We found out that we were only the 4th cruise ship to visit Pagan ever, the other 3 visits being made by the Hanseatic. We were also the first cruise ship to dock at Tinian - the dock is new and previously it was zodiac or tender.

We arrived home about an hour and a half ago, retrieved Luke at our neighbors and I am now about to brave the update to IOS 8 on my iPad, although maybe I should do it in the morning...

We're counting on you Jim to keep up the reporting on the Guam to Fiji segment.

That's really interesting, although not surprising, that we were the first ship to stop in Tinian. The historian/guide there was fantastic - a great storyteller - he really made the WWII history in the Pacific come alive. I wish SS had hired him to come on board in Chichi-jima to give some WWII lectures during our extra sea days as we sailed to Pagan, Saipan and Tinian. Those three final stops were the most interesting of the cruise.

Bert and I are in the United Lounge at Narita waiting to board or flight to Chicago later this afternoon and then finally home late tonight. Spent the day in Guam after leaving the ship yesterday at the Westin. Spent some time chilling at the beach before it started to rain. Had dinner last night with Doug and Andi at a local restaurant with good Chamoro spiced food and BBQ. Looking forward to reading all the information from the Fiji segment. This was a wonderful experience with a great group of LCT travelers. Happy birthday to Ken Simpson! Now it's back on the diet time.

Back in the US sitting in the admirals club at DFW awaiting our flight to tulsa. Ngaire and Ken were on our flights from Guam to Narita, then narita to DFW. Fastest ever transit through customs and immigration as we were the first plane of the day to land.

Enjoyed meeting everyone on this trip in person.

Helen and Jerry, too bad about the hotel in Guam.

I've so enjoyed all your posts from this cruise!

Looking forward to more reports from JimB as he travels on the next leg.

Since this thread is so many pages long I started a new one for Guam to Fiji.
Jim

Second half of cruise

We FINALLY made it Pagan, Saipan and Taipan, all US territories.

Pagan is inhabited by 7 people and offers exquisite views, unadulterated black sand beaches, 2 active volcanos, a megapode and some old Japanese planes. It was excruciatingly hot and humid. Three walks were offered... One around a lake, one up in the hills for a view and a short walk to the airfield with the plane remains. I opted for the planes , but not being a WWII knowledge buff , it just wasn't of keen interest to me. I was lucky yo hook up with Britta, a marine biologist on the expedition staff and she spent the rest of the time with me at the beach. There was a serious undertow, so, not being the strongest of swimmers, I sat in the shallow waves and Britta and I played in the surf for an hour or so. This was only a half day stop....stops on the islands we reached were generally only half day. The volcano erupted with ash and sulfur a s number of times which was an interesting spectacle. After a viewing of the megapode (a coconut crab large enough to crush coconuts, I sadly left, full of black sand, but refreshed and glad to experience land. We circled the island but then spent another afternoon at sea.

The next day was our final day before debarkation in Guam and we were to visit two islands. The tour offered in Saipan was a bus tour of the island. Snorkeling was not available...even though we saw loads of snorkelers and para sailers. It was something about the tour operators not wishing to offer this to those over 50.

The tour and museum provided background to us as to why this island was so important. Saipan is located in the Mariana Islands and In the campaigns of 1943 and the first half of 1944, the Allies had captured the Solomon Islands, the Gilbert Islands, the Marshall Islands and the Papuan Peninsula of New Guinea. This left the Japanese holding the Philippines, the Caroline Islands, Palau Islands and Mariana Islands. Bombardment of Saipan began on 13 June 1944. The invasion surprised the Japanese high command, which had been expecting an attack further. The Japanese were determined to fight to the last man. The Japanese used the many caves in the volcanic landscape to delay the attackers, by hiding during the day and making sorties at night. The Americans gradually developed tactics for clearing the caves by using flamethrower teams supported by artillery and machine guns. The Japanese had nowhere to retreat. Leaders made plans for a final suicidal banzai charge. On the fate of the remaining civilians on the island, Saito said, "There is no longer any distinction between civilians and troops. It would be better for them to join in the attack with bamboo spears than be captured." In the end, almost the entire garrison of troops on the island — at least 30,000 — died. additionally, Emperor Hirohito personally found the threat of defection of Japanese civilians disturbing.Much of the community was of low caste, and there was a risk that live civilians would be surprised by generous U.S. treatment. Native Japanese sympathizers would hand the Americans a powerful propaganda weapon to subvert the "fighting spirit" of Japan in radio broadcasts. At the end of June, Hirohito sent out an imperial order encouraging the civilians of Saipan to commit suicide.The order authorized the commander of Saipan to promise civilians who died there an equal spiritual status in the afterlife with those of soldiers perishing in combat. 1000 Japanese civilians committed suicide in the last days of the battle to take the offered privileged place in the afterlife, some jumping from "Suicide Cliff" and "Banzai Cliff".

This again was a half day tour with us visiting Taipan is the afternoon. Both snorkeling and a tour were offered separately. Those who took the tour had only rave reviews as the historian was excellent. Taipan is the island from which the Enola Gay left with the nuclear bombs. I was less lofty in my pursuits and enjoyed a great day of terrific snorkeling.

So, you can see, the cruise wasn't terrible. It was just that we went a long distance and didn't see much, so the value wasn't there. We expected zodiac trips and, instead, had an overload of short stops, big bus tours and hot walks when we did hit land.

Ship pros:

The crew on this trip was possibly the best we have ever had on any ship and we have been on this ship before. The wait staff was incredible. The expedition team and front , , desk excellent. Nothing was too much for anyone and they worked as a team. When I went swimming, one of the expedition team stayed with me the entire time, making me feel comfortable and safe. The crew had our names and preferences down by day 2. They anticipated our needs.

Most of the rooms are smaller than the Regent rooms, but have plenty of storage. The rooms are bright. Movie selections very good. The food was very good.

Ship negatives:

Only 4 cabins have real balconies and only a handful have French balconies. These are offered at a considerable premium over view rooms. Given, that they only offer sliding doors that open and not extra room, the dollar value just isn't there, while the benefit may be.

There is limited outside space, fine for the Arctic and Antarctic, but a detriment for a warm climate trip. There is no pool and jacuzzis were not in operation if the seas were even a little choppy.

Expedition cruises in general: While I realize nothing is a guarantee, personally, I would not take a maiden voyage again. At this stage in my life, I am not so well travelled that I need to go to virgin territory just to experience something utterly new and different. One, agencies supporting tourism are not that experienced, there may be little to see and expedition leaders are not experienced with the port and what it offers.

As an example, Pearl Harbor has a fascinating museum set up. Taipan had an interesting lecturer but nothing to show but an airfield.

Would I do an expedition again? Yes...to the Arctic, Antarctica or to a place others have positively reviewed. But, be prepared to be stuck on a small ship with limited things to do. If you have the time, special interests in the area being visited, playing cards, lots of books, and are a traveling risk taker, expedition cruising may be for you.