Early in 2010 found both of us back in school. This was an unusual opportunity, one that likely won't be repeated until we retire, to make our dream of travelling come true. After much debate, we decided to go forward and take the 2011 world cruise, something Finn had researched and put aside a few years prior.
Cruising fit both of us extremely well. Neither of us fly well and with a list of approximately 60 places to visit, the sheer amount of travelling required was daunting and off putting. We researched various cruise lines and choose Holland America. Itenary was our primary concern, but one of the major concerns was the atmosphere on board. Due to the long nature of the world trips, the age bracked on board was always going to prefer retirement ages. This affected the excursions fairly dramatically. Holland America was the only cruise line that didn't seem to modify their excurison pacakages too significantly and left us with the ability to do a lot of the exploring we wanted to do. Minor "advantages" also included more of a pay-as-you-go attitude, in that alcohol and other ammentities were not included. Neither of us drink in the first place but we also weren't heading on board to party!
This site includes the picture highlights and abbreviated journals that were done during our travels. Big highlights for us were Eastern Island (photos) and Pitcairn Island (photos), very rare destination spots.