Flowers in my cabin

Kilauea Caldera Lets off steam!!

Sunrise overHilo

We Arrived!!!

We are Here!!

We arrived in Hilo around seven, we were up at six and we went for breakfast and saw the sun rise. It was pink and colorful. Humpbacked whales came out to greet us.

 We had breakfast with an interesting couple. He is or was a professor at Penn State and he is from India. Her name was Carolyn and she was a red head. They were fascination breakfast companions with lots of stories.

We hurried back to our rooms and picked up our back packs and headed for the Princess Theatre. That is where we were to meet out tour. There were literally hundreds of us there. But it went smoothly and we were on the last bus. That meant it was not full, which was a plus.

Our first stop was the nut factory, interesting but not exciting. Next we went to the Volcanoes National Park. It was fantastic. While there I realized that I no longer have my National Parks Passport. It was stolen when the truck was broken into. It had many many stamps, including ones from Alaska. Dam Thieves!!! I purchased a new book and got the first stamp for it.

We went to visit the Kilauea Caldera and the Jaggar Museum. While we were at the Caldera it actually blew off steam twice. Truly amazing. Apparently it is something that seldom happens and our guide said that only 2% of the visitors to the park ever see it blow and we saw it twice!! I have some amazing photos and if and when I can get this netbook to download them I will send you some.

We walked through a lava tube, definitely a new experience.

All in all we had a wonderful tour, our guide was great and the weather co-operated and it was so very interesting.

When we got back to the dock we roamed through the booth of crafts by the locals. I bought an artificial Lei and matching hair clip, ken got a new cap and last but not least I bought a cabin flower arrangement. It is made with ginger blossoms and anthodium. It is mainly red and purple. I just love it. I have a picture of it as well.

We came on board and got a bit of rest. I tried without success to get pictures downloaded. Then we dressed for dinner and went topside to see the sail away. Again the humpbacked whales were there to say good bye.

We went down to dinner and after dinner we went to the evening show. It starred a ventriloquist named Joel Leder. He was good and we had a few laughs.

We came back to our cabin and Ken called Joan to tell her we will call when we get back to the ship tomorrow evening. Our tour starts at 8:30 and it goes until 5:30, so it will be a long day. Early to bed tonight.

Wednesday

This is Wednesday, March 2^nd. This is our last sea day before we reach Hawaii. Our first island is Hawaii and we dock in Hilo. The weather is much improved and so we have been able to get some sun sitting out on the balcony.

This morning we had breakfast in the dining room, went to a lecture on Hilo so we will know what is there. We have a tour of the Volcano National Park.

Then we had lunch and toured around some of the ship that we had not seen yet. There are 2 more pools on deck 16 and we had not seen them yet.

Then I spent some time blogging. I am having trouble getting pictures downloaded and the connection is soooooo slow. I keep seeing my minutes disappear.

We went to dinner and brought Abbotsford pins to all of our table mates.

The evening show was a comedian and he was so very funny. I just wish I could remember the jokes and pass them on to Len. His name is Steve Moris.

After the show we walked and listened to music in a couple of venues and then we called it a night. We have the alarm set for six.. we want to see the ship come into Hilo.

Tuesday March 1st

^The air has that tropical feel to it.

We decided to go to the dining room for breakfast and it was very nice. We sat with 2 other couples and it turned out that they were both from Medford Oregon but had never met.

After breakfast we went to the art gallery. I wanted to show Ken the Kinkaid but it was not on display.

We went to the photo department and found all of our photos. I inquired about the photo book and bought it. We also put deposits on 2 future cruises.

We had lunch in our room as we did yesterday. Because it was much nicer we were able to enjoy the balcony. Working on a tan,

After lunch I went to my class on making a lei. It was fun and I have a beautiful orchid lei to wear to dinner tonight.

After the class I came back here to get ready for dinner. I had to shower and do my hair. I kept one orchid to put in my hair. I will wear my long flowered sundress and Ken will wear his Hawaiian shirt. I hope we can get some pictures.

We did get some and I will try to send them.

We went up to Skywalkers and had a cocktail and then we went to dinner. Lots of fun and good food as usual.

After dinner we went to the theatre and we saw the show…Do You Want To Dance?? It was really good. They made some changes since we saw it but they were changes for the good.

After the show we changed our clothes, put on walking shoes and we walked the deck. It was a lovely warm evening. After our walk we came inside and had specialty coffee before we went to bed.

Monday February 28th/2011

,

This is a new day in many ways.

The ocean is as smooth as glass with no sign of speed bumps. And I feel much better, no sea sickness today. Hip Hip Hurray!!!!

We went to Horizon Court for breakfast and we sat with a very nice couple so that made it even nicer.

After breakfast I went to the sale, bought 2 pashimas, Ken walked his mile. I lined up for a ticket to the class on making Lei with live orchids. There was a registration for that and ukulele lesson yesterday but I was not feeling well enough to stand in line. But today I got a ticket and I will make one tomorrow. They are beautiful and made with real orchids. I can’t wait.

Then we met in the Princess Theatre where we listened to the lecture on Kauai. It was very good and I am sorry I missed the one yesterday on Hilo.

We stopped by the fruit and vegetable carving demonstration and I got some great  picturtes. They even made a squirrel using egg plant. Ken was not impressed. I loved the cauliflower poodle dog

For lunch I went to Horizon Court and got each of us a sandwich and a piece of pineapple, a cookie and iced tea. We are trying to be good with food and that buffet is murder. We ate our lunch here in our cabin. It is still too cool to enjoy the balcony.

Next Ken had a nap and I went to the Champagne art auction. Of course I went to look and drink and not to buy. Bad idea!! We are now  the proud owners of a Thomas Kinkaid print. It is Sea of Tranquility and it is the one with the lighthouse. I know it will look wonderful in our living room. There was a special draw for a free work of art and the drawing was for people who had made a purchase …. I won. The print is called Salon de Music and it is by John O’Brien. That is not framed but they will let us know the cost if we should decide to have it framed. Anyway I was away a lot longer than I planned and Ken was concerned by the time I got back here. He had actually gone to look for me.

We quickly changed and went up to Skywalkers longue for a glass of Port. Then to the dining room for dinner. As usual it was superb. Ken and I both had halibut.

Next was the welcome by the captain. They were serving free cocktails and Ken and I each had a rum punch. It was very crowded so we made our way to the Princess theatre to see the show but by the time we arrived there were no seats. We went to theWheelhouse bar. The band is called EXTREME and they have a lovely soft mellow sound and it is not too loud. We stayed and had a dance and finished our drinks. We left there and posed for photos since it was formal night. By then we decided to call it a night and we went back to our room. The sea had gotten rough and we wondered if the dancers would be able to do the second show.

The gentle rocking of the ship put us to sleep.