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Glaciers & Volcanoes with Bill & Mary Ann - 25 days on the Eurodam


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Report # 12 Day atSea October 2, 2018 Tuesday Partly cloudy, windy & 56 degrees Part #1 Of 1 2 Pictures

 

 

Well, today begins our 5 day trek towards the Hawaiian Islands. Still too far north for any warmertemperatures, at least we have left the rain and fog of the coast of westernCanada. We’re keeping our fingerscrossed for smooth seas and fair winds.

 

The time has gone by way too fast, especially the Alaskanportion of this voyage for us. So beforethe memory fades, we thought we’d throw out some fun facts about theEurodam. All berths filled (they neverare), she houses 2100 passengers and a friendly crew of 856. There is a total of 1052 staterooms, many ofwhich are veranda cabins. On the seven days we spent on the Alaskacruise, they went through 147,500 pounds of fresh produce. We were responsible for some of thatconsumption, because we love large salads and plates of sliced fruit. The best fruit had to be the pineapple. Oh, and the mixed berries, as we never sawsuch huge blackberries and tasty strawberries, which must have come fromsupplies loaded in Seattle.

 

Thirty-five thousands eggs were served, 1375 gallons of milkdrunk, and a whopping total of 16,800 cans of beer and sodas wereconsumed. The weight of the food,beverages, and food-related supplies came to 350,000 pounds. For seven days, that is quite impressive, wethink. Also worth noting is the factthat the Eurodam scored 100% on the sanitizing inspections for 13 consecutiveinspections. Now that is reallyimpressive. And we thank the person thatsubmitted these facts on a previous thread on Cruise Critic. We’ll report the rest of the numbers in afuture report.

 

New to us, a Voyage planner sheet was given to us at thebeginning of both cruises. Theinformation includes a day-to-day grid of the ports or days at sea and thedining dress of the evening……smart casual or gala. Specialty dinners are listed such as Rudi’sSel de Mer or the Cellar Master Dinner. The performances in the Mainstage orbig screen movies are listed, as well as the special events slated for each dayat sea. Such a nice idea, we hope thisoccurs on the 2019 Grand World Voyagetoo. It can be done for about two weeksin advance, saving so many questions for the front desk staff.

 

Breakfast in the dining room was so much more crowded than whatwe are used to while on the Amsterdam. But then that is to be expected with so many more passengers. We always ask for a table for two, but on theEurodam, we do not have our own saved table every day. Nor do we expect it. So the service can be spotty, depending onhow busy they are. This morning we werelucky to get one cup of coffee with our meal. Usually, there are roaming waiters serving only coffee or juice. Here, the waiters have to do it all. The only exception is the pastry waiter, whoseems to appear every five minutes to keep the folks happy. So far, we have resisted those extracalories.

 

Taking a walk on the promenade deck was invigorating to saythe least. The winds were strong, andchilly, and part of the deck was closed to traffic. Without a heavy jacket, you got really cold,so we did not last too long.

 

There was a one and only Cruise Critic meeting at 11am inthe Tamarind Bar. Greeting us was theleader Bruno. We did not know anyone else, so we helped ourselves to a muchneeded cup of hot coffee and found chairs way at the far end of the room. This bar faces the private cabanas on deck10. At least those who rent those thinkthey are private, but if we chose to, we would have the perfect view of their loungesand table and chair set-up under the tents. We have not seen these advertised for renting, so we’ll have toinvestigate how these work. We think itis strange that some of these options are not advertised like they do the spa,shop, or special dining affairs. Eventhe internet plans are not shared unless you know where to look. The same applies to the photo packages, whichhas gone through a major renovation, and about time.

 

The lunch menu in the dining room has not been posted on theinteractive TV, so we had to go to the entrance and look at the menu printed onthe screen. Among other items, theyoffered a salad, soup, and a mini burger. Instead of the tomato soup, one of us ordered the room service chicken noodle soup. The lunch serve was slow, but we did not haveto be anywhere until 2pm, plenty of time to eat a light lunch.

 

At 2pm, we attend a complimentary sommelier suite wine tastingclass held in the lower dining room. Although it was advertised as a $19.95 per person tasting in the dailynewsletter, we did see wine stewards handing out invites at breakfast thismorning. Not sure anyone gotcharged. The crowd was so large, itoverflowed to the lower tables near the center raised level. There was a new Cellar Master for thiscruise, and for a change, it was a Dutch woman. We have always had male Cellar Masters, so this was a welcome change asshe had a pleasant clear voice.

 

The Hawaii ambassadors launched their lei-making and huladancing classes today. Sure wasentertaining watching the group learning the hula dance….especially the men,who really thought they looked good. Guess it is in the eye of the beholder. Learning to play the ukulele and listening to Hawaiian music will also takeplace daily as we sail towards the islands.

 

During the late afternoon, we took in another episode ofGame of Thrones. Someday, we will haveto watch this from the very beginning so we know the many characters. The series is getting to the point that manyof them have been obliterated in a dozen different devious ways.

 

Once again, we missed the Captain’s welcome aboard toast inthe Mainstage. Hardly worth jamming intothe lounge for a one-time 15 minute toast. Hardly enough time to order a beverage and get it before the toast wasover.

 

Tonight was gala, the third one for us since weboarded. This new group of guests seemto adhere to the suggested dress code, more than the Alaska folks. It was not unusual to see t-shirts andbaseball caps worn in the dining room at dinnertime on that shorter trip. Now we are seeing more suits and glittery clothesfor the ladies. Tonight we had rack oflamb, duck, and a shared plate of ricotta stuffed shells with marinarasauce. One thing we have noticed is thatthe servings have gotten smaller, even more so since we left the Amsterdam lastMay. Not that we are complaining, sinceit is much nicer to leave the table not over-stuffed. Splitting one slice of lemon meringuecheesecake was perfect.

 

After our meal, we took a walk through the shops, mostly toget an idea of how to spend our shipboard credit. Do you know how many times we had to tell thesales people that we are simply looking? If you happen to touch something, such as a watch, they have it out ofthe case, polishing it, and wanting us to try it on. Some people might like this attention. We do not. And most of the nicer watches have no prices on them, so you have toask.

 

Friends Terry and Jackie happened to stroll by and saved theday. They did not hesitate to send thesales guy walking. If we needed help, wewould find him. But thanks anyway. Finally we were able to visit with themwithout interruption. One thing we didnotice is that the merchandise is not close to what was offered on theAmsterdam. Not a lot of high end itemshere.

 

The show tonight was Off The Charts by the singers anddancers of the Eurodam. Been there, donethat on the Alaska run, so we headed back to our room instead. The clocks went back one hour this evening,which is always a welcomed activity for us.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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I always enjoy your posts and pictures thank you for doing this on your trips.

 

Does Eurodam offer the daily activities on the phone app? We had that on Zaandam last July, in Alaska and it came in handy once I started remembering to check it out, haha. I usually put my cell phone in the safe for the majority of the cruise so I had to remember to keep it out with me more often.... which came in handy for snapping some quick pictures I could post easily [emoji846]

 

Sue

http://www.suebees.wordpress.com

 

Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk

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Report # 13 Day atSea October 3, 2018 Wednesday Partly cloudy & 65 degrees

 

Another day at sea proved to be pretty similar toyesterday. Mostly cloudy, but patcheswhere the sun came through was most welcomed. The breeze remained chilly. Perhapsit will take another day of going south before we feel those island breezes.

 

So we have some time to continue the 7 day food consumptionnumbers for the Eurodam. We alwaysthought that the most popular entrees on cruises was the seafood. But according to the figures, we wereincorrect. Meat tops the chart at 11,830pounds eaten. Of course, this applies tobeef, pork, and lamb combined. Poultry,a favorite of ours, comes in next with 3,814 pounds consumed. Seafood would be shellfish and crustaceansand everything that does not include fish. That weighs in at 2,575 pounds. Last, we have fish with 1,875 pounds eaten.

 

Now in the potato department, 7,750 pounds of spuds are themost popular starch, while rice comes in with 3,500 pounds. With the large population of Indonesian crew,we feel that this figure would triple in size.

 

Dairy consumption is 11,475 pounds which must include icecream with 2,505 pounds and butter/margarine with 1675 pounds. This is the first time we have ever seen margarinelisted, as we assumed only butter has been used.

 

Flour usage is 3,150 pounds, but we estimate that figure hasdropped since they have down-sized the portions and the availability of rollsat lunchtime in the dining room. Sugarusage surprised us, since they have listed the pounds at 1,082. With the several offerings of desserts atlunch and dinner, we thought that figure would come in much higher.

 

The only figure we have on fruit is for watermelons, with2,300 pounds of it served. Gosh, we musthave eaten that much with the mixed berries we have enjoyed thus far!

 

On a separate note, the cabin laundry is separated into 500bags ship-wide daily. Not sure, but thismay be your bed sheets and toweling. Bythe way, there are no public laundry rooms on this ship, like we have on shipsin the Amsterdam class. And so far, thepersonal laundry service provided has been outstanding. So much for the numbers.

 

Breakfast in the dining room continued to be almostover-whelming for the staff in there. Patience is the name of the game. And don’t plan on the waiters getting your order right. To be fair, the waiters take your order asyou dictate it, but something happens once that order reaches the kitchenchef. They don’t read it. One egg comes back as two eggs mosttimes. One of the waiters we know, saidjust order two, because the price is the same. Funny. So much for trying to save them food waste. The bad thing is being raised with “cleanyour plate” syndrome, and we have a hard time leaving a lot of food on ourplate. Coffee refill service was muchbetter this morning. We have noticedthat the waiters are never in the same spot every day, like on the Amsterdamworld cruise.

 

The normal day at sea activities filled the day, while wetook a long walk outside. As for us, weare accustomed to walking counterclockwise, which actually follows thedirections printed on the promenade decks of most ships. Not on this one. So, many folks walk the opposite direction,making it dicey in some of the chokepoints around the aft section. Some lounges were set up in the mid- section,but there were few takers, at least so far. There are a few brave passengers coming outside in shorts, hoping forsome heat. Sorry, not yet. One of the activities hit the weather on thehead. It was America’s Test Kitchenclass on lunch for a rainy day – classic grilled cheese sandwiches and steaminghot tomato soup. Sounded good to us.

 

Lunch was once again in the dining room for us. It was every bit as crowded asbreakfast. We could not help butoverhear some comments while in line about the zoo-like atmosphere in the Lido(their words, not ours). Some guests hadbeen rude when they were trying to get breakfast, so they did not want to goback there anytime too soon. Survival ofthe fittest, or the most rude works for some.

 

A sliver of sun was still shining on our veranda, so we tookadvantage of that for a bit. As westated previously, having your own little bit of outside, keeps you homeboundway more than in an outside room. Exceptfor the gentleman next door, who likes to sing partial songs, and the fellow adeck above, who made a minimum of seven phone calls leaving Vancouver, it hasbeen pretty quiet.

 

We did stop by the future cruise consultant’s desktoday. Her name is Sara M, and she wasable to do a price search for a cruise we have already booked a year fromnow. Thinking that there was a chancewith the October specials that the shipboard credit would be increased, we werewrong. It appeared that the pricing wasway better when this trip was first announced. It has gone up, and with the addition of the Explore 4 perk, that keptthe price even higher, we assume.

 

While at the front desk, we asked for a copy of the dailyrates for internet. These plans are goodfor 24 hours at a time and begin with Social – for social websites at$14.99. The next package is Surf – for email,news and sports for $24.99. Finally,there is Premium for emailing and streaming for $29.99. The speed for these can vary, depending onwhere we are located, and also how many people are on it at the same time. We have heard people talking that at times,they were kicked off of their sites, having to log on over and over. The other plans are similar in nature, butare priced according to the number of days in the trip. And it is these plans that the daily megabytesare limited. So far, we are still usingthe complimentary minutes(megabytes) that we received at the beginning of eachcruise.

 

During the first dinner time, we went to the shops to checkout their watches. This time was muchbetter, with more professional sales people. Actually the senior watch guru answered our many questions. With so many nice brands to choose from, we did make a couple of purchases, using someof our shipboard credit. The gratuitiesare covered on this Hawaiian trip, so that put money to spend elsewhere.

 

Dinner for us was in the Tamarind Restaurant. We had 8pm reservations, and found that therewere only a handful of tables occupied tonight. By the time it turned 9pm, we were dining all alone, with the wonderfulwait staff doting on us. We tried somenew items for a change. One of us hadthe Thai chicken soup, which came steaming hot and quite good. Shanghai ribs and a Thai salad were thestarters for one of us. Entrees wereSzchechuan shrimp and coconut chicken were similar in nature (same veggies),but different sauces. Sides of brownrice and sautéed veggies made the meal about complete. Finishers were desserts of coconut puddingand their signature fortune cookie. There is no fortune inside, but instead there is a rich dab of chocolateganache. The tiny scoop of vanilla icecream sort of rounds it out. We’ll needto walk more miles tomorrow to burn those calories.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Thanks Bill and Mary Ann for the great blog! We love your informative blogs and appreciate it that you take us along with you!

 

I love the arctic coats you two wear; can I ask what brand please? We are doing an Alaska cruise next year and were thinking we may need to invest in good waterproof, warm coats.

 

Also, after following you on so many of your trips, I wondered what you do with all of your souvenirs and t-shirts collections? Do you display them?

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Report # 14 Day atSea October 4, 2018 Thursday Partly cloudy & 68 degrees

 

Today is “hump” day, as the Eurodam has sailed about 1000miles towards the Hawaiian Islands. According to Captain John, we have another 1000 miles to go before weare there. The weather has changed,although slightly, we can say it is a little warmer, and more humid. At least the port side promenade deck in themorning has some sun, while the starboard side is about 10 degrees cooler andin the shade. This morning there wereseveral lounges set up with sun-seekers actually sitting on them. We’re still wearing the long jeans, and forus, that is most unusual. If we were athome, we would hold out until late October before the long pants werenecessary.

 

It appears that we have a saved table for breakfast andlunch in the dining room, even though we never requested it. Yes, we ask for a table for two always, butit is nice to have a place at the back window. As long as the ship is not traveling at 22 knots, the ride iscomfortable back there. A good buddy of ours testified that while on a sistership, their coffee cups and saucers literally walked to the edge of the tabledue to extreme vibration. Pretty funny,unless you have a stateroom in that area. During lunch, one of the assistant head waiters came back for avisit. By 1pm, many of the guests were finishedand had filed out of the room, giving him some free time to chat. We inquired about the missing bread basketsand butter on each table. He said thischange came about a month ago, when this went into effect. Of course, you can have the rolls uponrequest. No problem. Anyway, the decision was made to eliminate itdue to the amount of waste. So to followthrough with that thought, we asked why put the bread plates and butter kniveson the tables at lunch? Of course, thenew plates look nice, adding much needed color to the setting, but it is morework for the kitchen workers to wash it all…used or not.

 

Lunch items have gotten interesting since this Hawaii tripbegan. Many new starters and mains haveappeared, even different from the Amsterdam’s cuisine on the recent Panamare-positioning trip last May. We areliking sampling new items for a change. Today’s choice was a grilled romaine salad and diced chickenempanadas. Sweet endings were orangesherbet and a slice of particularly good carrot cake.

 

We needed to take two walks on the promenade deck. Inbetween walks, we did some computer work. One of our jobs today was to check out the pricing on the watches webought yesterday in the shop. We were infor a pleasant surprise when we discovered we had saved over $100 on each piece,just like the sales fellow promised. Even more so with paying no sales tax.Previous experiences on other ships were not as pleasing, as the pricingonboard was inconsistent with the real world. Of course, they do promote a guarantee if youfind it at a better price in the first 30 days after your purchase (orsomething close to that), they will refund the difference in a round-about way. So our faith has been restored onceagain.

 

In addition to the normal items, we found some familiarbrands being sold in the shops. TommyBahama and Chico’s are among the selections. Not in huge numbers, but a limited supply. Every Alaskan-themed t-shirts, hats, andjackets were either sold or shipped elsewhere after we ended the final cruisethere.

 

Walking through the public areas of the ship, we did noticethat the middle pool with the domed roof has been full of folks using thelounges and the pool. As with all of theships with the domes, it can be quite warm and steamy, even if the temperaturesare cool outside. It’s our guess that the majority of the guests come fromCanada, and are really looking forward to the tropical weather in Hawaii. The aft pool has mostly hot tub users, who occasionallytake a quick stroll into the Lido with bathrobes. That’s still not acceptable on any ship, aswe have seen first-hand.

 

We continued with the Game of Thrones series, but made sureit was well after lunch, and not close to dinner. Violence is a big part of the story, andsometimes unpredictable. So far, we havenot navigated through all of the BBC series or the big assortment of moviesyet. But there still is plenty of timeto see some of them.

 

Dinner was back in the dining room, where a row of officerswere lined up in the entryway. Oh no……wasit gala this evening? No, they did thissame greeting on the last cruise, so it is their way of saying hello, we guess. A couple of the officers hosted tables,probably upon request. We sure did notenvy them, since they barely had their entrees when we were totally finished. Pea soup was on the menu tonight, as well aslamb shank and Yankee pot roast. Bothwere very good. Desserts of a fruitplate and one round chocolate éclair was perfect.

 

Mainstage hosted singer, Kirbi Jo Long, a Las Vegas vocalistwho blew the ceiling off with rock & roll, country, jazz, and pop.

 

The clocks went back one more hour tonight, which should bethe last change we have. Hawaii does notobserve daylight savings time, so this time of year, they are only two hoursahead of Pacific time.

 

Two more days at sea, and we will be in Kauai.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report # 15 Day atSea October 5, 2018 Friday Partly cloudy & 72 degrees

 

Today was more or less a rerun of yesterday, except it was abit warmer. It was not unusual to seemore folks wearing shorts while walking on the promenade deck. Thosethat have gotten comfortable in the lounges will need to be careful, becausethe rays of the sun can burn a lot quicker as we head south.

 

We have had a question regarding the photo packageshere. Besides the new computers for infoin the Photo and Video Gallery, we can find no printed flyers promoting theirprices. But we did notice that there isa promotion for a complete package for $299. In addition, you can learn how to make your own personalized metalprints, coasters, desktop panels, and coffee cups and water bottles. On this ship, there is a coffee and craftingcorner, also located in the Photo Gallery. It has a large table with many chairs where a group can learn these newprojects, we assume. For a price, wealso assume.

 

Another inquiry was about the purchase of t-shirts, which,of course, we wear all year. And regardingthe arctic jackets, we found ours at LL Bean and Cabela’s, as they both had a bigselection and we can add, are well made.

 

And thanks for the insight with the margarine that is servedonboard. Should have remembered thatmargarine is non-dairy.

 

Port talks and shopping maps have been the subjects in the Mainstagethe last few days. That gives the guestsa chance to book shore excursions ahead of time. We have done most of them, so don’t plan ontaking any this trip.

 

About the best thing we do is eat. So many new items have popped up, it has beena dining adventure. Good thing theportions are on the small side. Atlunch, we tried a mushroom and cheese quesadilla, and at dinner, we had beef sukiyakiand huli huli chicken. A strange namefor a BBQ sauced chicken breast on macaroni salad. The chefs at HAL have gotten quite creativelately. There has been an ongoingproblem with the temperature of our dinner food. We are among those who like our foodhot. That will never happen when atleast 10 entrees are brought to the waiter’s station, to sit until you areready for that course. Tonight’s foodwas lukewarm at best. But then, we havenot complained, so they don’t know. Thatis one thing that being on longer voyages where certain requests makes adifference. For the last two worldcruises, we have been blessed with the same waiter, who remembers we order ourfood hot-hot-hot. And that is how we getit for 100 days plus. Our entire groupof 8 to 10 enjoys the extra effort.

 

We don’t think that the staff deals with many people in thePresident’s Club. To be more specific,perhaps it is the accounting department that seems to miss the fact that wereceive 10 complimentary Pinnacle dinners each cruise. On the Alaska trip, they got it correct everytime. However, there might have been a changeof personnel in the purser’s office, because we have gotten charges where thereshould be none. And since we “eat out” often, it requires atrip to the front desk every other day. Workingwith the Guest Relations manager or her assistant, is the only route to go. It may take until the following day toresolve mistakes, so it is always best not to wait to correct them.

 

Besides spending a lot of time outside, we also tookadvantage of the sun on our veranda. Relaxingin the quiet scenery might have been possible if it were not for someonelocated near us learning to play a ukulele. Played properly, the ukulele can be fun, but learning is another story. The group lesson was in the BB King’s BluesClub at 4pm….a good place for learners.

 

The Explore 4 promotion is on for the month of October. Or perhaps longer. The good deal there is getting the doubleonboard credit with the future bookings. We had done this on most cruises, although we are not interested in thedrink program. Fifteen beverages eachevery single day is over-kill, at least for us.

 

We do hope it will be warmer tomorrow, since we will be inKauai on Monday. At least we can reportthat the mighty Pacific has been behaving herself with fairly smooth seas andlight winds. This ship is larger thanthe Amsterdam, and seems to handle the swells with less movement.

 

There was a musical journey in the Mainstage of Scottishfolk music delivered by a fellow called Matt Cairns. A talented musician, he played songs fromJohn Denver and the Beatles, among others.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report # 16 Day atSea October 6, 2018 Saturday Partly cloudy & 72 degrees Part #1 Of 1 9 Pictures

 

This was our last full day at sea as we near the state ofHawaii. When Captain James Cook landedin Kauai in 1778, he encountered natives who may have settled this area fromthe Marquesas, part of French Polynesia. At that time, he named the islands the Sandwich Island. At least he and his crew were treated kindlyhere, compared to what he encountered while in the Kona area of the big islandof Hawaii, where he lost his life.

 

King Kamehameha I ruled the islands from 1810 to 1819. Eventually Queen Liliuokalani was overthrownin 1893, and the provisional government was backed by the United States. A most infamous day in history was December7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese, triggering the USparticipation in the Pacific during WWII.

 

By 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state, and abeautiful one at that. Since thatoccurred when we were young, it is something we remember well.

 

By 1983, the Kilauea volcano erupted, and has continued eversince. As recent as this year, theactivity has been most destructive. Hurricane Iniki in 1992 also caused much destruction.

 

Today’s population is about 1,211,537 people, living in anarea of a total of 10,932 square miles. The capital of the state is Honolulu, where the semi-tropicaltemperatures range from the 60’s to the low 90’s with varying humidity.

 

The highest point is Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. It records a height of 13,796 feet. And the excise tax runs from 4 to4.7%.......low compared to what we pay in California.

 

Typical souvenirs are a rich brown monkey pod or koa woodproducts. Bowls, trays, cups, and evensome jewelry are made from this wood. Perfumes, seeds, pink and black coral (rare) are among the best sellers,as well as the macadamia nut products, leis, and ukuleles. Island clothing for the men are the floweredaloha shirts, while mu-mus or sarongs are popular for the ladies.

 

Here is one interesting fact: a compression-related sickness is a conditionbrought on from flying, then scuba diving too soon. Or visa-versa. It is recommended to wait from 12 to 24 hoursbetween each activity to avoid the dangerous condition, as it can be fatal.

 

The morning began with a killer of a sunrise, usuallyindicating that there might be rain sometime today. That was true, even though we seemed to haveavoided big downpours, we could see the horizon had rain clouds surroundingus. At one point during our morningwalk, we think we both saw a flying fish. Now we sort of doubt what we saw, since there were no more to followit. Later in the afternoon, we did seeone lone booby as it flew past our veranda. Funny thing, we only saw one, and saw it only once. Hopefully when we get closer to Kauai, we maysee some dolphins.

 

Lunch was good in the dining room with very, very hot peasoup, upon request. We have discoveredthe secret – ask and you will receive. Perhaps the soup temps are deliberately kept on the tepid side, sounsuspecting folks don’t burn their mouths. We were also told that beginning tomorrow, the dining room for lunchwill be closed for the five days the ship is in port. So many people will be on tours or enjoyingthe island, and there is no need to keep it opened. Of course, the Lido will be available formeals all day long. At least this will givesome of the crew a chance to get off of the ship, and also enjoy the islands.

 

We made another sweep through the shops this morning tocheck out their Majorica pearls that were for sale. They have a limited number of necklaces, sowe figured we would have our choice of several. The one strand of large irregular-shaped multi-colored pearls were aneasy pick, although the clasps came in gold or sterling silver. Matching earrings in the darker shade wouldhave been nice, but there were none that could come close to the white oneswith small diamonds already owned. Actually,upon closer examination, the off-white ones blend quite well with the newstrand.

 

Australian opals, and Tahitian pearls have been unveiled aswell. And there were many interestedladies who were drawn to the shops with a promise of a raffle for freestuff. Last year, we had been giventickets according to how much we had spent there. We had a fistful, but not the winningnumbers.

 

Later in the day, a desk in the Atrium deck one was set upby the port shopping guide. He wasgiving away the upcoming port maps, as well as free Hawaiian charms. You should have seen the line of guests formfor the freebies. Our job for the daywas to turn in the Vancouver debarkation plan. We needed to purchase a transfer from the ship to the airport. Much easier to take HAL’s buses, and evenbetter, it is on their dime using credit on our shipboard account.

 

It was around 4pm that we noticed the bars and lounges werefull of people taking advantage of the buy one, get a second one for $2beverages. This only happens for theearly diners, and those who go to the Crow’s Nest at 9pm. By popular demand, this drink offer was alsoback for the late seating diners on the Amsterdam’s world cruise.

 

Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill, but with the Rudi’sSel de Mer venue. Once again, we sharedthe most delicious loaf of crispy French bread with a tray of toppings andspreads. We always have the ahi tunasalad, except for one of us that has a virgin salad…..no tuna. Steaks cooked to perfection with skinnyFrench fries and a bowl of shared green beans were the entrees. Both of us had the apple tarte tartin with asmall scoop of salted caramel ice cream in the center. A most unique dessert. The pricey meal did not deter the folks,since there were plenty of diners tonight. Service was excellent.

 

The show was a combo of Dan Chopin and Kirbi Jo Long. You got two artists for the price of one. In addition, the clocks went back for onemore hour, the final one on this cruise.

 

Tomorrow we will be in Kauai, and the port of Nawiliwili.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report # 17 Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii October 7, 2018 Sunday Chance of rain & 82 degrees Part 1 of 3 54 Pictures Sun- Rise & Sail- In

 

Every time we have a time change, especially back one hour,one of us wakes up much earlier than normal. It’s like a built-in clock. But that’s how someone was able to capturethe sunrise, which turned out to be another nice one. However, starting the day so early seems tocatch up with us later, like around 8pm dinner time. Look at it this way, about a week ago, 8pmwas really 11pm. Of course, when webegin to lose these hours heading eastbound, we’ll be complaining about thattoo.

 

So, our very first stop in Hawaii was on the garden isle ofKauai. It is the fourth largest of theeight islands, and also the oldest. These days, the island is free from active volcanoes. But it does have the distinction of being thewettest, with up to 460 inches of rain a year, or even more in some areas. And because of all of the waterfalls createdfrom this rainfall, the island is also called the rainbow connection.

 

The population is 65,000 people who reside mainly around thecoastline. Deep in the interior isinaccessible and not suitable for towns. The first successful sugar plantation of Hawaii was in 1865 on thisisland. These days tourism is numberone, followed by sugar, coconut, and coffee plantations. Other crops are papaya and taro, and cattleare raised on gigantic beef ranches in the north.

 

There are numerous beautiful beaches, but only a few aresafe for swimming, snorkeling, or diving. The undertow, riptides, and tricky currents are treacherous, we haveheard.

 

We docked at Pier 2 in the Nawililwili Harbor, which wasshelled on December 7, 1941, causing some significant damage. This port town had a huge bulk sugar plantwith storage facilities. The raw sugarwas shipped to the mainland for refining.

 

There were several tours offered today which included busesor helicopters to see Waimea Canyon, the 10 mile long, 3400 feet deep, and populatedwith some wild goats. It has been calledthe Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Theflight tours ran from $330 to $450 for 2 ½ to 6 hours. Or you could take a bus for a short time orall day from $70 to $170. It is a prettysite if there is no fog. There were two adventureexcursions like snorkeling for $120 or horseback riding for $230. Many movies or TV series have been filmedhere such as South Pacific, Blue Hawaii, or Gilligan’s Island to name afew. Some tours take you to see thelocations where they were filmed.

 

We were in no hurry to get off of the ship afterbreakfast. Since we have taken mosttours, except the horseback riding or helicopter, we were going to stay closeto town and take in lunch. Last year, wewere only here until 2pm, and stayed in Nawiliwili. Today we needed a few items at Walmart, so wewaited for the shuttle that took us directly there. The trouble was there was only one smallshuttle running every ½ hour, and the line was long. So we waited while three types of shuttlestook folks to nearby Kalapaki Beach and Anchor Cove mini mall.

 

The Walmart shuttle was the most popular with the crewmembers. This was the best stop for themsince we left Juneau, which also has a Walmart, we believe. We have never been to this one, since theshuttle always went to the Kukui Grove Shopping Center. There was a transfer to that mall, but wenever saw it. Across the road from thatmall, was Costco and a Kmart, which we were told is no longer there. Walmart would work fine for what we needed.

 

The ride was only 15 minutes at the most, taking us into thetown of Lihue, where about 6455 people live. Besides the older part of downtown, there are many new home developmentsin this area. Even golf courses,suggesting that there probably is a large retirement community on this island.

 

Perhaps because it was a Sunday, Walmart was prettybusy. No wonder, since their prices arereasonable, and this store seemed to have most everything. Someonesaid their chocolate-covered macadamia nuts were $1. a box, not that we werelooking for any. Hawaiian-type clothingwas available for the ladies, men, and the kids too. We found everything we need within 15minutes, and got out to the bus stop in tie for the driver’s return. However, there was a long line again, and wemissed the bus…..no room. And they won’tlet you stand in the aisle. So wewaited, forming a new line, like most considerate folks do. Then one pushy lady moved to the start of theline, and pretended to get chummy with some crew members, who happened to befirst. You can spot the type every time. Make up a dumb question, then stand in themiddle of them. We were certain theywanted to say, “get in line”, but they did not, as she might have reportedthem. And guess who was first on theshuttle?

 

A strange thing happened on our way back to the room. While waiting for the outside elevator ondeck A, an elderly man had stuck his cane between the closing glass doors ofthe elevator. The doors locked onto thecane, and one of the security fellows had to pry the doors open with hishands. That will be the last time weever will attempt to hold an elevator by putting your arm in the gap. Heard some horror stories on that scenario.

 

Back at the ship, we put away our purchases, and found thatwe had had a visit from the room service manager, who delivered our 2 dozenCoke Zeros, replacing our stash from thelast 14 days. Actually it is less, sinceif they kept to the timeline, they would owe us these sodas three days beforewe return to Vancouver. At least now, wecan enjoy them for the next 10 days and not run out.

 

Then we were off for a walk to Anchor Cove and the KalapakiBeach. Yes, we could have taken the freeshuttle, but we like to walk. It’sprobably less than one mile, although it was warm and humid. Despite the forecast of rain, it neverdid. Our final destination was stoppingfor lunch at Duke’s. But now it wasabout 1pm, and the place was crowded. Sowe took a stroll up to the gardens and lobby at the Kauai Marriott Resort,right on the beach. There are ponds andfountains surrounded with plumeria, palms, and fountains. A verypretty spot.

 

While we entered the lobby of the hotel, we saw a lady dropsome money from her pocket. Too far fromus to alert her, we noticed a man bend over and pick it up. We told him who we thought lost it, and hechased after her to give it back. Thatsure restored our faith in many people being honest. Most would have kept it. As it was too far to see the amount, it couldhave been a lot.

 

Then we ducked into the upper level of Duke’s, making ourway to the kiosk at the entrance. That’swhen we found out there was a ½ hour wait for lunch. Handed a buzzer, we took another short walkto take photos of the resort grounds. Still we had a wait of 40 minutes, before we were seated. Finally, we ordered two Longboard beers, one Caesarsalad, and one crispy chicken BLT with fries to share. All was good, and worth the wait. However, we were really here for the Hula Pie,a dessert made famous here we heard. Similar to our mud pie, it is made with macadamia nut ice cream,drizzled with chocolate sauce, and covered with whipped cream. Diet, it is not.

 

On our way back to the ship, we strolled through Anchor Coveand the shops. There was one or twotables set up outside, where two nice ladies were selling hand-madejewelry. Something we have not seenbefore. It was necklaces and earringsmade with sea glass. Now we think thestory about the glass is that it was once discarded bottles that ended up inthe ocean. Broken and rolled for yearsin the sand and waves, it became smooth, and rock-like. But colorful, due to the different colors ofsoda or beers bottles. Made intojewelry, it is really attractive, but inexpensive. Not intending to buy anything on this trip, amatching set was purchased.

 

We cooled off in our room, working on the few photos thatwere taken today. Relaxing on theveranda was also nice. By now, the skieshad clouded up, and we would have sworn rain was coming. Never did. All aboard time was 5:30pm, but the gangwaywas still in place well after that. Seemsthat a group of eight were late in returning. We saw them coming complete with golf clubs. It was not a ship tour, so they were luckythe Captain waited for them. Once theyboarded, the fellows pulled in the gangway, and we were off and running.

 

There was a BonVoyage sail away event at the Seaview Pool, but we never made it there. It was more fun watching the tugboat captain maneuverthe tug right below our room. Beforedinner, we had time to watch most of the cutest movie, Coco, a Pixar flic. Dinner time came around fast. So we finished the movie later. Dinner was two salads, one prime rib, and onemacadamia-crusted chicken breast. Bothgood. Desserts were light – one strawberryyogurt, and one “almost” strawberry shortcake, since there was only onestrawberry in it. Our assistant waiterbrought a dish of vanilla ice cream to help out.

 

Tomorrow we shall be in Honolulu and will stay over-night. We have special plans, meeting friends fordinner. Should be fun….it always is.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Great pictures.

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