Wednesday, 28th January 2026
When we woke up this morning at seven o’clock, it was to see that the Onward was sailing along very slowly, only doing about 3-4 knots. We could see Easter Island in the near distance, the lively waves of the Pacific ocean crashing onto its rocky shores. So near, and yet so far.
It was only a matter of minutes before we heard Captain Alex’s voice over the Tannoy advising us that, unfortunately, the port was still closed and there would be no shore leave for us today. 🙁
We were pleased that we’d taken our island tour yesterday, instead of leaving it until today! For those passengers who had booked an excursion only for today it would been a major disappointment. We now had an extra sea day today, and the entertainments team had hurriedly drawn up a new programme of activities for us.
We got ourselves washed and dressed, then headed up to the jogging track on Deck 10. However, when we arrived, there was no sign of the usual walkers and joggers; we then saw that the area and the stairs from Deck 9 had been roped off with signs saying “Closed due to high winds”. There were also intermittent squally showers so, unsurprisingly, the nets were stretched across the swimming pool and the hot tubs.
It looked as if our morning would be spent below decks so, after spending an hour or so in The Den catching up with this blog, we went along to the Cabaret Lounge, where geologist Dr. Rachel Cartwright was giving a lecture entitled Island Life – Lessons from a Coral Reef. This was particularly fascinating as we will be visiting Fakarava later on in this voyage, because that is an atoll. Atolls are described as being roughly circular islands including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There are many reefs and atolls in French Polynesia, and Dr Cartwright’s presentation, along with some stunning photographs, described how coral reefs are formed and what we can do to help protect the coral.
Following Dr Cartwright’s talk, we had a 15 minute break which we used to procure a cold soft drink. Our next speaker was the inimitable birdman and naturalist Nigel Marven of BBC Sea Monsters fame. He gave an excellent presentation called Swimming with Turtles with was accompanied by lots of photos and clips from the TV programme. It was a fantastic talk and not a little moving, especially as, in one scene, he walked alongside a female turtle as she returned from the beach to the sea after laying and burying her eggs in the sand.
The end of the talk took us nicely up to lunchtime, which we enjoyed in the Windows Café once again; they do have a fantastic buffet selection in there. Afterwards we decided to go to the pool bar and enjoy a freezing cold beer or two, as the sun was finally out and the nets removed from the pool. We saw that there was a game of “ring toss” at 1.00pm in the Living Room, and we thought that might be fun.
However, we got talking to an American couple, all of us bemoaning the current states of our respective countries and the current political hot topics. We all agreed that the Baby Boomer generation has certainly lived through the best of times.
The next thing we saw was the entertainments team carrying the ring toss equipment away; we’d missed our chance to play. Never mind, it was certainly pleasant sitting up on deck, enjoying the sultry air and the sea breeze, and marvelling that here we were, out in the middle of the vast Pacific ocean, en route to Pitcairn Island. 🙂
It was about 3.00pm when we left the pool bar and decided to go back to 6030 for a power nap. Then we just spent the rest of the afternoon pottering around the ship; people-watching, reading or just watching the world go by.
Afterwards I got showered, shampooed and blow-dried my hair and got ready for dinner. We decided to go in the Discoveries Restaurant for a change, and we were shown to a table for two at the stern of the vessel, overlooking the ship’s wake. We could feel the slight vibration of the Onward’s propellors and they churned the sea into a surging foam below us, leaving the long white trail. I love a good ship’s wake; it’s a sight I never tire of.
We were served by a jolly waiter called Ryan, and we enjoyed a delicious four-course dinner washed down with water, chilled rosé wine and finished with coffee and, in my case, a glass of ruby port.
The featured show in the Cabaret Lounge tonight was called “Oh What A Night” starring the Azamara Singers and Dancers giving us their versions of well-known 60s and 70s songs. It was a really enjoyable show and from our front centred seats I could see many people tapping their feet along with the music.
The show finished around 9.45pm, and we remained for a short while in the lounge while we pondered what to do. As night owls, one criticism we had on this cruise so far was the lack of activities and goings-on after 10 o’clock. They should have had an Evening Trivia or perhaps another audience-participation game show in the Living Room but, as it was, the only things that seemed to be going on were the resident singers/musicians playing background music around the ship.
As it was, the band in the Living Room were fantastic. The music was excellent and the female singer had a wonderful voice and seemed to be able to sing anything. There were not many people in the Living Room at all, maybe with this voyage being part of the World Cruise people were tending to take it easier and not have too many late nights.
It was around 11.00pm (early for us!) when we returned to 6030 and settled down. Beyond our window, we could see that the Pacific was much calmer now, and we slept very well once again. We would gain an extra hour in bed tonight, as the clocks were put back to GMT -6, the first time they had changed since we’d left Lima.
Thursday, 29th January 2026
Like everyday life, where we fall into a usual daily routine, shipboard life at sea is not much different. We arose, washed and dressed at 7.20am, then made our way up to the jogging track on Deck 10 to do our usual nautical mile, round and round the deck in the brisk morning sea air. The sun had not long risen and the air and the pale blue sky had that fresh new day about it.
It was pleasant doing the circuits, stopping every now and again to gaze out at the miles of glittering Pacific ocean. How vast it was, and how remote we were here on the Onward, a tiny little entity many hundreds of miles from any civilisation.
After a leisurely breakfast in the Windows Café as usual, we looked at The Insider activities programme and saw that the wonderful Nigel was doing a talk at 10.00am called “It Shouldn’t Happen To A Wildlife Presenter”. This sounded very interesting indeed.
In the meantime, we pottered about the ship, relaxed, read and just passed the time pleasantly, as you do. Lots of people tell us they don’t understand how we can spend so many days at sea and continually ask us what we find to do all day. Despite Azamara not having such a varied activities programme as, for example, Fred Olsen, we’re never bored. We can always make our own entertainment and, indeed, in these busy and hectic times, there is a lot to be said for sitting doing absolutely nothing. 🙂
Nigel’s presentation at ten o’clock was excellent, as we knew it would be. He showed clips from his TV programmes which highlighted the unpredictability of working with wild animals. Nigel is often billed as the “British Steve Irwin” the way he handles dangerous snakes and other reptiles. We enjoyed the presentation a lot, and it ended just before 11.00am.
We remained in the Cabaret Lounge for the next presentation by the Future Cruises team manager Anderson, featuring some of the tempting destinations and itineraries that Azamara has in store for 2027 and 2028. Trevor and I enjoyed watching the slide-show and saying to each other “Yep, been there… been there too… and there” as several countries, landmarks and cities were showcased. 🙂
We did see a segment of the 2028 World Cruise that we fancied booking, which would take us to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Hong Kong. We decided we would enquire about it after lunch! 🙂
The presentation finished just in nice time for a couple of pre-luncheon cold beers. 🙂
The barman, JR, greeted us effusively as we took a seat at a table in the shade and ordered our drinks. Then we sat there in a companionable silence and enjoyed them, revelling in the slight motion of the Onward as she took us ever nearer to our next port of call. 🙂
After a light lunch in the Windows Café, we returned to 6030 for a half-hour power nap before heading to the Cabaret Lounge at two o’clock for another superb talk by former Fleetwood Mac roadie and technician Leo Rossi. This time, the talk focused on the stuff that goes on in the background, in the recording studio. It was a fascinating insight into the lives of recording artistes and their entourages, delivered in Leo’s engaging manner and his ability to talk from the heart without using any prompt notes.
The afternoon passed in its usual pleasant and relaxing way, and soon it was time once again to start getting ready for dinner. This time, we decided to go to the Discoveries Restaurant for 6.30pm, and when we arrived they asked if we minded sharing our table. Not at all – in fact, we actually prefer those cruises where we have a set dining time and a set table, and usually we ask for a table of six or eight as we enjoy the interaction with our table mates.
We found ourselves sharing a table with a very pleasant couple, Gail and Geoff, who hailed from New Zealand. The conversation, as well as the house rosé wine, flowed and the time winged by. We thanked Gail and Geoff for their company as we hurried along to the Cabaret Lounge for 8.00pm, in time to participate in a game of Majority Rules, as we have played (and won) this game a couple of times on previous cruises. It’s a quiz where there are no incorrect answers – you just have to give whichever answer you think everyone else will give. So if the question was “Name a popular spectator sport” and you gave the answer “football”, then if most other people had put football as well, you would all get the points.
We scored 8/10, but it was not enough to win; I think the winners scored 9/10.
After Majority Rules, it was time for the main cabaret of the night. This time, it was a classically trained pianist, Craig Dahn, who had trained under the late great Liberace. He was excellent, playing a selection of jazz, honky-tonk and many other styles, some of them extremely fast; think of Rimsky-Korsakov Flight of the Bumble Bee, but played on a piano!
He also started to play one of my favourites, The Warsaw Concerto, (Richard Addinsell), but then it somehow segued into Chopsticks, much to my disappointment. All in all, though, we really enjoyed his show; he’s clearly very talented.
It was around 10.00pm when we headed up to the Living Room, where they were holding an Abba Dance Party. The place was pretty full and the only available seats were on bar stools. While we sat there listening to the music and enjoying our drinks, the pianist walked in and I went over and asked him why he didn’t play the full Warsaw Concerto. He explained that, as it is a dramatic classical piece that contains a slow section, he didn’t want members of the audience to fall asleep! As if anyone could fall asleep listening to it – it’s fantastic.
At midnight we decided to call it a night and return to our cosy cabin. The clocks went back again tonight to GMT -7. We had one more sea day tomorrow and we looked forward to whatever the day had in store. 🙂
Friday, 30th January 2026
Got up around 7.20am again this morning and went up to Deck 10 to walk our customary nautical mile before breakfast. All the regulars were up there, some in running gear, loping along with their earbuds in, and others just strolling around. After we’d done our 14 laps, we stopped by the water cooler for a cardboard cup of orange-infused cold water.
I felt a bit out of sorts this morning and didn’t have much appetite for my breakfast. I hoped I wasn’t going down with something. All I ate was an almond croissant washed down with more water and a cup of coffee; I do find the orange juice to be too sweet on the Onward.
Afterwards, we just sat in The Den, me with my laptop updating this blog, and Trevor reading Tractor and Machinery on the tablet. It was quiet and pleasant in The Den, and our table was ideally placed for looking out of the window at the endless miles of Pacific beyond.
Looking at The Insider programme, we saw that there was trivia quiz on in the Living Room at ten o’clock; you had to guess the country from the silhouettes. We didn’t participate; we only played it for fun. The real reason I was there was because there was a craft class at 11.00am in which I would learn how to make a kukui nut necklace or lei, and the programme specified a maximum of 60 participants, so I wanted to be sure of my place. 🙂
The kukui nut is native to tropical areas such as south east Asia and the Pacific. In Polynesian culture, a kukui nut lei symbolizes protection, peace, and enlightenment. It is a durable and meaningful adornment that connects wearers to the islands’ rich heritage and traditions. The nuts are dried and polished to a deep shine before being drilled and threaded onto a black cord or ribbon and tied at the back of the neck. They last much longer than the more traditional flower lei.
After I’d finished my necklace, it was “beer time”, so we decided to go to the Pool Bar before lunch, enjoy a couple of pints, and listen to Captain Alex’s noon navigational announcement. As far as I knew, we were still out of the tropics (i.e. at a latitude greater than 23° 27’ S) and I wondered when we would cross north above the Tropic of Capricorn and into the tropics once more. We usually see flying fish and the large frigate birds when we are in tropical latitudes, but so far we hadn’t seen any at all. Most unusual, but maybe it’s because we are so remote and far out in the ocean.
We enjoyed our freezing cold beers at the Pool Bar. After the Captain had given us his navigational information from the bridge, Trevor decided to go off for some lunch, but I wasn’t particularly hungry, preferring to stay and have another drink instead. 🙂
After enjoying an afternoon power-nap, and spending some time pottering around in our cabin, we decided to go to another of Nigel Marven’s presentations; in this one, he was showing us photographs and talking about Pitcairn, where he had visited previously. He said that the only way onto the island is by boat (it doesn’t have an airstrip) and, as the seas are very choppy and the coastline very rugged and rocky, many ships cannot visit, and even for those that do manage safely to drop anchor, there’s only about a 20% chance that it will be calm enough to take the tender ashore. We hoped that we would be able to visit. For me, Pitcairn is one of the highlights of this voyage, particularly for its rich history and connection to the Mutiny on the Bounty in 1789. 🙂
The rest of the afternoon passed in its usual pleasant way, and soon it was time to start getting ready for dinner (eating again!). We decided we’d go up to the Windows Café tonight as they were holding a Thai-themed evening, and I love spicy Thai food.
I started off with a fantastic soup that was hot, savoury, tasty and just had enough spice. I then went to the buffet and selected some pork and chicken dishes, just a taste of each really. Once I saw them on my plate, my appetite seemed to diminish once again, and I couldn’t really eat them. However, I managed another bowl of the delicious soup, and afterwards I told Trevor I was going to go back to 6030 for a lie-down, as I still wasn’t feeling all that well. 🙁
There was a game show in the Cabaret Lounge tonight, called “Rock the Room”. Trevor decided to go along, but I just said I’d join him later, which I did. Apparently, two halves of the room were divided into teams and Barnardo, the host, would play a clip from a well-known rock hit and you had to shout “Beep!” (for lack of having an actual buzzer!) before shouting out your answer. “Our” side of the room won. 🙂
Then it was time for another excellent “Knights of Rock” talk by Leo Rossi. This time he focussed on the women of Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie. The talk was accompanied, as usual, by lots of photos and video clips, as well as Leo’s amazing personal anecdotes and recollections.
Afterwards, we decided just to go back to 6030 and get washed and changed into our ‘jamas, and maybe watch a bit of television or read. We would gain yet another hour in bed tonight, with the clocks going back to GMT -8.
Tomorrow, with any luck, we would land at Pitcairn Island, and I absolutely couldn’t wait. 🙂