January 18, 2026 Luganville, Espiritu Santo island, Vanuatu

At 7 a.m. this morning we were making the final approach to the wharf at Luganville.

The temperature was 27°C, wind North 21km/h, humidity 84% and overcast.

The captain made an unusually early announcement into the staterooms at 7:40 a.m. Most of the time the announcements do not go to the stateroom speakers, except the captain’s messages, so we were expecting some kind of news and probably not good news.

There was another low pressure system developing near Vanuatu that could develop into a cyclone, so an itinerary adjustment was made. By the time we returned from breakfast the printed notice with itinerary changes was already in our mailbox.

Originally we were to visit two more ports in Vanuatu, but they have been cancelled and a longer visit to ports in Fiji has been substituted as follows:

* January 19 Port Vila, Vanuatu > missed tour - Ekasup Cultural Village

NEW January 19 Sea Day #6

* January 20 Mystery Island, Vanuatu > missed tour - Keanu Cultural Village

NEW January 20 = Lautoka, Fiji Islands arriving at 6 p.m.

* January 21 Sea Day #6

NEW January 21 = Lautoka, Fiji Islands - tour Leisurely Nadi

* January 22 Lautoka, Fiji Islands - tour Leisurely Nadi

NEW January 22 Suva, Fiji Islands {Shore Excursions has to arrange for tours}

January 23 Suva, Fiji Islands - tour Fiji Museum & Thurston Gardens (as planned)

January 24 Dravuni Island, Fiji Islands No Change

January 25 Sea Day #7 No Change

NEWS: Canada and China have made a trade agreement to allow 49,000 Chinese EV cars to be sent to Canada and some tariffs on canola and other agricultural products have been reduced.

One of the members of the ship’s Facebook group forwarded this news item:

“ Oceanic Insight posted on January 16, 2026 at 7:48 a.m.

Cruise passengers' wild day in paradise gone sideways!

On January 14, 2026, Holland America's Noordam was anchored off

Kiriwina Island (Papua New Guinea) when a sudden squall with 40-knot

winds hit out of nowhere.

Around 700 passengers were already ashore exploring... while others

were stuck bouncing around in small tender boats for up to 90 minutes

waiting to get back onboard safely.

No one was injured (thankfully!), the crew handled it like pros providing

water, snacks & constant updates and everyone made it back safely. But

wow… talk about an unexpected adventure in the South Pacific!

Tender ports can be magical… until Mother Nature reminds everyone

who's really in charge.”

One error in the report - The ship was NOT anchored, it stayed in place using computer controlled dynamic positioning programs using its two aft Azipods and its bow thrusters to remain at designated coordinates.

The website CruiseHive reported :

“The situation was certainly frightening and uncomfortable for guests who were on the tender boats, though no injuries were reported. There was some minor damage to the tenders, but nothing significant and the boats were in no way compromised.”

“Onboard Noordam, the captain made several announcements to keep guests apprised of the situation and how operations were being handled."

“The small {tender} boats are equipped to handle such conditions and are engineered not to capsize or sink even if they take on water.”

At breakfast in the dining room we sat with Dan and Sandra from Iowa and one of the lecturers, Gerald Carney from Australia. An interesting note when introducing ourselves to Americans, they mostly tell you in which state they live, while passengers of other nationalities tell you in which country they live. Gerald was quite interesting.

Luganville is Vanuatu’s second largest city after Port Vila with a population just over 18,000. It is situated on the Segund Canal by the Sarakata River.

In the early 1600s, the Portuguese-Spanish explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós was the first European to sight Espiritu Santo, believing it to be the fabled southern continent. It was not until in later 19th century that European missionaries and traders began to arrive, followed by French and British colonists. The Anglo-French Condominium of the New Hebrides was established in 1906, jointly administering what is now Vanuatu. Luganville became a key port town. It was of strategic importance during World War II, becoming the second-largest American base in the Pacific, after Hawaii.

We walked out on the Promenade Deck and could hear drums and could see Vanuatu dancers and singers performing on the pier.

We had a tour this morning to Runsuc Village. The tour description was:

“ A warm Melanesian welcome awaits you, performed by the young men of the village. Watch the warriors' traditional dance as the locals will provide an informative commentary about the customs and traditions of village life. They will also demonstrate the ancient art of sand drawing and the preparation of Pentecost custom mats.

Experience “Master Chef” Vanuatu-style as the ladies of the village share the secrets of making snake lap-lap in an underground oven -- something every Western cook needs to know. (“Lap-lap" refers to both a traditional dish from Vanuatu made from grated root vegetables and coconut cream, and a loincloth or waist cloth worn in Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific.)

Finally, you will be invited to take part in the ceremonial kava tasting and witness a fire-walking ceremony -- the cringe-worthy rite of passage into manhood demonstrated by the men of the village.”

There was a Welcome Dance, which we watched seated under a thatched lean-to. Then we were welcomed by the chief. First the ancient art of sand drawing was demonstrated. Maps and communications were drawn in the sand as there was no other type of written communication. For the cooking demonstration, we moved to a long thatched hut, where, on a table covered with banana leaves, taro root was grated using a traditional limestone pestle, then mixed with island cabbage, spinach and coconut milk. Fish or meat can also be added. The mixture is wrapped in banana leaves and tied with vine and put in an underground oven called Uma. It is cooked for several hours. A sample was precooked and small bitesize samples on a banana leaf were offered to the guests. Next was the demonstration of weaving using pandanus leaves. A peeler, made from bamboo, is used to peel long thin strips for weaving. These are soaked in water overnight to be more pliable. The women weavers make baskets, mats and clothing. While we were sheltered in the hut, there was a brief heavy rain. Young girls as young as four are taught the art of weaving.

Next was some young men showing how the Kava drink is made. The Kava plant is a member of the pepper family. The Kava root was ground to a powder and soaked in water, the the mixture was squeezed into small half coconut shells. A few of the 30 guests tried the drink from the communal cups and felt a tiny buzz. In small doses, the effects of Kava include muscle relaxation, sleepiness, and feelings of wellbeing.

We were guided outside, back to the lean-to, to watch a demonstration of making a “stretcher” from branches. When warriors were injured and needed to be carried distances, branches including their leaves were laid out on the ground and some leaves were chewed to create a gluey paste that was spit onto the leaves as they were layered to form a platform. This created a make-shift “stretcher” which in the demonstration a young boy about 6 tears old was carried a few meters by two men. Then once he was placed back on the ground and moved away, the branches were easily separated.

The drummers, dancers and chanters returned before we watched the fire-walking ceremony where a village male gingerly walked through a bed of hot ashes that covered hot rocks. We were treated to fresh pieces of pineapple, papaya, banana, and grapefruit. The chief bid us farewell and posed for photos before the final dance that led the crowd back to the three minivans waiting to return us to the ship.

Back at the pier, dozens of vendors displayed the wares under colourful awnings. There were wood carvings, jewelry, t-shirts, baseball hats, wide brimmed hats, sun visors, dresses, pants, shirts and blouses. It took 15 minutes just to survey the vendor kiosks. There were fewer clouds and the sun was hot, temperature 31°C.

Back on the ship we indulged in cold frappés at the Library Café.

I finished the book “An Unexpected Peril” by Deanna Raybourn from the ship’s library. It was a light mystery set in London in 1889.

The captain announced at 4:30 p.m. that everyone was back on board on time. The distance to Lautoka, Fiji Islands, is 623 nautical miles to the east south east which will be a day and a half at sea. The sea days are instead of the other two ports in Vanuatu, due to tropical low being named 14U possibly developing into a tropical cyclone tomorrow. There are thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow between Vanuatu and Fiji. The waves will be about two meters high and wind speeds from the north at 25 to 30 knots (46 to 56 km/hr).

For dinner we rejoined Ted, Margaret, Sue and Sandy. The past two dinners we had not joined them. We enjoyed coffee at the Library Café before tonight’s show in the World Stage. The performer was vocalist Susannah Mirana who played to a full house.

Steps 6,086