Our last couple of stops have been right at Great Barrier Reef territory. Having been there, we opted for inland nature enjoyment. Mangroves are a big deal environmentally. They retard the tidal movement of water, which is deposited as the tide comes in, and leaves just fine particles when the tide ebbs. Mangroves build their own […]
As we head up the East Coast of Australia, we spent a day in Mooloolaba, in “The Sunshine Coast” region. We had never heard of it. We were surprised by the size and beauty of the marina and the port area. We sailed past many lovely residences also. Mooloolaba is […]
Segment one of our 5 segment 2023 cruise is over. I have been off the grid for a bit, because I don’t think it is becoming to whine when one has the luxury of taking a 75-day elegant cruise. As some of you know, we some challenges. Our luggage was a week late arriving […]
Way down about 15 hours flight south and west of Los Angeles are Australia and New Zealand, where we are currently cruising. Biosecurity is a very big deal here. That means they don’t want ships bringing in dangerous marine life on their hulls which can drastically hurt their marine environments. Many nonthreatening live marine […]
It’s been almost a year since we have been at sea. We are so excited to be back, although we had to take two flights totaling 15 hours to get to New Zealand. I’m not up for long flights anymore and will factor that in for future itineraries. The ship is truly elegant. We […]
This morning we flew Honolulu to Auckland on Air New Zealand Business. The three across configuration is nice because nobody must climb over anybody else. Everything was top notch except for the food. In fact, the food was disgusting. Great service though. 😊 Immigration was as slick as I have ever seen. There was no […]
If there is one common denominator here this year, it is that prices are up, and portions are down. The number of items on the menus are way down and help is iffy. Roy’s, mentioned last time, was clearly the worst. We ate breakfast daily at The Royal Hawaiian. Ambiance is still marvelous, and food […]
Pretty much every year for the last 50, I have found myself in Honolulu this time of year. The most recent 20 have been with Allyn of course. Most of the time we have spent it at The Royal Hawaiian and this year is no exception. There have been some changes, mainly cutbacks, but it […]
The White House is clearly one of those bucket list places to visit. They only let us on the East Wing where they entertain. We didn’t have an opportunity to have coffee with the Pres, or even his staff. First, they scan the ticket, then you go through a security check where they scan your […]
The SPY Museum was both fascinating and entertaining. They have many exhibits showing about intelligence gathering through the years. I didn’t realize how important intelligence was during the Revolutionary War. Washington’s army was under-trained, under-staffed, under-equipped, and under-funded compared to the British. Allyn loves these goofy photo ops. I’m not sure what it has to […]