2025 World Cruise – Leg 3 – Feb. 16 – Mar. 5 – Valparaiso, Chile to Tahiti
No Map for this leg – only a schedule of ports. In this leg, we sail to Easter Island, over to Pitcairn Island and on to the the South Pacific, with lots of sea days in between these iconic islands!
Day 41 – Feb. 16 – Valparaiso, Chili
Our last stop before many sea days heading to Easter Island. Today, we have a special event offered to the World Cruisers. We went to a lovely vineyard which offered tastings from twelve Chilean Vineyards. It was lovely! Click on any of the pictures for the entire pictorial story!
Day 43 – Feb. 18 – Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile
We’re visiting Robinson Crusoe Island today – OK, not the actual island referred to in the book, but the island that did have a “castaway”. The book was based on the adventures of this castaway. You can get the full story by clicking on any of the pictures below!
Day 48 – Feb. 23 – Easter Island Day 1
We’re back in Easter Island – Yay!!! We weren’t sure if we would be able to disembark, as the seas were not cooperating! However, we have an amazaing captain – Captain Abbe – who found a way. You may be wondering why there are no moia’s in the picture below – but that is because today is about hiking to the highest point in Easter Island. Of course, there was never doubt that Melanie would make it, but I was proud of the fact that I made it as well! Clicking on the picture will give you more details, and some pictures of moia as well!
(Looking at this picture, I realize that I need more time on the treadmill, and fewer cocktails!!!) :>)
Day 49 – Feb. 24 – Easter Island Day 2
Day 2 at Easter Island, and we are determined to make the most of it! We book two tours today – one to go back to the quarry to see the original carvings that still exist, and another in the afternoon to go to the volcano where an ancient “birdman” cult existed. Both tours were fabulous, and you can see some amazing pictures of both by clicking on any picture below!
Day 52 – Feb. 27 – Pitcairn Island
We “cruise around Pitcairn Island” today, which is a bit of a disappointment to us, as we were able to explore the island by foot last year. However, as we couldn’t go to the island, they brought the island to us. Specifically, they motored over to the ship in something that looked like a big rowboat. They climbed up a ladder to our ship, holding on to ropes, and then brought up many cases of goods to sell. It was quite interesting to see! They even brought over a “pan of sand” so you could say that you stood on Pitcairns shore! It was a madhouse as everyone shopped for t-shirts and carved wooden goods, so we just enjoyed the views as we sailed around the island.
Later, the mayor of Pitcairn presented our captain with a replica of the Bounty, and the Pitcairn residents sang us a goodby song before leaving. It was quite touching!
In the evening, we were entertained with “Broadway Unplugged” featuring the Regent singers. A great way to end a lovely day.
Day 53/54 – Feb 28/Mar 1 – Sea Days
We have two sea days as we head to the French Polynesian Islands. The culinary map shows our ship now leaving Easter Island and heading toward the cluster of the islands.
On these two days, we work out to try to manage those extra cocktail calories, and listen to talks about the South Pacific explorers who found and settled the islands we are about to visit. These are also “catch up” days – we check on online bill payments, see if we have tax forms availabel yet, and work on our 2026 vacation planning.
On Feb. 28, we celebrated the “half birthday” of our friend Mandy – whose real birthday is on August 28, which will be after the end of the cruise. We begin the evening having champagne in Mary Lou’s and Mandy’s penthouse suite, where their butler has laid out a nice spread of appetizers. We all wear the Polynesian neclaces and bracelets that we made in class earlier this week. Later we toast the birthday girl as we have dinner in Compass Rose.
On the evening of March 1, we watch a special show of a performance of Polynesian Dances. Mary Lou went to classes to learn these dances, and tonight after the performance received a graduation certificate. It was great fun!
Day 55 – March 2 – Fakarava
Our first Polynesian stop is Fakarava. As this is a very small island with very few sites to see, we decide to go diving. The diving was amazing – it was just like being in the middle of a giant fishbowl! While the current was a bit strong, we had a great guide who ensured that we were in the right places and remained comfortable in the current. At one point, we even stopped for about ten minutes where the large fish and sharks swam up to us! It was amazing!
The water here is unbelievably blue!
Day 56 – Mar. 3 – Huahine, French Polynesia
As this is our first visit to this island, we decide to take a land tour. We drive around the island, stopping for a hike to some ancient Marae sacred sites, and visiting a museum which explained the function of the sites. More pictures can be seen by clicking on the photos below!
Day 57 – Mar. 4 – Raiatea, French Polynesia
Today is a very busy day, as we have two tours booked! Our morning tour takes us around the island, to a Pearl Farm, a botanical garden – where we see a rose that truly looks like it was sculpted from porcelein, and another ancient cultural site.
In the afternoon it is time to get back into this delicious water. We board a “canoe”, which motors down the Fa’aroa River. Later, we are taken to a private island where we have some fresh fruit and go for a swim.
Clicking on any of the pictures will reveal the full story!
Day 58 – Mar. 5 – Moorea, French Polynesia
Due to a late arrival in Moorea today, we only have time for one tour. The positive is that we have time on the ship to work out before going out! Our afternoon tour is another catamaran, where we continue to enjoy this paradise of water. I did a small album for this trip – you can click on the pictures below to see it.
We leave Moorea early tonight to sail to Papeete, Tahiti, as it is very close. Some of our friends elect to have dinner on the island, although we choose to stay and have dinner on the ship. Tomorrow begins a new leg, with new people and new adventures!