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Morris & Susan's Viking WC
  • Susan Abell
  • Morris Abell

Morris & Susan's Viking WC

Set Sail for a 4 Month Viking Neptune 4 Month World Ocean Cruise Read more
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  • Trip start
    January 9, 2024
    Morris & Susan's Viking WC

    Journey Begins, Departing LA

    January 9, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Morris and Susan's retirement  journey begins with a 4 month Ocean World Cruise!

    We flew from San Jose to LA on Jan. 9th. to begin our adventures aboard the Viking Neptune, a beautiful Norweigian flagged ship and our home for the next 121 days. We are so excited to be visiting 23 countries and 50 ports of call with our final destination in London on May 9, 2024.Read more

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    Santa Barbara

    January 11, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    First Stop - Santa Barabara, California
    Delighted our daughter Jessica came up from LA to spend the day with us before setting to sea on our journey. After a delicious breakfast, we explored the Court House - a working 1929 built Spanish Style Superior Court House with beautiful Moorish tiles, wrought iron works and wood beams. The mural room covered the history of Santa Barbara and the surrounding gardens host more than  300 weddings each year. As you ascend up the stairs, you reach the Bisno Schall Clock Gallery. It houses the restored Seth Thomas model 18 clock, one of the few left in America.

    We then spent the afternoon at the Art Museum, loved the exhibit "Inside Out" how artists take what's inside them and express it outward as seen on the Santa Barbara Scene painted on used cardboard boxes. Stopped in at Sama Sama for an awesome lunch, Morris loved the chicken wings....and Morris doesnt like wings.
    Since the ship can not dock we were Transported to and from the ship on a "Tender" which can about 200 people. Fun way to get back and forth to shore.
    We are now ready for the Sea Journey!😁    Read more

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    Sea Days: Lectures

    January 14, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    More Brains than Booze
    is how this cruise was described to us. Well, they are doing a great job delivering both. It's like being in college, except you can drink wine while enjoying the lectures, and no tests!!!

    Sea Days are busy with 4 educational sessions scheduled per day. The speakers that are currently on board range from a Historian, Astrologist, Conservationist, Geologist, Marine Biologist, Anthropoligist, a Professional Story Teller, and others. New speakers will be boarding in New Zealand.

    Our favorite lectures so far have included: We are made of Star Dust, The History of Polynesia, The History Behind the Book/Movie South Pacific, WWII - The Pacific War from 1930 to 1945. Marine life, History of Pacific Exploration and Navigation, The Continents Formation and its Early Inhabitants, and Aloha - The story of Hawaii as told by a Shirt.    Read more

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    Oahu, Hawaii

    January 17, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    This is our first time on Oahu, Hawaii.
    Sometimes called “The Gathering Place,” Oʻahu certainly lives up to its name. The third largest Hawaiian island is home to the majority of Hawaiʻi’s diverse population, a fusion of East and West cultures rooted in the values and traditions of the Native Hawaiian people.
    We were surprised to learn that there are over 140 islands that make up the state of Hawaii, but tourists only visit the six largest islands.
    West of Honolulu is Pearl Harbor, site of the WWII's 1941 bombing attack and home to the USS Arizona Memorial.
    Started the day by going to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and learning about the events that led up to the war in the Pacific, the attack itself, and the strategy used to win the war.

    We then spent the afternoon at the Bishop Museum, the world's largest collection of Polynesian artifacts. It is held in trust for Hawaii's people and showcases the Polynesian History and culture of the Pacific.
    Susan was fascinated by the process used to make cloth (Kapa), and as usual, I was fascinated by the tools, and the rafts constructed to fish and island hop.

    We ended our day by going to a beautiful beach for a luau.    Read more

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    Diamond Head Hike and Coffee Groves

    January 18, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    After all of our "together time", Morris and I went in different directions today to further explore Oahu. Morris headed out to hike Diamond Head, and Susan went to learn the art of coffee growing and roasting at Green World Coffee Farm.Read more

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    Crossing the Equater.

    January 20, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 82 °F

    Celebration today as we officially crossed the equater from Northern Hemisphere to Southern Hemisphere. Since this is our first crossing, we went from being a "Polliwog to a Shellback".
    We are now officially Shellbacks, and in the South Pacific!!Read more

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    Morris in his "quite" reading corner.
    1"Vikiee"General Manager

    Sea Days : What Shall we do Today?

    January 21, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 82 °F

    Sea days are awhirl of activities.
    Enjoying activities with the variety of people that we are meeting from around the world is our favorite part of the day. (We are now at the point where remembering names is a challenging activity by itself. 🤣)

    Each morning, we head to the Lookout Library, where we can sit with our coffee and the ocean view to write about our adventures. We found that there are a lot of writers on board jotting thoughts about the latest ports of call. Meanwhile, we are still trying to figure out how Facebook, Penguins, etc, work. Lol.

    The ship has many nooks and crannies to explore. We enjoyed a " Behind the Scenes tour" to see how the ship operates - kitchen, room service, engine controls, laundry, etc.

    Susan is leaning to paint with watercolors and felting, (her cute gnome " Vikiee"). Morris has joined a team for a ship building contest (his heart is always with whaleboating). You can also find him in a game of Baggo or at his favorite reading corner. Of course, there is always swimming, gym, spa, sports deck (Morris is waiting for the weather to clear for a good game of ping pong), and dancing lessons. It's a good thing that the ship's app has a calendar of events!    Read more

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    Transportation on the Island12

    Bora Bora

    January 23, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    The name Bora Bora comes from the Tahitian word pōpora, which means 'first born' (Guess Morris and I found our island home!)

     You might be asking, " Are those colors real?" Yes, the water really is all those colors with its vivid shades of royal blue, emerald, and turquoise, which are truly mesmerizing. The water is crystal clear with white sand underneath, which also creates their beautiful beaches. Thanks to its coral reef, the water of the island is teeming with life.

    A storm was coming in today as we arrived, so we were unable to snorkel. Instead, we enjoyed a lovely tour of the island. We watched how they used local flowers to make vibrant dyes for their wraps and, of course, made a stop at the infamous "Bloody Mary's" Bar from the character from "South Pacific".    Read more

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    Moorea

    January 24, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ 🌧 82 °F

    Believed to have inspired the mythical Bali Hai from James Michener's Tales of the South Pacific, Moorea is one of the most scenically striking islands in French Polynesia.

    We went out on a snorkeling excursion and were hoping to be able to swim with the lemon sharks and black tip reef sharks. However, the storm swell was too strong, so we just observed them from the boat. We were able to get in the coral reef at a calmer location before the storm hit.

    Lovely prawn lunch fresh from the Pacific.    Read more

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    Flowers of Tahiti

    January 25, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ 🌧 79 °F

    Well, what can I say.....the flowers of Tahiti are stunningly beautiful!

    We walked through the local open-air market, displaying an array of flowers and arrangements that were as common as finding roses in the states. A real treat for the senses.

    The flowers on the garden grounds at the Government Assembly house were amazing.    Read more

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    Banyon TreeHandmade Ukuleles

    Papeete, Tahiti

    January 25, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ 🌧 79 °F

    Tahitian welcome!!
    Tahiti, is the largest in a chain of islands that make up French Polynesia with Papeete as the capital city

    Visited the local outdoor market full of flowers, weavers, and of course Black Pearls. Watched them make a black pearl necklace out of woven husks for Susan.
    We were able to see the Presidents House with a lovely Polynesia mural and local government assembly grounds with beautiful gardens.

    Afternoon headed out for more snorkeling...

    Enjoyed a Tahitian dance performance on the ship from local dancers.    Read more

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    The Judges!!

    Morris: Ship Building Competition

    January 27, 2024, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 77 °F

    The challenge: Build a model ship using only natural and recycled material found on the ship. The two major requirements were that it had to support 6 full soda cans and that it had to float for at least 30 seconds.

    Our team consisted of an engineer (me), a manufacturing exec., and 2 accountants. We had a great time brainstorming, testing, and constructing the "ship." I am happy to report that it worked beautifully.

    But there was a problem (LOL). We didn't have an artistic bone between us, and on the day of judging, it just didn't look as good as some of the others. Oh well, back to the drawing board 😃.

    All in all, we had a great time, recruited a cheerleader to the team, and made some new friends. Who could ask for anything more.    Read more

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    1Aobihan Our Cruise Director1Thank you, The Chefs1

    "Domain of the Dragon"

    January 30, 2024, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    What Ever Happened to Monday? I'm referring to the actual day, not the Netflix movie.

    One minute, we are sailing along in the Pacific. We go to bed at 11 PM on Sunday, January 28th, and are 7 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. The next minute, we wake up, and we are 17 hours ahead of EST on Tuesday, January30th. Where did Monday, Jan. 29th go?!?

    The good news is that while we may have "lost" a day (or jumped forward into the future), we did celebrate the "Domain of the Golden Dragon" for crossing the 180th Meridian, also known as the International Date Line.

    To mark the occasion, Viking held a fabulous brunch for everyone at the pool deck.    Read more

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    Entrance to Loo

    Waitangi, NZ

    Feb 1–11, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    First day in New Zealand after a long sea voyage from French Polynesia!

    We tendered at the town of Waitangi and enjoyed an early morning stroll to the town of Paihia. Took in its farmers market sampling local Manuka Honey. Walked through the lovely small town that's a local vacation site.

    We then jumped onto our Bay of Islands tour with a stop at the Hundertwasser Toilets in Kawakawa. It's the loo that brought the town national fame because it was designed by the Austian artist Friendersreich Hundertwasser. So after a 10 minute pit stop, we drove to Kerkeri, where we stopped at Rainbow Waterfalls overlook before we proceeded to the 1822 Stone Store and Kemp House.
    One of the first places where Maori invited "Pakeha" (White New Zealanders) to live amongst them.

    We then went on our own to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and Museum, where we learned about the Maori, Maori wars, and the Waitangi Treaty that was signed on Feb. 6th, 1840, between the British Crown and 540 Maori Rangatira (chiefs) to ensure that they could live in peace and be protected with citizen equality.

    We ended the day with a beautiful South Pacific sunset, and we're entertained by two fabulous Tenors singing both classical and current hits.    Read more

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    Morris and Susan getting Halloween ideas!!Makeup Special FX for Susan

    Auckland, NZ - DAY1

    February 2, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Beautiful morning sunrise at Auckland - the largest city in NZ.

    We decided to sign up for several tours to start our 3-day stay here. (It's fun to play tourest). The first place visited was the Weta Workshop, where we explored an interactive behind the scenes studio tour of make-believe film sets, giving us a glimpse into all the incredible craftsmanship and artistry that go into film making. Movie making in Auckland is big business, and Weta made many of the special effects for big films like Lord of the Rings, The Hobit, and Dune. ( More to come on this later, but we had a blast.)

    We then went up 60 stories at the Skytower to get a beautiful 360-degree view of the city. One of our crazier friends did the SkyTower bungee jump. What an experience to do at 70!!

    Took in the "All Blacks" experience to hear and see all about the NZ National Rugby team. Even enjoyed some All Blacks training drills and their famous Haka dance, which is their ritual before each game.

    Later in the day, we just enjoyed walking about downtown, and Morris stopped in for a haircut (looking sharp now).    Read more

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    Auckland, NZ - Day 2

    February 3, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 70 °F

    Started the day with the Highlights of Auckland tour. The first stop was the Savage Memorial, which has a beautiful garden and an overlook of Auckland skyline. Even saw a rainbow after a quick rain.

    Then, we spent the morning at the War Memorial Museum where we saw somber displays titled War and Rememberance, the role of New Zealand in its early wars, as well as WWI and WWII. The main floor was dedicated to displays of the Maouri people and their culture through history.

    At noon, we walked along the harbor and had lunch at Soul Bar, a delightful bistro. We then made our way to the Fish Market and stolled the Wynyard Quarter. This area is reclaimed land that has been revitalized with restaurants. It also now berths some of the biggest super yachts in the area showcasing New Zealand's ship building craftsmanship.

    Finished out the day at the Maritime Museum, which exhibited boats from early sea fairing until modern America's Cup racing.    Read more

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    Pavlova: New Zealand FavoriteArt Crazy Cones to Choose From

    Auckland, Day 3

    February 4, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Day 3 in Auckland, and we decided to venture out in different directions.

    Auckland is famously known as the City of Sails, and we can easily see why the America's Cup race was hosted here in the past. So when Morris saw that he could book an excursion on a real racing yacht, he jumped on the opportunity.

    It was a perfect day on the water as we boarded the actual 1996 Cup racing yacht! It was 75 ft. long x 16 ft. wide and about 150 ft high. What surprised me is that it weighs a total of 24 tons - 4 tons above the water and 20 tons at the canting keel. While it is considered a dinosaur by today's racing standards, it glided through the water like an ice skater. We all got a chance to try our hand at racing.
    In the afternoon, Morris took a cruise on a vintage barge that was reconstructed by the Maritime Museum.

    Susan chose to explore the local farm to table excursion in the area. Our host took us to a local market and then her home/venue as she prepared a lovely meal from all the local food and wine in the region.

    Met up w Morris to experience "Giapo" where Art meets Ice Cream. Super fun place with amazing flavors and over the top cones. Opted for the amazing flavors over an art deco cone. Of all the ice creams we've tried over time, this place tops them all (and that's saying a lot).    Read more

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    Mount Maunganui
    Susan hiked the base, Morris went over topView from Mt. TopNorfolk Pine: line the beaches1GM Ronald giving us fun tips!!

    Tauranga, New Zealand

    February 5, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Docked today in Tauranga. Time for hiking Mount Maunganui. Scenery was beautiful. Susan hiked the base route, and Morris went over the top. We met up at the most qauint beach side of town for morning coffee.

    Norfolk Pines that line the beach walkways are stunning. Words can not describe how comfortable we both felt here. After our walk to downtown, we headed back to the beach for a swim.

    Gotta say that we had the most relaxing afternoon, and sand was sooooo fine. The slope into the ocean was so gradual that it felt like you could walk out forever and still stand up. With water so clear, you could see the sting rays swimming by, and it seemed that the water was not as salty as in Calif. We will definitely be back this way again!    Read more

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    Napier, New Zealand

    February 6, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    We dropped back in time to the "1920s" in Napier, and the town welcomed us warmly. Town had to be rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake, and the city council decided to maintain an impressive cityscape of Art Deco architecture. The self guided walking tour of the town explained the history of the buildings.

    The town also hosts a 1930s jazz festival every year where everyone dresses up and brings out their vintage cars. If interested in going, you need to RSVP over a year in advance because the town triples in population. Charleston, anyone?

    We then enjoyed the afternoon at the Hawks Bay Club for a lovely hosted wine tasting party. Beautiful property.

    Prior to our 5 PM departure, the town provided us with a fun jazz band playing great oldies and 8 fun vintage cars.    Read more

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    Wellington OverlookWellington View from Cable CarBotanical Gardens

    Wellington, New Zealand

    Feb 7–8, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 72 °F

    We are now in Windy Wellington, the capital of NZ. (yes, more than Chicago!!)
    Susan decided to go to Weta Workshop and the location sites for Lord of the Rings today.

    A little History: Wētā FX, formerly known as Weta Digital, is a digital visual effects and animation company based in Miramar, Wellington. It was founded by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and Jamie Selkirk in 1993. Weta FX is best known for making props, weapons, armour, costumes, miniatures, and more for The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy as well as King Kong, and Avatar, and it's groundbreaking  work on Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Avengers, Prometheus, and The Hobbit trilogy.

    The small town had such a friendly, laid-back, unassuming presence as we drove through the production lots that it was hard to imagined compared to the glitz and glamore of Hollywood. It was also great to then go on location sites to the Outer Hobit Shrine.

    Morris enjoyed a site seeing tour to visit a 360-degree overlook of the city. Then, on to visit the Te Papa National Museum, where they had a very moving exhibit of ANZAC forces fighting in Gallipoli. The exhibit centered around 5 giant sized scenes that reflected the horror of that battle.

    After lunch, we met up again to explore the city (including the Beehive Gov. Building), road the Wellington Red Cable tram, and strolled through the City Botanical Gardens.

    We ended the day with a special performance by our very talented Cruise Director, Aoibhionn O'Neill.    Read more

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    Kia Ore

    February 7, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Wishing you all "Kia Ore"!

    It's a Maori language greeting translates as "have life" or " be healthy" wishing the essence of life upon someone, from one person to the other.

    As we sail away from New Zealand and say goodbye, we will have fond memories of Kiwi Fruit, Manuka Honey, Delicious Lamb, Stunning National Parks, and the experience of the Maori Culture.Read more

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    Captains Table Dinner

    February 10, 2024, Tasman Sea ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    Special dinner tonight at The Captains Table with General Manager Ronald (from Ireland), Head Engineer Orvar (from Norway), Excursion Executive Chantelle (from South Africa), and fellow passengers Andre and Andy from Atlanta who have been on 25 cruises so far (damn over achievers 😀 ).

    During one of our earlier lectures, we learned and practiced Australian Slang words and phrases. FYI, Fosters is not Australian for beer, and you'll be thrown out of any respectable pub if you ask for it.

    As the sun set on the ocean, we listened to awesome piano playing by Brad McCaw - the fastest fingers on the piano down under.    Read more

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    Night Sky: Southern Cross

    February 11, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    So lucky to have had Howard Parkin, our resident Astronomer, on board to explain the stars to us each night. After many weeks, we finally had a wonderfully clear sky with fantastic views of the night sky from the top deck of the ship. The Southern Cross, 2 Pointer stars (Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri), and Southern constellations were right in front of us.

    We also managed to see the Milky Way, the 2 Magellanic clouds and an upside down Orion's Belt, and much more. It was one of the best nights of star gazing, thanks to the bridge crew for turning off the lights. It's amazing how bright the stars are without the ambient lights from the moon and city lights.    Read more

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    Takes a lot to keep the Ship goingHARDWARE LANE

    Melbourne "Lane Ways"

    February 12, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 95 °F

    In the USA, we think of Australia and New Zealand as close neighbors, and in may respects, they are. However, politically, they love to rib each other. In sports, they are bitter competitors, and geographically, they are over 2500 miles apart.

    So after a 3 day crossing from NZ, we arrived at our first stop in Australia - the beautiful city of Melbourne - and watched a beautiful sun rise as hot air balloons rose over the city!!

    After a lovely pre SuperBowl breakfast w friends and that crazy Superbowl game, we went exploring. Melborne has many "Lane" ways. These are small alley ways between city buildings that they utilize for shopping, restaurants, music, art, pubs, etc. They each have different names, and it is quite fun going about the city trying to locate and experience them.

    One of our favorites is called "Hardware Lane," where we enjoyed a delicious Mexican dinner. Fun town.    Read more

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    Melbourne Day 2

    Feb 13–14, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 88 °F

    On our 2nd day in Melbourne, we took a tour of the Shrine of Remembrance. It's an amazing memorial and museum built to honor the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I, but now also functions as a memorial to all Australians who have served in the various wars.

     The exhibits highlighted the different wars, weaponry, period fashions, and the political ties that Australia had to The UK.  As in the USA, these wars really established who Australia was as a nation.

    The outside of the Shrine was also immaculately tended. Each corner represented a different part of the world where battles were fought, and the plants were from those regions. Had a beautiful 360-degree view from the top - check out the aboriginal face on the high rise next to the church.

    From there, we explored the Botanical Gardens and then visited the massive Queen Victoria Market, taking in all the handmade local goods, fish market, and food market before a fun Thai Fusion lunch with Pam and Joel.

    A highlight for Susan was a visit to the Royal College of Surgeons, where we were given a private tour of the museum with historical exhibits of surgey and instruments.  It was fun for me to see Susan provide knowledge of the instruments and past techniques to the curators. At the end of the tour, Susan was presented with a free copy of a soon to be published book of their history.

    To end the afternoon,  we went to the Melbourne Museum, which hosted a special Titanic exhibition. It was so surreal to see and touch the actual excavated articles from the seafloor, as well as see the reconstructed rooms and central stairway. The ship was obviously very elegant, and hearing the passenger's stories was extremely touching. Nothing like being on a cruise to bring this tragedy more to life.

    As the day ended, we found 2 more Laneways - The Block and The Royal Arcade (Check out the clock guards) - before enjoying a few beers at the Royal Chuckle Park Lane Way Bar. Busy day!    Read more

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