North to Alaska - South to Hawaii & Tahiti with Bill & Mary Ann - 42 days - Statendam

[Rowsby]

There is a Long's Drugs at the Ala Moana Shopping Center...

In case you are interested....they have one hour photo processing that is truly one hour....:)

Edited October 6, 2014 by Rowsby

[tjcox9]

Sure sounds like the Randall we had on the Ryndam earlier this year on our 27 day voyage. Excellent HD - very personable and upfront about HAL, a really pleasant trip we had with him. We'll be on the Ryndam again this fall and are glad your have him on the Statendam, but are sorry he won't be our HD.

 

He'll probably not recall us, but if you encounter him again, say hi from the Sinatras!! And he'll never forget the shuttle experience in Bilbao, I'm sure! ;)

[WCB]

Report # 16 Sailing Towards Hawaii October 5, 2014 Sunday Sunny & 72 degrees

 

The biggest job we had today was turning in our passports for the French Polynesian Immigrations officials to inspect before we get there. They handle it differently here, compared to the Amsterdam. Each deck of staterooms was given an assigned time to visit the guest relations manager on the lower promenade deck, beginning at 8:30am. That happened to be our time. However, we slept late, and went to breakfast before the dining room closed. That was OK, because we could go later, after 4pm, and turn them in then.

 

The weather was pretty nice today, with scattered clouds, but lots of sun. If you found a spot in the sheltered sun, it could get warm. However, we did go in search of lounges at the aft pool, and could find none that were not occupied or saved. It's the saved ones that drive us crazy. Granted, there is a printed sign near the pool bar stating that no personal items can be left unattended for over 30 minutes, or they will be removed. We have seldom seen this in action. But we have witnessed other unhappy guests disposing of the violator's stuff.....right in a garbage can. Of course, we would never do that, because eventually, you do find seating somewhere.

 

That somewhere for us ended up being on deck 14 forward. There were only three people up there, and besides the noise from the ship, it was quiet up there. Good place to read and snooze. Tomorrow, if the weather is better, we will get to the aft pool earlier and stake our own corner. It stayed fairly warm, until the cloud cover took the warmth away. Good time to leave and figure out something for lunch.

 

Today we tried something from the Dive In grill by the Lido pool. One plain cheeseburger and a plain hotdog with some fries. This is handled differently here too. You place the order with the waiter, then you are handed a beeper. Even though there was no one else in line, the wait was long. Perhaps the fries had to be cooked fresh. Taking the try down to our room, we ate while watching a dumb movie. The food was all right, but it is not our favorite. The fries are heavy with oil, because they are double-dipped in something. Truthfully, the best cheeseburgers are the ones you get through room service.

 

Tonight was the first formal of the trip. The cruise director announced twice during the day that if you wanted to avoid waiting in line for dinner in the lower Rotterdam Dining Room, don't come between 5:30 and 7:30pm without reservations. This was referring to the open seating dining. Guess it has not been working so well, with too many people coming at once. That's why we still prefer the assigned dining times. We never have to wait. Anyway, to add to that message, he requested that all the gentlemen were required to wear a long sleeve shirt and jacket. No flowered short sleeve Hawaiian shirts were allowed in the dining room this evening. We are certain that the dress code would be enforced tonight.

 

After dinner, there was a champagne reception before the evening show. It was for the Captain's welcome toast, a whole 15 minute welcome. Afterwards, the entertainers, Tribute, put on a show reminiscent of the Temptations. We heard their practice session today, and they sounded good.

 

Dinner was good, but the menu was not outstandingly formal. There was lobster, but not surf and turf. We noticed that the chairs were not covered in white. Our waiter said they only do that on the very last formal of a cruise. Saves them a whole lot of extra work.

 

The clocks went back one more hour tonight.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[thetexasaggiecruiser]

I looked at this itinerary for 2015, so it's great to read this thread to see how it goes. I hope the rest of your cruise goes well and thank you for the travelogue. Such a pleasure to read.

[WCB]

Report # 17 Sailing Towards Hawaii October 6, 2014 Monday Partly sunny & 72 degrees

 

Another full day at sea brought fish and flotsum with it. By fish, we mean flying fish. Not a whole lot of them, but a start anyway. Some were tiny, but a few were large enough to see them fly several yards away from the ship. By flotsum, we mean that we saw sea garbage floating every now and then. Where this stuff comes from, is a mystery. Guess the currents can carry anything that floats from thousands of miles away. So theoretically, it can come from South and Central America, as well as Asia. Storms are more than likely the culprit.

 

Everything Hawaiian was happening around the ship today. Learning how to play the ukelele, island-style cooking, dancing the hula, and listening to Hawaiian music were among the things to do.

 

One guest speaker continued his talk about Pacific escapades and escapes. The other lecturer gave a talk about the upcoming lunar eclipse, which should happen tomorrow.. If conditions are right, it is possible that the eclipse will be visable from the ship. Not sure what time though.

 

We watched a movie after some pooltime at the aft pool. Finally found two lounges empty. The movie was a rerun we have seen bits and parts of on previous trips, 47 Ronin. But it was good to see it from beginning to end. Last night we saw a Jack Ryan movie, also previously viewed, but good enough to watch again.

 

Lunch was room service burger and club sandwich. It arrived within 15 minutes and was completely what we had ordered. Usually it is always missing something, but today it came complete with flowers.

 

We tried to keep dinner light with the entrees of carne asada, a Mexican dish of sliced steak, salsa, guacamole, and rice with beans. Pork piccata was good because it came with spaghetti with heaps of marinara sauce on it. Well, not exactly light, but very delicious. Our tablemates were not too thrilled with the entertainment last night. The singing group, Tribute, sang tunes of the Temptations, but our friends only stayed for half of the show. Tonight's performer is a pianist, Hyperion Knight, who we remember from other cruises. Seem to recall the folks liked his show, especially those who prefer classical music.

 

The clocks went back again one hour this evening. Boy, that sure makes the crew happy. Us too.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 18 Sailing Towards Hawaii October 7, 2014 Tuesday Partly sunny & 75 degrees

 

The weather has begun to feel a lot more tropical everyday we head southwest. Gone is the chill in the breeze, replaced with a hint of humidity. We know there is more of that to come. It appears that along with the increase in the heat, there have been problems with the air conditioning on the ship.

 

A funny thing happened at breakfast in the dining room. We ordered waffles with syrup. Except the syrup was not maple syrup. Someone should have warned us that they had run out of regular maple syrup, and decided to concoct something close to it. The problem was that once you poured this stuff all over the waffles, it was too late. They were contaminated. We asked the waiter what this syrup was, and he went to the kitchen to find out. They had mixed molasses with Karo syrup and mixed in apple spices. No hint of maple flavor at all. Our waiter suggested next time we ask for sugar free syrup, the closest thing they have to the real stuff. He did offer to replace the entrees, but we were near full anyway.

 

When this trip began for us in Alaska, we had trouble keeping our room comfortable enough. It was always getting colder, enough so, that we had to constantly keep the heat up on the room's thermostat. Eventually it got better. However, this morning, we noticed it was terribly hot in our room. During the night, we had turned the temperature down as far as it would go. The room had heated up to 80 degrees by the late afternoon. So we called the front office, reported it, and in 5 minutes, someone was knocking on our door. One of the front desk girls had come up with a thermometer, which she used to check the temps of our air return in the ceiling. She also mentioned that they were all dying of the heat at the front desk, so the problem was not ours alone. It must have been the entire section of this part of the ship. Within minutes, a fellow came in and opened up the ceiling, where he adjusted the air flow. It did feel better, but it never did lower the temperature much lower than 75 degrees. Good thing we still have two tower fans that can circulate the air in the room. Hope it gets resolved before we hit the really hot weather.

 

Today was more like a regular day at sea for us. By noontime, we located two lounges at the aft pool, and held our position for a few hours. There was some entertainment back there today, when the hula lesson group re-located from the Lido pool. Two Hawaiian gals, Kolea and Kapua, instructed many ladies in the fine art of Hawaiian dance. Far from perfect, the gals had a good time learning the moves. Let's just say it is something that takes a whole lot of practice.

 

We noticed a pattern with the surrounding sunbathers. Two by two, they leave their stuff and disappear for an hour or two. Not one staff member ever questions these folks for leaving their things for more than 30 minutes. In fact, some folks had left for two hours, came back, then picked up their towels and stuff and left the area. One fellow, who could not get a lounge, set up his towel on the floor near us, and sat there with his book. By then, we were ready to leave, and gladly left our chairs for him.

 

Grabbing a couple of thinly-sliced roast beef sandwiches in the Lido sandwich bar, we munched on lunch in our room, while watching The Family, a movie with DeNiro. We have seen most of it before, but never the end. That's usually the case when the movies begin at 10pm at night.

 

Missed the sun set tonight, but we think with the cover of clouds, there was not a good one. Dinnertime found all of us there. Choices were few, but the best were the lamb chops and the vegetarian Chinese noodles. Last night, Maggie, our single gal from England, mentioned there may be a lunar eclipse viewing from deck 14 tonight. However, there was no mention of this event at all in the daily newsletter, so it may not be visible with the clouds. We watched another movie, The Monuments Men, another good World War 2 movie. This time we stayed awake, because for three nights in a row, we have gained an hour back on the clock. Takes time to adjust to that for sure.

 

One more day at sea, and we should reach Hawaii.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Cruisung Lady]

Good morning

 

We are doing the 30 day holiday cruise this December to Hawaii and Tahiti and are really enjoying your posts. Look forward everyday to read about your adventures. Keep them coming.

[WCB]

Report # 19 Sailing Towards Hawaii October 8, 2014 Wednesday Partly sunny & 79 degrees

 

What a nice day we had, once again, as we near the island of Hawaii. The weather and the seas have been co-operating nicely all the way since San Diego. Wish we could say the same for the internet. Ever since leaving the west coast, we have had nothing but problems sending and receiving emails, and even staying online. We sure hope that this gets resolved when we get to Hawaii. To be fair, we have gotten credit for lost minutes over the last five days, so we do know the problem is not with our computer.

 

The Rotterdam dining room has been busy every morning. This is probably due to the fact that we are at sea with no place to go. Also, the food and service is great for breakfast, and the word has gotten out to more folks.

 

It sure has warmed up outside. About every teak lounge had a reclining guest on both sides of the ship. They are armed with books, newspapers, IPads, or computers. Or many are just plain snoozing. That's what it's all about....relaxation.

 

The usual activities continued with the two guest speakers delivering their speeches in the am and pm. Our location guide Alanna gave a talk on our next few ports of call in Hawaii. Dance lessons continue with teachers Eleonora and Frank with basic tango. But team trivia at 1 pm seems to be the most popular pastime so far.

 

There was a notice posted in the daily newslatter regarding one of our upcoming ports of Fanning Island in Kiribati. Guests like to leave donations for humanitarian aid there. For that reason, they set up a donation station on the Lido deck to do so. Their most requested products are educational materials, school supplies, sporting equipment, as well as used or new clothing, healthcare and medical supplies. The few things that we were asked not to bring were candy and items made of plastic or wrapped in plastic or non-biodegradable items. Another form of donation is purchasing their handicrafts. Last year, we picked up handmade seashell jewelry and decorative knives made with shark teeth. The natives offered a short island tour in open bed trucks for a mere $10. This way you know the money goes directly to the folks that live there. Now all we can hope is that we are able to tender there. With fluctuating tides, you never know if the conditions are right for a landing.

 

After some serious sunning at the aft pool, with a dip in the 95 degree water in the pool, we ate Lido sandwiches in our room while watching a good old movie, The Astronaut Farmer. Later on, we watched For Your Eyes Only, a very old Bond movie, which we have seen, but do not remember much of it. Pretty corny compared to the newer Bond movies. We still prefer Sean Connery, the original Bond, and the best.

 

Dinner was good, but we found some items a bit over-salted. Like the pistou bean soup. We ordered it a few weeks ago, and found it quite good, But tonight, it was way too salty. Mary also agreed with us, since she could not eat it. One of us had the wienerschnitzel dish, and found the breading to be too salty. We hate to complain, but informing our waiter is the best way for the cooks to know when someone has been heavy-handed with the salt. Less is more. You can always add more, but cannot take out the excess.

 

Did we mention that the airconditioning has been sporatic? It took all day, but our room has finally gotten below the 80 degree mark, and is in the low 70's. When we went to the dining room for dinner on deck 8, it was downright chilly. Perhaps sailing into a warmer and more humid climate presents a problem with cool air distribution. So far, every time we inquire about something, it has been addressed immediately, which is nice.

 

Looking forward to Hilo tomorrow. Even though we did not book a tour, we are sure to find many things to keep us on the go all day.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 20 Hilo, Hawaii October 9, 2014 Thursday Sunny & 80 degrees

 

The Statendam finally arrived to the port of Hilo, Hawaii early this morning. The Hawaiian Team onboard performed a special welcome chant and hula on the bow around 7am. Way too early for us, we missed it. And since we did not book a tour, or get off of the ship before 9am, we also missed the fresh leis that were being handed out at the gangway. Kind of been there, done that a few times.

 

Here are a few facts about Hawaii. The island of Hawaii is about twice the size of all of the 5 major islands put together. The entire population of this island is 148,000 people, with 43,263 of them living in Hilo. Hawaii is 4,038 square miles of oranges, papayas, avocados, macadamia nut orchards. Other big industries are the raising of cattle and orchids. Coffee plantations are also numerous, but more so on the Kona side of the island.

 

Hawaii rises to 32,000 feet from the ocean floor to the apex of Mauna Kea, making it the tallest mountain mass in the world. The biggest attraction to this island is Kilauea, the world's most active volcano. It is located only 30 miles from Hilo, and can be visited by bus, 4 wheel drive vehicles, and by helicopter. And due to the large amount of rainfall here, there are some pretty spectacular waterfalls.

 

We have been very lucky to have experienced most all that this island has to offer on several past trips. Today we were happy to catch the free bus that took us and half of the crew members to Walmart. Well, not only Walmart, but the Prince Kuhuio Mall, Hilo Hatties, and some major stores. We even discovered by walking up the street, that a Target, Safeway, and a huge Home Depot were around the corner. Guess these stores do not contribute to the two buses that shuttled us here, so the driver never mentioned they were so close by. We were hoping to find some new restaurants in this area, but there were none. Particularly, a pizza place. No luck today.

 

We do know there is a great restaurant in the old part of downtown Hilo, but there was not a shuttle running there after noontime. And not knowing how the taxi service operates, we chose not to go in that part of town.

 

Even though the Captain had mentioned yesterday that there may be showers today, it sure did not appear that way this morning. It was darn hot out and humid, with little or no breeze. We took a chance and left the ship without umbrellas, and made a good choice. It never rained until after we left the harbor, and even then, it was extremely light. There were two buses running....one to Hilo Hatties and one to Walmart. We had about a 20 minute wait for the bus, which was fine. We were in no hurry. After walking through all the stores and the mall, we ended up at Walmart and shopped for some room supplies. Little snacks. One thing we would not buy was wine. There was a warning in the newsletter that each passenger was allowed to bring on one 750ml bottle of champagne or wine. However, it would be subject to an $18. corkage fee, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed. If you chose to have them hold it until the end of the cruise, then they would do that with no charge.

 

On our ride back towards the pier, the bus driver announced that we would all need to produce our keycard and a government issued ID with a photo on it. We were told this in the daily newsletter, as well as reminded by Rick several times this morning, well before we were cleared to go ashore. So here we were, with the security guard getting on the bus at the gate, checking everyone's card and ID. Several folks had no picture ID with them. Their names went on a list, and we don't know what happened from there. Then once off the bus, we had to go through security again and also the xray check. Do you know how many people stuck their ID's away where they could not find them? It backed up the line 10 deep in each lane. This was also the point where the bottles of wine were taken for the surcharge. People were not happy campers about that, because more than likely, the wine cost less than the corkage fee.

 

Lunch in the dining room would have been nice, but they were closed today, as they are in many ports. Sometimes, the Pinnacle Grill is opened for a $10. lunch, but not always. So we paid a visit to the sandwich bar, where we were swiftly waited on. Good time to try out the flavors of ice cream in a fresh waffle cone too.

 

A movie was starting at 4pm, so we went back to the coolness of our room to watch it. The Hunger Games - Catching Fire was the movie, and it was as good as the first movie. Since we were leaving around 6pm, we left the movie before the end, and went to deck 12 to the sailaway. Lucky we did, because we caught the last remnants of a big rainbow high in the darkened sky. Even though no rain was falling on the ship, it was up high. The sun set shortly after 6pm, and darkness settled quickly.

 

Dinner time came fast as always. There was a particularly good entree tonight of sweet and sour pork, and most all of us had decided to order it. Even our waiter highly recommended it. What a disappointment it was to all of us, when we saw they had substituted a catsup concoction for the pineapple part of the dish. It turned out to be sour and sour pork instead. We all asked our waiter what happened, and he said they must have run out of pineapple. Wish we had known beforehand, and for sure, we all would have ordered the prime rib or anything else. Our tablemate, Rodger, a man a few words, but an avid listener, said he would order the coconut ice cream to make up for the pork fiasco. Guess what? They ran out of coconut ice cream too. Some days just go that way. No, we won't starve, but asked to be warned if there are substitutes from now on. Hate to see so much food wasted.

 

Caught up with the end of the Hunger Games by midnight, then called it a night.

 

Tomorrow, we will wake up in the bay outside Lahaina, Maui. Looking forward to another day on shore.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS By the way, the internet was never fixed as far as we could tell. Still not working correctly............so frustrating............

[rkacruiser]

Hilo was the most unfriendly port I have visited when the time came to re-embark the ship. The port security is, as WCB has stated, in overkill: twice being checked even before boarding the ship where the routine screening is done. And, the security people are not nice. I almost had my camera confiscated because I took a picture of the Oosterdam docked at an adjoining pier as I walked towards the Volendam. And, by the way, don't you dare stray from the marked path on the ground! Just simply ridiculous! When the Statendam visits Hilo in 2015, I doubt that I will leave the ship!

 

Hard to believe near the start of the cruise that they are running out of items. Sailing next year on the Statendam's final voyage, I hope that the store rooms still have adequate supplies in them for the 30 days voyage.

[cruz chic]

It amazes me how some pax are unable to follow simple rules. How hard is it to have picture I'd and your card key ready? I'm always amazed how people struggle with it. I guess they don't get out much. Thx for the update.

[WCB]

Report # 21 Lahaina, Maui October 10, 2014 Friday Sunny & 79 degrees

 

Maui, our port of call for today, is an island of 145,000 people, with Lahaina claiming 11,704 of them. Some say that this town is touristy tacky, but if you look beyond all the souvenier shops and boutiques, you can find a place full of history. This area is where royalty lived, later followed by the whalers, and plantation growers.

 

Haleakala, a sleeping volcano, rises over 10,000 feet and it is paradise for hikers and bikers. Another favorite passtime here are the water sports. They include sailing, kayaking, snorkeling, diving, surfing, and beaches to die for. And you would need a week to do it all.

 

We used our 5 star Mariner perk of joining the tenderboat line without having to procure tender tickets in the Wajang Theater. This works quite easily on these shorter trips, because there are few of us onboard with the four or better star status. This does not always happen on the Grand Voyages, because just about everyone has multiple stars.

 

So we went off the ship around 9:30am, boarded the tenderboat, and were on shore in 10 minutes. Despite the fog hugging the mountains in the distance, it was going to be a hot day down here in Lahaina. The name of Lahaina actually means "cruel sun". Good thing there are many trees in the downtown area, because they provide the necessary shade to keep the locals and tourists cool. One such tree is a banyan, planted in the 1800's. It spead out, rooting in many spots, and eventually reached a circumference of 1/4 mile around the drip line of the tree. It covers 2/3rds of an acre, and is the largest specimen of a banyan in the USA. Pretty neat.

 

Taking a left turn, past the free buses to Whaler's Village or Hilo Hatties, we headed towards a nice stretch of beach in the older part of town. Some of the smaller hotels and private homes line this beach, which is public. It is also the spot where want-to-be surfers and kayakers learn to paddle and surf. Locals use this beach to fish, but we did not see any fish today like we usually do. Most of all of the snorkeling is done north of here in the Kaanapali area where the major expensive hotels and resorts line the scenic shore. We must have walked about a mile, before we turned around and went back. The tide was coming in rapidly, and there was only a small strip of beach left.

 

Back in town, we continued to walk Front Street, filled with small boutiques and restaurants. There were at least two ABC stores, where you can find most anything you may need for reasonable prices. Even the t-shirts are priced right. Today we needed nothing, so we continued on past the shops to the seaside walkway. We were hit with the most wonderful sea breeze. Good place to stop and watch the action in the bay. These waters can be teeming with humpback whales and their calves, but only from December through April. Visiting once in March, we remember watching from where the ship was anchored. We were surrounded with whales right alongside the ship. All of the whale watching boat tours were right under our veranda. Even though, it was mentioned in our newsletter to keep an eye out for whale spouting, we doubted we would see any.

 

Our destination was the Hard Rock Cafe, located a bit away from the hustle and bustle of the downtown area. They always have their windows wide open, to take advantage of the breeze. We were not starving, so we split a chicken chopped salad with lots of soda. In this heat, you have to stay hydrated. They were having a "fire" sale of older memorabilia from HRC, and were donating the proceeds to a local charity. We could have picked up older city t-shirts (slightly stained) for $2. The problem was there were only odd sizes left. One good buy was a sun visor from a local parasailing company. You cannot beat $2.

 

We walked around the newly-completed Outlet Mall, full of highend outlet shops. It was not too busy yet, but we suspect this would be a place the crew would like. Most of the crew stayed onboard today, because tendering ashore takes most of their time. Bet they will save their leave for Honolulu, where we will be overnighting.

 

On the way back to town, we stopped in an ice cream/shave ice store. Sharing a vanilla ice cream shave ice was perfect. We had intended on sitting under the banyan tree, but there were a few strange locals hanging out there. Perhaps there is a shelter or food kitchen nearby, attracting the self-proclaimed preachers who insist the end of the world is near.

 

Time to go back. All of the security check is on shore here. No xray, but all hand checking by local officials. The ride back was smooth.

 

All onboard time was 5:30pm, so we headed to the aft pool to take photos of the sailaway. It did not happen. A tenderboat was sent back to the pier around 6pm, and we figured either someone arrived late, or there was a medical situation. Turned out to be a medical evacuation, and the ship did not leave until well after 7pm.

 

Luckily, everyone at our table was present and accounted for. Dinner was better tonight, because most of us are being cautious about what we order. However, two of our group sent their dinners back....not up to their expectations. Hate to do that, but why eat something that you do not like? We all did that the sweet and sour pork night, and said never again.

 

Looking forward to two days in Honolulu.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 22 Honolulu, Oahu October 11, 2014 Saturday Sunny & 83 degrees

 

First things first - Happy Birthday to our sweet granddaughter, Melanie, who turned a big 4 years old today!!

 

Our last port of the Hawaiian Islands for today and tomorrow is Honolulu, Oahu. It happens to be the capital of the state, although it is not one of the biggest islands. Oahu is 597 square miles and has a population of 371,657 people. Locals consist of Polynesians, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and a mix of Europeans. Many of these folks were brought here to work in the sugar and pineapple plantations. Many generations later, these folks make up the booming metropolis we see today.

 

What makes this island special is the fact that it has very deep harbors. Millions of tons of freight pass into these harbors. One of the most famous harbors is Pearl Harbor. It is a major military hub, and employs thousands of locals belonging to the five branches of military service. The second biggest industry is tourism.

 

There has to be at least 1001 things to do and see in Honolulu. We can safely say we have done around 999 of them. So today, feeling the need to get in some quality walking, we set off from Pier 10 at the Aloha Tower Marketplace to Waikiki Beach and beyond. Or should we say, what is left of the Marketplace. The only businesses open are Gordon Biersch Brewery, Hooters, and the Star of Honolulu, a 1500 passenger ship that offers dinner cruises and whale watching day trips. The rest of the place is boarded up and under construction.

 

We walked until we dropped, which is better than shopping til you drop. Taking our sweet time, we stopped to watch the tropical fish that are near the Star of Honolulu. There is an unexpected bed of coral where these brightly-colored fish feed during high tide. The water is remarkably clear.

 

Continuing on, we walked the length of Ala Moana Beach Park, a 76 acre park that includes a reef-protected beach. There are lifeguards, tennis courts, and shaded picnic areas. And the best part is that it is free. There is one downside however. Along the perimeters are many homeless folks of all ages living in tents with sleeping bags. Seems like every year we walk this stretch, there are more and more tents popping up. During the daylight hours, it appeared that most all the residents prefer to sleep. Bet it is a different story at night, when they stay up to protect their belongings.

 

One plus about walking this area are the bird sightings. You can see a variety of pigeons, doves, finches, egrets, and herons. The largest is the night heron, a bird that feeds on small fish, lizards, snakes, and crustaceans. Even though there is a fine for feeding birds in the park (in particular the pigeons), it is obvious people still feed them. It is not uncommon to have these herons approach you looking for hand-outs.

 

We arrived to the Ala Moana Center, a modern mall with over 260 stores, restaurants, and boutiques. They have incorporated fountains, gardens, and koi ponds within this mall. And this place was also under construction. It appears that a multi-level parking structure is being added at the far end. Just what Honolulu needs.......more traffic. We will walk this mall tomorrow.

 

Waikiki was our next destination, passing through the Hawaiian Hilton compex. Last year, this hotel was undergoing renovations, and it appears it is finally done. Gone are the resident penguins that attracted some attention. Some things do not belong in Hawaii, and penguins are among them. Way too warm. A sign said that most of the penguins had died, living out their lifespans over the years. The remaining survivors have been shipped to a zoo in Boston. Also missing were the flamingoes that were in one of the ponds. At least the large koi carp were still in the meandering creeks.

 

Accessing the 2 mile Waikiki Beach is easy here. You could sit here and watch the activity of the tourists all day. But it is impossible, because there is little shade and the sun is unrelenting. It is fun watching the surfers, beach combers, sun bathers, joggers (crazy in this heat), and little kids getting buried in the sand. A few restaurants facing the surf have added bird netting to keep the pigeons out of the eating area. Great idea.

 

We had not planned on swimming today, so spent a small amount of time in the hot sun. Getting something cold to drink was number one on our minds. So we headed off in search of the Hard Rock Cafe. By now, it was nearing 1pm, and even though we had not intended to eat any food, we could not resist sharing an appetizer of Tupelo chicken tenders. They are to die for. A couple of beers later, we were ready to go, but not before purchasing a new HRC t-shirt.

 

Backtracking, we stopped at the US Army Museum of Hawaii. Every time we are here, it has been closed. So we made a swoop through it, and found it quite interesting. The entire story of the role of the army in the South Pacific is laid out quite well, along with weapons of the time. very interesting, and also very cool with air-conditioning.

 

Taking our time walking back, we stopped at the Outback, a restaurant where we had a gift card. We split a hamburger, but found the fries to be lacking. The ice cold sodas with a slice of lime really hit the spot. You can never drink enough in this climate.

 

By the time we got back to the ship, it was 5:30pm. It took a few hours to download photos and cool off in our room. Tonight they were having a deck BBQ, and we knew two of our tablemates were on an HAL luau tour. Both ladies also booked a private luau, so it was just four of us. And it was nice to be able to visit with Rita and Rodger without interruption. We chose the veal chop entree, and were pleasantly surprised. They were perfect....tender, juicy, and seasoned just right.

 

A one show at 9:30pm was happening in the showlounge, the Drums of Polynesia. We were really tired, so passed on it.

 

Upon arriving to the dining room, Donny, the manager, handed us an invite to the Hotel Director's table for Monday evening, starting with cocktails in the Explorers Lounge. That should be interesting, and we feel honored to be included.

 

Tomorrow is a shorter day in Honolulu, with all aboard time at 3:30pm. Seems that another walk will be in order.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Oahucruiser]

Watched you arrive yesterday from our lanai and will watch the departure today at 4:00. Love reading your very interesting daily dispatches. Aloha!

[NMLady]

Reading about your walk from the ship to Ala Moana shopping Center brought back memories of my days in those areas many years ago when I spent a week on Oahu.

 

Sad to hear the Tower of Aloha area is mostly boarded up for construction. We spent a lovely port day there on our HAL Hawaii cruise.

 

Thank you for always generously sharing your adventures.

[WCB]

Report # 23 Honolulu, Oahu October 12, 2014 Sunday Day Two Sunny & 82 degrees

 

Our second day in Honolulu was a much shorter one. All onboard time was 3:30pm, so that would limit how far we would venture today. And from the looks of it, today was going to be another hot day in paradise.

 

We had a bear of a time trying to finish typing yesterday's report. Last night at around 11pm, we got the dreaded "blue screen", which erased the text and sent it to la-la land. Or someplace it could not be found. There is nothing so frustrating, especially when one is not even online. It was easier to catch up to the point where it was lost, then call it a night. If it happened a second time, the computer may go flying out the window.......

 

Since we did not stop at Ala Moana Center yesterday, we decided to go there today. Taking the same route we took Saturday morning, we walked through the park once again. Much to our surprise, we did not see the numbers of birds we saw in the park yesterday. There was not one night heron to be seen. And few egrets. Perhaps they take Sundays off? Just kidding......

 

The mall was really crowded today with many families. We learned that the local kids have been off of school the last week for their fall break. A cool day at the air-conditioned mall would be a great way to end their mini-vacation. This center has four levels of shopping, anchored by Macys, Sears, Nordstroms, and Neiman Marcus. The lowest level is at the street entrance, and is mainly the kid area. There is even a center stage where three kids were performing the art of hula dance and story telling.

 

Being that there was so much activity today, we made the decision to go to lunch first. We belong to Landry's Club, and had earned a free lunch for the month of October. Our only chance to use this was today at Bubba Gumps, a member of Landrys. By the time we navigated our way up escalators, we got in back of a line of about 20 people in a group waiting to be seated. Lucky for us, the greeter moved us up to the front, and seated us first. There were more tables for two than for twenty. We ordered hamburgers and they were really, really good. Better than yesterday, we think. And the ice cold sodas with a slice of lime cooled us off. By the time we were done, there was a line outside every restaurant on level four. Other places we have eaten here are Ruby Tuesdays, California Pizza Kitchen, and Islands Fine Burgers.

 

Since we did not need anything, we did not have to window shop. On the way back, we stopped at the Ward Centers, a Honolulu hallmark. There are six buildings spread out across several blocks that house 100 specialty shops and restaurants. When you walk on Ala Moana Blvd, you only see the back of these stores. We discovered last year that going up one block, you entered the front of the stores and the buildings that house them. It must be the older style of malls, and was built well before the newer Ala Moana Center. It still attracts a lot of folks with stores like Nordstroms Rack, TJMaxx, Pier One Imports, and Sports Authority for instance.

 

All onboard time was approaching rapidly, so we headed back to the ship, after making a quick walk down to Gordon Biersch. Would have been nice to relax with a few local beers, but there was not enough time. Honestly, it was nice to get back to our room and drink a gallon of ice water while working on scores of photos.

 

We left the harbor late, because they were missing about three passengers. Probably not missing, but possibly their keycards did not register when they boarded. In this case, they announced the names and room numbers, and instructed these folks to call the front desk girls or guys.

 

The sailaway was quick once the ship turned around and headed straight out to sea. The Aloha Tower, built in 1926, got smaller and smaller the further out we got. This tower was the tallest building in Honolulu for many years. Back in those days, the sailing ships and steamers were greeted by the locals at this tower. The connecting marketplace is closed right now, due to construction. Perhaps by next year, the 70 shops will have been remodeled and open again for business.

 

As we left the harbor and the beaches and highrises behind, the waters became a bit rough with deep swells. The wind picked up and it almost became chilly, welcomed by most of the passengers. We are now heading south towards the Equator and hopefully a stop at Fanning Island. It should take two days to get there.

 

We were all present and accounted for at dinner tonight. Four of our tablemates had gone to a luau and reported that the food was all right, but not the best. They think it takes time to develop a taste for the Hawaiian dish of poi, which in their opinion, improved the taste of the pork which was cooked in the ground. We prefer the chicken kiev entrees served tonight a whole lot better. A small slice of apple pie and a chocolate sundae finished the meal just fine. Since most all of us spent two very active days in Honolulu, we doubt many will go to the show this evening. There is a performer by the name of Haydon Smith, a singer of mostly contempory songs. Rodger and Rita went to the Drums of Polynesia last night and liked the show.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update.

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying all your reporting from Hawaii.

[hpf]

Reading and enjoying your reports as we await our time on the Stantendam for our 30 day cruise.

Hope the seas settled down and safe cruising.

Helen

[WCB]

Report # 24 Sailing Towards Fanning Island October 13, 2014 Monday Chance of rain & 79 degrees

 

We woke up to another warm day and slightly rough seas. The Statendam is now heading directly south towards Fanning Island and the Equator. Soon we will be crossing the International Dateline, where we will lose a whole day. October 14th will not exist, as it will become October 15th instead. It won't matter a whole lot, because we will get that lost day back somewhere along the line.

 

There was a strong wind blowing across the waves, enough so that one side of the lower promenade deck was wet. It did not help much to keep us cool however. Even though the temperature was only 79 degrees, the humidity was high making it sticky outside. The better place to be was the aft pool, where we headed after doing some emailing.

 

We noticed that the dining room waiters and also the room stewrads are no longer wearing their colorful flowered shirts. It was such a nice change, it would be nice if they kept them throughout the South Pacific cruise. The Hawaiian team is still onboard conducting a ti leaf skirt weaving class and hula lessons continued poolside. A new speaker joined the ship yesterday by the name of Elizabeth Eve King. She is a biologist, writer, actress, artist, and will share her knowledge on the upcoming days at sea.

 

Dr. Joe Kess is still onboard and continuing his talks about the war in the Pacific.

 

For a change, we watched a football game that happened to feature the SF 49ers and St Louis Rams. Was nice to see the 49ers win, of course.

 

Tonight we had a special invite to have cocktails with the Hotel Director, Randall Corcoran (a rare US citizen officer), and six other guests. We met in the Explorers Lounge, which was closed to the rest of the guests. Arriving exactly at 7pm as requested, we found we were the last to be seated. A tray of delectable canapes was passed around, while we enjoyed our drinks. It was brief however, once Randall joined us. By 7:30pm, we were led to deck seven in the dining room, and were seated around the Captain's table. One thing we did not really like was being split up. Our names had been set at each place setting, but we were not sitting together. That is a little difficult when you do not know each other. There was a couple from Canada that looked vaguely familiar. It wasn't until dinner was served, that we remembered the wife. She ordered a plate heaping full of green grapes for her entree. They had been on the cruise last year, and had sat at the end of a table we shared with the captain in the Pinnacle Grill at the time. How many people would eat grapes for dinner and nothing else? Perhaps there is an allergy issue?

 

The evening was formal, but we had a special menu that offered a limited selection of items. One of us ordered the shrimp and cocktail sauce, and the other had watermelon balls soaked in a liquere. Tonight happened to be Canadian Thanksgiving, and like the US holiday, they had a full turkey dinner on the menu. Our choices were a beef or fish entree, which were probably fine, but we had our minds set on turkey all day. Randall invited any or all of us to order the Thanksgiving feast if we wished, so that's what we did. One of the best dinners so far this cruise. Our waiter even came with extra cranberry sauce. We finished the dinner with a serving of apple strudel. White and red wines flowed freely throughout the meal.

 

Conversations mainly dealt with Randall offering up tidbits of unusual things happening onboard. For instance, we knew prior to leaving Honolulu, there was an urgent call for three passengers who were not responding to the front desk folks. Turns out that these people got caught up in unexpected traffic, and missed the all onboard time of 3:30pm. So that was the group of people standing near the end of the pier waving at us as we left. What happened in this case, was we must have waited maybe 20 minutes, but no more than that. The Captain turned over their passports to the port agent to give back to them. Nothing else of their possessions were left behind. No clothes, no toiletries, and more important, no meds. Nothing. And since our next ports are not big ones, they chose not to fly there. Randall said all of their things would be shipped back to their homes eventually. In the past, sometimes if the guests were physically able, the pilot boat would bring them out to the ship. They had to be able to climb the rope ladder. Now, with people suing over the drop of a hat, it is not done. Anyway, we hope these folks had the sense to pre-purchase trip interruption insurance, and hopefully it covered unexpected traffic jams. Lesson learned: come back to the ship early just in case.

 

Other subjects came up like the internet problems. Everyone said they were experiencing being cut off and not being able to send anything. So it is not just us. Randall seemed to be out of the loop with this, and promised to check into it. He admitted that he and the staff use another connection, and that was working OK.

 

One of Randall's projects on this trip was to clean up the atrium fountain, which has always been decorated with plastic greenery anchored with real dirt. He said it was originally designed to be a fountain that held water, but never has due to health regulations. Had something to do with Legionnaire's disease. Always thought that was tied to droppings from birds, and as far as we know, there are no birds in the atrium. We all teased Randall saying his efforts will not be appreciated since this ship as well as the Ryndam will be gone in a year from now. But it does give him something to do.

 

One other interesting fact is that the ship uses one gallon of fuel to go 67 feet at the average speed of maybe 16 knots. When it is necessary to make up lost time, such as in the case of the medical evacuation night in Maui, the ship needs to use more fuel at an increased speed to arrive at the next destination on time. There is a need to keep the consumption at a minimum because there is not always the chance to re-fuel everywhere we go.

 

The show this evening was Bob Mackie's Broadway, performed by the singers and dancers of the Statendam. We think this is a new group that got onboard recently. Pretty sure we have seen this production many times before.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 25 Sailing Towards Fanning Island October 15, 2014 Wednesday Partly sunny & 82 degrees

 

Another lovely day at sea, well, almost, until it decided to rain big time at around 2pm. By noontime, we went to the aft pool to enjoy the sun. Clouds heavy with rain lined the horizon in every direction you looked. Most times, the ship is steered around these showers. You get some spritzing, which is wonderful. But sometimes, like today, when the rain starts suddenly, you get drowned in seconds. Sure cleared the deck in a hurry.

 

Today the Dancing with the Stars at Sea began at 2pm in the showlounge. This is a contest where passengers are taught various dance routines, then compete towards the end of the cruise for a free cruise and the famed mirror ball trophy. Some of the voyages ( 6 major theme cruises) actually have the real dancers from the show onboard to teach the dances. These dancing events happen fleetwide, and one person will be chosen as champion.

 

We watched a Hallmark movie in our room while enjoying custom-made sandwiches from the Lido. By the time the sun went down at 6:23pm, the rain had mostly stopped. But there were too many clouds for a good sunset tonight.

 

Sometime during the day, we crossed the International Dateline, causing us to lose 24 hours. We went directly from Monday to Wednesday. No need to change any clocks or watches, because technically there was no time change. We will get the day back once we cross the line after leaving Fanning Island.

 

We joined our group for dinner again tonight, but found some new folks in the place of Cherry and Bob. Guess they went to a different dining room this evening. Anyway the new folks seem to be friends of Maggie, and they liked our table so much, they said the other couple can stay away.....they want their spots. They have been eating downstairs at the anytime dining and decided they do not like it. In fact, the subject of anytime dining came up at dinner last night. The hotel director said that they are leaning towards eliminating the fixed seating all together. We sure hope not, because we like it. Wonder who they poll to arrive at these decisions? We don't know the details, but he indicated that money is saved by having the open seating. The only way we see there could be savings to the company is if they eliminated a few waiters, keeping their labor costs down. We never did ask the reasoning behind this, and doubt we would have gotten an answer.

 

Speaking of extra revenue, we noticed that there was a sign in the dining room this morning advertising mimosas for $2.50 to drink at breakfast. First time we ever saw this. Rita mentioned that since the beginning of the cruise, they have had that same drink special in the Lido everyday since we began sailing from Vancouver. She says she has never seen anyone buy one yet, but they are there everyday at breakfast. Guess you can't blame them for trying.

 

Inquiring about last night's show of Bob Mackie designs with music and dancing, our tablemates gave it a "so-so" vote. Adding to that, they stated that the Hawaiian show was pathetic. We told them that last year the show in Tahiti was terrific, so don't give up yet.

 

Hope we get to Fanning Island tomorrow. It will be a short day, arriving at 8am and leaving by 2pm.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 26 Fanning Island October 16, 2014 Thursday Partly sunny & 82 degrees Part One

 

Sometimes when we are coming into a port early in the morning, we will turn on the navigation channel on the TV and watch our entrance into the harbor or bay. Today we were surprised to see that the Captain had passed the island, then turned around, did a u-turn, and head back. Wonder what that was about?

 

We thought that perhaps it was too rough to tender in, or the tides were not in our favor. Just about then, the cruise director came on the speakers saying that the ship would be cleared once the local officials came onboard. They were on their way, but had refused to clear the ship before boarding the ship. Many folks had already lined up at the stairwell to deck B, and were packing large backpacks and even pulling suitcases. We assume they were full of donations for the islanders. Several days ago, it was announced that if you had any items you wished to donate, they were taking the collection to be brought over in a separate tenderboat. Obviously, many folks decided to bring their own things over. But they did not realize that their luggage would take up too much room in the boats, and make it harder for people to get ashore. Rick made an announcement that no large bags would be allowed, and with that, several people left the line, grumbling all the way.

 

While waiting to board the tenderboat, Rick stopped by us and quietly mentioned that there were serious problems with this ship, and he indicated that things had occurred making the trip iffy. He said he would tell us later, but we never did run into him again. So that story remains a mystery. Perhaps we don't want to know.

 

Anyway, with so many people leaving the line, that made it easy for us to be on the first tenderboat over to the island, which we hardly ever do. Since all aboard time was 1:30pm, we decided to skip breakfast, and come back for a proper lunch in the Rotterdam dining room by noontime.

 

Although we spotted some dolphins swimming off of the ship this morning, we never did see any on the boat ride over. Last year, they jumped and swam around the tenderboat all the way to shore. Rita told us that happened to her when she went over later in the morning, so it is simply luck to see them.

 

Here's a bit of interesting info about Fanning Island. It belongs to the Republic of Kiribati, and is one of 32 coral atolls. The island is really a strip of land in the shape of pearls. The actual portion of land is only 13 square miles. But it surrounds the most beautiful aquamarine lagoon that is 426 square miles. The deepest part of this lagoon is 50 feet. The island is covered in coconut palms and native bush that can tower 60 to 90 feet in height. There are about 2000 residents living in huts without electricity and modern plumbing. Although some of the passengers went swimming and snorkeling in the lagoon, common sense told us that it may not be the best idea, due to the fact there is no plumbing anywhere on the island.

 

The two main exports from Fanning Island are coconut and all related products and the growing of seaweed. We have read that the seaweed is shipped to Japan. The island was discovered by a man named Fanning, but it was William Greig who declared himself the "King of Fanning Island" in 1857. There is a memorial marker with their names on it near the opening of the reef.

 

Years ago, another cruise line built some facilities to use this island as a day resort. The remains of it are here, abandoned to the elements. Not too many ships stop here in a year's time, so there are no facilities for the tourists other than a ride in the back of a longbed truck to see 20 minutes of the island. There are no stores or restaurants....only huts and a couple of churches, that are strictly covered huts. The nicest buildings belong to the primary and secondary schools, where the kids were more than willing to sing greetings to all that paid a visit.

 

Upon arriving to the rickety pier re-inforced with some plywood from the ship, we were greeted with a group of natives chanting and singing a welcome song. A couple of dozen tables were set with a myriad of shell necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Medium and large size bowls were also for sale, and made with the same shells. We bought some jewelry and also a large bowl to put our room candies in. A souvenier that would appeal to the fellows was a wood carved knife lined with small shark teeth. We bought one last year, and found it to be extremely sharp. Compared to last year, there must have been at least four times more merchandise offered today. It was nice to see the numbers of passengers buying their handicrafts. We think the money will go a long way here.

 

We walked the coral road, passing a small pond with tiny fish, the seaweed beds, and finally the school houses. The kids sit on the dirt floor with one teacher in a chair. No one wears shoes on this island. We did see a couple of older kids climb the tall palms and drop a pile of coconuts. You had to watch for them, or else risk a concussion if hit on the head. They can actually kill people.

 

Just about every house had a pig or two in their yard, tied to a tree. We also saw some chickens and several dogs. No cats though. And we saw few birds. The ones we did spot were white terns, one frigate, and perhaps some sooty terns. We assume the locals eat fish, because we did see several men in boats fishing outside the lagoon. If there are dolphins, then there are fish to feed them.

 

It's impossible to imagine living here, but if you are born here, you would not know a life any different. The little kids seem to know what candy is, even though we were advised not to bring it to them. There are no dentists or doctors on the island. Only traveling clinics we heard. Some people must have brought a huge bag of Tootsie Pops, because we could follow the orange, red, and purple wrappers the kids dropped on the ground. Eventually, you would find the paper sticks too, covered with ants. We seem to remember there was a fair amount of garbage strewn here and there last year. It appeared they made an effort to clean up the island before we got there, because we saw the evidence of big bonfires where they burned it all recently.

 

Even though there were some clouds floating around, it still was hot. Lucky for us, the ship had provided ice water and lemonade with cookies too near the tender pier. We are so close to the Equator, that the heat is penetrating and dehydrating. But then, again, you needed to be careful with consumption, because there are no restrooms.

 

After a three hour visit there, we headed back to the comfort of the ship and an early lunch in the dining room. Must have consumed a gallon of ice water and tea before we felt normal again. They served a delicious taco salad and a guacamole swiss cheese burger with seasoned fries. We spent most of the afternoon sorting photos and watching TV, which is depressing with the continuing news about the ebola virus. It seems that everyday brings worse news. And when we think how close we came to those countries involved with the virus, we shudder. Even going to Cape Verde in place of Gambia and Senegel was too close for comfort last spring, while we were on the world cruise.

 

We were all present for dinner, and shared different stories from visiting the island today. Only two did not go over, and stayed onboard the ship. For our entrees, we chose the skirt steak, sliced really thin, and served over fried cheesy polenta. The chefs drizzled it with a balsamic reduction and added carmelized onions to that. It was Pinnacle Grill quality, we think. Sometimes they have real winners on the menu. Speaking of winners, we each had a flute for champagne at our place settings tonight. It was compliments of Rita, who had won the bottle at a raffle. Very sweet of her to share with all of us.

 

The entertainer this evening was a singer named Annie Francis. She has been on several of the voyages recently, and we remember she was popular and talented. Even though we did not attend, we did recommend our tablemates to go and listen.

 

We now have two and 3/4 days at sea as we sail towards French Polynesia. Bora Bora should be our first stop on Saturday afternoon.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[iflyrc5]

Really enjoying your trip reports. We did this cruise back in 2010 and doing it again in Feb-Mar 2015. I have a question if you don't mind - the entertainment in the showroom in the evening - are they doing 2 shows each night or 3 and what time is the early show?

 

Thanks again for the great reviews.

[lindaler]

Report # 26 Fanning Island October 16, 2014 Thursday Partly sunny & 82 degrees Part One

 

Sometimes when we are coming into a port early in the morning, we will turn on the navigation channel on the TV and watch our entrance into the harbor or bay. Today we were surprised to see that the Captain had passed the island, then turned around, did a u-turn, and head back. Wonder what that was about?

 

We thought that perhaps it was too rough to tender in, or the tides were not in our favor. Just about then, the cruise director came on the speakers saying that the ship would be cleared once the local officials came onboard. They were on their way, but had refused to clear the ship before boarding the ship.

 

While waiting to board the tenderboat, Rick stopped by us and quietly mentioned that there were serious problems with this ship, and he indicated that things had occurred making the trip iffy. He said he would tell us later, but we never did run into him again. So that story remains a mystery. Perhaps we don't want to know.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Sure hope you find out what is going on as we don't want anything to happen to the ship we will be getting on when you return.

[WCB]

Report # 27 Sailing Towards French Polynesia October 16, 2014 Thursday (again) Partly sunny & 82 degrees

 

Well, the mystery of the ship's problem was solved this morning after speaking to Rick, our cruise director. During dinner the night before we got to Fanning Island, we experienced a sudden shuddering along with a strange noise coming from down under the ship. We have heard something similar before on other ships, but only when we are changing direction, not going full speed ahead. Anyway, it was at that time, that a coupling on the shaft broke, destroying a gasket. Sometime during the evening, they decided to attempt to fix the gasket while the ship was at anchor off of Fanning Island. Must have worked, because we are sailing as if nothing had happened. Thank goodness for qualified crew on this ship, because being stuck at Fanning Island would not be a good thing.

 

We have also crossed the International Dateline once again, and thus had two Thursdays. It was one day that the carpets in the elevators did not have to be changed. It is a common joke that if you don't know what day of the week it is, go check the carpet in any elevator and find out.

 

There was a special event held in the Pinnacle Grill restaurant for the high day Mariners and the suite folks. The menu was Indonesian, with the waiters dressed in native costumes. They had decorated the room Balinesian-style, and served a four course meal. Good thing the Indonesian salad, soup, and entree were described fully in English. Or else how would we know what gado gado, soto ayam, and Indonesian rijsttafel were? Each course was delicious, but the dessert was the best. We had hidangan penutup or rice pudding. The lunch was complimented with white wine, which we rarely drink, but did today. We were seated with two couples, one from Arizona and the other from Maryland. Deep in conversation, we never noticed how often our wine stewardess filled our glasses. Glad we had nothing of great importance happening this afternoon.

 

Another revelation came when we tried the internet today. It worked. Yesterday, we had a call from the IT guru, who asked who our provider was. Going down to the office, we let them know who it was, and they said they would get back to us. Someone discovered our problem with not being able to send or receive emails, and actually did something about it. Turned out that person was Randall, our hotel director. Instead of the usual excuse of we don't receive the signal out here, or the stack is blocking the signal, or Mars is going backwards, Randall gave it enough thought, that he actually opened up an account with Earthlink, and encountered the same problems we were having. From that point, they were able to figure out how to fix the situation. No one has ever gone the distance and followed through like this. And all along, we thought it could be our computer, but it wasn't. We thanked Randall profusely at the lunch. He seemed proud to have come up with a solution.

 

Pooltime was relaxing but extended until 5pm due to our later than usual lunch. Around that time, we went for our pm walk on the promenade deck, and much to our surprise, we spotted dozens of dolphins jumping and swimming fairly close to the ship. What a treat, and even better, we had the camera. Shortly after that, the sun went down, but did not present an impressive sunset. We are still hoping for that "green flash".

 

We have had a question regarding the shows onboard. There used to be three shows, but since we have been on this ship, we have only seen two shows advertised. One at 8pm and the last at 10pm. Occassionally you can listen to the practice show around noontime, and sometimes there is only one show at 9:30pm. This evening's entertainer is Phil Hughes, a ventriloquist/comedian who solicites audience participation. That is a red flag for us, and the smart guests sit way in the back for fear of being chosen. Needless to say, we will ask our tablemates about the show tomorrow. We inquired about Annie Francis's performance the evening before, but were told she was good until the yodeling began. Oh yeah, we remember that now.

 

Bill & Mary Ann