At Sea or In Port – New Cities, Dinners, Parties Fill Days, Nights

Days 5-9, 2026 Grand World Voyage

Thursday to Monday, Jan. 13-16, 2026; Recife, Brazil, and Atlantic Ocean.

Just because we aren’t in a port every day doesn’t mean we have nothing to do. On top of the full daily program of activities and talks, special events and dinners keep us busy. I’m not sure that I can keep up!

After months of port-centric cruising last summer and fall, I looked forward to a slower life on the Grand World Cruise. We may be starting out with lots of sea days, but that doesn’t mean the pace has to slow. We get to decide between busy and lazy days.

Here’s a sample of just four recent days:

Tuesday, Jan. 13, At Sea

Cruise Director Erin continued her coffee chats, today featuring Food & Beverage Director Ron with a sneak peek at the day’s blue and white theme. It will start with Holland America’s signature Cake Me Away dessert buffet, this time with most of the dozens of fancy cakes decorated with blue roses set on white icing.

Tonight is the first of several formal nights, culminating in the Grand Volendam Ball. Once upon a time, most cruises had a formal night or two, even offering tuxedo rentals on board for the gents. That old tradition has fallen by the wayside, as most cruisers prefer a more casual vacation and airline baggage charges limit packing to the essentials. But Holland America’s grand voyages continue this tradition.

Dinner (with filet and lobster on the menu) was followed by dancing in the World Stage, where a dance floor replaced the center seating. Capt. Rens and his officers led off the festivities. Later in the cabin, we found several grand voyage pillow gifts, including a travel mug, poncho, scarf, smartphone charger and fanny pack.

Wednesday, Jan. 14, At Sea

Another sea day opportunity to catch up on blog writing. And a reminder that when you spend so much time at sea, you need to take time out for things you would normally do at home. This time it was my semi-annual call with my financial planner. That always takes time on my part to review my accounts first. I’m more a letter person than numbers, but I do like to have a basic understanding of where I stand. Of course, financial planning would be so much easier if I knew exactly how long my money needs to last….

Thursday, Jan. 15, Recife, Brazil

I don’t remember seeing such an impressive skyline when I was in Recife in 2020, but this morning it seemed to stretch across the horizon.

After a short ride on the required shuttle to exit the industrial port, I switched to the complimentary shuttle to Casa da Cultura, a former prison cleverly reimagined into a craft market. Each vendor has a cell.

Just as in 2020, I took a few minutes to sketch the outside of the former prison. But the high humidity and lack of shade quickly sent me back inside. I finished the watercolor later on the ship.

We enjoyed an ice cream social on the aft deck as we sailed away. Not to miss a detail, the crew sported red vests and bow ties for the occasion.

Friday, Jan. 16, At Sea

I’ve learned that special dinners on the grand world voyage can fill up quickly, so early on this cruise I booked several. Tonight was one of the best dinners I’ve had recently. Brazilian Guest Chef André Castro has been on board for a week or so,

We started with a lamb osso buco croquette – and I could have made it the whole dinner. Following it were courses featuring sea bass, salmon, shrimp, beef ribeye and chocolate.

Joining Elaine and me were Deb, a friend from previous world cruises, and Celia, whom I met on the Nieuw Statendam last summer. Actually, Celia was on the last world cruise, but we hadn’t yet met each other.

After dinner, we found our way to the Lido where the Oi Brasil: Samba Under the Stars party was rocking.