{"id":6971,"date":"2025-03-14T01:30:04","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T05:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?p=6971"},"modified":"2025-03-14T08:01:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T12:01:01","slug":"world-cruise-the-maldives-version-of-paradise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?p=6971","title":{"rendered":"World Cruise – The Maldives version of paradise"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Day 83 of 138 of our world cruise from Fort Lauderdale to London on the Viking Sky.<\/p>

We had a couple of sea days (without good internet connections for my ipad), in which one day our trivia team won again – thanks to new members Anne and Tim joining us for the session!\u00a0<\/p>

Today we had a beach break – literally a beach day with no cultural experience other than enjoying the tropical sun near the equator in the middle of the Indian Ocean on the world’s most pristine beaches. \u00a0Oh, what a life.<\/p>

Our chosen excursion was a day pass to the Taj Exoctica resort and Spa and our group of 24 Viking guests took to the resort like the a scene from the movie Caddy Shac<\/em>k with beach bags and beach towels in hand.<\/p>

The resort is absolutely beautiful! I imagine someplace and time, everyone has seen the photo – little raised huts on pilings raised over the crystal clean blue lagoon waters sitting over the whitest sand you will ever see. \u00a0We can now attest, the photos we saw matches reality. too.<\/p>

We spent the day sitting beside the infinity pool, saw black tip sand sharks, sting ray in the lagoon, then I enjoyed a massage in the spa and we walked around the site to explore its offerings. \u00a0The excursion included a lunch and it was absolutely fabulous with a table under the awning sitting on the beach. \u00a0We walked the beach and swam in the pool and the ocean while we were there. It was awesome, simply awesome. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

It was hot too – as we arrived, it was a bit rainy with sprinkles just before we arrived but as the day went on, the sun broke through the clouds and the temperatures rose to over 90.\u00a0<\/p>

Alas, all good things come to an end after 6 hours there, we boarded the speed boat taking us back to Male (a 15 minute, at 35-40 MPH ride each way – exhilarating!) since it is Ramadan and Male is a primarily muslim city, stores and restaurants were mostly closed during the day. \u00a0We were told by Viking not to drink water and dress conservatively to respect the culture of islands fasting during the daylight hours. However, at the resorts, the guests are welcome to shop, drink and wear bikinis since the property is private.<\/p>

After a thrilling ride on the water we promptly returned to our ship on the tender and sailed off to the next stop the Seychelles islands off the coast of Africa. \u00a0<\/p>

We would love to come back to Maldives someday and enjoy the entire resort for a few days. \u00a0While it is certainly expensive to retreat to a Maldives resort, a few days is sometimes just what you need to do a reset. \u00a0It will remain for a long time as a fantastic honeymoon destination for many newlyweds – totally a secluded place where you can relax without a care in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\"Taj
Taj Exoctica day pass excursion <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"While
While we arrive in cloudy day, you still get the view<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Where
Where does pool end and ocean start?<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"The
The over the water bungalows with a lagoon in the middle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"About
About to leave this tranquil oasis in the Maldives<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Where
Where my massage was performed <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Walking
Walking and golf cart driving paths<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"By
By the gorgeous infinity pool <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Beautiful
Beautiful entries to the cottages<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"In
In the upscale restaurant you sit above the ocean with a view of the fish below <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Boardwalk
Boardwalk living<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Lunch
Lunch on the beach - the food was outstanding!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"Getting
Getting ready for my wonderful massage with a view<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"The
The speed boat with our crewmates was 16 minutes of exhilaration <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"A
A sea day before Maldives and we got the trivia win!!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\"A
A informative map of the Maldives atoll\u2019s hotels<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Day 83 of 138 of our world cruise from Fort Lauderdale to London on the Viking Sky. We had a couple of sea days (without good internet connections for my ipad), in which one day our trivia team won again – thanks to new members Anne and Tim joining us for the session!\u00a0 Today we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":230351823,"featured_media":6941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[200,50518550],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","category-world-cruise-24-25"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img_4491.jpg?fit=2000%2C1500&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peuwlC-1Or","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7023,"url":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?p=7023","url_meta":{"origin":6971,"position":0},"title":"World Cruise – Seashells by the shore of Seychelles","author":"Jim and Gina Sumislaski","date":"March 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Day 87 of 138 on our world cruise and we officially reached Africa. More specifically, the smallest country of Africa, with the world\u2019s smallest capital city, Victoria, that hosts many of the rich and famous on several of its archipelagos sprinkled in the Indian Ocean. The Island Country is Seychelles,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?cat=200"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img_4649.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img_4649.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img_4649.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img_4649.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5182,"url":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?p=5182","url_meta":{"origin":6971,"position":1},"title":"What we are looking forward to…","author":"Jim and Gina Sumislaski","date":"September 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"OMG it's starting to get real! More preparations for our 6 month Worl Cruise.","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?cat=200"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-20443012.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-20443012.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-20443012.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-20443012.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5900,"url":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?p=5900","url_meta":{"origin":6971,"position":2},"title":"World Cruise – Hawaii – WOW!","author":"Jim and Gina Sumislaski","date":"January 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Thank you for joining us on our Viking Sky World Cruise! After 5 days at sea sailing west from Los Angeles, we arrived at the USA's 50th state - Hawaii. We had never been to Hawaii, so this was definitely one of those \"let's check it out and see if\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?cat=200"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_1793.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_1793.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_1793.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_1793.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_1793.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7240,"url":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?p=7240","url_meta":{"origin":6971,"position":3},"title":"World Cruise – Madagascar, it\u2019s not like the movie","author":"Jim and Gina Sumislaski","date":"March 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Day 95 of 138 of our cruise from Fort Lauderdale to London. Today we stopped in Madagascar off the coast of Africa! The big question: would it resemble the animated Disney movie or not? This was the first time a Viking ocean cruises has docked at the port of Nosy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?cat=200"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img_5061-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img_5061-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img_5061-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img_5061-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img_5061-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8112,"url":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?p=8112","url_meta":{"origin":6971,"position":4},"title":"World Cruise – Porto, Portugal we are rounding the final corner","author":"Jim and Gina Sumislaski","date":"May 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Heading west from Cadiz Spain our next stop Algarve Portugal however it is a tender port and the seas were not cooperating and the captain made an early call to bypass the port and not risk rough seas on tender boats that would have made everyone concerned, so we went\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?cat=200"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/img_7178.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/img_7178.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/img_7178.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/img_7178.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6040,"url":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?p=6040","url_meta":{"origin":6971,"position":5},"title":"World Cruise – Days 31-33 French Polynesia","author":"Jim and Gina Sumislaski","date":"January 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Thank you for joining us on our Viking Sky World Cruise! Can you believe its already been a month on this ship? - Gina and I are doing great and our 38 year marriage is still in tack as we survive in a cabin that is at most 11 feet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/?cat=200"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_2340.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_2340.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_2340.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_2340.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/img_2340.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/230351823"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6971"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7006,"href":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6971\/revisions\/7006"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chasing-sunsets.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}