The Seventh Sea Day

We slept a little later than usual and went to breakfast around 8 instead of 7.

We sat with very interesting people. The couple was from north of Toronto and she was a retired Parole Officer.

On the way to breakfast we hid our 2 ducks. I have been hiding 2  ducks every morning. I choose morning because there are not many people around deck 7 . Have to be certain no one sees you hiding them. We still have found only one.

My ducks this time are beautiful pastel Easter colours and I actually have matching elastics. I printed my own tags.

Because my sugar has been a bit high I decided to go for w walk this morning. Around ten I went to a walk on the open deck. It was a beautiful morning and it was quite hot. You could tell it was hot because people were walking the shaded side and only few were on the sunny side.

I roamed around he shops and no one has nail polish, I forgot mine.

While I was walking Ken said I got a call from the person in charge of the rooms etc. I had reported that I was finding it cold in the open areas of the ship. He called to assure me that they were working on it. A nice extra touch.

We had room service bring us salads for lunch. Ken had his favorite chocolate cake and I had fresh fruit as our desserts. We enjoy room service. You make your selections using your phone and within 10 minutes you are enjoying your lunch.

No shopping, no cooking, and no clean up. I love cruising!!

We relaxed during the afternoon. Ken got some sun and I had a little nap. Then I got busy catching up on the blog.

Gordon and Verna were at dinner. I guess she got busy doing laundry and the time slipped away. I guess we worried needlessly. 

After dinner we went to the show  It featured a vocalist named Yanir Zarif. His thing was the fact that he spoke 30 different languages and he would use terms in all of them , explaining and telling life stories of how he became so fluent in so many. But his real gift was his singing voice and his stage presence. I am sure that he had 5 octaves. He easily moved from being a base to a first soprano and every spot in between. .

After dinner we went topside and got me some walnuts. Happy to say that my sugar was good this morning.

Eighth sea day tomorrow.

Sea Day #6

This was sea day #6, April 16th. Basicaly we spent a quiet day enjoying the ship.

I did go to a Lei making class and I made a very nice orchid Lei. It will perfectly match my dress on the next formal night. 

We were and are a bit concerned because Verna and Gordon did not come to dinner. They are at the age that if they do not appear when they are supposed to. We hope they are not ill or did not have an accident.

The entertainment last evening was sensational for sure. He was a impersonator and he did everyone. He was so skilled. I guess he was a star on The Bold and the Beautiful for more than 10 years. I never watched it so I can't tell you the name of his character,

The almost last song was one sung by  Botticelli , Time to Say Goodbye.. A wonderful voice. 

His name was Sebastian Gucci. We weren't sure we would go but one person from lunch told us he was worth watching. I am so glad he did.

After the show we went topside to Horizon Court. We were on the hunt for some protein, preferably walnuts. There were a few but mostly it was nut dust. I got 4 cubes of cheese also. My blood sugar has been up the past few days. I believe it is because we eat at 5 and then I don't have breakfast until around 7:30. That is a long way between food, too long.

It worked,my reading was almost back to normal this morning.

Tomorrow is another sea day.

Stop in Nawilliwilli, April 15

We were up early and out on the balcony to get an early look at Nawilliwilli. This island looks more like the idea of a tropical island.

They we made our way downstairs and watched the ship move into the dock. The people we do this are truly amazing.

Next we went to the dining room for breakfast. We were seated at a table for 6 and 4 were already there. At firt they seemed to be quite willing to ignore the fact that we had joined the table. Soon I began and asked people where they were from and when Ken said we were from BC but originally from Nova Scotia. The lady next to me said she was from Sydney.... well that began an entire line of comments and questioning that excluded everyone else. It turned out that she knew a lot of the members of my family including my uncle Tom and Aunt Ethel, my cousin Tom junior and my cousin Wayne and his late wife Claire. It was amazing enough but it turned out that she worked at Zellers when my mother did. She said that my mom took he under her wing and taught her the ropes of working in the fabric department. Her name is Joanne Williams, she grew up on Richardson street. What a small world this is when you consider the fact that there are about 3000 passengers on board. What are the odds that we would meet over breakfast??!!!

Next we got ready and went downstairs to get the shuttle to Anchor Cove. The shuttle driver referred to himself as Santa. He was lats of fun and when we arrived he let us take a picture and he did a video message to our grand children... a first for sure.

Anchor cove is a beach area only a 5 minute drive from the ship. It is the site of a beautiful beach, a small shopping center, a place for snacks and meals and ice cream.

I checked out the stores looking for Easter Eggs. I did not find any eggs but I did purchase a nice blue hoodie which I will wear to the dining room to avoid the air conditioning.

Next we walked the beach and enjoyed seeing the young people on their boogie boards.

Here there is a wonderful hotel which is actually a time share. The hotel has a wonderful botanical garden with a Koi pond.We made our way to the grounds and along the way got some beautiful flower photos, 

We toured the grounds of the hotel which were lovely

We saw the amazing KOI, could not believe how large they were.

It was a lovely sunny day, with a slight breeze, just what you imagine a tropical paradise should be.

We met Santa again and returned to the ship. The rest of the day has become routine, lunch, a nap, dinner and then a show.

The show last evening featured an amazing musician, Sebastian Fucci.

Then we called it a night.

Next we will have 5 sea days, then to Pago Pago

LAND!! We are in Honolulu!

I recall my first visit to Honolulu and how surprised and disappointed I was. I knew it was a big city but at the same time I knew it was a tropical island and a tropical paradise. To open the drapes of our room and see a big city marked by a few psalm trees was a surprise.

Here is the view we had on our first sighting of land after 6 days.

Not tropical but welcomed none the less.

We went to breakfast and met Christina and Rob. We spent almost 2 hours catching up on the past 2 years. They have done a lot more traveling than we did since the World cruise. They were not the first to tell us that the Holland America cruise to Antarctica was sensational and definitely worth taking.

We parted and promised to get together again. I still don't know the last name. I gave them one of our cards , so I hope they contact us. During the visit we learned that they are going all of the way up to Vancouver. I sure wish we had known that we could have done that. May look into doing that , it may just be possible.

We disembarked with no difficulty, most left the ship earlier.

The terminal walls are decorated with murals of the days past of the glory of cruising.

Because we have been here several times we did not have an excursion planned. When we saw the destination lecture we decided the it might be nice to take The Bus and travel to the north shore. It was a city bus but it would give us a different view. So we went looking for a bus stop.

The first business we saw and recognized was the Old Spaghetti Factory... we have one in Abbotsford. LOL

The former shopping area near the terminal is now a university. We had a quick look and saw some interesting sculptures. here is one

We continued on and soon found a bus stop. The sign said that the bus for the north shore stopped there. We waited almost an hour and gave up. We returned to the ship.

We met our friends for dinner and we planner to go to the folkloric show but the theatre was already full. We returned to our room and called it a night.

We would be in Nawilliwili in the morning.

I forgot to mention that we found a duck today.

Fifth Sea Day, April 13

This it the first Sunday of our cruise. It is Psalm Sunday and we are absent.:-(

We went to 2 lectures today. One was about the development of the cruise industry. We learned a great deal that we were not aware of but there was one special incident. An interview with a lady who had her first cruise as a gift from her grandmother. She was 18 and had just graduated from high school. It was a cruise to Hawaii. She tells of the fanfare involved in sail away, the fact that every night involved wearing nylons and heels and the fact that they danced to live music each and every night, This took place in 1957, and the most surprising part was the fact that she was there at that presentation yesterday. During the math I figured that she is currently 85. She stood and waved to us when she was identified. Amazing!!

It was a beautiful sunny day and I even sat out on the balcony and got some sun. I spent only 20 minutes in the direct sun. I am planning on having a nice tan by the time I get home.

The big event of the day was the second show by Carlos Oscar. He was fantastic as usual. To make certain we got a seat we and the other tablemates decided that we would leave the dining room at 6:30 whether we were finished eating or not.

We left and all of us got seats. The theatre was full before seven and the show was not scheduled to begin until 7:30. The full theatre began to sing before Oscar came out. We all sang boisterously  with joy. It was spontaneous and joyful. The song choice was "Country Home". It was western night and the staff were dressed in western garb.

This was a special day for our room steward

Mark. He heads home tomorrow after 9 month. He is really looking forward to seeing his wife and children.

At the end of the show we headed to see 2 people that we recognized from the world cruise. Like us they recognized our faces but could not bring up names. We arranged to meet at seven for breakfast with Crystall and Bob ? 

Fourth Sea Day, April 12th

We had a great relaxing day.

Slept well, Had Breakfast in the dining room. Sat with a couple we shared a lunch with 2 days ago. Politics was a topic of conversation. It turns out that we share a lot of opinions about the mess the world is in.

We went to the theatre for a destination lecture . We have no excursion for Honolulu so we may consider taking The Bus. We learned that it goes around the island so that may be what we want. 

After the lecture we returned to our cabin. The day was beautiful so we were able to sit out on the balcony and catch a few rays. It was hot and sunny, more of what you would expect from this area of the world. We will be in Oahu the day after tomorrow.

Then we decided to order lunch and enjoy it in our room.

During the afternoon Ken actually found a Toronto, Montreal hockey game and that pleased him very much.

As usual we met our table mates for dinner. Lots of laughs and visiting. We are getting to know each other. I am beginning to suspect that I am the baby of the group. Julia said she will be 85 in April and Verna said that she and Gordon have been married for 63 years. In most situations the 80 year old is never the baby.

We enjoyed our meal and then headed for the theatre. Even though we got there at seven for the seven thirty show we could not find a seat . So we are back here waiting to see the Pink Moon. I hope it appears.

Third Full Sea Day, April 11/2025

 We both slept well last evening and we got up early and went to breakfast. Their was a mix up and we were set at a table for 2 instead of a sharing table so that was a bit different.

Next thing was to go to customer service and try to figure out how to get room service. It was explained that if you did not have a plan then room service could involve a charge. If you have a plan no charge at any time. If you did not have a plan you could pay a one time fee of 15.00 to get room service for no delivery charge if you used your app to order and there would be a $5,00 charge if you used your phone to order.So of course I had the lady to show me exactly how it worked to use the app. to order. I paid the fee and with her help placed an order for lunch. It included that wonderful triple layer chocolate cake which is only available  through room service

I stopped to watch the fruit and vegetable carvers and got a few pictures.

I next talked to the lady who was selling the gold chain by the inch. I told her about my locket chain and asked if she thought she could help. She agreed to have a look if I brought the chain to her.  I went up to the stateroom and get the chain and came back to her. She was an absolute sweetheart and she fixed it for me at no charge.

Ken and I went up to deck 14 and looked around. They had nice large towels that we could use on the balcony and we got two. Next I saw a sale and was able to get a nice soft black pashima. I have one at home but I need one for the chilly dining room. Ken got another sun hat. 

While topside I couldn't help but notice the waves in the pool. I tried to get a good picture but this will give you an idea.

I called room service and ordered a change in our bar selections. Changed the gin and vodka and whiskey for brandy. Have to make certain I have enough for our Xmas cakes.

The flowers that we received from Kim are even more glorious today. The lilies are beginning to open.

We watched the naturalist lecture that we missed yesterday. It was about the formation of the Hawaiian islands. Next we shared the sandwich that had been ordered for Room service. Ken enjoyed his chocolate cake.

Then we hurried back to the theater for today's Naturalist lecture.It was titled Turtles, Seals and Surfers. The theater was almost full. She does a good job.

On our way back I stopped to show the young lady my locket proudly back where it belonged and tipped her for all of her help.

I asked Mark our room steward if they still had fruit baskets for the rooms and he said all I had to do was call and it would be delivered. It is grand and I know I will enjoy it.

We took it easy for the afternoon and then got ready for dinner. It was great as usual. I will try to remember to take pictures of the various food item tonight. My friend from Cocco likes to see the food presentations.

Last night we talked about Licorice and tonight Verna surprised me with a bag of her favorite from Australia. I will have to try it today.

The show tonight was a presentation by Michael Minor. He is a vocalist, and a ventriloquist. His show was great, we were glad that we did not skip it. I sat next to a lady who is from Chicago. When I told her we were from BC, her response was "Please don't hate us!" I didn't vote for him, he is so embarrassing, we are a laughing stock... were some of her other comments.

When the show was over we made our way back to the room and called it a night.

During the Captains noon message he said we were almost exactly half way to our first port Honolulu.

So it will be Land Ho in 2 days.