Melanesian Marvels on the Oceania Riviera
2/16/2026 to 3/18/2026

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Page 1 – Bali Pre-Trip - Days 1-3
Page 2 – Bali Pre-Trip - Days 4-5; Embarkation, Ship; Ports of Call: Komodo, Indonesia
Page 3 – Ports of Call: Kupang, West Timor Indonesia; Darwin, Australia; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; Alotau, Papua New Guinea
Page 4 – Ports of Call: Honiara, Solomon Islands; Luganville, Vanuatu; Port Vila, Vanuatu; Lautoka, Fiji; Suva, Fiji
Page 5 – Ports of Call: Noumea, New Caledonia; Sydney Post-Trip - Day 1
Page 6 – Sydney Post-Trip - Day 2-4

Preface

Having been to all 7 continents and visited 98 countries, it is a challenge to find a cruise that goes somewhere I haven’t been and I want to visit. I don’t mind repeating ports, especially since so many are new to Cathy. When I saw this itinerary, I couldn’t believe how unique it was and that I would be able to go to 6 countries I haven’t previously visited. The only repeat port of the 13 on the cruise would be Sydney, Australia, which I have always wanted to return to.

We were very excited about visiting Bali, but it isn’t an easy place to get to. Our long flights would be on Cathay Pacific, which we were looking forward to experiencing. To get there we would fly to Dallas, then to Hong Kong and then to Bali. The flying time would be just under 25 hours, but with layovers 31 a very long trip. The flights back from Sydney would be just over 28 hours and 35 hours with layovers! We were so grateful that we were in business class. The Cathay flights were very good with comfortable laydown seat along with great service and meals.

We completed the Indonesia visa requirements online over a month before the flights. The entry card that had to be completed within 72 hours of the flights was a bit frustrating, since it wasn’t available until the morning of our first flight to Dallas. It should have been available the previous day. When we arrived at the Bali airport it was rather confusing as to where to show the entry card and/or visa, since there were many different areas with different signs for different categories. Most of the lines were for people who were doing an on-arrival visa. Since we had ours, we moved past all those and just showed the entry card to an agent. It was very easy once we knew where to go.

As usual, we arranged for a welcome pickup (https://www.welcomepickups.com) transfer to the hotel. They are usually very reasonable and dependable. When we exited the airport, I couldn’t believe how many drivers were waiting for people. We went down the lines a couple times but didn’t see my name on any of the signs. I tried to contact the driver through WhatsApp and the company app but with no replies. I then called the driver who didn’t answer, so I left a voice message. We were most frustrated and were about to just find another driver, when I received a call from different driver. He told me that my guy had car trouble and couldn’t come, but he was on his way. We were most relieved and only had to wait about 15 minutes for him.

Pre-Trip in Bali, Indonesia – Day 1

The drive to the hotel was most interesting with many monuments along the way. This one was quite impressive.

It was only about a 20-minute drive to our hotel that was in the very nice Nusa Dua resort area. We were staying at the Ayudya Palace Resort (https://ayodyaresortbali.com/ayodya-palace/). This is a large resort with the palace being a separate area of resort with its own pool and lounge area where they provide free breakfasts, snacks and drinks. It is also closest to the beach.

The palace also had a separate check-in area. We were upgraded to the Tunjung Room, which was very close to the check-in area on the ground floor. The courtyard next to our room was a preview of the beautiful resort.

We had a large room with an enclosed patio. It was a very comfortable room with lots of space and a great bed.

There was plenty of storage and a nice lounging area.

They even provided us with a couple hats to wear if needed.

The double-sink bathroom with a large walk-in shower was most welcome.

We walked out to the patio and were impressed with the comfortable couches.

We were very pleased with our room. I wanted to check out the lounge that we were told about when we checked in. It definitely felt like we were in Bali. The high ceiling was amazing.

Next to the lobby was the private palace pool.

Even though it was close to sunset, I wanted to see the beach just outside the pool area. There were so many lounge and sitting areas. They even had cabana areas for meals along the Indian Ocean.

We would check it out more the next day, since it had been a long couple of travel days and we wanted to eat and go to bed as soon as we could. The resort has several restaurants. Looking at the resort map, most of them were at the other end of the resort in the main building. We walked through our courtyard to the next one. With it already being dark outside the lighted statues in each courtyard were quite a sight.

After passing through three courtyards, we finally arrived at the main building where there were massive, illuminated fountains and views looking out to the large lagoon pool. This was some resort!

We were surprised at how few people were at the resort. With it being the rainy season, we were told that occupancy at all the resorts would be low. We hoped that the rainy season would not mess up our vacation. The forecast did show rain for the next ten days, but it was great for the last 3 hours. We picked one of the restaurants and had a nice meal. That evening we were awakened to a torrential downpour. We heard later from some of the people on the cruise that arrived that night that it was a terrible storm and they got soaked. We were glad we arrived early.

Pre-Trip in Bali, Indonesia – Day 2

We walked over to the lounge for our first breakfast at the resort. They had a nice assortment of items available on the buffet and several selections could be made from their menu.

When we watched YouTube videos about Bali, we regularly heard that we had to try Nasi Goreng, a fried rice dish with an egg on top, along with whatever the restaurant chooses to include with it. Mie Goreng is the same dish, but with noodles instead of rice. I tried that for our first breakfast. It was quite tasty. There was more on the plate than I could eat but I enjoyed it.

After breakfast we walked outside. The lounge outside seating area was most inviting, but we preferred to avoid the sun, heat and humidity. The palace pool looked prettier in the sunshine.

With it being a clear day, we could see the tallest mountain on Bali in the distance, the almost 10,000-foot-tall active volcano, Mount Agung.

With our tour not starting until 9:00 AM, we walked around the beautiful grounds and then headed to the main building to see some of it in the daytime.

When we first booked this cruise a good friend of mine who has traveled even more than me told us about a tour guide she used in Bali that I should try to connect with, Komang Jumena (komjumena@gmail.com ). She first met him when she went on an Overseas Adventure Tours trip that visited Bali. He was the trip experience leader. We have been on several OAT trips, and the trip experience leaders are always just outstanding. She also recently toured with him privately while she was on a cruise that visited Bali. I was thrilled that we were able to book tours with Komang for all three of the full days we would be in Bali. We couldn’t have been happier with him. He was so knowledgeable about all the places we visited and such a pleasure to be with.

He also had a very nice driver, Kiki. He was so helpful and always smiling. They were a great team.

They drove us around in very comfortable Toyota SUV.

Our first day’s tour would be to the Ubud area. It was about an hour and a quarter drive there. On the way we saw lots of interesting buildings, statues and monuments. I didn’t take many photos through the windows, but I had to for this one.

Our first stop was at the Batubulan Village Temple. This temple dates to the 11 century and had a major restoration in 1992. There was a large building across the street from the main complex. It was the first of many ornate buildings we would see.

Across the street was a beautiful wall and an entry gate.

We entered grounds and walked around the many beautiful structures and decorations.

I was surprised to see the thick thatched roofs on some of the buildings.

In one section they had pieces that were from the original 11th century temple.

We continued looking around the temple. Just a gorgeous place.

We then headed for our next destination, the Monkey Forest (https://monkeyforestubud.com). When Komang originally told us about this site, I wasn’t that excited about it, but since it is one of the major tourist attractions in Bali, we kept it on the itinerary. My main concern was the terrible stories you hear about how aggressive monkeys can be. Komang assured us that the monkeys in this place are very tame, unlike other places. I guess with them being fed, it makes a big difference. I was glad to hear this and was much more looking forward to the visit. I liked the statue at the entrance.

The forest is in a beautiful setting.

I was thrilled to see this gorgeous red dragon fly.

It wasn’t long before we saw some monkeys lounging around and playing.

There are lots of beautifully decorated structures on the grounds.

I was surprised to see the monkey with a blue belly. I also liked the monkeys with the serious faces.

We came to a feeding area where monkeys were chowing down. I enjoyed watching the babies.

This is a popular tourist attraction with many others enjoying it with us.

In another part of the park there were buildings where the monkeys congregated. They were everywhere.

After leaving the park, we passed by a massive statue in the middle of the road on the way to lunch.

We had lunch at a cute restaurant. We liked the location and the food. Komang did good!

Our next destination was the Elephant Cave Temple. Like several of the temples we would visit, we had to wear a sarong to enter the grounds. They provide them. There was a path and steps to get down to the grounds where we could see the pools and temple buildings. We also got a glimpse of the cave.

I was impressed with the very tall tree towering over the pools.

We first looked at the pool fountains.

We next went to the main attraction, the cave. It was dug out in the 11th century. It was rediscovered in 1923. The fountain and pools weren’t discovered until 1954. It is believed to be called the Elephant Cave due to the large carving that looks nothing like an elephant to me. Others say it is because of the stone statue of Ganesh, who has a head of an elephant, in the cave. It is an unusual looking cave.

Upon entering, you are overwhelmed by the incense smoke. It is hard to even see in the small cave. I found the statue of Ganesh at the far end of the cave.

I didn’t stay long, since I prefer breathing fresh air and there wasn’t much to see in the cave. Outside were some traditional Balinese shrines.

We climbed back up the steps and headed to our next stop. On the way we passed by several flooded rice farms.

We made a quick stop to see the Tenggenungan waterfall. It is one of the most famous and tallest waterfalls in Bali. There are normally lots of people swimming and sunning around the waterfall, but not when we were there. It’s kind of a shame since the perspective would show how large the waterfall is. It is much larger than it appears in the photo.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Mammoth Art Emporium. The main reason we came to this one was that we could watch the artisans creating the beautiful carved objects available for sale in the store.

It is a large shop with so many beautiful pieces. We walked around enjoying the unique artwork before returning to the hotel.

With it being Thursday, the hotel had a cultural show and buffet in the outdoor theater. We were worried that we might not be able to get in, since we hadn’t made reservations earlier. With it being low season, we were able to get a table. The stage backdrop is the large structure we saw across the lake in the morning. It was a beautiful setting and a gorgeous evening to be outside.

The buffet was described as a barbecue. It had a nice variety of grilled meats, a suckling pig and many vegetables and fruits. The highlight was the show featuring the traditional Balinese dancing and fire performances. I included short video that shows the male dancers blowing fire out of their mouths near the end.

We thoroughly enjoyed the show and were looking forward to the next two days of tours in this lovely island. We hoped that our weather luck would hold out.

Pre-Trip in Bali, Indonesia – Day 3

After a refreshing night’s sleep, we headed to the lounge for breakfast. This time I ordered the Nasi Goreng, the traditional one with rice, and Cathy got an avocado toast dish. They were both quite good.

Once again, as we would find almost every day when looking at the weather forecast, there was a chance of rain. It was a lot like the forecasts in south Florida where we have the chance of a short tropical shower in the afternoons. What we were most surprised about was that the temperatures were much milder than we expected. We heard so many stories about how terribly hot it was in Bali, but for us, it was milder than our Florida weather. Most days were in the low 80’s.

Komang and Kiki once again picked us up at 9:00 AM for our full day tour. We took the same road we took the previous day since it is the main road to get out of Denpasar, the largest city in Bali. There aren’t many options and it is a crowded road. We were going back to the Batubulan Village, but to a different temple to watch a Barong traditional dance. We entered the beautiful temple grounds but didn’t need sarongs there. We walked over to the performance area where there was a stage and covered stadium seating. We were appreciative of the covering, since it was a sunny day. At one side of the stage was the band.

This type of performance is a sacred, energetic Balinese performance representing the eternal battle between good (Barong) and evil (Rangda). Barong is a lion-like creature played by two dancers. Komang described on the way to the performance what we would see, plus there was a handout in English describing what was happening in each scene. The show opened with Barong slowly entering the stage. We couldn’t believe how entertaining it was to watch the Barong looking around opening and closing his mouth to a loud clapping noise as he made funny moves to finally get to the stage. I had to include a video.

As more characters came onto the stage, we realized that the performance was more like an opera with no singing.

The evil Rangda was quite a sight.

There was lots of killing and rebirth going on during the performance. But it was a happy ending with good once again defeating evil.

We were surprised at how much we enjoyed the performance. It was much more fun than we expected. We even purchased the photo they took with a performer in a decorative frame.

We next drove to the Tegalalang rice terrace. It was once just beautiful, terraced rice fields, but has become a major tourist attraction. We walked along the trail getting different views, with me taking way too many photos.

It was interesting to get a close-up view of the fields with the water moving down to the next lower terrace through pipes.

It was disappointing at how commercialized the site has become. In addition to ziplines crossing the valley, they have swings all along it with women renting dresses with long trains to trail along as they swing. It was fun to watch but did take away from the peaceful beauty of the area.

We got a kick out of the couple’s swing.

After leaving, we saw some regular rice fields with workers as we headed to a restaurant for lunch.

This restaurant, Waroeng D’yoni, was quite a place! It was a large facility that weaved through the forest.

WE enjoyed looking down at the lush forest.

Cathy got a chicken dish, and I got another Mie Goreng. It was a very good meal. I also became appreciative of the local Bintang beer. I ordered it regularly while in Indonesia.

Our next stop was the Tirta Empul temple which is also known as the purification temple. It is a special place in Hindu culture. It was founded in 962 AD and is famous for its holy spring water, where Balinese Hindus go for a ritual purification. There was an impressive statue of the God Vishnu at the entrance.

The grounds looked like the other temples we visited with beautiful ornamentation and split gate.

However, this one was different in that it had the large purification pool with multiple showers. It was a very busy place.

There was also an area with showers next to the main pool that no one was using.

We continued touring through the temple taking in the beautiful structures.

We came to the very clear pool where the spring water comes to the surface.

We continued walking through the gorgeous grounds.

The enclosures with what look like chairs are actually offering tables. Just beautiful!

While heading back to the hotel, we were passing women with what looked like tall hats on their heads. Komang told us that they were offerings they were taking to the temple for festivities. The temples have festivals every 210 days and there are festivals happening regularly, since they all have different dates.

I saw a large monument in the middle of a traffic circle several times already but had not been able to take a photo of it. This time I saw it soon enough where I could finally get one.

It had been another wonderful touring day in Bali. We looked forward to a nice dinner, quiet evening and good night’s sleep.