Vista Photo Contest

I learned this week that Vista is going to have a photo contest for ATW passengers. It will allow only one entry per person. I've never really liked photo contests (although I do enjoy seeing entries) because the judging is so subjective. Nevertheless, I will enter and I already have a favorite of the literally thousands of photos I've snapped since we left Miami last January. 

If you know me, or even read my blog occasionally, you probably know that I take waaay too many pictures. One reason is that I have a really heavy shutter finger. The other reason is that with digital, there's nothing stopping me! Back in the film days, I had to think hard before snapping the shutter because film cost money, as did developing chemicals and photographic paper. But this is 2026, and we can all snap happily away with no financial consequence!

I've known for some time now that I needed to spend some time going through all the photos I've taken on this trip and delete any near duplicates and/or rejects. Having been on the ship for 144 days now, that's a lot of sunrise/sunset photos over the ocean! Even I know I don't need that many. So yesterday I started going through my folders and getting rid of what needed to go, keeping only those needed to "tell the story" of wherever we found ourselves. And that was only a first run - I probably should delete many more. 

At the same time, I was looking for anything I thought might possibly be contest worthy, knowing that photography and art are always viewed subjectively and what appeals to one won't appeal to another and vice versa. You know, one person prefers chocolate, another vanilla. 

So today I'm posting images that I've set aside as possible candidates. If you've been following my blog, you've probably seen most of them already. But I'm asking you to scroll through them and tell me which one is YOUR favorite. This may help me know which one to submit. Fyi, the judge is a man. Thank you!!

 

luwak coffee beans

 

African Elephant (Durban)

Rio de Janiero

Roseau, Dominica

Rangiora

Bali, Indonesia

Komodo, Indonesia

Walvis Bay, Namibia

Iquique, Chile

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Durban, South Africa

Punta del Este, Uruguay

Bali, Indonesia wood carver

Rio de Janiero, Brazil

Nosy Be, Madagascar (1)

Bali, Indonesia wood carver (2)

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Mystery Island 1

Punta del Este, Uruguay

Sydney, Australia

Nosy Be, Madagascar 2

Mystery Island 2

Durban, South Africa (3)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (port)

Nosy Be, Madagascar (3)

Dinner on the Deck

The Cruise Director has a daily morning show on our in-room TV where he and some other cruise person talk about what's happening on board the ship that day. We never watch it. Apparently we should have today. We didn't realize that there was an Around the World dinner being prepared by the Vista Culinary Team to be held on the deck tonight. Not only that, guests were encouraged to dress in all white. Why? I have no idea.

 

 

 

We had actually talked about room service tonight but someone mentioned to Ronnie at trivia that there was a special dinner tonight so I suggested we at least check it out. Sure enough, the culinary team had gone all out to prepare special foods, some that we don't always see. While the majority of passengers were indeed dressed in white, Ronnie was in navy head to toe and I had on a turquoise top. But we stayed and ate anyway. I will warn you - don't even look at the pictures if you aren't hungry (as I'm not now). But if you happen to be, then you might like to see a sampling of what was there.

 

I will also add that we are supposed to be keeping a low profile now as we will be sailing to Abidjan on the Ivory Coast tonight. A deck party with loud music, lights and dancing until 10:15 p.m. doesn't seem like a very low profile to me. I did see a security guy (dressed in black) however. They are on the job.

We first walked through the deck where people were already eating and visiting and the Vista Show Band was entertaining. We made our way through a sea of white-clad passengers to the Aquamar Restaurant first where there was a long case of meats, veggies, noodles, broths, etc one could select from that would make an Asian dish (?) or soup (?) I didn't think to snap a photo of that area and I don't know enough about Asian food to even know what it's called. We didn't do that; we just picked up some appetizers there.

After that we went into the Wave and then on into Terrace Cafe. Both had extensive choices. In addition to the usual fish, steak, lobster, shrimp and chicken, there was a whole roasted goat/lamb/sheep? (which one? I don't know) along with steaks and sausages made from springbok and kudu. Add to that several really large fish, some to be cooked to your liking on the spot, and one that was stuffed with ceviche. Not being a "meat person" myself, I chose a Caprese salad instead along with some Italian bread.

 

grouper cooked to your specs

  

no thanks, but the Hasselback potatoes look good

meats cooked to order

There was also quite a large selection of cheeses, pastas, breads and salads. I mostly just snapped pictures of the meats. Of course there is always the dozen or so daily made ice cream flavors and as many different desserts to choose from. I'm trying to do better with sugar, but baklava is a weakness and I told myself that honey is not as bad as table sugar. And besides, the Bible says to eat a little honey (however, "little" is the key word here). Anyway, I'm stuffed and none of this looks good to me, but I'll post pictures of it for you, my reader, to appreciate. lol But I won't try to label all of them. 

 

sea bass or tuna (??) stuffed ceviche

skewered chicken

tuna salad in middle (mashed potato)? "cake"

Revised 2026 Itinerary

It's hard to believe we’re just a little over 5 weeks away from home now. Our world voyage seems like it’s passing quickly. We've now crossed the equator 6 times since leaving home! Needless to say, we’ve all put away our jackets and are wearing our summer clothes and eating on the deck again. 

Our 180-night voyage, originally scheduled to return to the US through the Suez Canal, was forced to make a major itinerary revision due to the ongoing political situation. Specifically, this meant eliminating ports in India, the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and adding ports in the Seychelles, Madagascar, the Comoros, Mozambique, South Africa and Namibia. We were disappointed, because we had looked very forward to sailing through the canal and seeing the Mediterranean ports that we have not visited. Also because it meant repeating ports around South Africa.

Because of the extra sailing time needed to go around Africa, ports in Greece, Italy, Spain, France and Morocco were cancelled and replaced with other ports including Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Cape Verde. This is the segment we’re on now – basically extra sea days with not very desirable ports. It’s unfortunate, but understandable. And we do appreciate the extra security that Oceania has brought on board along with all the extra safety measures.

We’ll resume our original itinerary in Southampton on June 14 before continuing to northern Europe, the North Atlantic, Canada, then down the east coast of the US as we make our way to Miami on July 6.

Revised 2026 Ports of Call

The updated voyage includes the following stops as it sails north along the Atlantic coast:

Cape Town, South Africa: Departure on May 21

Walvis Bay, Namibia: Arrival on May 23

Luanda, Angola: May 26

São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe: May 28

Abidjan, Ivory Coast: May 31

Banjul, Gambia: Scheduled replacement port

Mindelo (Sao Vicente), Cape Verde: June 5

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands: June 7

Funchal (Madeira), Portugal: June 8

Lisbon, Portugal: June 10

Vigo, Spain: June 11

Paris (Le Havre), France: June 13

London (Southampton), United Kingdom:  June 14

Falmouth (Cornwall), United Kingdom:  June 15

Dublin, Ireland:  June 17

Belfast, Ireland:  June 18

Glasgow, Ireland:  June 19

Torshavn, Denmark:  June 21

Akureyri, Iceland:   June 23

Isafjordur, Iceland:  June 24

Reykjavik, Iceland:  June 25

Halifax, Nova Scotia:  June 30

New York, NY:  July 2

Charleston, South Carolina:  July 4

Miami, Florida:  July 6

Key Itinerary Adjustments

    Removed Ports: All originally scheduled calls in India, the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece and Italy have been cancelled.

    Extended Sailing: The ship will now round the Cape of Good Hope, adding significant sea time along the western coast of Africa.

https://cruise-arabia.com/2026/03/30/oceania-vista-2026-world-cruise-rerouted-to-cape-town-amid-gulf-disruption/  

 

 

Luanda, Angola

We woke yesterday as we were making port in Luanda, Angola. Located on Africa’s southwestern coast, Luanda is the capital and largest city in Angola, and is home to over a third of the country’s population (9+ million people). It is also Angola’s primary port and a major industrial, cultural and urban center. It’s official language is Portuguese. The median age in Angola is 16.7 years old, and the average number of live births per woman is 4.9. https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/angola-demographics/ 

 

  

Our general plan as we head around the Ivory Coast of west Africa is not to get off the ship unless we have an Oceania excursion. However, in looking ahead, some of the excursions don’t seem all that desirable anyway. But today our excursion was titled “The Changing Face of Luanda”. We were accompanied by an Oceania employee and followed by security to each place we visited. 

We were off the ship by 8:30 and greeted by lively dancers, drummers and a terrible odor (think rotten eggs + dead fish). I snapped some quick photos while hurrying to get on the bus. Even the lobby on Deck 5 where we normally disembark smelled horrible all day long from the odor wafting in through the open door of the disembarkation ramp. Not a good first impression!

 

drummers drumming....

dancers dancing....

smiling...though it was terribly stinky and miserably hot

I was relieved to see that our bus was air conditioned and our guide spoke fair English – as long as he didn’t speak too fast. I’ll be honest. Between all the on-and-off stops, the heat, not always being within earshot of our guide or understanding him even if I was, it was just – a lot. Most of what he talked about concerned the history of Angola, its leaders, its wars, its fighting for independence, etc.

 

Port Luanda terminal

first stop - Iron Palace

1963-2026 Day of Africa celebration

 

Our guide explained the meaning of their flag and its colors - black (color of the people's skin), red (blood), yellow (rising sun), the sickle or blade (agriculture) and the cog (industry).

If anyone reading this is a history buff or just loves to learn, I've included some hyperlinks (bottom) that provide more information than I could give in one or two sentences. Our first stop (above) was the Iron Palace, a historical building believed to have been built by the designer of the Eiffel Tower. We weren’t allowed to enter but simply climbed several floors of iron stairs, then circled around the building and came back down. 

From there we were driven to the Church of our Lady of Remedies. As is usually the case, there were souvenirs that could be purchased and children asking for money.

 

Church of our Lady of Remedies

interior of Church of our Lady of Remedies

memorabilia for sale outside

Our next stop was San Miguel Fort. I'm resorting to AI for help explaining this one, as it will do a far better job than I could. I took tons of photos here.

• The Tiles: Inside the fort’s central courtyard, a low, squat building holds rooms featuring beautifully preserved Portuguese azulejos (tin-glazed blue and white ceramic tiles).
• The Murals: The tile panels were installed during the 1930s to serve as a permanent visual history book. They depict traditional Angolan wildlife, local flora and fauna, early regional scenes, and the colonial history of Angola.
• The Rest of the Museum: The fortress grounds act as an open-air exhibition featuring soviet-era murals, captured cannons, vintage military aircraft, and tanks. The location on Morro da Fortaleza also offers panoramic views over Luanda Bay and the Marginal.   

entrance to Fortress of Sao Miguel

Above is the entrance to the Fortress of Sao Miguel. Antonio Agostinho Neto (1922-1979, below) was an Angolan physician, poet and revolutionary who was Angola's first president from 1975 until his death.  

 

view of bay through gun port on top of fort

interior Fortress of Sao Miguel

lots of military displays

Pres. António Agostinho Neto

one of several hallways lined with beautiful tiles

Next was a visit to the National Anthropology Museum. As with the tiles at the fort, I took many photos there. Description of this museum - it "houses over 6,000 traditional artifacts spanning 14 rooms across two floors. It showcases Angola’s rich cultural heritage through ethnographic objects, musical instruments, sacred art, and historical displays representing the country’s diverse ethnic and linguistic groups." I would describe many of the items as quite creepy.

National Anthropology Museum

instrument made of gourds

 

many different masks - some creepy in appearance

 

Our last stop was the mausoleum where President Antonio Agostinho Neto, first president of the Republic of Angola lies in a glass enclosed casket inside a huge domed room, literally surrounded 360 degrees by (artificial) flowers. This was the only place we visited that we were not allowed to take pictures.

 

President Neto Memorial Building

 

mausoleum building entrance

 

Finally, after walking through all of the places listed above, we were driven past other points of interest (Igreja de Jesus, Maria & Jose, Houses of Parliament, Malanga and the National Bank of Angola). We were told not to take pictures of any of the government buildings. Apparently someone in the other van took one, and we were all stopped and that person made to delete it. I only took one "drive by" and that was the bank below (note bus window reflection in photo).

 

National Bank of Angola

Here is more info regarding all of the places we visited in case someone is really interested.

The Iron Palace - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pal%C3%A1cio_de_Ferro

Church of Our Lady of Remedies https://hpip.org/en/heritage/details/58

National Anthropology Museum  https://pamim.blogspot.com/2006/09/um-pouco-de-cultura-angolana-no-museu_17.html

San Miguel Fort https://welcometoangola.co.ao/en/directorio/fortaleza-de-sao-miguel-de-luanda/ 

Mausoleum of António Agostinho Neto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_of_Ant%C3%B3nio_Agostinho_Neto