Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes (with apologies to David Bowie)

It’s a fair bet that whoever said “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making plans” was not speaking of world cruises, but it is most definitely apropos.

To begin with, some who started the around-the-world adventure have had to abandon ship, either because of illness or injury.

Those stories are not mine to tell.

I can, however, tell a tale of an ever-changing itinerary.

Brisbane, Australia was the first change announced, happening before Gary and I booked the cruise. The scheduled port was closed because of a project to revamp Brisbane’s Riverwalk, most likely in preparation for hosting of the 2032 Summer Olympic Games. (Were Gary and I the only people who did not know that Brisbane would be hosting the Olympics?) Newcastle was chosen to replace it.

Next, due to the upheaval in Myanmar, our two days in Yangon were cancelled, and in its stead, Hambantota and Colombo, Sri Lanka were added. Gary and I were very happy to see this change in the itinerary. Since the military takeover in Myanmar, its human rights violations have been flagrant and violent. Sri Lanka promises to be two days filled with beauty, exotic wildlife, and delicious food.

After the devastating wildfires that ravaged a large part of Maui, the Lahaina Cruise Port- one of two of the island’s ports - was closed indefinitely. That required all ships arriving in Maui had to dock in Kahului, doubling demand for spots. Out of necessity, some ships were bumped, including ours. Although it was disappointing that we would not be among those bringing much needed revenue from tourist dollars to Maui, we were excited by the alternative – Nawiliwili, Kauai in its place. Because of Kauai's position in the Hawaiian Island chain, Honolulu, originally scheduled to be the first Hawaiian port of call, became the last, while Kailua-Kona and Hilo, previously the last two became the first. Also, because Honolulu is further north and east than Hilo, thus adding more distance between our last Hawaiian port and French Polynesia, our first scheduled stop of Nuku Hiva was cancelled.

This alteration to the itinerary was the last for quite a while, until October 7th, Hamas attacked Israel. With Israel at war, and tensions rising in the surrounding countries, the following ports were cancelled: Muscat, Oman; Salalah, Oman; Aden, Yemen; Bahrain, Bahrain; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Aqaba (Petra), Jordan; Safaga (Luxor), Egypt; Haifa (Jerusalem); Mykonos, Greece; Naples, Italy. In their place: An extra day in Dubai, UAE; Fujairah, UAE; Athens, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; Valletta, Malta; Messina, Italy; Sorrento, Italy; Cinque Terre (La Spezia), Italy. Petra, Luxor, Haifa, and Jerusalem were all places high on our bucket list, but compared to what the citizens of Israel and Palestinians were facing daily, it seemed petty and callous to feel anything more than the most fleeting disappointment. Plus, we were excited that we now were going to visit Dubrovnik, Kotor, Valletta, and Cinque Terre.

Then, on November 19th, Houthi rebels began attacking ships in the Red Sea. Although most of our Middle Eastern ports had been cancelled, we were still scheduled to transit the Suez Canal via the Red Sea. As the attacks escalated, the chatter among passengers began. Some were saying that there was no way they wanted to go through Red Sea at this time. Did anyone really want to risk being shot at? Others pointed out that cruise ships had been sailing through waters patrolled by pirate vessels. Turn off our lights and pull our drapes at night, and we should be safe. Speculation as to what the cruise line would decide was the fodder for many a dining room conversation.

That speculation ended three weeks ago when we received notification that, in order to keep us out of harm's way, The Insignia would be circumnavigating Africa. We were given two possible itineraries, the "tentative" and the "preferred" - the main difference of the two is that the tentative would keep more of the European ports, while the preferred would keep the Greenland ports while adding a couple of Canadian stops.

Three nights ago, we were notified that the tentative was now the official itinerary. From Dubai forward, the following ports remain the same:

·        Lisbon, Portugal

·        Oporto, Portugal

·        A Coruña, Spain

·        Bilbao, Spain

·        Bordeaux, France

·        Southampton (London), England

Ports Cancelled:

·        Fujairah, UAE

·        Athens, Greece

·        Santorini, Greece

·        Dubrovnik, Croatia

·        Kotor, Montenegro

·        Valletta, Malta

·        Messina, Italy

·        Sorrento, Italy

·        Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

·        Cinque Terre (La Spezia), Italy

·        Monte Carlo, Monaco

·        Barcelona, Spain

·        Alicante, Spain

·        Granada, Spain

·        Gibraltar

·        Seville, Spain

·        Portimão, Portugal

·        Saint-Malo, France

·        Dublin, Ireland

·        Belfast, Ireland

·        Stornoway (Hebrides), Scotland

·        Faroe Islands, Denmark

·        Isafjordur, Iceland

·        Reykjavik, Iceland

·        Nuuk, Greenland

·        Paamiut, Greenland

·        Qaqortoq, Greenland

·        Sydney, Nova Scotia

·        Boston, USA

·        Provincetown, USA

Ports added:

·        Mahé, Seychelles

·        Mombasa, Kenya

·        Zanzibar, Tanzania

·        Mayotte, French Comoros

·        Maputo, Mozambique

·        Durban, South Africa

·        Cape Town, South Africa

·        Lüderitz, Namibia

·        Walvis Bay, Namibia

·        São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe

·        Lome, Togo

·        Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana

·        Abidjan, Ivory Coast

·        Banjul, Gambia

·        Mindelo (São Vicente), Cape Verde

·        Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands

·        Honfleur (Paris), France

·        Ponta Delgada (Azores), Portugal

Many of the passengers who are upset are so because thirty ports were replaced by eighteen, which also means more days at sea. The disappointment and, in some cases, anger, are understandable.

How do Gary and I feel? Damn fortunate. How lucky are we to go around the world? We know that current events, weather, and natural disasters can alter our itinerary at any time, so we’re trying to just be in the moment with an “okay, surprise us” attitude.

So far, it’s working for us. (Again, please accept in advance my apologies for any errors.)