Month: March 2026

Thursday, March 26, 2026 Melbourne, Victoria. A British Crown incorporated settlement @1837, declared a city in 1847 by Queen Victoria. Today it is the second busiest port and the most populous city in Australia.

The Royal Botanic Gardens @1846 encompasses about 94 acres on the CBD (Central Business District) fringe of Melbourne and has more than 8500 species of plants from around the world.

Located adjacent to Botanical Garden is The Shrine of Remembrance, National War Memorial of Victoria. Views from the balcony is Melbourne’s CBD (Central Business District).

Dan and I met up with a former work associate of Dan’s from about 20 years ago, for lunch. We had a delicious meal at the Railway Club Hotel.

Friday March 27, 2026, Burnie, Tasmania. Founded in 1827. A deep water port in Emu Bay, on the north-west coast of Tasmania. Burnie exports minerals, agricultural, livestock and forestry products.

Our excursion today was a scenic drive along the coastal Bass Highway.

After the excursion we all returned to the ship, we had a scheduled tour of the ships bridge.

At the conclusion of our tour we all took the shuttle into Burnie, had lunch, fish fry made from shark, then walked around town.

Along the boardwalk there lives a protected colony of nocturnal Little Penguins, the smallest penguin in the world. Fully grown they are 12-18” tall. We did manage to see a few. They are the only species of penguin native to Australia with most living along Tasmanias northwest coast and the Bass Strait Islands. They are also found in New Zealand.

41 3.543S, 145 54.607E the farthest south on the plant we’ve been.

Saturday, March 28, 2026 Day at sea.

Walked 3.2 miles outside on deck 2, then the most incredible brunch on the pool deck! Celebrating the fabulous cruise we all had together!

Cards, dinner, sunset, farewell reception.

Sunday, March 29, 2026 Eden, New South Wales. Known for whale watching, national parks and it has the third-deepest natural harbour in the southern hemisphere.

Upon embarking we were greeted by the “Town Crier”.

Our excursion was a drive along the scenic Sapphire Coast, first stopping at Eden Park Lookout of Twofold Bay and fishermen’s memorial.

Next stop was the Killer Whale Museum. Old Tom was a an Orca known for its unique partnership it had with fishermen. Where his pod would corral baleen whales toward shore, in exchange for the lips and tongues of the whales. His skeleton is displayed hanging from the ceiling as you enter the museum.

Continuing on, our next visit was at the historic Seahorse Inn. Here we strolled the grounds and beach.

Our last stop was in the village of Merimbula where we walked around the shopping area of the village. There are huge oyster farms in nearby Merimbula Lake.

Upon returning to the ship we greeted by at least a dozen ship officers welcoming us back on board. Dan and I along with Ken, Sheila, Tammy, Steve and Shirley had dinner together in the ships The Restaurant.

In the morning Monday, March 30, 2026 at 8:25am we disembark Viking Orion back in Sydney, completing our 32 day circumnavigation of Australia. We will be taking two “red eye” flights, first to Los Angeles then to Philadelphia, then home!

#MyVikingStory

Saturday, March 21, 2026 Albany, Western Australia. We visited the Historic Cheynes Beach Whaling Station. Built in the 1950s, was once used to process whales caught in the region for oil, until 1978 when commercial whaling was outlawed, and the station was closed. During the years of operation, 1136 humpbacks and 14,695 sperm whales were caught and processed mainly for oil.

Dan and I spent the afternoon with friends who live in Albany. Kris and David from s/v Tiapan. We met in them Papeete, French Polynesia back in March of 2021. They showed us a few attractions in the area including Torndirrup National Park, as well as showing us the their beautiful home still under construction. We had lunch, then they dropped us off at the cruise ship terminal. It’s great reconnecting with people we met sailing around the world!

Sunday, March 22, 2026 Day at sea. Lunch, cards, engine control room tour, dinner, hot tub.

Monday, March 23, 2026 Day at sea, walked 3.25 miles on deck 2, lunch with ice cream sundae bar!

Cards, dinner, hot tub, star gazing. The captain turned off some lights for better star visibility! Oh my the stars, the Milky Way, Aurora Australis, The Southern Cross!

Tuesday, March 23, 2026 Adelaide, South Australia was founded in 1836. The fifth most populated city in Australia. It was the only free state settled by the British, their other settlements were also penal colonies.

Our ship docked at 10am, by 10:15 we were off on our ship sponsored excursion.

Tammy, Steve, Dan and I took a scenic drive to the historic village of Hahndorf, where we hopped on electric assist bikes and rode to Beerenberg Farm. Family owned for six generations since 1839, there we picked and ate fresh strawberries. Continuing our bike ride through picturesque hills and valleys stopping at The Lane Vineyard, for an enjoyable picnic lunch with incredible views from atop the hills of the Onkaparinga Valley, then rode bikes to Shaw and Smith Vineyard where we sampled five premium wines before returning to the ship.

Wednesday, March 26, 2026 Day at sea. Walked 3.2 miles outside on deck 2, lunch, cards, dinner, musical show, guest entertainers Pryor and Morris. They are known for high-quality singing combined with comedy and a “cheeky” Australian style.

#MyVikingStory

Saturday March 14, 2026 Day at sea. Breakfast, art class.

Walked 4 miles outside on deck 2, cards, sunset, dinner.

Musical show by Australian artist, Patrick Roberts, Grammy nominated violinist fresh from performing live with STING in France. We experienced music from his No.1 Music album Fragile, featuring STING and Tommy Emmanuel.

Sunday, March 15, 2026 Day at sea, breakfast, walk 3 miles outside on deck 2, cards, sunset, dinner at Manfredi’s Italian restaurant on board. We had a private room for our group.

Monday, March 16, 2026 Day at sea, breakfast, art class, laundry, cards, port talk, Explorer Lounge to watch cruise director Aoibhin (A-veen) sing Irish songs, with guitar accompaniment by John Solo aka Johnny O’Brien, sunset, dinner.

A second performance by Australian violinist Patrick Roberts. Star gazing, Oh my the stars, The Southern Cross!

Tuesday, March 17, 2026 🍀Fremantle, Western Australia. By 10:30am we were docked. All persons on the ship were required a face to face with customs and immigration as we were just in Indonesia.

Fremantle is located at the mouth of the Swan River, recognised for its well-preserved Victorian and Edwardian streetscapes and convict-era architecture. The harbour serves as the port of Perth.

Our excursion today was a guided walking tour around Fremantle concluding at the Western Australia Seaport Museum.

Wednesday, March 18, 2026 Perth, Western Australia. Dan and I along with Tammy and Steve took the train from Fremantle into Perth for the day. The cost was $7 AUD each for a round trip. We rode the hop on hop off bus the full route, hopped off for lunch, then took the CAT bus to the Perth Mint. Perth like Sydney have several tree lines street within their Central Business Districts.

Thursday, March 19, 2026, Busselton, Western Australia. In the morning we toured the Busselton Jetty. The Jetty is 1.841 kilometers (1.14 miles) over the protected waters of Geographe Bay and is the longest wooden-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.

You can walk  or take a ride on the solar-powered Jetty Train over the Indian Ocean to the Underwater Observatory, one of only six in the world. Standing 13m (42ft) tall and 8.5m (27.8ft) wide sits on ocean floor and has 11 viewing windows to see the man made reef.

After lunch at a local restaurant, we boarded a bus for an intimate wine tour, visiting 3 “boutique” Flametree, Rivendell and Credaro vineyards.

Friday, March 20, 2026 Day at sea. Lunch, cards, dinner, laundry.

#MyVikingStory

Friday, March 6, 2026 Day at sea, walked for 1 hour inside around deck 3, it was raining and the deck outside was slippery plus the treadmills were all occupied, art class, lunch. Fabulous wine tasting, 5 of the ships premium wines presented by 3 of the ships Sommeliers, paired with a variety of cheeses and fruit. Galley tour, dinner.

Saturday, March 7, 2026 Day at sea, breakfast, art class, interesting lecture on navigating the Great Barrier Reef and aTorres Strait by the Reef Pilot.

Lunch, 60 minute walk around the deck, laundry, Fish and Chips by the pool.

Sunday, March 8, 2026 Day at sea, walked for a an hour, lunch, cards, Tammy and I had a cooking class. We made Paella, as the main course, Spanish meatballs as the appetizer. So good!

Monday, March 9, 2026 Darwin, Northern Territory. It was a rainy day (again), while we visited the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. This fascinating museum has a collections of insects, reptiles and birds all found in the territory. There were several other displays as well as an exhibition about the massive 280km/hr cyclone that hit on Christmas Day in 1974, destroying more than 80% of Darwin.

Walked 3 miles on the treadmill, Completed our entrance questionnaire for Indonesia, had the best ratatouille for dinner, musical show featuring guest entertainer, soprano, Caroline Miller, “Diva” show.

Tuesday, March 10, 2026 Day at sea, walked 3 miles outside around deck 2, art class, lunch, pool time. Dinner at the Chef’s Table. A four course meal paired with premium wines.

Wednesday, March 11, 2025 Indonesia, Rinca Island, Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Dinner at The Restaurant, encore show by soprano, Caroline Miller, “Judy, Julie and Me”

Thursday, March 12, 2026 Bali, Indonesia

Hindu Temple excursion. 14th-century Pura Maospahit, one of Denpasar’s oldest temples with its red-brick architecture and intricate carvings. We all wore sarongs to cover our legs. It is customary to maintain modesty, respect, and sanctity within a holy space. Both men and women covered their legs.

After the Hindu temple we visited the Bali Museum, with local art and history.

Our final stop was exclusive Balinese Dance performance of the Barong and the Kris Dance. A depiction of the battle between good and evil, told through dazzling costumes, dynamic movements with traditional gamelan music.

Friday, March 13, 2026 Bali, Indonesia

Tohpati Village excursion, where the island’s fabric dyeing tradition lives on at a batik factory.

Later we toured Batuan Village, a traditional Balinese House Compound. These communities were typically constructed to achieve harmony with the universe, with each of its buildings serving a distinct function. The family temple, stand-alone houses and rows of houses facing each other.

Next, visit was the village of Kemenuh, where skilled wood carvers demonstrated the craft once reserved for royal families and religious purposes.

Afterwards, we explored the village of Celuk, home of silver and gold jewelers.

At 4:50pm the ship departed Bali, back to Australia, destination Perth.

#MyVikingStory

Friday, February 27, 2026 the cruise ship departed the port of Sydney, New South Wales, at 7pm while we were enjoying our first dinner aboard with the 8 of us in our group, seated at the same table.

Saturday, February 28, 2026 Day at Sea. Walked 3 miles around the ship walking deck, coffee, art class, lunch, informative lectures, 5 Crowns, dinner.

Sunday, March 1, 2026 – Brisbane, founded in 1825, is located in the state of Queensland, and is the third largest city in Australia. We started our excursion with a scenic bus drive past Brisbane’s historic Parliament House, City Hall and other stately buildings.

Later, stopping at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. It is the world’s first and largest Koala sanctuary. Set in a natural environment it is home to more than 100 koalas and a collection of other exotic native wildlife including but not limited to kangaroos, wallabies, emus and crocodiles.

Phil Cass & Philippa, guest comedy/magician show in the evening. So Funny!

Monday, March 2, 2026 Day at Sea. Walked around the deck, art class, coffee, lunch, 5 crowns, planetarium show, dinner, Joel Bowerman, guest musical entertainer.

Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Whitsunday Islands. The Whitsundays are a tropical archipelago of 74 islands located in Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef. They are renowned for their white silica sand beaches, turquoise waters, and outstanding sailing. Our tour was aboard a motor catamaran, it was a very windy and rainy day.

Lunch, planetarium show, dinner.

Wednesday, March 4, 2026 Townsville, a coastal city in northeastern Queensland. The Strand is a 1.7 mile palm tree lined walkway, including a pier, long tropical beach, safe swimming area and garden strip. This area was custom built for enjoyment.

Jezzine Barracks, was home to Australian military units for over 120 years. This area features the restored 1885 Kissing Point Fort complex. There are several public artworks which commemorate the military and Aboriginal heritage of the Kissing Point headland.

After lunch we walked 3 miles around the ships walking deck, dinner, musical show.

Thursday, March 5, 2026 not Cairns, unexpected day at sea. Tropical Cyclone 24 was expected to make a direct hit on Cairns, making for a very rainy, high winds, rough sea day. The captain cruised at 20 knots overnight to get ahead of the storm. Art class, lunch, cards, Tammy and I took a cooking class.

In cooking class we prepared 2 dishes, Fish Culichi Style, using Atlantic Wolf Fish and Shrimp. Second dish was Red Curry Mussels. For dessert we were served Avocado Lime Cheesecake. The chef added in a brief look at the galley working too.

#MyVikingStory