• Travel with the Wicks
  • Travel with the Wicks

Cruise to BRAZIL

November 2025 Läs mer
  • Resans start
    11 november 2025

    We are off!

    11 november, Kanada ⋅ 🌙 3 °C

    Up at 4am for an 8 am departure. We are connecting via Toronto to Miami and expect to board our ship tomorrow for a 25 day cruise to the Amazon in northern Brazil. So far everything is fine. We are seated on an A321 just about ready to leave YYC.Läs mer

  • Miami

    12 november, Förenta staterna ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    All of our worrying has paid off because none of the things we worried about happened. Clearing US customs was a non event, and although the flight from Toronto left a little late, we had no issues concerning air traffic control.

    This morning we took a walk to the Publix supermarket for some cheap wine. When I say we, I mean Dianne and I and our travel companions Liz and Alan. CVS pharmacy was not far away from the Publix and we had a couple of things in mind we could get there as well. When we exited CVS, there was four chickens strutting around the parking lot. The first thing that comes to my mind is “what event in the lives of these four chickens made them decide to make their way to the CVS?” Did they catch a ride together and get dropped off, or did they make a pilgrimage from the hen house to the drug store. I didn’t have time to see what their plans were as we had to get going to the ship so we walked home wondering.
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  • Das Boat!

    12 november, Förenta staterna ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    The boat people are all older folks. Unlike the gym we go to where there is a mixture of young and old this is a collection of geriatrics. I thought I saw a child and was amazed for a second until I realized it was just a person of short stature. It was an old woman dressed as a child.
    The boat is nice. We have been on one like it in the Oceania fleet before, but my memory is that my room was bigger than the one we have now. Maybe I have grown.
    The ship is called Insignia. There is about 300 staff for about 600 passengers.
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  • Lazy day at sea!

    13 november, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    We were up at 7; no actually a call came in at 0653 announcing our coffee was on the way! So, nice coffee, puzzles then off to breakfast and the gym! Not a bad start….next coffee break cappachino and cookies.
    Showered, read books and enjoyed our deck off our room and it is lunch,
    After lunch returned to our room for a short nap. 1 1/2 hours later we got ready for drinks and dinner!
    Lovely evening with Liz and Alan. Dinner at Toscano and the a show with singer Kenny James. He was famous for “ Rock the Boat”
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  • Another relaxing day at sea,

    14 november, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Today we enjoyed a morning coffee in our room and then up for a quick breakfast before working out! Spent the rest of the morning relaxing and reading our books.
    Before dinner we enjoyed drinks and hordeurves in our friends room. They were upgraded and enjoy some extra perks. We watched the sunset before heading to dinner and evening show.Läs mer

  • Tour of Antigua

    15 november, Antigua och Barbuda ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    It’s a small bus tour of Antigua today. The island has 365 beaches and is pleasant to visit. We didn’t see any golf courses on the tour so Dianne asked our tour guide Kiki if there are any golfers on the island. Kiki replied after some thought that they only have Meerkats and the odd chipmunk.
    Interesting facts, you must be 21 to drink, 18 to drive and only 16 to marry!
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  • Refresher in the afternoon

    15 november, Antigua och Barbuda ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Our last stop, and most welcomed on Antigua was at Pigeon Point Beach.
    A public beach with white, soft sand and warm water. We spent a hour and half enjoying the relaxing surroundings.

    Then a return trip to the dock where the music blared. The shops were closed except for Casinos and diamond shops. Back on the ship for an enjoyable meal.Läs mer

  • St Lucia

    16 november, Saint Lucia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    We booked a tour to the Soufriere Volcano. We began in the city of Castries. There were some”planned”stops along the way. These all did not happen, more like drive-byes!

    We passed a couple of quaint fishing towns along the way. The road was winding and narrow, one I needed gravol for.

    We had a stop at the Marantha Gardens. A welcomed stroll. Then to the “drive-in “ volcanoe. Soufriere “Sulphur” Mountain was ok but we have seen the mud pots, steaming pools before. The volcano last erupted in 1766, so our guide said they were due for another.

    We then had a quick stop for some delicious lime juice and then to the roller coaster ride back to the ship.

    The hot tub was calling us so we made an appearance and got ready or a quick dinner. We joined our friends Liz and Alan for a rousing game of corn hole! Sadly we lost!

    Our first impressions of St Lucia was disappointing . One of first things that stood out was there was that it was not as clean as Antigua and did not seem as welcoming either.
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  • Grenada

    17 november, Trinidad och Tobago ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Our travel partners Liz and Alan know a family that owns a hotel in Grenada. It is called the Calabash and we did not know what to expect. An internet search revealed it is one of the top 500 hotels in the world. I guess we’ll see.

    Transport needed to be arranged from the ship to the hotel as it is situated about 25 minutes north of our port. We used an “easy mark, hard ass” routine to work out the price. My role was “easy mark” Dianne is more comfortable with “Hard ass” Alan has already informed our driver of the destination and I ask the price. The driver says it is 15 bucks a person or 60 bucks. I say 60 to Dianne who responds in a slightly raised voice that it is too much, I ask if he can do it for fifty. Dianne thinks this is still too much but I give the guy a look that makes him think I can sell fifty to the boss and he agrees fifty.

    We are greeted at the Hotel by Raquel, the manager. She is welcoming and charming. The property is exquisite, located on the ocean with a private beach. They have about 30 rooms and are expanding. Each of the rooms is a villa with a view of the ocean. There is a pool and a tennis court. We are offered lunch in an outdoor restaurant before we take advantage of the pool. Lunch was served with drinks and dessert. We changed and spent the afternoon at the infinity pool. We all had a lovely day and the Calabash front desk staff organized a cab ride back for less than the fifty we paid to get here.

    This evening there was a dance party on the deck which we attended for a little while until a downpour broke things up.

    Grenada is a lovely island, clean, no garbage. They produce and sell nutmeg and bananas. Our cab driver for the return ride to the ship was very well spoken and told us that Grenada is the High Tech hub of the Caribbean. We would visit this Island again.
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  • Argyle Hike

    18 november, Grenada ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Dianne and I have been to Argyle Falls about 25 years ago. This was a walk back in time for us. We did it with two other friends, and back then we hiked a little further up the falls to a higher pool, but it is still the same as we remember. It was more romantic back then. With a hiking group of 18, some of the romance is lost.Läs mer

  • Another time change!

    20 november, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Well we really slept in this morning 9:15, yes the clocks jumped ahead another hour today. Lazy breakfast, lazy gym workout, lazy lunch, lazy afternoon by the pool, another round o miniature golf, enjoyed our deck and it is dinner time! Where has the day gone😀Läs mer

  • Crossing the equator

    21 november, Brasilien ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    We have crossed the equator and are in the southern hemisphere. To mark this occasion the ship staff have concocted some hazing of those who go for that kind of thing. First you are cornobbled (slapped with a fish) and then doused with cold water. It is very similar to being Screeched in Newfoundland except in Newfoundland you only have to kiss the fish and drink the Screech. In most instances here, folks were just kissing the fish and forgoing the beating. Anyhow, you get a certificate to commemorate the event.Läs mer

  • Santarem

    22 november, Brasilien ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We are anchored in the middle of the Amazon and use the Insignia’s tender boats to bring us to shore. From there we board a bus that has previous been used for public transit. It is old and air conditioned with windows that are wide open. We intend to go for a hike in the rainforest.
    Our guide Paulo talks about how heartbroken he is regarding the deforestation of the rainforest. In the hour it takes to drive to Tapajos National Forest, you can see that a lot of land has been cleared for agricultural uses.
    The rainforest we visit, like some of the forest we have driven by has tall trees and is more accessible than I thought it would be. Walking under the canopy of the forest is easy. Our group of about 20 moves fairly slow and we get to see a collection of trees including the Rubber tree, the Brazil nut tree, Cumaru and a cedar.
    It is hot and humid, so when we got back on the boat Dianne was pretty happy to take a shower.

    In the video, like bug spray…..crush the bugs and rub on arms. Smells like bug spray and works!
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  • Boca Da Valeria

    23 november, Brasilien ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Boca Da Valeria is a small village on the Amazon river. It was described in a review Dianne read as totally fake, with fake costumes on the kids and dress up warriors. That might be true but it was still awesome. The pictures are of our preparations for going to the village and our evening afterwards.Läs mer

  • Small boat cruisin’

    23 november, Brasilien ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    We arrived at the pier by tender boat and are greeted by what appears to be every child in the village. Their job is to escort us to the village and be cute. Our foursome had previously decided to go on a boat ride up the small contributary to the Amazon and around a lake.
    Our boat is a small wooden skiff that carries 4 passengers and the driver. We are about 2 minutes into or boat ride when the driver begins to bale water from the boat as he drives. It was disconcerting, but we were not far from shore so no worries. We had heard the night before that leaky boats was a possibility on this ride.
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  • Manaus

    24 november, Brasilien ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Manaus as a city is underwhelming. There are two and a half million people here and in the 20th century it was the center of the rubber trade. Today Manaus has a large petroleum refinery and is the economic centre for Northern Brazil. It is connected by road only to Venezuela but not to any other large city in Brazil.

    The Opera House is worth the visit. Built in the 19th century and is 126 years old. It was built during the rubber boom. The dome is decorated with ceramics of the colors of the Brazilian flag.
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  • Manaus Day 1 - Meeting of the Waters

    24 november, Brasilien ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Manaus is location on the Rio Negro and our excursion is to an area where the houses are floating on January Lake, connected to the river. The water depth of the river varies by more than 15 meters between rainy and dry season so a floating house is an asset for this region.

    For all the resident creatures here in the Amazon - monkeys, jaguar, 300 species of birds, pink dolphins, deer, iguanas and sloths; they have remained very hidden.

    Where the water of the Rio Negro flows into the Amazon is interesting to see because the waters don’t mix right away, but flow side by side for a distance. The acidity of the Negro is higher and the temperature is warmer as well.
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  • Parintins

    26 november, Brasilien ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    After the Boi Bumba show we went shopping! Then hired a driver to take us around Parintins! Nice place, examples of the history of Boi Bumba are displayed everywhere. The place is full of art and very clean. We could have spent more time here. It is an encouraging contrast to Manaus, where the city and river were less clean and bright. The personality of Parintins seemed as colourful as the costumes.Läs mer

  • Boi Bumba

    26 november, Brasilien ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    The Boi Bumba is a colourful festival in late June that celebrates the legend of a resurrected ox. For our day in Parintins the locals put on a demonstration of a smaller scale version of what happens at the festival. It is engaging to say the least.

    We had another restaurant booking tonight and enjoyed a good meal however….

    The last photo is off BLT salad I ordered; not what expected and the dressing was ketchup! Won’t be ordering that again.
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