We were unable to stop at Fanning Island as scheduled. The Captain was able to get us to Kiritimati (pronounced "Christmas" Island). This was the first time the Volendam has stopped there. We were in one of the first tenders to go over from the ship. The entry into the lagoon was extremely shallow and we bottomed out several times before we made it through.

We enjoyed swimming in the lagoon, and then we took a tour by truck to see more of the island. About 5,000 people live on the island. We saw lots of schools, churches and dwellings on our tour. There were cars and lots of motorcycles. We opted to not rent bikes (although they were still wrapped up as new bikes).

It turns out that we were the first cruise ship passengers to visit since COVID. Two other ships stopped and tried, but they were not able to get passengers over because of the conditions.

We returned to the port a little after 2pm (last tender was scheduled for 4:30) and joined more than 200 other passengers. We quickly found out the problem. Because of low tide levels, the ship had to suspend tender operations about 1pm. We were told the delay would be at least 2 hours.

The locals continued to provide entertainment through music and dance, and there were canopies and trees for shade, water and lemonade were also available. A ship's security officer was excellent at keeping the mood light and sharing information as he received it. Mishaps that were beyond control of the ship then proceeded to happen, like trying to use a local fishing boat to ferry some passengers, but then finding out it was out of gas. Or sending a different fishing boat over to the ship for supplies, and having it break down along the way.

When tender service did resume, it had to limit the weight to keep the boats from getting stuck. Almost 250 passengers and crew, along with all the comfort items that the ship sends over, meant this was going to take a while. The ship sent over lots of sandwiches, so no one needed to go without food, and a medical team to make sure that all passengers were good. The first tender went out with about 15 passengers about 4:15 (usually 75-90 passengers). We ended up in the last passenger tender along with some crew, and we arrived back to the ship just before 7pm, and just before darkness fell. Since the exit from the lagoon was not marked or lighted for nighttime use, spending the night was a possibility, but not a reality!

We had a fun day, visiting an island we had never seen before. Kudos to Holland America for how well they handled a very challenging day.