World Cruise: January 2026 LA to New Zealand
Day 14: 01/01/26 At Sea
We enjoyed a fantastic New Years Brunch on the pool deck. It truly was beautiful! So much chocolate!
We sat out by the pool and soaked up some great sunshine!
We lost our first passenger. She was picked up off the coast of Mexico and appeared to have a leg injury. She waved good-bye as they headed off to shore.
Tonight's entertainer was Douglas Ladnier. He is an Emmy nominated songwriter and a singer. He performed several Neil Diamond hits and a few Elvis.
Day 15: 01/02/25 Day at Sea
We are in Mexico's Baja Peninsula and is known for sightings of great whales, blue whales, humpbacks, sperm whales, and pods of dolphins. We saw some dolphins from our balcony today. Some others saw Orcas as well.
Day 16: 01/03/26 Day at Sea
Video of Jim playing his daily Corn Hole they call "Baggo".
Impromptu concert with 3 very talented musicians who just met a few days ago. Perry on Piano, Douglas Ladnier vocalist and Jakub Trasak violinist.
We both worked out today. Jim on the treadmill and Ina joined NIA by zoom. Then we went to the thermal baths, ice room then sauna. The band had Jim sing again tonight. Ina did not record for some unknown reason.
Day 17: 01/04/26 Day at Sea
We are almost to LA. About 600 of our passengers will disembark and pick up passengers. A full ship is expected on the continuation of the world cruise.
Our Trivia Team...we were able to win twice which was more than anyone else! Vladan, Ina, Jim, Jim Teslow, Burnie and Tracey.
The band was incredible. This was the last night for them as they head home, and we get a "new" band tomorrow
Jim sang 2 songs with the band and broke into some kind of dance that he thought was entertaining! You can watch it in his recap.
Day 18: 01/05/26 Los Angelas, CA
Country #6. USA. We decided to not go on any of the excursions in LA. It is cold at 56 degrees and was overcast this morning. We had to disembark and go through passport/customs then reboard after the ship was cleared.
We could see the USS Iowa from our ship. Too lazy to go tour it!
Met our new band at the Welcome Party for all the new guests.
Day 19: 01/06/26 Day at Sea
Mike, this puzzle needs you!
We decided to have high tea today in the Wintergarden.
Day 20: 01/07/26 Day at Sea
I got to do our only domestic chore of laundry today! Got my steps in going back and forth to the laundry room.
Team Trivia winners again today! The Assistant Cruise Director, Tara, had to get into the picture with the winningest team!
We played Name that Tune team trivia. We tied with one other team so we had a face off. Traci rocked it and won for us!
Attempting to dance!
Our entertainment was a master ventriloquist, Don Bryan and his sidekick Noseworthy. Pretty funny performance.
Day 21: 01/08/26 Day at Sea
Our team, the "Curmudgeons and their Queens" won Team Trivia again today!
We had a beautiful rainbow this morning from our balcony. It doesn't show up on the picture as bright as it was in real time.
We were able to listen to the Hurricanes Fiesta Bowl game against Ole Miss. Proud of our Canes!
Our entertainment tonight was Elliot Finkel is a pianist, conductor and composer. He has performed all over the world including on Broadway, at the White House, Carnegie Hall and the London Palladium.
Day 22: 01/09/26 Day at Sea
Guest lecturer is Captain Mike Foreman a USNA graduate and astronaut. He flew 2 missions on the Endeavor Space Shuttle to the ISS. He was in the class '79 and says he does indeed know Don Akiyama. Jim and David class of '81 had their picture taken with him after the lecture "How I Became a NASA Astronaut".
Day 23: 01/10/26 Day at Sea
Not much happening today. Did get to join the Zoom Akiyama Christmas gift exchange. Always fun!
Day 24: 01/11/26 Honolulu, Hawaii
Arriving into port just as the sun was rising behind Diamond Head!
We took a tour that took us to Pearl Harbor. We toured the museum. We had already gone out to the USS Arizona, toured the submarine and the USS Missouri on previous visit to Hawaii. We opted to go to the Aviation Museum.
We went to the Ala Moana mall and caught a hula show. Bought a bag of Maui-like potato chips!
Dinner at Akasaka!
Day 25: 01/12/26 Honolulu, Hawaii
We walked to the US Post Office to mail postcards to Mom/Dad, JJ and a valentine card to Claire's class. We walked to Iolani Place, the coral church and King Kamehameha's palace. The statue is supposed to be life size as he was a very tall man. We had lunch at the Highway Inn, serving traditional Hawaiian food since 1947. Jim had the loco moco and Ina had Kalua pig sliders.
Departing Honolulu, we had views of the Aloha Tower.
Tonight, we had a Hawaiian feast with Huli Huli chicken, Blue Hawaiian drink and other dishes. We participated in the hula lessons and then danced the night away!
Day 26: 01/13/26 Day at Sea
Another relaxing, lazy day at sea!
Our guest entertainer was Helene Angley, a comedian, "Generation Gaps Gone Wild". She was pretty funny and totally relatable.
Day 27: 01/14/26 Day at Sea
Today was a lazy day at sea. Our guest entertainer was Terrell Edwards, a singer, "Unforgettable - Part 1".
Jobie Quirante video clip. He is a really good entertainer and will be leaving us soon for his vacation.
Day 28: 01/15/26 Day at Sea
We participated in the Equator Crossing Ceremony. We received the official "Order of the Shellback" status. Jim decided to kiss the fish!
Jim saluted and Ina did the U as we jumped into the pool. Rooting for University of Miami (daughter Alison alumni) in championship game in 4 days. Playing against son-in-law Rob's alumni Indiana University.
Appetizer at dinner tonight!
Jim's vlog: We crossed the Equator and Jim kissed the fish while Ina did the "U" sign.
Day 29: 01/16/26 Day at Sea
We invited the guest entertainers to join us for dinner at the "Chefs Table" tonight. We finished dinner just in time to catch "Name that Tune" with our trivia team. We thought that Terrell Edwards would be a ringer for the game. However, it turned out the comedian, Helene Angley, was the ringer! She was trash talking other teams and even more competitive than our group! BTW...we won again. Front Row L to R is Terrell Edwards, Jim, Helene Angley, Traci Jovanovic, Ina. Back row L to R Ann, Vladan Jovanovic and Rick.
Jim's vlog: Dinner at the Chef's Table w/ entertainers Helene Angley and Terrell Edwards. Then played name that tune with them. Show was Tara Lucas, Assist. Cruise Director.
Day 30: 01/17/26 Day at Sea
Helene Angley was hilarious tonight! She had Ina laughing to tears with her bit about her honeymoon pictures!
Jim's vlog: Last day at sea before Bora Bora. Once again, we were trivia champions.
Day 31: 01/18/26 Vaitape, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Country #7: Known as the world's most beautiful island! The result of a volcano with the lagoon surrounding it. We took a boat ride in an original style boat called a Va A around the lagoon and saw Mt. Otemanu at 2379 feet, guides in the water with the stingrays and black tipped sharks. Our guide even serenaded us singing and playing his ukulele.
We had a great time listening to, hanging out with our entertainers Terrell Edwards and Helene Angley.
Terrell performing tonight! Sunset sailing away from Bora Bora.
Jim's Vlog: Porpoise escort into Vaitape, Bora Bora. Guides attracting black-tipped sharks. Terrell sings with Eza and the Viking band after his show.
Day 32: 01/19/26 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
We did a walking tour of Papeete, the largest island of the Windward Islands. This is where the only hospital for the French Polynesian Islands is located and the government seat. France is the ruling entity, but they are self-reliant and have their own currency (French Pacific Franc or CFP). The exchange rate was 103 CFP to 1 US dollar. French is their major language. Bought some "cheap" Tahitian black pearl earrings for $80!
We had dinner in "The Restaurant" on the ship. A local dance troupe, O Tahiti E, performed tonight.
Jim's vlog: Walked around Papeete, Tahiti. Enjoyed the Tahitian dance show.
Day 33: 01/20/26 Papeete
We stayed overnight in Papeete. Today we had the option of taking a ferry to Moorea. We opted not to take the ferry since there really isn't anything to do there and it was raining a lot! This is a photo of Moorea as we were departing Papeete.
We love the "fake" fireplaces on the ship. They are very realistic. They use water vapors and colored light to create the illusion of fire.
Jim's vlog: Burger King and Pizza Queen. Warmed up next to the fireplace during lunch.
Day 34: 01/21/26 Day at Sea
Lazy day at sea. We won team trivia and name that tune trivia today.
Our entertainment tonight was Nathan Sinclair a Spanish classical guitarist from Australia.
Jim's vlog: Eclair station! Guitarist Nathan Sinclair.
Day 35: 01/22/26 Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Country #8: Our tour took us to a museum showing the island's history. We walked to the beach where it was extremely shallow. Jim was about 50 yards from the shore.
We had dinner with Astronaut Captain Mike Foreman and his wife Lorie at the Chef's Table. The menu was a 5-course tasting menu showcasing the flavors and textures of Japanese cuisine by guest Chef Pepi Anevski. The picture is our after-dinner entertainment duo, Innamorati (together in love) - Julia and Douglas McRae.
Jim's vlog: Lazy day at the museum and Muri Beach. Had dinner with Mike Foreman (sez hi to Don). Entertainment was Julia and Douglas McRae.
Day 36: 01/23/26 Day at Sea
At trivia today, the question was at what number is Celsius and Fahrenheit the same. They were all doing the math in their heads! They missed it by 5 (-40 is the answer).
Entertainment tonight was Roy Theaker a violinist from the UK who now resides in Australia. Went to the Torshavn and Jim was given the microphone by the band to sing "8 Days a Week"!
Jim's vlog: An action-packed day at sea.
Day 37: 01/24/26
We skipped today's date! Crossing the International Date Line causing us to gain one day!
Day 37: 01/25/26 Day at Sea
Jim made me get up at 7:00am for a 1 mile walk around the ship! We had a great day that included Ina beating Jim in Baggo, a tie at team trivia but losing in the tie breaker, a hand jive class, a strategy meeting for our boat building competition with our team, winners of the international date line trivia, SE Asia food for dinner, received a certificate of crossing the IDL, and an IDL dance party at the pool deck.
Jim's vlog: Crossed the International Date Line. Lecture by Astronaut Mike, hand jive class, trivia and dance party. What's not to like?
Day 38: 01/26/26 Day at Sea (100 days to go)
We started our day with a 1 mile walk around the ship track. Today was laundry day ugh! Our only domestic chore that we have to do during our vacation.
Jim's vlog: Today was American Pie Day which Jim had for lunch, last lecture of Astronaut Mike Foreman, flamenco guitar music from Nathan Sinclair.
Day 39: 01/27/26 Day at Sea
We did our 1.25 mile walk around the ship track. Lots of fun today with 2 trivia sessions, hand jive class and team work on our ship competition. Jim took in a couple of lectures. Looking forward to our first visit to New Zealand tomorrow.
Jim's vlog: Ina plays Baggo, but Jim's team wins! Looking forward to New Zealand tomorrow.
Day 40: 01/28/26 Bay of Islands (Waitangi), New Zealand
Country #9 New Zealand. Saw this rock formation approaching Waitangi. Took a picture of the back of the ship returning on the tender. We tendered to the Island of Waitangi, one of the 150+ islands that make up the "Bay of Islands". The Māori used this type of boat. Waitangi is the site where British officers and 500 Māori Chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.
The Māori tribes gather here for their tribunals. The Māori used the type of boat above. The stone house is the oldest building in New Zealand located in the Kerikeri Basin Recreation Reserve.
Rainbow Falls in Waianiwaniwa was very pretty. Unfortunately, we did not see the rainbow.
Visited Kawakawa to a very unusual public toilet designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser an Austrian artist. It is now a Historic Place and on the New Zealand Heritage List.
Jim's vlog: Rainbow Falls, Roy Theaker and goodbye to Jobie!
Day 41: 01/29/26 Auckland, New Zealand
We took a panoramic drive of Auckland's major sites. We visited the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
This is the memorial for New Zealand's first Labour party Prime Minister, Michael Joseph Savage. He came to power in 1935 during the depression.
Selfie with the Sky Tower where you can skywalk or skyjump! The Sky Tower is a telecommunications and observation tower that is 328 meters (1076 feet) tall.
We met Traci and Vladan at Masu by Nic Watt for some sushi. It was very good! We also shopped for birthday gifts for Vladan and Rick. We found a Led Zeplin t-shirt for Vladan (loves his rock t-shirts) and a Titanic ship build for Rick (totally into the ship building contest).
We had a new entertainer with a comedy magician, Phil Cass. He was pretty funny.
Jim's vlog: Sky tower, Takaparawhau/Bastion Point, Magician/Comic Phill Cass and Philippa.
Day 42: 01/30/26 Rotorua (Tauranga), New Zealand
This is where a lot of the Lord of the Rings was filmed. We did not have enough time to visit Hobbitton. Ina's dad used to always say he was going to move to New Zealand. He would have loved it here with the fields, crops, cleanliness and incredibly nice polite people.
We traveled to Te Puke which is the premier region for kiwi production. We visited an orchard and were given sample tasting of their green and gold kiwi. A family of Māori tribe members entertained us with singing, poi balls and a Haka dance.
We docked in the 'Bay of Plenty' a name bestowed by James Cook in 1769 when he noticed the abundant food supplies at several Māori villages there. We walked to Mount Maunganui Main Beach where the sand is white powder and picked up a couple of cool shells.
Entertainment tonight was Lisa Woodbrook a vocalist from Australia.
Jim's vlog: Mt Maunganui, kiwis, haka, seashells and singing equals a fun day.
Day 43: 01/31/26 Napier, New Zealand
Napier was completely destroyed in 1931 by an earthquake. The city was rebuilt in the art deco style that is compared to Miami Beach. We attended a wine tasting from a few of the 70+ vineyards in Hawk's Bay.
The black sand beach was interesting. Jim made me pose again behind the postcard sign! I was not feeling it!
Lumber is the number 2 source of income for New Zealand. The lumber is predominately pine that is exported. Napier celebrates with a car show which will happen in about 10 days. A few of the cars were on display by our ship with their owners decked out in period costumes. I thought this lady was so cute! I was also very impressed with the red fox stole another lady had lying on the car.
We were invited to Vladan's birthday party at the Chef's table. Rick and Ann got him this crazy bow tie. We got him a Led Zeppelin t-shirt.
Jim's vlog: Hawk's Bay Social Club wine tasting, art deco architecture, walk on the beach and antique cars.