Random thoughts from the sea
Days 57-58, 2026 Grand World Voyage Monday and Tuesday, March 2-3, 2026; Auckland, New Zealand – the Food Edition. I just had perhaps a Top 10 meal ever. Then I did it again. Chef Ben Bayly may describe his restuarant Ahi the best: “The te reo Māori word ‘Ahi’ means
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Days 50-57, 2026 Grand World Voyage Sunday to Monday, Feb. 22-March 2, 2026; Moorea, Bora Bora and At Sea. Bora Bora Just the words sound magical. Tropical breezes. Swaying palm trees. Turquoise lagoons. This is the first port of this cruise that I haven’t visited before. (The others will be
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Day 49, 2026 Grand World Voyage Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026; Papeete, Tahiti. I expected to once again find Tahiti’s beauty in its luscious tropical flowers. Or its vegetation-covered volcanic peaks soaring above turquoise water. Or even the street art and French-inspired architecture of this capital city. Instead, when it came
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Days 44-48, 2026 Grand World Voyage Monday to Friday, Feb. 16-20, 2026; Pitcairn Island and At Sea. Technically, I guess Pitcairn Island is a sea day. This remote island doesn’t have a pier – it barely has a harbor. But it’s always a highlight of a grand cruise (the only
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Days 40-43, 2026 Grand World Voyage Thursday to Sunday, Feb. 12-15, 2026; Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and At Sea Who needs to pay a hundred dollars or so for a personal guide on Rapa Nui, otherwise known as Easter Island? Not us – shortly after Elaine and I stepped ashore,
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Days 36-39, 2026 Grand World Voyage Sunday to Wednesday, Feb. 8-11, 2026; Puerto Montt and San Antonio, Chile. Pisco Sour is one of my favorite cocktails. Made with distilled fermented grape juice (pisco), fresh lime juice, simple syrup, Angostura bitters and egg-white froth, it is a refreshing combination of sweet
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Days 31-34, 2026 Grand World Voyage Tuesday to Saturday, Feb. 3-7, 2026; Ushuaia, Argentina, and Punta Arenas, Chile. As we sail north from Antarctica, I’ve looked forward to what are somewhat familiar ports. Ushuaia, Argentina, bills itself as the world’s most southern city, sitting where the Andes hit the ocean,
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Days 26-29, 2026 Grand World Voyage Thursday to Sunday, Jan. 29-Feb. 1, 2026; Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctica is simply stunning. I have no words, so I’ll let my photos carry this post. One of the first questions I asked myself when contemplating my first cruise to Antarctica was would I be
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Days 22- 24, 2026 Grand World Voyage Sunday to Tuesday, Jan. 25-27, 2026; Falkland Islands and South Atlantic Ocean. After missing the Falkland Islands twice before due to rough seas, I couldn’t have wished for a better third chance. The sky was blue. The seas were calm (at least for
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Days 19-21, 2026 Grand World Voyage Thursday to Saturday, Jan. 22-24, 2026; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Punta del Este and Montevideo, Uruguay. A triad of popular cruise ports lines the Río de la Plata, the broad river and estuary that divides Argentina and Uruguay. And when I say broad, I
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