World Cruise – 2024

We arrived in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, on the morning of Jan 20, 2024. Honolulu is the capital of the State of Hawaii and a major metropolis in the islands. It has a population of over 1 million people. Immediately outside the pier where we were docked was the Aloha Tower. It is a retired lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the State of Hawaii. The Aloha Tower opened in 1926 at a then astronomical cost of $160,000. It is located at Pier 9 of Honolulu Harbor. Just as the Statue of Liberty greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year to New York City, the Aloha Tower greeted thousands of immigrants to Honolulu. At 10 stories and 184 feet of height topped with 40 feet of flag mast, for decades the Aloha Tower was the tallest structure in Hawaii. It has since been eclipsed by many taller skyscrapers/office buildings in the sprawling city.

We went on an excursion in the morning that initially took us to Kailua Beach, located on the windward side of Oahu. It is a favorite spot for beachgoers, windsurfers, kayakers, and paddleboarders.

Then we went to the Missionary House settlement where the initial missionaries settled. and saw how these early settlers lived in the environment of the local Hawaiians. They were very involved in the early education of many of the native population. At the time, the Hawaiians already had their own language and alphabet, and were quite advanced and learned quickly. The king and members of his kingdom were very supportive of the missionaries in their efforts, including a requirement for education of all children and adults.

We then went to Iolani Palace, which is a living restoration of a proud Hawaiian national identity and is recognized as the spiritual and physical epicenter of Hawaii. Hawaii has an interesting history. The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawai’i, was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands (formerly the Sandwich Islands). The country was formed in 1795 when the warrior chief, Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island of Hawai’i, conquered the islands of O’ahu, Maui, Moloka’i and Lana’i and unified them under one government. In 1810, the whole Hawaiian archipelago became unified when Kaua’i and Ni’ihua joined the Hawaiian Kingdom voluntarily.

King Kamehameha I or his sons and nephews (Kings Kamehameha II through V) ruled the monarchy through 1886. The sixth monarch was King Kalakaua who was forced to accept a new constitution in 1887 by an anti-monarchist militia. He was succeeded by Queen Lili’uokalani in 1891. She was overthrown in 1893 by a group of Hawaiian subjects and resident nationals from American, British and German descent. Hawaii was briefly an independent republic until the United States annexed it in 1898 and created the Territory of Hawai’i. In 1959 Hawaii was granted statehood as the 50th state of the United States.

In 1993, The United States in the Apology Resolution acknowledged that “the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i occurred with the active participation of agents and citizens of the United States” and also “that the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished to the United States their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people over their territorial lands, either through the Kingdom of Hawai’i or through a plebiscite or referendum.”

Built in 1882 by King Kalakaua, Iolani Palace was the home of Hawai’i’s last reigning monarchs and served as the official residence of the Kingdom’s political and social life until the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893.

On the evening of Jan 20, we went to a traditional Hawaiian luau at the Paradise Cove. The luau was a lot of fun with traditional food, including a roasted pig, dancing and entertainment, and a beautiful sunset.

On Jun 21 we were still in Honolulu with no excursions scheduled, so we decided to take an Uber out of the city and visit the Disney Aulani Resort on Oahu. It is about 40 minutes out of the city center and is a beautiful resort with all things Disney and Oahu have to offer — beautiful beach, lazy river and waterslides, nice outdoor places to eat, and a very large hotel that was constructed to look like a Polynesian village. It was a nice way to just relax for the day.

When we got back to the Seabourn Sojourn we were in time to enjoy a “sail-away” party on the deck with local Hawaiian entertainers.

Today we landed at Kahului, Maui. The island of Maui is the second largest of the islands in the State of Hawaii. Our port of call was a second choice. Originally we were supposed to stop in Lahaina, an historic seaport on Maui, but our itinerary changed after a deadly wildfire destroyed most of Lahaina in Aug 2023. The town is still being cleared of debris before it can be reconstructed. Kahului proved to be a nice substitute, and it served as our starting point for an excursion along Maui’s North Shore where we saw spectacular scenery of the ocean, and stopped to see some waterfalls and beautiful flowers.

This morning we woke up in Hilo, Hawaii. Hilo is a city located in the northeastern part of Hawaii Island. It is the largest city in Hawaii County and is home to many beach parks, waterfalls and a laid-back city on the eastern shore.

Polynesians settled on the islands of Hawaii around 1000 BC, establishing agricultural and fishing communities. Christian missionaries arrived in 1822. The city overlooks Hilo Bay (a popular spot for kayaking, paddleboarding and swimming) and has views of two shield volcanoes, Muana Loa, an active volcano, and Muana Kea, a dormant volcano.

We went on an excursion on which we stopped to see Rainbow Falls, and then the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

On the morning of Jan 13, 2024 we left Catalina Island and headed west toward Hawaii. We would be at sea for five days and travel approximately 2,500 nautical miles (2,877 land miles) before reaching our first destination in Hilo, Hawaii.

Our sea days were relaxing, or busy, depending on what we chose to do. Nancy spent most days involved in watercolor and beading art classes, and participating in a large Trivia contest involving over 100 passengers. Chuck skipped the art classes, but did agree to join in the Trivia, and spent time in the Fitness Center each afternoon. The highlight of many days were presentations by many very talented and recognized conversationalists, including the following.

• Riaan Mansar – a renowned explorer with numerous world records, including bicycling 38,000 kms. in a circumnavigation of the entire continent of Africa. The adventure took two years, two months, and fifteen days, during which he was captured by rebel soldiers in Liberia and held captive by Al Queda in Algeria. He subsequently circled Madagascar and Iceland in kayaks, achieving two more world firsts. He then rowed from Africa to North America with his girlfriend, a historic continent-to-continent ocean row that ended in New York harbor.
• Sir Jim Mclay – New Zealand’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, who led New Zealand’s representation on the UN Security Council from Jan-May, 2015. From 1975 to 1987 he was a New Zealand MP serving in various government positions. He lectured on “The Indo Pacific”, highlighting the geography, history, early exploration and navigation of Polynesia.
• Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper – a retired U.S. Navy Captain who spent 30 years in the Navy and was selected as an astronaut by NASA where she experienced two space flights: STS-115 in Sep 2006 and STS-126 in Nov 2008, amassing nearly 28 days in space, which included five spacewalks totaling over 33 hours.
• Craig Whelden – a retired 30-year member of the U.S. Army, where he attained the rank of Major General, and then subsequently worked for nine years in the Senior Executive Service of the U.S. Marine Corps. He gave some great presentations on his experience at the Pentagon on Sep 11, 2001, and his background on China, Russia and Ukraine. With more than a dozen years in the Pacific as a senior military leader, Craig had a front-row seat to China’s behavior and his presentations explored what is happening geopolitically, militarily, and economically as Chica expands its sphere of influence.
• David Gardner – a photographer with the U.K. Royal Air Force, David developed a passion for history, and later studied and received a BA and an MA in History and American Studies from York University and spent twenty years in college level teaching, before becoming a chief examiner in modern European and world history for the University of London. His presentations focused on history and the lessons it can teach us.
• Peter Hillary – the son of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to ascend to the top of Mt. Everest, the world’s highest mountain, Peter has also become an accomplished mountaineer. He also has ascended Mt. Everest, as well as completed expeditions to the Seven Summits – the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. He leads expeditions to destinations in the Himalayas and Antarctica.

Also along the way we experienced calm seas and beautiful sunsets each night, and on the evening of Jan 16 we had a special dinner at The Thomas Keller Grill during which the crew surprised us with another celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary.

We arrived at the port of Avalon on the morning of Jan 12, 2024. Avalon is a town of approximately 3,000 on Catalina Island, which is located 22 miles off the Pacific Coast from Los Angeles. It has a blue, yacht-filled harbor that is ringed by steep bluffs and crowned by the Catalina Casino. It is not a gambling casino, but, was built as an entertainment site for millions of visitors who made the trip across the sea from Los Angeles to enjoy a movie, dinner and dancing during the Casino’s heyday. Eighty-five percent of Catalina Island is an Open Space Conservatory established by William Wrigley, Jr., the island’s former owner.

We went on an excursion of the harbor and were treated to views of seals that sun themselves on piers in the harbor, and porpoise that chose to accompany our boat along the way. The round structure in the picture below is the Catalina Casino, which is still operating as an entertainment venue. The last picture was taken in the center of Avalon, looking out over the harbor with our ship in the background.

We arrived in Los Angeles today for a two-night stay at the Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey. We had decided to leave Chicago a day early as we didn’t want to be delayed by any winter storms in Chicago. As it turned out, we made the right decision as both O’Hare and Midway Airports were closed two hours after our plane took off due to bad snow conditions. The weather in Los Angeles however was beautiful. The picture below is the boat harbor from our hotel window.

On the evening of Jan 10, we attended a Gala Dinner at the Ritz Carlton marking the start of our 145-day World Cruise on the Seabourn Sojourn. The 2024 World Cruise will leave from Los Angeles and terminate in Piraeus (Athens), Greece on Jun 5, 2024. The Gala Dinner gave us the opportunity to meet other guests and crew members who will be accompanying us on our journey. It was a great dinner and entertainment — a really nice start to our journey. We chose this cruise as a celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary, which we observed on Dec 29, 2023.

On the morning of Jan 11, we enjoyed breakfast and then got ready to take our transport vehicle to our ship at the Los Angeles Cruise Ship terminal. We boarded our ship and were excited to be aboard. This ship was not new to us as we had previously sailed on the Seabourn Sojourn. It has a capacity of 450 passengers and 350 crew members. On this voyage, we started out with 387 passengers, 87 of which will be travelling on the entire World Cruise with us. The other passengers will be debarking in ports along the way (Honolulu, Auckland, Sydney, Singapore, etc.) and other passengers will join us along the way.