Oceania (VISTA) journey from Miami to Buenos Aires: Jan 6 to Feb 7, 2026 - Days 1 - 17 - Updated

After a very delayed and near sleepless first 24 h trying to get from rainy San Francisco to our Oceania ship VISTA in Miami we then had a more relaxing 48 hrs at sea cruising at 18 knots down the windward eastern Caribbean past Bahamas, Virgin Islands, and finally to the volcanic French West Indies, just past St. Maarten and into the protected cove of Gustavia, capital of St. Barts (St. Barthélemy). 

St. Barth is the undisputed most exclusive and high-end hideout of the world’s celebrities and billionaire super yacht owners. 

We tendered in eager to explore this exclusive enclave and then hopped into a dive boat to go snorkeling off deserted rocks in a local marine reserve. 

Connie stayed on the boat as she was feeling a cold coming on. The water was very clear and wonderfully refreshing, and in addition to the usual colorful reef fish in the shallows, out further and deeper (20-30 ft) you could see schools of meter-long barracudas, and a little further out two meter long tarpons - which I don’t recall ever seeing while snorkeling or diving before in the Caribbean. 

Back on land, Connie and I then walked about Gustavia’s high end Parisian-like stores and then back along the docks to admire the wall-to-wall 120-190 ft super yachts, looking up and reading about their billionaire owners (eg. check out Skyfall on www.superyachtfan.com). 

Tomorrow morning early we dock in Dominica - very lush and mountainous and at the extreme opposite economic spectrum as St. Barts, but a destination for nature lovers and extreme sport/survivor fanatics.

Day 5

Our docking (Jan 10) at Roseau, capital of Dominica, involved a most interesting excursion- a 90 min drive over this French colonized island’s range of 9 active volcanoes and into a protected eastern area where most of the remaining 5,000 Caribe inhabitants reside, never conquered or completely eliminated, but now preferring to live their old ways and self-referred to as “Kalingos.”
 
 

 After visiting Jack Falls (this island has 365 rivers and waterfalls everywhere), we approached the Atlantic side of the island for 90 min of “relaxed” tubing down the Pagua River – thru a mix of rapids and calm pools that left us wet and refreshed after a lot of fun “bumping” off rocks, bushes and other tubers with only one tuber getting spilled – not Connie – but needing rescue because of the shallow fast water and very slippery bottom rocks. 

Jacks Falls

 After tubing concluded just before connecting with the Atlantic ocean and, after climbing out of the river with some difficulty, with my sampling a Kalingo snack and a small bottle of a delicious Kalingo-brewed rum-sorrel (local plant) chaser. After our 90 min van ride on the winding mountain road back to the ship we arrived just before VISTA’s departure from Roseau, heading toward the easternmost West Indies island that sits not on the Caribbean plate but on the subducting Atlantic plate: Barbados. 

 

 

Day 6
At 7am the next day, we arose early at the dock of Bridgetown, capital of Barbados, a tourist favorite among Caribbean islands, British occupied for ~400 years. We caught two short bus rides to our sailing catamaran docked further north for our half day coastal excursion including 3 different offshore stops for snorkeling and swimming. 

Connie chatted with another couple while I jumped in and saw green turtles, very large tarpons, and another “first” for me: a large “batfish” crawling across the sandy bottom. These creatures, related to angler fish who walk with their enlarged fins (but are poor swimmers) are definitely bizarre (see Google image – sorry now that I didn’t bring my underwater camera). 

After a delicious “Bajan” lunch (including grilled Marlin) washed down by another tall coconut rum drink, we returned to VISTA to clean up and dress for our 6:30 French dinner appointment at Jacques (one of 4 specialty restaurants on VISTA), where we shared our table with a new acquaintance, Ruth, 4 years retired from the US Foreign Service and travelling solo, who entertained us with interesting stories of her background and many different foreign postings around the world. 

Tonight, we head further south and east, leaving the Caribbean and out into the Atlantic, where we’ll lose another hour and enjoy another “sea day” (day 7) as we head toward South America and French Guiana’s Devil’s Island (day 8) - the French penal colony made famous by Alfred Dreyfus’s Papillon (and the movie starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman). 

Day 8

Tuesday Jan 13 (day 8) we arose for a leisurely breakfast and saw  by our GPS (MAPS.ME) that we’d come to within 20 miles of French Guiana near Kourou and the coastal site of the Guiana Space Centre (“Europe’s Spaceport”) and were rapidly approaching the three virtually uninhabited and lushly volcanic Salvation Islands (Devil’s, Royale, St. Joseph), only 9 miles off the coast from the capital Cayenne. 

View of the Island from the ship

Unfortunately, it was still raining and rolling (in 3 meter swells) this morning – as it had been all night long – so we couldn’t see much through the mist and rain (usual rainfall here in January is ~10 inches) until we got to the position where the ship was supposed to throw anchor and launch the tenders. At 10am the captain made the sad announcement that sea conditions were too poor to safely tender into Royale Island where we had hoped to spend the day hiking the island, seeing the penal colony ruins and observing all the local wildlife (monkeys, birds, marine life). The captain said it would be another day at sea and we’d be continuing toward the north coast of Brazil and port of Belém, where the Amazon River enters the Atlantic Ocean.

Day 9

Wednesday Jan 14 (day 9), the rain subsided and we crossed the equator and all VISTA passengers were asked if they were either “Pollywogs” (never sailed across equator before) or “Shellbacks,” Sons of Neptune. Connie and I had crossed the Indian Ocean equator back in 2014, so we didn’t have to undergo the “Wog ceremony” of greeting King Neptune (and his court), being head dunked with cold water, and then kissing a dead fish. This is not simply a cruise ship fun event as we learned from multiple sources including a retired sailor on board, that all US naval and non-naval shipmates (even submariners) go thru this ritual process which for centuries (and even today) has actually included so much daylong physical hazing that “Wogs” are often injured as they’re turned into Shellbacks. 

Connie and I now have two certificates assuring we aren’t Wogs! Our “crossing” day at sea concluded with a delicious Maine lobster dinner up in the Polo Grill, followed by our usual 45 minute evening treat listening to our lovely onboard Primavera string quartet in the intimate Grand Lounge, and then concluding with the very energetic 45 minute staged musical-dance performance (“Headliners”) by our VISTA Production Company. We then slowly returned to our suite for a deep and soundless sleep accompanied by gentle rocking.

Day 10

(Thursday - Jan 15), We starting seeing a brownish hue in our surrounding waters, we knew we had to get up and catch one of the first tenders leaving for shore in Belém (Portuguese for Bethlehem) to begin our early morning excursion, “Guama River Exploration.” 

Decorated boat on the shore

Belém, capital and largest city in Brazil’s northern state of Pará and its gateway to the Amazon River is technically not on the Amazon -- but rather where the Guama River joins the Para River and both feed into the Atlantic Ocean in Amazon’s southern delta. Belém was first colonized over 400 years ago by Portugal to secure its access to the entire Amazon basin. So it now contains a mix of old colonial and new skyscraper city sections, along with preserved enclaves of Amazonian jungle. 

Almost 18 months ago Connie and I flew into Manaus to explore the upper Amazon, ~1000 miles up river from Belém. So our memories of Amazon River flora and fauna were still pretty vivid but we also wanted to see something of lower Amazonian river life. The stiflingly humidity and near constant 87F air temp here had us appreciating the air conditioned bus ride to the Guama River boat docks, as well as the refreshing bow wind created by our 30 ft river boat speeding at 20 knots across the near mile wide Guama and into its many river passages penetrating the large river island of Combu, where we slowed down to view its indigenous river-dwellers and their primitive wooden stilt homes. 

the local school bus

Life along the river

At the small outpost of Boa Vista we pulled ashore, climbed a tall ladder to the deck of the elevated wooden dock store, and accompanied our guide as we walked about a mile around one of Combu’s root-ridden narrow jungle trails, refreshed our memories and details about Amazonian biodiversity as we viewed native trees and myriad vines climbing whatever doesn’t stand still, including its rubber trees and the island’s most famous 400 year old Kapok tree.  We were offered some of its best known wild products, cacao and Açai berries. 

Kapok Tree

Cocoa ponds (they grow on the trunk)

open seed pod from the achiote tree (Bixa orellana)

As we reversed our day’s 5 hour Guama exploration journey, we noticed the river’s tidal edge had dropped by a meter and rain clouds engulfed us; and during our tender ride back to the VISTA we were entertained (if not worried) by the sudden surrounding thunder and lightning. Tonight we’ll relax in our VISTA suite, and tomorrow we’ll enjoy another sea day as we leave the brown-hued Amazon delta and sail south and east in the blue Atlantic down the coast to Fortaleza.

Day 12

(Saturday - Jan 17) - After our day 11 at sea, at 10am on Saturday, we pulled into dock at Fortaleza (Portuguese for “fort”), Brazil’s 8th largest city and located just above its most eastern big hump (the closest part to Africa), famous for its local cashew nuts, woven handicrafts (ranging from baskets to fine lace), and its Miami-like sandy beaches coupled with big sand dunes. 

Fortaleza’s beach-loving tourists enjoy its 360 days/year of sun (which we enjoyed today), since this part of coastal Brazil receives only about as much annual rain as LA, accounting for its somewhat arid landscapes in the state of Ceará. 

Of the two available Oceania tours, we opted not to hang out at a beach for 4 h, but instead took a 3.5 h bus tour of the city that gave us a few opportunities to get out and walk about. We first drove by the famous Futuro hang gliding beach, then to the city’s century old theater (which we walk into and outside to admire its cashew trees and beautiful flowering trees and bushes).  

Next stop was the old city prison that some years ago was turned into a popular artisan plaza (where we admired all the handicraft), and finally to the city’s neo-Gothic cathedral with it’s stunning French made stained glass windows (where a wedding rehearsal was undersay including music that gave us a chance to marvel at the cathedral’s acoustics). 

Our tour concluded with a slow drive along Fortaleza’s other famous beaches including Barro do Ceara, Iracema, Merle’s, and Mucuripe (near the city’s famous fish market) before returning to the dock and our ship. So, this port was quite the contrast with Belém and its Amazonia surroundings. We now begin two more sea days, circling the eastern hump and heading south to what many have said is Brazil’s most beautiful coastal city: Salvador.

Days 13-14

(Jan 18-19): It’s Sunday (Jan 18, day 13), beginning two days at sea as we approach the easternmost “bulge” of the South American continent -- only 1700 miles from Touros, Brazil to Senegal, Africa (an important WWII determinant for American support of the African campaign) – where we then turn southward by almost 90 degrees to follow Brazil’s coastline down to Salvador. 

I would’ve enjoyed being able to dock and visit some seaports around here, like Natal, or even smaller coastal ports in the northeastern Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paiba or Pernambuco due to their interesting climate and geography. About 150 miles offshore lies the only coral atoll (Atol das Rocas) to be found in the South Atlantic, and 250 miles offshore lies the fascinating archipelago visited by Darwin (Fernando de Noronha) -- both of these maritime reserves designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites and acknowledged as Brazil’s best diving spots, although seldom visited by tourists. For only 8 of our entire 29 cruise days (Miami to Buenos Aires) we’re following the entire Brazilian coastline and visiting only 5 ports in Brazil (whose overall size is similar to that of continental USA), whose entire Atlantic coastline is comparable in length to that of the combined Pacific and Atlantic coastlines of our continental USA. So, we clearly will be leaving many wonderful Brazilian ports unseen (for now).

Day 15

South of the state of Pernambuco we sailed along Brazil’s 4th most populous state, Bahia, and at 7am Tuesday morning (Jan 20, day 15) we docked at Brazil’s original capital (for 200 years until 1763), Salvador da Bahia.  

Salvador was colonized  as a Portuguese fort protecting against entry into the world’s 2nd largest bay (1st being Hudson Bay, Canada), nearly three times the size of San Francisco’s Bay: Baía de Todos os Santos (All Saints Bay). Today, apart from its scenic beauty and interesting colonial history, Salvador is also renown for its most extravagant Bahian Carnaval (see Wikipedia for more details) where 2.5 million flamboyantly costumed participants, accompanied by giant trucks carrying musicians and loud speakers, sing and dance across the city for about a week. 

We saw preparations for this signature February event almost everywhere we went during our 8 hour bus and walking tour of the city. Salvador has Brazil’s largest Afro-Brazilian population (> 80% Black), many of whom still practice their own form of polytheistic Afro-Christianity known as Candomblé, persisting from their long period of enslavement along with their unique form of martial arts known as Capoeira. 

We saw the latter being performed informally in public plazas to loud rhythmic drumming, especially within the city’s historic center (UNESCO designated), Pelourinho. This historic district is filled with colorful colonial buildings, churches, and cobblestone streets that we stumbled along for hours during our tour. 

By late afternoon and feeling exhausted from all the hilly walkways, we made it back to the ship just before its 6pm departure; and after a quick pizza dinner we relaxed on our deck grateful for our next full day-at-sea, as we head toward the once little known peninsula just north of Rio, Buzios, made popular in the 1960s by Brigitte Bardot who unintentionally turned it into a luxury getaway spot.

Day 17 - Jan 22

Armação dos Búzios (or just Búzios) is a picturesque, scalloped peninsula jutting out into the South Atlantic about 3 hours drive north of Rio de Janeiro, and we arrived and anchored off its north (calmer) shore at 10am on Thursday  (Jan 22, day 17). 

For days before our arrival we’d been told we’d never want to leave this former fishing village turned into a quaint (if not high end) getaway for the rich and famous by the paparazzi coverage of Bridget Bardot’s getaway visit in 1964 – and there’s not only a bronze statue of Bridget on the beach walk near where our tender docked but also plenty of stores, restaurants and hotels playing homage to Bardot. 

The second things we kept hearing about was Búzios’ sparkling clear water, 26 different sandy beaches, and gorgeous weather -- since during the summer months “like clockwork, a brief rain shower strikes for ~20 minutes at 6 pm each day.” 

Well, the Búzios peninsula does lie at the interface between the warm and more northerly flowing Brazilian Current and an arm of the cold circumpolar Antarctic Current, so the abrupt change in water temp we felt as we all jumped off our schooner to do some snorkeling was startling but not entirely unexpected. What was unexpected, was the total cloud cover that accompanied us and then turned into a strong tropical rain that not only kept us (and everyone else) holding umbrellas and wearing rain ponchos all day long but also as we explored the shops along Búzios’ narrow cobblestone streets, ultimately causing us to return by tender to our ship. That rain never let up and  persisted for the next 48 hours, accompanying our arrival into Rio de Janeiro early the next morning.

Day 18 - Jan 23

Arriving in Rio Friday morning (Jan 23, day 18) we knew to disembark early to get on a bus for our 8 hour “Best of Rio” city tour. But the heavy rain persisted, and both from the ship’s top decks as well as while wearing our ponchos and carrying umbrellas and walking briskly off and on our tour bus, we couldn’t see much more than misty outlines:  neither the 9 mile long bridge separating Rio’s bay from the Atlantic, the city’s tall buildings, or any of Rio’s surrounding famous granite and gneiss extrusions surrounded by steep and heavily vegetated hillsides, some of their granitic peaks  reaching over 2,000 vertical feet and most hillsides covered with small but colorful (and usually homemade) “favelas” (Brazilian shantytowns). Thus, despite taking 90 min trams to the top of Sugarloaf and then a comparably long cog train ride up to the top of 2,329 ft tall Corcovado Mountain to see the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue (roughly the size of a regional passenger plane), we really couldn’t see any details during our city tour – certainly not like those famous Rio scenes posted in travel agencies. As our bus passed Rio’s two most famous beaches, Copacabana and Ipanema, we could see the gentle surf along the drenched sand but absent beach goers except those few tourists committed to their Rio sightseeing (as we were told that the locals prefer to remain indoors during such rains). From our last 48 hours and the duration of our first day in Rio, one would certainly conclude that climate change is real and here today. 

Day 19 - Jan 24

Today, Saturday (Jan 24, day 19) is “change-over” day on the VISTA, where some passengers end their cruise (having sailed 5,003 miles since Miami)  while others come aboard for the next 10 days when we aim for Buenos Aires where we’re told it will definitely be sunny! We still have two more days at port here in Rio, but since the forecast is for more of this persistent rain we’ve decided to stay aboard, comfy and dry – watching the comings and goings around the port. However, this evening Connie and I had previously made a reservation to attend a dinner and performance at the Roxy in Copacabana (https://www.roxydinnershow.com.br/).  

Leaving the ship and dock area ~6pm with the rain easing off and no more than a 4 word Portuguese vocabulary between us, we managed to find a local cab and negotiated a fixed one-way price (R$100, or ~US$20) for what we hoped would be an uneventful 30 min drive back thru the streets of Rio to Copacabana and Rua Bolivar, for our dinner and cabaret at the classy Roxy. We enjoyed a delicious fish dinner (accompanied by another Caipirinha, made from the local and potent sugar cane spirit, cachaça) and interesting conversation with our two São Paulo tablemates. The after-dinner show finally started ~9:30 pm for the next 90 min we were captivated by Roxy’s magnificent multi-media stage performance, “Acquele Abraço” (meaning “that hug”), internationally acclaimed as a “musical love letter to Brazil,” depicting each of Brazil’s six geographic regions by their local, fast and energetic dancing, intoxicating music and vocals, and spectacularly colorful ethnic costumes.  

After the show’s finale (~11:30pm) we exited the Roxy and hunted for a cab, relieved that the rain clouds had lifted such that Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer were lit up and now visible.  I thought to myself that despite being dismayed by our unfortunate inclement weather over the past two days, this exhilarating Roxy performance had actually made me fall in love with Brazil – and it certainly emphasized how a large and geographically diverse country could integrate, embrace and proudly and lovingly display its multi-ethnicity. That feeling lingered and comforted our underlying anxiety about traveling alone in this crime-risk city (especially during Carnaval preparations), as our Copacabana street cab drove us back to the port and our ship by midnight without incident, dropping us off exhausted but safe!

Day 20 - Jan 25

Sunday (Jan 25, day 20) turned out to be our “day of rest,” not just because we slept in following our midnight return from the Roxy, but also because another rainy day was forecast. But when we finally arose we were pleasantly surprised to see “O Sol “(in Portuguese) peeking out thru the clouds and revealing many of Rio’s distant mountain tops and sights of wonder including Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer on the top of Corcovado peak. But we stuck with our plan and simply relaxed until it was time to head up to the Polo Grill (on 14^th deck) for dinner as the ship finally departed the River of January (Rio de Janeiro), heading south ~90 miles to our next stop, Ihla Grande,  a large (18 miles long, 7 miles wide) sparsely inhabited island just off the mainland coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro. The rain also returned during dinner, so when we went to bed early we also wondered if our early morning anchoring and tendering into the small dock at Ilha Grande for our different excursions would still happen as scheduled. 

Day 21 - Jan 26

We awoke at 5:30am on Monday (Jan 26, day 21) and were surprised to see some sunlight coming thru our suite’s sliding glass door, just as our ship was approaching Ilha Grande’s main sheltered bay, Abraão Cove, where the very mountainous island’s only major dock provides the only ferry service to the mainland (takes at least 30 min), which is how the 11,000 current inhabitants obtain virtually everything including their daily groceries and school access for their children. 

Fresh water comes from the island’s mountain streams and rivers; and only part of the island is electrified (via a mainland cable). Since 1995 this island paradise is gradually being transformed from a sleepy fishing village into a Brazilian tourist destination, but only after the federal government first closed its 30 year leper colony and then its most infamous top security penal colony that were both located here. There are no hotels here [yet], as Brazil plans to keep this island’s numerous unspoiled sandy beaches and its mountainous peaks (2,000 to 3,000 ft high) with their dense Atlantic rainforests ecologically pristine. Tourists stay in the numerous Bed & Breakfast which dot the shoreline.

Connie and I chose separate island excursions for today: she opted for a moderately strenuous 3 hour historic and cultural walking tour (over cobble stones and dirt paths) while I opted for a 4 hour schooner and snorkeling adventure (to the much acclaimed “Blue Lagoon,” situated on the island’s northernmost point between several rocky islets). Afterwards, I purchased a T-shirt that says "Água Salgada, Alma Lavada" which translates to "Salty water, washed soul" -- a popular Brazilian phrase that I fully embrace as it means a dip in the ocean will cleanse, refresh, and renew the soul. 

We both enjoyed our half-day adventures, and were surprised to learn from our respective guides that we were also quite lucky, as today was their first sunny day after more than 10 solid days of rain!  Departing tonight, our ship will dock tomorrow at Santos that is back on Brazil’s mainland and offers coastal access to Brazil’s most populous and metropolitan city, São Paulo, some 50 miles inland. 

Day 22 - Jan 27

On Tuesday morning (Jan 27, day 22) we docked at 7am at Brazil’s busiest and largest port, Santos (Porto de Santos), located in the state of São Paulo and serving the country’s capital city (São Paulo). There we could see all the container cranes and elevated conduits directly loading massive transport ships from all over the world handling most of Brazil’s major exports, especially those that exceed that from all other nations including orange juice (e.g. >75% of the world’s supply), coffee, beef (e.g. 11% of world’s meat output), sugar and soybeans. We opted not to take the 90 min drive to visit Brazil’s capital with all its commercial high rise buildings and terrible traffic, but rather to take a 4 hour bus and walking tour of the Santos port area where we first enjoyed visiting its old section and then its Botanical Garden (with its orchids and other flowering plants), aviary, and free-roaming red-rumped agoutis (they refer to as “cutia” from their indigenouse languages). After that we visited Santos’s wonderfully aromatic Coffee Museum (converted from its century old coffee commodity market) and ended with a brief visit to the Pelé museum. Pelé is considered Brazil’s most famous soccer/futebol player who began his career with Santos at the age of 15 – scoring 619 goals in 638 games – and during his 18 year career he also played for the Brazil national team and helping them win 3 World Cups (top scorer in 2), the only player in history to do so. We returned to the ship just in time for the ship’s departure to our next day’s port, Porto Belo, where we’ll anchor out and then tender in to drive 90 min further south to visit the capital of the state of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis.

Day 23 - Jan 28

Upon our Wed (Jan 29, day 23) morning arrival into the peaceful and quaint Porto Belo Bay, we learned early on how this southeastern portion of coastal Brazil has been a region that’s historically welcomed immigrants from around the world over the past 150 years and even today celebrates its very mixed heritage. Still evident today, late 19^th century immigrants from Italy and Germany who settled in this area brought many of their cultural heritage traditions (e.g. Oktoberfest in Blumenau). Going back further in Brazil’s history and unlike more northern Brazilian regions that were first colonized by Portuguese mainlanders, this area was considered so poor in resources that Portugal had to send its prisoners from the Azores to settle this and its other southern state colonies. The Azore islanders brought with them their unique culture (e.g. fine lace making) as well as their strange island superstitions (e.g. beliefs in witches). We had a wonderful 7 hour tour led by a well-spoken and humorous, young History and English teacher who married an architect (he met at Carnaval in Rio) and now resides and works in Florianopolis (he learned his English as a high school foreign exchange student in Arkansas). Isaac was clearly the best speaking and informed guide we’ve had on this entire trip. One notable fact we learned as we headed for our walking tour into the old section of town, is that a quarter of this capital’s ~200,000 residents are students at one of the four different university/technical schools located here. This area is clearly an up and coming location (lots of residential buildings under construction); no flavelas around here! During our “all you can eat meat” lunch, we learned [again for Connie and me] how to make Caipirinhas – and I managed to drink at least 3 of these cachaça-infused “limeade” beverages. As a result, I didn’t do well at the Bingo game we played during our 90 min drive back to Porto Belo. 

Day 24 - Jan 29 - at sea