On Jan 23, 2024 we started a seven-day journey on the South Pacific Ocean travelling from Hawaii to American Samoa, a distance of over 2,500 miles. While being on board for seven sea days may sound daunting and prone to boredom, it was in fact a great experience with plenty of time for ship activities, meals, great entertainers and conversationalists, fitness activities, and just relaxing and talking with other passengers from all over the world.

On Jan 27, we crossed the Equator into the Southern Hemisphere, an activity celebrated with ceremonial rituals deeply rooted in naval tradition. Sailors, and cruisers, crossing the first time are called “pollywogs” and undergo initiation rites to join the ranks of seasoned “shellbacks”. The Seabourn Sojourn participates in such activities, enhancing the fun with drinks and snacks during the ceremony. It’s always a lot of fun; an activity we’ve participated in, or witnessed, a number of times.

Each night on our cruise there were shows featuring the Seabourn Singers and Dancers, a group of very talented performers that featured a number of different musical performances, as well as entertainers that joined the ship at various ports and usually stayed on board for a few weeks. These included Corlea Botha, a vocalist from South Africa; Martin Kaye, a Manchester-born pianist and singer who performed as Jerry Lee Lewis in “Million Dollar Quartet” on Broadway, the West End, and in Las Vegas; Oli Nez, a Welsh saxophonist; Daniel O’Donnell, an Irish singer who has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House; and Simon McKinney, a New Zealand comedian.

Also on our sea days, Nancy participated in various art classes which were facilitated by a water-color artist and a beading specialist. Some of the participants’ pieces of art were exhibited in an art show.

We usually ended each day with a beautiful sunset.