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  • Bob And Brenda Kerr
  • Bob And Brenda Kerr

World Cruise

We are embarking on our long awaited World Cruise featuring the Northern Hemisphere. Read more
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  • Trip start
    December 20, 2023
    Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler
    23

    Boarding Viking Neptune

    December 23, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    After taking a shuttle and driving past Princess and Disney docks with THOUSANDS of people, we drove up to the Viking dock...and again... absolutely zero lines and not a Viking passenger anywhere in sight.
    We walked right onboard, did a 5 minute safety brief, found Jenni at the puzzle, and now at lunch in the World Cafe.
    After lunch, we went to our room to begin the daunting task of unpacking. See photo ...and this is without 2 of our large suitcases. Our room steward laughed out loud at us!
    And then the long awaited sail away....
    The hotel in the distance is the hotel where we had 3 very relaxing days.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    First Sea Day

    December 24, 2023, Gulf of Mexico ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    We had a late breakfast and then we attended the Interdenominational Church service. After a lovely church service, we had lunch on the pool deck.
    At 1 PM, Jenni and I met at the main pool to familiarize her with our snorkeling equipment as Bob decided to forego snorkeling in Cozumel and Jenni decided to accompany me.
    After a quick shower, Bob and I headed to a Photography workshop.
    I then took picture of the ship's Christmas decorations before heading back to the stateroom to put my feet up and watch some lectures on the TV.
    I am so glad that we had three days to relax in Fort Lauderdale before we boarded the ship because we have been going non stop.
    We capped the day with dinner at the World Cafe to celebrate Dale's birthday.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler
    1
    131

    Cozumel, Mexico

    December 25, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Merry Christmas!
    Jenni and I went on a snorkeling excursion. Sadly, the reef was in very poor condition but anytime I get to be in the water is a plus.
    After stopping at one snorkeling spot, we headed to another area where the currents were a lot less intense. Here I jumped back in the water until they called me back in for lunch.
    Bob and Dale spent the day walking through town.
    It is so odd to be spending Christmas away from family. I think this will be the last time that we plan a trip away from family for the holidays.
    Along with photos from the excursion, I am also posting photos of some of the decorations around the ship.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    Second Sea Day

    December 26, 2023, Caribbean Sea ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    After a quiet morning, we attended a lecture by Mick Dawson entitled "Rowing the Atlantic". Mick, who is a former Royal Marine Commando, describe how he developed a passion for ocean rowing. In this lecture, he described (with a lot of humor) how he and his brother rowed from the Canary Islands to Barbados.
    After the lecture, we headed to to gift shop and promptly purchased two of Mick's books. We are hoping that his writing is as entertaining as his lecture. We are looking forward to his next lecture.
    Next was lunch at the World Cafe and then on to Jive dance class. In hindsight, I do not think that dancing the jive was the best choice for Bob as he is just 5 weeks out from hip replacement surgery. But, none the less, we had a great time....Bob will just end up paying for it with increased pain.
    The afternoon also saw us attending a Photography Workshop which we thought was a bit pedestrian and did not care for the lecturer's sense of humor. We were wishing that Phyllis or Dale would have been doing the lecture.
    The next lecture was entitled, "Columbus: The Man & His Mission".
    The lectures are one of the reasons that we like Viking so much.
    Bob and I then headed back to our stateroom to make a quick change before meeting Dale and Jenni in the Restaurant for dinner. This evening's dining venue was chosen because the restaurant was offering foie gras as an appetizer. Dale and I may or may not have eaten 4 servings. My arteries are sure to be narrowing considerably.
    The evening entertainment was "Southern Sounds" by the Viking Neptune Vocalists. We were fortunate to find seats in the second row next to one of the vocalist's family. It was so fun to watch them watching their daughter perform. They were very proud parents and grandparents. It made for a very special evening for Bob and I.
    I am including photos of our stateroom. Our stateroom is a few staterooms from the aft of the boat on the starboard side.
    Even with all the luggage that we brought onboard, we ended up with one empty drawer and several that were not completely full. The reason for this is that we brought storage boxes to help organize our items. We have several of these stores under our bed. They contain items such as Covid testing kits, over the counter medicines, sunscreen and other items that we may need during our trip.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    Third Sea Day

    December 27, 2023, Caribbean Sea ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    We are finding the routine of having coffee in the room and relaxing mornings quite delightful on sea days. So after making sure that Bob had medicine onboard to combat the lingering effects of the jive dance class, we headed to the 11 AM lecture entitled "Introduction to the Birds of Central America".
    Then onto lunch in the World Cafe where the foods of Mexico were featured. Tampico's it was not but was pretty good none the less.
    We then attended a French wine tasting/food pairing. This wine tasting was very informative as we know very little about French wine. Although we learned a lot, we still both agree that we like Washington and California wines much better than French wines.
    The wine tasting ran long so I missed Line Dance class. I have asked the cruise director if they could teach Wagon Wheel sometime during the cruise so I will be ready for Travis and Ashley's wedding in June if they choose to play the song by Darius Rucker as I know that Sarah is hoping for.
    I will end today by asking for you all to pray for my mother as her husband, Bruce Livingston, passed away peacefully last night after battling pancreatic cancer for almost two years. My mother was not only a loving wife but also an excellent caregiver. She is truly an example! I love her tremendously!    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler
    Cartagena's Port Oasis
    Fort at entrance to CartagenaOur next fixer upperPablo Escabar's former Villa1I love this bar.Brunch SpotFlamingos at Cartagena's Port Oasis

    Cartagena, Columbia

    December 28, 2023 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Bob and I both chose to do the Rosario Island Tour excursion.
    We departed the ship into a very industrial port. It reminded us of home with identical cranes and the so very soothing noise of backup warning signals on forklifts.
    That being said, the Port of Cartagena was very clean and well appointed. There was a charming historic building at the end of the pier which was also adorned with planters containing luscious tropical plants. At the entrance to the port, the Columbians developed a "Port Oasis" which hosts numerous tropical birds, reptiles and plants.
    Our excursion group was split into two groups. We boarded our boats and off we went.
    We sailed by a fort at the entrance to the bay where Cartagena is located. There are actually 2 forts, one in each side of the channel. This allowed canons to be fired from both sides providing a very effective defensive strategy.
    After an hour boat ride in which several people were turning green around the gills, we arrived at the Rosario Islands. We sailed by several small islands which only had one or two villas. Hermit that I am, I thought this would be an ideal place to live. I even found a fixer upper.
    Next we sailed by Pablo Escabar's abandoned villa (white building with large buoy in front pictured below) on our way to our snorkeling spot.
    Unfortunately, the reef was not very healthy and there were relatively few fish. We did see one huge school of fish 🐟🐟 with probably close to 100 fish. But, again, I was in the water so I was happy.
    The day continued with us stopping at a local bar like none other we have ever been to. This bar was located on a rocky outcropping. We had a glass of champagne but avoided any of the snacks and located a crab in the tide pool.
    The subsequent stop was at another island's beach resort where we had brunch and basked under a palapa.
    After about an hour, we boarded our boat for the hour boat ride back to the port. Bob and I decided to take one for the team and sit in the bow of the boat where the ride is a bit more intense than in the stern.
    When we got back to the port, we quickly walked through the Port Oasis and took some quick photos of some tropical birds.
    Back onboard the Neptune, we showered and headed to dinner at the Chef's table for Norwegian themed menu. This was one of the best dinners we have had anywhere onboard.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler
    Panama Canal Railroad
    Dome Train Colon to Miraflores LocksColon's In Poor ConditionRain in Panama!!!1Rain over Panama CityLocks of the Panama Canal

    Colon, Panama

    December 29, 2023 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We docked in Colon Panama at about 7 AM. I was up early because I had some work to get done.
    Our excursion for today, History Railway by Domed Train, was another long one clocking in at 8 hours in length. We were bused to the railway through the City of Colon. To say that the City of Colon is a bit rundown would be a major understatement. Our guide explained that the government was in the process of "refurbishing" the city. We saw a new baseball field under construction. But what we saw mostly were derielict buildings. We were informed that the government was in the process of relocating all the residents in the downtown area to the suburbs. The future plans for the city is to make it into a tourist zone by removing all the buildings and building shopping venues and hotels. I believe that the government is trying to reinvent Colon to resemble Panama City on the Pacific Coast.
    I have included photos of the Domed Train car along with photos taken through the bus window of Colon. It should be noted that the buildings that I was able to capture were not the most dilapidated.
    The train runs along the locks on both the Caribbean Ocean side and the Pacific Oceans side of the canal in addition to the shores of Gatun Lake. Due to the lack of rainfall, the lake's water level is low enough that measures are in place to conserve water in the lake. These measures include restricting the number of ships transiting the canal and also restricting the number of containers that a ship can carry. This necessitates ships to unload some of their containers on one side of the canal, the containers are transported via the railway, and finally the containers are reloaded once the ship has completed its journey through the canal.
    We were lectured at length about the canal as we passed by the locks and Gatun Lake.
    We disembarked the train on the Pacific Ocean side of the canal and boarded a bus for the rest of the tour.
    We had lunch at a restaurant which overlooked both Panama City and a causeway which was built to protect the canal's entrance. The causeway had meticulously manicured grounds.
    It occurred to us that not only were Colon and Panama City located on opposite ends of the canal but they also are on opposite ends of the cleanliness spectrum.
    It is with great pleasure that I can announce (Especially for my sister) that it rained in Panama City today.
    After lunch, we went to view an 3D IMAX movie on the Panama Canal.
    The theater is located directly next an extremely crowded observation area where one can get an up close view of the locks if one doesn't mind being a bit pushy. Since we knew that we were going to be getting a much better view of the locks when we sailed through them tomorrow, we didn't spend much time at the observation area.
    We then drove by bus back to our ship in the Port of Colon.
    When we got back to the ship, Bob went to dinner and I called our General Contractor, Chris Abbey, to discuss the final disbursements for Thymes2. Bob managed to join in on end of the call
    Since they were serving both Foie Gras and Lobster 🦞, We headed back to the World Cafe when we finished our call.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler
    1

    Sailing The Panama Canal

    December 30, 2023 in Panama ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    The Panama Canal is 48 miles long and spans the narrowest portion of the Panamanian isthmus.
    We began our journey through the by having the Panamanian pilot board our ship at 7:15 AM. It is mandatory that a Panamanian pilot take complete control of all ships sailing through the Panama Canal. It is hard for me to falthum the knowledge base that these pilots must have in order to be able to pilot such a vast range of boats and ships which pass through the canal.
    We passed under the Atlantic Bridge. This bridge was completed in 2019 and spans the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. The bridge has a main span of 1,740 feet. Interestingly, and concerning at the same time, it was designed by China Communication Construction Company and built by Vinci Construction. It is undoubtedly one of many construction projects which we will see on our journey which is part of China's Belt and Road Initiative.
    At 8:30 AM, we arrived at the Gatun Locks which consist of 3 locks with an elevation change of 26 meters or 85 feet. We transited through the older, original side of the canal. We departed the locks at 10:15 AM.
    From here, we entered the Gatun Lake which is a lake created by damming the Chagres River. The Gatun Dam also generates hydroelectric power.
    The next major point of interest which we sailed passed was Gamboa. Gamboa is a small township built to house employees of the Panama Canal and their dependents. The name Gamboa comes from the name of a tree of the quince family.
    Next we sailed through the Gaillard Cut which is an artificial valley that cuts through the Contential Divid in Panama. The construction of the Gaillard Cut is one of the great engineering feats of its time. The banks of the cut feature terracing as a means of bank stabilization.
    We arrived at the San Pedro Locks at 1:35 PM and departed at 2:25 PM. These locks consist of one chamber with an elevation gain of 31 feet.
    At 3:05 PM, we arrived at the Miraflores. The Miraflores Locks consist of 2 chamber with a gain in elevation of 54 feet. We departed the Miraflores Locks at 4:15 PM.
    We then sailed under the Bridge of the Americas and entered the Pacific Ocean.
    Our reflection on the Panama Canal is that it is truly an engineering feat. One may ask: Why are the locks necessary when sea level is at sea level be it in the Pacific or Atlantic. The problem originates in the fact that the high tide levels are different between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean thereby necessitating the lock system.
    Secondly, our feeling is that it was a mistake for the US to give the canal back to Panama.
    *Please note, I have used Wikipedia for some of the information in this post.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    Fourth Sea Day

    December 31, 2023, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Our sea day traditions continues. Since we had Internet service this morning, we loaded books on Bob's Kindle. We also watched Mick Dawson's lecture on "Rowing the North Pacific Alone". We are thoroughly enjoying Mr. Dawson's lecture.
    Bob ran upstairs to grab a bit of breakfast. Meanwhile, I tried to get some work done but internet was not playing nice so I worked briefly on the blog.
    We then headed to the lecture by Mr. Iain James Kennedy entitled, "Manuel Noriega & His Reign of Terror in Panama".
    We had our first unhosted Interdenominational Services which went very well. Dale and Jenni made announcement that we were planning on having Bible Study during the World Cruise.
    On our way to dinner, we passed by the atrium and saw that they were serving Champagne and Caviar. Brenda may or may not have RAN down the Grand Staircase to get in line for the Caviar.
    Next we headed up to the World Cafe for dinner. Someone is granting all my wishes as they were serving Prime Rib and Lobster. My skipping of breakfast has now become mandatory because Viking is tending to serve ALL my favorite foods.
    We did not stay up until midnight because I had an early morning bike ride.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler
    1

    Puntarenas, Costa Rica

    January 1, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Costa Rica will forever be linked in my mind with The Bike ride.
    When we signed up for the biking excursion, we thought they were E-Bikes. We found out that they were not E-Bikes, Bob decided not to join what would end up being a torturous ride. I was not so intelligent.
    I donned my biking gear along with a cooling scarf and fan as the forecast was that the temperature would be low 90's with very high humidity and headed to the bus at 7:45 AM. We took a van ride for about an hour. We were assigned helmets and gulp...mountain bikes. My thought was...really??? I thought we would be riding beach cruisers on a flat, paved trail. Do they not know that we are a bunch of old people?
    We were given very brief introduction to the bikes and how to shift gears. They could have just skipped how to shift because the bikes had a mind of their own and would, or would not, shift totally randomly.
    Ultimately, off we went. Our journey began with a couple of gradual inclines. We then began a descent on roads with huge potholes and loose gravel. My thought at this point was: Well, I can handle this. They were brilliant in planning this ride. Having transported us to an elevated beginning with only a slight incline and then all we would have to do is ride down to the ocean.
    Hmmm...this was only wishful thinking. We then began climbing mountain after mountain after mountain on bikes that would not shift. At this point, my heart is beating at 170 BPM, I am sweating like a pig, and I am gasping for breath. I am wondering how others being me are fairing and trying to remember my CPR training because as much as I was suffering, I was sure someone in our group was going to have a heart attack. I finally called uncle and got off my bike before I came to a complete standstill, fell off my bike and end up rolling in the dirt. Upon looking behind me, there was not one person still on their bike.
    This process continued summit after summit.
    We were so thrilled for the guide to have spotted some monkey in trees so we could all have a chance to catch our breath. We all pretended to be enthralled with the monkeys until our breathing normalized and we were now melting because it was so hot that we jumped back on our bikes just to get some breeze and cool off a bit...at least until we hit the next mountain that we would have to summit.
    My thought was, where is Chris Abbey right now? I need to be in his slipstream before I die.
    We finally made it to the beach. I desperately wanted to jump into the water but there was so much trash on the beach that I feared for my health if I got into the water. We had some fruit and we all were lining up our bikes to have them loaded on the trailer only to be told that we had to get back in our bikes and ride back up the hill that we had just rode down. Come to find out, this was only so we could ride to a place where there were restrooms which were quite questionable. I passed on the restroom break.
    Finally, we all hauled our sweat, exhausted carcasses into the van. We were so thankful that the air conditioner was actually working.
    We made the journey back to the ship.
    I promptly jumped in the shower and collapsed in bed.
    Meanwhile, Bob went to a town square and watched children dance. His and Dale's impression of Costa Rica was a clean country with very little graffiti.
    My impression was that of a hot, filthy country with a lot of graffiti. I am surprised that a country that a country is dependent on Eco-tourism doesn't concentrate more on garbage removal.
    Bob came back to the room to find me passed out on the bed with exhaustion.
    He aroused me from my stupor to notify me that I had about 15 minutes to get ready for dinner. I flew out of bed, threw some makeup on, hair went up in a clip and I made it out the door in less than the 15 minutes he had granted me.
    This will not be the last time that we go from a dead stop to a full sprint. My time management is proving to be very faulty.
    We had our first dinner at Manfredi's.
    Unbeknownst to us because we were having such a lovely dinner and conversations with Dale and Jenni, the ship had turned around and headed back to Puntarenas. We stopped in the harbor. One.of the tenders was dispatched, went ashore, and returned to the ship an hour later.
    We discovered that there was a medical emergency. I later heard from one of the patient's friends that the person was to spend a week in the hospital. No further information was given.
    This is the explanation for the return sailing to Costa Rica.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler
    5

    Fifth Sea Day

    January 2, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    Life onboard the Viking Neptune is tending to have great similarities to our lives at home. Namely, that we tend to go from a dead stop to a full sprint in the blink of an eye. Examples of this occurred both last night prior to dinner (see Costa Rica post) and again this morning. This morning we were lounging in our stateroom, listening to the lecture entitled, "Simon Bolivar, The Liberator" when my alarm went off stating that our behind the scenes tour was beginning in less than an hour. Bob and I promptly jumped out of bed and began scurrying around trying to get dressed, getting the stateroom back into some semblance of order (similar to the fact that I clean the house before our cleaners come, I also straighten up the stateroom before the room stewards come in to clean), and Bob wanted to grab a bite to eat. Bob went to the World Cafe while I finished in the stateroom. I was on my way to the World Cafe when some of our friends met who we met at the French wine tasting me ran into me the stairwell and told me they were having a brunch on the pool deck. At this point, our morning went from a bit hectic to totally crazy ending with me running from one end of the ship to the other. I found Bob in the buffet line and told him that there was a brunch being served. He already had a plate in his hand so he found an empty table and placed his plate of food on the table. We then went out to the pool deck only to find out that the brunch was only just being set up and not ready. So back to the World Cafe we went and found Bob's plate waiting for us. Just as he began eating, two of my fellow suffers from the bike adventure yesterday walked by and I introduced them to Bob. We ended up chatting for a few minutes. At this point, I had to excuse ourselves and explain that we had a tour. The hour that we had to get to the tour had now evaporated. We proceeded to the first floor and found what we thought was our tour in progress...and uggg...everyone had their QuietVox which is the device that Viking uses so the tour guide is able speak into a microphone which is transmitted to one's individual QuietVox. So, I was off for a rapid journey to our stateroom to retrieve our QuietVoxes. I should add at this point that, not knowing that Bob would just be less than 6 weeks from his hip replacement surgery, we chose the same stateroom as we had on our previous World Cruise but our stateroom is 3 stateroom from the stern of the ship causing us to have long walks from the elevators. I got to our stateroom to find the QuietVoxes in there charger but, alas, Bob's earpiece was nowhere to be found. I proceeded to tear the stateroom (which, I will remind you, I had just straightened) apart looking for Bob's earpiece. Having found it in the bottom of his backpack, I was off again to make the journey from stern to bow. I made it to the atrium and ask one of the Viking staff which channel our QuietVox should be tuned to...only to be told that this was the end of the tour not the beginning and that I should check with Guest Services to confirm what tour we were signed up for. So I head over to Guest Service. I was told that we were actually scheduled on the 11:15 tour. I need to explain at this point that time on the ship is not necessaries the same time in port. The night before we were told to set our clocks an hour back which has to be done manually. Since I wanted to record how much torture I was subjected to during our bike ride yesterday, I connected to cellular service so my Oura ring could record my exercise which, inadvertently, changed the time so it was no longer in sync with the ship's time. This tends to really mess with times on one's calendar.
    Now, totally sweating, I walked over to Bob and told him that we were on the next tour.
    We then decided to head to the Explorer's lounge to watch the whitecaps. Yes, my friends, we have some movement being felt in the ship-not nearly enough-but motion none the less.
    After some time watching the waves, I made the journey back to our stateroom to pick up our sunglasses as I knew that after our tour, we would want to go to the pool deck (as now neither of us have had anything to eat) for brunch.
    I met Bob in the atrium with QuietVox and sunglasses in hand.
    The behind the scenes tour was fascinating. We toured the kitchens, loading dock, main "highways" running north-south and east-west, engineering, laundry, crew quarter areas, and guest services area.
    Finally, we headed to the pool deck for the brunch. The brunch was spectacular!
    I received some emails that I needed to answer so after stuffing ourselves, we proceeded back to the stateroom.
    I worked and Bob spent some time on our balcony to photograph the birds soaring around the ship.
    Bob went to the photography workshop.
    I continued to work and also to work on this blog entry.
    I will meet Bob for the lecture on Central America Today at 4:30.
    We will then have dinner at the Chef's Table for a Mexican centered menu.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    Sixth Sea Day

    January 3, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    Much to my disappointment, the seas have calmed even more as we awoke this morning.
    We actually went to the gym today. I rowed about 6000 meters while Bob rode the bike. The gym is very well equipped.
    We then came back to the room. I worked and Bob sat on the Balcony.
    We showered and went to have lunch.
    I came back to the room to work. Bob went to a Photography Workshop.
    We met Dale and Jenni at the Chef's Table. The menu was Xiang. The meal was incredible and all four of us enjoyed it immensely. We decided to try and book another night with this same menu. So we called the restaurant manager to our table and she scheduled reservations for us for the evening of January 5.
    Bob went to the show while I chose to go back to the stateroom.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    Seventh Sea Day

    January 3, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We watched lectures this morning and then headed to the gym. We are finding that burning calories is mandatory to compensate for all the great food onboard.
    Bob rode the bike and is seeing some improvement in his hip. I did the stair climber.
    Next on my agenda was to find an open washer to get some wash done. I had to investigate 3 floors from stern to bow before I found a washer that was almost available but by the time I ran to the stateroom grabbed my laundry and made it back down 2 floors, someone else had put their laundry in the washer. So I got to visit with other passengers while I waited for another washer to be freed up. One learns so much in a launderette about fellow passengers.
    After laundry, time to shower, kick up my feet briefly before heading to dinner.
    After dinner, I headed to the puzzle table for the first time in this cruise.
    At 8:30 we headed to the Star Theater to hear a concert by Heather Clancy. Heather is a Mezzo-soprano who was the Cruise Director on our 2019 WC. The concert was fantastic.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    Eighth Sea Day

    January 4, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    We again watched lectures that we missed. We also decided to take the day off from exercise. So I worked and Bob went down to the library. He met Dale there and they chatted for several hours. I caught up with Dale, Jenni, and Bob on the Aquavit Terrace for a late lunch. Bob and I then headed to Manfredi's for an Italian wine tasting. We like Italian wines so much better than French wine. Italian wines are so much more complex and multidiimensional.
    Next on the agenda was the Port Talk on Cabo. We are scheduled to arrive in Cabo by 9 AM.
    We are going back to the Chef's table tonight to enjoy the same dinner we had on Jan. 3. We may or may not have had several servings of the sweet and sour soup. The dinner was fabulous.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler
    Sun rise in Cabo
    View from StateroomFirst Tender Ride1The OfficeArchChef's Table Lobster & Chicken Shu MaiPeking DuckAsian Trilogy Dessert

    Cabo, Mexico

    January 6, 2024 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We arrived in Cabo about an hour and a half early.
    Cabo is a tender port.
    I am happy to report that we had the most rocking and rolling last night to date.
    We went to the World Cafe for breakfast and/or coffee.
    Our tour was to meet in the Star Theatre by 10 AM so we headed there at about 9:30. By 10:10 AM we were headed to the tenders.
    We had an amazing tour called "Whale Watching in the Sea of Cortez". Although we did not technically make it to the sea of Cortez, we saw a ton of whale activity. The younger whales have just recently been born. They are practicing breaching. We saw mothers breach followed by the baby breaching. They were also slapping their fins against the water. It was hard to get good photos because the seas were a bit rough which I thoroughly enjoyed. Our boat was a larger boat and wanted to keep its distance from the whales so as to not frighten them. I will post more pictures after I have a chance to process the photos that we took on our cameras. In the meantime, I will post one that I took with my phone.
    After the whale watching, Bob and I walked around the marina and headed to one of our favorite restaurants in Cabo, The Office. We soon had a margarita in hand, feet in the sand, and we're eating chips, pico de Gallo, guacamole, calamari, and coconut shrimp.
    After lunch, we caught a water taxi back to the other side of the marina. We bought a couple of hats before heading to the ship's tender for the ride back to the ship.
    It was a perfect day in Cabo.
    Now for dinner at the Chef's Table.
    Chef's table tonight featured Asian Panorama with Peking Duck. It was good but we preferred the Xiang menu.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    Nineth Sea Day

    January 6, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Theme of today: Relax and Recuperate
    I skipped breakfast and lunch, gave myself a manicure/pedicure, listened to books and started crocheting an infant's hat. On our last World Cruise, the women made hats for infants and donated them to hospitals in Africa. I am anticipating that they will do the same this year but possibly donating them in India instead. So, I thought I would get a jump on the process.
    Bob has come down with a cold so he is also appreciating a slow day.
    The ship has been gently rolling all day and I am VERY pleased to say that the Captain said we are heading into 45 MPH winds this evening. Woohoo!!! Crossing fingers for some rough seas.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler
    Office Setup
    Baby Hat that I finished today.

    Tenth Sea Day

    January 8, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Theme of Today-Sickness and Internet Frustration.

    Since Bob is not feeling well, we had breakfast delivered to our room.

    Bob finally agreed to go to the doctor at 4 PM. We have a ton of medicine on board but I wanted him to get tested to see if it is Covid, Flu, or just a cold. Then we can treat accordingly. I opted not to go with him in order for me to steer clear of the most contaminated area of the ship. Will let you know the diagnosis when he gets back.

    I spent the day working on financials for our lender. I am about ready to pull my hair out. Internet is very slow but as soon as I connect the VPN, it is impossible to do anything. I spent the morning working and only got done in 4 hours what would normally take me 30 minutes.

    After being totally frustrated, I went to the World Cafe for lunch by myself.

    Next, I cancelled Bob's excursion in LA. So it will be just Dale, Jenni and I going on the excursion to Santa Monica so we can go to Target and get some items that we need.

    I then came back to the room and tried working for a bit but, eventually, I threw up my hands and decided to finish the baby hat that I started yesterday.

    Hoping to meet Dale and Jenni for dinner.

    I am attaching a photo of my office set up.

    Bob has influenza A. We started him on Tamiflu.

    BTW...I am happy to report that we had very good wave action last night.!    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler
    Target's High Security for Toothpaste
    Dale at the Tesla storeReception for World Cruise Guests

    Los Angeles

    January 9, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    Dale, Jenni and I chose the excursion: Santa Monica On Your Own. We chose this excursion because the Pritchetts needed some prescriptions and I needed some additional over the counter medicines. There is a Target within a couple of blocks of where the bus dropped us off. It was an interesting experience because several other people from the bus had the same idea. We descended on the Target enmasse. This was a very small Target which had almost everything locked up. The poor employee who was working in the OTC area got overwhelmed with all of us asking to have cabinets unlocked so we could reach toothpaste, cold medicines, and various other sundries.
    After shopping, we stopped by the Tesla store and then proceeded to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch.
    We then caught the bus back to the ship and I unpacked my purchases.
    There was a welcome reception on the pool deck at 5:30. So I changed and headed up for the festivities wishing that Bob was joining me because he helps ameliorate my social awkwardness. Surprisingly, I met several people who were on the 2019 WC.
    The CEO of Viking Cruises, Torstein Hagen, and his daughter, Karine, were at the reception. Mr. Hagen spoke but I was in the back of the room so did not hear much of his speech. I did hear when he spoke about the conflict in the middle east. He wished a speedy resolution to the conflict for those most effected. He did mention that he also hopes that we will be able to sail through the Suez Canal and not have to sail around Africa. I was disappointed to hear that this was the optional route being considered because I would have preferred a route up to Japan, over to Alaska and back through the Panama Canal. We continue to hope that the conflict will be resolved.
    We have been unable to listen to the news as the live TV broadcast on ship has been non-existent. This has been a real struggle for Bob as he has been confined to the stateroom. There are only so many TED talks a person can listen to.
    After the reception, Dale, Jenni and I met Krystal and Henry at the Chef's table for the "California" menu which featured an outstanding halibut dish as the main course.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler
    Santa Barbara from Our Stateroom

    Santa Barbara

    January 9, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    We were scheduled to go to the Reagan Presidental Library. Since Bob is still not feeling well, we decided to both cancel the excursion because I didn't want to go without him. We will just have to plan on visiting at a later date.
    Without any excursions scheduled, I spent the day working. I had been having major difficulties connecting to the Internet. I texted Rob and he gave me a solution that worked wonderfully. I am so thankful for him as he has proven time and time again to be my personal IT support team.
    Later, I had dinner with Dale and Jenni in the World Cafe. They featured escargot and lamb. Chef Willie continues to some of my favorites.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    Eleventh Sea Day

    January 10, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    I am pleased to report that shortly after departing Santa Barbara, the seas have picked and we have been rocking and rolling all last night.
    We had breakfast in the room and I worked on updating this travel blog before getting back to work.Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler
    Foie Gras AppitizerShort RibBread PuddingDeconstructed Walnut Cake

    Twelfth Sea Day

    January 12, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    We began the day with Bible Study. The women met in Torshavn and the men met in the private dining room outside of the Chef's Table restaurant.
    Bob and I met back in the stateroom. I worked and Bob caught up on lecture.
    After I finished the current financial project and got it emailed, we went to the World Cafe for lunch. We have noticed that the World Cafe is so much busier now that everyone onboard ship is doing the World Cruise. Since so many are eating in the World Cafe, we decided to meet Dale and Jenni in the restaurant. We are hoping for quicker service this time.
    After lunch, I went to the puzzle table since my work project was completed. Bob went back to the stateroom and caught up on remaining lectures.
    Unfortunately, the seas have calmed tremendously. The Captain explained that he headed an extra 800 miles south because there was a large low pressure system which was causing rough seas so he headed for calmer waters. We are currently sailing at 17 knots and have a 1 knot current helping us along.
    I am attaching a photo of the ship tracker because the tracker in this apt is not doing well in the middle of the Pacific.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    Thirteenth Sea Day

    January 13, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Good news...seas have picked up so we are happily rocking and rolling.
    Bad news...I was overly optimistic about by ability to avoid getting the flu. I was feeling poorly in the middle of the night so I started Tamiflu.
    Bob went to the mixed group Bible study and a lecture in the afternoon.
    I stayed in the room.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    Fourteenth Sea Day

    January 14, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    I ordered breakfast in the room and are planning on staying in the stateroom today to continue to get better. Since I started Tamiflu much sooner after the onset of symptoms than Bob, I am having a much milder case of the flu.
    My plans today consist of watching the TV series, Elementary and Blue Bloods. We still do not have access to live TV.
    The seas continue to be moderate which means that we are still experiencing an adequate amount of motion.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    Fifteenth Sea Day

    January 15, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Feels like ground hog day. Another day of recovery locked in the stateroom.
    The Captain informed us at noon today that he was increasing our speed because there was high winds forecast for the Honolulu area and he wanted to beat the weather. So we would get to Honolulu around midnight. My two cents would have been to play in the wind.
    So seas have calmed and no playing in the wind.    Read more

  • Bob And Brenda KerrWorld CruiseTraveler

    Oahu (Honolulu), Hawaii

    January 16, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    The theme for today was solemn reflection. We signed up for an Excursion to Pearl harbor. We chose to change our time from the early morning tour to the last one of the day because I had purchased tickets to visit the USS Arizona Memorial which the Viking excursion did not include.
    Our tour guide for the bus ride to Pearl Harbor was the best guide we have ever had on any tour. He had a video presentation on the bus's monitors. He was knowledgeable and very easy to understand. I only wish all of our bus rides were this informative and enjoyable.
    We arrived at Pearl Harbor around noon and went to see if we could get on the boat to the USS Arizona earlier because if we waited for the time I had reserved, we would miss the bus back to the ship and would have had to catch a cab.
    After being told that we should just watch the length of the standby line and that it was a good probability that we could get an earlier boat, we got in line to watch the film about the events of December 7, 1941. The film was outstanding and also very sobering.
    While we were watching the film, the weather changed and it started raining. We exited the theater into a tropical rain shower.
    As we were seeking shelter so our cameras would not get wet, we saw that the standby line was almost non-existent. So we jumped in line and were immediately ushered into another theater. We were privileged to hear a Park Ranger tell a story about a member of United States Navy and a Japanese bomber pilot who met at Pearl Harbor and reconciled. It was such a an appropriate introduction before we headed to the USS Arizona as we all could have been focused on the atrocities that were perpetrated by the Japanese. We were now focused on forgiveness.
    We boarded the boat which would take us to the USS Arizona Memorial By the time we actually arrived at the Memorial, we were drenched. We viewed the USS Arizona from the Memorial and viewed the wall of names of those who lost their lives and were still entombed in the USS Arizona.
    One of my great uncles was in the USS Arizona so this was a personally impactful.
    After the solemn visit, we returned by bus to the ship.    Read more

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