Huahine, French Polynesia – November 2, 2026

A Port Day That Became a Sea Day

Huahine, often referred to as the Garden of Eden of French Polynesia, was to be another opportunity to explore one of these beautiful South Pacific islands. Instead, today turned out to be a sea day for us, although we were anchored just offshore!

A little history first. Huahine is part of the Society Islands and is actually made up of two connected islands, Huahine Nui (Big Huahine) and Huahine Iti (Little Huahine), joined by a narrow bridge. The island has a fascinating Polynesian history, with archaeological evidence suggesting human settlement dating back to around the 11th century. For centuries, Huahine was governed through a number of chiefly territories, with Maeva in the north becoming an important political centre. It was home to Queen Teha’apapa, whom Captain James Cook encountered in 1769. Huahine maintained its own kingdom until the French annexation in 1895. Today, with its lush vegetation, archaeological sites, beautiful lagoons and traditional villages, it remains one of the more laid-back islands in French Polynesia.

Now, back to our day aboard the Zaandam.

On our original itinerary, Huahine was scheduled for 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, pretty much the same hours as our visit last year. However, the ongoing propulsion issue aboard the Zaandam has increasingly become a factor in our itinerary.

For those who may not be following along, this problem first came to light during the ship’s Alaska season back in June. While in Juneau, the ship experienced a technical problem with one of its propulsion systems. This resulted in an overnight stay for repairs and the cancellation of several remaining ports, including Skagway and Ketchikan, as well as Glacier Bay.

There was considerable discussion at the time about the possibility of fishing nets or other fishing gear becoming entangled around the propeller shaft. This is certainly a known problem for vessels operating in fishing waters, although Holland America has never publicly confirmed that this was the cause of Zaandam’s original problem.

Following repairs, the ship returned to service, but the consequences of operating with reduced speed have continued to affect this voyage. Primarily relying on the starboard engine, our cruising speed has been adjusted accordingly.

As a result, our scheduled time in Huahine was initially changed to 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. That sounded reasonable enough, giving everyone a little more time ashore.

Then came another announcement from the captain a few days ago. Apparently, due to daylight operating restrictions, a 7:00 pm departure was no longer an option, and our last tender back to the ship would now be at 5:00 pm.

Already, we were losing two hours of our revised port time.

But there was more.

Our travel guide had previously advised guests of two shuttle options to get from the tender landing area into town. One was a complimentary shuttle using the larger buses we remembered from last year. That would have been perfectly fine for us. The second, a more accessible option, was available for $20 per person through the ship.

Then, just last evening, we learned that the complimentary shuttle was no longer being offered. By this time, of course, all the tours and the remaining shuttle bus tickets were sold out.

Our Cruise Director’s recommendation for those guests without a tour or shuttle reservation was simply to enjoy the ship and the beautiful views from aboard.

Sorry, but I have to say this was a bit of a shortfall in the arrangements.

Tendering was also slow, with only one landing dock available ashore and priority being given to the ship’s shore excursions. Consequently, the first realistic opportunity for many independent guests to get off the ship was around 12:30 pm.

So, let’s put this all together. A port originally scheduled for nine hours, reduced to six hours, with the last tender at 5:00 pm, limited transportation options and no remaining tickets.

Well, what can I say? Without any real options once ashore, we decided to do exactly what the Cruise Director had suggested.

Yup, we made it a sea day!

Fortunately, we had visited Huahine last year, spending the day exploring the island and enjoying what it had to offer. So, while disappointed not to have another opportunity to get ashore, at least we weren’t missing out on somewhere completely new to us.

That said, I do think there is a bigger issue here that deserves some attention.

The Zaandam is a lovely ship, and the crew continues to do a wonderful job, but this propulsion situation has become an ongoing concern. The June incident in Alaska, the subsequent repairs, and now the continued adjustments to our operating speed and port schedules raise some reasonable questions.

I truly hope Holland America gets to the bottom of this before the Zaandam heads into the Southern Ocean next year. That’s a considerably different operating environment, with some very long stretches between ports.

Does this require another major repair, perhaps even a dry dock? I honestly don’t know. That would depend on the underlying mechanical problem and what the engineers determine needs to be done. But I would certainly like to see the matter fully resolved rather than continuing to work around it through reduced speeds and itinerary changes.

For now, Huahine will have to wait until another visit.

And as they say, every cruise has its sea days. Today, we just happened to have one while sitting right off a beautiful island!

Rangiroa, French Polynesia - November 1, 2026

Rangiroa – A Little Local Knowledge, a Few Technical Difficulties and a Beautiful Day in Paradise

Another beautiful day in French Polynesia, this time returning to Rangiroa, one of the largest atolls in the world and a place we particularly enjoyed on our visit last year.

A little background on this island paradise. Rangiroa is part of the Tuamotu Archipelago, approximately 350 kilometres northeast of Tahiti. Its name comes from the Polynesian Ra’i Roa, meaning “immense sky”, which seems particularly appropriate when you consider the vast expanse of ocean and sky surrounding this enormous atoll.

Polynesians are believed to have settled here as early as the fifth century. The early inhabitants lived in small communities scattered throughout the atoll, making use of the abundant marine life and resources of the lagoon. There was a rather turbulent period in the late 1700s when attacks by warriors from neighbouring Anaa forced much of the population to flee. Many eventually returned around 1825, under the protection of the ruling Pomare family of Tahiti.

Today, Rangiroa has approximately 2,800 residents on the atoll itself. The population is concentrated mainly around the villages of Avatoru and Tiputa. Traditionally, fishing and copra (dried coconut meat used to produce coconut oil) were important industries. Tourism has since become a major part of the local economy, particularly because of Rangiroa’s spectacular lagoon, coral reefs and world-renowned diving. Fishing remains important, with fresh fish also shipped to Tahiti.

Our day started with a bit of patience. We waited until around noon before heading to the Wyang Theatre to collect our tender tickets. This is the designated pickup location for priority tender boarding for 4- and 5-star Mariner Society members.

The room was packed, and when we finally received our orange number 21 tickets, I thought this could turn into a rather lengthy wait. However, just as we sat down, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that orange tender tickets 18, 19, 20 and 21 were now ready for boarding!

Now that’s what I call timing. I hope those holding number 18 hadn’t been waiting too long! Sometimes you just get lucky.

We particularly enjoyed Rangiroa last year, especially my local excursion to the aquarium. The price has now increased from $60 to $70 USD. Given that I had done this excursion only last year, decided not to repeat it, and I had another reason in mind as well.

We headed over to the windward side of the island first, taking a leisurely walk for about 40 minutes before making our way to the beach area on the leeward side. We found a lovely spot under some palm trees, perfect for settling in for the afternoon.

I put on my snorkelling gear and headed out towards the nearby reef. This is an area I had discovered last year and remembered quite well. I figured that rather than spending $70 on the excursion out to the aquarium, I could enjoy some pretty spectacular underwater scenery right here.

And I wasn’t disappointed!

The highlight was a school of more than 300 good-sized fish swimming right in front of me. What a sight! The underwater life here is impressive, and having experienced it last year, I knew there was some wonderful snorkelling to be found without having to go on an organized excursion.

I guess you could say I have a little local knowledge by now, lol.

Don’t get me wrong, if this is your first visit to Rangiroa, I would certainly recommend taking the trip out to the aquarium. It really is a special experience. But if you’ve been here before and know where to look, there are some excellent alternatives.

Now, on to a couple of unexpected problems!

Problem number one – My Apple Watch.

During our walk earlier, my Apple Watch had asked whether I was doing a walk. Yup! So I started the activity and carried on.

After getting ourselves settled at the beach, I headed into the water. I thought I had put the watch into its water mode, but I’m guessing that because I hadn’t ended the walking activity, it wasn’t quite sure what I was trying to do. Perhaps it figured I couldn’t be walking and swimming at the same time!

About ten minutes into my snorkelling, the watch suddenly started producing a rather loud alarm, complete with some sort of countdown. Uh oh!

I pressed the Crown button, followed by the on-screen slider, and then the watch went completely blank. Uh oh again!

Long story short, I enlisted the help of Chat to investigate what had happened. The watch appeared to be having a serious charging or power issue. We went through several troubleshooting steps, including letting it cool down and dry out, and eventually discovering that the third-party chargers I had with me weren’t doing the job.

Chat suggested trying an original Apple magnetic charging disc rather than continuing with the third-party chargers. It also suggested checking with the ship’s front desk, or Guest Services, to see whether someone might have an original Apple charger I could borrow.

Fortunately, a helpful crew member came to the rescue, and I was able to borrow one. The plan was to leave the watch on the charger for a while, monitor it for any excessive heat and give it a chance to recover. I even had to make sure I returned the charger by 7 pm when his shift ended, lol.

After allowing it to charge for approximately 40 to 60 minutes, I picked it up and touched the screen. And thankfully, we appeared to be back in business! What a relief. A little technical support from Chat and a helpful crew member had saved the day.

Problem number two – My GoPro.

I had assumed I still had sufficient battery power in my GoPro, but apparently the battery hadn’t held its charge either. So here I was, out in the water with no functioning watch and no camera. Oh boy!

I returned both items to shore and put them away. Jan was comfortably settled in the shade, enjoying her book.

“That was fast,” she said.

Well, yes, it certainly was!

Rather than letting these little technical mishaps spoil the afternoon, I decided to head back out into the water. This time, without a watch, a camera or any other electronic distractions.

And you know what? It turned out to be rather wonderful.

There was something quite refreshing about simply enjoying the surroundings, watching the fish and taking everything in without worrying about capturing it on camera or checking a device. Just being there and enjoying the moment. Perhaps a little reminder that we don’t always need our electronics to have a great experience.

We stayed until approximately 3:30 before making our way back to the tender and the Zaandam. By then we were ready for a very late lunch, followed by a short nap before getting ready for sail away.

And what a lovely sail away it was!

We spotted about half a dozen dolphins swimming alongside the ship. I tried to capture them with my camera, and although my pictures aren’t exactly award-winning, you’ll get the idea. Sometimes you just have to take my word for it!

Another beautiful visit to this island paradise. Rangiroa certainly didn’t disappoint, and despite a few technical hiccups, it turned out to be another memorable day.

Sometimes you get lucky with your tender tickets, sometimes you discover a wonderful snorkelling spot, and sometimes the best part of the day is simply putting everything away and enjoying the moment.

Until the next port!

At Sea - October 31, 2026

Halloween Aboard the Zaandam – A Legendary Success!

Halloween aboard the Zaandam on our 2026 Legendary Hawaii, South Pacific and Marquesas voyage was another memorable success! 🎃

We awoke to a ship that had been transformed overnight. Monsters and ghouls seemed to be everywhere, and even the towel animals had gotten into the Halloween spirit. Throughout the Lido poolside decks, these little creations were scattered about, adding a touch of Halloween fun wherever you looked. It was clear that the crew had been busy preparing for a day of spooky celebrations.

The festivities began in the afternoon with a Halloween High Tea. A lovely way to spend part of the afternoon, with a little Halloween flair thrown into the mix. And then there was the Cake It Away event!

Now, picture this: approximately two dozen cakes, all different shapes, sizes and flavours. An incredible display of creativity and, of course, a temptation for anyone with a sweet tooth. The cakes were almost too beautiful to eat, but I suspect that didn’t stop too many people!

The crew also got in on the fun with a pumpkin carving competition. Approximately 30 pumpkins were transformed into all sorts of Halloween creations. It was wonderful to see the crew’s creativity on display, and the pumpkins added yet another festive touch to the day’s activities.

As afternoon turned into evening, it was time for us to put on our Halloween getups and head out for a night of fun around the Lido poolside decks.

The dance band was ready to go, and it was obvious that many of our fellow guests had received the Halloween memo. There were some amazing costumes, with guests really getting into the spirit of the occasion. A costume parade was part of the evening’s entertainment, giving everyone an opportunity to show off their Halloween finery.

With music, dancing, costumes and plenty of laughter, the Lido poolside decks were the place to be. It was one of those evenings where the atmosphere just seemed to build as the night went on, and everyone was having a wonderful time.

Halloween aboard the Zaandam is always something special, but this year certainly lived up to expectations. From the morning’s monsters and towel animals to the afternoon’s tea, cakes and pumpkin carving, followed by a lively evening of music and costumes, it was a full day of Halloween fun.

Another memorable celebration on our Legendary voyage, and another reminder of just how much the crew and fellow guests contribute to making life aboard the Zaandam such an enjoyable experience.

Happy Halloween from the Zaandam! 🎃👻