I took 4 Windjammer cruises off the coast of Maine - all on the Lewis R French (no engine. all sails) - the first with 4 of our kids. My husband had polio at age 12 and wore a full leg brace. A lady in the office sent me, in answer to my question of how do you board the French, a 3-page letter detailing every aspect of life on the French, it was a gang plank which he could handle so he went on 2 of the cruises. We had a blast. The only thing that has ever beat that trip with any of the kids was taking the whitewater rafting on the New River Gorge.
I can't WAIT to hear about your cruise! I've never cruised anywhere ( unless BC Ferries count!) because cruising really doesn't interest me...except for Hurtigruten! My daughter lives in Iceland, formerly in Norway and we've had a Hurtigruten trip on our to- do list for ages!
The Galapagos is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. We marveled at giant land tortoises and swam with sea turtles (my favorite experience). I recommend going on a small boat if you can for a really up-close and personal view of wildlife and interaction with on-board naturalists. We sailed on The Grace, a refurbished 16-passenger motor yacht that Aristotle Onassis gave Grace Kelly and the prince of Monaco for a wedding gift. Or you can go on larger boats with more bells and whistles. I know of no one who wasn’t amazed by the blue-footed boobies and other exotic creatures.
Antarctica. 7 days crossing and back and 9 landings on the continent. The Drake crossing is either the Drake Shake or the Drake Lake. On the way over it was Shake; 7 out of 10. On the return it was Lake; 3 out of 10. The starkest desert I have ever visited. 10s of thousands of penguins. Get out of their way, they have no fear of humans and they have the right of way. Oh, let's not forget the Polar Plunge; 35 degree air, 30 degree water and a bathing suit. No certificate unless you go under. The penguins swimming next to you wonder why you are shivering. As many have said - Once In A Lifetime.
This looks like a really great adventure! I'm glad you could do it with your boys! In 2015, we went to New Zealand as part of an Australia, NZ, and Cook Island trip. We drove down to Milford Sound in NZ and boarded a vessel that navigates the fjords. It was one of the stormiest days I had ever experienced and we were soaking wet by the end. The volume of water coming down was incredible and the water in the fjord so high. It was great to experience this!
My first cruise was on a freighter that went from Tilbury Docks in England to several ports in Europe before going to nine different countries in Africa. I had a full spectrum of vaccines before embarking. I was the only passenger and the only woman on board. I was invited to eat with the officers, who were all Italian. Luckily I had taken an immersive course in Italian several years before going on the cruise. I chose it because it seemed like an exotic series of destinations. I had many wonderful experiences. Have since done several more freighter, as well as many many more fancy cruises.
We are currently sailing on a Seabourn Norway fiord cruise. The fiords are incredible. We saw one of the Hurtigruten ships in one of the fiords. Of all of the cruises that I have been on this rates as one of the best. Your conversation with your boys was interesting but didn’t provide much useful information
After listening to your podcast I went to the Hurtigruten website. Lots of helpful information on it
I took 4 Windjammer cruises off the coast of Maine - all on the Lewis R French (no engine. all sails) - the first with 4 of our kids. My husband had polio at age 12 and wore a full leg brace. A lady in the office sent me, in answer to my question of how do you board the French, a 3-page letter detailing every aspect of life on the French, it was a gang plank which he could handle so he went on 2 of the cruises. We had a blast. The only thing that has ever beat that trip with any of the kids was taking the whitewater rafting on the New River Gorge.
I can't WAIT to hear about your cruise! I've never cruised anywhere ( unless BC Ferries count!) because cruising really doesn't interest me...except for Hurtigruten! My daughter lives in Iceland, formerly in Norway and we've had a Hurtigruten trip on our to- do list for ages!
The Galapagos is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. We marveled at giant land tortoises and swam with sea turtles (my favorite experience). I recommend going on a small boat if you can for a really up-close and personal view of wildlife and interaction with on-board naturalists. We sailed on The Grace, a refurbished 16-passenger motor yacht that Aristotle Onassis gave Grace Kelly and the prince of Monaco for a wedding gift. Or you can go on larger boats with more bells and whistles. I know of no one who wasn’t amazed by the blue-footed boobies and other exotic creatures.
Antarctica. 7 days crossing and back and 9 landings on the continent. The Drake crossing is either the Drake Shake or the Drake Lake. On the way over it was Shake; 7 out of 10. On the return it was Lake; 3 out of 10. The starkest desert I have ever visited. 10s of thousands of penguins. Get out of their way, they have no fear of humans and they have the right of way. Oh, let's not forget the Polar Plunge; 35 degree air, 30 degree water and a bathing suit. No certificate unless you go under. The penguins swimming next to you wonder why you are shivering. As many have said - Once In A Lifetime.
Most adventurous cruise. Galapagos. Wildlife and volcanoes.
Most adventurous sort-of "cruise". Kayaking through Palau. Marine life and WWII history/artifacts.
This looks like a really great adventure! I'm glad you could do it with your boys! In 2015, we went to New Zealand as part of an Australia, NZ, and Cook Island trip. We drove down to Milford Sound in NZ and boarded a vessel that navigates the fjords. It was one of the stormiest days I had ever experienced and we were soaking wet by the end. The volume of water coming down was incredible and the water in the fjord so high. It was great to experience this!
My first cruise was on a freighter that went from Tilbury Docks in England to several ports in Europe before going to nine different countries in Africa. I had a full spectrum of vaccines before embarking. I was the only passenger and the only woman on board. I was invited to eat with the officers, who were all Italian. Luckily I had taken an immersive course in Italian several years before going on the cruise. I chose it because it seemed like an exotic series of destinations. I had many wonderful experiences. Have since done several more freighter, as well as many many more fancy cruises.
I loved the story. Sounds like a photographers paradise. I happen to avoid cruises due to the one meal a day problem. ;)
We are currently sailing on a Seabourn Norway fiord cruise. The fiords are incredible. We saw one of the Hurtigruten ships in one of the fiords. Of all of the cruises that I have been on this rates as one of the best. Your conversation with your boys was interesting but didn’t provide much useful information
After listening to your podcast I went to the Hurtigruten website. Lots of helpful information on it