March 2023 archive

Port of Call: Pago Pago, American Samoa

Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa,  comprises of a string of coastal villages on Tutuila Island. The letter “g” in Samoan sounds like “ng”; thus Pago Pago is pronounced “pahngo pahngo”. It’s a gateway to the National Park of American Samoa, which protects lush rainforest, coral reefs and waters visited by humpback whales. It …

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Port of Call: Lahaina, Maui

Port of Call: Lahaina, Maui. Lahaina had been a magic word for Han since the Eagles gave it recognition on their 1976 song “The Last Resort” with the line: “You can leave it all behind and sail to Lahaina.” Frankly, it almost feels criminal to allow a huge cruise ship to drop anchor in this …

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Port of Call: Honolulu, Oahu

Port of Call: Honolulu, Oahu is often called the “Heart of Hawaiʻi” You’ll find stunning beaches all over the island — Waimea Bay (summer), Waikiki Beach, and Lanikai Beach, just to name a few. While these beaches are significantly more crowded than what you’ll find on Maui, The name O’ahu occurs frequently among Maori place …

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Port of Call: Hilo, Hawaii

Port of Call Hilo, Hawaii, the most Eastern of the Hawaiian Islands chain, was the first port of Call on this cruise, landing on the fifth day out of Los Angeles. The morning was rainy and windy so last minute we decided to just take the tourbus into town and check out some fresh markets …

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A 28 Day Nightmare Cruise in the Pacific in 2023

Cruising was still relatively new to us. The previous year (2022) we embarked on a Regal Princess Transatlantic Cruise,  which resulted in so much fun that before reaching Barcelona, we decided to add a Mediterranean extension that would take us to Istanbul, the Greek Islands and ports in Italy. Thirty days on the ocean, We …

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