Second sea day, no cane, no moisturizer. Oh well, i am managing to get around. Probably will do me good. The sea has been rolling and the wind blowing so i’m loving the rocking. I heard that there are 1,000 guests on board....the ship holds 2,600 so the are no lines at any venue. Headed to the Billboard for happy hour, stinger time and trivia then headed to dinner. A Cesar salad and a very tasty trout, followed by vanilla ice cream with cinnamon on the side, hit the spot. Retired to my cabin for movies and dozed off at 12:00. Morning dawns overcast but the sun comes out just a we approach Bonaire. No plans to get off as my snorkeling days seem behind me. The island looks much the same, crystal clear waters, dutch ... read more

Today dawned rainy. A front is moving through. No worries for me though. I repack, brew coffee and proceed to iron my blouse. It has literally been years since I held an iron and I had forgotten the great satisfaction of watching the wrinkles disappear. I ordered a car to the port and while waiting I met a couple who had just returned from The Nieuw Statendam. They gave me good information and were over the moon by the service on board. 11:30 my car arrived, 11:50 checked in, 12:05in my suite, unpack my carryon and head to the Lido for a pasta lunch. Sail away was lovely all the ship’s horns sounded as we pulled away from our sister ships The Rotterdam and The Zuiderdam as well a a Royal Caribbean and another two I ... read more

I am so out of it. Packing, that used to be routine now isn’t. Nearly forgot my make up and bathing suit bottoms. Forgot to take my IPad and phone from my carryon going through security and found out there is no First Class lounge at LGA. Drat. So here I sit at the gate for the next two hours. Still it’s a beautiful day, my driver was very nice and we made good time (too good) and I am getting used to wearing a mask. The airport is empty. Wondering if the plane will be but not hopeful since there are lots of people at the gate with me. I thought I’d kill some time at the bar but a cosmo was $30. Bagged that idea. People seem to be behaving well so far, wearing ... read more

Akaroa, NZ Today was all about being on the water and wildlife sighting. We board the Black Cat and head out into the harbor, the remnants of a volcanic caldera like Santorini. We are looking for dolphins, penguins, fur seals and sea birds. As we cruise, we pass Onuku Maria a Maori village where there is a meeting house, a kitchen and accommodation for Maori traveling there for meetings and festivals or just to visit local residents living in the area. Soon we were met by Hector Dolphins. These are the most endangered dolphins. They measure about three feet versus nine feet for bottle nosed. They have been driven to the point of extinction by long net trawlers. With a perdition rate of 7% and a reproduction rate of 4% it appears their days are numbered. ... read more

A day at sea. I know folks who say they would be bored cruising. I never seem to have that problem. Today I awoke at 5:30 and that seems to be my routine so far. Checked my email and the news then had breakfast in my cabin; juice, cereal and coffee. It was then time to visit Australian immigration officials as we will hit an Aussie port tomorrow. Headed to the Lido for my smoked salmon and sat in the sun to enjoy. Next I went to a lecture on bio-diversity in the South Pacific. It was excellent. Checked out the casino to see if we would have a tournament but only three signed up. Took a little time on my deck chair chatting with my next cabin neighbor and reading and before I knew it ... read more