Auckland, New Zealand

We have been to Auckland (New Zealand’s largest city) three times and it was amazing that I remembered the layout of the city and where things were located.  This is a beautiful city, surrounded by water everywhere.  It was sunny and there was a brisk breeze blowing across the water that kept the temperature at a pleasant 72 degrees. The ship was docked right downtown, and I mean right there.  If you cross the main street in front of the pier, there is the city and you are on Queen Street, the main shopping area.  A large shopping mall is located one block from the ship. One could not ask for a more convenient location. Also located here are ferry terminals, which continually criss-crossing the waterways.  If I had to live anywhere else besides the United States, I would choose to live here.  The people are friendly and the city is spotless.

    Docked at the foot of downtown

    View of pier and downtown as we left Auckland 

We did not have any tours today, so I decided I would get a manicure and pedicure.  I find that the quality and price are more to my liking off the ship (the price was equivalent to what I pay at home).  While I was doing routine maintenance, Michael was shopping for a Jawbone UP, a gadget that you wear on your wrist that measures distance walked and how well you sleep.  I got one in Hawaii, and he wants one too.  Only problem is, they don’t or can’t import them to New Zealand.  He will have to wait until we get to Sydney to get one.  These gadgets are good or bad depending on how you look at things:  it confirms what I already know – I had a crappy night’s sleep, and I did not walk enough to do any good in terms of health.  Speaking of walking, today was a two-pain pill day. 

 

I had a chance to have a meal off the ship and you all know by now what I had:  drum roll please – McDonald’s Big Mac!  I needed a good dose of junk food, a taste of home. We headed back to the ship because I was not up for the aimless wandering around that Michael likes to do, plus I had some things to take care of that gets pushed to the background when we are working.  Michael went off to find batteries for my laser pointer, which pooped out during my iPad class yesterday.

 

Speaking of the iPad class, I had a full room in the Grand Salon!  My presentation was interrupted at least four times by crew fire drill announcements.  But I am a pro and took it all in stride.  Michael said I was the talk of the ship, and now I am getting requests to do individual sessions, which I will not do.  I have been offered money for private lessons, but that is a big NO NO.  I will accept a gift (ever so humble) of maybe a new iPad Retina Mini…… (big smile/hint hint). People came to the class who did not have one, but after hearing me tell them about what you can do with it, they are going to go out and buy one when we get to Sydney.  I think Apple should give me a commission on all the iGadgets I have sold for them.  Or maybe a job.

 

While I was in my room doing catch-up work, I got a phone call saying there was a woman named Nola asking for me and she was waiting on the pier.  This is a friend I met many years ago on a Crystal cruise, and last time we were in Auckland, we spent the day with her and her husband.  I had informed her many months ago when we would be in Auckland, and then I tried to get in touch with her for weeks before we left.  The email address I had for her had been disconnected!  I was feeling really bad about not seeing her, and I had a feeling that her husband had passed away (I knew he was dealing with cancer).  Figuring she had enough on her plate, I could understand her not replying or sending me a new email address.  I rushed down the gangway, through the terminal as fast as my rotten knees would let me and there was no Nola.  A couple was standing about and said that Nola had left just a few minutes before.  Everyone was looking for me on the ship, but no one thought to call my room first.  I tried to find her, but it was no use.  One of the security guards called a phone number that I was sure had been disconnected since Nola had moved from her last home about two years ago.  I left a message on what I thought might be her mobile number and asked her to email me.  Well, it was a good number and the message got through. We connected via email, but I was crushed that we did not get to see each other. 

 

We ended the evening dining with Lillian and Adrian on the back deck of the ship, watching a glorious sunset. 

At Sea Somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean

We have been at sea for the past four days and the seas have been generally calm, but today they really started to get rough.  I am laying in bed, dictating this, while the bed is going up and down.  I feel like I need a seatbelt to keep me in bed.  At least I am not seasick!

Well, what have we been up to these days at sea?  Bridge, Bridge and more Bridge.  I have played the last two days and I have to admit that my game is starting to fall apart as I am playing with people who have no clue about what they are doing.  You cannot know how difficult it is to play with a different person every day. 

We actually had a walk out at bridge today. A fellow came to bridge the other day obviously sick, coughing, blowing his nose, and hacking away. He sounded like he was about ready to die and he insisted he just had a little asthma.  All of the players were very unhappy that he was in the room spreading germs, not giving a care to anybody else but his own needs.  So Michael called him yesterday morning and asked him not to come to the game until he was better.  So he stayed away yesterday, but today he came in today still coughing, hacking away, and blowing his snotty nose.  The players had gotten together and decided that if he showed up they were all going to walk out. Mind you now, we are not in a position to demand that he not come to play so we turned the power over to the other players and they won. When the fellow saw that nobody was going to play, he then took the hint and got up and left.  

The Bridge community on the ship is a very tight group.  In fact, they got a petition together to demand that Seabourn keep our booking agent as their bridge provider. Holland America, who is now doing all the administrative functions for Seabourn, is quite intent on replacing our booking agent and doing the bridge placement themselves. Our players are not very happy about this, and they want us back for next year's cruise!  We will have to wait and see what happens.

We were supposed to have a another rock the boat party on the pool deck, but the weather turned nasty with the rain most of the day and very chilly temperatures.  However, why should weather spoil a perfectly good party?  So they moved the party into The Club.  How do you like the original names of some of the rooms!  

    Pool deck where we have dinner out at The Grill

Tomorrow is a big day for me.  Not only do I have bridge commitments, but I am giving the first in a series of three lectures on the iPad in the Grand Salon.  Not only am I a bridge instructor, and iPad instructor, I am now the official Knitting instructor, too!  I don't mind it, I enjoy teaching.  And to top things off, we are hosting a dinner, AGAIN.  We are the hardest working people on the ship (outside of the crew).

 

Rarotonga

We have all heard the name "Tonga," an island in the South Pacific Ocean.  But what is a Rarotonga?  Rarotonga is the capital island of the Cook Islands. The island's present-day name stems from 'raro' meaning 'down' and 'tonga' meaning 'south'.   The encircling lagoon is a major tourist draw for Rarotonga and there are resorts and hotels all the way around the island. At one time, it was a protectorate of New Zealand, but today is an independent country with ties to New Zealand. 

Last night we were praying that we could land at Rarotonga. A day off and a beach day was on my list of top things to do today since the weather has been uncooperative at our other South Pacific island stops.  The problem with this island is that there is no natural harbor or lagoon large enough for the ship to anchor in.  Last year, our attempt to land was thwarted by large swells on either the windward or leeward side of the island. It's not a problem for the ship; the problem is getting passengers on and off the tender.  The rough seas buck the tender around wildly and it is just too dangerous to try and get people on and off. 

Around 8am, the alarm clock went off on schedule -- the bow thrusters came to life. After an hour or so of raising and lowering the anchor, the captain announced he was going to try the other side of the island. The entire ship waited for news:  would we be denied going to Rarotonga once again?  Would we be successful?  We were having breakfast in the Colonnade when the captain announced it looked good. Everyone cheered and clapped. My thinking was let's get on one of the first tenders to shore before they change their minds. We had a lagoon excursion scheduled for the afternoon, but since everything was running late, it was cancelled. So it was on to Plan B.  

We finished breakfast and made a beeline to our cabin to change into bathing suits. And we actually made it on to the first tender. We were greeted by locals singing and playing ukuleles. We then scoped out the transportation and best beaches. We engaged a taxi along with some other people and asked to be taken to the most popular beach for swimming. Since we landed on the western side of the island, there were plenty of beaches but because the reef was so close to shore, there was no way to go swimming because the water was only a few inches deep. Our taxi driver told us that the most popular areas are the south-eastern corner at Muri where the the lagoon is deep enough for good snorkeling and swimming. 

Little did we know that we would get a tour of the island as the beach was on the complete opposite side of where we were.  Our driver, Urau, wore a flower wreath around her head.  She said she goes out into her garden every day and makes a wreath to wear; she wears it all day.  I sure did like it.  This island was pretty upscale for a Polynesian island, but it was still a tropical island.  There were above ground family crypts and goats grazing nearby.  There were many little shops and restaurants that we saw while driving.  The air temperature was quite pleasant and the breeze from the open windows was refreshing.

We finally arrived at our destination:  a nice white sand beach, some palm trees for shade, and a gentle lagoon sheltered by tiny islets.  The beach fronted a resort, but the place looked deserted.  There were lounge chairs and umbrellas in front of the resort, but there was only one couple in sight.  We inquired how much it would be to rent the chairs, and the man said all we had to do was buy one drink!  OK, we can do that, so we set up shop under the umbrella as the sun was very strong and very hot.  The same man informed us, laughing, that they didn’t serve drinks until 1pm.  Awesome, we did not have to pay since we planned on having the taxi pick us up at 1pm.

We took turns going into the water (not wanting to leave our stuff unattended).  The swimming area was calm, but not very deep.  We had to wade out quite a way before the aquamarine water was waist-high.  It was then possible to dunk ones whole body.  The top few inches of water was very warm, but as I swung my arms through the water, I could feel cold water.  It was an interesting sensation.  When we hurriedly packed up this morning, we realized that we forgot to bring a book to read.  Yes, I had my iPhone, but there was no internet so I couldn’t download my book.  What to do, what to do?  How can one just sit on the beach and do nothing?  Well, folks, in this day and age of being in touch every second of the day, it felt good to just sit and listen.  Close your eyes and listen to the gentle lapping of the water on the beach.  Close your eyes and listen to the roar of the breaking surf on the reef.  Feel the gentle breeze blow across your face.  Open your eyes and see the contrast of the bright blue sky against the aquamarine blue water.  This is a peace and quiet few people in modern life get to experience. 

All too soon our beach time came to a close, and just in time, too.  Two bus loads of Seabourn passengers from tours descended upon our little piece of heaven and the magic disappeared – poof.  Our taxi reappeared and took us back around the island to the waiting tender.  I just loved the flower wreath Urau was wearing and I asked her if I could take a picture with her.  Sure, she was happy to.  Then she suggested we exchange hats and take another picture – great idea.  I was getting ready to give her the wreath back when she said I should take it.  I squealed with delight and gave her my hat.  I know she got the better deal, but I was happy, happy.   We reboarded the Sojourn and had lunch and the spent the rest of the afternoon bobbing about in the pool.

We hosted dinner tonight and I was the belle of the ball with my flower wreath and Polynesian dress.  I felt like a princess.

    

Bora Bora

Bora Bora never let's me down. It is Boring Boring. 

This island says Polynesia. It is considered the "Pearl of the Pacific."  Ocean waves brush the barrier reefs with small islets surrounding the main island. The waters in the lagoon are bright turquoise, which contrast with the indigo of the ocean beyond.  Volcanic peaks rise up from the sea to create magical shapes that reach to the sky. The island is only 15 square miles and it's airport lies on an outer islet.  And all the good beaches are on the islets surrounding the island; you need a boat to get to them. Since there is no letter B in the Tahitian language, locals pronounce it Pora Pora. 

We arrived at our anchorage around 8am. Our alarm clock went off on schedule -- the bow thrusters came to life while the crew set the anchor. It's good to know that even the pros have to set the anchor more than once to get a good bite, but it doesn't help me get that few extra winks of shut-eye. Again, the heavens were in control today. Michael went ahead to shore via tender to scope things out since I was I was in considerable pain this morning and didn't want to tax my aching body if there was nothing to see or do different from last time we were here. Using walkie talkies, I got a first hand report from shore that said "ITS POURING, I'm coming back."  

So it seemed like a good time to catch up on blog writing, which I did.  But the internet has been down for the past two days so I am not sure if anything I did send actually was delivered. The rain stopped for lunch, then it started up again. This paradise only works when the sun is out. 

For the first time that we have been on a Seabourn ship, they opened the marina. What is the marina? Deck 2 opens up to reveal a swimming cage that extends from the ship out into the water as well as a pier for all the water toys like zodiacs, the banana boat, water skis, etc.  Michael got to ride on the banana boat. Here is his description:  it was fun, he didn't get wet and it was more stable than he thought. It was exhilarating when they would speed up and go over wakes.  It was the day's highlight for him. I took a nap

    Deck 2 contains the marina

    The marina is deployed.  Swimming cage surrounded by dock. 

    Ready for banana ride

    Banana ride

We were invited to a cocktail party on Deck 7, in a suite on the bow. It's nice to see how the other half lives, but it is also sweet to be invited and hang with the big shots. I carefully fixed my hair for the evening, but couldn't help myself and went out on the deck to chat up some folks.  As the ship left her anchorage and picked up speed, my carefully coiffed hair started flying about. Hair in your mouth is not pleasant, especially when you are trying to eat, drink, talk and take pictures all at the same time.  Plus the damn perm....my hair now looked like a big frizz ball that needed a serious combing or a close shearing.  I did get a couple of outstanding sunset pictures that I may or may not be able to transfer from my phone to iPad.

Since we didn't have enough to eat, it was off to the a Grill for dinner with one of our bridge player couples. I really wasn't hungry (I don't think I ever am while aboard) but to be polite, I order food knowing that I probably won't eat it or like it. I hate to waste food, but the kitchen staff has no concept of a smidge, a tiny bit, or a taste. No matter what size you ask for, you get a regular serving. 

Back in our room, Michael conked out after giving up on trying to download a book. I guess the banana ride wore him out [insert a laugh and smirk here].  I am diligently doing my duty to write even though I may not get anything sent because the internet sucks right now and I can't connect. So if you don't hear from me for several days, don't worry, the internet is probably down. 

Moorea

Moorea is perhaps the most beautiful of the Society Islands.  There are two exceptional bays in the north. The entire island is surrounded by reefs, offering up tranquil aquamarine lagoons close to shore. The majority of islanders live along the coastline, and there is only one road, which circles the entire island along the coast.  A rutted dirt road takes you up to Mt Rotui where you can look down the side of a volcanic crater where lava once flowed into lush green valleys full of pineapple plantations and fruit trees.  There are no cities, just small settlements or villages. Most residents work on Tahiti, which is 12 miles across the channel and is only a 30 minute ride by ferry.  Herman Melville, the author of "Moby Dick," was a famous resident of the island. 

The ship anchored in Cooks Bay, one of two large bays that indents the north side of the island. The morning started out warm and sunny, but dark rain clouds obscured the craggy mountain tops. 

We went ashore via tender and found local vendors had set up shop under portable canopies -- and all of them sold the same things -- black pearls.  I was so good.  I am not buying any souvenirs on this trip. But I do reserve the right to change my mind when something comes along that I can't live without. 

There wasn't much to see here and nothing to do, so we went back to the ship for lunch. I had an excursion to ride a catamaran and go swimming, so I returned to shore while Michael stayed aboard since he didn't have an excursion. 

Well, wouldn't you know it, it was the same catamaran from yesterday with a different skipper but same first mate. We all boarded the boat and sat there while the French speaking skipper with a very thick English accent could not get it started. After 15 minutes of him trying this knob, going down first one hatch than another, he finally got the boat started and off we went.  Ah, a lovely day in paradise...except the storm clouds were gathering, growing darker and coming right toward us. And boy, did it pour and pour some more. We finally huddled inside the cabin trying not to knock each other over. We went across the reef into open ocean and watched the waves break from behind, throwing up lots of spray. That was really cool but I didn't take pictures because everything was too wet and the rain kept a coming. Crossing back into the lagoon, the skipper dropped anchor so we could swim and snorkel. No thanks, it was still raining.  Not fun.  We had an hour to swim, that was on the schedule so we sat and only one person decided to swim. But then, it stopped raining, the sun came out and a few more hardy folks jumped in the water.  Dammit I came to swim!  So in I went. It was lovely.  On the way back to the ship, it rained again. Timing is everything!

Tahiti

Tahiti is the capital of the Society Islands, one of the five archipelagoes that make up French Polynesia.  Most of the islands that comprise French Polynesia are reef-fringed "high Islands" with jagged green mountains reaching to the clouds.  The rest are "low islands" -- atolls built by coral growth surrounding submerged craters.  The majority of the population of French Polynesia lives on the island of Tahiti, which is the largest island in the archipelago. The people of Papeete are a colorful blend of native Polynesians, Chinese, and mostly French Europeans. French is the official language. 

Papeete is the capital city and suffers from the burdens of modern civil action such as traffic lights, parking meters and congestion, and is the commercial center of the Society Islands. The harbor and waterfront is where all the action is. Once you get out of Papeete, you see the beautiful emerald green hills and mountains dotted with numerous waterfalls. 

The big attraction for tourists is the covered market, just steps away from our berth in the harbor. The first floor is filled with fruit, vegetables, tropical flowers and fresh fish.  The upper level is reserved for arts and crafts. The prices here are absolutely outrageous -- one cucumber costs $3!  Most people on the island fish and grow their own fruit and vegetables. 

Images of Tahiti conjures up tropical paradise with palm trees, crystal clear warm water and perfect sand beaches. Well keep on dreaming because there aren't that many palm trees and there are no perfect sandy beaches that the public is able to use. If there is a beach, one of the large hotels owns it.  Last year, we paid $90 EACH for the privilege of using the Hotel Intercontinental's version of a beach (OK, so the price included lunch).

Today was not a great beach day anyway.  The weather was threatening with heavy dark rain clouds that obscured the jagged mountain tops. Michael and I each had escort duty on the same excursion except he went in the morning while it was still sunny and I went in the afternoon while it poured down rain.  The tour description was thus:  "explore Tahiti's beauty from above and below sea level during this relaxing sailing and snorkeling excursion aboard a catamaran."  One person described the tour as "a very expensive swim."  Michael did snorkel and did see a few fish. I did not.  I mostly huddled with the group trying to keep from getting soaking wet. Who wants to get in the water in a heavy rain?  I know that sounds crazy, but swimming in the aquamarine waters with black clouds overhead just doesn't work for me.  The scenery was not worth taking pictures. This was a very disappointing trip that had us going by two airports (general aviation and commercial), one falling down abandoned hotel, and the Hotel Intercontinental's infinity pool that we swam in last year. 

Michael met me at the dock and we walked over to the market. Crossing the main street is pretty simple and safe:  drivers stop for pedestrians!  Every time!  The market was closing so we didn't see very much of it. By this time (4pm), the sun came back out, along with the suffocating humidity. I didn't get wet swimming, but I sure did get wet walking. We decided a dose of A/C and a shower were calling our names so we headed back to the ship to get ready for our evening of hosting a dinner table. 

Six Sea Days

Tonight ends our six straight days at sea. We have been fortunate with pleasant temperatures and cooperative seas. It hasn't been as smooth as the 10-day stretch we did last year on the South Pacific Ocean, but nevertheless I am overall happy with the transit. 

There has not been much to write about the last six days other than that bridge has taken up almost all of our time.  We have had four tables of beginners and they are very enthusiastic. While Michael is giving the intermediate lesson, I am generally working with the beginners.  I have only played bridge once during this 6-day run, and even though I am around the bridge instruction all day long, I feel like I am losing my edge. One needs to play it to remember and be good at it. But hey, I am not complaining.  At least I know how to set up a game, and score a game.

Our players have given us nothing but praise and are already talking about us coming back for next year's cruise.  I know we have arrived bridge-wise because we got invited to Stella's "old friends" party.  This was quite a shindig with incredible appetizers served with cocktails in the card room, and then we repaired to Restaurant 2 for a lovely dinner (and yes, that is the name of the restaurant).  Seaborn cannot do something simple; we had a very interesting meringue desert and after that, a second dessert was served. This one was a tree of creampuffs drizzled with caramel. By this time, no one was hungry, and yet a third dessert of bonbons was served!  OMG!

Last night we had a Polynesian party on the pool deck.  Men wore aloha shirts, and women wore Hawaiian dresses or Pareos. The entertainers and band played south pacific melodies, most of them from the show South Pacific.  There was a beautiful South Pacific inspired buffet in the Colonnade, and dessert was served out on the pool deck accompanied by some really rocking tunes.  The Rock the Boat party was well underway with people dancing and enjoying the balmy air.  

    Carved vegetable display

    Aloha

    Rock The Boat entertainment

After six days of being "on" in public and working and dining with the passengers, Michael and I took the night off.  We decided to order room service -- I got my peanut butter and jelly sandwich!  We watched a dumb movie while dining in our pajamas. See, all the comforts of home!

If you ever go to the tropics, where it is hot, humid and windy, DO NOT let anyone talk you into getting a perm. I look like I have a long afro!  At least it is now long enough to pull back into a ponytail.  No amount of hair stuff can tame it under these conditions. 

I'm sorry that this entry is rather boring, but days at sea not a whole lot happens that's worthy of reporting.  I am still having trouble sleeping, so what's new?  Some days my knees are working, some days they're not.  But I'm not going to let anything stop me as we have some fun excursions coming up in the next few days. Papeete, Tahiti is our next stop. 

The Rest of Hawaii

Lahaina, Maui

We have been to Hawaii numerous times and have at one point or another seen what there is to see.  So today I elected to stay onboard the ship and rest my knees.  Believe it or not, ones bills don't stop when you are sailing around the world for four months, so I fired up the computer to do the monthly bills. There is no way that you can totally run away from home and leave no trace behind unless you are Jack Reacher (for those that read Lee Child books you will know what I am talking about). 

Michael was on escort duty this afternoon and went sailing on a catamaran in search of whales. He really didn't have to go to far to see them because he saw plenty of whales on the tender ride to shore before he ever got on the catamaran.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day but there was zero wind; therefore, no sailing. Nevertheless, he saw lots of whales and porpoises, had puu puu's and mai tais, got sunburned and had a fine time.  Normally, there would be a really splendid picture of a whale accompanying this paragraph, but all the pictures he took were crappy. Therefore, here's a colorful picture of the sail of the catamaran.  

We finished the evening off with a pleasant dinner with the Rabbi, Richard and wife Marion. 

Honolulu Day 1

We had an overnight here in Honolulu and on our first day we had some additional shopping to do. Why in the world do we have to do more shopping? Well, it seems as though Michael forgot to pack his sandals. So off we trot to the bus stop to ride down to the Ala Moana mall. As luck would have it, the bus was right there and I had to fast walk to catch it (and boy, will I pay for it later).  To get a discount fare on the bus as a senior, instead of showing a card that has your date of birth on it, you show your Medicare card. You could use anyone's Medicare card since there's no picture ID on it; how stupid is that?!?

The weather so far has been absolutely pleasant. It is not too hot, not too chilly, not too rainy, just right!  And now I would like a bowl of porridge please!  We also went to the Verizon store to see about putting Michael's phone on hibernation for the time that we are going to be gone. But Verizon's got some sort of deal where they're going to charge you $15 a month to do that so it is not worth it. Plus they extend your contract for the amount of time that you have it on hibernation, and with the iPhone 6 coming out somewhere around September, I do not want to be delayed in getting a new one. I have to say this is quite a rip off, but we been with Verizon for such a long time and the service is the best for our needs. 

I don't know if you remember that Michael was searching for rubber bands in Hilo; so across the street from the Verizon store was a combination super Walmart and Sam's Club all in the same building!  The Walmart was one the first floor and the Sam's Club was on the second; I have never seen a combination like that before, but it makes sense since in downtown Honolulu the real estate is so valuable. He found his rubber bands, as well as his sandals, so our shopping was complete and we headed back to the ship on the public bus. The afternoon was young, the skies were bright blue, and the sun was warm so that meant -- pool time. 

Tonight was the first ship-wide special event. At 4:30 pm, we were transported to Pearl Harbor for a party on the USS Missouri battleship, which is permanently moored here. This ship is over 70 years old and has been lovingly restored. I was quite amazed to find that the decks were 2" thick teak over steel plating. This ship is famous because Japan surrendered on it in Tokyo Bay, with General MacArthur and many other world military leaders aboard.  Entertainment was provided by the "Andrew Sisters."  There were a few World War II vets attending this party, and for some it was quite emotional. They served puu puu's and mai tais. Upon our return to the ship, the crew was lined up on either side of the red carpet to welcome us back with music and cheers. The evening was absolutely splendid.  Seabourn knows how to throw a party!

And later that evening I did something that I have a hard time doing: I fell asleep before Michael!  

Honolulu Day 2

I had one of the silliest escort jobs I ever had. I was "escorting" about 25 people (including Michael) to Waikiki Beach. There was absolutely nothing involved except getting off the bus, walking to the beach, and parking our keisters down on chaise lounges under an umbrella.  What can one say about beautiful white sand beaches, gentle surf and beautiful weather. This is what is known as paradise. The only thing that would've been better would have been if there was a male masseuse with six-pack abs  giving me a massage on the beach. We spent four hours lazing about, napping, reading a book and bobbing in the surf before returning to the ship.  

And since we didn't have enough relaxation and water time at the beach, we went to the pool for more R & R.  After awhile, we both realized that we had forgotten to do the laundry. This was a good time to do it, but who wants to go inside, running back and forth with such a disagreeable task on a ship. Well, we did it and there will be no stinky clothes for us. 

Don't get to excited about such a hedonistic day. We deserve it and need a totally relaxing day in preparation for the six days we will be working our butts off while at sea on our way to Tahiti. 

We enjoyed a predinner show with local Hawaiian singers, and then had dinner at the Grill with Stan and Linda. 

Kauai

MICHAEL:  I had a splendid excursion today.  I let a group of 20 people through a congressionally-chartered botanical research organization called the Allerton & McBryde Garden.  This can best be described as a living work of art, including water features, statuary and garden rooms that are absolutely delightful. National Geographic traveler magazine calls the garden one of the top 50 must-see attractions in the world.  It is located in Poipu, no more than a couple miles away from where we used to have a condo here.  The garden comprises over 600 acres and is home to more than 6,000 rare and endangered species of plants collected from around the Pacific basin and throughout the world.  After the morning part of the tour, we had a delightful lunch at the Canoe Garden Gazebo.  From here, we took a short, leisurely walk through an adjoining property to see a waterfall that hardly anyone gets to visit.

To give you an idea just how beautiful this place is, they make on average of three television shows or movies here per year.  We walked through parts of the garden that were the setting for Gilligans Island, Jurassic Park, Fantasy Island, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and many others.  After leaving the Gardens, we took a short ride over to spouting Horn, a blowhole that is one of the most popular attractions in Kauai, and something I've seen 27 times before.  It looked exactly the same, up to and including all of the trinkets that they sell right next to it.  On the way back to the ship, we drove through other parts of Poipu, including old Koloa town, and the tree tunnel which still hasn't return to its former glory.  it really was a terrific day.

BEVERLY:  I traded excursions with Michael because I thought I would do a lot less walking on the Fern Grotto tour. What a mistake that was. What a disappointment.  I had been to the Grotto many many years ago and it was fabulous. There would be local entertainment performing right in the cave, with lush ferns hanging upside down from the rocky cliffs.  Today, you can't even get close to the cave; you get to stand on a platform and view the rock face that has some really wimpy and limp looking ferns struggling to grow. As for the cave, I could barely make out the entrance, we were so far away from it. The boat ride on the Wailua River was a yawner.  And I did a lot of walking anyway. Ain't hindsight grand!

    Fern Grotto

    On the Wailua River

   

We stopped to take photos of the famous Opaekaa Falls. 

The evening concluded with us hosting a table of ten, and then we went and saw a comedian/ piano player, who was actually pretty good. 

We have six sea days across the South Pacific Ocean before reaching our next destination, Tahiti. 

Hilo Hawaii

What kind of people board a luxury cruise liner, sail 2,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean while being pampered, who arrive at an island paradise called Hawaii, and then immediately stand in a long line to board a crummy bus to go to Walmart?  THE WALKERS, and an entire ship full of Princess passengers -- that's who!  And why would we do such a thing?

We have been to Hilo several times before and have seen the two sights worth seeing:  The botanical gardens and the volcanoe's lava tubes.  So there was no need to go sightseeing.  No matter how carefully you pack, no matter how thorough your list, there is always something that you need or forgot.  It seems as though the ink cartridges for our printer had dried out and there was no way we would be able to complete the trip with the one spare that we brought.  In addition we needed rubber bands; which, by the way, Walmart happened to be out of!  There were a few other miscellaneous supplies that we needed for the bridge room and I also needed to get a new ice bag so I could ice my knee after walking half a mile just to get to the crummy bus. 

After completing our purchases, we headed back on the crummy bus, back to our serene ship.  The weather was absolutely perfect; bright blue skies and air temperature that was absolutely delightful.  This is the first time we have been to Hilo without it raining and cold.  We had lunch on the pool deck and then it was time to do some serious R&R and put up our feet (and me with an ice pack). Michael took his first dip in the pool and I gave a private iPhone lesson to a friend.  I also spent quite a bit of time on the cell phone calling family as Hawaii is our last US stop, and that means it's our last chance to use our cell phones without incurring international charges.

Now the most interesting part of the day was to come. We decided to go to Friday night services and check out the new rabbi's sermon. His delivery was rather intense, fiery, and quite passionate.  He described Judaism as a code of conduct rather than a belief system. But the best part of Friday night services, as always, is the challah bread!  

We had dinner at the grill on the pool deck and got done early so we had time to kill before all the evening activities started.  So what do we do to kill some time?  We don't. We become party poopers and go to bed.  And it's a good thing we didn't wait up for the party on the deck because it just started raining.  Now our streak is perfect -- every time we've been to Hilo, it rains.

Roaring 20s

My big accomplishment for the day was getting to the gym. Ooh rah for me.  I had to ask directions, and since I have been on this ship and her sister ship for almost one year of combined sea days, I felt somewhat embarrassed about this fact. I did my business and made it to bridge on time.

Crazy, crazy bridge today. Eleven tables of experienced players and we had one director call after another, fouled boards, and massive scoring errors. This was all complicated by the fact Michael and I had to play to fill out a table.  Because of the interruptions and disruptions, we did not have such a great game. But that doesn't matter because any time we play, we get disqualified if we win. Boo hoo. 

Tonight we had a fun experience with the world cruisers. Tonight was a Roaring 20s theme cocktail party and dinner.  The dancers and the cruise directors were in their finest flapper costumes and there was some wonderful dancing to watch.  We sat at the dinner table with the Rabbi and his wife, and believe it or not had some incredible dinner conversation regarding faith, beliefs and religion.  And you thought you weren't supposed to talk about religion in polite company!  The meal was outstanding. I don't eat much meat, but tonight I had tournadoes of beef (a filet migon?) that was so tender and tasty that I ate most of it. We asked the chef to come to our table so we could thank him for an exceptional meal. 

    Here we are with Lillian and Adrian dressed in our dapper costumes. 

DAY 6

Last night the water turned a bit lumpy, and for most people, it would be relaxing and soothing to sleep in. But not for me. Sleep, once again, has eluded me. Some mornings it is a struggle to get going. 

Today was another day filled with bridge. We had 10 tables and Michael and I had to play.  Among all the chaos of people and boards moving around, and people not scoring properly, somehow Michael I managed to pull off a very nice game. We came in fourth out of a tough crowd and earned master points, however we get disqualified because it would not look nice for the bridge directors to win. So here is a little note to my bridge partner, Nancy:  I am earning points! but I can't keep them 😢

After five days of being inside the ship because the weather has not been very nice, we finally got outside and had lunch in the sun.  There were intermittent rain showers all day and we were very fortunate that the sun did shine while we were having our meal. I know that our reports have been a little bit boring (ok, a lot boring), but in reality all we have been doing is conducting bridge classes and games that takes up about eight hours each day, and eating or trying to sleep.  There is no good gossip to report because my gossip conduit is not on the ship (you know who you are).  Since our world right now consists of bridge and bridge players, I have to report that most of the bridge players have been very nice and have been well behaved. 

We hosted a dinner table again tonight.  As I mentioned before, hosting a dinner table is not a relaxing experience. We are expected to be gracious hosts and to make sure our company has a good time.  I must remember to put the filter on my mouth before I speak because Michael cannot kick me under the table as the table is too big for him to reach me. 

TOMORROW IS LAND HO!  We will have five days off in Hawaii before we go back to work for six straight days in a row when we cross the South Pacific Ocean to Tahiti. 

At Sea Days 2-4

Day 2

We hit the ground running.  We had to get organized and setup for the upcoming classes.  The beginner class begins at 10 am, and not knowing how many to expect, we set up the tables, put out the folders and printed lessons, and opened the doors to a grand total of two tables worth.  This group shows some promise. 

 

But we were not expecting an onslaught from the intermediates.  We had an overflow crowd.  So we scrambled for more tables and chairs.  We were warmly greeted by the returning Quest passengers telling us how glad they were that we were here.  And there were many new faces. 

 

World has gotten around the ship that the iPad teacher was back.  The customer service staff in Seabourn Square asked me when my first class was going to be held.  The bridge players that I knew requested immediate help.  The assistant cruise director wanted to set up a schedule (the cruise director fell down a flight of stairs and broke her collarbone.  She is off the ship in Hawaii and we get another cruise director – is this another cursed ship?????).  I guess I am going to do iPad classes after we leave Hawaii.  How the hell am I going to have time to fit everything in? 

 

I got my initiation as a bridge director today.  We had 14 tables and I had one director call (which I actually knew the answer to!!!).  After the bridge game this afternoon, we still had a lot to do to get everything setup.  All I want to do is go to bed.  My knee aches, but is working OK.  Michael reminds me that we have to host a dinner table tonight.  Can I just pull the blankets up over my head?  I thought the trip to Hawaii would be a restful time (sigh).  So I get my tired and battered body up and dressed and get myself out to the dining room and put on my happy face.  OK, I admit, it turned out well as we had some very interesting people to talk to. 

 

Day 3 is a repeat of Day 2

The beginner group has grown to four tables.  We are busy, busy, busy.  The only interesting thing that happened today was that we that we had to dress formal for dinner and Michael got to wear his new white dinner jacket.  I bellyached about going, but he promised me a night off tomorrow.  I am putting this in writing so he can’t renege.  We did see Melissa Manchester at the show tonight.  It was a refreshing change to get a known entertainer.

 

     Lillian and Adrian 

Day 4 is also a repeat of Day 2

Still haven’t made it to the gym, but today I did pack up my workout clothes and took them with me to the card room.  After shuffling and dealing out 20 decks of cards and putting them into the boards, I am just too pooped to workout.  Michael is glad for the help I am giving him in setting up and scoring the game.  The weather has been very cool and it is too chilly to sit out on deck or to eat at the grill.  The water has been very cooperative and is giving us a relatively flat ride. 

 

I guess you get the idea of our life on the ship on sea days.  Eat, work, eat, work, drink, eat, sometimes work, sleep.

Day 1 -- Move-in Day

It hardly seems like we have been off the ship for 8 months, but here we go again. It's like we never left. 

The journey begins after a busy December full of company and lots of surprises. We decided to rent our desert condo out for the four months we are on the ship. That meant removing all of our personal stuff from the condo. After 11 years, I can tell you that we have accumulated A LOT OF STUFF!  We rented a storage unit and made many trips with a small car full of stuff.  Thankfully, we had our girls to help moving the stuff.

It was a great way to start the cruise --- no airplane flight --- just a short 2-hour drive to the port of Los Angeles.  We rented a MINIVAN in which we set a new record for the amount of CARGO we will take on the ship with us. In all fairness, we had two small boxes of bridge supplies our booking agent had us take onboard.  The other 10 items were ours.   Again, in all fairness, two boxes were also bridge related. So we only had eight other items. In all fairness, two were small carry on bags. So you see, we really didn't take THAT much stuff (start eye rolling now). 

We got to the port of Los Angeles, but couldn't find our ship, the Seabourn Sojourn.   Seems as though Mr. Anal-Retentive ASSUMED the ship would be there. After consulting with the security office, they told us the ship was at the port of Long Beach!  Fortunately, it was just a short distance away. 

We boarded and ran into so many people that we knew from last year, we thought the ship should be renamed the Seabourn Reunion.  We are now in suite 411, on the starboard side of the ship. We have moved in and are near ready to collapse from fatigue.  However,  we journeyed out for dinner to dine with good friends, Lillian and Adrian.  Then it was early to bed to get ready for our first day back at work tomorrow.