Bon Voyage!

Hello Everyone,

We're off! We departed the port of Los Angeles (near Long Beach) on time this evening about 6:00PM local time. It's nice to be on the ship and all unpacked. But it was an interesting day getting here, with some unfortunate drama - not for me, but for another couple. More on that in a minute.

We departed the hotel this morning about 10:30am and headed to the Getty Villa near Santa Monica for a couple hours of looking at various Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities collected by J. Paul Getty. Quite the collection, all housed in a reproduction of an ancient Roman villa that Getty had built but didn't live to see completed. Lots of vases...

A Vase

Another Vase

Yet Another Vase

Seriously though, there were some magnificent specimens here, too much to see in just a couple hours. The grounds were exquisite too.

Getty Villa Grounds

Getty Villa Grounds

Getty Villa Grounds

A Sobering Incident

Earlier I alluded to some unfortunate drama. While we were on the bus after the tour waiting for the rest of the passengers to board, a 78 year-old man sitting across the aisle from me suddenly began having seizures. Another passenger and I tried to comfort him and I had the driver call 911. He had five more seizures in the next 20 minutes or so, and clearly wasn't doing well. His wife said this was the first time anything like this had happened to him. Paramedics came quickly and spent some time stabilizing him before taking him and his wife to a nearby hospital. It was very troubling and sobering to see happen. I guess the silver lining is that it was better to have something like that happen on land with help nearby than to be in the Pacific halfway to Tahiti. But still... I really felt bad for both of them. I don't know anything about how he made out, and I probably won't be able to learn much as the cruise continues. But I'm praying for both of them. As I've said before, do what you can while you can - tomorrow isn't a promise. You never know.

Headed to the Ship

On the drive to the pier, we went through Pacific Palisades, one of the areas devastated by wildfires a year ago. Although most of the wreckage has been cleared out, you could still see areas where burned out buildings and cars still remain. No significant rebuilding has begun yet, as they're still cleaning up the mess.

Once we got to the ship, things settled down and I began to feel like I was really on vacation. We were welcomed on board with a glass of champagne to sip while we watched the mandatory safety video - an interesting juxtaposition.

I went to my cabin and found it to be very nicely appointed. Here are a couple pictures:

My Stateroom, viewed from the entryway

My stateroom looking from the balcony toward the entry

Understated Elegance and a Few (Nice) Surprises

I found a nice tote/swag bag on the bed that contained a journal, a baseball hat, a folio for my key card, and a very nice Cutter & Buck jacket, all with the Viking World Cruise 2026 logo. Nice touch.

Viking Swag

Speaking of nice touches, before I left home, I called Viking to ask if I'd be able to get distilled water for my CPAP machine while onboard. They assured me I would. When I got to my room this afternoon, there was a 5 liter bottle of distilled water already there! There was also a bottle of champagne in the fridge, but I don't think that's for the CPAP...

I didn't have to wait very long for my luggage began to show up (it all made it!) and I began to unpack and settle in. 

Bon Voyage Celebration

At about 5:15, Viking hosted a bon voyage party in one of the main gathering areas. There were passed hors d'oeuvres and champagne as well as a live band playing 70's hits. I guess they know their demographic! 😊 The captain and other Viking Corporate big wigs welcomed us on board and set a nice tone for the rest of the cruise.

Bon Voyage Party

Meeting Others On Board

I've already met and had pleasant chats with several couples and even some other singles on the cruise. There are more singles than I thought there would be - I've already run into about five others! I met one man who lost his wife to ovarian cancer about 18 months ago. Small world, huh? When I went to have dinner this evening, I sat at a table by myself and wasn't there very long before another gentleman*, also solo, introduced himself and sat down to eat with me. People are very friendly, and everyone seems excited to finally be underway. So I guess it'll be alright.

The Coming Days

We have the next five days at sea, traveling some 2,224 nautical miles to Oahu. They told us at the bon voyage party that the cruise would total over 31,000 nm by the time we reach London, equivalent to sailing around the globe at the equator.

I wondered if I'd have to work to find things to do during the days at sea. Judging from tomorrow's activity schedule they gave me this evening, I don't think that will be a problem. Click on this picture and zoom in to see the myriad things they have available, just in a single day!

Activities for Tuesday 6 Jan

So, here we are, finally on our way. I'm excited and looking forward to the rest of the voyage.

Until Next Time,
Jim

*Kelli - You'll be delighted to know he's from Portland!