Spring 2025 Trip

LA, Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand Read more

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Day 85
Friday, March 28, 2025 at 6:02 PM
☁️ 63 °F
Altitude: 52 ft
New Zealand Christchurch -43.527805, 172.63471143°31’40” S 172°38’5” E
1
Last night in NZ 😞
March 28 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
We headed out to explore a local theater -- took a few pics of Christchurch along our walk b/f it got dark.
Traveler Lovely
4/1/25Reply
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Day 86
Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 4:00 AM
🌧 66 °F
Altitude: 13 ft
Australia Sydney -33.937032, 151.16476533°56’13” S 151°9’53” E
Travel day
March 29 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 66 °F
Up at 3:30am, for a 6:15am flight, arriving in Australia around 8:30am (gaining 2hrs to our day). Customs was surprisingly easy, fast and efficient. Walking out of the airport, Uber had a queue in which you give the driver a pin after reserving your vehicle through the app. The line moved quickly and in no time we were back to the Sydney Hilton. Luckily we were able to check in early. Then our small colds caught up to us, so we just stayed in and took a day off.Read more
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Day 87
Sunday, March 30, 2025 at 6:41 PM
🌧 70 °F
Altitude: Sea level
Australia Sydney -33.854438, 151.21371933°51’16” S 151°12’49” E
Transfer to ship
March 30 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 70 °F
How fun to hook up with friends Donna & Norm from a prior cruise!
TravelerWe were sitting at the Crow’s Nest last night when I realized that all six of us had been on the Noordam together in 2022. Wild!
3/31/25Reply
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Day 89
Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at 5:54 PM UTC
☁️ 79 °F
Altitude: Sea level
Coral Sea -24.667709, 163.38804724°40’4” S 163°23’17” E
1
Day at Sea
April 1, Coral Sea ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F
Getting settled in the cruise, we both went to the gym, Mark had an abs class (big 'ouch'), then played pickleball, followed by some ping pong, then more pickleball and a nap. Afterward, we went to Welcome the Captain, followed by a show, then we checked out some dueling pianos and a rock band.

Always plenty to do on a ship!Read more
Traveler That show played here last night😆
4/1/25Reply
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Day 90
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 6:27 AM
☁️ 79 °F
Altitude: 30 ft
-22.294641, 166.29213722°17’41” S 166°17’32” E
2
New Caledonia: Nouméa, Grande Terre
April 2 ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F
'Grande Terre' means 'main island' in French; there are over 140 in the archipelago. New Caledonia is a French territory and Nouméa is its capital.
We took a water taxi (~20 min ride) to Signal Island. It's a cute, sandy little island that allows for snorkeling from shore; the main objective: spot turtles.
We weren't disappointed. We returned to the ship ~2:30p and decided to call it a day.
We heard the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus (our original post-snorkeling plan) wasn't all that great. So it seems we luckily made the right decision.Read more
TravelerBeautiful pictures and great weather.
4/6/25Reply
good one!! [wagner]
4/8/25Reply
So cool [Michelle]
4/10/25Reply
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Day 91
Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 9:31 AM
☀️ 82 °F
Altitude: Sea level
France Lifou -20.790424, 167.12320920°47’26” S 167°7’24” E
2
New Caledonia: Lifou Island
April 3 in France ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
Our cruise ship stopped at Easo on Lifou Island in New Caledonia. While tendering to the island, we ran into Victor & Dawn (from Canada), so we decided to explore the area together. Scooters weren't available, so we went for a little walkabout to explore the areas offerings. First, we stopped at a local hut; a nice representation of the living quarters from long ago. The hut was on the way to the church that looked over the peninsula. While at the church, Victor was talking w/ a fellow passenger & found out about a local cave worth exploring. It was only a mile away so we checked it out. Afterwards we headed toward 'town', but stopped short after talking to a few others on their return walk; it seems there wasn't much there to see. So we walked to a local (now destroyed) pier. When we returned to the tender area, we took a swim to cool off.Read more
Traveler Gorgeous
4/5/25Reply
Love that [Michelle]
4/10/25Reply
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Day 91
Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 10:16 AM
⛅ 82 °F
Altitude: 121 ft
France Lifou -20.778972, 167.12900420°46’44” S 167°7’44” E
Local cave on Lifou
April 3 in France ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
Thanks to Vic's social nature, the Lue Jajinyi Cave was our next destination to explore.
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Day 91
Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 12:21 PM
⛅ 82 °F
Altitude: Sea level
France Lifou -20.785618, 167.12435420°47’8” S 167°7’28” E
1
Easo Village on Lifou: snorkeling
April 3 in France ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
At the end of our walk, we hit the water for a bit to try to beat the heat. Mark grabbed some cool pics while snorkeling. And check out Mark's video of a local sea snake. It's technically called a New Caledonian sea krait & is indeed quite venomous. 😲
Good thing (🤔?) Mark didn't know that when he was following it. 🫤Read more
Eww…not a fan of any type of snake let alone one that swims up on me [Michelle]
4/10/25Reply
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Day 92
Friday, April 4, 2025 at 7:34 AM
☁️ 81 °F
Altitude: 16 ft
Vanuatu Ivanelhat -20.250628, 169.77005420°15’2” S 169°46’12” E
Vanuatu: Mystery Island
April 4 in Vanuatu ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F
The local people believe that Mystery Island is inhabited after dark by ghosts, so no one wants to stay there after the sun goes down. The indigenous name of the island is Inyeug, but the cruise lines renamed it Mystery Island because tourists apparently prefer 'mystery' over 'haunted'.
Inyeug Island is a small uninhabited island in Tafea Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean. "Inyeug" means "Small Island" in a local language.

I think we will call it Mini Island. After hearing 'there's really nothing to do here', we were pleasantly surprised. We walked around the full island and walked on the runway built during WW II. We noticed the tide was running strong and watched where tour boats were dropping their snorkelers off to drift down the shoreline. So we did the same from land and enjoyed 2 fun 'rides' down the coast in the water.
There were also a number of just fun &/or pretty things to see & therefore capture in pics.Read more
TravelerThat sound like a great day. The name makes me want to go there
4/6/25Reply
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Day 92
Friday, April 4, 2025 at 9:43 AM
☀️ 82 °F
Altitude: 23 ft
Vanuatu Ivanelhat -20.250475, 169.76782320°15’2” S 169°46’4” E
The fun finds
April 4 in Vanuatu ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
Just a few things that made us smile along our walk around the island.
When I see the beautiful flowers & various greenery on these trips just make me think I'm a closet plant-person. Hence, the plant pics.
And remember: this island is uninhabited. So every morning (when a ship comes in) the locals come from the nearby island and set up their offerings. The individuality of their marketing efforts was just fun to capture. Hence the pics of the advert boards.Read more
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Day 94
Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 10:26 AM
☁️ 82 °F
Altitude: Sea level
Fiji Lautoka -17.603304, 177.43847517°36’12” S 177°26’19” E
Fiji: Viti Levu Island, Lautoka - Day 1
April 6 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F
Being a Sunday, there wasn't much to do. We just walked around Lautoka with Donna & Norm to take in the near-port sights.
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Day 95
Monday, April 7, 2025 at 8:00 AM
🌩️ 79 °F
Altitude: 1,424 ft
Fiji -17.810699, 177.57189717°48’39” S 177°34’19” E
1 1 1
Fiji: Viti Levu Island, Lautoka - Day 2
April 7 in Fiji ⋅ 🌩️ 79 °F
Rented a car with Donna & Norm and did a little inland tour to see more of this area of Fiji.
Traveler Wow
4/14/25Reply
Traveler So pretty
4/14/25Reply
Traveler Wow that’s expensive. I guess they need the money.
4/15/25Reply
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Day 96
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 10:03 AM
☀️ 82 °F
Altitude: 59 ft
Fiji Navua -18.20448, 178.13323218°12’16” S 178°7’60” E
1 1 1
Fiji: Viti Levu Island, Suva
April 8 in Fiji ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
Mark found a river rafting day that we ell enjoyed. We were picked up at the Port, enjoyed an ~45min drive with interesting commentary about the area by our driver, boarded a longboat for an ~1hr ride up the Navya River to a small village. A true native view for us, not the tourist-experience that's dolled up. Theirs is not an easy existance, but it seems to be their preference & it works for them. We then reboarded out boat and about 10 mins later we walked up a little path that opened up to a beautiful waterfall. It was fun getting into the water, not to mention a nice break from the heat. We got back on the boat again & headed up to a lunch spot where we had a great meal that included a few local specialties.
Then: WE TUBED! We got our butts into our tubes & floated down the river for ~an hour. At one point, our guides broke out into some local songs. Combined with the scenery, it was an extraordinarily peaceful experience.

What a great day!!Read more
Traveler ❤️
4/14/25Reply
Traveler They are brave.
4/15/25Reply
Traveler Good catch.
4/15/25Reply
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Day 97
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at 11:13 AM
🌧 82 °F
Altitude: 253 ft
Fiji Dravuni Village -18.767348, 178.51992218°46’2” S 178°31’12” E
1 1
Fiji: Dravuni Island
April 9 in Fiji ⋅ 🌧 82 °F
Dravuni Island is a small island (~2 sq km) with about 150 residents. It's a favorite destination for cruise ships: the island receives cruise visits a few times a month on avg. We were here in '23 and enjoyed returning. It has a nice walking trail and snorkeling, so that is exactly what we did. We walked the majority of the trails and actually found where the locals hide/raise their pigs. After the hike, we had a beer, then went snorkeling for about an hour.Read more
Traveler Gorgeous
4/14/25Reply
Traveler You guys really get into (literally) your destinations. ❤️
4/14/25Reply
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Day 97
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at 11:30 PM
☁️ 82 °F
Altitude: 10 ft
Fiji Dravuni Village -18.764031, 178.51867118°45’51” S 178°31’7” E
Dravuni snorkeling
April 9 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F
Swimming out ~100 yards over sea grass, we found this beautiful soft coral area. Regretfully, the locals are most likely spearfishing as we saw very few fish. But the coral was very much alive and healthy! Lots better than our last visit!Read more
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Day 98
Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 9:00 AM
⛅ 82 °F
Altitude: 161 ft
Fiji Yaroi Village -16.786002, 179.31775916°47’10” S 179°19’4” E
1
Fiji: Vanua Levu Island, Savusavu
April 10 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
Last time we were here, we dove. This time, our visit in port didn't allow enough time for more diving; so Mark found a hiking trail close to the tender pier that we pursued with Dawn and Vic.
Traveler Very pretty and green.
4/15/25Reply
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Day 99
Friday, April 11, 2025 at 8:04 AM
🌬 82 °F
Altitude: 39 ft
United States Leone -14.338056, -170.78698814°20’17” S 170°47’13” W
Meandering around American Samoa
April 11 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 82 °F
Arriving in America Somoa, we first attempted to rent a car, but there were no cars available. So Plan B: a local tour bus; $20 per person for a 3 hour tour. Regretfully the tour only covered the west side of the island , so we missed the east side that would have included the national park.
Next time. 😉Read more
TravelerLooks lovely
4/15/25Reply
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Day 99
Friday, April 11, 2025 at 9:51 PM UTC
🌬 84 °F
Altitude: Sea level
South Pacific Ocean -13.47935, -170.09621413°28’46” S 170°5’46” W
Pool party
April 11, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 84 °F
Costume party on the pool deck with the full band
TravelerInteresting. Some people were prepared.
4/13/25Reply
TravelerAbsolutely, we just cheered them on
4/14/25Reply
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Day 101
Sunday, April 13, 2025 at 10:07 AM UTC
🌧 81 °F
Altitude: Sea level
South Pacific Ocean -4.110781, -165.8099274°6’39” S 165°48’36” W
2
King Neptune
April 13, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌧 81 °F
The King Neptune ceremony is a tradition performed aboard ships when crossing the equator, marking a sailor's first crossing of the line. It involves sailors, often referred to as "Polliwogs" or "Tadpoles" before the crossing, being initiated into the "Realm of Neptune" by a court presided over by King Neptune. The ceremony includes various trials such as being covered in colorful slime, followed by the ritual kissing of the fish, then being 'sentenced' to sit & bake in the slime under the hot sun or being allowed to be 'dunked' in water. Only once the initiates complete this sequence will King Neptune declare them "Shellbacks".Read more
TravelerHilarious
4/15/25Reply
TravelerIt seems mean.
4/15/25Reply
Hmmmm before or after a bunch of people kissed it? [Jojo]
4/15/25Reply
TravelerBefore. The passengers were not included in the ceremony, so I kissed the fish before the ceremony started.
4/15/25Reply
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Day 102
Monday, April 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM UTC
⛅ 63 °F
Altitude: Sea level
North Pacific Ocean 31.676161, -148.61793331°40’34” N 148°37’5” W
1
And some days, it rains.
April 14, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F
Traveler Good time to go to ocean’s with a glass of wine and a book
4/24/25Reply
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Day 104
Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 10:51 PM UTC
🌬 75 °F
Altitude: Sea level
North Pacific Ocean 17.860221, -155.47038217°51’37” N 155°28’13” W
2
Boat entertainment
April 16, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
Some cruise ships have interviews with the entertainers. We really enjoyed those on Volendam; Westerdam wasn't as consistent. But tonight they interviewed the house band that we have found to be the best cruise ship band we have heard to date. Each one was enormously talented, and together they were just incredible.
After the interview, we enjoyed the dance group and two sets played by the band.Read more
Traveler Like the dancing.
4/19/25Reply
Traveler That was really good!!!!
4/20/25Reply
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Day 105
Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 9:16 AM
☁️ 73 °F
Altitude: 200 ft
United States Pepeekeo 19.810861, -155.09536319°48’39” N 155°5’43” W
2 1 1
Hilo, Hawaii - Roaming around (pt. 1)
April 17 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F
We rented a car w/ Victor & Dawn & started roaming around Hilo.
TravelerBeautiful pictures.
4/19/25Reply
TravelerWow, Hawaii looks incredible
4/19/25Reply
Traveler I have always liked Hilo.
4/19/25Reply
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Day 105
Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 11:32 AM
☁️ 77 °F
Altitude: 46 ft
United States Pepeekeo 19.809273, -155.09370519°48’33” N 155°5’37” W
2
Hilo (pt 2): the Caves & the fun finds
April 17 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F
TravelerTropical flowers are exquisite
4/19/25Reply
Traveler I thought I saw this guy on TV advertising insurance
4/20/25Reply
Traveler🤣 it's his doppelganger 🤣
4/22/25Reply
TravelerBeautiful
4/20/25Reply
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Day 106
Friday, April 18, 2025 at 10:55 AM
☀️ 75 °F
Altitude: Sea level
21.271175, -157.82380821°16’16” N 157°49’26” W
1 1 1 1
Beach walk
April 18 ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
Walked 4 miles Waikiki beach from the Hilton Hawaiian Village (it's been here since 1955!) to Diamondhead Vista. Lunch at Tiki's then headed back to the boat.
TravelerBary received his BA from University of Hawaii. He lived in Haleiwa for 7 years.
4/24/25Reply
TravelerDid he surf while in Hawaii?
4/24/25Reply
TravelerOn the beach or sidewalk? May have to do that in October.
4/24/25Reply
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Day 106
Friday, April 18, 2025 at 10:55 AM
☁️ 75 °F
Altitude: 98 ft
United States Honolulu 21.308614, -157.86513921°18’31” N 157°51’55” W
Local dancers perform on our boat
April 18 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
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