Bucket List Holidays

04/06/2026

Sometimes it’s okay to stay home.🥂

03/06/2026

Between all the expeditions on land, by zodiac and by kayak, we managed to have a lot of fun and a lot of good food on the ship!!

03/04/2026

The landscapes in Antarctica were so stunningly vast and beautiful! Photos don’t do it justice

02/25/2026

OMG Antarctica!!! What an experience. I’ve done a terrible job taking/posting pics, but at least my amazing traveling companions have been tagging me along the way.

Big thanks to my 10 year old for suggesting this trip! Not sure I would have prioritized it otherwise, but WOW, am I ever glad we did!

02/13/2026

Here we go!!

01/19/2026

The ship provided lots of cultural entertainment and activities onboard. Cooking classes, traditional performances, henna, sari and embroidery workshops. Our local guide, Poppy, was so engaging and warm and loved to share her culture with all of us.

01/18/2026

This ship and its crew are absolutely outstanding. The rooms are beautiful, the spa treatments are amazing, the public lounge spaces are immaculate. Most importantly, the crew are sooo friendly and REALLY good at what they do. They take extremely good care of everyone onboard and clearly take great pride in their work.

Thank you antara.cruises fo the incredible experience.

01/11/2026

The next day the fog remained thick in the morning so we first visited the baby Taj, then took a e-rickshaw across the river before returning to the Taj Mahal for the full experience. The fog had lifted slightly, but the crowds still were smaller than usual. The week before had seen 160,000 people per day during the busy holiday season. We had no lines, and were even alone in one of the anti-chambers at one point. The pictures may not be the best, but the memories will last a lifetime.

We headed back towards Delhi for our flight to Kolkata, stopping on the way for delicious Palak Paneer, Aloo Gobi and Garlic Naan at a roadside rest stop. The naan was the best we’ve had yet, and it was nice to get some real heat in the Aloo Gobi.

A few flight delays meant we didn’t arrive to our ship until about 1:30am, but we were arriving the night before the cruise formally begin, so we were welcomed by our crew and were the the only guests onboard for the night. We got some time on the sundeck the next morning before our travelling companions for the next week arrived. More on the ship experience to come!

01/08/2026

Getting out of Delhi was an adventure! Our driver Haseen was amazing, and I’d absolutely be making that face too if I was driving there! But soon we were on the new toll highway with almost nobody, driving smoothly through never-ending fields of mustard (who knew?!).

In Agra we met our guide who quickly checked us into our hotel and took us to our first historical site, Agra Fort. He was extremely knowledgable, full of interesting information and disdain for the British Empire. Before heading back to the hotel, he took us to a tourist shop for carpets, jewelry and silk products. Note the stencil in the background of the pic of the carpet designer… someone had commissioned a rug with the Toronto Maple Leafs logo, lol.

Back to the hotel for a nap, then off for our first real Indian meal. We literally ate some of everything and it was delish!!! Last stop of the day was the Taj Mahal’s East Gate after dark.

On the 2 days before and after a full moon you can book timed ticketed entry to no more than 50 people per half hour. For our time slot, there was me, Sarah, and three youngish guys from the UK. That’s it! While electronics aren’t permitted, and the fog and smog kept us from seeing more than an outline, it was absolutely surreal to be on the grounds with just 3 other visitors. Did I get any pictures, no! Did I have an experience I will remember as long as l live, heck yes.

01/05/2026

Arrived in Delhi late last night, met by our driver and wised away to our hotel, passing by the India Gate on our way (unfortunately wasn’t lit up tonight, so no pics). Woke up this morning to a view over the city, ate a delicious breakfast and enjoyed the Christmas decorations in the lobby. About to head off to Agra for our special full moon Taj Mahal viewing.

12/26/2025