World Cruise: February 2026 New Zealand to Singapore
Day 44: 02/01/26 Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington is a very windy city! It is called the "coolest little capital in the world". We walked around town and enjoyed looking at the different architecture including the neoclassical Parliament house, the old wooden parliament house located across the street and the railway station.
Our tour took us to the top of Mt. Victoria where you have a 360-degree panoramic view of the city. The Wellington Airport is challenged by a short runway and high winds creating an exciting landing.
We spent a couple of hours at Te Papa museum.
The entertainment was Nick Russoniello an Australian saxophonists.
Jim's vlog: Top of Mt Victoria, Te Papa museum and good SAX!
Day 45: 02/02/26 Day on Tasman Sea
We are now 7 hours behind EST on the clock but still 1 day ahead!
Chef Alastair and his culinary team created a beautiful brunch celebrating our second month cruising.
We did a "Behind the Scenes" tour with the Executive Restaurant Manager, Chauva. He took us to the galley where we saw how and where all the food is stored, prepared and disposed. We also took a tour of the laundry, ships administration offices and crew quarters. It is always impressive to see how spotless and sparkling clean that ship kitchens are maintained. However, I have never seen the sheet pressing machine that actually presses and folds the linens!
Jim's vlog: A fantastic brunch, ship tour and Phil Cass again. Fun times!
Day 46: 02/03/26 Day 2 on the Tasman Sea
Things turned a bit interesting last night while crossing the Tasman Sea known by the locals as the "ditch". We entered gale force winds that rocked, pitched and rolled the ship. Things went flying everywhere. I managed to catch all the glass before they broke but many passengers and crew did not. We were told that the managers began helping the crew that were scheduled during the night and they put the word out to the rest of the crew that the managers were there. All the crew showed up voluntarily to assist with the cleanup and repairs. We were sequestered to our rooms until afternoon for safety. The crew that included restaurant staff, housekeeping, customer service and excursions delivered us breakfast then lunch without one dropped tray! We were able to go to Ann and Rick's stateroom (2 room suite) and worked on the boat building competition then later to dinner at The Restaurant.
We went to see Lisa Woodbrook then an early night tonight to bed.
Jim's Vlog: Rough seas during the night. The crew were up at 2am cleaning up and preparing today's lockdown. They were incredible!
Day 47: 02/04/26 Day 3 on Tasman Sea
Our team worked on our boat for the competition scheduled to compete in 3 days. It took engineering and artistic endeavors from all 6 of us. Jim was in charge of blowing up the balloons. He designed the propulsion system to get the boat across the pool.
Jim's vlog: Smooth sailing, engineering space tour, Indian food for dinner, and Nick Russoniello on saxophone. Early to bed to prepare for a long day in Sydney tomorrow.
Day 48: 02/05/26 Sydney, New Wales, Australia
Country #10, Continent #4: Australia was our seventh and final continent to visit! We got up at 6am to watch the arrival into Sydney harbor. Sydney skyline, Sydney Tower, Opera House and the Sydney Harbour bridge among other iconic sites.
We went under the bridge who has a famous nickname of "the coat hanger". It was very windy...hence the messy hair!
We did the harbor cruise to see all the iconic buildings and areas of Sydney with narration. For those NCIS Sydney fans...the building on the water is the one that is used for the offices of the NCIS team.
The iconic, Sydney Opera House. We attempted to get a selfie with the Opera house in the background but failed on all tries...this was the best we managed.
We went up the Sydney Tower Eye to the observation deck for a 360-degree view of the city. It is the tallest structure in Sydney at 309 meters or 1013.78 feet. It was soooo hot. We took a selfie in front of Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park.
Jim's vlog: Long day! Dawn patrol, bay cruise, sky tower, Hyde Park and a hot day.
Day 49: 02/06/26
Today we toured the "Rocks" where the first penal colony of convicts was established in 1788. Very good historical tour with our guide, Max. We met at the custom house built in 1845 which is now a library. The Rocks have a very colorful history and is a fascinating story. We finished off our tour by having nachos and drinks at the "Fortune of War", Sydney's oldest pub established in 1828.
Finally, a selfie with the Opera House as we leave Sydney.
Dance party with fish and chips as we sail away from Sydney!
Jim's vlog: 2 1/2 hour downtown walking tour of the "Rocks" where the first penal colony was formed. Had lunch at the oldest pub in Sydney. Not enough time to do the Opera House. Walked 4 1/2 miles, half of which was uphill and stairs.
Day 50: 02/07/26 Day at Sea
We are now 9 hours on the clock behind EST but still a day ahead! We are slowly going back in time!
Today was the boat building challenge. There were 10 boats entered. Our team had worked tirelessly for 2 weeks to be the best. The challenge was to build a boat that would not sink, could sail from one end of the pool to the other, and hold a glass of champagne without spilling. We prevailed and won first place! Rick designed and did most of the building of the boat with a little input from the team, Jim designed the propulsion system using the balloons, which actually worked, and Traci had the brilliant idea to put the Chief Engineer, the Captain, the Hotel Manager and his wife the Cruise Director pictures on the boat. It was a collaborative effort for sure!
The team: Rick and Ann Jensen, Vladan and Traci Jovanovic and Jim and Ina Akiyama.
The maiden voyage! The crew was so impressed that they want to keep the boat! and so they shall!
Unfortunate passenger needed emergency evacuation. Heard he had a cerebral bleed (recurrent) and was airlifted to Tasmania.
Guest entertainer, Patrick Roberts, one of the world's leading classical-crossover violinists. He was playing a 300-year-old, $9 million Guarneri del Gesù violin.
Jim's Vlog: What an exciting day! Won the Naval Architect challenge, had a helo medivac, and watched Patrick Roberts perform.
Day 51: 02/08/26 Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia
We arrived in Mooloolaba this morning! What an experience at Steve Irwin's Australian Zoo! You can just walk up and pet the wallabies and kangaroos, pet the koala's bottoms and see all the animals very up close and personal. We got to see Murray, a very large crocodile be fed. The zoo was extremely well maintained, and the animals were all healthy and content. Irwin bought up thousands of acres of land before he died that will only be used for conservation and never developed.
Ina petting the bottom of Gumnut the koala! Koala's do not have any nerve endings in their bottoms so that don't even feel us petting them.
Koala in the nursery just hanging around. Koala's are normally loners but in this nursery, they have learned to be a part of a "family".
Jim having a conversation with a wallaby or is that a kangaroo!
Dinner with our winning Boat challenge team! The victory dinner celebration.
Entertainment tonight was Kym Purling a world known pianist, conductor and entertainer in jazz and musical theater. He has worked with Englebert Humperdinck, Natalie Cole, Frank Sinatra, Jr and conducted several Broadway shows.
Jim's vlog: Mooloolaba! Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo, petting koalas and kangaroos, and jazz pianist Kym Purling.
Day 52: 02/09/26 Day at Sea on the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef
Today is Super Bowl Monday for us and Sunday for everyone back home. Watched the Seahawks beat the Patriots on the "big" screen poolside today. Had some great football food with nachos!
The Great Barrier Reef is more than 1400 miles long. The Coral reef is made up of more than 2900 reefs with ~360 species among 600 tropical islands and 300 cays. We were able to see the Southern Cross tonight from deck 9. One of our resident entertainers, Emily Roberts, did her own show tonight.
Jim's vlog: Superbowl Monday party, Ina's team wins Baggo, Emily sings, stargazing at the Southern Cross, and late nihgt in the lounge with Kym Purling and Eza.
Day 53: 02/10/26 Whitsunday Island, Australia
Fun catamaran boat ride around the Whitsunday Islands along the Great Barrier Reef. The house with the conical roof is the one that George Harrison built for an escape from fans and paparazzi. The humpback whales come to this area for breeding and delivering their calves. Their numbers dropped into the hundreds due to many factors, but mostly due to people. Therefore, it is now a protected environment and any activity involving them is prohibited. Their numbers are now ~26,000.
Jim's vlog: Boat tour around Whitsunday Islands, name that tune winners, and Patrick Roberts on Violin.
Day 54: 02/11/26 Cairns, Queensland, Australia
We arrived Carins (pronounced Cans) at about 1pm. We took a walk into town and managed to find a post office to send JJ's birthday present. It was quite an ordeal to get everything correct. Cost almost as much to send including tariff as it did for the gift. Found some hot sauce to try to spice up my food. I was melting after walking around in 90-degree weather with no breeze! Stopped for a cold drink and a snack and had some delicious fried onions with a jalapeno sauce!
We decided to do a nighttime aquarium tour. It was really good as we got to see the marine life that come out after dark. It was a small group tour so there were no other people in the aquarium.
Jim's vlog: Walked around Cairns, went to the night tour of the aquarium, and got buzzed by bats on the walk back to the ship.
Day 55: 02/12/26 Cairns
We did a day trip to Green Island to explore the Great Barrier Reef. We did a glass bottom boat tour and snorkeling. The snorkeling was awesome as we saw so many different corals and marine life! Jim rented a go-pro and got amazing video footage of our adventure.
Dinner at Dundee's for bush food. Chargrilled eye fillet (beef), crocodile chipolatas (sausage), kangaroo satays, pan seared barramundi fish, garlic yabby (crustacean), BBQ lamb cutlet and tiger prawn skewer with honey roasted sweet potato and Ooray plum and lemon myrtle dipping sauce.
Jim's vlog: Green Island glass bottom boat and snorkeling. Ate Australian bush food.
Day 56: 02/13/26 Sailing the Coral Sea
Much needed day of rest! Happy Birthday to our grandson JJ! We face timed with him and Alison and caught up on his escapades!
Jim's Vlog: At sea with guest entertainer Jim Hodson who plays guitar, trumpet, flute, clarinet, trombone, saxophone and ukulele.
Day 57: 02/14/26 Sailing the Coral Sea
Jim got up at 6:30am to watch us pass through the Torres Straight entering at Wednesday Island. Today is Valentines Day. We had a chocolate buffet after dinner. Tonight, we have another time zone change. We are setting the clock back 30 minutes for Darwin Australia.
Jim's vlog: Happy Valentines Day! Went through the Torres strait, women win Baggo, they've got chocolate, and another time zone change.
Day 58: 02/15/26 Sailing the Arafura Sea
Lazy sea day today. Tonight we set our clocks back 1/2 hour!
Jim's vlog: Jim's team wins Baggo and Jim Hodson performs again.
Day 59: 02/16/26 Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
We arrived Darwin early this morning. Darwin is located in the thinly populated Northern Territory state and was named after Charles Darwin who actually never lived here. We visited the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery. They had a very good exhibition of Cyclone Tracy that completely destroyed Darwin on 12/25/1974. The mural is one of the many murals around the city that are from a contest held every 2 years for artists from all backgrounds.
Jim's vlog: Darwin has murals everywhere. The museum highlights cyclone Tracy that leveled the city on Christmas Day in 1974. Sweetheart, the saltwater crocodile which was captured in 1989 and was 16'10" long.
Day 60: 02/17/26 Sailing the Timor Sea
Today is the Chinese New Year! The year of the horse. We set our clocks back another 1/2 hour last night. We are now 10 clock hours behind EST but still a day ahead!
Jim's vlog: Happy Chinese New Year! The usual day at sea. Jim's team wins Baggo, Ian Jacinto plays the sax and Jim sings with the band.
Day 61: 02/18/26 Sailing the Timor Sea
We are competitive but somehow, we have teamed up with 2 couples that are even more competitive than us. We have now won 5 trivia games (closest competitor has won 3), 4 out of 7 Name That Tune games and the boat building challenge.
Jim's vlog: Not much excitement. Evening's entertainment was Bradley McCaw.
Day 62: 02/19/26 Komodo National Park (Rinca), Indonesia
Continent #4 (Asia) and Country #11 (Indonesia). Approaching Komodo National Park which consists of 26 small islands and 3 larger islands. We went to Rinca where the largest lizard in the world resides.
We learned a lot about Komodo dragons, but the most important thing is that they can kill you with a bite. They have a toxin (anticoagulant) and multiple bacteria in their mouth. They bite their "prey" and follow it around until it dies. It may take a water buffalo 2-3 weeks to finally die. There were lots of monkeys, but they are not aggressive like the ones in Bali.
Jim's vlog: Komodo Dragons
Day 63: 02/20/26 Lombok, Indonesia
We visited a Sayak village where the women hand weave and the men farm. The women are not allowed to marry until they are able to weave. I bought a beautiful scarf woven at the village made from coconut fiber.
The Mayura Water Palace was built in 1744 was a former king’s family temple. It is a pilgrimage site for Lombok’s Hindus on 24 December. In 1894 it was the site of bloody battles between the Dutch and Balinese. They had an Indonesian dancer performing with a traditional Gamelan ensemble who came to Jim and said, "dance". He said no thank you and she said, "DANCE!". He did!
We also visited the Islamic Center NTB - Hubbul Wathan Great Mosque. The center is an architectural and cultural landmark, representing Islamic heritage. It has a grand prayer hall and panoramic views and serves as a significant religious and community hub. The central dome symbolizes unity and and educational center promoting knowledge. It hosts cultural events and activities fostering community engagement. Overall, the mosque integrates religious, cultural and educational elements standing as a symbol of unity and knowledge.
The crew were waiting for our return to the ship. They had cold drinks, Chef was playing DJ and we danced with a few of the crew.
Jim's vlog: Went to a Sayak Village where the women weave beautiful scarves, Hindu temple where Jim danced, ship crew were on the pier dancing and music on our return.
Day 64: 02/21/26 Bali, Indonesia
We were greeted upon our arrival by Balinese musicians and dancers.
We visited one of the oldest temples, 14th century Pura Maospahit. Bali is ~90% Hindu with the remainder made up of Muslim, Christian/Catholic and Buddhism. The children are on holiday due to the Bali New Year celebration this week and were practicing their music.
We attended a Balinese play, Barong Dance, that was narrated by our guide into our listening devices. The dance is performed over the beats and music of traditional percussion drums and flutes. The actors are in traditional ceremonial outfits enacting various roles. The play tells the story of the fight between good and evil through mythical characters, animals and creatures.
Jim's vlog: Day 64 not 68 that I say in the intro. Hindu Temple, museum, epic Balinese dancing, Indonesian dinner and more dancing. Can it get any better than this?
Day 65: 02/22/26 Bali
Our fantastic Cabin Attendant, Nik, hooked us up with his friend who is a professional driver for tourists, BI Conk Dika, to take us on our adventure today. We started out at 7am before the traffic started to build and drove to the area of Tegallalang, Ubud in central Bali. The rice terraces are a centuries old farming practice using the Subak irrigation system. Unfortunately, the rice has recently been harvested, and they are just starting to replant for the next crop.
Next stop Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu Hindu Temple in Tegallalang. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu, who is said to be ruler over water. The temple complex is built on a natural spring which feeds several ponds and pools within the temple walls. The temple also has the cleansing bathing ritual which we did not participate. Mainly because it was early morning, raining and we did not bring towels. Dika gave Jim his Balinese "hat" to wear. Jim said it felt odd because it feels like he is wearing a hat, but the top of his head was getting wet (the hat is actually more like a headband). In order to enter the temple you must wear the sarong and be covered appropriately.
Ina wanted to visit some waterfalls. The Ulu Petanu Waterfall is located in a very peaceful and quiet area. It was 90 steps down to reach the path to the waterfalls. This is the rainy season so there was a lot of water flowing!
The Pemulan Bali Coffee Plantation is home to the famous Luwak Coffee. This coffee is made from the undigested coffee beans eaten by the civet cat. The coffee is very expensive at about $500 per pound. 1 cup of the Luwak coffee cost 80,000 IDR or about $4.00 USD here. Our guide brewed a cup for Jim and I tasted it. The complimentary flight of drink in front of us is a row of coffee and a row of teas that are produced by this plantation. The coffees included chocolate, cocoa powder, avocado, coconut, Bali, vanilla, and all were delicious. The tea also was delicious and included mangosteen, lemon, lemongrass, turmeric, rosella, pandanus, ginger, and ginseng. The picture of Ina holding out her hand was our guide putting the cat poo in my hand before I realized what she was handing me! Not to worry, it had already been washed several times and was ready for them to take the shell off to get the bean. It is then washed several times again before being roasted.
Penglipuran Bali Traditional Village was established in the 14th century, during the Bangli Kingdom around 700 years ago. This is a very popular place for the Indonesians to visit, dress up and take photographs.
The Goa Raja Waterfalls were spectacular. They were newly discovered and the name translates to "king cave". It was a steep descent into the basin of the mountain then a short hike to the waterfall. The cave reminded me of a cenote in Mexico with the vines hanging down. The climb back up the mountain proved to be challenging for us old folk!
Gunungbatur Volcanic Mountain stands at 5633 feet rising above Lake Batur. The first documented eruption was in 1804 and has been frequently active since then, most recently in 2000. This is a popular destination for Indonesians as it is considered sacred and many trek here to watch the sunrise and sunset.
We had lunch at Asaka Restaurant overlooking the Mount Batur. The restaurant hangs on the side of the mountain and resembles a treehouse with sitting areas hanging out over the valley. The first picture was taken from our table. My lunch was an Indonesian meal consisting of a freshwater fish, vegetable, rice and fish soup. It was delicious! We treated our guide, Dika, and the 3 of us had full meals with mineral water costing a whopping $16.00USD.
The traffic is crazy but typical Asian countries! No real rules except don't run over anyone or any animals. It took us 2 hours to return to the ship. It was a very interesting drive as we passed through small villages and watched the normal flow of the Balinese people and saw all their woodcrafts and art displayed.
Jim's vlog: 10-hour tour with 8 different locations, plus magician Andrew Lee makes for a long day and longer video. Hope you have time to enjoy it!
Day 66: 02/23/26 Sailing the Java Sea
We set our clocks back 1 hour so we are now 12 hours ahead/behind EST by the clock.
Jim's vlog: Trying to recover from yesterday. Tomorrow in Samarang.
Day 67: 02/24/26 Semarang, Java, Indonesia
We arrived into Semarang there were lots of fishing boats heading out for the day. We were greeted by traditional music and dancers.
Kota Lama is an historic old town with Javanese and Dutch heritage in Semarang. The white building is one of the most photographed buildings from the colonial period. It was the former headquarters for the Dutch East Indies Railroad Company and is now a museum.
Kota Lama is an historic old town with Javanese and Dutch heritage in Semarang. We saw the Blenduk Christian Church dating back to 1753 the oldest church in central Java.
Ranggawarsita Museum reflecting the culture and traditions of West Java
Sam Poo Kong temple was originally built in honor of the Chinese Admiral Zheng He. It is now a multi-faith temple. We were treated to a colorful Chinese Lion dance and local refreshments.
Jim's vlog
Day 68: 02/25/26 Jakarta, Java, Indonesia
Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia. The Dutch arrived in 1619 to establish the East Indies then were expelled by the Japanese during their occupation during World War 2. Indonesia gained their independence in 1945. The monument with the flame is a symbol of their independence. We went to the Istiqlal Mosque or Masjid Istiqlal is the largest mosque in SE Asia holding up to 200,000 worshipers. It was built to commemorate Indonesian independence opened in 1978. We also saw the Jakarta Cathedral that is located across the street and actually connected by a tunnel. We toured the National Museum of Indonesia popularly known as the Elephant Museum due to the elephant statues in front.
Jim's Vlog: Bus ride through Jakarta. All of the scooters look like a street takeover. Stops at the Indonesian museum, mosque and cathedral made for a long and interesting day. Andrew Lee was amazing as a mentalist.
Day 69: 02/25/26 Jakarta, Indonesia
We went to the Taman Mini Park. The park is a life-size depiction of the diversity of the 33 provinces in Indonesia in the form of miniature archipelagos, regional platforms, traditional buildings and architecture, regional arts, recreational parks, and various kinds of rides on 150-hectare land. The Island of Sumatra provided a music and dance exhibition then treated us to local snacks.
Jim's vlog: Halfway point of our cruise! Andy Joy put on a great show tonight.
Day 70: 02/27/26 Sailing the Java Sea
Time changed to 1 hour forward overnight! We had our final hand jive dance practice. Performing as a flash mob in the Atrium today!
Jim's vlog: 2 months brunch, doing the Hand Jive, and Emily Gelineau using a looper to play bass line, percussion and melody on her violin while singing harmony with her vocals.
Day 71: 02/28/26 Singapore!
We arrived in country #12 (Singapore) this morning as the sun was rising! Singapore is the only island city-state. Established in 1819 for the East India Company by Sir Stamford Raffles. They have many posted rules that carry penalties ranging from fines, incarceration, expulsion, caning and any combination of them. No vaping, no public smoking, no chewing gum, no jaywalking and spitting.
We did our complimentary tour this morning driving through the city and stopping to view the Marina Bay Sands, MerLion and China Town. Jim bought postcards with his 1987 Singapore dollars and the vendor loved them. They do not make the dollar in paper anymore, only coins.
Terry and Lena Ng met us at the port, and we took them onto the ship for a quick lunch and tour. Then off to sight-see with them. First stop was the Singapore National Museum. We parked at the YMCA parking garage and then Lena had us jaywalk across the street! One of the many rules that are posted that carry fines! Interestingly, the YMCA is supposed to be haunted as it was the Japanese Headquarters where people were tortured. Jim was happy to not see the dioramas from his visit in 1987 showing the atrocities to the Singaporeans by the Japanese during WW2.
We stopped for a drink at the Maxwell Food Centre. This is one of the original Hawker stalls and was visited by Lady GaGa in May 2025. The Hawker stalls are traditional food stalls that are open air and leased by the state to the vendors. We had a red bean chendol coconut dessert that was really nice. For drinks, Jim had the sugar cane juice with lemon, and I had something else (can't recall the name).
We took a stroll down the river walk. We capped the walk off with dinner at Long Beach Seafood Restaurant where we had the country favorite, chili crab!
Jim's vlog: Vaping is seriously illegal in Singapore. The Hawker market was crowded and the line for the favorite chicken rice was long. The crab was totally covered in chili sauce, and the city is beautiful to walk through after dinner.