Day 12, Sea Day

 We did very little today. We decided it should be a day to just rest.

Had breakfast in the dining room. I went to the port lecture on Moorea.

Walked a little, had lunch then we were informed that a medical evacuation would take place. The helicopter and team would require exclusive use of the top deck, actually deck 14. Course had to be changed. Patient was being taken to facilities on a near by island. I gather it was too urgent to wait until arrival in Papeete.

That was a reason for concern. The evac was delayed because of wind but finally there was a successful evacuation and we adjusted course and were on our way. 

I stole this picture from a facebook post. They said this was taken from Horizon Court.

We had dinner with Pauline as usual and then we decided to have someone take pictures for us. Both ladies realized that we did not have photos yet.

The all agreed to call it a night. Tomorrow we are in Papeete. We arrive at nine am and leave at 2:am the next day.

Gorgeous Day

 This is day 11 and so far it is almost ideal.

The sun was shining brightly when I woke up at 6:30. There was a very slight roll to the sea , just enough to remind you of where you were.

I tested my blood sugar right away and it was 5.6. So it looks as if there will be more dirty bananas in my future. So delicious.

Then I proceeded to try to connect to Zoom for our church service. I was finally successful. It was grand to see everyone and to enjoy the service.

Before the service began there was an announcement over the ship's PA, stating that the medical staff was to report to cabin D 316, we are in C 316 so we are wondering what happened and hoping it is not serious. Major illness on a vacation is so sad.

Next we went topside to have breakfast at the buffet. It was too late to go to the dining room. As usual it was just right.

We decided to walk around the conservatory. It is a beautiful location and we often enjoy time spent there.

Next we went down to deck 6 where they were having what they called an end of season sale.There was not a lot but they did have items that will make excellent Christmas tree decorations from PANAMA. I purchased 2 of them, half price and now I don't have to search for them when we are in Panama.

Then we returned to our cabin to enjoy the sun on the balcony. The time was perfect.Sunny but not too hot, rolling waves and the sound of the ocean made it perfect.

I came back inside and discovered there was a message on the phone. I listened to it and it was from Pauline. She was very upset. She heard the medical message and thought it was C and not D. She was convinced that I was ill . The first thought that came to mind was the Dirty Banana. She believed that I was experiencing a diabetes problem because of trying the drink she had so highly recommended. I was unable to call he back because I did not know her cabin number.  She appeared at our door later to check on Ken. She worried that I was in the ship's hospital and Ken was alone. A few minutes later Leo arrived to check in on Ken as well. Both were relieved to see us both hale and harty.

Both Ken and I were moved by their concern.

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful.

We did dinner in the dining room and then we went to Good Spirits and we had a special coffee. Neither couple wanted to go to the theatre to see and hear the Xylosync 

 Pauline and Leo and Ken and I visit and time just seems to fly. Tomorrow is the last sea day before Tahiti.

Saturday January 28th

 Saturday began in the usual way. I got up early and worked on the blog, When Ken got up we dressed and went to breakfast in the dining room.

Next I went to the lecture with Deb Fraioli. The topic was Art and Ritual of the Pacific Islands. I don't think I really knew that there were so many different small islands, so many different languages, so many different cultures. The biggest surprise was learning that there were so many islands that went undiscovered until the last 50 years or so and that many were cannibals.

We met Julia and Ken for lunch. They choose a pizza place. We had not ever been there . Their pizza is very different from those at Ricks or at Ocean Park.I like ours better.

After lunch Ken went to the ice carving and I returned to the cabin. Soon it was time to head to the Crossing the equator ceremony. As usual it was jam packed and as usual it was a lot of fun and as usual it was difficult to get good pictures but I tried.

 By the time that was over it was time to get ready for dinner. Service was greatly improved. Having lots of staff has made a huge difference.

We had lots of time to get to the show which was a good thing. The theatre was full by show time.

Tonight's performer was Doug Funk. He was hilarious. We laughed almost the entire time.  I will go to see him again if he has another show.

Before the show I managed to hide a duck, It was still there after the show.

Then Leo and Pauline and Ken and I went to Good Spirits. Ken and I decided it was time to have a cocktail. Pauline suggested a Dirty Banana. She had one and said it was wonderful. When the waitress told me about all of the liqueurs that was in it I was concerned that it may have too much sugar. After a debate....should I or should I not??? I decided to go for it. It was so Good . We will just see what my sugar is in the morning. Around 10 we headed for our room.

We were not in the room very long when we got a call from Pauline telling us that Leo found the duck. They plan to keep it as a memory of us and their cruise.   What fun!!

102 left

 This is Friday January 27th and it is the 9th day of this adventure. We have 102 days left to enjoy.😍

To catch up.

Entertainment on Wednesday was featuring Dan Delgado: "Lineage Pt1". He played the Xylo Sync. It was an electronic xylaphone. He certainly made it rock. It was hard to believe that he could get that many sounds from that machine at one time. At no time did he explain the term Lineage Pt1.

As I reported earlier we went ashore and explored and shopped and relaxed.

Entertainment on Thursday was Showtime with Instrumentalist David Meyer. He is a very talented trumpet player and he really amazed me with his talent. Some of the sounds that came from that instrument amazed me. I really don't know if that was a good thing or a not so good thing.

I went to the destination lecture on Papeete with Deb Fraioli. She is well travveled and informative. I will go to more of her lectures.

This was a sea day so I did some exploring and relaxing. I went to the shop that sells liquor and discovered that a bottle of Captain Morgan purchased now would be delivered to our room the day before  we arrive in Australia . It can be consummed in our cabin. Did it.

Day 9 was sunny and times and raining at times and windy with white caps sometime. I went to the lecture with Deb Fraioli. She is a retired art educator and the lecture today was on Paul Gauguin. Topic was Life and Art Paris to Papeete. I knew little or no about him and I was shocked and disgusted by what I learned of his lifestyle. And I was not all that impressed with his art either.

The entertainment last night was a ELTON JOHN tribute. It was loud and Jason Ostrowski could really play the piano but he sure isn't Elton John.

 After the show we went to Good Spirits with Leo and Pauline. We are finding that we have more and more in common with them. We are actually considering cruising to Norway with them in 2024.

We chatted and laughed for over an hour . It was soon time to call it a day. 

Day Nine

 This is the second sea day and this morning when I checked the comments I had a request. A friend asked if I intended to collect Christmas ornaments from all of our ports and if that was the plan would I please show pictures of the ornaments.

We own a half tree that hangs on the wall. We will use it and the only ornaments on it will be the ones I will collect on this amazing trip.

The first one is a about 4 inch model of the Island Princess. It seems to be made of plaster and is a little heavy.

The second ornament is about 2 and a half inches in diameter. It is made of wood that has hollowed out compartments. Each has small shells or other tropical themed items. One has the word Hawaii beautifully carved. Actually it is a key ring but I will remove the ring and substitute a hook for hanging.

Day Eight

 This is the first of 5 sea days as we make our way to Tahiti. Sea days are not very condusive to taking pictures or doing amazing things to report about.

However at lunch we met an interesting couple and learned a few interesting facts. We will call these people Gary and Joyce. They recounted an amazing story. They boarded in Fort Lauder with intensions to do the entire world cruise. Before arriving at Puntarenas, Costa Rica Joyce developed a terrible pain in her chest, the worst pain she had ever experienced. She went down to the medical center and after some tests they decided that she should be sent to the hospital in the capital city. One of the doctors saw a blip on the ECG and she was concerned by that. When other doctors were consulted it was agreed that transport was necessary

Her husband with the help of Princess staff packed up everything just in case they did not return to the ship. Princess would know where to send their possessions.

She was driven to the capital and there biggest hospital  and more tests were done. It was determined that she had inflamation of the sack around her heart. Fortunately it was not fluid which would have been life threatening.

She reported amazing attention and care by Princess. They continually stayed in touch with the couple and the doctors. The doctors said it was a viral infection and aspirin was required. Because her pulse and blood pressure were elevated she was medicated for that as well. Once she was released from the hospital Princess arranged for them to be flown to Mexico City and then on the Pueto Vallarta where they waited for the arrival of the ship. They stayed in a hotel there all arranged by Princess.

It was a 5 day adventure for certain. She is now well and just resting and not overdoing things for a few more days.

The facts involving all of the help and support that was given to them by Princess was so gratifying. When you purchase Princess Insurance you hope you will never need it. Knowing that you will be so well taken care of if you should need it is so reassuring.

A happy story was so good to hear that I felt I should share it.

Kauai

Second Port Day

This is our second port day and our second and final stop in Hawaii. Again it was supposed to be a 60% chance of rain but it was lovely and we made our way to our berth.

We had breakfast and then went to deck seven to hide a duck. This is duck day.

We then headed off of the ship. We do not have an excursion booked but we remembered what a delightful port this was. We took the Anchor Cove shuttle, a 5 minute ride and we toured around.  Kauai is the island with all of the feral chickens... they were everywhere. Lots of roosters and no babies. Perhaps the hens are nesting somewhere.

We roamed in and out of the shops and I found the perfect ornament for my around the world Christmas tree. We did not purchase a mu mu or a Hawaian shirt but there were certainly hundreds if not thousands to choose from. 

We decided to roam over to Market Mall. It is a similar area but was across the highway. We saw an ice cream sign and decided that was where we wanted to be, so away we went.

The ice cream was so good. WE got coffee expresso ice cream, loved it. This establishment also served shave ice. We didn't buy it but was watched it being made. This one was called Volcano.

We roamed a little and discovered a shop that sold Lionel and other model trains. Ken was in his glory. Outside of the shop was a display which I loved and took lots of pictures of.

Our feet and legs began to tell us it was time to head back to the ship so we walked back to Anchor Cove and sat and waited for its arrival. It runs every 10 minutes so we knew we would not have to wait long.

There was a cold drink and a nice place to sit and relax waiting for us when we got off of the bus. Ken got a good cold drink.

We went up to the buffet for lunch. Dining rooms are not opened for lunch on port days. This gives some of the staff a bit of a break

We met Leo and Pauline there and they decided to do as we did and take the little shuttle over to Anchor cove and have a look around.

We returned to our cabin for a rest. The show tonight is Dan Delgado; "LineagePt1" and we have no idea what that is. I will let you know when I know.

On our way to dinner we checked and the duck has been found. I wonder who found it.

Leo and Pauline and I went to the show. Dan Delgato is a trumpet player and vocalist. He is very talented and I am glad I went to the show. He is scheduled to perform again on January 29th.

We are at see again and will be at sea for 5 days    . Next Port is Papeete, part of French Polynesia.

Honolulu

 The day began beautiful and warm and sunny in spite of the fact that the weather forcast said 100% chance of rain. So the forcasters here and no more accurate than they are at home. 

We were not going to dock until nine so there was lots of time to go to the dining room for breakfast.

Blueberry pancakes were on the menu but they were not like mine at home, not very many blueberries and they were not as yummy as the ones grown in Abbotsford. 

Having been here many times meant that we have taken most if not all of the excursions. At least we have done all that are of interest to us.

Once docked we headed out. There was a display of towel animals as we were exiting the ship. I guess Dada does not make them. We have not had one yet on this cruise.

The goal was to go to Walmart. We thought there was a shuttle but we were wrong. It turned out to be a 15 minute walk which we managed to do . A stroll through a pedestrian mall was part of the journey. Of course there were magnificent palm trees and beautiful hybiscus to admire and take photos of.

Just outside of the walmart were many stalls selling fresh produce and some crafts.

Walmart was interesting to say the least. We were able to get almost everything on our list. I was not able to find a rat tailed come or a small hand mirror. What we needed was a Dollar Tree.

After cheching out we stopped at a little place that sold chinese food and sodas. We got a beverage and relaxed a little. A pretty white pigeon was roaming around the cafe. I did manage to get a picture

.

Soon we headed back. The return trip did not seem as long, perhaps that is because we knew  where we were going.

We went to the hot dog place for a dog and fries and then we decided to rest. But I did go to the gym and I got weighed. So far so good.

We chatted with an employee who was supposed to be running a bean bag toss game. I asked if she had been ashore. She said that she was not allowed to go ashore in an American port because she was Mexican. Later I was again chatting with a waiter. He is from Kenya and he said that is also was not allowed to go ashore in American ports. He said he was prohibited during his first contract. I do not know if the restriction for the girl from Mexico only applied to her first contract as well. 

Up until now there has been an obvious staff shortage but last night the place was buzzing with new people. There was a lot of training happening so we are expecting service to be much faster from now on. 

After the nap we got ready for dinner. Tonight was the folkloric show. We have seen it many times but I went back anyway. It was really lovely. I tried taking some pictures but they were not good. Too far from the stage.

Last evening the tower was all lit up in red. We wondered if it was because of Chinese New Year.

Now we are ready to call it a day. Tomorrow we will be in Kauai

Monday,January 23, 2023

 This was almost a lost day.

I was not feeling well and so I spent most of the day in bed. It seemed to be a stomach problem, it was not Covid . By this morning I was back to my old self.

Last evening we got another couple at our table and they will be staying with us. They are on the entire world cruise. They are from Langley which was a pleasant surprise. Their names are Jim and Chris Marshall. So table 271 will be 2 canadian couples and one Australian couple. It is a very nice group.

I managed to stay awake long enough to take in the show. Lou Gazarra was truly amazing. Those are words I don't often use for vocalists. He had such a prwerful voice and had an unbelievable range. I loved the show.

I was back upstairs and under the covers right away.

This morning I felt like my old self again.

Today we are in Honolulu!

Sun and Warmth Have Arrived

Last evening I hit our first duck. I placed it over one of the elevator signs. Then I went up a partial flight of stairs and watch as someone found the duck.We have decided that if we hide one every Saturday and every Wednesday out 38 ducks will last till the end of the cruise.

 This is a beautiful sunny warm Sunday morning.

I woke early and went out on the balcony to get a picture of the sunrise. The air is soft and humid and the sea is almost calm. We are almost to Hawaii. Warm weather here we come.

We went to the Bordeau dining room for breakfast. As usual we asked to share a table. We were seated with 2 couples who made us look like newbies. One couple is The Most Traveled Passengers, (from California). The other couple has been invited to the luncheon. The cut off  to get invited to that special lunch for this cruise is 1032 days at sea. So the top 40 passengers have more than 1032 days on a princess ship. Our 550 days looks like a very small mumber in comparison. Listening to them recount some of their experiences was really interesting.

We learned that our room steward DaDa is going to be with us for the entire 4 months. He is excellent at his job so it will be great to have him.

We decided to sort of skip lunch. We were thirsty around eleven so we went upstairs to Horizon court th have a drink, iced tea fome and lemonade for him. We shared a slice of banana bread and Ken had some fruit. Since it was so close to lunch we decided to skip lunch and just have dinner. We eat early so skipping would work out.  Around 1:30 I felt strange. I tested my sugar and I was down to 3.6, not good!! I ate a piece of chocolate and then called room servive and ordered a club sandwich. Before long my blood sugar was up to 5.6. I learned my lesson, no more skipping meals.

We got dressed up fot dinner. This is a formal night. Our canape arrived late so we left them for later. Tonight was the champagne waterfall and the captains welcome etc.

After dinner we went to the show at the theatre for the show ENCORE.

Tomorrow is another sea day.