Honolulu to Samoa - 5 Days from October 2-6

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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Honolulu - Day 2

Thursday, October 1

It was an early start for all of us as our tours required us to be ready by 7:20am. Tony went on a Pearl Harbour VIP Military Base Experience tour, while the 3 of us went on a small group tour of Pearl Harbour. This was a good decision as there were only 15 of us, and we had a great tour guide/driver called Tony!

Pearl Harbour is about 30 minutes drive from where the Volendam was docked, and there is a lot to see and do there related to the attack on it on December 7, 1941 which brought the USA into the Second World War. The first site we visited on Ford Island was the memorial to the Oklahoma, one of the battleships that were sunk with a large loss of life. Not far away was the battleship Missouri on which the surrender document was signed in Tokyo Bay to end the war, and the "mighty Mo" has now been turned into a museum.

On board the Mighty Mo

Commissioning ceremony, near the spot where the surrender document was signed

We were given a guided tour for 30 minutes and then left to roam around other parts of the ship to get a feel for what life on board might have been like - we much prefer our current ship and life on the water as we know it, but we owe our gratitude to all who served so we can enjoy the lifestyle we have today. While on the tour there was a commissioning ceremony for a man who was being promoted to Major, and he had his family and military family there to witness it - not something you see very often.

We could have spent longer than the hour we had to roam about the Missouri, but we had to drive back to the main site on the mainland to access the Arizona memorial. Our allocated time to see the movie about the attack and then visit the Arizona memorial was 11:15, so we had time to visit a couple of the other museums that depicted different aspects of how and why Japan took the course it did and the history of the 1930s and 1940s, from individuals to Hawaii's involvement and of course the world war.

The Arizona memorial is built perpendicular to the hull of the ship, and there were over 1100 sailors who lost their lives in the December 7 attack, and most of them were left in the wreckage, thereby converting the wreck into a cemetery. Some of the survivors who have since died requested that they be buried with their crew mates, so it is a very special place to Americans.

Approaching on the launch

Exposed gun turret, and oil still leaks from the Arizona!

Viewing area on the memorial

After we left Pearl Harbour we drove through Punchbowl cemetery which contains the bodies of lots of service people who died in World War 2, and the views from there are spectacular.

The last part of the tour took us through the downtown area, most of which we had seen yesterday, but Tony had some good stories to keep us entertained so it didn't bother us. Honolulu is a beautiful place and requires a longer stay to really enjoy it and to get further afield on the island of Oahu - I'm sure there will be another visit sometime in the future!

Statue of the Hawaiian King in front of the original palace

The Iolani Palace

 

We have another 5 days at sea coming up on our way to Samoa, so no more wifi until then!!

 

 

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Honolulu, Hawaii

Wednesday, September 30

We enjoyed a lovely breakfast watching the coastline of Oahu pass by as we sailed towards our berth near the Aloha Tower on a hot sunny day, and as we disembarked all guests were given a beautiful orchid lei. We had purchased tickets for the hop on-hop off trolley to get around and see the sights, and this turned out not to be the best idea. There were a lot of other guests from our ship with the same idea, and we all headed for the same trolley stop. We don't think the trolley company was very organised as they didn't arrange extra trolleys for this first rush of customers, consequently some didn't fit on the first trolley and were not happy about waiting an extra 10-15 minutes to get on the next one!

Waiting for the trolley

We transferred at the DFS store for the Green line to take us to Diamond Head, but again we had to wait - at least it was cool and they had free wifi! Our next hazard was the Honolulu traffic as it was slowed by the many construction projects going on. Honolulu has certainly changed since we were last here 20 years ago, but then most major cities have in that time. We finally reached Diamond Head crater, but didn't have the time or energy on such a hot day (and without water) to walk to the top lookout. So we rode the trolley back to DFS, then went to get some refreshments before the next segment.

Statue of Duke Kahanamoku at Waikiki Beach

View from Diamond Head lookout

Tunnel into Diamond Head crater

Back on the Red line we headed off for some more sights, which took us through the downtown area again. It was slow going but we eventually made it to the Ala Moana shopping centre, where I got some quick retail therapy at Macy's. This was interrupted by the setting sun, so we made our way to the beach to watch a Hawaiian sunset, and we weren't disappointed.

Magnificent Hawaiian sunset

 

It was then time for the girls retail therapy, and after a successful outing we had some dinner before catching a cab back to the ship. We arrived just in time for the Drums of Polynesia show which covered most of the songs and dances from the main island groups, and it was a great way to end another big day in paradise!

 

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At Sea to Hawaii

September 25 - 29

Day 1 at sea and we all needed a sleep in to recover from the busyness of the last 4 weeks! We awoke refreshed and ready for the activities on board the Volendam, which included lei making, ukulele and hula lessons, a presentation on Honolulu and famous Hawaiian ukulele players, and the night's show which was an ABBA tribute band. Angie and I decided on joining the ukulele class while Noelle encouraged us, and Tony had a snooze! Of course there was breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as afternoon tea to fit in, as well as getting some exercise by walking around the promenade deck and taking the stairs. The sea made the ship rock a bit with a 3 metre swell so it was funny watching people walk, or attempt to walk, straight! We also enjoyed the benefit of our watches being wound back an hour so we got an extra hours sleep!!

Day 2 started with Al & Angie's ukulele lesson, followed by some more Hawaiian culture in the afternoon. The Living Legend of Hawaiian music, Henry Kaleialoha Allen demonstrated the steel guitar while his wife talked about the guy who invented it and some of the performers who took Hawaiian steel guitar music to the world. Then the Hawaiian cultural team on board did some hula dancing while Henry performed with the HAL Cats backing him during happy hour in the Crows Nest - it was a good lead in to dinner.

We were pleased to see Yaarni, the band leader and keyboard player who we made friends with on last years cruise back on board, and we've also met up with some of the other crew we met earlier this year.

Day 3 was similar, although as we get closer to Hawaii the temperature is warming up so we could lay by the pool and get some sun on us at last. It's also a pleasant place to sit and have lunch and a quiet read. The afternoons activities included a talk on remembering names, surfing and its history, and enjoying some of the live music on board. We did our usual walk around the Promenade deck for 30 minutes, and tried not to eat too much today as we had a reservation at the Pinnacle Grill restaurant, and that's always a good meal. Noelle and I went for the fillet mignon while Tony finished a 23 oz Porterhouse and Angie managed an 18 oz rib eye! It was a lovely meal enjoyed by all.

Noelle having a rest for walking on the Promenade Deck

 

On Day 4 I had to go to the first ukulele class as we had a Mariner Society brunch at 11:30am, which then required a good 35 minute walk to offset it before heading to the mid ship pool for a sun bake and read. We then continued on with the Improving your Memory bootcamp, followed by a fascinating talk/expose on pickpockets and security fraud - forewarned is forearmed!! For some light relief we headed to Happy Hour and some more Hawaiian music and culture before another lovely meal and entertaining show.

Day 5 was a bit quieter with no ukulele class today, but I did attend the talk on coral reefs which was very informative. To prepare for lunch we did a walk, and just as well because our favourite ice cream, red cactus pear flavour was available today! Yum yum, just as good as we remembered from our cruise in April. Some more walking was required to get ready for the Hawaiian afternoon tea, followed by another concert with Henry backed by the HAL Cats. In between times we've been catching up on some reading and just enjoying the sun, the beautiful blue of the sea and the warm tropical air. Honolulu here we come!

Henry with his wife, and hula girl

 

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Seattle, Washington

Thursday, September 24

A day I have really been looking forward to as we were to catch up with my English cousin, Elaine who now lives in Seattle. The ship docked around 6.00 am and we were up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready to disembark at 8.00 am. We breakfasted in the Lido Restaurant and had a great view over Seattle's city skyline and the Space Needle that distinguishes its skyline from others. At 8.00 am we were at the gang plank waiting to leave and after a quick walk through US Immigration, we were out and in the car park where Elaine was waiting. She had borrowed her bosses' SUV to make driving the five of us around that much easier.

Catching up with Elaine at her new Townhouse

First stop was her new townhouse for coffee and French pastries - my ideal start to a day! Elaine moved into it in February and her decorating skills were evident everywhere - a really lovely place with great views too. It was so nice just relaxing and catching up again.

Queen Anne Lookout

From there we drove to Queen Anne lookout where the best views over Seattle are had. Sadly, it was a bit misty but we still had a good view over Puget Sound and the outlying islands as well as the city skyline - and Mt. Rainier was visible too! After lots of photo taking we headed for Chihuly Gardens and Glass - an exhibition of Northwest artist, Dale Chihuly's fabulous glass work. It includes both indoor and outdoor spaces as well as a glasshouse. It is, without a doubt, one of the most sensational exhibitions we have ever been to and the glass sculptures were nothing short of amazing. We could have spent much longer there but had the time constraint of having to be back on board the ship by 3.00 pm ready for our 4.00 pm sail away.

Works by Dale Chihuly

Next stop was Pike Place Market. My recollections of Seattle and the market are clouded by the fact that last time we were here, I was coming down with a bout of flu and a fever so didn't take too much in but it was great today to be fit and well and able to absorb the vibrant atmosphere. The market includes the famous fish stalls where salmon are thrown and caught by the vendors - no mean feat with a slippery large salmon. We were surprised to see how cheap flowers are in Seattle - good sized bunches start @ $5 and go to $15 - imagine that in Melbourne! Tony found a couple of Collectables shops so, of course, had to check for medals. It was then time for lunch but it took quite a while to get to the restaurant because we all found great photo opps along the way, including the first Starbucks store and the only one remaining using the original "risqué" logo.

Pike Place Market

The restaurant was excellent and we all enjoyed a lovely meal and glass of wine before heading back to the car, via the market, so that I could stop & buy some of Seattle's famous (& absolutely delicious) doughnuts with maple syrup and bacon!! Elaine's timing was impeccable and she had us back at the ship just before 3.00 pm. A really nice day was had by all - thank you so much Elaine. Looking forward to reciprocating in Australia!

 

 

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Leaving Vancouver

Wednesday, September 23

We all endured a noisy night in our hotel, consequently none of us had the good nights sleep we were looking for on our last night in Vancouver. As well as an AC/DC concert which brought an extra 50,000 (odd) people into town, there was also a girl throwing the biggest hissy fit you could imagine next door to our room! Probably half of the city could have heard her she was so loud, and using the choicest of words, which went from about 10pm to 3am!! We don't know what happened after that but at least it was quiet.

We checked out at 11am and caught a cab to Canada Place to go through Customs and Immigration, before finally boarding the Volendam about 12pm. It was a lot quicker and smoother than when we boarded the Coral Princess but we were the only cruise ship in port today. It was good to be back on a HAL ship and to see some familiar faces from when we cruised on the Volendam in April.

Farewell to Canada and Vancouver

Lunch beckoned, followed by a welcome reception in the Crows Nest. We then took Tony and Angie on a tour of the ship, by which time our cases had been delivered to our rooms so we spent some time unpacking. There was the mandatory safety drill to attend, and then we went to the top deck to watch us sail out of Vancouver harbour - as we sailed under the Guiness Bridge it started to rain, a fitting way to end our time in Canada, but especially Vancouver!!

 

The unpacking was finished just in time to go for an early dinner so we could see the comedian at the early show, and hopefully have a quiet night ahead of an early start in Seattle tomorrow morning.

 

 

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Advance Notice

Wednesday, September 23

Just to let you know we commence our cruise home today, with a stop in Seattle tomorrow (so we will have wifi access), but then we are at sea for 5 days and won't have wifi access until we reach Honolulu.

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