We had left Papua New-Guinea and were now on track for Palau, covering a distance of 775 nautical miles. This translated to two days at sea – great for relaxation and processing of all the experiences and adventures of the previous days in PNG.

In the morning of the 21st we crossed the equator; this included the traditional visit of Neptun and a celebration (complete with a bite of fish, champagne and a Linie).

Later in the morning I had the opportunity, to get to see the technical internals of the ship during a chief-engineer-led guided tour. The tour covered the engines, the desalination plant, sewage facilities, garbage management and the laundry. It took us more than 2.5 hours and was getting us well below the waterline (and into areas, that other cruise companies won’t show).

We now had to cover a distance of 829 nautical miles and as such were facing two days at sea – advertised as “relaxation at sea” and busy with a full plan in reality.

The first day (holy Thursday) was pretty much a preparation day, to actually enable us, to fully  enjoy the days to come. Snorkeling gear was handed out, a mandatory zodiac (safety) briefing took place, the expedition team introduced itself – and the lecture program already did kick in. Of course, the ship also had to be explored – from fitness room to spa, from restaurants to bars.

Before dinner a cocktail for single travelers took place – and after dinner the captain held his welcome cocktail – including an introduction to his team and all the department heads on the ship.

On the second day (Good Friday) more lectures were following; we also had the first of many previews, of what the following days were to bring (nicely set up during cocktail hour before dinner). We also could make out the first bigger island on the horizon today – Tikopia Island – the southernmost inhabited island of the Solomon Islands.