Last night just before we left Honolulu there was a lei ceremony around the pool at the back of the ship. We all stood around the pool and threw our leis into the pool, signifying that we will return to Hawaii one day. The sun was starting to set and the colours of the buildings were highlighted, along with the clouds which turned from grey to pink - it was a lovely way to remember this beautiful city.
After the lei ceremony, about to sail into the sunset
We now have five glorious days at sea before we reach Pago Pago in American Samoa. For us this means days to sunbathe, swim, walk around the Promenade Deck, read, listen to live music, go to Shows, play games, drink and chat with friends (both old and new), sleep, and of course, eat! We love sea days as much as the days we explore exciting ports of call.
Friday, October 2 (1st Day)
After a leisurely breakfast, we headed off on our daily walk around the ship - 2 circuits to a kilometre. This morning the sea looked fantastic - that deep navy blue with patches of a brighter blue and little white caps caused by our ship ploughing through the swell. It was very humid on the Promenade Deck so we limited our walk to six circuits then headed poolside for an iced tea. Then it was off to a lecture on the Constellations - interesting material but a very boring presenter so it may be the only one of eight we attend. We then caught up with Tony & Angie for lunch and the boys decided to have a swim afterwards while Angie & I walked a few more circuits and, of course, chatted non-stop. Next on the program was a talk on our upcoming ports of call but the theatre was packed so we decided to watch the presentation on the TV in our cabin when it is shown tomorrow. This made time for a rest & read in our cabin before getting dressed for dinner with Tony & Angie at Canaletto Italian Restaurant - courtesy of our travel agent. The meal was very nice and we were very full (especially of the Limoncello that laced our desserts) as we headed off - Tony & Angie to bed and Al & I to the 10 pm Show - an excellent US Doo Wop group - The Alley Cats. Another wonderful day at sea.
Saturday, October 3 (2nd Day)
After a sleep-in then breakfast, we made our way to the Crows Nest for Al & Angie's Ukelele lesson as I wanted to take some photos of the group in action. Sadly, a glitch in the programming of daily activities has meant that the Ukelele lessons have been omitted both yesterday and today. The group are to perform one night before we reach Samoa along with the Hula dancers who have not suffered the same fate with their practices and seem to be making excellent progress. The Ukelele group have been assured there will be a practice for them tomorrow - much to their relief as they have not played since the day before we arrived in Hawaii. Oh well, I'm sure it will all come together in the end.
Angie & Al at their Ukelele lesson
We decided to have a walk with Angie as Tony was playing chess and six laps later in very humid conditions, we decided to call it quits and have lunch in the cool. After lunch we enjoyed another read before having a swim. There has been quite a swell today and as we are sailing into the wind, the ship has rocked from side to side as well as from front to back - the result being that swimming in the pool was more like surfing as the water rushed from one end to the other and from side to side. The Captain assures us that tomorrow the swell will be smaller and only from the side so the ship's stabilizers will be a lot more effective and we should have a calmer ride. There was time for a quick game of British Pub Trivia (we found the cards in a Thrift Shop in Canada and thought they might be fun on the long sea days) with Tony & Angie before we went to dinner in the Rotterdam Dining Room then we went to the Show - a Canadian Violinist/Comedian, Dave Levesque. What seemed quite an unlikely combination worked well and we all enjoyed the Show more than we had expected. Tony & Angie and myself decided to call it a night but Al chose to go to the 10 pm movie about Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. I think all the walking and swimming had caught up with me!
Sunday, October 4 (3rd Day)
After the non-denominational service led by Rev Allen Hulme it was more of the same as the previous sea days but it was a lot more humid today. This is to be expected as we cross the Equator at 2.00 am tomorrow morning. The swell was much larger and increased as the day went on so walking became interesting - we walked a lot further than planned in zig zag fashion. We played the second round of Pub Trivia - this time changing partners so that Angie & I played the boys AND WON! The night's entertainer was a pianist/singer - Heather Sullivan, who paid tribute to pianist singer songwriters like Carol King and Elton John.
Monday, October 5 (4th Day)
In cruising tradition, all crew members who were crossing the Equator for the first time (Polywogs) were summoned by King Neptune - King of the Seas - to account for themselves in a poolside ceremony this morning. Rhyming verses were read aloud about each shipboard occupation and then crew in that particular occupation were smothered in meringue and made to kiss a very large fish before plunging into the pool. This procedure was repeated for all ocupations so This rendered the main pool unswimmable for the rest of the day. The rough seas made it necessary to use the main covered pool in lieu of the more exposed back pool where it was originally planned to be held. Doors to the Promenade Deck were locked to stop us walking around and maybe falling or being totally drowned by the spray. It was very humid again and the skies were cloudy and grey. Hopefully we will see sunshine before Pago Pago!
King Neptune & His Queen watch the judgement of the Polywogs alongside the Fish to be Kissed
A group of Polywogs awaiting their "dunking" (a relief I would have thought!)
....... and our Certificates too!
As it was Gala Night, we dressed in our glad rags and went to dinner - always a special dinner and tonight was no exception - lobster, jumbo shrimps, game hen, etc. etc. The Show was "Dance" performed by the ship's singers and dancers - we didn't stay long!
Tuesday, October 6 (5th Day)
The clouds had largely cleared away and it was 29C with high humidity but still very pleasant. The pool had been cleaned and refilled and the mood of the passengers was lazy and relaxed as they planned to spend their day sun baking, swimming, sleeping, reading, chatting, eating - such energy required! We headed for the Crow's Nest for the final Ukelele practice for Al & Angie as the performance was scheduled for 5 pm today during the Island Aloha Music Hour performance. Considering they have had so many lessons cancelled, the task seemed a bit daunting and Angie was threatening to drop out as the G7 chord was proving elusive for her to master and it was the mainstay of the song they had to play. Also, the Hawaiian vowels were proving difficult for both of them as they struggled to learn the words - and this was supposed to be fun!!! Tony & I were glad we had been dull and boring and chosen to read our books instead.
My view from the Crow's Nest as I read and listened to the Ukelele practice
The concert went well and our two muso's were excellent. It was then time for dinner (again!!) and then off to the show - a fantastic comedian/juggler who we have seen before - Benji Hill.
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