Heading southwest in the

Gulf of Mexico to our

destination of Cozumel, Mexico.

Attending a welcome to Viking

meeting tonight.

Have already met lots of

interesting passengers.

Tonight we saw Viking Port

Talk, describing upcoming

excursions for tomorrow.

We are on our way to Costa Rica, so we have

a day at sea. We plan on attending lectures.

Our first is a lecture about Global

Navigation of the Pacific.

Secondly, a Seabird

Natural History lecture.

Thirdly, what natural forces

and disasters are under the

Pacific Ocean.

Lastly, a port talk on

Puntarenas, Costa Rica

for our excursion tomorrow.

Today we attended 3 lectures

In the morning, we listened

how the Soviet Union launched

it’s first space craft and the

early results of the space race.

We learned about future Viking

river cruises, as we are

planning on a river cruise in

2026,  European Sorjourn.

This afternoon, we went to 2

lectures. The first about Charles

Lindburgh and the second

about Oceans and the history of

scuba diving in the oceans.

During the day on sea days, we

have been spending our time

going to lectures.

On days at sea, we enjoy time at  the pool,

Drake works out at the gym. Bev has gone

to water aerobics and a stretching session,

so there is always something on the agenda.

Our first lecture to about a Florida railroad

run by Henry Flagler from Miami to Key West.

Next lecture was about the Soviet Union’s

space program and their

successes and failures.

Drake did a trivia session which he enjoyed.

After lunch we heard about Captain Sulley

and his airplane that landed in

the Hudson River.

Happy New Year

Today we celebrated the new year by doing laundry. First for us, laundry on a cruise.

Another first, Drake gained 2 pounds, and Bev lost 2 pounds. How did that happen???

Bev just spotted a dolphin out our window. Pretty exciting.

We are planning on more lectures today. First off subject is the history of canals and

railway transportation systems.

Then another on air traffic controllers and the history behind it.

Viking is having a special New Year’s Lunch, so we will check that out.

After lunch, we are going to a Viking travel presentation, focusing on expeditions.

Lastly, a port talk abouit our stop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico tomorrow.

Another day at sea

A beautiful sunrise sky

Heading to Los Angeles on Sunday

We attended several lectures today

First a lecture about our return to the

moon and the journey into deep space.

After lunch, we went to a lecture on

the History of Whaling.

Very interesting.

Today was spent at sea

Drake went to gym and did Karate and lifted weights.

Bev spent time on the computer updating pictures

and general computer work.

After breakfast, we went to a lecture about

California’s Diverse Wildlife. Beautifully done and

beautiful pictures.

Our second lecture was about

Navigation before the invention of GPS.

No other lectures today, as people are packing

and leaving the ship in Los Angeles, where the

remainder of the world cruisers will be boarding.

In Los Angeles, we have to go to a CVS as our electric

toothbrush blew out. So Bev arranged an Uber ride,

something we haven’t done in 10 years.

We visited on Sunday. On Monday, a forest fire started in Palasides, CA.

On Tuesday, it spread to Malibu and the Pacific Coast Highway.

The PCH was closed down.  This is the route we took to the Getty Villa,

as the fire destroyed some of the buildings, businesses and landscapes.

We saw the Santa Monica Pier from the bus, which was damaged by the fires.

The Getty Villa also suffered external damages and had to be closed down.

We were very lucky to get to see this scenic area.

Another day at sea

This morning, Drake did Karate

and weight lifting in the gym.

Bev did the usual computer updates, etc.

After breakfast, we went to our first

lecture to learn about North

America’s earliest inhabitants.

Later in the morning,

we listened to a lecture about

California and the West Coast.

Our last lecture was about a

motorcycle ride around the world

and the adventures and mishaps

the couple encountered.

We have so far changed our time

zone 3 times. We are currently on LA

time, but will be going back another

hour when we hit Hawaii.

Today we are at sea and plan on a

couple lectures

This morning, we will hear a

lecture about the natural history

of the Hawaiian Islands.

Second lecture was Faith of our

Fathers, and how religions emerged

from the American experience.

Today, we have a busy day at sea.

Drake worked out the in gym, weights and Karate.

Bev caught up on website, etc.

After breakfast, we have a number of lectures

and events to go to. Many of the lectures we attend

are really set ups for us to understand the next port of call

we will be seeing. They help us with the history, geology,

culture, plants, animals and overall geography of the region.

This way we know what we are heading into.

First is about Life in the Deep Sea, talking

about huge reptiles and sharks.

That’s followed by a lecture on the

Creation of Polynesia.

After lunch, we go to the pool deck, take a dip

in the pool – water was cold today. The movement

of the ship causes very choppy pool waters.

Then sit on lounge chairs and relax.

Later on, we have a lecture on

Lighthouses of the Pacific.

At sea today, lots of activities to consider.

Drake was at the gym for Karate and weight lifting.

Bev was updating computer.

Our first lecture was about The Vikings,

the real story behind the legacy.

There was a photography workshop given

today about how to get the most out of our andoid camera.

Another lecture about the Gods of Polynesia.

After lunch, there was a lecture on Ocean

Currents and climates.

There was a port talk about our

upcoming stop in Honolulu.

After dinner there was a talk about Polynesia

before Cook and the Europeans arrived.

Drake was off to the gym for

Karate and weight lifting.

Time for planning for Bev.

Looked into the USS Arizona Memorial tour for

tomorrow at the Pearl Harbor Museum, how to get

tickets, UBER ride, shuttle, etc. Seems easy enough.

After breakfast today, we have a couple lectures.

First was about Tropical Coral Reefs.

Then we got a history of December 7, 1941,

from the catastrophe to the future.

This afternoon, we had another port talk

to learn about the history

and culture of our stop

in Nawiliwili, Hawaii.

Today was another day at sea, as we ate

breakfast with the sunrise over the Pacific.

This morning we had a lecture on Human

Evolution. Another lecture on Polynesian culture. 

Bev cut out of the Polynesian lecture and got

a couple games of Eurche in.

After lunch, we went to the pool, vegged

out. Then attended a lecture on whale and

orca communication.

Then we had dinner with the sunset over the

Pacific Ocean. Beautiful sunrise and sunset.

It was a clear night, and we went on

deck for star gazing. With a special

app, we saw planets, constelations,

The ISS, and Hubble telescope.

Drake started the day in the

gym, doing Karate and weights.

Today, we again had breakfast with a

wonderful sunrise, as we head south

towards the Equator.

We saw a lecture on various modern

leaders that made Hawaii what it is today.

Bev got in a couple games of Euchre.

Drake went to a lecture on emeralds,

which complimented a

previous lecture on pearls.

He learned about the history of these

gems and how to identify quality. 

Today we cross the Equator,

and Viking had a special

Equator Crossing Ceremony. 

Today, we had several lectures.

The first was about Ancient Religions and Polynesian culture.

Attended Equator Crossing

Ceremony on the pool deck.

We first had to pay homage by

bowing to King Neptune and a

huge dead fish. Then we along

with hundreds of other

passengers jumped into the

water to get our initiation. We

are now honary members of the

Order of the Shellback.

Certifcates attached!!

Our upcoming stop in

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

has been cancelled due to a

medical emergency on board.

We also attended a lecture about future

World Cruises now being offered by Viking

for 2026-2027 journeys. They had

much of the same route as we are on now,

but made it shorter in length and days and

added in some new ports in

Africa and in northern Europe.

Our travel route has changed due to an on

board medical emergency. So we are

on our way to Tahiti. Should take us a

couple days, arriving on Saturday,

January 18.

Drake starts the day with

Karate and weights in the gym.

Bev slept in.

Today, we had several lectures of interest.

After breakfast, our first lecture was about

Riding the Waves of Change in the South Pacific.

Afterwards, we had another lecture about

World Heritage Sites in Oceania.

Our port talk today was about

Papeete, Tahiti, where

we will visit on Saturday.

After dinner, we had another lecture

about Space Weather,

a New View of the Sun.

We have now been on our journey for

4 weeks, traveling several thousand

miles, trying new foods,

including octupus, meeting many

new people, and having a relaxing,

wonderful time. We have gotten over

our colds, and are ready for our next

excursion adventure.

After Drake did Karate and weights

in the gym, we moved on to our

lectures and activities for the day.

First lecture was about Extreme Life:

From Early Earth to Outer Space.

 We attended a lecture given by

Mick Dawson, the man who rowed

the north Pacific Ocean from Japan to

San Francisco, as part of a 2 man team.

Later this afternoon was a port talk,

about our changing itinerary in French Polynesia.