whogo

I preferred our excursion to Bluff Cove in February, 2011 to our January 29, 2020 visit to Volunteer Point. We saw little activity at Volunteer Point, the king penguins just stood around, no feeding. We did see a half dozen waddle out to sea. Volunteer Point had only one pair of king penguins then (the colony has since grown), similarly inactive. In contrast, the gentoo penguins were a delight, feeding, waddling, jumping in and out of the water and swimming. Bluff Cove also provided a wonderful tea experience. Our ride to Bluff Cove was much more jarring than our longer ride to Volunteer Point for some reason. We were probably just unlucky at Volunteer Point, the king penguins have to feed at some time. Balcony? Warm weather or cold, we spend little time on a balcony. We do like the large expanse of glass for views, though.

I may not be searching properly, but I only find Holland America cruises to Australia that depart from Seattle or San Diego, not from Vancouver. I will give the opposing viewpoint on flights. I think you should fly back in one absolutely miserable haul rather than two miserable hauls that include schlepping your luggage to and from a hotel for a night or two at some midpoint and arriving two hour early for your next flight(s). You'll recover from flights once instead of twice. Sydney to Toronto: about 23 hours Sydney to Honolulu: nonstop about 10 hours Honolulu to Toronto: nonstop about 12 hours Sydney to Los Angeles: nonstop about 14 hours Los Angeles to Toronto: nonstop about 5 hours We survived Aukland to the Midwest via Los Angeles and Chicago. You know your capabilities better than I do. We sailed on Noordam from Vancouver to Aukland in 2018. We both thoroughly enjoyed the cruise. I blogged here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2592005-live-the-grouch-on-the-noordam-for-38-days-to-new-zealand-sept-30-2018/#comment-55903251

I believe that German law requires that identification be carried, doesn't have to be a passport. I use a concealed money belt for IDs, cash, and credit/debit cards.

I check out them all, plus Oceania and Viking world cruise blogs. Some I read every day, every post, some I scan or look at the photos or menus. I like some better than others, am careful not to criticize any of the bloggers, I want them to continue blogging. It's a real commitment of time and energy to blog throughout a four month cruise. I appreciate all the bloggers and do not want to discourage any of them. I am looking forward to a little more free time in the mornings when the world cruises end.

How horrible for your daughter, MomC. How did it go from there? What did they do about missing passports? Were they able to continue cruising?

Wow. You would think they would just cut back from a bus to a van or from a van to a sedan.

I've loved them all. Tied for First Place: Noordam: 38 days, Vancouver to Aukland. The longer the better. Great ports, lots of fun Australians aboard. Finally crossed the equator by ship. Sea days were as much fun as port days. Itinerary: Vancouver, Canada; Honolulu, Hawaii; Kona, Hawaii; Apia, Samoa; Suva, Fiji; Dravui Island, Fiji; Lautoka, Fiji; Lifou, New Caledonia; Mare, New Caledonia; Sydney, Australia; Melbourne, Australia; Hobart, Tasmania, Australia; Milford Sound, New Zealand; Dunedin (Port Chalmers), New Zealand; Akaroa, New Zealand; Picton, New Zealand; Wellington, New Zealand; Napier, New Zealand; Tauranga, New Zealand; Aukland, New Zealand. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2592005-live-the-grouch-on-the-noordam-for-38-days-to-new-zealand-sept-30-2018/ Prinsendam: 30 days, Athens to Fort Lauderdale. The longer the better. Had a blast. My sister was aboard with cousin Mimi, who kept us amused with tales from the smoking area. Smokers seemed to lead more interesting lives. Athens, Greece; Larnaca, Cyprus; Ashdod, Israel, Haifa, Israel; Rhodes, Santorini, & Crete, Greece; Valletta, Malta; Messina, Naples, & Civitavecchia, Italy; Barcelona, Cartegena, Malaga, & Huelva, Spain; Lisbon & Funchal, Madeira, Portugal; Fort Lauderdale. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2329674-live-the-grouch-on-the-prinsendam-october-20-2016-for-30-days/ Every port a winner except Huelva.

You have to wonder how some widows/widowers survive.

Why would two adults have to stay together on an excursion? Is one of them incapable of following the guide's instructions? Pretend you are two solo travelers and quit worrying about your spouse.

Whatever they are, the plastic rivets on the inside don't burn a bald guy's head like the metal rivets do.

Send a note to the Hotel Manager mentioning that you would like to meet with him before you contact the attorney general.

Something from March 14th? Looks like pi to me.

See if someone answers the phone. miami.fbi.gov (754) 703-2000

I would think that provisioning would be a huge expense. How much did it cost to have eight containers of supplies shipped to Dakar that were not delivered? Great thread, Pete.

Worked for me on a MacBook with Firefox browser, two identical eight second videos of costumed stilt dancers. Great thread, by the way.

Waffles instead of mussels?

Thanks, VMax1700. I found my great-grandfather's listing (+ 4 unnamed family members) from a 1902 European trip.

Marine Traffic lists ICS Allegiance as an oil products tanker. https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:731476/mmsi:311000480/imo:9587427/vessel:ICS_ALLEGIANCE

Hot tubs are disgusting as soon as a stranger steps into it, you won't find me in one. Ever.

Medical insurance is another item to check. In USA, many policies limit you to 72 days of travel. Medical evacuation insurance is another thing to consider. I have dreamed of an Africa circumnavigation (Holland America has a roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale this fall) or world cruise. I would choose a small number of long cruises over a large number of short cruises any day. This guy spends most of year at sea and is just finishing up numerous back to backs on the same ship: https://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com/ Interesting reading is available on the world cruise board: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/674-world-cruising/

Holland America does a good job with breakfast in both the dining room and the Lido buffet. I enjoy a calm, solo breakfast in the MDR, reading an ebook, happy to have someone wait on me. They were awful slow to bring coffee on my last cruise, previous cruises had messed up breakfast orders. I don't have to watch the buffet people grab things without using the tongs or lick their fingers as they use the sticky serving spoons..

That is a beautifully written review. Thanks, ejincali.

Here are the last 28 days to Seattle: Monday, April 10 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 8:00pm Tuesday, April 11 Omaezaki, Japan 7:00am 4:00pm Wednesday, April 12 Kobe, Japan 9:00am 9:00pm Thursday, April 13 Kochi, Japan 10:00am 5:00pm Friday, April 14 Kanmon Strait (Cruising) Friday, April 14 Fukuoka, Japan Noon 11:00pm Saturday, April 15 At Sea Sunday, April 16 Kanazawa, Japan 8:00am 8:00pm Monday, April 17 At Sea Tuesday, April 18 Busan, South Korea 10:00am 5:00pm Wednesday, April 19 At Sea Thursday, April 20 Otaru, Japan Noon 5:00pm Friday, April 21 Aomori, Japan 9:00am 7:00pm Saturday, April 22 Hakodate, Japan 7:00am 6:00pm Sunday, April 23 At Sea Monday, April 24 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 6:30am 7:00pm Tuesday, April 25 At Sea Wednesday, April 26 Kushiro, Japan 8:00am 5:00pm Thursday, April 27 Cross International Dateline (Cruising) Friday, April 28 At Sea Saturday, April 29 At Sea Sunday, April 30 At Sea Monday, May 1 At Sea Tuesday, May 2 Kodiak, AK 8:00am 5:00pm Wednesday, May 3 At Sea Thursday, May 4 Sitka, AK 8:00am 5:00pm Friday, May 5 Ketchikan, AK 10:00am 6:00pm Saturday, May 6 Inside Passage, AK (Cruising) Sunday, May 7 Seattle, WA 7:00am

I am smiling thinking of the '37 Buick, three owners, never restored. I had a nice chat with the owner on the Napier dock almost five years ago.