At Sea – November 13, 2026

A Little Fun, a Few Stars and a Visit from King Neptune

The ship continues to come up with a seemingly endless supply of activities to keep everyone entertained. Perhaps Holland America is doing its best to distract us from the fact that we have eight sea days to enjoy before reaching home. Not that we’re complaining, lol!

A few nights ago, we were treated to a fun fair festival, complete with some good old-fashioned midway games. There was the bottle toss, bean bag toss and several other familiar favourites. The idea was simple: play the games, do well and collect tickets or coupons, which were then entered into a prize draw. Of course, everyone had their eyes on the coveted Luis teddy bears. There were seven or eight of these little treasures in the prize pool, and they certainly seemed to be the most popular prizes of the evening.

Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to take one home, but it was a lot of fun and a great way to spend an evening.

Then, last night, Mother Nature provided us with a beautiful, clear sky for something a little different. Two amateur astronomers took over the area around the aft pool, had the lights switched off and treated more than 200 guests to a late-night viewing of the heavens. It was like having our very own outdoor planetarium. They even had a massive laser pointer that seemed almost capable of reaching out and touching the stars. Quite an impressive sight, and certainly not something you experience every evening at sea!

And then there was yesterday’s main event, a time-honoured maritime tradition: the King Neptune Ceremony.

For those unfamiliar with this nautical custom, the ceremony dates back centuries, when sailors crossing the Equator for the first time were subjected to an elaborate initiation. The ritual, often referred to as Crossing the Line, was intended to introduce inexperienced sailors to the realm of King Neptune, the mythical ruler of the seas. In the days of sailing ships, crossing the Equator was a significant milestone, and the ceremony became a way of marking the occasion, testing the newcomers and, no doubt, providing plenty of entertainment for the seasoned crew.

Today, it has evolved into a much friendlier shipboard celebration, although the theatrical traditions remain. King Neptune and his royal court make an appearance, and those crossing the invisible line around the middle of our planet are officially welcomed into his maritime kingdom.

So, not wanting to tempt fate or leave anything to chance with the travel gods, Holland America certainly pulls out all the stops to ensure that King Neptune is properly honoured and grants us safe passage as we cruise across this imaginary line that divides our planet into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

After all, a little goodwill from the ruler of the oceans can’t hurt!

It’s another wonderful example of how Holland America keeps things interesting, even when we’re surrounded by nothing but the vast Pacific Ocean. Between the games, the stars and the royal visit, there certainly hasn’t been much opportunity to get bored.

Here are a few pictures from the last several days as we continue our seaward trek home. The days are slipping by, and our journey is slowly drawing to a close.