It was hot and humid when we arrived at Rangiroa this morning. As is often the case, we were met by local dancers at the pier. Rangiroa is the world’s second largest atoll. An atoll is a ring-shaped island that encircles a lagoon. About 2,500 people live a tranquil life here where life centers around […]

Typically cruises from the West Coast of North America down the Pacific tend to stop in Hawaii on the way South and West. Usually, the first stop is Honolulu followed by Lahaina on Maui. Due to the terrible fires in Lahaina in September, that port was cancelled, and we spent the second port day in […]

We are off to a great start as we spent the first week sailing from San Diego to Honolulu. They had a lovely Welcome Aboard party the first night as so often is the case. Our Junior Crystal Penthouse cabin is perfect for us. We moved a few items around to make it even roomier. […]

Yesterday we sailed from San Diego to start our world cruise ending June 8 in Miami. It is so great being back on such a fabulous ship and seeing so many friends. The ship looks great. Obviously, it is way too early to report on all venues and services but so far, so good.   […]

It was exciting flying into Honolulu today for about my 50th visit. The plane took its usual approach offering a nice view of Pearl Harbor. I couldn’t help but think there is more hate these days than any time in the last 82 years since that terrible day. Our first night here allowed us to […]

Last time I overnight on a train was 57 years ago (Seattle – Sun Valley). Allyn never has, so we decided to give it a try. 24 hours on Amtrak seemed to make sense from Denver to Reno as it is one of the most scenic USA routes. We stayed at the Crawford Hotel located […]

When I traveled here in the early 70s, Ketchikan was a rough town loaded with bars for the lumbermen and fishermen who lived here. Now it is all jewelry stores and gift stores for the tourists. There were 4 cruise ships, today, when we were in port. That is typical for almost six months annually. […]

We hadn’t travelled yet this summer and were excited to spend four days on the Oregon Coast. Cannon Beach – For starters we flew to Portland, rented a vehicle, and headed directly to Cannon Beach to meet up with our good friends Ralph and Debbis Walker. Ralph and I have been pals for over 60 […]

Today we finished our 75-day Grand Asia cruise on the Regent Explorer. Notwithstanding our bags being almost two weeks late, Allyn having the medical scare of her life, Destination Services being incompetent and rude, food being inconsistent and many shows dreadful, we had a great time. So many passengers love this line and other high-end […]

  It’s always fun visiting caves, and Ryugado was no disappointment. It’s about 4KM long with maybe 25% open to the public. On the way there we passed many rice fields. The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom. Not unlike other caves we have visited, there were plenty of stalactites (from top down) and […]