Mooloolaba, Australia - NOT

February 18, 2024 - Another day that started with a announcement from the captain, while we were having breakfast, that we would not be able to disembark for our excursions to Mooloolaba due to unsafe conditions for the tender boats. This time, they already had two tender boats down, and one loaded with all the ‘stuff’ for dockside (flags, tents, carpets, tour paddles/bags, etc) that made it to shore, but was deemed unsafe for anyone to disembark at the pier. After consulting with the pilot who boarded our vessel, who indicated that conditions would only worsen throughout the day, Viking decided to cancel the operations. The process of trying to get the two tenders back to the ship took hours and multiple tries, so it was obviously the right decision — but still was disappointing. And as I looked back at my pictures from earlier in the morning, I was reminded of the name on the boat that dropped off the pilot (see below), which again says maybe not going to this port was a a good idea.

We were supposed to visit the Australian Zoo, the one run by Steve Irwin’s family, so we didn’t get to see the kangaroos and koalas. But other guests who did other excursions and/or saw these animals in the wild, shared pictures with us.

We made the most of the day by walking, swimming and even played hearts with the two couples we had dinner with a few days ago. As if Tom wasn’t already on our mind, playing cards made it even more so. It is hard to believe it has been a year already since he passed away. But he remains with us in our hearts and minds.

We are missing you all but loving the adventures. You would think with all these extra sea days we would be better about keeping up with the blog on a timely basis.