Welcome from David and Lyn.

The format of our site is in three parts:

1. Blog server - our day-to-day travel blogs (this website)
2. Photo server - some of our key photos
3. YouTube channel - our videos (many linked directly from our blogs)

The site includes hundreds of searchable travel blogs. Some of our longer trips are listed below. 

General travel

• Bridge cams - Princess
• Unofficial Travel Awards
• Equator Crossings
• International Date Line

About

• David
• The Thalassophile (lover of the sea)
• The Musician - Uke resources
• The Presenter
• The Photographer
• The Ham (VK4DCP) - Ham resources
• The Vexillophile (flags)
• Lyn
• Countries visited: #1 to #25 | #26 to #50 | #51 to #75 | #76 to #100 | #101+
• Summary of cruises - Pre COVID-19 / Post COVID-19 

Thank you for visiting our website.

Best regards

David and Lyn
e-mail: brizzy@outlook.com.au

Cruise countdown

2026 New Zealand Cruise - Blog Starting Page

2027 Circle Pacific Cruise - Blog Starting Page

Links to major adventures
2025 Pacific North America Cruise Blog - Apr 2025 to June 2025 Cruise #1 - Sydney to LA Repositioning Cruise #2 - Pacific Wine Country Rocky Mountaineer - Discovery Circle Cruise #3 - Voyage of Glaciers (Northbound) Cruise #4 - Voyage of Glaciers (Southbound)
2024 - World Cruise on the Coral Princess Blog - Apr 2024 to Aug 2024 Photos Segment #1: Sydney to Tangier - 35 Days Segment #2: Tangier to Dover (via Baltic) - 21 Days Segment #3: Dover to New York - 18 Days Segment #4: New York to Brisbane - 38 Days
2020 – Indian Ocean & South Africa Odyssey + Southern Australia Explorer Blog - Jan 2020 to Mar 2020 Photos
2019 - Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific cruise on the Sea Princess
Blog - Aug 2019 to Oct 2019 Photos
2018 - World Cruise on the Sea Princess
Blog - Jun 2018 to Sept 2018
Photos Segment #1: Brisbane to Dubai - 19 Days Segment #2: Dubai to London - 30 Days Segment #3: London to New York - 20 Days Segment #4: New York to Brisbane - 37 Days
2017 - Cherry Blossom cruise (a.k.a. China - Japan cruise)
Blog - March 2017 to April 2017 Photos
2016 - World Cruise on the Sea Princess
Blog - May 2016 to Aug 2016
Photos Segment #1: Sydney to Dubai – 20 Days Segment #2: Dubai to London – 35 Days Segment #3: London to New York – 11 Days Segment #4: New York to Sydney – 38 Days Home Leg: Sydney to Brisbane – 2 Days
2015 - Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific cruise on the Sun Princess
Blog - Jul. 2015 to Aug. 2015 Photos
2014 - South East Asia on the MV Voyager
Blog - Feb. 2014 to Mar. 2014
Photos Leg #1 Treasures of Asia Leg #2 Colours of the Indian Ocean
2012 - Caribbean cruise on the MV Voyager
Blog (by Lyn) - Nov 2012 to Jan 2013
Photos (by David and Lyn) Leg #1 Voyage to the Caribbean Leg #2 Caribbean Gems Leg #3 A Tapestry of Central America
2011 – Far East cruise on the MV Discovery
Blog (by David) - Dec 2011 to Feb 2012
Photos (by David) Leg #1 Treasures of the Orient and Vietnam Leg #2 Empires of the Sun Leg #3 South East Asia and Australia
2010 - Caribbean cruise on the MV Discovery
Blog (by David) - Nov 2010 to Jan 2011
Photos (by David)  Leg #1 Discovery of the New World Leg #2 Colonial Trails of the Caribbean Leg #3 Tales of the Old Spanish Main
2009 - Grand Voyage of Discovery from Mumbai (India) to London on the MV Discovery
Blog (by David) - Mar 2009 to May 2009
Photos (by David) Leg #1 India and The Persian Gulf Leg #2 Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean Leg #3 Black Sea, Turkey and Greek Isles Leg #4 European - mainly the Mediterranean

Sydney to North America (62 Nights)

Menu

• Introduction
• Map of cruise (zoomable Google map)
• Cruise #1 - Sydney to LA Repositioning
  
• Cruise #2 - Pacific Wine Country
• Rocky Mountaineer - Discovery Circle
• Cruise #3 - Voyage of Glaciers (Northbound)
• Cruise #4 - Voyage of Glaciers (Southbound)
• Other Key Links

Introduction

The adventure begins 11 April 2025 when we board the Royal Princess in Sydney for the start of the 2025 - Pacific North America adventure and this blog. The blog will be updated when we find a few spare moments. Please check regularly as multiple blogs might be uploaded on the same day. The same is true for the photos.

This adventure covers 62 nights and includes:

• Sydney to LA repositioning - Royal Princess (27 nights)
• Pacific Wine Country cruise continuing - Royal Princess (7 nights)
• Discovery Circle Journey Lake Louise - Rocky Mountaineer (8 nights)
• Voyage of the Glaciers (Northbound) - Coral Princess (7 nights)
• Voyage of the Glaciers (Southbound) returning to Vancouver - Coral Princess (7 nights)
• 6 extra nights in Vancouver

Cruise #1 – Sydney to Los Angeles repositioning

Cruise #2 – Pacific Wine Country

Rocky Mountaineer - Discovery Circle

Cruise #3 – Voyage of the Glaciers (Northbound)

Cruise #4 – Voyage of the Glaciers (Southbound)

Other key links:

• Just the photos:
• Cruise #1 and #2 - Sydney to Vancouver
• Rocky Mountaineer - Discovery Circle
• Extra days in Vancouver
• Cruise #3 and #4 - Voyage of the Glaciers (North and South)
• Full list of blog pages
  
• List of videos:
• Silent Disco Experience - 13 April 2025 (35 seconds)
• Tauranga sail-away (timelapse) - 15 April 2025 (30 seconds)
• Rough seas crossing the Pacific Ocean - 21 April 2025 (20 seconds)
• Our welcome to Moorea - 24 April 2025 (26 seconds)
• Love boat tune on ship's horn - 24 April 2025 (32 seconds)
• David's self-guided walking tours (with KMZ map files):
• San Diego, USA
• Victoria, Canada
• Other walking tours:
• Historic Downtown Honolulu (day 1)

Vancouver, Canada
Wednesday, 11 June 2025
A few sad farewells this morning before disembarking at 9.30ish.

Liked North Vancouver so much when we were here last, decided to revisit today. A nice long walk along the waterfront to Mosquito Creek … lots of interesting floating homes. Another honey and caprese pizza at the Tap and Barrel. Half price bottled wine was today’s special.

Met David’s friends (Scott and Kathy) for a drink at the Steamworks Brewery before catching the Airtrain to the airport for our 10:20pm flight.

Another nice day in Vancouver.

International Date Line - lost day
Thursday, 12 June 2025
We crossed the International Date Line heading west and lost the day we gained on the 19 April 2025.

Previous blogs: International Date Line crossing

Previous | 2025 - Pacific North America | Home!

Monday, 09 June 2025
Finally, a fine day. With just under 10,000 passengers from across four ships, the town was busy.

Ketchikan is known as Alaska's "First City" because it's the first major community travelers come to as they journey north. Located on an island, Ketchikan began life as an Indian fishing camp. The name Ketchikan comes from a Tlingit phrase that means "eagle with spread-out wings," a reference to a waterfall near town.

In the early 1900s, when gold was Alaska's claim to fame, fishing and timber industries were established in Ketchikan. The growth of these industries helped make this Inside Passage port Alaska's fourth-largest city.

Some of the sites along the Historic Ketchikan Walking Tour included the Welcome Arch, Creek Street, the Fish Ladder (where salmon struggle back to their native streambed fighting lower falls), Ketchikan Stream and Falls, and then Harris Street Bridge.

The wooden planked boardwalk fronts the site of an ear­ly Ketchikan dock; in the 1890s it was a makeshift log raft. Thomas Street has been home to boat yards, car­pen­ters, machine shops, bars and bor­del­los. It now houses shops and a bar.

We had a lovely day exploring, but we would do a tour if we returned to Ketchikan. The weather was so abysmal last time, that we didn’t even consider it an option on our return. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

It was lovely to chat to the Captain at the Captain’s Circle Cocktail Party … the final get together for the most travelled guests on this cruise. The crew certainly make these functions very special.

For more photos / album slideshow:

Tuesday, 10 June 2024 - At Sea
Today is the last day of our back-to-back Alaskan cruise, and the end of our two month adventure.

We are so fortunate to have travelled through this spectacular part of the world. Loved Canada and particularly enjoyed the scenic cruising through the bays and fjords of Alaska.

Thank you to all the crew who have made our voyage on the Coral Princess so special.

As wonderful as our adventure has been, we look forward to going home to the best country in the world.

For more photos / album slideshow:

Sunday, 08 June 2024
Cold and wet again! A local did assure us that this is typical Juneau weather … and it’s summer!

A walk along the waterfront to the boardwalk to see the totem poles and whale sculpture (its size and proportions based on measurements of real whales). A few of the locals were in colourful traditional dress.

One pound of Alaskan red king crab for lunch (with melted butter and bread rolls) at Tracy’s Crab Shack in Whittier Street. A bit of a walk from downtown, but worth it. It was sweet and absolutely delicious. Can’t imagine how big the crab was!

At the Captain’s Circle party, we were recognised for being the second most travelled passengers this cruise. Thank you, Princess, for spoiling us a little during our Alaskan cruises. Captain's Circle statistics for this cruise:

 1,593 New to Princess
   252 Gold (after first cruise)
    65 Ruby (>3 cruises or 30 nights)
    61 Platinum (>5 cruises or 50 nights)
    64 Elite (3%) (>15 cruises or 150 nights)
 2,035 Total number of passengers
       (which is 102% of capacity)

For more photos / album slideshow: