Live: A grouch's Veendam Hawaii cruise, January 2015.

[goodroe]

They put a smile on my face, too. Appreciate the information on the whale watching tour - will look for them when we go.

[Oahucruiser]

I'm happy that you have had such a great time in my home state. Good for you climbing Diamond Head as that isn't an easy trail. Love your fun, informative posts.

[Higntn]

Enjoying your posts. Thanks so much.

[whogo]

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } January 28, 2015, Wednesday, Honolulu day 2

 

 

BBQ on the Lido deck kept the dining room nearly empty. We dined in record time, not that we were in any hurry. Service was almost too attentive, I think there were three staff for 10 diners. Swordfish is the fanciest fish served so far.

 

 

Our last cruise was a cough-fest, coughing practically drowned out performances and lectures in the showroom. This cruise is healthier, I rarely hear a cough or sneeze and we are not receiving repetitive hand washing lectures from the captain or cruise director. Let's hope the good health keeps up, colds and flu could spread quickly in this closed environment.

 

 

It started with our first meal onboard. It took our dining companions about three minutes to mention their second home. Mrs. Whogo and I get a kick out of it. We smile as soon as someone mentions a second home or their Harvard education or that they live in Palm Beach, Newport, or some other ritzy address. We have heard no more of it all cruise. I do not know whether our fellow cruisers are more down market or just show more class. I will assume the latter without making any classy claims for myself.

 

 

There are 14 light switches in our cabin. I use the three by the door. One is a more normal switch that clicks on and off to turn on the bathroom light, press the lower half to turn on, turn the upper half to turn off. Easy as pie, my favorite switch in the whole room. The other two switches by the door work differently. Press the lower half to change whatever is happening at the time, if the light is on, pressing it turns it off, if the light is off, pressing it turns it on. You are probably keeping up with this at reading speed, but it took me a long time to just get this far. Seems simple now. The switch closest to the door in this group of three turns on the central group of room lights. The switch in the middle turns on lights near the door and at the far side of the room. As soon as I get this in my head the switches change and turn on or off a different group of lights. If the room needs another bank of lights I mistakenly turn off the lights that are already on. If I need to turn off all the lights, I turn on the bank that was already off. I hope that by documenting here which switch controls which lights they will quit changing places.

 

 

Three light switches are all I use to minimize frustrations; however, the room steward leaves the little bed lights on at turn down. These are mysteriously marked “OI”, but act more or less like a normal switch.

 

 

The other 9 switches are not used, madness lies down that road. Mrs. Whogo just pointed out two more switches that I had never seen before. She thought she was being helpful.

[shrimp56]

A yes. THOSE switches. I've had hotel rooms with that feature. It is designed to drive you barking mad, so be careful

Edited January 29, 2015 by shrimp56

[regnig]

And here I was thinking I was the only person mildly confused by those switches. :o

[whogo]

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } <<< My word processor insists on putting this in. Ignore, and don't let it bother you as much as it does me.

January 29, 2015, Friday, Nawiliwili, Kauai

 

 

Yesterday my wife rose earlier than she likes to for our 7:15 AM Pearl Harbor tour. Matt made a good driver and guide for our big Gray Line bus excursion. I do not have the writing ability to do credit to the Arizona Memorial. I will just say that it was an incredibly emotional experience. The memorial visit was well organized. The crowds at Hawaii's most visited attraction were handled well, with punctual timed admissions to an introductory 25 minute film before a boat ride to the memorial itself. Just the right amount of time was spent at the memorial before catching the next boat back. Park service rangers are knowledgeable. The museums were interesting before and after the visit.

 

 

The Arizona Memorial marked the beginning of the USA's WWII fight and the Battleship Missouri Memorial marked the end. The Missouri visit did not have the emotional impact of the Arizona Memorial. Highlights of the tour are the Surrender Deck and Kamikaze impact site. The Mighty Mo' fought in Korea and the Gulf Wars, it was interesting to see some 1990's computers and other vintage equipment. Hint: You do not have to stop for a portrait before boarding no matter what the lying photography staffer tells you. The photography bottleneck was nothing compared to the wait for those late to board our bus. 26 minutes! When I rule the world tour buses will leave on time and anyone not aboard will be left behind. 50 people waiting for 26 minutes cost us an accumulated 21 hours.

 

 

About 4 PM a woman was taken off the ship to an ambulance. We wish her a speedy recovery. Her neck brace makes us think she took a fall. There are plenty of opportunities to slip, trip, or fall even in port.

 

 

My meal tonight, carne asada, was to be “Grilled skirt steak, steamed rice, black beans, guacamole, tortillas”. I imagined that I would be loading a few tortillas with the above ingredients. Wrong!

Tortillas – a pie shaped wedge of tortilla about the width of a playing card

Steamed rice – about ½ cup

Black beans – 8 or ten mixed in with the rice

Guacamole – ½ teaspoon

Skirt steak – four slices combined to make a thumb sized serving of meat

It all looked adorable in the middle of a big dinner plate. Can't complain, I am getting plenty to eat.

 

 

The male singers harmonized beautifully through their street singing program in the showroom.

 

 

We are approaching Nawiliwili, Kauai as the sky lightens. With 13 hours to sail here, the captain figured on a speed of 11 knots. It continues to be a great cruise.

[two4me]

To Who,

 

Starting to read your post and you mention about being a pessimist.

I too, and always say " a pessimist is an optimist with experience"

Nothing wrong with that.:D

[whogo]

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }January 30, 2015 – Friday – Kona

Yesterday in Nawiliwili we took a ship's shore excursion to a couple of waterfalls, some movie sites (South Pacific, Donovan's Reef, Blue Hawaii) and a beach. It was an old folks tour with lots of driving, very little walking, and three or four potty breaks. The waves at the beach looked too small for surfing, but lots of people managed it including a four year old girl. Beautiful island. It rained only while we were driving.

Today's Veendam On Location lists:

Solo Guitarist Mike - “Easy listening acoustic guitar of music from the 60's to today.”

Adagio - "Enjoy the classics with our piano and violin duo."

The Neptunes - "It's cocktails and ballroom dancing with the Neptunes."

Piano Man Lee - "Grab a drink and enjoy the fun."

The Showroom band has been referred to by the cruise director and performers as the Hal Cats. I assume they were the band at the Lido Pool one day, but I was just passing through.

Annoying women #1 and #2 mentioned above can be pleasant company. Note to parents and grandparents: Teach your descendents the importance of a good first impression, it is another life lesson that will pay big dividends.

At dawn my GPS said we were traveling southeast at 22 mph with 8.1 miles to Kailua-Kona. If the captain doesn't slow down soon the Veendam will make the newspapers again.

[socalcruisers2]

Any updates to the 'As You Wish' dining situation? Has everything worked itself out?

[whogo]

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }January 31, 2015

We had nothing planned for yesterday's port of Kailua-Kona. We waited a couple of minutes in the showroom for our tender number to be called. As I stepped onto the tender it went down and the ship went up. Might have been wave action, might have been my weight. If the captain starts shifting ballast as I move around the ship, I promise to eat less and exercise more.

We took a right along the waterfront from the tender pier and toured the Hulihe'e Palace. The furniture was the highlight for me with a few pieces displaying phenomenal inlay work including some in ivory. Mrs. Whogo said she could live there, it is sensibly sized for a palace, two bedrooms, about 3600 square feet, and nicely proportioned. She will be disappointed if she buys the palace when she realizes there are no bathrooms. Details, details. A big ukelele orchestra was practicing on the lawn, might have been a performance, they sounded good.

Next stop was right across the street. The plainness of Mo'kuaikaua Church mirrors the attitude of the New England Congregational missionaries of this first congregation in Hawaii. Today was hot and muggy. I appreciated the cool shade of both of these old buildings.

We keep hearing about Kona coffee and have seen it sold on every island. I suggested we tour Kona Brewing Company. Mrs. Whogo jumped at the chance. She was in for a surprise. Maybe I should have told her that Kona Brewing Company does not brew coffee, their product is beer. Tours were booked solid, we switched to plan B. We ordered an appetizer at their restaurant and Mrs. Whogo got to watch me drink four beers. I was not wowed by any of the beers, which were presented as 5 ounce samples, but it was only 11 AM, a little too early for me. Service was great. The popular spot filled up quickly.

Mrs. Whogo headed for grocery stores, I headed back to the shops near the pier. No luck finding a loud Hawaiian shirt, yet. Needing a rest from the stress of shopping I had a beer and listened to live music while overlooking the ocean at Paradise Brewing Company. Late lunch in the Lido before losing at trivia.

Dinner wait times have been acceptable, I think it will be worse during the upcoming sea days. Slow service last night and not much conversation made the service seem slower. Entertainment in the Showroom was watching a fellow pick up pins. Juggler and comedian Barry Johns dropped a few. His grand finale was to balance a TV on a stick on his forehead. Good, clean fun.

No GPS reading this morning, the ship's navigation screen read 10.1 knots as we approached Hilo. We received our first dork dots today for our excursion. Dork dots are the brightly colored numbered stickers that identify you as a tour participant who may need help finding his correct bus. There were a few seats available on our big bus to Volcanoes National Park. This was an old folks tour with a biological stop at an unappealing beach after just ½ hour. There were four or five more opportunities to use toilets on the 4.5 hour tour. Guide/driver John was good, sounded like a cross between Mr. Rogers and a mellow FM rock album DJ from the 70's. He spoke throughout the drive, referred to a big map up front and sent around rocks, flowers, coconuts, ginger and photos as learning aides. The sulphur vents and overlooks from the visitor center and Jagger Museum were highlights. A few people departed the bus at Hilo Hattie's, not us. I will do without a colorful Hawaiian shirt.

Now at 3:40 PM the ceiling has lowered, might not quite qualify as fog. We will see if our departure is delayed.

[erewhon]

Thanks for your updates.

[PathfinderEss]

love your updates...thanks for posting.:)

[goodroe]

Thanks again for taking the time to post and I now have a new phase to use - "dork dots". Too funny, but certainly descriptive.

[lindaler]

It's all your fault that we are now booked on the Veeendam to Hawaii in less then two months. We have enjoyed your views of cruising HAL. We have also worn our share of "dork dots". This time we plan to seek out places on our own so I was tickled to learn of not just one but two brewing companies in Kona. Thanks.

[whogo]

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }February 1, 2015, Super Bowl Sunday, at sea sailing towards Ensenada.

Lost at 4:00 trivia yesterday then took part in the Hawaii farewell lei ceremony where cruise director Mario recited the message with the usual double entendre with the word lei. Tossed our leis into a couple of the poolettes.

Lost again at 6:30 trivia. There is talk of splitting up the smart team to give others a chance to win. I really don't care, the fun is in playing. Made it zero for three with another loss at Name That Tune with the piano man with TV shows for the theme. All American shows, kind of unfair to an international crowd, but maybe Mr. Ed, Gilligan's Island, and Green Acres made it across the pond.

We had a fun dinner table, made up for the night before. Nothing sounds better than the always available salmon and NY steak, but I force myself to try something. Chicken marsala was the winning dish, wonder how the chef decided that mahi-mahi should be served atop cheese grits.

Was not out until after dawn this morning. The navigation screen on deck 8 read 73° F, wind at 19 mph, ocean depth of 16,860 ft and our position at 20° 50.92 N and 151° 42.11 W. The screen showed no speed or direction, but our line of travel, in technical terms, was toward the top right hand corner of the map.

Later my GPS showed us driving at 18 mph with 2263 miles to go to Ensenada, which we should reach on February 6. Lost at trivia. Missed, among others, that the two most common surgeries were caesarean sections and biopsies.

Superbowl! TV reception was not good in our stateroom. We could make out the score, but not any little crawlers at the bottom of the screen and Horrors! The game feed did not show the commercials! All we saw were ESPN promos. What kind of Superbowl broadcast is that? How will I know what beer to drink, what car to buy, and what drug to ask my doctor about?

The Veendam threw the party and packed the showroom with fans. Beer and bags of chips were available for purchase as you entered the starboard side, a buffet with chips, hot dogs, pizza rolls, sliders, and more was at the port door. Did not see the advertised bratwurst. The front tables were blocked off and filled with those who purchased the drink package for $34.95. Seats were also filled in the Mix. Good, close game, strange game. The final plays left the Patriots fans elated and the Seahawks fans wondering why. There will be plenty to talk about at dinner... except Superbowl commercials.

[whogo]

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }

Monday, February 2, 2015, Ground Hog Day, at sea sailing towards Ensenada.

The captain must have lost a bet. After his “Go Seahawks” cheer during his noon briefing a #12 flag in Patriots blue is now flying high above the sky deck.

Out on deck after dawn my GPS said we were driving at 19 mph 700 miles from Hilo and 1830 miles from Ensenada. The navigation channel still shows us heading to the top right corner of the map, 076° for you sailors.

Last nights show, Noche Caliente, was not to my taste. I did not care for the song selection and watching the performers portray caricatures of Latin Americans was bordering on offensive.

When I need to walk from the Lido Restaurant to the Crow's Nest, I go via the heady air of Deck 10, the Neptune Suite deck, where people may mistake me for a Neptune Suite worthy passenger. Haven't seen a passenger yet, the best I have managed is a suspicious glance from a steward.

I have kept quiet about a couple of things to avert a panic and a massive cancellation of Holland America cruises. There is no easy was to deaden the blow, but no one else should get the shock we did at yet another cutback. The tissue that wraps the clean laundry is now sealed with cellophane tape instead of a little gold sticker. First the yellow dye in the Elemis soap, now the gold stickers. My poor wife! You know the drill with the darkened room and cold washcloth on her forehead. I now have to make sure I get to the laundry before she does. “Yes, dear, the gold stickers are back.” No harm in a little white lie. No gold stickers. Lower your expectations.

The second issue was with the lovely grapefruit halves available in the fresh fruit section of the Lido. I thought nothing of it until I heard a woman whisper the bad news to her husband. There were no prunes. I couldn't believe it. I checked, couldn't find any anywhere. Grapefruit had taken the place of prunes. Being out of prunes is not the kind of news you broadcast on a senior and super senior cruise. There was a secret way to get prunes, but you had to keep quiet about it for fear that that stash would dry up. No prunes the next day either. On the third day prunes reappeared as if they had never been absent. The pruneless days are still talked about in hushed tones.

Lost at morning trivia, couldn't think of all five original Beatles or the common name for calcium carbonate among other things. Pandemonium at noon when we turned the clock forward one hour to 1:00. The time change had been mentioned a number of times, but suddenly I heard lots of comments.

“Will there be lunch in the dining room? It is normally from noon to 1:00, an hour that is now missing.”

“Why noon?”

“Never heard of such a thing. “

“Time to get ready for dinner.”

Vict0riann, thanks for the hint about counting laps by transferring pennies from one pocket to another. Now I just have to remember which pocket is the from pocket and which is the to pocket.

I spent most of the day with my nose in a book, not much to report.

[POA1]

Absolutely fantastic thread! I've been behind on my reading, and just now got caught up.

[ger_77]

Are you serious, no gold seal on the tissue gently caressing our laundry? Oh, the humanity ! ! ! ! ! I think I need a lie-down.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[78232]

I love your reading your posts and you are on my dream cruise....I just have to wait for DH to retire. I was reading about Hawaiian cruises on the Princess site and they talked about Hawaiian shows, lectures, classes, and food on the ship to enhance the Hawaiian atmosphere on board prior to arrival. Is that the case with HAL also?

 

Marcia

[donswife]

To Who,

 

Starting to read your post and you mention about being a pessimist.

I too, and always say " a pessimist is an optimist with experience"

Nothing wrong with that.:D

 

While the optimist and the pessimist argued about whether the glass was half full or half empty, the opportunist drank it.

[RuthC]

While the optimist and the pessimist argued about whether the glass was half full or half empty, the opportunist drank it.

While the realist thought if she hung around long enough, she was going to have to wash it. ;)

[Folk Singer]

Too funny, needed a little pick me up after the Ice Storm.

[goodroe]

Thanks again for my morning entertainment. Will be thinking about all your "advice" next month when we're on board. Guess I'll bring my own prunes.....

[tommui987]

I was reading about Hawaiian cruises on the Princess site and they talked about Hawaiian shows, lectures, classes, and food on the ship to enhance the Hawaiian atmosphere on board prior to arrival.

 

Some people love sea days! So a cruise from the West Coast to Hawaii and back will give you quite a bit of sea days! It also avoids the 5-hour or so air travel.

 

But to really get to know our Island(s), you might consider the 7-day cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. (Honolulu to Honolulu) on NCL.