ARCTIC VOYAGE
HEADING TO BOSTON - June 18, 2026
The flight from Charleston to BWI left about an hour late. The flight from BWI to Boston left about two hours late, so we arrived about 7 PM rather than about 4 PM. These days I consider that to be a success.
We caught up with Lyn and Tony from Tasmania in time for dinner at the hotel. Tony was as sick as a dog with a constant cough. Not a good start for Tony or possibly the rest of us! The food and service at the hotel restaurant was "very average".
Early to bed for all of us - at $400 a night I wanted my money's worth.
VISIT TO STURBRIDGE - June 19, 2026
First thing in the AM Lyn and Tony headed to the doctors where he was assured that he had a virus and not an infection and was therefore not infectious. Meantime I bussed over to the airport and picked up the rental car.
Back to the hotel to pick up Tony and the two ladies. The drive to Sturbridge was a bit busy but we made it in about 90 mins. Tickets into Sturbridge were free – we think because of the Juneteenth Holiday. But all the "action" activities were not in "action".
Back on Boston by about 6PM. Dinner at Chick-fil-e in downtown Boston. Early to bed again, Tony still not feeling well.
DEPARTURE - Saturday, June 20, 2026
Breakfast was much better than dinner. We were on our way to the ship via LYFT by 11AM
The boarding process was a bit of a disorganized mess but we were on board by about 1PM in plenty of time for lunch in the buffet.
Time to have a look around the ship before departure. The "Volendam" was very similar to the other Holland-America "dam" ships we had cruised upon. About 1,400 guests, quite the "gracious and traditional" design that I remembered.
Our cabin was #2587 (took me quite a while to remember that vital piece of data) located on the second level, about midships. Lyn and Tony were nearby on the same level. It was a very stable location - we slept like logs and seldom felt any ship movement or vibration.
The ship was underway on time at 4:30 PM
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| Maybe it's on the other side? |
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| The wonderful, beautiful and gracious Volendam |
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| Tony & Bob - Dinner Day 1 |
PORTLAND - Sunday June 21, 2026
We woke up docked in Portland after a great night's sleep - although there was a rattle some where in the cabin! (We told our "cabin-man" and it was fixed by the time we got back from breakfast.)
Our first buffet breakfast was good - I even liked the coffee.
We had visited Portland on Tide Hiker back in 2017 and so we were happy just to wander around the waterfront. Deidre had forgotten her coat (maybe left it in Kylie's car after the drive to the AP?) so we took Uber to a mall and bought an inexpensive lined raincoat in a “disposal store”. Coffee at Starbucks. It rained a bit.
The ship was underway on schedule at about 4:30PM.
We started a routine of "DBD" (drinks before dinner) in the Crows Nest) at about 5 PM followed by dinner in the dining room at about 7 PM followed by a show in the theatre exactly at 9 PM. We kept up the routine for just about the entire 28 days. Sometimes after dinner we drifted into the XXXX bar and listened to the band.
The dinner service was amazingly civilized and enjoyable. The dining room was at two levels in the stern, with 3 sides of glass, and it was hard not to have some view of the ocean. The food was served and presented very professionally but the meat was only average and there was a lot of "heated" meals rather than "cooked" meals. Over the next 28 days we learned how to pick the meals that were the most enjoyable.
I had ordered 8 bottles of wine ($15 bottles from Total Wine that cost me about $38 each on the ship) for my dinners, so I had to ration those out. Lyn and Tony's "package" had included unlimited booze. And after a while we had that system nutted out so that all four of us could benefit.)
Comedian in the theatre that night.
DAY 2 – Monday - At sea
Great night’s sleep. Good breakfast.
Tony is starting to feel better
Moved our clocks forward an hour
Foggy in the AM, clear the rest of the day. Very smooth
sailing.
DAY 3 – Tuesday – Sydney
Small place
Two ships
A “mall at the dock” had internet
Walked around nice lake and park
DAY 4 – Wednesday – Saint Piere
About 1 mile walk into town
Place was deserted, and the shops were not even open
Purchased a bottle of MANDARINE NAPOLEAN
DAY 5 – Thursday – St Johns
Impressive entrance and small busy port
Lots of offshore petroleum service ships
Bigger city than expected – 300K population?
Picked up car rental at the AP
Drove to XXXX for moose-burger
DAY 6 – Friday – St Johns
Abandoned the get-on-get-off bus
Took cab up to signal point
Tony and Lyn walked back. ROBDLB took two cabs via rock
museum
DAY 7- Saturday – At Sea
DAY 8 – Sunday – At Sea
Deidre and I slept a lot
Lyn sent an email to Ky ☹
Song and dance show
So calm
DAY 8 – Monday – At Sea
Ky responded 😊
DLB had a mild “turn”
Jump in the cold-water event
DAY 9 – Tuesday - Isajordur
Walked to nice simple church
Walked into small downtown – coffee and chocolate lamington
Ventriloquist
DAY 10 – Wednesday - Akureyra
Turned on the phone
Two boats in port
Rented a car
Waterfalls
Nice fishing village
Chips for lunch
PDD
Black lady singer
Day 11 – Thursday - Seydsfjordur
Small, nice town on a fiord and a waterfall.
Amazing steep hills both side of town
Afternoon using Wi-Fi on the dock
John Denver singer
Day 12 – Friday - Djupivogur
Tender to the shore
Very small place
The stone bird eggs
Beer and donut at a cafe
Day 12 – Saturday – Heimaey
Tiny harbor full of ships!
We parked outside alongside some steep cliffs
Tender into the dock
Really neat and busy place
The harbor was almost blocked by larvae back in the 1970’s
Day 13 – Sunday - Reykjavik
Rented a car, stick shift
Black larvae
Bubbling mud
Lunch on the 3rd floor
Day 14 – Monday - Reykjavik
Last day in Iceland
Wandered around – really nice downtown – shops but too
expensive.
Fancy concrete church
Hot Larvae Museum
Day 15 – Tuesday – July 7, 2026 (?
Sea day
Some rough days at last.
Emergency Practice Day
Day 16 – Wednesday, July 8 – Sea Day
Up for 6 AM entry into
Got back an hour
Brilliant sunny morning
Deidre and I were up at 5:30AM local time
Fantastic fiord
Iceberg in the way
Amazing scenery
Fog……
Magician and comedy
Day 17 – Thursday, July 9 – Qaqotok
Sunny day
Dinghy ashore
Flies
Not much there, not “finished”
Disappointing ice cream
Long line for dinghy
Day 18 – Friday, July 10 – Nanortalik
Wet and cold morning
Slept in, late breakfast
Windy, cold and raining – stayed on the ship
Icebergs in the bay
Day 19 – Saturday, July 11 – Sea day
Extra hour, slept in.
Not much going on 😊
Day 20 – Sunday, July 12 – Sea day
Day 21 – Monday, July 13 – Corner Brook
Day 22 – Tuesday, July 14 – Cape-aux-Meules
Day 23 – Wednesday, July 15 - Halifax
Day 24 – Thursday, July 16 - Halifax
Day 25 – Friday, July 17 – at sea
Day 26 – Saturday, July 18 - Disembark
