WWII ports in South Pacific

[CruzinNoony]

Does anyone know of a cruise that would encompass the WWII theater in the South Pacific? Several years ago, the Regal Princess did something similar......

[Fletcher]

Does anyone know of a cruise that would encompass the WWII theater in the South Pacific? Several years ago, the Regal Princess did something similar......

 

A year ago I sailed on the Orion, an Australian-run expedition cruise ship, which sailed up through Vanuatu, the Solomons, right across the legendary Iron Bottom Sound with Guadalcanal in full view, and then on to Papua New Guinea, visiting many WWII sites, including Milne Bay. A fabulous trip and with such a small ship means you visit seriously out-of-the-way places. Check out their website.

[Fletcher]

Further to my post above, I might add that the Orion is about to embark on a similar trip on 1st March and then does two or three cruises around PNG. Another ship, the Clipper Odyssey, also does these Melanesian voyages, visiting several WWII sites such as Guadalcanal, 'Kennedy' or 'PT109' Island, Rabaul, Milne Bay and more northerly Micronesian sites. The Clipper Odyssey is often chartered by Zegrahm Expeditions and isn't quite as smart as the Orion but both offer a superb 'up close and personal' experience that bigger ships just can't manage. A friend of mine, whom I met on the Clipper Odyssey last year, even managed to visit Wake Island a month or so ago, using a US military outfit that took civilians.

[CruzinNoony]

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my post. I will check it out.:)

[Charles Mason]

We did a cruise through PNG on the Oceanic Discoverer which is operated by Coral Princess Cruises, they also have a trip which takes in Melanesia as well which we havent got to yet. The PNG trip was excellent though, the ship was just the right size and have no problem recommending this company as worth looking into.

[Tampa Girl]

Two years ago we took a special cruise, HAL's Statendam, called the Historical WWII cruise. It left Auckland, then to Tauranga, Bay of Isles, New Caledonia, Guadalcanal, Rabaul, YAP, Guam, Saipan, circled Iwo Jima, then to Naha, the Inland Sea, Nagasaki, and finished up in Kobe, Japan. It was WONDERFUL! Truly a cruise of a lifetime, and I can't envision it ever being matched. Unfortunately, it appears to have been, at least for HAL, the first and last for that itinerary. I hope you find a similar one, because there is so much history in the Pacific, and the island are beautiful. Let us know if you find one.

[wyodeacon]

well here it is October 2010 and I'm interested in finding a cruise to the Pacific theatre WWII sites. I'm sure there wouldn't be one emcompassing all of them but does anyone have any knowledge of which cruise lines offer such a trip?

[Bill B]

I was on the old Regal Princess (now, Pacific Dawn for P&O) in 2002 for 49 days from Bangkok to San Francisco when she did the WWII Pacific 'itinerary'. What a great cruise!

 

Next March, the Sun Princess does this 42-day from Sidney that includes many WWII Pacific ports of call -

 

ITINERARY

 

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART

Sat Mar 5 Sydney, Australia 4:00pm

Sun Mar 6 At Sea

Mon Mar 7 At Sea

Tue Mar 8 Airlie Beach, Australia 7:00am 6:00pm

Wed Mar 9 At Sea

Thu Mar 10 At Sea

Fri Mar 11 At Sea

Sat Mar 12 Darwin, Australia 8:00am 6:00pm

Sun Mar 13 At Sea

Mon Mar 14 At Sea

Tue Mar 15 At Sea

Wed Mar 16 At Sea

Thu Mar 17 Muara (Bandar Seri Begawan), Brunei 9:00am 7:00pm

Fri Mar 18 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia 7:00am 5:00pm

Sat Mar 19 At Sea

Sun Mar 20 At Sea

Mon Mar 21 Hong Kong 8:00am

Tue Mar 22 Hong Kong 5:00pm

Wed Mar 23 At Sea

Thu Mar 24 At Sea

Fri Mar 25 Shanghai, China 6:00am 11:59pm

Sat Mar 26 At Sea

Sun Mar 27 Pusan, South Korea 8:00am 6:00pm

Mon Mar 28 Nagasaki, Japan 7:00am 6:00pm

Tue Mar 29 At Sea

Wed Mar 30 Osaka, Japan 8:00am 8:00pm

Thu Mar 31 At Sea

Fri Apr 1 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 8:00am 8:00pm

Sat Apr 2 At Sea

Sun Apr 3 Iwo Jima, Japan (Cruising) 2:00pm 5:00pm

Mon Apr 4 At Sea

Tue Apr 5 Saipan, N. Marianas Islands, U.S. Territory 8:00am 6:00pm

Wed Apr 6 Guam, U.S. Territory 8:00am 5:00pm

Thu Apr 7 At Sea

Fri Apr 8 At Sea

Sat Apr 9 At Sea

Sun Apr 10 Rabaul, Papua New Guinea 8:00am 6:00pm

Mon Apr 11 At Sea

Tue Apr 12 At Sea

Wed Apr 13 At Sea

Thu Apr 14 Brisbane, Australia 8:00am 6:00pm

Fri Apr 15 At Sea

Sat Apr 16 Sydney, Australia 7:00am

[wyodeacon]

Thanks Bill. That's probably a bit longer than I want but it sure sounds interesting.

[CP Cruises]

Coral Princess Cruises (the Australian small-ship cruise line) has launched a small-ship cruise commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Pacific during WWII. See the atatched link for more information!

 

http://www.coralprincess.com.au/pacific2012.pdf