I received a bit of push-back from a few Cruiseboysians about how I said “stay tuned for my plans” at the end of my Antarctica post. Well, there was a reason for that.

Last year I signed up for the first half of the 2025 World Cruise. It starts from Tokyo and visits India, Petra (Jordan) and Istanbul, Turkey. Three places high on my “I’ve want to visit” list. However, to quote the email I got from Silversea, due to the “evolving and unstable geopolitical situation affecting the Red Sea and broader Middle East”, they had to change the itinerary. With that they were no longer was calling on India, Petra nor Istanbul.

Well, darn.

So, I looked at my list again and discovered “Visit Japan during Cherry Blossom Season”. I did some digging and came up with this – Silversea’s Far East Grand Voyage 2025.

Singapore – Bangkok – Hong Kong – Tokyo – Tokyo – Singapore. Round trip in 70 days on the Silver Whisper (my 2019 World Cruise ship). Yes, I know I entered “Tokyo” twice. Once they arrive the next step is sailing around the Japanese Islands before returning to Tokyo. Right in the height of the cherry blossoms blooming – 23-March to 6-April.

Seems the Silver Whisper is completing an interior renovation this year. Looking at their new deck plan shows that several public rooms have moved decks! I’ll deal more with that once I get onboard in February 2025.

Meanwhile, I have another announcement. This October I will be cruising for two weeks along Denmark and Norway with several friends I met on my 2023 South American Grand Voyage. I’ll be staying a few extra days to explore the castles and “Viking Heritage” around Copenhagen.

So, there are things to look forward too. I’ll probably not be adding to this blog before September. See you then!