08/02/2025
THE FIRST CIRCUMVENTION OF THE WORLD was undertaken by one of the officers on Ferdinand Magellan's expedition, the Basque Juan Sebastián Elcano. It was a dramatic journey, if you want more details about this voyage, it is excellently described in Erika Fatland's book 'The Navigator'. Juan Sebastián also spent three years on the journey - from 1519-1522 - we don't have that kind of time...
Also known as circumnavigation; round-the-world voyages; round-the-world expeditions - in English circumnavigation, from Latin circumnavigatio.
Otherwise, the definition of a circumnavigation - in English abbreviated to; AtW ‘Around the World’ - according to the Store Norske Leksikon: “A circumnavigation is a voyage around the Earth, where the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean are crossed. A circumnavigation can take place from east to west, or it can take place in the opposite direction, as was the case with later voyages. Circumnavigations have also been carried out in the direction from south to north and vice versa, i.e. from the North Pole to the South Pole in both directions.
In popular terms, one can say that the main criterion for a maritime circumnavigation is that one returns to the starting point by consistently leaving this behind, and making the journey by crossing the great oceans.”
With the above as a backdrop, it becomes difficult to take a cruise around the world, when you think that 3, maximum 4 weeks on board a ship, is enough. However, we do have a plan; when we have completed our last cruise, the goal is to have made a "circumnavigation in fragments” – in bits and pieces which combined will constitute a real circumnavigation.
WE HAVE GONE BACK IN TIME to explore what we have had in terms of ferry trips, crossings and mini-cruises from childhood, until today. Then I have concluded that we have crossed most of the oceans, and together have been almost around the entire world. We start in Scandinavian and European waters:
• Oslo – Copenhagen with the ‘Danskebåten’
• Oslo – Frederikshavn with ‘Holger Danske – popularly called ‘Holder Kanskje’
• Hirtshals – Larvik with the old Jahre Line
• Oslo – Newcastle with Braemar, Fred Olsen
• Bergen – Nordkapp with MS Midnatsol/Hurtigruten
• Bergen – Hirtshals with Fjordland
• Esbjerg – Harwich with DFDS
• Stockholm – Helsinki with Silja Line
• Copenhagen – Bornholm by sailboat
• Dover – Calais with P & O Ferries
• Helsinki – Leningrad – Helsinki with Konstantin Simanov
• Amsterdam – Baltic Sea – Oslo – Portsmouth with Crystal Serenity
• Bilbao – Portsmouth with Stena Line
THE FIRST TRIP OUTSIDE EUROPE was with a sloop across the Black Sea in 1973:
• Varna – Istanbul, an old Bulgarian communist ship
• FOLLOWED BY:
• Agadir via various Canary Islands to Portsmouth with Fred Olsen
• Tenerife - Canary Islands around to Agadir with Pullmantour Cruises
• Malaga – Tangier – Casablanca – Malaga with Pullmantour Cruises
OUR FIRST TRANS ATLANTIC cruise was as early as 2003:
• Lisbon – Fort Lauderdale with Crystal Serenity / southern route
• FOLLOWED BY:
• Lisbon – Fort Lauderdale with Crystal Serenity / northern route
• Rio de Janeiro – Venice with MSC Cruises
• Genoa – Tenerife with Costa
• Lisbon – Miami with SeaDream Yacht Club
• Rome – Miami with Oceania Cruises
OTHER VOYAGES THAT WILL COMPLETE THE AtW (soon) – will constitute a circumnavigation are:
• Barcelona – Bilbao around the Iberian Peninsula with Oceania’s Sirena
• Buenos Aires – Valparaiso via Antarctica with Oceania’s Ensignia
• Manaus – Miami with Princess Cruises
• Miami – Miami in the Caribbean – as far south as Domenica with RVL
• Los Angeles – Auckland via Bora Bora with Crystal Serenity
• Port Said – Dubai with Silverseas (via Suez)
• Hong Kong to Bangkok with Song of Flower
• Singapore to Hong Kong via Vietnam with Celebrity Cruises
• Hong Kong to Beijing via Japan and Korea with Oceania’s Insignia
• Cape Town to Colombo via a number of islands in the Indian Ocean with Crystal Symphony
IN ADDITION, THERE ARE VARIOUS CRUISES that cover most distances in the Mediterranean – among them:
• Athens – Istanbul with Oceania’s Sirena
• Athens – Venice with SeaDream Yacht Club
• Venice – Rome/Civitavecchia with Oceania’s Riviera
• Barcelona – Rome with Oceania’s Sirena
• Rome – Malta with Seabourne
As the aforementioned cruises show, we are almost there when it comes to the circumnavigation. There are, however, some segments missing – and this we need to do something about.
OF FUTURE CRUISESO, we have the following on the drawing board:
For those of you who have not yet crossed the Atlantic, we are a group of 20 friends who will take cruise come November:
• SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE TO MIAMI: November 17-29, 2025 with Oceania’s Marina (MAP BELOW)
(This will be our 8th time crossing the Atlantic, but it is such a great experience that we will do it again)
THERE IS STILL TIME TO JOIN THE BELOW CRUISE – through February there is a special offer for ‘past guests’ – so if you have cruised with Oceania Cruises previously, you are eligible for this considerable discount. Contact [email protected].
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2026:
CRUISE ONE:
• Auckland/NZ – Melbourne: January 19-27, 2026, with Crystal Cruises’ Serenity
It is a very long flight for just a 9-day-cruise, however, Roald will celebrate his birthday on 2/26/26 – and there is no better way to turn 70 by having a birthday-bash DownUnder! We will visit Auckland, Tauranga, Christchurch, Timaru, Doubtful & Milford Sound and arrive in Melbourne on day 9.
CRUISE TWO:
• Melbourne – Bali: February 27 to March 17, 2026, with Serenity.
The next segment, followed by leg number 2, will include: Sydney, Brisbane, Airlie Beach, Cairns, Thursday Island, Darwin, Kupang, Komodo Island and on the 19th day arrive vi Bali.
BELOW ARE THE PORTS OF CALL:
VOYAGE ITINERARY
8 NIGHTS/9 DAYS
CRUISE # 1: AUCKLAND TO MELBOURNE
01.
Auckland
New Zealand
feb 19, 2026
departure 8:00 PM
02.
Tauranga
New Zealand
feb 20, 2026
6:30 AM - 5:45 PM
12 EXCURSIONS
03.
Day at sea
feb 21, 2026
04.
Lyttelton (Christchurch)
New Zealand
feb 22, 2026
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
05.
Timaru
New Zealand
feb 23, 2026
7:00 AM - 3:00 PM
06.
Cruising Dusky Sound
New Zealand
feb 24, 2026
arrival 10:00 AM
Anchor
Cruising Doubtful Sound
New Zealand
feb 24, 2026
Anchor
Cruising Milford Sound
New Zealand
feb 24, 2026
departure 7:00 PM
At anchor
07.
Day at sea
feb 25, 2026
08.
Day at sea
feb 26, 2026
09.
Melbourne
End of first Cruise
+
VOYAGE ITINERARY
18 NIGHTS/19 DAYS
CRUISE # 2: MELBOURNE - BALI
01.
Melbourne
Australia
feb 27, 2026
departure 7:00 PM
02.
Day at sea
feb 28, 2026
03.
Sydney
Australia
mar 01, 2026
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
04.
Day at sea
mar 02, 2026
05.
Brisbane
Australia
mar 03, 2026
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
06.
Day at sea
mar 04, 2026
07.
Airlie Beach
Australia
mar 05, 2026
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Anchor
08.
Day at sea
mar 06, 2026
09.
Cairns
Australia
mar 07, 2026
arrival 7:00 AM
Overnight
10.
Cairns
Australia
mar 08, 2026
departure 6:00 PM
11.
Day at sea
mar 09, 2026
12.
Thursday Island
Australia
mar 10, 2026
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Anchor
13.
Day at sea
mar 11, 2026
14.
Darwin
Australia
mar 12, 2026
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
15.
Day at sea
mar 13, 2026
16.
Kupang
Indonesia
mar 14, 2026
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
17.
Komodo Island
Indonesia
mar 15, 2026
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
18.
Bali
Indonesia
mar 16, 2026
11:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Overnight
Anchor
19.
Bali
Indonesia
mar 17, 2026
When we disembark in Bali, we are almost at the finish line and only need a few short distances to have cruised around the world. There is one important segment missing, namely the Panama Canal, either from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean – or vice versa. That is, however, a short and charming cruise – which can be taken at any time. Alternatively, we can find a cruise from Valparaiso to Los Angeles – then we will have completed a circumnavigation like Juan Sebastián Elcano did 503 years ago…
We will come back to this adventure when the opportunity arises!
First it is, however, the transatlantic – and then New Zealand, Australia and parts of Asia. Will we see you on board?
Ship’o’hoi
from
Trond & Roald
