite good, and fun to listen to. Grant and Linda sat with us, with Dominique and Nathan across the way from us. I snagged John and Joan as they walked by to do impromptu Canadian intros, much to the joy of all four of them. 

Now nearing 9pm, we went to Vista Lounge to get our favorite seats before the onslaught of other passengers filled the room. Tonight was an encore performance by New Zealand tribute artist, Deryn Trainer. He played piano, with the outstanding Vista backup band, alternating between Elton John and Billie Joel songs. Another good show. 

Back to the room for some sleep. Oddly enough, we cross the International Date Line tonight, so we'll completely skip over Sunday, 29 March!!! We go from Saturday, 28 March, directly to Monday, 30 March!!!
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- 27 March (Friday): Day 21 - At Sea (UTC-11):
Enjoyed our extra hour of sleep last night, as we ventured into yet another timezone heading West. Passing 166 degrees West, we're now farthest West we've ever been on a ship, but will go the farthest possible (longitude-wise) and looking forward to crossing the International Date Line after Pago Pago!

We made a stop at Barista's and sat with Nita and Harry Leschinger. After some bragging about grandkids, they headed to breakfast, I headed to Destination Services, an hour before they said they'd open, and Renee went Terrace for her yogurt/berry mash. I was surprised to see someone already taking the forms, so I turned ours in then notified several friends to have them do the same (beat the crowd!)

After that, it was up to the gym, but Jean from the Aquamar Spa snagged me near the stairs first for a quick and free shoulder massage (can't pass that up!) As expected, she implored me to return for another full deep tissue massage soon, which I'm sure I will. I did some time on the rowing machine, then decided to enjoy the beautiful sunny sea day up on the walking track for some laps. Renee met me there and, as we walked, we exchanged what we'd learned and done in that short time we were apart. Two of the ship's performers were walking as well, reminding us of what having fit bodies looks like. We still passed them though.

Renee then went to the Future Cruises office to talk with them about applying our Future Cruise Credits to our 2027 booked segments and she tentatively booked 3 more segments (Singapore to Rome). This would then give us another chance to cruise up the Red Sea, since that was a wash-out this time around with the Iranian conflict.

At 11:34 local time the captain called out a "Code Mike". Not sure where or what happened, but yet another medical emergency.

Renee then did a workout, followed by showering up and going to Sing Out Loud rehearsal. I went to the Veterans' meeting at 1pm. Interesting discussion today. Dr Frank L Goldstein has joined the group. He was a Special Operations Forensic Psychologist in the AF who worked with all services in many domains. Interesting stories, and he's authored 16 books. I'll be getting at least one of them, with autograph.

Relaxing afternoon, then we went to the second performance of the comedian/magician Brendan Dooley. Once again, some very good tricks. Mostly mentalist types of things and an amazing memory.

We dined with John and Dan on the aft deck of Terrace Cafe. Most conversation was related to catching up on things and status of their plans with the changed itinerary. They had booked 3 segments, so the compensation policy was different for them and somewhat problematic.

Looking forward to another port day tomorrow in Pago-Pago, American Samoa. We learned that it's actually pronounce as "Pahngo-Pahngo"


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- 26 March (Thursday): Day 20 - CANCELLED: Rarotonga, Cook Islands (Now a Sea Day) (UTC-10):
We woke this morning to rough seas, strong winds and rain. Vista did not drop anchor as planned, but instead sent two tender boats out to check conditions for tendering. We saw them fom our stateroom veranda, bobbing around in the water outside. We suspected that this would mean no tender operations and that we'd have to skip this port. The captain came on the ship's intercom to confirm this...we'll skip this port and continue toward Pago Pago.

With that news, Renee and I went to Terrace Cafe for breakfast. We sat out back on the deck to watch what we could of the shorline of Rarotonga, the only stop among the Cook Islands. After eating, we visited with others on the aft deck. James and Shelley were sitting with another couple, so we joined them for a bit. They were sharing ship gossip, so we participated for a bit.

We shared about the "Code Mike" passing of one of the guests, only to learn that a woman had died not in her room as we'd heard, but while snorkeling. They tried to revive her on a boat back to the ship, but with no luck. We then learned that there have already been 3 deaths since we left port in San Diego on 7 March. The two others were someone who jumped overboard after we left San Diego, and a man who died in the sauna. While shocking news, deaths aboard cruises, especially long ones, are not uncommon, and the crew quickly resolves the matter.

We also heard about a drug bust while we were in port at Nuku Hiva. Someone saw local police onboard, escorting off more than one guest from Deck 8 in handcuffs. We heard that there was a substantial stash of cocaine (30 kilos or more) found.

Since today was now a Sea Day, Renee headed off to rehearsal for Sing Out Loud, and I moved on to another table with a couple I met yesterday, but I don't remember their names at the moment. He's an active duty Marine Osprey pilot, currently workng a Joint assignment in South Korea. He just made the Colonel's list, so they're celebrating with this cruise. She is an Event Planner for a Silicon Valley company, and very much a military spouse (in all the ways that are good).

After that, I returned to our room to update this website and associated data items. I was finally able to get a first version of the revised itinerary into the Google Maps and Google Earth files and uploaded more photos to the Google Photos album.

Renee and I finally made it out to the Spa Deck, which is top deck forward. On Vista, they have outdoor showers, two hot tubs and a large spa pool, with lounge chairs and heated beds. I like it because I'm not much of an exhibitionist, so not too keen on the main pool. The Spa Deck is only open to those in the Conceirge level staterooms and above, so it's much quieter out there. We only saw about 5 other people while we were there. 

We did Polo Grill for dinner, at a sharing table with two other couples. Annie and Bill from Aiken, South Carolina and Richard and Berta from Miami, Florida. All retired, Annie was a Civil Servant in HR benefits for several years. Bill is retired Navy boat driver (destroyers and the like), who later worked for Westinghouse doing work for the Energy Department. Richard and Berta are retired Chemistry teachers (30 and 25 years respectively). Conversation spanned work, travel, some politics, and, of course, family. Somehow, the topic of how many shoes Annie brought came up. Renee had her beat by 6 pairs.

Renee thought that the 9:15 show looked worth attending, so we headed there to catch a great performance by a pianist/vocalist named Deryn Trainer. He played a series of songs by Elton John and Billie Joel, alternating between the two. We sang the whole time! Really enjoyed it.

Back in our room around 10pm, our stateroom stewards do turn down service, and leave us chocolates and information for the next day. This included a letter Destination Services regarding shore excursions for some of our stops in Africa, due to the revised itinerary, along with forms to select them. That kept us up 'til 11:30, as they were collecting them first thing in the morning and tours fill up quickly.


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- 25 March (Wednesday): Day 19 - At Sea (UTC-10):
Relaxing morning...I like sea days! We had large, rolling swells all through the night, which I think may have rocked me to sleep, as I was out like a light.

Renee and I headed to Barista's, where we saw Harry and Nita, Paul and Carolyn, and others. After Renee had her signature tea and yogurt/berry mash and I downed my cappuccino and some fruit, we peeled off in different directions.

Renee decided to join the "Sing Out Loud" group for this segment of the cruise, so she headed down to the Vista Lounge. After watching the performance on the last segment, the pull was too great for her to continue to say "no thanks" to Carolyn, who continuously encouraged Renee to rejoin. She did enjoy being back in the Sing Out Loud group. She remembered the vocal warmups that Paul led them through and learned two new songs for the next performance.

I headed to the gym, but ran into Mike Greene who was getting a free shoulder massage outside of Aquamar, so we chatted and I took advantage of that to loosen up my shoulders a bit. Ruthy, the therapist, made sure to mention how tight things were and encourgaged me to book a deep tissue massage. Have had two thus far, and I'm about ready for another.

A few steps from there to enter the gym, which was busy as usual. Spent some time on the treadmill and rowing machine. I wanted to hit the spa deck for some hot tub time afterwards as it's much quieter there than the main pool deck, but instead found it very nice to sit on one of the heated lounges in a covered part of the spa deck. Felt good on my back, which was hurting a bit from hauling our overnight stuff around from Moorea. (Ruthy was right!) I met and chatted with a retired Navy nurse named Terry, who later became Hospital Administrator at Walter Reed. I encouraged her, and her submariner husband Mark, to join the Veterans' meeting at 1pm today (and every sea day).

Since is was already about noon, I showered up and did a little of the new Art Scavenger hunt, finding 14 items as I killed time before the vets' meeting. Terry and Mark did show up, along with a couple more new folks, and our group discussion was quite enjoyable. Since new folks are always joining, we typically do around the room intros. I keep mine short, and make sure to let those who actually served in harm's way know that I have a special respect and gratitude for what they did. One of the new guys is actually an active duty Marine who flies Ospreys. He just made O6 (Colonel), but he looked very young! (Guess I'm just getting very old!)

While I was at the vets' meeting, Renee did her workout in the gym, then met me back in the room. After Renee showered up and dressed for dinner, we wandered about Vista in search of items on the Art Scavenger Hunt. We found quite a few, and only have about 9 more to do out of the 51 total.

Tonight we had dinner at Red Ginger. We chose to sit at a "sharing table" to meet new folks. Tina and Robert, from Fort Collins CO, joined us. Tina is a British Historian, and Robert retired 4 years ago from NVIDIA. Every time we go to Red Ginger I think that maybe I'll finally try something other than the Miso Glazed Sea Bass...but it's sooooo gooood...and exactly what we both had again! We talked a lot about travel, family and the work we used to do.


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- 24 March (Tuesday): Day 18 - Raiatea, French Polynesia (UTC-10):
Woke up to a very rainy day in Raiatea. Since we had done a lot of touristy things last time we were here, we decided to simply wing it and kick around the shops near the dock. After a quick breakfast on the Terrace Cafe aft deck, watching and listening to the torrential downpour at times, we ventured off of the ship, armed with our Oceania umbrella. 

We found the 2-level indoor market that we'd visited in 2022, and found some of the same vendors from that visit as well. I took a 2026 photo with the woman I bought a replica wooden weapon from in 2022, as we took a photo then too (see in the photos for the day). Renee found a very nice black pearl ring and black pearl bracelet, and something for one of our daughters (can't say what it was here, as it's a surprise).

Everyone greeted us as we walked around town. The local greeting is "Iaorana" (sounds like "Your Honor", but with a soft "a" at the end). I also learned "Mauruuru" (phonetic), which means "Thank You". 

We then wandered a bit down the road to the local supermarket, as did others from the ship it appeared. It was fun to simply walk the aisles to see what interesting things they sold there, plus it was air conditioned!!!

After wandering around a bit more, we headed back to the Vista. There's a small park right on the dock that used to have shops in small huts, but the park was roped off and in total disrepair. Felt like the economy may not be at it's best in Raiatea right now. Just the same, it was nice to walk around a bit.

One of the Vista chefs did some local buying in Raiatea, to include several large yellowfin tuna. He put together a nice Polynesian dinner in Terrace Cafe, and we enjoyed sampling many of the tasty items on the menu. There's a profile photo of one of the tuna in the photos from the day.

We decided to try our luck with the 9:15 show. We've found it to be a bit of a coin toss on good/bad with all of the Magician/Comedian acts in the past, but this guy, Brendan Dooley from New Zealand, had some pretty good tricks. The comedy was so-so, but his tricks were quite good.


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- 23 March (Monday): Day 17 - Moorea and Papeete (Tahiti), French Polynesia (UTC-10):
Casual morning. Showered up, packed our stuff, then headed to a nice Polynesian breakfast buffet at the restaurant.

We stopped back at the room and grabbed an umbrella, as it appeared more storms might be moving in. We walked every pier among the bungalows, checking out the coral, the fish and the birds. We saw a huge school of needlefish at one end of the pier.

Took some more photos at the bungalow, then came the rain. Mild at first, then heavier. We found our way to the front desk without getting too wet, and we reluctantly checked out of the hotel. As we waited for our bag to be brought forward, the rain became a torrential downpour. Fortunately, all we needed to do was hop into the tour van with our stuff.

We drove around the island to the ferry terminal, where we boarded the Apetahi Express Ferry, a dual hull vessel that whisked us away at 40 mph for our half-hour ride to Papeete. On arrival, more rain, but our walk from the ferry to our shuttle bus was mostly covered, so we did not get too wet. We could see the Vista, just a dock or two way, but too far to walk with our stuff in the rain. The short bus ride brought us to the ship, though we still had a bit of a walk to get to the gangway.

What was a bit interesting is that Papeete is a replenishing port and an embarkation point for others to join our cruise. About 400 new passengers joined us, though some number had also disembarked here as well.

We were happy to get back to our stateroom, where we dropped our stuff and headed for Terrace Cafe for a quick lunch. While there, we sat next to a couple that had just joined the cruise. Greg and Deanne from Scottsdale Arizona (our neighbors to the north), told us that they were cruising to Sydney with Greg's high school friend, who also happens to be the founder of Oceania Cruises.

Back to the room, where I did some catchup on data and photos, and Renee wandered back off the ship to check out some Tahita pearl shops. She returned with a couple of black pearl rings and a set of black pearl earrings.



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- 22 March (Sunday): Day 16 - Moorea, French Polynesia  (UTC-10):
Vista dropped anchor in Opunohu Bay around 8:00am. After gathering our overnight bags together, we grabbed a quick breakfast in Terrace Cafe on the aft deck.

We then made our way to the Deck 4 gangway and boarded a tender to go ashore. At around 10AM we boarded a tour van with 8 other guests and headed out to see a couple of sights on the island.

First stop was a lookout point called Belvedere. Some beautiful views from there. We then retraced our way partway down from the hill and stopped at a sacred site called Marae Ti'i-rua, where we walked around briefly and snapped some photos. After one more photo stop, an ancient volcanic cauldera, we then headed to the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa.

Our ship, Vista, departed Moorea without us, headed for Papeete, Tahiti. We would take a ferry over to rejoin it tomorrow.

We hung out at the pool for a couple of hours until we could check in, then went to our over-water bungalow, Apai #58. We did a quick room check, loving the glass floor panel to view water and fish below us, then donned swim suites and snorkeling gear and entered the lagoon right from our bungalow deck. We saw plenty of fish, but were reminded that we should have brought our own gear, as our masks leaked a lot and the snorkels were hard to use.

We sat on the lower deck to dry off for a while and enjoy the view, then headed back in to shower up for dinner. Before leaving for dinner, we opened our complementary bottle of Nicholas Feuillatte, Reserve Exclusive Brut Chanpagne and had a couple of sips. On our walk from the bungalow to the restaurant, we had gorgeous sunset views. 

We had a very nice dinner at the hotel restaurant, sitting outside with Ray & Pam and Ila. The sun had just set, and a waxing crescent moon was in view between the palm trees for us. After dinner, we had a nice stroll back to the bungalow.

On returning to our room, we switched on the light below the bungalow, which lit up the water below our viewing glass, which attracted many fish. It was fun to just watch them from the comfort of our room.

At around 10:30PM, we had a thunderstorm with some significant rain. We were glad that we had good weather for our activities during the day, but it was actually kind of cool to listen to and watch the storm from our bungalow. Did not keep us from falling quickly asleep!


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- 21 March (Saturday): Day 15 - Rangiroa, French Polynesia  (UTC-10):
Woke this morning as Vista slowly entered the coral ring of the Rangiroa atoll.

Tendered ashore and scoped out the few vendor booths...mostly shell jewelry...and picked up carved black-lipped pearl oyster shell, 'cause we don't have enough things on our shelves at home. We then crossed from the lagoon side of the atoll over to the outer rim and walked along the shore for a while. Fun to see so many tiny hermit crabs scrambling as we walked. We returned to the lagoon side and just killed some time relaxing and watching the water and sea life from the dock until it was time for our tour.

At about 11:25, 10 of us boarded a small motor boat that took us for a 5-minute ride to a location near the inlet to the atoll called the Aquarium Garden. We snorkeled with lots of fish and a few black-tipped reef sharks in about 20 feet of water. There was a strong current though, so lots of swimming to stay where we were supposed to be. I took some great video, but failed miserably in my first use of the Insta360 underwater. Light bending of the water makes the auto stitching of the 360 camera fail. I should have tried this out before the trip! The fix is to either use it in single lens mode, which I'll do next time, or to buy a special case that compensates and works well in 360-mode.

The sun, walking and swimming took a lot out of us, so it was great to return to the dock and get right on a tender back to the ship to recover a bit. We ordered room service and got cleaned up a bit.

Renee turned in our Art Scavenger Hunt results. We got them all correct, so earned 20 Big O points, which she gave to friends Dan and John as we're not collecting them this cruise (have enought Oceania swag for the time being).

We then turned some attention to prep for tomorrow's activities, where we'll leave the ship for a tour of a couple points on Moorea, then to the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa. We'll spend the night in one of the over-water bungalows, then return to the ship the next day.

At 6:30pm we met Nathan and Dominique at Polo Grill for dinner. Always fun to talk with them both, and conversation ranged over many different topics.

Back to the room to get a good night's sleep.


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- 20 March (Friday): Day 14 - At Sea (UTC-10):
Another sea day on the Pacific, as we cruise to Rangiroa in French Polynesia. We made Barista's our first stop this morning, where we found Wayne and Jerry. We chatted for a good bit, then went for our tea and cappuccino.

Renee pealed off to get in a morning run, and I stayed for a bit and struck up another conversation with Mike and Alana from Sarasota Florida. Nice couple, and we'll be meeting them in Grand Dining this evening for dinner. ATW ambassadors Paul and Carolyn breezed by and Carolyn stopped to chat. Their "Sing Out Loud" performance is this evening, so I mentioned that Renee and I will be there. She raved about Renee's performance on our 2022 ATW cruise.

The ship held a "Country Fair" event on the pool deck, but we passed as it appeard a bit too crowded for our liking.

I finally made it to the gym and spent some time on the rowing machine. Renee went later for a free weight workout.

Back in the room, I enlisted some ChatGPT help to set some camera shooting bank settings on my Nikon Z-8. I'm still a novice, but the camera helps to compensate some for my lack of photography skills.

Also spent some time modifying things to address our upcoming itinerary change. I'll switch it over on this website once I've resolved most of it. Given the broadband improvements enabled by Starlink on the ship, I'm able to stream "Tosca" on Pandora to soothe my mind as I worked.

So we did attend the Sing Out Loud performance at 5:15pm. Large group...perhaps twice as large as when Renee participated. Performance was good, but I'm kinda partial to the performance that Renee was in. 

From here, we went to the Grand Dining Room to have dinner with Mike and Alana. Great food, great discussion. Sorry to see them leave so soon, as they'll be leaving the ship in Papeete (Tahiti).

We watched another beautiful sunset. 


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- 19 March (Thursday): Day 13 - Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia  (UTC-9.5):
We returned to Nuku Hiva (we were here back in 2022), dropping anchor in Taioha'e Bay at around 7am local time. This is a tender port, and we've decided not to take the one-and-only shore excursion that we took back in 2022, so leisurely morning again.

Nuku Hiva is the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia down here in the South Pacific, with a population of about 3,000 people. It is believed to have been settled about 2,000 years ago by West Polynesians.

I remember our guide joking that they "had not eaten any tourists yet today". There is some belief that cannibalism existed at some point in the history of the island. Just to be sure, we're going to let several people go ashore before us.

We got ourselves ready, then had breakfast out on the Terrace Cafe aft deck. Forecast shows rain off and on today, so that will be fun. While sitting out back we watched a mild shower sweep over us and could hear it pattering on the deck cover. Clouds move fairly fast, and there is plenty of sunshine in the mix.

The tender ride was about 15 minutes. As we remembered from our first trip here, drums, song and dance greeted us as we exited the tender. While we are glad that we did the only excursion on our first visit, we probably enjoyed this visit even more. It was much more relaxed...on our own timeline. We hiked up the hill near the port to revisit the interesting statues there and to get views around the island and out to our ship. Then we walked along the shoreline around to where the Notre Dame Cathedral is (no...not the one in Paris, and we skipped visiting it this time) and the park at Tohua Temehea, a small settlement within Nuku Hiva. There are several old stone carvings that Archaeologists determined date back to some time between the 11th and 14th centuries, and are likely depictions of ancient Nuku Hivan deities.

We then walked back toward the tender port and waited there for a couple of tenders to come and go, bringing the line down while we listened and watched the tribal performers. I took that time to pose for a couple of photos (which Renee graciously took) with two of the warriors. Not sure I adequately replicated fierce poses or vocals, but still fun. 

Getting back to the room, we really needed to refresh. The combination heat and humidity took a lot out of us. I took the opportunity to photograph some frigate birds flying around, while also trying to wrangle photo backups, rendering videos from the Insta360 captures, and updating our GPS track data in Google Earth and Google Maps.

Simple dinner at Terrace this evening. On return to the room, we found the official change to our itinerary, by-passing the Gulf States. That means we've got some work to do, selecting shore excursions for the new ports. The port count is significantly different for the section from Singapore to Southampton, with the original itinerary having 35 days in port and the new one only 26. Oceania will issue a future cruise credit of 10%, but seems a bit shy on the compensation. That said, we're looking forward to seeing new places in Africa.

We decided to take in the "Headliners" show tonight. The entertainment crew did a great job, both singing and dancing.

Now to get some sleep so we can plan for our new itinerary tomorrow! It will likely take me a few days before I switch the website to the new itinerary though.


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- 18 March (Wednesday): Day 12 - At Sea (UTC-9 and UTC-9.5):
So...we were advised to set our clocks a half hour ahead last night as we transit into Nuku Hiva's time zone, which is at UTC -9.5 hours. Actually, we'll be cruising from timezone UTC -10 into UTC -9, then into the small geographical box of Nuku Hiva's UTC -9.5 hours. (see graphic in the photos for the day). It appears that the rationale is to have clocks align better with daylight hours over the island.

Had some tea in the room this morning while Renee headed out to Barista's for tea.

At 11am there was an Equator Crossing ceremony on the pool deck. Neptune was there with his band of helpers. Renee and I are already "Shellbacks", so we just watched as the "Pollywogs" lined up to greet Neptune, kiss a fish (yes...a real fish), and get dowsed with ice water.

For lunch, we stopped at the Aquamar Kitchen. Renee had her favorite Avocado Toast, and I had some sort of salad with chicken (actually quite good).

I headed to the Spa to book another massage, and Renee headed up to the walking track for some laps. I joined her there a bit later, then headed back to the room to shower up.

Just before 3pm I headed to the spa again for my deep tissue massage with Maryann from the Philipines. She worked me over pretty well, but I almost fell asleep during the scalp massage at the end. 

Tagged up with Renee again and we headed to the Vista Lounge for a presentation on the upcoming ports and shore excursions. Was not really worth the time, but we did get to talk with Sue and John who we had dinner with last night.

From there, we stopped at Waves Grill and ordered a made-to-order pizza, which they delivered to our table on the aft deck of Terrace Cafe. We grabbed a table out there to watch the sunset fade over the ocean with Venus shining brightly nearby. Pizza was not bad. The deck was only about half full, so it was nice and quiet.

After dinner, we went up to the top-most deck forward (Sports Deck), and found a spot on the putting greens to shield us from the wind and where we could look at the stars. Always too much light (for safety), but it would be amazing if the turned off deck lights even for just a short while.


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- 17 March (Tuesday): Day 11 - At Sea (UTC-10):
Did breakfast again in Terrace Cafe, then headed to Barista's while Renee headed out for a workout. Did some laps on the walking track, then back to the room for more focus on flying fish (see what I mean in the photos for today).

Today was my sister Diane and brother-in-law Pete's anniversary (Happy Anniversary Pete & Di!) and it's Saint Patrick's Day, so many folks were sporting their green. Cruise Director Carson announced that he had hidden small leprachauns around the ship, and that finding them would earn you Big O points. We did not feel compelled to search for them, but many on the ship did.

Today we crossed the equator from North to South. If my interpolation of our GPS track data is correct, then it was at 21:17:04Z (11:17:04 local time). The ship will have a ceremony tomorrow at 11am.

Renee attended a couple of talks in the Vista Lounge. First was a 2pm: "Things You Didn't Know About French Polynesia" with cultural ambassadors Mele and Malia. Then at 3pm with James Grant-Peterkin: "Nuclear Testing in the Pacific". I'll catch these later on the TV in our room. Based on what Renee mentioned from the second talk and my time at HQ AFTAC (1990-1995) monitoring the globe for nuclear detonations in support of the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty, I'm curious to hear what he had to say about testing in the South Pacific. Those events were monitored and archived for reference by AFTAC. In fact, those tests helped with the design and development of the sensors now flying on many satellites (including all GPS satellites) that comprise the Nuclear Detonation (NUDET) Detection System.

We dined in Jacque's at a sharing table with a couple named Sue and John from Boise, Idaho. Nice discussion, and the food was good, but, to Renee's disappointment, then no longer make and serve the small baguettes that she was so looking forward to! I like the layout of the venue...different than on the other Oceania ships...though it was extremely noisy.

No show tonight, as they were having a St Patty's Day party in Horizons, which we skipped in favor of some much needed sleep. 
 

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- 16 March (Monday): Day 10 - At Sea (UTC-10):
Breakfast in Terrace Cafe this morning. Sat near, and conversed with, Wayne and Jerry for a bit.

Back to the room where I stayed for a bit, and Renee went for a walk. She filled out some paperwork for our overnight stay in Moorea and to submit our contact info for the ATW booklet Oceania will put together, then took the info to turn it in. I spent some time sorting out camera settings to try to get some better shots of the flying fish. I think I have it now, but will have to try it out tomorrow.

Renee attended the Future Cruise presentation. Renee learned that there will be 4 new ships built (we only knew about 2 of them). Somehow we did not get signed up for another cruise (yet), though we're already booked on one for 2027.

Renee had lunch in Aquamar Kitchen, where she had her favorite avocado toast. She met a lady named Kay from Fort Myers Florida. She was on her first cruise ever, Miami to Miami in 180 days. They had a nice chat. She then went to the 3:00pm talk about Easter Island, while I continued working on some things at the room (to include our income tax return, which we could not get done before the cruise!)

We then got cleaned up for yet another Oceania Club party in Horizons Lounge at 5:30pm. Not sure how many people went, but it was packed. Most I've seen at one of those since we've cruised with Oceania. There apparently are over 800 people onboard right now that are members. The Captain shared some words, followed by the General Manager, then the Future Cruise Director shared some statistics. We apparently have about 50 guests from the UK onboard, about 136 from Canada, and about 800 from the U.S. He then share the numbers on how many guests were at each level in the club, with a few new Diamond members receiving pins, to include the couple we dined with last night and another couple we know.

We then headed off to dinner at Terrace Cafe, where we shared a table with Dan and John. Good conversation and good food, as always. Renee and I then took our tea and coffee over to Nathan and Dominique's table and spent perhaps another hour talking with them. Lots of fun stories about how we met our spouses and other life events.

We decided to take in the 9:15 show, and it did not disappoint. "Music Triangle" was a song-filled walk through time from the Mississippi Delta. The vocalists were outstanding, and the show moved right along very smoothly.


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- 15 March (Sunday): Day 9 - At Sea (UTC-10):
Today found us out of the storm over Hawaii, and entering the more sunny skies we remembered from our last Pacific crossing.

We started the day with a quick workout and a stop at Barista's.

Back at the room, I was very happy to spot flying fish from our veranda, so I took some time to try to photograph them. Tricky buggers, as they're fast, small, and fly very close to the water, which was still quite choppy. I did manage to get a few keepers, but not the best...will need to take some more.

It was a double-header dining day, with lunch in Grand Dining with James and Shelley Campbell, then dinner in the same place with Mike and Billie Greene. As usual, stimulating discussion with all.

Today's talk was "The Real Robinson Crusoe: Alexander Selkirk". Once again, James Grant-Peterkin delivered a facinating story of a man who chose not to continue sailing with his Profiteering crew over concerns of sea-worthiness of the ship. He was marooned on an island off of the coast of Chile for over 4 months, then made it back to England. The ship he had been on sank shortly after leaving him on the island, though a few of the crew members did survive. The tale reportedly was the inspiration for the fictional book of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

Not much else to talk about for today, but overall a nice day.


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- 14 March (Saturday): Day 8 - CANCELLED: Kailua-Kona NEW: At Sea  (UTC-10):
Seas continued to be rough as we passed by Kailua-Kona, on our revised route down to Nuku Hiva. Since the captain had to add a day to that trip he had us cruising at only a bit over 16 kts.

At dinner last night, Nita and Harry had expressed concern over not seeing us in Barista's for a couple of days, we decided to head there first...only to find them both downing their morning Joe. Renee grabbed her tea and I had my cappuccino with vanilla shot, and we sat and continued our conversation with them both. Naturally, with the new bakery right in full view, I had to check out what delights could do me most harm, and sampled a couple of them.

Back to the room for me, as Renee made the rounds visiting people around the ship. I made some updates to this website, uploaded photos to the Google album, and watched outside as the clouds gradually thinned a bit. Still some chop and bouncing around, but nowhere near the roughest we've experience while cruising. I keep looking for flying fish, as they were great fun to watch the last time we cruised the Pacific.

As it approached 1pm, I left the room for Deck 5 to refill my Vero water bottle, then took the central stairs up to Deck 6, through Martini's Bar, to the Grand Lounge where the veterans meet each sea day. Fewer people showed today, which was actually nice, since among those absent were a couple of folks who talk too much. I wanted to hear from the others, especially a guy who entered the Army in 1955, the year I was born! The conversation was a lot more balanced today, with plenty if interesting stories and perspectives shared.

Back to the room again, briefly, where I met up with Renee and we made our way to the Vista lounge for yet another presentation by James Grant-Peterkin. This one was titled: "Operation Mincemeat" (which strangely enough is now a Broadway Musical!!! see: https://www.broadway.com/shows/operation-mincemeat/) The story is of a British scheme to deceive the Nazis on Allied force plans for an invasion. They did this by dressing a corpse up as a failed military parachuter that washed up on a shoreline just West of Gibraltar, known to be heavily surveilled by the Germans. He was actually carefully placed near shore by way of submarined. Chained to the man's wrist was a briefcase with false documents marked as classified. Many interesting details to the story, but the ruse worked and may likely have significantly changed the course of WWII. Surprisingly, at the end of the presentaion I heard the man behind me say "I didn't think that was very interesting". I was tempted to ask him what he DID find interesting!!! Also seated in the row behind us was Dominique, so we chatted briefly with her on our way out.

Back to the room, where we saw the sun now peaking out from the clouds. On the veranda, it had warmed up quite a bit. I stood and watched for flying fish...and actually did see my first one of this trip! Just one though, so hoping for many more to come. 

Dinner in Terrace Cafe. Grabbed a window table and enjoyed looking out at the improving weather and seas. Visited with Nathan and Dominique after dinner and had a fun time talking with them, as always. 


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- 13 March (Friday): Day 7 - Honolulu, Oahu, United States (UTC-10):
So...we entered Hawaii under significant storm conditions. There were high winds, constant rain, and lots of flooding going on. This, of course, meant that all shore excursions were cancelled. Renee and I did try to venture out for a bit, but we did not get much further than the outside of the cruise terminal. Some folks did catch rides to do some provisions shopping, or walked short distances, etc., but we could not get anywhere that we really cared to go, so we simply returned to the ship and did various things we'd do if it were a sea day. Still enjoyed our conversations with both old and new friends onboard.

Just prior to dinner time, the captain made a ship-wide announcement that sea conditions would be too rough for anchoring off of the big island tomorrow, so we were simply going to skip it and start heading out to Nuku Hiva tonight, albeit at a slower pace than originally planned.

We had a wonderful dinner in the Grand Dining Room with Harry and Nita. Conversation hit most of the common topics, life at home, family, travel, etc. The food was good. I had a miso-glazed cod and renee had salmon.

Back in our room we found a note to all passengers about possible changes to our itinerary given the Persian Gulf activities. While no decision has yet been made, it's still the same "Plan B", with heading over to South Africa instead. Decision will be made by the end of March, and change (if it happens, which we expect is likely) will start 27 April as we leave Singapore. We'd then go to Phuket for an overnight, then on to Sri Lanka, the Seychelles, and Madagascar, then South Africa (Durban, Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay, and 2-day stay in Cape Town). From there we'd head up the African West coast to Namibia, Angola, Sao Tome, and Gambia. Then to the Portuguese islands of Cape Verde and Madeira (may need to do that downhill ride in a basket there again!!!) On to Lisbon from there, the Vigo, Southampton, then resume the rest of the original itinerary from there.

Sea states were bumpy (lots of chop). Not so much with swells or rocking and rolling, more like we're getting bumped around by the choppy seas. I slept well though!!!


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- 12 March (Thursday): Day 6 - Renee's Birthday At Sea (UTC-10):
Another easy start to the day. Started with Renee answering many emails, texts, WhatsApp messages, etc. to thank folks for wishing her a Happy Birthday. We then made our way to Terrace Cafe for a nice breakfast. While there, Pam & David Lathrop called Renee to wish her a Happy Birthday, and I sent them a sequence of photos of Renee's famous croissant deconstruction, as David gets a kick out of that.

Bumped into Shirley and Harland from 2022 ATW on the way out and talked for a short bit, then introduced ourselves to a young couple to express our surprise that they seem to enjoy cruising with a bunch of old folks. They laughed, and we talked for a bit.

Next, on to Barista's where I had my favorite cappuccino with vanilla shot and a treat from the bakery. We ran into, and sat with, Pam and Carl Buck for a bit. Paul and Carolyn also came by and Caroly sang Happy Birthday to Renee (that's right...a professional performance, just for her!!!)

We watched the finale of the innaugural "Race Around Vista" challenge on the pool deck. The 4 remaining teams paired up two by two to swim the pool, fetch giant "Connect 4" doughnuts, then swim back to hand them to their partners. First to finish won, but two of the swimmers gave up after a couple of laps.

Then back to the room, as Renee wanted to catch up on some laundry...I know...on her birthday, right?! She took a moment out to call her mom in Pittsburgh. Renee always sends her mom flowers, as a gesture of thanks, on Renee's birthday. We saw a photo of the flowers and Renee called to talk with her mom a bit. At the time of the call, her mom said she was sitting in the kitchen remembering how happy she was when Renee was born. I thanked her as well, since it kinda worked out for me too!

Renee also used this time to open some birthday cards that she received prior to leaving on our trip. Nice cards from her mom, her sister Linda, and from our daughter Infinity. As is customary in Renee's family, her card from Linda came with some lotto scratch-off tickets. Hoping she'd win to cover our cruise costs!

At 1:00pm, I headed to the Veteran's meeting in the Grand Lounge area. Some interesting discussion, though not much overlap in the types of things I did while serving relative to some of these old time combat veterans, so I listen more than talk.

At 3:00pm, we went to the Vista Lounge for another presentation by James Grant-Peterkin on Pearl Harbor. Presentation was interesting. We're thankful that we've already visited Pearl Harbor, as we're expecting heavy rain and wind both tomorrow and Saturday during our stops in Hawaii.

We had a wonderful dinner at a private table in Polo Grill to celebrate Renee's birthday. Of course, I had the servers bring a cake for Renee and sing her Happy Birthday!

Took in the Kenny James show at 9:15pm. Lots of Motown hits and a splash of his son playing some Jimmy Hendrix. I wasn't much of a Hendrix fan, but I'd wished our grandson could have been here to see this young man's performance, as it was outstanding!

Off to bed, after clearing balloons from the ceiling and the towel birthday cake and simulated ocean waves from the bed.


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- 11 March (Wednesday): Day 5 - At Sea (UTC-10):
Another easy sea day. Given the business of the gym, we decided to do coffee/tea first, then head up to do a workout. We had some sunshine for a while, but then a rain shower that emptied the outdoor track. Sun came back out later. We continue to run into friends from the 2022 cruise, so a large part of each day has been talking with those we meet. 

Renee found 59 of the 60 art scavenger hunt items...one still elludes us.

We also received emails confirming approval of our Sri Lanka visas. This was a bit of a relief, as we had to sign a paper acknowledging that we could be kicked off of the cruise if it was not received before we reach Tahiti! 

After showering up, I headed for the military veterans' group meeting that is held every sea day at 1:00pm. It's an interesting group, but there are a couple in the group that are stuck on transmit. After the meeting I had my first massage of this cruise. Jean from the Philipines took it easy on me, but still did a good job. 

Renee and I met back up at the room, then went to the 5:15 show with the comedian we'd seen a couple of nights before. His show was good again, but not quite as funny as the first night.

From there we made our way to the Terrace Grill, where we snagged a 4-topper so others could join us if they happened along. Lloyd and Lois did just that, so we had a nice dinner chatting with them both. 


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- 10 March (Tuesday): Day 4 - At Sea (UTC-9):
Slow and easy start to the day. We had a surprise visit in our room by 2022 ATW friends Mike and Billy. Renee had seen them around earlier, but I'd not yet met up with them. We chatted for a good bit on many things and promised to book lunch or dinner sometime soon. Renee then headed out to do some laundry while I did some updates on this site.

I vectored to Barista's for a cappuccino and found Renee there, talking with Liz and Joe (yet more friends from the 2022 ATW). We sat for a bit, but it was a dangerous area, as Vista added a small bakery right there near Barista's, and watching them make all of that carb-heavy goodness was too much for my resolve. While snagging cup #2, I saw Pam and Carl Buck again, also enjoying some morning joe. We chatted briefly and I circled back to continue discussions with Liz and Joe. They caught me up a bit (Renee went to check on laundry) on another cruise couple, George and Roxanne, who had purchased a castle while we were in Italy back in 2022. They've now moved their puzzle museum there and are taking up permanent residence there. Interesting couple.

At nearly 10AM, I finally headed for the walking track, but only got just past Barista's to the start of the library when I found Nathan Levy kicking back, so naturally we sat and chatted for a while more. Nathan is trying to figure out his next challenge in life. We explored that a bit, and I promised not to charge a shrink fee, but our conversation was cut a bit short as someone from the library came out an politely asked us to keep the noise down. We left the area, and I felt a bit bad for being inconsiderate, but also mused a bit at being hushed at a library for the first time since I can remember!!!

Up on the walking track I met Pam and Carl again, and decided to walk with Carl, as Pam was a bit too speedy for me (still nursing some knees back to health). We had a good discussion about times past and other friends. They went off to play bridge (lot's of fans of that game here), and I continued on.

According to my Garmin Tactix Delta Pro watch, reportedly a watch of choice for many special operations folks and old guys who like to cruise, I walked a total of 7 miles in 33 minutes and didn't break a sweat. I'm thinking two things: 1. I should probably give some credit to the ship's speed of 18.8 kts, and 2. Special Operators probably don't use this watch for operations involving walks on moving ships.

Back in the room we discovered new ATW vests and tote bags (totally makes the money we spent on this cruise worth it!!!), which looked a bit like it was from Oceania's potholder collection. Plenty of people around the ship wearing them though.

At 2:30pm Renee hit Horizons Lounge to make a Kukui Nut lei with instruction from the Hawaii ambassadors. I caught the end of a veterans' meeting and meandered around the ship a bit looking for a few more scavanger hunt items (found 4 more).

I met Renee back in Vista Lounge for the 3pm presentation on "The Final Flight of Amelia Earhart" by James Grant-Peterkin. His third presentation, and we've enjoyed them all. He stepped through the life of Earhart and the preparation and execution of her final fatal flight, to the extent that it is known.

Back to the room to get ready for the ATW cocktail party at 5:30pm. Given the large number of people (541 ATW cruisers), they held the event in the Vista Lounge. The event was nice...the Captain led off, then passed the mike to each of several senior crew members to introduce themselves. We left the lounge for Terrace Cafe to have dinner with Dan and John. Conversed with Dan about SCUBA diving, John's passion for biking, and other things.

After a quick stop back in the room, we went back to Vista Lounge to catch the first performance by a new entertainment crew onboard. It was titled: "The Anchor Inn", and we enjoyed it start to finish. The dancers and vocalists moved continuously through an almost musical production, engaging the audience and making full use of the stage and props.

We were fairly tired by this point, so we headed back to the room to call it a day.


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- 09 March (Monday): Day 3 - At Sea (UTC-9):
Another easy morning at sea. Sea state is a bit calmer than yesterday, but a bit overcast and still not the sunny, glass-like view I remember from past days on the Pacific...really looking forward to those days! Renee resumed her morning walks in the cabin hallways, which takes the weather element out of consideration. Every cruise we take, the cleaning staff gets to know Renee from these daily walks. 

I headed up to the gym. Again, quite busy, so I snagged the only free bike machine and warmed up for a bit. Headed out then to walk outside. Met Renee right away, and we walked for a bit, then headed to Barista's for her morning tea and my morning cappuccino. We sat across from new friends Harry and Nita (met them yesterday morning). Had some very nice discussion with them, and we plan to book some dinner together one night soon.

I stopped by Destination Services to ask them what the shore excursions were for today. Without missing a beat, one of the guys said "Deep sea fishing!". Gotta mess around now and then to get the smiles from folks!

Renee wanted to try out Vista's Aquamar Kitchen, which offers healthy, portion controlled food. She ordered an avocado toast and I had an acai mixed bowl and a turmeric and pepper juice. Renee headed back up to the spa to get her hair cut. Yash, a young guy from India, who guaranteed he'd do a good job, did a good job.

We ended up going back to the Aquamar Kitchen for lunch as well, where we saw and sat with Pam and Carl Buck from Huntsville Alabama. Some good discussion there, again mainly family and travel. I'll need to back off on meals though, as I had been eating only one meal per day for a month or two and feeling much better as a result. Hard to do that here, but we'll see if I can muster the will power to do so.

At 3pm we went back to the Vista Lounge to catch James Grant-Peterkin's second talk. This one was about Project Azorian, a CIA effort to recover the sunken Soviet submarine K-129 (which went missing in 1968) from the Pacific Ocean floor, northwest of Hawaii, in 1974. To keep it secret, they recruited Howard Hughes and built the Hughes Glomar Explorer with a cover story that Hughes was mining minerals from the sea floor. Project Azorian was one of the most complex, expensive, and covert intelligence operations of the Cold War at a cost of about US$800 million (equivalent to $3.9 billion in 2024)

Continuing with our art scavenger hunt, we made our way up to the Spa area and found a couple more items. While there, a therapist was doing sample shoulder massages, so of course I had to stop for that.

We had dinner at Toscana, sharing a table as we like to do to meet new people. We were seated with Canadians Wayne and Jerry, who were a bit younger than us, were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary, and were cruising on Oceania for the first time. We talked about travel, about the restaurants on the ship, about family, etc. They had just put their house on the market...the house that they had lived in and raised their family in over the last 35 years, so they are making some significant changes.

After dinner, and a short stop back at the room, we headed to Vista Lounge to catch the show. Canadian comedian, Andrew Grose, was performing. We've found comedian shows somewhat hit or miss in the past, but he was definitely worth catching. Theme was "Confessions of a Married Mind", so lots of hilarious stories about his married life. He worked the room well, which added to the fun. He performs again in a few days, so we'll make it a point to catch his show.

Another very nice day at sea today!


=====================================
- 08 March (Sunday): Day 2 - At Sea (UTC-9):
Casual start to the morning. Headed to the gym, which was absolutely packed, and warmed up on the rowing machine for a bit. Then headed to the walking track. It was crazy windy, and a fair amount of ship rolling on the seas. Only other person walking up there was Joyce, who seemed to cut through the wind like it wasn't there. I walked until Renee came to join me, and we decided to head to deck above the pool as it was more sheltered. Cool thing about walking on a moving ship is that its speed is added to yours, so I easily did 3 miles in just a few minutes without breaking a sweat.

Headed to Barista's for a couple of cappuccinos, and Renee went for some tea, then a workout at the gym. While at Barista's I sat in the lounge and struck up a conversation with an old-timer, Harry, and his wife Nita. Harry was an enlisted bomb assembler in the USAF during Viet Nam, who later got a degree and worked for NASA. Nita worked for Shell Oil Company and elsewhere.

Friends John and Kathy Granger, who were just completing a different cruise, had set us up with their friends James and Shelley Campbell. We met James and Shelley for lunch in the Grand Dining Room. We were surprised to also see Nathan Levy, another past cruise friend, waiting there too, so we asked him to join us. Nathan is a retired school teacher/principal and author who delivers lectures on problem solving to corporations and others. He started by writing a series of books called "Stories With Holes", which he developed to teach his students critical thinking skills (more kids need to read such books these days!!!) We all shared some background info over lunch, and Nathan's wife Dominique joined us near the end. ATW Ambassadors Paul and Carolyn also breezed in for a bit and said "hi".

While out and about, Renee bumped into more friends from 2022: Liz and Joe and Mike and Billy.

Renee and I decided to take in a great talk on the history of human migration into the Pacific Islands. Facinating stuff. Apparently, all came originally from Taiwan 6,000 years ago. After that, we roamed Vista for a bit to find some of the "Art Scavenger Hunt" items, and we did pretty well.

We skipped the Captain's Cocktail party and grabbed some dinner in Terrace Cafe...steak and lobster for me, lobster and shrimp for Renee. We invited new friends Dan and John to sit with us at dinner, and had some good conversation. Also skipped the show tonight in favor of a good night's sleep.


=====================================
- 07 March (Saturday): Day 1 - San Diego, California, United States (UTC-8):
We woke around 6AM, eager to get on with the day and onto our ship, the Vista. Showered up and headed downstairs to wait in the lobby. Met a very nice couple, Victor and Ann, and spent some time chatting with them as our luggage was brought down and transferred to the ship. We decided to Uber over to the port, rather than wait with the gaggle for a shuttle. Not too long of a wait outside, but the typical slog to make it to the onboarding desk, as they had to verify that guests had all of the visas needed for the cruise.

Once onboard, we dropped our stuff in the room and headed to the Terrace Cafe. Encountered a few familiar faces, then had some lunch on the back deck, watching the sailboats in the bay and the planes take off from the airport.

Since it was our first time on Vista, we toured the ship to see how it compared to other Oceania ships we've been on. Liked some things, saw a few things we thought could have been done better, but overall a nice ship.

We bumped into friends Craig and Joyce, who started the cruise in Miami. They shared some news about the ship Sirena, which is being remodeled to become an ATW-only ship.

Back to the room to unpack our 8 pieces of luggage. Quick to do so, given the organizers we packed with, but then we had to decide where to put everything. That may take a couple of days.

At 4pm we attended the ATW Cocktail Party for the 120-day folks. Happy to see ATW Ambassadors Paul and Carolyn, who also boarded today. Met some of the crew...General Manager Evan, Cruise Director Carson, and the head chef Fred Camonin, and some of the entertainment staff. Live music was nice, but after a bit of mingling we headed back topside for the 6pm sail-away...which ended up happening at 7pm instead! By that time we were seated in Red Ginger, enjoying our most favorite meal of miso-glazed sea bass.

We skipped the 9pm show and headed back to the room to do more settling in. Already booked for lunch tomorrow with a couple we've not yet met, but were virtually introduced by common friends.  


=====================================
- 06 March (Friday): Transit Day - Tucson AZ to San Diego, California, United States (UTC-7,UTC-8):
6:00 AM pickup by Uber, easy drive to Tucson Airport. Checkin, baggage drop, and TSA went smoothly...nice to see cheerful, helpful, people that early in the morning!

2-hour flight to Salt Lake City was uneventful, and minimal time in SLC before boarding our flight to San Diego. Met some fellow cruisers enroute, then more on arrival in San Diego.

It was fun to fly in, remembering watching flights from the Terrace Cafe outdoor deck the last time we were here, now looking from the plane to where our ship will be tomorrow. Also remember watching the fly-overs from Balboa Park.

Oceania met us in baggage claim and ushered us to our hotel shuttle. Check-in at the U.S. Grant Hotel was quick and easy. After a brief stop at our room, we headed out for a bite to eat and a walk along the Embarcadero.

Remembered touring the USS Midway last time we were here, and had to stop for an encore replication of the sailor/woman kissing statue (not sure if we pulled it off, but...), then down to Seaport Village and the park beyond. Snagged some way-too-overpriced icecream on the stroll back, but all-in-all, not a bad transit day.
=====================================

Transit Day
06 Mar 2026 (Friday)

Tucson AZ to San Diego CA

Depart: 06:00 - Arrive: 13:00

Excursions: Embarcadero Stroll
Photos
Dinner: Corner Bakery Cafe

Cruise Day 1
07 Mar 2026 (Saturday)

San Diego, California, United States

Arrive: 13:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions: None
Photos
Dinner: 07:00 PM - Red Ginger (Private)

Cruise Day 2
08 Mar 2026 (Sunday)

At Sea

Photos

Lunch: Grand Dining Room with James & Shelley Campbell and Nathan and Dominique Levy

Cruise Day 3
09 Mar 2026 (Monday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Toscana
(Shared a table with Canadians Wayne and Jerry)

Cruise Day 4
10 Mar 2026 (Tuesday)
At Sea

Photos

Dinner: Terrace Cafe with Dan and John

Cruise Day 5
11 Mar 2026 (Wednesday)
At Sea
Dinner: Terrace Cafe with Lloyd and Lois

Cruise Day 6
12 Mar 2026 (Thursday)
Renee's Birthday At Sea

Photos

Dinner: 07:00 PM - Polo Grill (Private)

Cruise Day 7
13 Mar 2026 (Friday)

Honolulu, Oahu, United States

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 20:00

Excursions:
CANCELLED: ~~Scenic Shores and Sea Cliffs(HNL-006A)~~
Photos
Dinner: 07:00 PM - Grand Dining with
Harry & Nita Leschinger

Cruise Day 8
14 Mar 2026 (Saturday)

CHANGE:~~Kailua-Kona~~ NEW: At Sea
Photos

Dinner: Terrace Cafe

Cruise Day 9
15 Mar 2026 (Sunday)
At Sea

Photos

Lunch: Noon - Grand Dining with James & Shelley
Dinner: 6:30pm - Grand Dining with Mike & Billie Greene

Cruise Day 10
16 Mar 2026 (Monday)
At Sea
Dinner: Terrace Cafe with Dan & John,
then Nathan & Dominique

Cruise Day 11
17 Mar 2026 (Tuesday)
At Sea

Photos

Dinner: Jacque's with John and Sue from Boise

Cruise Day 12
18 Mar 2026 (Wednesday)
At Sea

Photos

Dinner: Pizza on the Aft Deck

Cruise Day 13
19 Mar 2026 (Thursday)

Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions: Self Guided Hike
Photos
Dinner: Terrace Cafe

Cruise Day 14
20 Mar 2026 (Friday)
At Sea
Dinner: Grand Dining Room with Mike and Alana

Cruise Day 15
21 Mar 2026 (Saturday)

Rangiroa, French Polynesia

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 17:00

Excursions:
Snorkel The Aquarium Garden (RGI-002) 1130 to 1230
Photos

Dinner: 6:30pm at Polo Grill with Nathan and Dominique Levy

Cruise Day 16
22 Mar 2026 (Sunday)

Moorea, French Polynesia

Arrive: 08:00 - Vista Departs: 16:00
(Without Dave & Renee)

Excursions:
OVLD: Moorea Bungalow Paradise Escape (Overnight)
Photos

Dinner: Arii Vahine Restaurant, Hilton Moorea Lagoon resort & Spa

Cruise Day 17
23 Mar 2026 (Monday)

Ferry from Moorea to Papeete (Tahiti) to Rejoin Vista

Arrive Vista: 13:00 - Depart: 20:00

Excursions: Transit to Rejoin Vista
Photos
Dinner: Terrace Cafe - Aft Deck

Cruise Day 18
24 Mar 2026 (Tuesday)

Raiatea, French Polynesia

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 19:00

Excursions: Self Guided Walk
Photos
Dinner: Polynesian Feast in Terrace Cafe

Cruise Day 19
25 Mar 2026 (Wednesday)
At Sea

Photos
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Red Ginger with
Tina & Robert from Fort Collins, CO

Cruise Day 20
26 Mar 2026 (Thursday)

CHANGED: ~~Rarotonga, Cook Islands~~
NEW: At Sea

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: ~~16:00~~ ~08:00

Excursions:
CANCELLED: ~~Muri Lagoon Cruise And Snorkel (RAR-005) 1300 to 1600~~

Dinner: 6:30 PM - Polo Grill with
Annie & Bill from Aiken SC and
Richard & Berta from Miami, FL

Cruise Day 21
27 Mar 2026 (Friday)
At Sea
Dinner: Terrace Cafe with John and Dan

Cruise Day 22
28 Mar 2026 (Saturday)

Pago Pago, American Samoa

Arrive: 10:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions:
Samoan Cultural Experience (PPG-005) 1115 to 1415
Photos

Dinner: Terrace Cafe

Cruise Day 22-23
We had only 2 hours and 52 minutes of 29 Mar 2026 (Sunday) before crossing the Iternational Date Line
Then is was the same time, but 30 March (Monday)!!!

International Date Line

Cruise Day 23
30 Mar 2026 (Monday)

Apia, Samoa

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions: Self-Guided Walk
Photos
Dinner: 7:00 PM in Grand Dining Room
with Harry & Nita Leschinger

Cruise Day 24
31 Mar 2026 (Tuesday)
At Sea

Photos

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 25
01 Apr 2026 (Wednesday)

Vava'U (Neiafu), Tonga

Arrive: 08:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions: Self-Guided Walk around Neiafu
Photos

Dinner: 06:30 PM - Jacques

Cruise Day 26
02 Apr 2026 (Thursday)
At Sea
Dinner: Grand Dining Room with Grant and Linda

Cruise Day 27
03 Apr 2026 (Friday)

Suva, Fiji

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions: Ultimate Firewalking And Cultural Show (SUV-015)
Photos

Dinner: Terrace Cafe Aft Deck

Cruise Day 28
04 Apr 2026 (Saturday)
At Sea

Photos

Dinner: Terrace Cafe with Nathan and Dominique

Cruise Day 29
05 Apr 2026 (Sunday)

Mystery Island, Vanuatu

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 16:00

Excursions:
Keamu Cultural Village (MYS-005) 0900 to 1100
Photos

Dinner: Grand Dining Room with Mike and Billie Greene

Cruise Day 30
06 Apr 2026 (Monday)

Noumea, New Caledonia
Photos

Arrive: 08:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions: Self-guided Walk
Dinner: Terrace Cafe Aft Deck

Cruise Day 31
07 Apr 2026 (Tuesday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Toscana with Rick & Diane from Halifax

Cruise Day 32
08 Apr 2026 (Wednesday)
At Sea
Dinner: Grand Dining Room (Just us!)

Cruise Day 33
09 Apr 2026 (Thursday)

Sydney, Australia

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 20:00

Excursions:
City Sights And Harbor Cruise (SYD-010) 0830 to 1330
Photos

Dinner: Terrace Cafe Aft Deck with John Gowen

Cruise Day 34
10 Apr 2026 (Friday)
At Sea
Dinner: Terrace Cafe with Dan and John

Cruise Day 35
11 Apr 2026 (Saturday)

OLD: ~~Mooloolaba, Australia~~ NEW: At Sea

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 17:00

Excursions:
CANCELLED: ~~Australia Zoo (MOO-024) 1000 to 1600~~
Photos

Dinner: 06:30 PM - Toscana with Graham & Louise from Sydney

Cruise Day 36
12 Apr 2026 (Sunday)
At Sea
Dinner: 6:30PM - Grand Dining Room
with Paul & Carolyn
and Dave & Marta

Cruise Day 37
13 Apr 2026 (Monday)

Whitsunday Island (Airlie Beach), Australia

Arrive: 08:00 - Depart: 19:00

Excursions:
Snorkeling The Inner Reef (AIR-009) 0900 to 1530
Photos

Dinner: Terrace Cafe

Cruise Day 38
14 Apr 2026 (Tuesday)

Townsville, Australia

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions:
Mungalla Aboriginal Cattle Station (TSV-005) 0900 to 1700
Photos

Dinner: Terrace Cafe

Cruise Day 39
15 Apr 2026 (Wednesday)

Cairns, Australia

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 15:00

Excursions:
Jungle Train And Amphibious Army Duck (CNS-003) 0800 to 1300
Photos

Dinner: Terrace Cafe

Cruise Day 40
16 Apr 2026 (Thursday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Jacques with Ray & Pam

Cruise Day 41
17 Apr 2026 (Friday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM Grand Dining Room
with Mike & Billie Greene

Cruise Day 42
18 Apr 2026 (Saturday)

Darwin, Australia

Arrive: 12:00 - Depart: 23:00

Excursions:
Jumping Crocodile Cruise (DRW-004) 1230 to 1630

Dinner: 7:00 PM in Grand Dining Room with
Carlos Tavares (Food and Beverage Director)
and Keven Antao (Procurement Manager)
and Mark & Karen Johnson from Colorado

Cruise Day 43
19 Apr 2026 (Sunday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Red Ginger with James & Shelley Campbell

Cruise Day 44
20 Apr 2026 (Monday)

Kupang West Timor, Indonesia

Arrive: 08:00 - Depart: 16:00

Excursions:
Oebelo Tour (KUP-003) 0830 to 1400

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 45
21 Apr 2026 (Tuesday)

Komodo, Indonesia

Arrive: 10:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions:
Komodo Dragons (KOM-001) 1100 to 1300

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 46
22 Apr 2026 (Wednesday)

Bali (Benoa), Indonesia

Arrive: 12:00 - Depart: 00:00

Excursions:
Requested: Tribal Dinner & KecakDance (BAJ-002) 1525 to 2025
or
Requested: Royal Temple & Tanah Lot (BAJ-005) 1215 to 1845

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 47
23 Apr 2026 (Thursday)

Bali (Benoa), Indonesia

Arrive: 00:00 - Depart: 16:00

Excursions:
Requested: Discover Bali (BAJ-001) 0750 to 1320

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 48
24 Apr 2026 (Friday)

Surabaya, Indonesia

Arrive: 10:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions:Not Yet Booked: City Sights & Flavors (SBY-002) 1045 to 1645

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 49
25 Apr 2026 (Saturday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Polo Grill (Sharing)

Cruise Day 50
26 Apr 2026 (Sunday)

Singapore, Singapore

Arrive: 15:00 - Depart: 00:00

Excursions:
EVENT: Singapore's Cultural Mosaic (SIN-E03)

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 51
27 Apr 2026 (Monday)

Singapore, Singapore

Arrive: 00:00 - Depart: 17:00

Excursions:Not Yet Booked: Night Out At Chinatown (SIN-018) 1530 to 1930

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 52
28 Apr 2026 (Tuesday)

Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Malaysia

Arrive: 08:00 - Depart: 17:00

Excursions:
Kuala Lumpur Highlights (KUL-009) 0930 to 1500

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 53
29 Apr 2026 (Wednesday)

Phuket, Thailand

Arrive: 13:00 - Depart: 00:00

Excursions:
Siam Niramit Show (HKT-008) 1715 to 2215

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 54
30 Apr 2026 (Thursday)

Phuket, Thailand

Arrive: 00:00 - Depart: 16:00

Excursions:
OS James Bond Island BY Speedboat (HKT-014) 0700 to 1500

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 55
01 May 2026 (Friday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 56
02 May 2026 (Saturday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Toscana (Sharing)

Cruise Day 57
03 May 2026 (Sunday)

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Arrive: 09:00 - Depart: 22:00

Excursions:
Pinnawala (CMB-005) 0930 to 1815

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 58
04 May 2026 (Monday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 59
05 May 2026 (Monday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 60
06 May 2026 (Wednesday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Jacques (Sharing)

Cruise Day 61
07 May 2026 (Monday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 62
08 May 2026 (Friday)

Mahe, Seychelles

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 17:00

Excursions:
Coral Cruise (SEZ-03A) 1300-1630

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 63
09 May 2026 (Saturday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Red Ginger (Sharing)

Cruise Day 64
10 May 2026 (Sunday)

Nosy Be, Madagascar

Arrive: 10:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions:
Nosy Komba - Isle of Lemurs (NOS-001) 1030-1345

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 65
11 May 2026 (Monday)

Mayotte, French Comoros

Arrive: 08:00 - Depart: 16:00

Excursions:
Lagoon Catamaran Cruise (MAY-006A) 1200-1530

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 66
12 May 2026 (Monday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 67
13 May 2026 (Monday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 68
14 May 2026 (Thursday)

Maputo, Mozambique

Arrive: 10:00 - Depart: 19:00

Excursions:
Maputo Walking Tour (MPM-006) 1100-1330

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 69
15 May 2026 (Friday)

Durban, South Africa

Arrive: 17:00 - Depart: 00:00

Excursions:
- TBD -

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 70
16 May 2026 (Saturday)

Durban, South Africa

Arrive: 00:00 - Depart: 22:00

Excursions:
Tala Game Reserve (DUR-002) 0745-1315
Gondola Night Ride & Durban City Lights (DUR-022A) 1825-2025

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 71
17 May 2026 (Sunday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Polo Grill (Sharing)

Cruise Day 72
18 May 2026 (Monday)

Gqeberha, South Africa

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions:
Amakhala Private Game Reserve (PTE-017) 0815-1545

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 73
19 May 2026 (Tuesday)

Mossel Bay, South Africa

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 17:00

Excursions:
Botlierskop Private Game Reserve (MOB-002) 0830-1300

Dinner: 06:30 PM - Toscana (Sharing)

Cruise Day 74
20 May 2026 (Wednesday)

Cape Town, South Africa

Arrive: 09:00 - Depart: 00:00

Excursions:
Sundowners On Signal Hill (CPT-008) 1700-1900
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 75
21 May 2026 (Thursday)

Cape Town, South Africa

Arrive: 00:00 - Depart: 16:00

Excursions:
Cape Town & Table Mountain (CPT-014) 0830_1200
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 76
22 May 2026 (Friday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 77
23 May 2026 (Saturday)

Walvis Bay, Namibia

Arrive: 11:00 - Depart: ?

Excursions:
Treasures of the Namib Desert By Off-Road Vehicle (WAL-008) 1300_1800

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 78
24 May 2026 (Sunday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Red Ginger (Sharing)

Cruise Day 79
25 May 2026 (Monday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 80
26 May 2026 (Tuesday)

Luanda, Angola

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 16:00

Excursions:
Explore South Luanda (LUA-004) 0800_1500

Dinner: 06:30 PM - Jacques (Sharing)

Cruise Day 81
27 May 2026 (Wednesday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 82
28 May 2026 (Thursday)

Sao Tome, Sao Tome & Principe

Arrive: 10:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions:
Highlights of Sao Tome (TMS-003) 1030_1400

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 83
29 May 2026 (Friday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 84
30 May 2026 (Saturday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 85
31 May 2026 (Sunday)

Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 15:00

Excursions:
Discover Banco Forest (ABJ-008) 0900_1400

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 86
01 Jun 2026 (Monday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 87
02 Jun 2026 (Tuesday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 88
03 Jun 2026 (Wednesday)

Banjul, Gambia

Arrive: 11:00 - Depart: 19:00

Excursions:
Makasutu Palm Forest And Mangrove Cruise (BNJ-007) 1130_1830

Dinner: 06:30 PM - Polo Grill (Sharing)

Cruise Day 89
04 Jun 2026 (Thursday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 90
05 Jun 2026 (Friday)

Mindelo (Sao Vincente), Cape Verde

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 19:00

Excursions:
Island Discovery (PRG-003) 0930_1600

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 91
06 Jun 2026 (Saturday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 92
07 Jun 2026 (Sunday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 93
08 Jun 2026 (Monday)

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 16:00

Excursions:
Tenerife 4x4 Adventure (TCI-010) 0845_1315

Dinner: 06:30 PM - Red Ginger (Sharing)

Cruise Day 94
9 Jun 2026 (Tuesday)

Funchal, Portugal

Arrive: 10:00 - Depart: 19:00

Excursions:
Santana and the North Coast (FNC-004) 1030_1800

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 95
10 Jun 2026 (Wednesday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Toscana (Sharing)

Cruise Day 96
11 Jun 2026 (Thursday)

Lisbon, Portugal

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 13:00

Excursions:
Flavors Of Lisbon (LIS-022) 0800_1130
or
Lisbon Tastes And Traditions (LIS-023) 0800_1130

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 97
12 Jun 2026 (Friday)

Santiago de Compostela (Vigo), Spain

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 13:00

Excursions:
The Border Country (VGO-005) 1300_2000

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 98
13 Jun 2026 (Saturday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 99
14 Jun 2026 (Sunday)

London (Southampton), United Kingdom

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions:
WAIT LISTED: Stonehenge And Salisbury (SOU-011) 0830 to 1530

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 100
15 Jun 2026 (Monday)

Falmouth (Cornwall), United Kingdom

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 16:00

Excursions:
ST Michael's Mount & Jewel IN Cornwall (FLH-004) 0900 to 1400

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 101
16 Jun 2026 (Tuesday)

Dublin (Dún Laoghaire), Ireland

Arrive: 08:00 - Depart: 19:00

Excursions:
A Taste Of Dublin: The Guinness Experience (DLG-005) 0915 to 1345

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 102
17 Jun 2026 (Wednesday)

Cork (Cobh), Ireland

Arrive: 08:00 - Depart: 16:00

Excursions: None
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 103
18 Jun 2026 (Thursday)

Belfast, Ireland

Arrive: 10:00 - Depart: 20:00

Excursions:
OS Behind The Scenes Of Game Of Thrones (BFS-029) 1100 to 1800

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 104
19 Jun 2026 (Friday)

Glasgow (Greenock), United Kingdom

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 19:00

Excursions:
OS Ardgowan House And Bagpipe Workshop (GRE-009) 1430 to 1830

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 105
20 Jun 2026 (Saturday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Polo Grill (Sharing)

Cruise Day 106
21 Jun 2026 (Sunday)

Tórshavn (Faroe Islands), Denmark

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 19:00

Excursions:
The Island Of Vagar (TAN-010) 0815 to 1215

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 107
22 Jun 2026 (Monday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Toscana (Sharing)

Cruise Day 108
23 Jun 2026 (Tuesday)

Akureyri, Iceland

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions:
Whale Watching From Akureyri (AEY-014) 0930 to 1330

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 109
24 Jun 2026 (Wednesday)

Isafjordur, Iceland

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 17:00

Excursions:
OS Dynjandi Waterfall And Local Village (ISF-010) 0700 to 1200

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 110
25 Jun 2026 (Thursday)

Reykjavik, Iceland

Arrive: 07:00 - Depart: 20:00

Excursions:
OS The Golden Circle (REK-004) 0900 to 1700

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 111
26 Jun 2026 (Friday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Jacques (Sharing)

Cruise Day 112
27 Jun 2026 (Saturday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 113
28 Jun 2026 (Sunday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 114
29 Jun 2026 (Monday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 115
30 Jun 2026 (Tuesday)

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Arrive: 09:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions:
OS Lobster Lunch And Peggys Cove (YHZ-024) 1100 to 1515

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 116
01 Jul 2026 (Wednesday)
At Sea
Dinner: 06:30 PM - Red Ginger (Sharing)

Cruise Day 117
02 Jul 2026 (Thursday)

New York, New York, United States

Arrive: 06:00 - Depart: 18:00

Excursions:
OS Lower Manhattan And One World Observatory (NYC-014) 0830 to 1230

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 118
03 Jul 2026 (Friday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 119
04 Jul 2026 (Saturday)

Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Arrive: 09:00 - Depart: 19:00

Excursions:
OS Fort Sumter And Historic Charleston (CHS-005) 1245 to 1715

Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 120
05 Jul 2026 (Sunday)
At Sea
Dinner: (Open)

Cruise Day 121
06 Jul 2026 (Monday)

Miami, Florida, United States

Arrive: 08:00 - Depart: 08:00

Excursions: None
Dinner: (Open)