January 28, 2024 – Photo of the Day – Day at Sea En Route to Christmas Island, Kiribati
Where in the World Are We?
Sailing South from Hawaii to Christmas Island
Today’s activities included:
- Bridge Lessons
- Enrichment Lecturer with Destination Lecturer Linda Walker – Welcome to Christmas Island, Kiribati
- Dance Lessons
- Enrichment Lecture with Oceanographer George Losey – Legends of Hawai’i
- Enrichment Lecture with Astronomer Jonathan Ward – The New Space Race – Space Tourism & Colonization
- Enrichment Lecturer with Naturalist Professor Douglas Biggs – Tag, You’re It! Sea Turtles On The Move
- Showtime! Danny Bacher – Let The Dood Times Roll!
Tonight’s dinner was in La Terraza Restaurant with an Italian Family Night theme.
TONIGHT’S SHOW – DANNY BACHER:
LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!
Danny Bacher is an award-winning singer, saxophonist, songwriter, and
entertainer in the fullest sense of the term. He’s not only a master of the
demanding soprano sax but combines his virtuosity on the instrument
with a talent for comedy and narrative storytelling.
He’s a smooth and cool individual who makes hot jazz and pop, cut from the cloth of the great Louis Prima and Mel Torme. Bacher swings with pizzazz, and scats and sings with a smoky voice, all adding to his compelling stage presence.
Stephen Holden in The New York Times said of Bacher that he’s a “prodigiously talented musical preservationist,” adding what Bacher knows in his bones is that “the secret of serious fun is not to take it too seriously.”
Bacher has also worked as an actor, comedian, dancer, and writer, touring internationally with his original works.
He has performed several times at Carnegie Hall and most recently alongside the legendary Michael Feinstein. A recent recipient of the prestigious Margaret Whiting Award, Bacher was also nominated for best male vocalist in the 2019
National Jazz Times reader’s poll, in 2020 and 2021 he placed in the top 4 in the country, and in 2023 he received the Bistro Award for outstanding achievement as a singer/instrumentalist in the New York entertainment community.
Danny was personally selected by the 98-year-old jazz legend, Terry Gibbs, as the vocalist to record his Songbook.
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January 27, 2024 – Photo of the Day – En Route to Christmas Island, Kiribati
Where in the World Are We?
Sailing South from Hawaii to Christmas Island, Kiribati.
Today’s activities included:
- Bridge Lessons
- Dance Lessons
- Enrichment Lecture with World Affairs Lecturer Dr. Mark Elovitz – Minding Israel, Hamas, Palestinians, & Middle East
- Enrichment Lecture with Oceanographer George Losey – Natural History of the Hawaiin Islands
- Celebrating Australia Day with a delicious Australian Pub Lunch
- Enrichment Lecturer with Naturalist Professor Douglas Biggs – Sustainable Ocean to Table Seafood
- Enrichment Lecture with Astronomer Jonathan Ward – Eileen Collins – the First US Female Space Pilot & Commander
- Showtime! “Dance on Fire”
MEET WORLD AFFAIRS LECTURER
DR. MARK ELOVITZ
A bit more than a decade ago, Singapore’s Prestige Lifestyle Magazine featured Dr. Elovitz as a “seminal visionary.” International audiences still acclaim him as a captivating commentator on world affairs.
But, Dr. E. – as his worldwide aficionados happily refer to him – simply says he is a geopolitician blessed
with strategic hindsight. Prior to lecturing around the globe, Dr. Elovitz served as a litigator, a professor of law, a U.S. government advisor and a U.S. Air Force Officer. As a Phi Beta Kappa scholar, he has earned four (4) post-graduate degrees.
Dr. Elovitz has lived in both Europe and the Mideast. As a United States Air Force Officer, he was liaison to American military personnel stationed throughout England, Europe and North Africa. In that capacity, Dr. Elovitz was awarded the United States Air Force Commendation Medal for “Exemplary Pedagogic Skill.”
Dr. Elovitz has published hundreds of articles. His wide-ranging subjects have addressed legal liability, American public policy, world affairs & international geopolitics. Some of Dr. E’s many colorful commentaries include: “Whose Lunch Is The Dragon Eating?”“The Machievellian Mideast,”“Bear Claws & Dragon Breath,”“Political Wimps, Wusses & Wieners” and “When Is Later Too Late?”
In addition, Dr. Elovitz had previously authored a regular newspaper column focusing on enhanced healthcare delivery. He has also been the lively and often provocative anchor/commentator for a World Affairs T.V. show.
Furthermore, Dr. Elovitz served in Washington during the Carter and Reagan Administrations as a government advisor on public policy. Dr. Elovitz has testified before the U.S. Congress’ Committee on Foreign Affairs. He has also been a participant in the U.S. Naval War College’s Current Strategy Forum. Currently, Dr. Elovitz is Director of the Centre For Strategic Geopolitics, a world affairs think tank.
Dr. Elovitz is recognized for his penetrating insights into and astute assessments of world affairs. His distinctive careers, extensive worldwide travels and diverse international contacts produce presentations with uncommon depth and unique understandings of world affairs. He deftly provides the unjaded content and context that are often sadly absent from the print and broadcast media. As a result, Dr. E’s dynamic presentations are colorful, illuminating and decidedly thought-provoking.
Tonight we had dinner at The Restaurant
TONIGHT’S SHOW – DANCE ON FIRE
THE SHOW LOUNGE, DECK 6
“Dance on Fire” is inspired by the world-famous show “Burn the Floor”.
The concept and the show have seen unbelievable success as a new, modern and innovative way to present and perform ballroom dance styles.
We saw Mya Boyd, Francesca Rimoldi, Luke Upton and Lelo Twala tonight, together with the dancers
and musicians for an entertaining evening!
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January 25, 2024 – Photo of the Day – Day at Sea – En Route to Christmas Island, Kiribati
Where in the World Are We
Leaving Hilo, Hawaii on the way to Christmas Island, Kiribati.
Today’s activities included:
- Bridge Lessons
- Dance Lessons
- Enrichment Lecturer with Naturalist Professor Douglas Biggs – Polynesian Marine Ecosystems At Stake
- Enrichment Lecturer with Secret Intelligence Lecturer Mark Lubienski – Espionage & Treachery in the Cold War
- Showtime! Violinist Vov Dylan “From Straus to Queen”
Tonight’s Dinner at The Restaurant
MEET VIOLINIST VOV DYLAN
Violinist VOV DYLAN is one of Australia’s leading Instrumental Entertainment Artists.
His albums have been number 1 on ARIA Classical charts, number 1 on ARIA Classical Crossover Charts and number 1 on AIR Independent album charts.
Nominated for Australian Instrumental Entertainer of the Year in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Vov is equally at home on the Concert Stage as well as the Cabaret and Variety Stage.
He has released to date 16 studio albums with Fanfare Classics which have sold in all major music stores and have been played on numerous Australian national radio programs as well as listed on all mainstream online music channels.
With a range of repertoire that goes from Bach to The Beatles, Strauss to Queen, Beethoven to ACDC and everything in between, every Vov Dylan show blends multi-genres of music to entertain lovers of good music from all walks of life, blended with stories and a light-hearted humour that is approachable and friendly to all ages.
During the pandemic, Vov began a journey into contemporary Classical Australian music with multiple collaborations with some of Australia’s most celebrated composers and performers.
The result of these collaborations is that in the course of 2022 and 2023 Vov is excited to be premiering and releasing approximately 40 brand new compositions.
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January 24, 2024 – Photo of the Day – Hilo, Hawaii
Where in the World Are We?
Hilo, Hawaii is on the East Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii located on the East end of the Hawaiin Islands
HILO, HAWAII, USA
RAINFOREST CLIMATE AND WONDERFUL HIKING OPPORTUNITIES AWAIT YOU
In comparison to Kailua-Kona, Hilo is often described as “the old Hawaii.” With significantly fewer visitors than residents, more historic buildings, and a much stronger identity as a long-established community, this quaint, traditional town does seem more authentic. It stretches from the banks of the Wailuku River to Hilo Bay, where a few hotels line stately Banyan Drive. The characteristic old buildings that makeup Hilo’s downtown have been spruced up as part of a revitalization effort.
Nearby, the 30-acre Liliuokalani Gardens, a formal Japanese garden with arched bridges and waterways, was created in the early 1900s to honor the area’s Japanese sugar plantation laborers. It also became a safety zone after a devastating tsunami swept away businesses and homes on May 22, 1960, killing 60 people.
With a population of almost 50,000 in the entire district, Hilo is the fourth-largest city in the state and home to the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Although it is the center of government and commerce for the island, Hilo is a residential town. Mansions with yards of lush tropical foliage share streets with older, single-walled plantation-era houses with rusty corrugated roofs. It’s a friendly community, populated primarily by descendants of the contract laborers — Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Puerto Rican, and Portuguese — brought in to work the sugarcane fields during the 1800s.
One of the main reasons visitors have tended to steer clear of the east side of the island is its weather. With an average rainfall of 130 inches per year, it’s easy to see why Hilo’s yards are so green and its buildings so weatherworn. Outside of town, the Hilo District has rain forests and waterfalls, a terrain unlike the hot and dry white-sand beaches of the Kohala Coast. But when the sun does shine — usually part of nearly every day — the town sparkles, and, during winter, the snow glistens on Mauna Kea, 25 miles in the distance. Best of all is when the mists fall and the sun shines at the same time, leaving behind the colorful arches that earn Hilo its nickname: the City of Rainbows. The Merrie Monarch Hula Festival takes place in Hilo every year during the second week of April, and dancers and admirers flock to the city from all over the world.
Scenes of The Big Island of Hawaii
That evening we had dinner at The Restaurant
Tonight’s Entertainment
BOOGIE FEVER & CLUB TROPICANA
TONIGHT’S SHOW & POOL DECK DANCE PARTY
STARTING FROM 9:30 PM POOL DECK, DECK 8
Join us on the Pool Deck for an entertaining evening!
Get on your boogie shoes and feel the heat in your feet as you join our Silversea Singers and Dancers for some disco fever and explosive dance moves, bound to get your toes tapping and heads bobbing.
After the show, the pool deck transforms into “Club Tropicana” – a tropical-themed dance party under the stars with delicious cocktails and your favorite dance hits with DJ Gabor.
You are welcome to dress up to match our tropical Island theme!
January 23, 2024 – Photo of the Day – Napalli Coast, Kauai
It’s known for its towering pali, or sea cliffs, punctuated by narrow valleys, streams, and cascading waterfalls.
Where in the World Are We?
Kauai is one of the West Hawaii Islands
Today’s Excursion – Waimea Canyon and Spouting Horn
Waimea Canyon is a deep, colorful gorge on Kauaʻi’s west side. It’s sometimes called “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific”.
Spouting Horn is a blowhole on Kauaʻi’s south shore. Waves push under a shelf of volcanic rock, creating a geyser that can reach 50 feet into the air.
That evening we dined on our ship at The Restaurant.
TONIGHT’S SHOW – MISCAST CABARET
AT 9:30 PM THE SHOW LOUNGE, DECK 6
Francesca Rimoldi is originally from Milan, Italy, and trained in musical theatre between Rome, London, and New York.
During the last few years, she’s been working as a vocalist and dancer across Europe and the UK.
Recent credits include Belle in “Beauty and the Beast” and Frida in “ABBA Gold – European Tour”.
Miscast Cabaret takes inspiration from the famous Broadway Miscast, a series of concerts where performers take on roles they wouldn’t normally be allowed to play on stage.
We enjoyed Francesca for an evening of rock, jazz, and musical theatre surprises
Today’s Chronicle
January 21 – 22, 2024 – Photo of the Day – Honolulu, Hawaii
HONOLULU, OAHU, HAWAII, USA
WELCOME TO HAWAII’S SPECTACULAR BEACHES AND LUSH VALLEYS
Here is Hawaii’s only true metropolis, its seat of government, center of commerce and shipping, entertainment and recreation mecca, a historic site, and an evolving urban area—conflicting roles that engender endless debate and controversy. For the visitor, Honolulu is an everyman’s delight: hipsters and scholars, sightseers and foodies, nature lovers, and culture vultures all can find their bliss.
Once there was the broad bay of Mamala and the narrow inlet of Kou, fronting a dusty plain occupied by a few thatched houses and the great Pakaka heiau (shrine). Nosing into the narrow passage in the early 1790s, British sea captain William Brown named the port Fair Haven. Later, Hawaiians would call it Honolulu, or “sheltered bay.” As shipping traffic increased, the settlement grew into a Western-style town of streets and buildings, tightly clustered around a single freshwater source, Nuuanu Stream. Not until piped water became available in the early 1900s did Honolulu spread across the greening plain. Long before that, however, Honolulu gained importance when King Kamehameha I reluctantly abandoned his home on the Big Island to build a chiefly compound near the harbor in 1804 to better protect Hawaiian interests from the Western incursion.
Two hundred years later, the entire island is, in a sense, Honolulu—the City and County of Honolulu. The city has no official boundaries, extending across the flatlands from Pearl Harbor to Waikiki and high into the hills behind.
Where in the World Are We?
Honolulu, Hawaii is 2,396 miles southwest of San Francisco in the North Pacific.
Today’s Excursion – Pearl Harbor and Punchbowl
We visited the famed USS Arizona Memorial to pay respects to those lost during the air attack of 1941, witnessed actual film footage of the attack, viewed gripping displays describing the tragedy and heroism of the era in our history, toured the USS Bowfin submarine, and left Pearl Harbor with an increased appreciation for our nation’s women and men in uniform.
Next, we viewed the beauty and solemnity of Punchbowl Cemetery, officially known as the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, located in an extinct volcano.
Our excursion continued onward to show many of Honolulu’s most famous landmarks and buildings, including Iolani Palace – the only royal palace in the United States – and the King Kamehameha statue.
That evening we attend an exclusive World Cruise Event – AN EVENING ON THE USS MISSOURI
We stepped back into the past and celebrated history with our fellow travelers during an unforgettable evening at the U.S.S. Missouri in Pearl Harbour. We enjoyed a Hawaiian welcome by a local Hawaaian Drill Team, a Navy Captain, a tour of the Missouri including the deck where the Japanese Emperor signed the surrender documents, a WWII vintage airplane simulating how the Janapese air attack may have looked, and bespoke dinner in full view of this majestic icon of the seas, accompanied by nostalgic music of the likes of the Andrews Sisters.
Today’s Chronicle
January 20, 2024 – Photo of the Day – Day at Sea – En Route to Honolulu
Where in the World Are We?
Almost to Honolulu, Hawaii
Today’s activities included:
- Bridge Lessons
- Dance Lessons
- Enrichment Lecturer with Secret Intelligence Lecturer Mark Lubienski – Australia Enters The Picture
- Enrichment Lecture with Astronomer Jonathan Ward – Colombia’s Homecoming – The Untold Story of a Lost Shuttle
- Enrichment Lecturer with Naturalist Professor Douglas Biggs – Hawaiin Corals – Stressed Out In Paradise
- Showtime! Magician Mark Haslam “Mysteries”
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January 19, 2024 – Photo of the Day – Day at Sea En Route to Honolulu
Where in the World Are We?
In the North Pacific Ocean sailing Southwest to Honolulu, Hawaii
Today’s activities included:
- Bridge Lessons
- Dance Lessons
- Enrichment Lecturer with Destination Lecturer Linda Walker – Hilo, Hawaii -Known as the “Big Island”
- Enrichment Lecture with Astronomer Jonathan Ward – Searching for E.T. – Are You Out There?
- Enrichment Lecturer with Naturalist Professor Douglas Biggs – Most of the Earth’s Ocean Is In The Dark
- Enrichment Lecturer with Mark Haslam: Notions
- Showtime! UK Artist “Ben Mills Returns”
Tonight’s Dinner at The Restaurant
with Mild Curry Sauce
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January 18, 2024 – Photo of the Day – Day at Sea En Route to Honolulu
Today’s activities included:
- Bridge Lessons
- Dance Lessons
- Enrichment Lecture with Astronomer Jonathan Ward – Mauna Kea: Holding the High Ground
- Enrichment Lecturer with Magician Mark Haslam: The Mystery of Houdini
- Enrichment Lecturer with Naturalist Professor Douglas Biggs – Our Changing Oceans
- Dinner Special Feature: Secrets of the Sea
- Showtime! Magician Mark Haslam’s “Sleight of Hand”
MEET MAGICIAN MARK HASLAM
Able to work venues from the largest stage to the most intimate room, Mark Haslam transports audience members into a place of intelligent wit and inexplicable events.
Mark’s road to becoming a magician began in England’s Lake District. Now relocated to Southern California, Mark’s seemingly effortless miracles have been enjoyed at some of America’s most exclusive clubs, including The University Club in Manhattan, The Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena, and The California Club in Los Angeles.
In venues from The Polo Lounge to Rockefeller Center’s rooftop gardens, Mark has entertained an array of fascinating individuals with his style of refined entertainment.
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January 17, 2024 – Photo of the Day – Day at Sea En Route to Honolulu
Today’s activities included:
- Bridge Lessons
- Dance Lessons
- Enrichment Lecture with Astronomer Jonathan Ward – Planetary Defense – Protecting Our Planet
- Enrichment Lecturer with Destination Lecturer Linda Walker – Kauai, Hawaii – The “States” Garden Island
- Enrichment Lecturer with Secret Intelligence Lecturer Mark Lubienski – Secret Intelligence: Pearl Harbor & Guadalcanal
- Enrichment Lecturer with Naturalist Professor Douglas Biggs – Our Changing Oceans
- Captain Michele Macarone Palmieri’s Welcome Cocktail Reception and Introduction of Officers
- Dinner Special Feature: Secrets of the Sea
- Showtime! Broadway Star “Rachel Youk in Concert”
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