We take a trip to Middle Earth and visit the home of Bilbo Baggins Our third New Zealand Port is listed as Tauranga, but we actually moor in Mount Maunganui, a small town on the other side of Tauranga Harbor. Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcano, rises 761 feet above...
We visit four local yarn shops and get a haircut Auckland, New Zealand We arrived around 6 am and moored at Princes Wharf, across from the Hilton Hotel. In the past, we have moored at the Queens Wharf, which is a couple of hundred yards to the east and is home to the...
I sat down with Karen Woodman for a brief chat Our first two guest lecturers, Mike West, and Dr. Andy Fletcher left the ship in Papeete after the first three weeks of the cruise. Linguist, Dr. Karen Woodman, and Geologist, Dr. Bruce Nocita, joined us in Papeete and...
What makes a World Cruise a World Cruise? and Meatloaf makes an appearance on the Mainstage When you think of a World Cruise, do you expect the cruise to circumnavigate the earth? Some cruise lines have labeled their long cruises as World Cruises, even though they...
We visit the best Blow Hole in the world and revisit the Tsunami Rock A beautiful sunrise greeted us as we closed on Tonga early this morning. We arrived at 7 am and would depart at 5 pm. You will find a self-guided walking tour at the bottom of this post. ...
Hotel GM, Henk Mensink, was the guest at Coffee Chat. He speculates on the likely 2025 World Cruise Itinerary. Hotel General Manager, Henk Mensink, was Ian's guest at Coffee Chat this morning. The Rolling Stone Lounge was filled with only a few seats remaining...
Deck 3 turns into a runway for a fashion show Fourteen guests volunteered to stroll down the "runway" outside the shops on Deck 3 this afternoon at 2:30 pm. The ladies were all volunteers who signed up in advance while visiting the shops. They all wore their own...
A Horse Race, Hat Contest and Bar Hop combine for a fun evening COFFEE CHAT Executive Chef Neil Ashworth was the guest at Coffee Chat this morning. We learned that the menus are planned three months in advance, but the ship has more flexibility on longer cruises to...
We enjoy another midday brunch and spend a relaxing afternoon coloring Heading westerly toward Tonga, four days away, we have fair winds and following seas, making for a pleasant ride and better conditions on the pickleball court. The Noon Time Brunch Sampler is no...
We enjoy "late sleepers", a light day in Uturoa, a Birthday party and a wonderful show on the Mainstage LATE SLEEPERS We have learned over the years that we need to take an occasional day off from touring to recover and prepare for our next adventure. When I was in...