Day 36 – Friday 14^th February 2014 – At Sea

The morning is overcast with very heavy rain showers, so last night’s moon halo prediction of bad weather was correct.

The morning lecture was ‘Exploring the Solar system’ given by British astronomer and space historian Howard Parkin.  It was very interesting, and his many slides and film clips really brought the subject forward.  He has promised a night of star gazing when we are further south with some of the ship’s aft deck lights switched off to reduce the light pollution.

As the weather was so poor, I went to the theatre again to hear a lecture given by the 3^rd Officer and Deck Cadet which was a virtual bridge tour.  They tried to illustrate how the ship is operated from the bridge, it must have been very interesting for the non-seagoing guests. What I got from it was a remarkable statistic, with a full crew complement on board of 1000, the deck department is the smallest in relation to crew personnel, with only 50 (5%) in number.  Speaking to the Engineers, I know there is 100 (10%) in the Technical department, which leaves a staggering 850 (85%) in the catering department, some like to call it the Hotel department.  In other words for every two passengers on board, there is one from the catering looking after you.

This is deck 4, port side, the corridor where our cabin is situated about 1/3^rd of the way down.  It is like this most afternoons after our Filipino stewardess Cristina has done the cabins, deserted.

It is another formal night, as it is Valentine’s day, most of the entertainment staff are dressed in red as some of the lady guests.  Today’s cocktail is Passionada, Kissui vodka. Passion fruit puree and a dash of triple sec. unusual.

On entering the restaurant all the ladies were presented with a single stemmed red rose. Dinner was Thai fish cakes/fillet steak/strawberry cake, this was all excellent.

In the theatre for the third time today, and a performance by Helen Wilding, a British singer who was very good, though most of the opera songs I had never heard before.

Another trivia wipe out quiz in the Golden Lion but unfortunately we came last this time.

I ended the night star gazing at 01.00, but still could not find the Southern Cross.

Day 35 - At Sea

Day 35 – Thursday 13^th February 2014 – At Sea

Before going to the gym as it was my turn to do the washing, and I went into the laundry at 07.45 and it was full of people, ( six to seven and it is full), it has been like this, on every day at sea since we left San Francisco.

This morning lecture was on how the BBC made the television series ‘Human Planet’ and the production secrets.  The lecture was given by one of the producers, Dale Templar, an Australian women who given a wonderful talk on how they managed to get some of those amazing shots, this was illustrated by the many film clips.

I spent the lunch time upon Deck 11, practicing bowls, for most of the time, I was the only one up there, as there was a brisk breeze blowing and although in the tropics, it was a little chilly.

Choir practice at 13.00 was good, as I can see ourselves starting to really get into the songs and not being afraid of what we are singing.

At 14.00 I had a go at a new class, tap dancing.  The two who were on the show last night were running this class.  It all started off nice and easy, and I was really enjoying it. After half an hour we were all tap dancing across the full length of the ballroom dance floor, like ice speed skaters.  Then, unfortunately, they started on more intricate patterns, and I am afraid apart from the ones who had tap danced before, for us older ones, it was all too much, and I gave up.

After spending most of the day going in and out of the laundry, eventually at 16.00, it was empty, and I managed to fill two washing machines and in the drier half an hour later. Returning at 17.00 the driers had been emptied and our washing placed in two baskets, as the laundry was full of people again.  After filling the carriers, one woman remarked, you have a lot of washing there, to the assembled audience I remarked,” that is what washing machines are for, not one or two items”; silence.

The dress code was informal and the evening cocktail, Madras, vodka, orange, cranberry juice and very nice.

Dinner was prawns/Hawaiian fish/bread and butter pudding. Enquired and found out the fish was from the dolphin family and how it was cooked made it delicious.

Did not go to the theatre, as I had seen the show ‘Singers’ before and went up on deck to do some star gazing.

I was looking out for the constellation of the Southern Cross, because of the light pollution of the ship and a full moon; I could not find it in the sky.  Though, I did see something remarkable.  Between the clouds scurrying by the moon when it was clear there was a perfect halo surrounding the moon.  I have seen this before, but the halo has been much smaller and is the foretelling of bad weather to come.   This halo was massive and covered 45% of the night sky and where is standing on the aft deck, I was the only one witnessing this.  Needless to say, I went off to bed, feeling very happy after seeing another of nature’s wonders.

 

Day 34 - Lahaina, Maui

Day 34 – Wednesday 12^th February 2014 – Lahaina, Maui

Awake at 07.30 and on deck for 08.00 as we anchored off the small town of Lahaina, on the island of Maui.  Were anchored in the Auau channel and could see the other Hawaiian Islands of Lanai, Molo and Molokai.

In this channel is the best place to see the humpback whales, who come here each year to give birth and nurse their young before heading north to feed in May.  I saw numerous whales here and there were quite a few boats out with tourists doing exactly the same.

At 10.00 we went to the ballroom to be given a ticket allocation for the lifeboats, of which there were four involved with running the passengers ashore.  Into the ship’s lifeboat by 10.45, and ashore by 11.00.

Polynesian Dancers

To be greeted on the quayside by the Polynesian dancing girls and backing group.  In the movies, it is always young girls doing the dancing; we got the senior citizens (Derby & Joan Club) with the old codgers ukulele band.  This certainly brought a smile to the whole proceedings.

The little town was all hustle and bustle with a lot of tourists from the hotel complex which we could see from the ships about three miles away along the beach.  I was surprised at the number of shops, mostly selling clothes, jewellery and a few art galleries.  It was all good gear and Hawaiian shirts were everywhere.

Plodging

Onward, through the town, until we found our way onto the beach.  A bit of plodging to cool down in the Pacific, did not bother with the swimming, as informed, last year two German tourists did not make it, after losing limbs to sharks, nasty.

Beach

Set back on the shore line there some wonderful bungalows with fine views over the beach and the bay.  An ideal place to live, some may call it paradise.

We left this lovely spot and made our way into town to do some shopping.  I eventually found a musical shop and asked to see the Hawaiian ukuleles, the lady asked what price range, and I said $100. She brought out the exact same Chinese model, I have at home.  I eventually got a hold of a genuine Hawaiian made ukulele,but it was a smaller soprano version at a price of $500.  I had a little strum on it, the sound was very nice but not worth the extra money, so I handed it back to the lady, and thank her for the experience.

View from Bar

On the main street most of the bars were packed and queues forming for the restaurant tables but we found a place called Sugar Cane and settled down to a cool beer.  On the second floor, they had wi-fi access, so ideal for us two.  We ordered lunch of lobster fondue for me and burger and chips for Colin, washed down with pinna coladas.

After a couple of hours here, we made our way to the queue for the lifeboat, to go back to the ship at 15.00.  The crew were very good on the quayside dispensing cold water to those who wanted it and we were back on board for 16.00.

It's a whale

Onto Deck 9 for more whale watching and the sail away party with the Nexus band belting out their reggae music.  I took a lot of photos and here if you look very closely, there is a humpback whale rippling the surface.

I always took a movie of the whales and actually witnessed one leaping out of the water, of course, my camera was pointing in the wrong direction.

Lanai Sunset

 As the sun was setting, we left our anchor and set a course to the south west.  It had been a fascinating time on the island of Maui, not as busy, or as commercialised as Honolulu.  The big bonus today was watching the whales, and being inspired by being able to watch these wonderful creatures

.

We did not fancy today’s cocktail Mojito and stuck with the G&T’s for pre-dinner drinks.

Tonight was informal dress and for dinner, prawn sea food/lamb/caramelised banana, all very nice.

Into the theatre for the Two on Tap show, consisting of two Americans, man and woman tap dancing.  The poor guy murdered the song ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ with his singing and good old Bruce Forsyth can tap dance as good as these, therefore, a bit disappointed with this show.

Finished off in the Golden Lion for the wipe out trivia quiz, and we won it again.

A fine end, to another adventurous day.

Day 33 - Honolulu

Day 33 – Tuesday 11^th February 2014 – Honolulu, Oahu

We were awake at 07.00 and on deck for 07.30 to see our approach to the first of our Hawaiian Islands of Oahu and the capital of city of Honolulu.  We had travelled a distance of 2200 miles from San Francisco.

Breakfast in the Britannia Restaurant while watching the ship manoeuvre into the port, and we were alongside for 09.00.

Aloha Tower

None of the usual American Immigration problems here, and we were ashore at 10.00.  Next to the ship is the Aloha Tower and we took the lift up to the top observation platform and took a 360 degrees look over the city with the mountains in the background and the blue ocean spreading out on the other side.

Port Area

This is view looking out to the east with the down town area and the many hotels beyond and the ocean behind.

Queen Elizabeth

Maritime  Museum

Queen Elizabeth; in the downtown area, with the mountains beyond.

Turning right from the market area below the Aloha Tower you come across the Marine Museum which used to be the original passenger terminal.

They have an exhibit of a sailing ship afloat which has been somewhat neglected and is the ‘Falls of Clyde’, once a fully rigged vessel owned by the famous Falls Line of Glasgow.

Royal Palace

A short walk inland brings you to a park in which is situated the Iolani Palace.  This was the Royal Palace of King Kalakauna and his sister Queen Liliuo built by the king in 1882 in Victorian-Florentine style. It was here in 1898 that the Hawaiian flag, (which has a union jack in its top left corner) was lowered and the Stars and Stripes raised when the islands became part of the United States.

We wandered into a nearby shopping area looking for a taxi rank, so we could go to Pearl Harbour.  We asked a lady security guard for directions and she said, “take the bus, the stop is just across the street and it would only cost $2.50”.  The number 20 bus came along and we happily enjoyed the one hour ride via the airport to Pearl Harbour and the Arizona Memorial.

For security reasons you are not allowed to take any bags on site but deposit them in a locker room for $3, while cameras are allowed inside.

USS Missouri

At the information desk, we enquired when the next boat would be available to take us out to the main memorial and told only about 10 minutes (we had been told horror stories on the ship by the tour organisers of waiting for up to two hours).  Prior to taking the boat you are invited into a cinema to watch a short film of what led up to and the actual Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on the 7^th December 1941. Remarkably, there is actual footage of the battleship ‘Arizona’ blowing up on her berth after being struck by a bomb.

Arizona Memorial

This thought provoking film is a reminder of the site where the boat takes you, out to where the ‘Arizona’ sank on her berth.  A viewing platform is where you stand above the wreck, there is this marble memorial wall with the names of the 1157 men lost when the ship blew up that day.

Arizona No.3 Gun Turret

The viewing platform stretches above the full width of the ship; the only part above the water is the base of No.3 gun turret.

It was an amazing experience of being able to pay respects to those who were lost on that eventful day.

Memorial & Missouri

Although you can visit the’ Missouri’, the sister ship to the Arizona we did not have time to fit this one in.

USS Bowfin

When we arrived ashore, I did find time to visit the war time submarine, ‘ ‘USS Bowfin’.   For a senior citizens rate of $8, I was allowed on board, and this is another very well preserved exhibit.  I thoroughly enjoyed clambering around inside, while Colin being of larger build declined the offer and stayed onshore.

Submarine Control Room

A short distance from the submarine is a small remembrance area with inscribed pillars encircling a raised flagpole of all the American submarines lost during the war with the names of the men lost and where they went missing.

Once more, I have to take my hat off to the Americans for this remarkable place, Pearl Harbour.  It is so well presented and looked after, it shouts out, how much they respect what this place means in their history.

Back at the bus stop, we got the No.8 back into the centre of town, to the Ala Moana Shopping Mall.  This place is big; we did not bother with the shopping but went into the food hall for a cooling drink.  The place was full of tourists, so out of there and we began walking to the beach, passing many high rise and famously named hotels on the way.

Waikiki Beach

It was a lot further than we thought but we did arrive at Waikiki Beach.  This is where everyone heads for and it was packed, mainly and very surprisingly, Japanese. 

I expected there would be a lot wider beach, but the many private hotels extend down to it.  We came to a place which opened out into more of a promenade and after passing lots of shops and cafes we eventually found a bar/restaurant.  Sanctuary, with cooling beers, we ordered coconut shrimps (deep fried shrimps in coconut batter) and chips, delicious. 

Waikiki Beach

We also had wi-fi access and caught up with the emails and blogsite, while watching the sunset through the palm trees.

We had to move on, if we wanted to catch the ship and flagged down a taxi to take us back.

Honolulu is notorious for its traffic and at 20.00, this was no exception and we did not make it back on board until 21.00.





After a shower, went to the Golden Lion but it was empty; chatted with Robin, the pianist and Paul, the ballroom singer who were killing time, as all of the guests were up on deck, for the departure party.

I went on deck at midnight, but the party was thinning out, when I ordered my Blue Hawaii cocktail and watched, as we sailed away from this wonderful place, called Honolulu.

Day 32 - At Sea

Day 32 – Monday 10^th February 2014 – At Sea

Today, the daily program has been slightly changed, so after the morning exercise, it is straight into the tango dance lesson.

Carpet Bowls

After the lesson, I normally go onto the top deck forward, Deck 11, to see if anyone is enjoying the facilities available.  The carpet bowls is a favourite of mine with the green almost stretching the full width of the ship.  There are two lanes and it becomes an art to be able to play the game.  Half way along the lane is small block of wood, placed in the middle and you have to manoeuvre the ball either side of it.  The skill is judging the roll of the ball while the ship is also rolling.  Adjusting the weight, as to whether you are bowling uphill or downhill.

This bowling area can also be used for practicing golf putting, with clubs, balls and a catcher available to see how good you are, very good for up the slope of down the slope skills.

Croquet Lawn

Croquet played on this small area is also a lot of fun.  The rules of the game are not too complicated, though I have been informed if they are running a competition.  The rules are changed according to how many are playing.  I have not got to this standard and quite happy bashing the ball through the hoops from where ever it has stopped.

Paddle Tennis

Paddle tennis can be played on the starboard side of the ship, and this can be quite busy.  The normal tennis balls are used, though not the racket, instead you use a bat, slightly larger than a table tennis bat.  In the afternoon, this court is normally occupied by the Theatre singers who obviously have been playing this game for a long time; it is good to see them here relaxing, before going to their rehearsals for the night show.

Chess Board

Just behind the games area is an open air chess board.  This is situated in a prime position on a raised level and slightly out of any head wind.  Unfortunately, this does not get used very much, apart from playing it, have only seen one other game taking place.

Midship Swimming Pool

This is the view from the chess playing area looking down onto the Deck 9 midship swimming pool with its two Jacuzzi.

With its shelter from the wind this is also a very popular area, apart from the sun loungers at pool side, there are around the outside very comfortable wicker settees and chairs with their soft cushions.

The choir practice was good with Colin at last coming along to join in one of the activities.  There is a new set of songs for this choir and a little more challenging than the last.

Following the afternoon tea and sandwiches went to the aft end of Deck 9 to take in the sun’s rays, it was cold with the wind blowing across the deck, but I survived.

Today’s cocktail, Harvey Wallbanger; vodka, orange juice, Galliano, went down very well, before dinner of aubergines/venison/lime cake.

In the theatre, an American who had won a got talent competition; he was a juggler/comedian, called Thomas John, the joke is in the name.  Afraid nodded off in this show, needed the rest, as arrive in the Hawaiian Islands in the morning.

Day 31 - At Sea

Day 31 – Sunday 9^th February 2014 – At Sea

Slept in this morning, as I had made a mess of the time, last night, I retarded the clock one hour.  Wrong day, the clock goes back tonight.

This sent me into a bit of a tiss, but I still managed to make the line dancing at 10.00 and we were taught a waltz line dance, very strange to me.

With missing the gym, I decided to do a few laps around Deck 3; this is an open deck and the only one where you can get all the way round the ship, walking underneath the lifeboats.  I managed five laps which is equivalent to 1 ½ miles.  The sky is still overcast, but it is slowly warming up as we head on our south westerly course to the Hawaiian Islands.

I was a bit snookered after my walk and fell asleep in one of the many vacant loungers on this deck.  Spent the rest of the afternoon; having tea and sandwiches in the Lido.

Tonight is another formal night and another party, but we have not been invited to this one. It is the Captain’s introduction cocktail party for the new guests who joined in San Francisco. We watched them from our observation bar stools in the Café Carinthia, as they lined up, shuffling slowly forward to have their photographs taken with the Captain.  We were drinking today’s cocktail, very nice Planter’s Punch, and did not miss the free champagne.

At dinner of poached egg, asparagus/fillet steak/pear shuffle, our American at the table, William, asked us Brits what we thought about American politics and he got a lively response. Unfortunately, we had to shorten the discussion, as we did not want to miss the theatre show.

The singers and dancer put on a show which we had seen before, Vanity Fair, the difference being this time, the ship was now rolling a little in a heavier swell.  Informed, this swell was from a weather system called the pineapple express (takes a bit of believing) which had originated in Hawaii and was heading for the USA, bringing a lot of wind and rain. The excellent dancers still put on a magnificent show while the ship was rolling.

Finished off in the Golden Lion; listening to the orchestra playing Dixieland Jazz.  I made a mistake when I ordered our Speckled Hen.  Prior to ordering any drinks, you hand over your plastic ID card to the waiter and on receiving your drinks, he presents it back to you inside a leather wallet containing the bill, which shows what you had ordered, who served you and the price.  There are two copies, one you sign and the other is your copy.  I did not notice the waiter had not given me the correct card back and had given me one of the other customer’s cards, using the bar.  When I got back to the cabin, the card would not work in the door, on realising the mistake, I went back to the bar to find most of the other customers had left.  The bar supervisor rang the main reception and very quickly I was presented with a new card, so all was not lost, and after apologies all round.

I went off to bed; I will have to be more careful next time.

  

Day 30 - At Sea

Day 30 – Saturday 8^th February 2014 – At Sea

A lot of people in the gym at 08.00; where have they all come from; maybe they cannot sleep. They must be more fitness orientated these Aussies and Kiwis, while the Yanks are still getting the taste for it. The weather may have something to do with it; still cloudy and overcast with a slight swell running; when it warms up they may all disappear onto the open decks.  They have not found the sauna, so in this area; it is still peace and tranquillity.

Breakfast in the Lido, then spent the rest of the morning tidying up the cabin, before going off to the lunch time dance lesson.  Once again it is the slow waltz, and I have nearly got this one sorted out.

The line dancing was packed again on the dance floor, luckily the people who were around me, this time seemed to know what they were doing.  This dancing certainly warms you up, and when it was all over, I went off to Deck 3 to cool down.  There is still too much wind blowing and not comfortable to use any of the deck loungers.

On this informal night in the Café Carinthia and not wanting to have one of today’s cocktail specials, because it contained grapefruit juice, and we have been reliably informed, it will interfere with the many tablets me and Colin take to keep us going.  So, we opted for rum and coke, of course, Jamaican rum.

Dinner was a sea food affair for me, salmon/sea bass/peach flambre.  The new Filipino waitress for our table, Hannah is beginning to smile more, as she gets used to our eccentricities.

 

I missed the theatre tonight and went to the ballroom, to try and get a few tips, but the so called professionals seem to spend their time bumping the rest on the floor.  More consideration should be given to their fellow passengers.

Not wishing to see a punch up, I move into the grand lobby and listened to a string quartet, three ladies playing violins and a gentleman on the cello.  Very calming for me and went off to bed very relaxed.