Denouement - Return to Los Angeles May 17, 2025
🇺🇸 It was back to LA Harbor in San Pedro for the sad departure. The four month long, 116 day World Cruise 2025 even exceeded our expectations. We knew the 43 port days would be fabulous but we also loved the 73 sea days, never tiring of gazing at the ocean, running around between 3 to 5 trivia match...
Puerto Vallarta Foodie Bike Tour (Ride 25)
🇲🇽 Our last port was Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We finished with Ride #25, an enjoyable delicious foodie bike tour with Hombero of Vallarta Food Tours ($60 GetYourGuide). We tasted tacos from four family run locals' favorite spots en route. We’ve never had such fresh and good carnitas, and the others,...
Wonderful Day Trip to Antigua Guatemala
🇬🇹 Hola from Guatemala. We arranged a private tour, at $70 each, a fraction of the ship’s excursion price, with Jeff & Keith and Leigh & Rolf, through Shore Excursions Group, from the Puerto Quetzal port to the famous colonial city of Antigua, located at a cool 5,000 ft elevation vs the oppressive h...
Costa Rica Tour with Crocodiles
🇨🇷 Hola from Puntarenas Costa Rica. Eight of us from the ship spent the day with very affable and knowledgeable local guide Jeancarlo and driver Carlos of GioTours ($78 via Viator). We stopped to sample local fruits and proceeded to the Tarcoles River for a boat tour of its American Crocodiles and b...
Panama Canal Crossing
🇵🇦 We experienced a fascinating traverse of the Panama Canal, great to do after hearing about it our whole lives. A bunch of us “pickled on the Panama” in the AM, putting up with the heat. An expert broadcast info on the canal across the ship all day. In between the locks are large lakes surrounded...
Locals Bike Tour in Cartagena, Columbia, S America: Ride #24
🇨🇴 We did it! Biked on Continent #6/6 in Cartagena, Colombia, South America! And the weather was perfectly bearable too. It was just the two of us with guide Gio assisted by his fiancé, and on regular bikes, which were fine. His tour is a locals’ special, stopping at Anthony Bourdain’s favorite hole...
Fort Lauderdale, farewell to many and fun day with Laura & Arch, Ride #23
🇺🇸 A bittersweet day as so many of our new friends that started the World Cruise in Fort Lauderdale departed here comprising about half of the world cruisers (~390). Back in the USA for a day, our great friends Laura and Arch took us on a deluxe tour of Fort Lauderdale from the beach to downtown, a...
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Bike Tour (#22)
🇪🇸 Rich organized a private bike tour with José María Suárez Martínez for shipmates Anne, Floyd and Renee, and Ride #22 became one of our favorites, at only €25 each. Las Palmas native José was a fount of local knowledge, very personable and a great guide. We biked around the well maintained Vegueta...
Santa Cruz Walkabout, Tenerife, Canary Islands
🇪🇸 Tenerife was a late substitute for our port stop at Lanzarote due to predicted high winds there, so we had to cancel a scheduled great sounding volcanoes bike ride. We didn’t bother to plan anything beyond the Santa Cruz port, which was a mistake as the port town was a big city of only moderate i...
Excellent Excursion to Rabat, Morocco
🇲🇦 We had an awesome day in Rabat, capital of Morocco. Five of us were picked up at Casablanca cruise port in a comfy minivan and driven on a modern 3 lane toll road ~1 hour to Rabat where we met our knowledgeable personable guide Mohammed. He showed us the sights on this beautiful day, including th...
Sevilla Walking Tour & Cadiz Stroll
🇪🇸 ANDALUSIA! We docked in Cadiz, where we’d explored in Nov '23 by bike and foot, so this time we ventured off on a shore excursion to Sevilla. Rich was unsuccessful coordinating a bike tour of Seville (120 km inland) which would’ve been fabulous, so we booked a bus/walking tour with Spain Day Tour...
Barcelona E-Bike Tour (#21)
🇪🇸 We enjoyed a 4-hour 23 km guided e-bike tour all around Barcelona on a sunny mild day, joined by shipmates Floyd and Anne. Claudia of Ocean Bikes (€49) led us and 4 others, with stops at Gaudi's Sagrada Familia and other sites, on protected bike lanes through leafy neighborhoods, up Montjuic to t...
A Nice Beautiful Bike Ride (#20)
🇫🇷 Nice is one of the Nicest places we've seen. We'd been having a bit of "weather" in the Mediterranean to say the least and several bike rides were canceled, but thankfully this morning there was a nice break and we did a fabulous e-bike tour all around Nice, along the seaside Promenade des Anglai...
Dreary Day in Genoa
🇮🇹 Due to a dreary rainy forecast we had cancelled our Genoa Panorama e-bike tour with Baja Bikes 2 days prior to ensure a refund. It ended up not raining til later in the afternoon, and we instead took an open air mini-train, Pippo City Tour, of the city with shipmate Michael, which was not good. I...
Lunch in Lucca, Pizza in Pisa
🇮🇹 We ventured out via a Viator excursion (€25) on a rainy day from Livorno with shipmate pal Michael, bought umbrellas and enjoyed wandering around the charming walled city of Lucca, although it would have been nice to rent bikes and ride around Lucca's wide walls if it were a sunny day. We had a n...
Un Bon Jour a Ajaccio
🇫🇷 Another port everyone loved was Ajaccio, Ile de Corsica, France. The port is right at the old city, famous for being Napolean’s birthplace. We biked last time we were here in Oct '23, when the sunshine showed off the surrounding turquoise waters. This time we, along with Claire & Bill, walked and...
Civitivecchia Town Stroll
🇮🇹 Civitivecchia is the port to access Rome, requiring a very full day with the risk of missing the boat if on your own. Since we had a great 3 day Rome visit in Nov ‘23 we decided to have a relaxing day, so after a few games of pickleball we took a stroll around the town, stopping for a leisurely a...
Malta E-Bike Adventure (#19)
🇲🇹 MALTA! We experienced quite the exhilarating 37 km hilly e-bike ride near Valletta on a beautiful sunny day. Rich had organized it with 8 others from the ship, and Los Arditos Tours (€65) greeted us at the port with full featured sturdy e-bikes. Our Italian guide Ardit was very fun, energetic an...
Puglia E-Bike Tour (#18) from Taranto Port
🇮🇹 Rich arranged a private e-bike tour in the Puglia region of Southern Italy with Andrea of PugliaOnBike, and it was an awesome experience. Andrea's uncle and business owner, Luca, met us and shipmate friends Bob and Steve K at the port and drove the 40 minutes to their shop in Locorotondo, stoppin...
Corfu E-Bike Ride (#17)
🇬🇷 The series Durrells on Corfu made us want to visit this Greek Island, and we did in Nov ‘23, and loved it. We made a last minute port substitution here this time, and Rich took the opportunity to do the same e-bike ride we did then, renting from George at Corfu Port Bicycles again (€30). Rich led...
Chania, Crete Stroll
🇬🇷 Chania is known for its spectacular Venetian harbor, as well as its well preserved old town. In Oct ‘23 we had called here on an HAL cruise, and Rich did a bike tour around the town, while Steve, who was under the weather, came in later. The ship docks at Port of Souda and an inexpensive 20 minut...
Rhodes, Greece E-Bike Tour (#16) and Walk
🇬🇷 Everyone loved Rodos (Rhodes). The port, one of our favorites, is adjacent to the Citadel of Rhodes, one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe and a UNESCO world heritage site. You could just wander in and get lost in the narrow arched cobblestone streets, many lined with cute shops and...
Kusadasi, Türkiye (Asia) E-bike Tour (#15)
🇹🇷 We did a nice private bike tour in Kusadasi, Türkiye, our only stop in Asia, an important ride to accomplish our quest to Bicycle ‘Round the World, hitting 6 continents. Most go to the fabulous Ephesus ruins from here, but we'd already gone in Oct ‘23 and really enjoyed it. We booked direct (€65...
Heraklion, Crete Stroll
🇬🇷 Bad weather diverted us from Patmos, which was a tender port, to Heraklion, Crete. Rich arranged a last minute guided bike tour in the Heraklion countryside with four others but we called it off since it was rainy in that area in the morning. With Steve still fighting a cold Rich wandered into to...
Athens E-Bike Tour (Ride #14) and Acropolis
🇬🇷 OPA! What a wonderful Greek triathlon today - a beautiful Sunday morning Athens highlights E-Bike tour by Athens By Bike ($49US via GetYourGuide) with shipmates Josh & Cheryl, a Greek feast at locals’ favorite restaurant Opos Palia near the Acropolis we’d discovered last visit, and a climb up the...
Siracusa Ride #13 Ortigia Island & Coastal Rail Trail
🇮🇹 Siracusa, Sicily was a wonderful port stop and an awesome 27 km bike ride. The old city is on Ortigia Island, a short walk from the port, an enjoyable area to walk around with historic fortresses and cathedrals from different eras. Narrow streets are lined with cafes and shops and a scenic waterf...
Gibraltar Rock to the Top E-Bike (Ride #12)
🇬🇮 Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and city situated at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula adjacent to Spain. It is near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean, called the Strait of Gibraltar, and is dominated by the famous mountain called the Rock of Gibraltar. R...
Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal Bike to Summit (#11)
🇵🇹 We loved our day on the beautiful subtropical Portuguese isle of Madeira. Native Madeirian Financio of Madeira Island Route picked us up at the port for our e-bike tour booked via Viator (€57). The location was changed from the north to the southwest due to weather. The 3 of us set out an an epic...
Cabo Verde: A Mindelo Morning (Ride #10)
🇨🇻 Cape Verde or Cabo Verde is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa, with Portuguese the official language. The ship docked in Mindelo, the capital. We had booked a guided e-bike tour of the island months back with Zoom Zoom Mindelo, but were informed a few days before that they o...
Walvis Bay, Namibia: Sandwich Harbour 4x4 Tour
🇳🇦 We booked via Viator the M.N.G Tours Sandwich Harbour 4x4 excursion ($130US each). After going through Namibian immigration on the ship we met our driver, Lance, ashore. Shipmates Marianne, Diane and Lori joined us in the Toyota 4x4 six seater. Native Namibian Lance was well versed in the local f...
Cape Town E -Bike Safari (Ride #9) and Cape Point Van Tour March 9 & 10
🇿🇦 We enjoyed two perfect days in the Cape Town area with sunny, mild weather. DAY ONE The first day was nerve-racking since the entire ship had to go through immigration. We got up at 5 AM to get in line for a low exit number, in order to get to our transport early enough to make our private e-bike...
Mauritius Private Tour
🇲🇺 After seven enjoyable days sailing the Indian Ocean, avoiding a cyclone or two, we pulled into Port Louis on the island nation of Mauritius, a melting pot with multi-cultural influences and known for the extinct Dodo bird. Our e-bike tour was canceled due to wet paths from a recent cyclone so we...
Rottnest Island Quokka E-bike tour (#8) from Perth/Fremantle
🇦🇺 Ever since seeing photos of cyclists taking selfies with smiling quokka's on a beautiful car-free island, cycling Rottnest Island had been on our bucket list, a place on the other side of the world we doubted we'd ever get to. Quokka's are marsupials about the size of a beaver, nicknamed "happies...
Melbourne Blue Tongue E-Bike Tour (#7)
🇦🇺 Melbourne is a multi cultural metropolis of 5 million situated at the head of Port Phillip Bay off the Bass Strait of the Southern Ocean. A pedestrian bridge contains plaques showing where immigrants came from, including the first peoples from 20,000 years ago. We along with 3 other shipmates par...
Sydney Harbour Bike Tour (#6)
🇦🇺 A 19 km e-bike tour from Sydney Harbour Bike Tours ($85 USD each) proved to be the perfect introduction to this beautiful city. Our informative local guide Linda led our intimate group of four around the beautiful central districts, along the scenic waterfront, and over the Sydney Harbour Bridge....
Cruising Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
🇳🇿 Thankfully conditions were right for our ship to cruise spectacular Fiordlands National Park at the tip of the South Island. The highlight was the dramatic Milford Sound. We were in awe gazing from our 12th floor balcony. Princess hired a local ranger to give a running commentary across the ship.
Otago Bike Loop Port Chalmers - Dunedin (Ride #5)
🇳🇿 Port Chalmers is the port for the Dunedin area. We had arranged to have ibike Rentals of Dunedin deliver six e-bikes to the port, for Steve & Rich, Heather & Kevin and Andrea & Renee. Then we took the Port to Port bike ferry with owner Rachel across to Portobello for the start of the ride. We had...
Picton Mountain Bike Ride (#4) to Waterfront Pub
🇳🇿 Picton on the South Island is the terminus of the inter-Island ferry and also a scenic cruise port. We rented good quality e-mountain bikes along with Claire and Bill from Wilderness Guides ($54 US) and rode the Picton-Waikawa Tract, the easiest option for a mountain bike ride. The main trail out...
Napier NZ’s Hawkes Bay trails E-Bike (#3)
🇳🇿 Napier is known for great weather and beautiful beaches on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Its Central Business District (CBD) consists of very appealing 1930's era art deco architecture. We rented e-bikes at Napier City Bike Hire along with shipmates Claire and Bill. Cost was...
Bay of Islands New Zealand
🇳🇿 Bay of Islands, our first stop in New Zealand on the North Island, is a tender port, so the weather has to cooperate to visit here, and it did. We took advantage of our Elite status to get onto a tender boat early to catch our excursion, a boat cruise via Island Getaway. It included stops on two...
Suva Fiji Traditional Village
🇫🇯 Bula! We did Untouched Fiji’s tour of a traditional Fijian village with food tasting and native dances, and then a short rainforest walk. It was a nice day. The surprising highlight was buying Hawaiian shirts that we needed at Jack’s tourist store at a great price. Rich had caught a cold during t...
Kauai Kapa’a Coastal E-Bike Ride (#2)
🇺🇸 Steve was under the weather today, but Bob, Steve K and Rich rented a car and drove to Kapa’a where we rented e-bikes at friendly Hele on Kauai and rode the beautiful waterfront Ke Ala Makalae path, mostly to the more scenic north end of the trail. We also went chocolate tasting at the Lydgate Fa...
Koaloa Ranch Jurassic Valley E-Bike Tour (World Bike Ride #1)
🇺🇸 Aloha! We began the cruise with six days at sea, and started making friends right away through pickleball, trivia contests, and Rich's bike tour coordination efforts. Sea days were enjoyable with so many fun activities going on between the three meals. We even loved just staring out at the beauti...
Ship ahoy. Boarding in LA Jan 20 - First Impressions
🇺🇸 Departure day finally arrived after months of hectic preparations, planning as many port excursions as possible, and getting together everything we might need for a four month cruise. Although this was billed as a "World Cruise" we saved substantially by booking what proved to be four consecutive...