What a 56-Day Solo South Pacific Cruise Taught Me

When I was ten years old, one of my Christmas gifts was a large, second-hand book, the 1959 edition of Walt Disney’s People and Places. Captivated by the world beyond mine, it became my travel inspiration.

Five decades later, I’d been to most of the places in the book except the South Pacific. In the summer of 2024, I saw a newspaper ad for Holland America’s 56-Day Tales of the South Pacific, departing on my birthday from Vancouver. I knew it was meant to be.

I had some hesitations. I’d cruised before, but never for more than 14 days. With 26 of the 56 days at sea, would I be bored or restless? Since I would be traveling solo, would I be lonely? Reassuring myself that it wouldn’t be an adventure if I wasn’t a little nervous, I signed on.

Setting Sail From Vancouver

Sailing under Vancouver’s Lions Gate Bridge, the gateway to the ocean, I felt like I was running away to sea.

With 1,400 passengers, the Zaandam was big enough to have a large ocean-view gym, two pools, an open-deck walking track (12 laps for 5 km), and a library with bestsellers and daily puzzles, yet still small enough to feel friendly.

Was I Lonely?

Not for long. Instead of a set-time dinner reservation, the dining room hostess suggested I come when it opened at 5 p.m. and ask for a shared table.

On the first night, I joined a couple from Montreal and Richard, a Scot who lives in Slovenia.

Richard had lived an adventurous life, including traveling to 101 countries, riding his motorcycle from the tip of South America to Alaska, and working as an engineer on steam trains in South Africa. He became my first friend on board.

On the second day, I attended a lunch organized by Holland America (HAL) for solo travellers. Thirty-five people turned up, and I had the good fortune to sit beside France, a warm and fun lady from Calgary.

She was on her first cruise ever. We agreed to meet for dinner that night, which became every night thereafter, joining whomever else had also opted for a shared table.

The friend group continued to grow with the addition of frequent cruisers Kathy and Kevin, an outgoing couple from rural Idaho. They joined us for breakfast, entertainment, happy hour drinks, and port excursions.

On a HAL cruise I had taken ten years earlier, I had been on the younger side of the age demographic. Now, I fit right in with the other 50- to 70-year-olds.

There were some younger people on board. I counted nine: a young couple with a baby and a toddler, another with a gregarious eight-year-old girl learning to hula dance, and an older couple with their preteen grandson and his friend.

“What is your favourite thing about the cruise?” I asked the boys.

“The ping pong table,” they said without hesitation.

It was not a party ship. By 9:00 p.m., most, including me, had retreated to their cabins. Almost everyone I met was friendly, interesting, and well-travelled.

Many of the solo cruisers were widowers, finding solace in a change of routine. I befriended an inspiring 87-year-old woman who’d once climbed Mount Everest and now spends half the year cruising on her own.

“My husband and many friends have passed away. It’s boring being home alone, and I don’t like cooking or housework,” she said. Another widower had sold his house and planned to spend a few years living on cruise ships.

Sea Day Talks

I was surprised that I enjoyed sea days as much as port days. There was so much to do onboard that I couldn’t do it all: lectures, entertainment, arts and crafts, trivia contests, ukulele lessons, movies, and pickleball.

“Coffee with Daniel,” interviews of HAL staff by cruise director Daniel Edward, was a highlight. Not only were they informative, Daniel also drew out interesting stories, and his witty sense of humour had everyone laughing.

Staff interviewed included the navigation crew, from whom we learned about navigation in general—surprisingly interesting to the non-sailor that I am.

The Rep Company singers and dancers shared how they landed in their careers. One male performer started out as a soccer player, but after taking a dance class to learn flips for the soccer field, he fell in love with dancing.

The most heart-warming story was from one of the baristas. A single mother, she told us how it took her five years after completing hospitality school to land a job with HAL.

Now, five years later, her new goal was to have her own hotel in the Philippines. At first, the audience smiled politely, but when she added that she had already bought the land, the applause was uplifting.

The guest speakers, all experts in their fields, were well-spoken and their topics diverse. Local historian Kainoa’s talks on Hawaiian geology, geography, culture, and history, including early migrations and hula, were always interesting.

We even had a chance to try hula dancing, which is not that easy on a swaying ship, and the hand motions, which tell a story, are more complex than they appear.

Entertainment

There was entertainment every night in a variety of venues. In addition to the Rep Company’s talented singers and dancers, entertainers included a classical trio, two contemporary bands, singers, pianists, guitarists, comedians, magicians, and a Polynesian dancing troupe.

Some of my favourite shows were the soloists. Chris Bannister from the U.K. performed a John Denver tribute night. When the audience sang along to Take Me Home, Country Roads, it channeled me back to my twenties.

Especially captivating was violinist Sarah Moir from Australia. In addition to playing classical music, which I don’t know well enough to fully appreciate, she made her violin sound like a racing car, mice in a trap, and birds. One of her pieces brought tears to my eyes even without words.

Not all the entertainment was on stage. We celebrated Oktoberfest with beer tasting and an Oompah band, Halloween with costumes worn by many—France and I were black cats—a Masquerade Ball, and Orange Day, a Dutch tradition.

I enjoyed feeling like a kid again with special events that included a paper airplane contest, an ice cream sundae bar, and an impressive display of six-foot-high animals fashioned out of towels that appeared around the pool deck one morning.

Those were in addition to the charming, smaller ones placed in the cabins each night.

There was even an onboard pub crawl with a beer-drinking contest, which I unwittingly entered. When the crew member leading the crawl asked who liked beer, I put my hand up, as did only one other person, a man.

He poured us each a plastic cup half full of beer, and the objective was to be the first to down your beer, place the cup upside down on the table, and then flip it upright with one finger.

I’m not really a throw-back-your-beer type of gal, but I can now say I won a beer-drinking contest and have the pictures to prove it.

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Dining At Sea

In addition to the main dining room with table service, there was the self-serve Lido buffet, specialty restaurants, pub-style lunches at the poolside restaurant, and room service.

I usually ate breakfast at the Lido, which had servers to bring your beverages. Since I sat in the same area, my orange juice would often magically appear at the table before I’d even asked for it.

Lido lunch and dinner options included Asian, sushi, pasta, sandwiches, and salad bars, in addition to hot menu items. I could eat as healthy as I wanted to—or not—given the variety of desserts.

I opted for sit-down dinners in the main dining room, where the menu changed daily and featured plenty of seafood.

There were a few special dinners under the stars on the aft pool deck, with music by the Show Band. During one of the outdoor dinners, the captain, using a beam, pointed out constellations and the planet Venus. They were so much easier to see from the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no light pollution.

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South Pacific Ports

Then there were the 30 port days, the purpose and highlight of the cruise. Given a bigger word count, I could write a whole story on those alone.

When we landed on Rarotonga, I deemed it the prettiest island. Later, on Bora Bora, I said the same. And then again on Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas. I soon realized I couldn’t pick just one, as they all had something unique to offer.

Read More: Tarawa, Kiribati: An Undiscovered Island Nation in the Pacific

Next Time

I’d brought my laptop with me, expecting to get a lot of writing done. That didn’t happen as I was having way too much fun!

I enjoyed every minute of the cruise, so much so that I’ve signed up for an even longer one: 61 days to South America, Antarctica, Easter Island, and ending in Australia.

I’m hoping no writing gets done on that one either.

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Author Bio: Liisa Atva is a world wanderer and writer based in Steveston, British Columbia, Canada.

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