Jan. 20 – well, it’s still Jan 20 and we’re in Pago Pago, American Samoa (crossed international dateline overnight). The island has a population about 45,000 residents. Pago Pago, which is actually  pronounced Pango Pango, is one of the deepest and most protected harbors in the South Pacific Ocean. It’s also the home of Starkist and Chicken of the Sea tuna. Here’s an interesting piece of information…..  “the total value of fish landed in Pago Pago – about $200,000,000 annually – is higher than any other port in any US state or territory.”

We received a great welcome on the dock including Samoan dancers, music, and a special appearance by Miss American Samoa! No wonder they were so happy to see us……our ship is the first cruise ship to dock in American Samoa since the pandemic…almost 3 years ago!

There really was not much to do here given our time constraint. We arrived at 7am and had to be back on board by 3:30. So we all did a little shopping and returned to the ship for lunch and a cocktail. After dinner we went to an adults only comedy show that included the ship Captain, the Cruise Director, a comedian and “The Mad Professor”.  It was entertaining, but not as much fun as last night’s Adult Family Feud!