Some pictures for you to enjoy

These may not end up in order but they should be fun to view.
Till Next time.

This is the last!!!

We are all packed up and we are in the Vista Lounge waiting for our group to be called. We have had breakfast and we have said our good byes.
In some ways it is nice to be going home and in other ways it would be nice to be staying on and going back to Hawaii for another 2 weeks.
We ahvehad a wonderful time and for those of you who have been following us check back in a couple of days because I will be inserting pictures into the blog.
Our next cruise is in December, 3-18 to be exact. It is the special anniversary cruise so it should be a lot of fun.
Thanks again for following along.
Hugs
Ken and Carolyn

Last Post??? Maybe

I have been trying for the good part of an hour to check in for our flight tomorrow and no luck. The internet is terrible even though we are sitting here at the dock in Ensenada.

As soon as I get connected and get to the American airlines site the internet goes down and I have to begin over. I certainly will complain a lot less about Shaw when I get home.

Anyway we had a great tour this morning. Our main stop was to visit the Bufadelo blow hole.

Even though it was not high tide when we were there the blows were terrific. We got lots of great pictures. The road leading to the blow hole was a gauntlet of vendors trying to sell you everything. They were not oppressive in that they quit when you gave them a polite No Thanks. There were so many passing our samples of Pina Colada that you could get drunk just walking down the line.

Hopefully I will be able to post pictures. If not today then I will post them on Wednesday when we are at home with a good connection. Look for pictures then

Our tour finished around one and we came back on board for lunch.

Right now Ken is getting some sun and I am getting frustrated trying to reach AMERICAN AIRLINES.

Sunday, almost over:-(

February 15^th,

Well this is Sunday, our last Sunday on board for at least a few months. So we have decided to have breakfast in the dining room. Tomorrow we are in Ensenada and then on Tuesday we disembark. We got our luggage tags and disembarkation times yesterday and we are on our way at 8:45.:-(

Yesterday there was NO internet access and there is none this morning. I will catch up anyway and perhaps it will have to wait until tomorrow to be posted.

Yesterday was Valentine Day and all over the ship there were red and white decorations and balloons. There was a re-enactment of Vows at noon lead by Captain Poggi, which was very nice. We began our day with a room service breakfast and then we headed for the Princess Theatre because Gary Shahan was doing a talk on Route 66. It was grand. He traced the route from its beginning in Chicago to New Mexico. ( we will complete the trip today) It was a hoot. He reminded us of the history and what was happening at the time. He would play the top song of each year and we would sing along. Everyone seemed to know every word. AT ONE POINT HIS COMMENT WAS… WE CAN’T TIE OUR SHOES, WE CAN’T REMEMBER WHAT WE HAD FOR DINNER LAST NIGHT BUT WE REMEMBER EVERY WORD OF THIS SONG.. WHY IS THAT” The song at the time was Purple People Eater. Laughter rained for most of the hour. The talk was televised and so we watched it again last night before we shut off the light.

After the talk I went to the Pizza to watch the renewal of Vows.

Next I met Ken in our Stateroom and we waited until it was time to meet Martin and Elizabeth for lunch.

We met them outside of the \crown Grill and since there was no Pub Lunch in the grill we made our way to the dining room. They were featuring Peach Bellini for only three dollars as a Valentine special. Both Elizabeth and I had one. We gave the guys a sip. We had a great visit and soon it was time to head out. I was off to the info session on Mexican Fire Opals and they were off to play Bridge, and Ken came back to our balcony to get some sun.

By mid afternoon we were back here showering and getting ready for formal night. There was a message on the phone saying that they were out of strawberries and so they would be delivering home made chocolates instead of the usual chocolate covered strawberries. …..such a hardship!! They were very good!

Because it was formal night and Valentine Day there were so many red formal outfits, beautiful gowns. I wore my Bora Bora dress and my orchid lei. Ken honored the occasion by wearing his red shirt with his tux. This was lobster night again and I enjoyed the escargot as my first course. There was another Chocolate Journey by Norman Love.

This was the captain’s farewell party and we were treated to free rum punches. The shows were British Invasion and the pianist Ryan Ahern. I would have considered MUTS but it was quite chilly outside so we went back to our rooms and enjoyed Gary again. There was still no internet access so I couldn’t postL

Well we just returned from breakfast. We sat with one couple from Calgary and one couple from Utah. That made for an interesting fun morning. I decided to splurge and I had poached eggs on toast instead of my usual oatmeal.

Then we had to go back to our room because we forgot our pills.  Right now Ken is walking around the promenade deck and I am in the library. We wanted to vacate our room so Enrique had a chance to clean. I am not walking because of my ankle. When I overdo it the swelling appears early so to take care of my ankle I am not walking. That is my excuse and I am sticking with it.

At ten thirty I will go to the Lucky Losers Draw. That is an event where all those raffle tickets that did not win a prize during the cruise are put into a hat for a second chance. They actually make several draws. I have not won anything on either cruise so I am still hoping for a lucky draw.

Yeah!! I won a bottle of Champagne!! I wonder if I can bring it to dinner to share with everyone??  I also answered 2 trivia questions and won 2 of those DI charms.

I was hoping I could post my big winnings right now but there is still no internet access. :-(

After the big drawings I met Ken in the Princess Theatre for the end of Gary’s trip along Route 66. It was good , it was very good, just as good as yesterday’s presentation. Lots of laughs were had by all.

Now it is warm and the balcony is great so I think I may just put on my swim suit and see if I can get some sun. Actually it is too late to get a tan now but it will be a nice relaxing way to spend a couple of hours until it is time to go to the Red Hat get together at 3:15.

I sat in the sun for 15 minutes and then I came into the stateroom to begin packing. I have almost everything packed, except for what I need for the next 2 days and so far I am at 37 pounds so I am in great shape. Yeah. My purchases are not heavy.

Next event was a meeting for Red Hatters. Eventually 5 of us got together, they were from Oregon and Washington and California as well as me from BC. We chatted for about a half hour.

Then I went to The Wheelhouse Bar and picked up 2 Mai Tai and brought them back to the room. From 3 till 4 they have happy hour and I got 2 for one. I figured we should take advantage of that at least once and we are running out of days.

When I got back with the drinks Ken was packing. He also had good luck with the weight. It looks as if we will be fine.

We left for dinner early because tonight was the concert by the Grand Princess Pop Choir. They were good and we had fun listening to them. We are thinking it is about time we took part in that activity.

I asked Alejandro if I could bring the champagne to the table tomorrow night and he said yes. So tomorrow night we will be toasting the cruise.

Dinner was good as usual and I had the sugar free dessert. It was a coconut cake. We did lots of visiting about UFO’s and Déjà vu.

Then after dinner we stopped by Crooners and listened to some Hawaiian music by Elua. Then back to our room.

Another day had come to the end and we have only one more night. Tuesday we will be in Abbotsford.

Still no internet so the posting will have to wait.

No Trisikaidekaphobia?

This is Friday the 13^th and I don’t feel at all unlucky.

The sun is not shining but it is still a beautiful day. Ken has gone to another scholarship at Sea session and I am at the International Café. This morning I plan to take in the vegetable carving event. These guys are amazing and I am always impressed no matter how many times I see them perform their magic. Radish roses are a challenge for me.

Then I am going to a presentation on  Ammolite . I have been to one before but they are drawing for a 250.00 pendant so I figure I should take it in again.

Then there is a crafting workshop to make a Valentines card and since I neglected to purchase one on shore I figure I had better make a card for Ken.

Then I am not certain what the rest of the day will bring. I guess that will depend on whether or not the sun decides to shine. We turned the clocks forward again last evening so we are back on Pacific time. Kern never changes his watch so as of today it is again telling the correct time.

Now to finish the report on yesterday.

I accomplished very little in the morning but then I decided to go to the Larimar presentation which was happening at eleven o’clock. A few years ago, on the Star I think, we bought a pendant with a tear drop shaped piece of Larimar and a drop fresh water pearl. Ever since then we have searched for earrings to match. We even went through catalogues in Langley with no success. Well to my complete surprise that had the matching earrings on board. They were having a special promotion and as a result I got a 20 percent discount and I am now the proud owner of the earrings to match my pendant. I learned that the collection is called ALISA and there are only 2 parts, the pendant and the earrings. It was a Happy Valentines Day gift a couple of days early

We decided to skip lunch since we had eaten in the dining room for breakfast. We shared and orange and a banana.

I went to the workshop to make a lei using fresh orchids. They gave us 20 blossoms and I really think we needed 30 to make a nicer lei. But I did complete mine and I will wear it in a couple of days with my Bora Bora dress. Perhaps that will be the last formal night. It is too bad that we cannot take them ashore with us but US agricultural regulations forbid it.

We basically had downtime for most of the rest of the day.

Each evening there is a special reception with snacks and a drink special in the One Five. It is for Platinum and Elite passengers. Ken and I had not done it yet this cruise so we decided that this was the day. We dressed for dinner and headed for Deck 15. This was a chance for me to wear my newly acquired earrings with the matching pendant. Luckily I had brought the pendant with me.

I ordered a coke and Ken had his first Ultimate Mai Tai. The snacks were lovely fresh fruits and vegetables as well as steak tartar.

We finished our cocktails and at 5:40 we headed for the Botticelli Dining room on deck 6. When we arrived everyone else was already there. Dinner was grand as usual and there was another Norman Love Chocolate dessert.

After dinner we went up to the Vista Lounge and we took in the Hawaiian show starring Elua. They were very good and we especially enjoyed the passengers doing the Hula. I have decided that I will take the lessons the next time we cruise to Hawaii.

After the show we returned to our room and called it a night. No special coffee and brandy tonight.

Tomorrow is another sea day.

The thirteenth continues:

Well I was able to see the vegetable carvers. They had a Valentine theme and as usual their creations were amazing.

Then I was off to the seminar on Ammolite. I learned a bit but I did not win the prize. It amazes me how I never win when there are only a couple of dozen others and yet I hope to win the lottery.

After the draw I got into line for making the valentines Card and to my disappointment they ran out of space before I got to the front of the line.

The next item on my schedule was the backstage tour. It was held in the Princess theatre. During the Q&A I asked how to find out where Mauritzio was performing and I was told to call head office and ask for the entertainment department and they would be able to help me.

By now it is lunch time so I went up to the buffet and picked up a couple of sandwiches and 2 cookies. I brought them back to the room and Ken and I enjoyed them on the balcony.

There was  Rum tasting this afternoon. They were giving away a bottle of the good stuff but we decided that it would be just our luck to win it and then not have enough weight allowance to be able to take it home. So we didn’t go.

We did however dress for dinner early and then go to the art gallery. Ken had seen a couple of pieces that he liked and he wanted to show them to me.

Tonight is Italian night and that meant we could get the shooter glasses. Well I needed a glass with the ship on it to complete my set and Juan could not get one for me. After dinner we went to the Vista to watch the show with Bernie Fields. He is a harmonica virtuoso whose popular, classical and Jazz musical abilities just blew our minds. He was amazing indeed.

After the performance I began to go to all of the restaurants and bars to ask if anyone had a shooter glass with the ship on it. I went everywhere and then I decided to go to Sabatini’s… afterall that is the Italian Restaurant and the shooters are used to serve lemonchello . Success at last!! I was able to get a glass and now my set is complete!!!

Ken went up to deck 16 aft for the stargazing and I decided to try to complete the blog. So here I am.

Tomorrow is Valentines Day and it is Formal night and we have a lunch date with Martin and Elizabeth.

Catching Up

February 12, 2015

This is a beautiful sunny morning, there are just a few clouds and the sea is quite calm.

We went to breakfast in the dining room this morning. We have seldom done that opting instead to have room service. But we decided we needed a change this morning. We sat with 2 other couples from the US East coast and they were reporting on how many feet of snow is waiting for them when they get home. We West coast Canadians just smiled smugly.

Ken went to a lecture at the Princess Theatre and I came here to catch up with the blog. It says that there is no internet access so who knows when I will be able to post.

To continue where I left off we hung around the ship just relaxing during the morning. We ate lunch on board and then headed for the tenders. It looked pretty bouncy so just before leaving the room I took a Gravol. Well I was just a little late. The trip was long and wild and I came within minutes of leaving my lunch on the tender. But I made it to shore with my lunch still contained.

We walked around the little shops and I even managed to pick up the last of our thank you gifts. Then we headed for the Banyan tree and almost immediately we saw Gayle.

 We went to the car and met with Sam. They had changed very little and it was good to see them. WE visited sitting in their car for awhile and then we went off together for ice cream. Before we knew it the time to head back to the ship arrived. The last tender was supposed to leave shore at five o’clock and this was around four. When we reached the line we could not believe how long it was. There is no way all of these people will be on board by five was our first thought. We were correct. The return tender ride was much smoother and of course my Gravol had kicked in by now.

 It was about 5:15 when we boarded the ship and there were hundreds of people behind us in line. Our dinner time is 5:45 so we hurriedly changed for dinner and headed for the dining room. Well we were the only ones from our table who made it to dinner. We would learn later that they were in that line behind us.

We planned to go to the theatre but we returned to our room to pick up the meds we had forgotten to bring to the dining room and that is where we stayed.

Wednesday , February 11

We woke suddenly and realized it was almost time for breakfast to be delivered and we were still in bed. I guess I had forgotten to put in a wake-up call. We hurriedly found our robes and were ready for room service. It was an absolutely glorious day. One of the ones that always happened on the Television Show” The Love Boat.” The sun was shining, it was hot, and the sea was not rough. There were people sun bathing all over the ship, and the pools were full. We made great use of our balcony. We ate our breakfast there and then Ken worked on his tan. I went to the library to collect a ticket for the live orchid making class. There is one planned for today and one for tomorrow. Because today is going to be so very busy I wanted a ticket for tomorrow. A Surprisingly I had to wait because they were giving the tickets in order and a lot of people wanted to make their on Thursday instead of Wednesday.

I was successful

Ken and I enjoyed a hot dog on our balcony then I headed for the SPA .

 I had an appointment to get my hair done at 1:30. The young lady did a very nice job.

Next stop was the wine tasting. I had my list of which shooter glasses I need to complete a set but to my disappointment they did not have the shooters available. The wines were different from the last time and as usual I enjoyed the whites and the late harvest but gave my reds to Ken. I just can’t make myself enjoy red wine.

As soon as the wine tasting was over we headed to our room. The chocolate covered strawberries were about to arrive and we had to get dressed for dinner. This is formal night so our best was called for. We dressed, enjoyed the berries and by 4:45 we were on our way again. We had arranged to meet Sam and Gayle’s friends, Marvin and Elizabeth, at the Vista at 4:50 and the Captain’s Circle party was at 5:00. We got seats together and visited

 .The captain again apologized for missing the port . I guess he has gotten a lot of complaints. But really, safety comes first and he may be the Captain of this ship but he certainly can’t control the weather. Neither of us won the champagne but we each enjoyed a rum punch courtesy of the captain. Then before we knew it the party was over and we were on our way to dinner.

Tonight was one of the 2 lobster nights so needless to say the meal was enjoyed by all. Our table mates had returned. We were correct in thinking that they got caught in that line yesterday.

Linda was showing us her pearl jewelry and Jessica was showing hers. They both enjoyed choosing an oyster and having the pearl they found set into a piece of jewelry. The dinner was lobster with crab cakes and it was delicious. But the crowning glory was another Norman Love Chocolate masterpiece. This was beautiful to look at and we can’t imagine how long they took to create. BUT they were so rich and so sweet after eating lobster it was difficult to do it justice. I choose not to finish mine because I knew it would drive my blood sugar through the roof. But it certainly was grand.

After dinner we returned to our room and changed our clothes. WE dressed in something smart but I removed the heels and ken ditched the tuxedo. Then we headed for the theatre. The singers and dancers are highlighted and the show is called Stardust. It was very very good but as usual the production team had the music too loud.  There are times when the background music from the band is so loud that you can’t hear the voices.

After the show we called it a night and returned to our room. Ken watched some TV but since I had gotten very little sleep the night before I was out like a light.

Another Surprise!!

Another Surprise,

We just got another surprise.

This is a rainy day and we had paid Princess for a beach day excursion here in Lahaina. The phone just rang to inform us that our beach day has been cancelled and they are going to refund our money!! Who would have believed that? The weather is certainly not in the control of Princess and we believed that we would have to pay the money regardless.

It is drizzly and gray and there are low clouds. We just called our friends Sam and Gayle and we will still meet them on shore at three o’clock. But there is no hurry to disembark so we are enjoying a second cup of coffee.

We still can’t believe that Princess is giving us a refund. That is what I call service.

Another thing I should mention here. When we book a cruise we pay the agreed upon price that includes Port Fees. If those fees are lower when we actually make the port Princess refunds us the difference. That happened twice for this holiday. Granted it is not a lot of money, I think it came to about thirty dollars this time but multiply that by 2600 passengers and it is a lot of money. As passengers we would have no way of knowing that the fees were lower but we were given the refund anyway.  Princess is a firm we trust and we will continue to be loyal Princess Passengers.

Enough with the accolades… We are looking forward to a relaxing day and we will let you know how our day went and how our visit with Sam and Gayle went.

A Change of Plans

Well this is a first. I am sitting in the international café as type this.

If you have been following us you know that this is the long awaited day when we were supposed to be on our way to the lighthouse at the northern end of Kauai. We wanted to do this before but Princess does not have a tour that goes there. However our friends Wayne and Carol told us about a tour company that they discovered who does go to the lighthouse. We booked the tour months ago , It would be a highlight of this trip. The wake- up call was set for 6:45 and breakfast was to be delivered at seven. Docking was scheduled for eight and we were to meet our tour van at 8:45 to begin a wonderful six hour tour to the lighthouse, twin waterfalls and the glories of Kauai.

Then at 7:00 the captain comes on the speaker in our room to inform us that due to 45 know winds and a narrow harbor entrance the Grand Princess would not be making her stop at Nawiliwili and we would not be seeing our lighthouse number 311.

It was still dark but we were treated to the most amazing sunrise. The sky was dark and foreboding when the sun made its wondrous appearance. Fortunately I have found the settings for sunrise on this new camera and I was able to capture it in all its glory.

So we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, gathered up some laundry to send it out and left the room so the room steward would have access. Ken has gone to desk 15 and I have come down to deck 5 to enjoy my coffee and catch up on the blog.

To quote a friend “Life is Good”

Now to tell you about yesterday,

It began with another great sunrise and a room service breakfast. The ship docked at seven and it turned out to be a glorious sunny warm day. We relaxed until it was time to disembark and meet Mari and Paul.

In case I had not mentioned it before…. On our 2013 Australia adventure we were table mates with Dr. Paul Lim and his wife Mari. We have stayed in touch. Their home is in Honolulu and when they learned we would be there for the day they offered to show us around.

So we left the ship around 9:30 to meet them at the scheduled time of 10:00. Just inside the terminal there was a table where the vendors were selling Leis and bracelets. I bought a kukuii nut bracelet and I gave a Canada pin to the little girl and she allowed me to take her picture.

Ken used his cell to call Paul and Mari right at ten o’clock and they were just a few minutes away. They picked us up and we exchanged gifts. I had brought them some chocolate covered fruit from Brookside which is produced in Abbotsford and they brought us Kona Coffee and jams from the islands.

They drove us around pointing out landmarks that we passed. Our first stop was to the summer palace of Queen Emma. At one time this was the summer home of the queen consort and her husband King Kamehameha IV and their young son Prince Albert Edward.

Today the museum houses a collection of Queen Emma’s belongings, furnishings, artifacts and memorabilia. We were treated to a guided tour. The young man was very knowledgeable and he regaled us with interesting facts and details of this golden age in Hawaiian history. I was very impressed to learn that she was very well educated even by today’s standards. She was fluent in French, English and Hawaiian. She was a close friend of Queen Victoria who was the godmother of her son Albert who was named after The Prince Albert.

The guide told us how public education and public health care were two of her pet projects. While listening to accounts of all that she had done for those causes I immediately connected it to President Obama. He is a native Hawaiian and public health is his main cause. Like Queen Emma he has been fighting his political foes to try to give the people access to good health care. She did all she could and refused to give up her dream and that is also true of President Obama. The gift that Hawaii has given to the United States….. perhaps?!! Only time will tell.

We were very fortunate because the palace will be closed for a month beginning today. We might not have seen it if the ship were there today.

We toured the grounds and the gift shop and then continued our driving tour.

Then the next  photo op was at the Nuuanu Pali Look off on the windward side of the island. I guess it is normally very windy and even bees have a difficult time flying.

They pointed out where they lived in relation to this spot. There were a couple of golf courses in view and it looked like they would be a great spot for a game.

The next stop was a restaurant in China Town in downtown Honolulu. Paul and Mari took us to a place that they often frequent. The place was very crowded and for awhile it looked as if we might not get a seat. But Paul and Mari persisted and soon Ken and I were the only Houlii in this place. Everyone  of the patrons  was Chinese. Here they serve what is called Dim Sum. They told us it means a little bit of this and a little bit of that. We were treated to things we had never eaten before.

 There were strange vegetables, different mushrooms, unusual shrimp and the list went on. It was a culinary adventure to be sure. Some we liked and some we would have to get accustomed to. Paul and Mari again treated us and as with the palace they refused to allow us to pay.

I was asked if there was anything I wanted to purchase while in Honolulu. Because we didn’t get to buy flowers in Hilo I asked if they could take me to a place where I might be able to get some fresh flowers for our room. So away we went. We parked the vehicle and did a walking tour of the markets in Chinatown. I got my flowers and we were shown many different fruits and vegetables we had never seen before. Paul bought some “Hairy Fruit” among other things.

Hairy Fruit has  a proper Hawaiian name that I could never begin to pronounce. It is red and inside the shell is a very tasty fruit very much like the lychee nut. I could eat those but the rest had little or no appeal and would take some getting used to. The name Black Fungus was a real turn off but Mari said it is quite a tasty mushroom when cooked. Dried it looked like a piece of very old shoe leather and it was hard like concrete.

Our visit with our friends came to an end all too soon. Back on the ship I laid down and rested my ankle which had begun to swell. Ken went topside for more sun.

Later I happened across a movie on the ship’s TV which I really enjoyed. It ended at seven , just in time for me to go to the Princess Theatre to catch the local folklore show of hula dancers. It was such a treat, we loved it.

Then since we had not eaten since our Dim Sum adventure we went to the Nepture and ordered a cheese burger. The young hula dancers were there enjoying a lunch at the same time. I got a picture of the absolutely magnificent orchids in the hair of one of the young ladies.

We returned to our room with our burgers and it was a wonderful warm evening. We sat on the balcony enjoying our meal and the city lights. It was truly magical. We napped until it was time for sale away which was at eleven o’clock. We watched the captain ease this huge vessel out of what seemed to be a very narrow space and head for the open sea.

Our wonderful day had come to an end.

So here I am in the café enjoying my coffee. A lady just stopped to chat. She is from Lacey Washington and I guess she was travelling with her cousin and he passed away in Hilo. They will cremate him there and send the ashes home. She said she was planning the funeral etc from the ship using very slow internet connections. She said she was born in St John New Brunswick. To our surprise we had eaten in the same place yesterday. This certainly is a small world. I just realized that we never did exchange names.

Well I have been doing this for over an hour so I guess it is time to see if I can figure out how to spell some of these words and to choose which pictures I will include before I go on line to send this on its way.

Because this is an unplanned sea day I have no idea what we will end up doing today.

Stay tuned.

ALOHA!!!

Exciting and busy!

Saturday,Feb.7^th

The day began quite clear. We were able to see the top of the mountain from our balcony. I was even able to get a picture of the Keck Observatory telescopes. I stood on the balcony just enjoying the arrival of the ship. The captains of these ships always amaze me with their skill. The silence was suddenly broken by a blowing sound. I looked and there just a few yards away was a whale. I did manage to get my camera out and I did get a picture of its back.

 Young people on paddle boards came out to meet the ship.

We had breakfast in our room and then we headed off to meet our tour. At first we were wondering because they were late arriving. But it turned out very well. We were in a 15 seater  van and there were 10 of us so that was good. The van was old and the upholstery left a lot to be desired but the AC worked perfectly and the guide was first rate.

We were scheduled to tour from 10 till 3 and we ended up touring from 10:30 till 4:00. We covered all of the places we were scheduled to visit. Our Guide Uncle Phil was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna and culture and history of Hawaii.

He drove us from one location to the next and at each stop we were given time to look around and take photos. In between he told us all about the area and how things used to be and how they came to be as they are now. He obviously has mixed feelings about statehood and how it came to be.

The day was wonderful and here are some pictures of the highlights.

Rocking for sure!!

Now to try and catch you up. Thursday was a very nice day. The sea was a bit bouncy and because of this weakened ankle I didn’t want to fall or to twist it so I was very selective with which activities I took in.

There were a couple of good movies showing on the room tv so I basically spent the entire day relaxing. I went to Horizon court for lunch, had a nap, watched movies, shopped in the boutiques and had a grand time.

 Last evening the meal was 5 star with Scallops being my main meal choice. They served another Norman Love chocolate special which was absolutely to die for. We went from the dining room to the Vista Lounge where we waited for the performance by Doug Funk. A lot of it was a repeat but he is funny even the second or third time. The ship was rocking so we decided not to go for a coffee. We went back to our stateroom.

We decided not to order breakfast in our room, we would go to the dining room in the morning.

Well that turned out to be a mistake… the wind got up and all night long the ship rocked and dove and roared with banging and crashing sounds. There were times when it felt as if we were going to be thrown out of bed. Morning arrived with not much of a change. I stayed prone as much as I could and just relaxed and enjoyed the television and the passing waves. Then around noon Ken returned from a lecture and told me that it was not as bouncy in the rest of the ship. They are serving the English Pub Lunch at the crown grill so I decided it was time for my February Fries . The fish and chips were great and the fries were worth waiting for.

I took more Gravol and napped this afternoon and now we are getting ready for dinner and the King Kamehameha Festival Event which is happening this evening. This is an opportunity to wear the Mumu that I bought in Bora Bora. It should be lots of fun if we can manage to stay upright.

The seas today are the roughest I have experienced. We have about 300 days at sea now and never have we been bounced around like this. Not going around the Horn, not crossing the Tasman Sea and not crossing the Atlantic Ocean has made me spend almost a day and a half lying down and taking Gravol tablets.

Currently the description is “rough mounting seas”. The wave heights are at 15 feet, and the relative wind speed is 42.8 knots. It creates beautiful rainbows as the sun shines on the sea spray as the water flies past our balcony doors but I really have had enough of that view. It can calm down any time now. 

Rough Seas

This is Friday but I have not reported about Thursday. The reason for the lack of postings is rough seas.

Most people who know me know I get motion sick. I am happy to report that I have not gotten sick but that is because I have been lying low.

Thursday was not too bad , I could still move around and go for activities.

But not today.

The sea is being described as rough, the waves are 15 feet, the wind is 20 knots and even though we are up on deck 10 the spray is going past out balcony doors.

So bare with me I will catch up when the seas have calmed down a little.

Captain's Welcome Party

February 4^th

This is the third day at sea and we began it by having breakfast in our room . Again the sea is rocking and rolling and I have taken some Gravol. We knew the sea would be rough for at least the first part of this crossing so we are just relaxing and enjoying it,

Ken and I both went to the port lecture on Oahu. Again the theatre was full and the lecturer Gary Shahan , did a great job as usual.

Ken went to a lecture on Astonomy again and I had lunch in the buffet. Then I went to a lecture on photography. The first part of it was informative but she soon got into things I didn’t understand and will never have need of. The Thursday lecture will be even more advanced and made for people with aspirations of becoming professional. I will not attend it.

I le\arned that the lei making is for the ribbon Lei so I will give my ticket away. I made that one last time and do not need to make it again.

Dinner was fun. Kathleen was back to being her jovial self and Linda and Roy and Jessica were having good visits. After dinner was the Champagne waterfall . We enjoyed the Norman Love dessert at dinner and they were passing out the Norman Love pops at the welcome party. Ken and Kathleen and I each got a pop and some champagne and then we made our way to the theatre. The pops were almost sinful they were so rich. I ate only half of one.

 The show tonight was “Do You Wanna Dance?” We decided to try to get a seat in one of the box seats near the front of the stage. We were successful and the view from there was very different. You see the faces of the dancers and the singers and you see their expressions. Some of the stage was blocked but basically we saw it all, just a little enhanced. Kathleen really enjoyed it. I’ll bet it is sad to travel alone and it is good to make friends and have someone to share events with.

After the show we went to The Wheelhouse Bar for time of listening to the music. I think we might have stayed a while and danced but the sea had become rougher and it was hard to stand still and dancing was out of the question.

We returned to our room and placed our order for breakfast and called it a day. Time to allow the sea to rock us to sleep.

Second Day of Second Cruise

Febtruary 3^rd is day 2

Last night it was rocking and a rolling. The first thing I did when I woke was take a Gravol. I was not yet feeling ill but I didn’t want to start feeling ill either. The water was not rough but there was a swell. It was one of those seas that looks like a bowl of pudding with just smooth deep waves and no white caps.

We didn’t order breakfast but there was a chance to pick up a ticket to make a lei later in the cruise so I dressed quickly and went to get into line. It was agreed that Ken would meet me in the international Café and we would have a coffee and a roll before we headed for the lecture on the Big Island.

We almost missed each other, I was sitting on one side and Ken was sitting on the other. Anyway we did connect and we made our way to the theatre. Gary Shahan is the speaker. He is a retired high school social studies teacher and it shows. He does a grand job and we are amused because he keeps referring to us a “class”. The theatre was full and he advertised his next presentation for this afternoon.

That class ended at eleven and there was a class on digital photography that I wanted to take is so I headed for deck 15 . It was quite basic but I did learn a few things. Part 2 is tomorrow and I will attend. I guess they will be explaining the ways to set your camera for manual photography. There is so much that I don’t know about this new camera.

After that class I grabbed a light lunch and checked on a couple of things with the Captain’s Circle rep, then I returned to our room to blog and relax. Ken attended an astronomy lecture.

Before we knew it the time had come to get ready for dinner and the talk on whales. The way the times were we had to dress for dinner and go straight from the lecture to the dining room.

Kathleen was there right away and she announced that she had played bingo and she had won $400.00 so she was pretty happy about that.

Soon the rest of our table mates arrived. It is a family of three consisting of the grandparents Linda  and Roy and their grand daughter, Jessica. They are from Alabama and I believe they said they are or were missionaries. They seem to be very friendly so it should be a nice table. Kathleen was doing more complaining tonight. Let’s hope she was just having a bad day.

After dinner we went to the show with Doug Funk and he was a riot. We laughed so hard we thought we might be sick.

We finished our day in the usual way with a special coffee in the International  Café

The ship was still rocking when we called it a night and drifted off to sleep.

I am including copies of the princess patter. This is the newsletter of daily events that we get delivered to our stateroom each evening. It features a staff member on the front, general information on the back and then the events of the day are listed in the middle.

Second First Day

February 2^nd and day one of cruise number 31

We are always amazed at how smoothly and quietly the ship captains slide into their berth here in San Pedro. They don’t make a sound and there isn’t a bump at all.

We are wondering how many times we have come into this port. I think this is the third or perhaps the fourth. I will have to look up our records.

Our wake- up call came at 7:30 and breakfast arrived at eight. The internet was already cut off so I couldn’t check e-mail or post the blog for February 1^st. But I could get things written and ready to go when the connection returns.

We get a new mini bar set up for this cruise so I was sure to empty the fridge. Amazingly enough we have several items left over. We have 5 and ½ of the brandy left. We only emptied 2, Ken has one beer left he drank only one, and we have 5 cans of pop left. Because of the wine tasting and the lemon chello we have 5 shooter glasses. Because of the sail away party we have 2 plastic glasses and because of the special anniversary gift at the Captain’s circle party we have 2 hurricane glasses. All of these need to be transported home. It should be interesting packing to say the least.

We are surprised today by the amount of smog in the air. We can usually see mountains and hills when here but not today.

We decided to go topside to allow Eurique to do the room. There were a few people up there but it was wonderful and peaceful.

At eleven we went back to our room to gather up our papers and get ready to be checked in again. There was an officer who led us through the various steps. We waited in the Wheelhouse and when told to we headed off of the ship. It was a fairly smooth process and we were rechecked and back in our room about an hour later.

We decided to go to Horizon court for lunch. We really did not want much and that seemed a better choice. Besides Ken remembered that they usually have breaded scallops on embarkation day. He was right and the scallops were very good.

After lunch we returned to our stateroom and tried to make a few phone calls. We called Janet and Bob but they did not have their phone turned on. Ken did reach Jenny and had a chat with her.

It appears as if we are not very appreciated by our neighbours. The parents are on one side of us and the children are on the other side. That is too bad because if they had asked us to take a different room we would have so they could be next to each other and open the door so they had one big balcony. But then again perhaps the daughter in law likes it better this way.

I got some beautiful sunset pictures just before we made our way to dinner. We were having a glass of wine on the balcony, enjoying sale away when a plate of chocolate covered strawberries arrived. Kim has struck again, strawberries and coffee again. The berries were so good and so welcomed that I neglected to take a photo until after we had eaten them all and only the leaves were left.

We were holding our breath wondering what table mates we would have. There was no need to worry. Last evening only one person came but she is a delight. Her name is Kathleen, she is an older widower lady who has travelled extensively and this is her first time of travelling entirely alone. But she is wonderful. She currently lives in an extended care facility in Calgary but she lived in Vancouver for 45 years. It is hard to guess at her age because she is such a vibrant person. From the experiences she has had we guess that she must be eighty but she does not seem to be that old.  But then again just how old is eighty!! It is not as old as I once thought it was.:-)

After dinner we went back to our room for our pills and around 8:00 we headed for the theatre to take in the welcome show.

The show was very good , the music before the show was at a good sound level, much better than last evening. But the show itself was too loud again. I actually had an earache but I really don’t know if the show caused it.

After the show we called it a night. Cruise number two has begun very well.