Dateline: Wednesday, October 24, 2018- At Sea 400 miles off LA on course for Hilo, Hawaii Sea Day. Love it, not much to do…unless you want to… then you could be busy all day with dance lessons, trivia, lectures, the ever-popular “napkin folding”, sunning on deck, going to the gym…and on and on. We opt for a relaxing day so at 7am we head down to the coffee bar. A few minutes later a gentleman sits down next to us and says hello. This is how it goes… Richard is 90 years old, born in 1928. He looks about 65. He is cruising to the Hawaiian Islands and South Pacific by himself, having lost his wife of 68 years, 6 years ago. He just came back from the gym where he was lifting weights. Richard: Yes, ... read more

Good Morning Everyone and welcome to fall. We're almost ready to leave on another adventure. We have flown over the islands of the South Pacific many times but...never set foot on one. So on October 23rd, we'll drive to Los Angeles, leave our car in Marina del Rey and Lyft down to the port in San Pedro where we will board the Emerald Princess for parts west and south. We'll blog along the way as we explore some places we've been before like, Kauai, Maui, Hawaii and Oahu... and make new friends in Pago Pago, American Samoa... Apia, Samoa... Moorea... Bora Bora and Tahiti. Hope you'll come along as we love getting your questions and comments. Jean and Cope... read more

Puerto Plata not Cap Cana, Dominican Republic So today is Cap Cana, Dominican Republic…er…maybe not. We have been told the weather is a problem at Cap Cana and we would not be able to tender everyone in, too rough, so… we’ll be going instead to Amber Cove, Puerto Plata, a UNESCO World Heritage Center, on the northern shore of the Dominican Republic. Fine by us. We have not been to the Dominican Republic and are looking forward to it, no matter the location. Today is intermittent rain and hot sunshine. Normal. The port areas of Amber Cove are like many in the Caribbean nowadays. It is developed for the cruise ship passengers…clean, safe and a place to spend your money. But, for us, we want to see the countryside, the town and talk to the people. ... read more

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas White, white, white, clean powdery sand in a crescent moon shape with palm trees ringing the beach. The sky is deep blue, the waters warm and turquoise. The perfect Caribbean island right out of Robinson Crusoe. We are spending the day in a fairy tale. The beaches are groomed, there are young, strong lifeguards every 400 feet, and our clamshell cabana awaits us. This island is owned and operated by Carnival Cruise Lines which also owns the Veendam, our Holland American ship. We settle in spreading our towels on the lounge chairs, shed our beach cover ups and head for a walk to the far reaches of the beach. As the small waves lap at the shore, our feet hit what seems like cold water, but that’s just because we are so ... read more

Havana, Cuba People to People Cars, Art, Canons and Cemeteries Finally, the heart of our cruise, Havana, Cuba. This has been on the bucket list for years. Cuba, so very close, 90 miles to Key West, Florida, and yet unreachable for most Americans. Visa’s and passports in hand we disembark in Old Town Havana. We head down the gangway to the terminal where we go first through a metal detector just like at the airport, then down another hall where we line up in front of a half dozen, small immigration and customs stations. One person at a time, we step forward until it is our turn. Cope goes first. I can’t see the officer as the glass is frosted, but I see Cope, who is seriously answering questions from the officer. I see his passport ... read more