DAY 32 - 33 Oct 30 - 31

DAY 32 – Oct 30: At Sea. We got up early again. No more sleeping until almost noon! Stuart had things to do on his laptop so that took a couple hours. I got coffee for us and also turned in our Passports. They were well organized but the entire deck needed to do this in 30 minutes so, there was a line. By the time all of that was done we were ready to head to the Lido for lunch at 11:30a. We waited for this because today they had French Crepes! They had both savory and sweet. I didn’t try a sweet one but the savory ones were pretty good. From there it was directly to the puzzle!!! Some one else did put in a few pieces but there is lots left to do! By 2p I went to watercolor class. Today we did a witch’s hat. Stuart remained at the puzzle table. I rejoined him after painting and stayed until after 5p. I wanted to do this blog and put my feet up for a while. We opted for Canaletto tonight as nothing on the MDR menu caught our attention. We still have 1 promo dinner left. We had never tried the meatball appetizer before. Might be the best meatballs with sauce I have ever had! The other dishes were also tasty but the meatballs took the prize! After dinner we went to check the puzzle. Stuart had almost finished it. Sadly, someone swooped in and finished it. We tried starting another one but had no heart for it. We went to Ocean Bar after that for music.

DAY 33 – Oct 31: At Sea. Halloween décor is everywhere. There were carved pumpkins everywhere. We had lunch in the MDR that was pretty good. We had some snacks in the afternoon when playing cards. The plan is to skip dinner and just eat whatever snacks are available at the Lido Party tonight. We freshened up for the evening. No costumes for us. We went and listened to James on the piano and after his set, we headed to the Lido Party. It was so crowded but we did find a place to sit. To our disappointment, no snacks! The party started at 8p and the Lido Market also closed at 8p so there was nothing until the late-night snacks opened at 9:30p. I thought all of that was strange. I asked a server for some nuts from the bar. She brought them but they were rancid – all out of character for HAL for sure. We talked with Bill and Michelle a bit and plan to dine with them at the Morimoto dinner with them. A brief stop at the casino and off to bed.

 

DAY 29-30-31 Oct 28, 29, 29 again

DAY 29 – Oct 28: Today we are in Tonga again, Neiafu, Vava’u to be exact. It is a tendered port so we decided not to get off. There are only 2 tours left open and we are not interested in them. We got up late, I did some laundry and we went to the Lido Market for lunch. We didn’t eat much as we have a new adventure having Tiki Dinner tonight. We switched over to the Sea View Pool and played cards for an hour or so. Afternoon found us working on laptops in our cabin. The Pinnacle Grill was almost full for the Tiki Dinner. It was the first we have had or even heard of on HAL. The draw for this meal is 5 handcrafted cocktails, one for each course. The drinks were explained at serving along with the description of the menu item. Some voices faltered because I think they are learning but overall, they worked hard and did a good job. We were certainly full as we left and of course we really could not finish 5 cocktails, even in 2.5 hours! Music with James and a bit of casino time and we were done for the day.

Day 30 – Oct 29: At sea. Today we made an effort to get to the Lido Market for breakfast. We looked forward to the Macadamia pancakes we have heard so much about. While the pancakes were tasty, no Macadamia nuts were to be found. Back to the cabin and some serious tries to get photos from my phone to Forever. It has not worked since the update. I had the opportunity to talk to Soren today; his wedding is tomorrow. He sounds so happy and excited. It blessed me so much to talk to him. We skipped lunch and headed out for watercolor painting just before 2p. It was a butterfly today. It looked easy, but it was not! As we passed the game room, we saw a puzzle and decided to work on it. We were hooked for a good 3 hours. We might revisit that tomorrow. Today was also the Masquerade Ball. So, when we left for dinner, we donned our masks. We never ended up at the ball in the theater but we saw plenty of dressed up people having fun. Some time in the casino ended the day.

Day 31 – Oct 29: Yes, a second Oct 29! Today is Soren and Kat’s wedding day. I wish I was there to see everything. We booked this cruise almost 2 years ago, so here I am. I got up early and went for coffee. Still waiting for Stuart to get up, I hope the coffee stays hot! Today we have another muster drill. This time we only need to check in with our card, we do not need to stand and wait at all. We went to the MDR for lunch. Then it was back to the puzzle table. Stuart is definitely hooked. I like it too but I need a break after a few hours. This evening we went to the show after dinner. It was so good. The singers and dancers on this ship do a stellar job. We played Cribbage in the cabin and went to bed early. We turn the clocks back again tonight. It is rough when you have too many days like that. We will have at least 2 more, not sure if we have 3 because daylight savings plays a role as well. 

DAY 25, 26, 27, 28 - Oct 24-27

DAY 25 – Oct 24: Lautoka, Fiji. Today we stayed on board and relaxed with a Mani/Pedi each! We split a hot dog for lunch because we were still full from last night! We spent time around the Lido Pool as it rained pretty hard this afternoon. The water was very interesting as we cruised on to the next port. Tonight is Bavarian Dinner in the Main Dining Room. As we check in, Hakim said he had a special treat for us. We were seated separately on an 8 top. Soon 2 more women joined us, also seated separately. Next a couple Gerard and Jan were seated. We have eaten with them before and talked with them quite a bit. Soon we realized that an Officer would be sitting at our table. That was the surprise! This was the Environmental Officer, Melena Whales. She was born in Bulgaria but now lives in Scotland. It was an enjoyable dinner. We visited the casino after that, and left there happy.

DAY 26 – Oct 25: Savasava, Vanua Levu, Fiji. Rain was threatening all day but we were getting back on the tender before it started. We did not have an excursion planned. We wanted to find a massage. As it was, we found one offered at a small resort and we took their van there. It ended up they could only do one massage, so Stuart had it. I waited by the pool with a cocktail. It all worked out fine but a slight disappointment. After we got back to the charming port, we had a snack and a Rum and Coke. Hands down the hottest chips we have ever eaten. We ordered 2 scoops of vanilla to cool off our mouths! Tonight, for dinner we were seated on the 5^th deck in the dining room. We had already eaten one appetizer when Hakim came along and again requested us to move to the table that an officer is hosting. This officer is a cadet. He was young and very nice. Taku was his name. Janet and Hank, a brother and sister from the Netherlands, but she lives in Canada for the last 50 years! The other couple, Ray and Jan from the US. Tonight was a Magician so we skipped the show, visited the casino, listened to music, and called it a night.

DAY 27 – Oct 26: At Sea. It is nice to have a day at sea to relax! We splurged for the Pinnacle Grill for lunch. We had the Wagyu burger. It was huge, juicy, and delicious. We should have split the burger because we could only eat half. We played games around the Lido pool and Tiki Bar area as it looks like rain. In fact, it did pour down for about 5 minutes. By the time they got the roof over the pool closed, the rain had stopped. We had a small dinner in the dining room, listened to music, and visited the casino. It was a quiet and restful day.

DAY 28 – Oct 27: Nuku’alofa, Tonga. We have a tour today. It is a visit to a resort, beach, and cave after a drive around the area to see a few things. Our first stop was the blow holes, which were pretty. They dotted the entire coast line. I am not sure what part of the island we are on, but it was pretty. The skies are gray and rain seemed threatening, but never came. We also stopped to take a photo of a 3 headed coconut tree. Some rare occurrence for sure. We got to the resort…such as it was. The restrooms did not feature any sort of tissue, nor were there paper towels after washing the trickle of water from the tap. The people were very friendly and work very hard. The area has been destroyed several times by hurricanes and the last time was a tsunami. We had a traditional lunch there. The food looked nice but there was little to no flavor at all. The whole roasted pig was so tough you could not cut it, let alone eat it. The chicken was burnt and chopped up with a cleaver with bits of burnt bone throughout. I had hope for the large baked fish, but it was very dry. Needless to say, the food was a great disappointment. Stuart took the 60+ steps down to the beach to see the cave, but he could not find it. However, the beach and views were lovely. Now it is back to the ship. Our guide Melea was very good and told us a lot about the island. Women can vote but they cannot own property. Yet, she says women are valued and treated well. Anyway, Tonga is a new country for us and we saw a lot. Grateful for the nice tour. We walked through the different stalls by the ship upon our return. We ate in the dining room, went to the casino. We do have fun playing with a man named Eric and a woman named Ann from Florida, she is originally from NY.

 

Oct 19 - 23 - Sorry I haven't posted in so long!!!

DAY 21 – Oct 19: Cross the International Date Line – Skipped Day (we get this back by having a 48 hour Oct 29!) 

DAY 21 – Oct 20: Apia, Upolu, Samoa. Another new country for us. We had a tour planned with Viator but the company canceled it. That was disappointing but we didn’t find anything else we would like to do. However, we did get off and walked a bit. We got a taxi into town and had a nice lunch. It is very hot and humid. It isn’t raining but weather report says to expect rain. We were back before needing a poncho or umbrella that we brought.

DAY 22 – Oct 21: At Sea. Feeling under the weather with a cold. I stayed in the cabin most of the day. I did venture out for lunch and then sat in the sun at the Tiki Bar by the Lido pool. Dinner in the dining room was very nice. We also went to the 70’s show, which was good. Stuart was up and down in the casino. It was a calm and quiet day.

DAY 23 – Oct 22: Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji. A rainy day here in Suva so we are staying onboard. It is a new country for us, but we have several stops in Fiji so we will be getting off. As usual we slept in. We headed up to Lido and played Phase 10 until lunch time. We ate some great pork Bulgogi and Thai noodles for lunch. Then another game and back to the cabin. Nothing else of particular interest happened today. A quiet but nice day.

DAY 24 – Oct 23: Lautoka, Fiji. We have a ship’s tour today. It was sights seeing with a shopping stop at Jack’s. That is a very well-known shop in Fiji for nice art work, crafts, clothing, and other gifts. We drove past the largest Hindu Temple in the South Pacific, Sri Krishna Kaliya Temple. After that we went to a spa for a 1-hour massage. It was really nice! We didn’t buy any of the products but the massage was one of the best we’ve had. Following that we had lunch at a café called Coffee Hub. Then the drive back to the ship. We relaxed, played games, and rested up for our Cellar Master’s dinner tonight in Pinnacle Grill. As always, the Cellar Master event was marvelous! Rod is the Celler Master on this ship. He is very knowledgeable and very friendly, and he did a great job. Hakim is the Head Maître d' in Pinnacle Grill and over all the restaurants onboard. Temmy is the head Sommelier onboard. All served us tonight. The menu was amazing. We went directly to the cabin afterwards. It was a food coma, but we did play some Phase 10 before bed.

At Sea and American Samoa Day 19 & 20

DAY 19 – Oct 17: At Sea. I woke up with a sore throat so stayed in all morning, into the afternoon. Feeling better I ventured later in the day for the watercolor painting class. We went to the Crow’s Nest for the Hawaiian music and then to dinner in the Lido. We went to the show that was a tribute to Carol King, it was pretty good.

DAY 20 – Oct 18: Pago Pago, Tutuila, American Samoa. We ventured out despite the rain. We walked around a bit and found a restaurant. Someone from the ship we passed in walking said it was good so we tried it. It was good with huge servings. A few others from the ship were also eating there. We could only eat about have of the 2 dishes we ordered; sweet & sour chicken & pork fried rice. Sail away was about 5p so we were at Sea View for that. We don’t have festive parties when leaving most of the ports, but the views are always interesting. Somehow, we dodged the rain all day. We have a complementary Pinnacle Grill dinner from the Casino tonight; we were barely hungry! Yet, it was scrumptious. A bit of time in the casino and listening to James on the piano finished the evening.

Two Sea Days

DAY 17 – Oct 15: At Sea. Laptops in the morning in the cabin. We ventured out for lunch in the dining room, which was very good. It is decorated with the title Heritage Dinner for tonight. They really decorate on this ship. Following lunch, we went to the Sea View Pool because there is going to be a Neptune Ceremony. We did cross the equator earlier today. It was very entertaining and one of the best we’ve seen. We played games after the crowd cleared. It is quite a process to clean up after this event. We went to an acrylic painting class with Annie. It was fun but the painting results were more than interesting I thought it was hard to do. Stuart did well in the casino and we also enjoyed James on the piano. He finally sang Grease that I requested on Deb’s birthday!

DAY 18 – Oct 16: At Sea. Another enjoyable day. It is warm for sure so most of the day was spent around the pool, in the pool, and playing games. By afternoon we needed nap after all the sun and water! This evening was another event! Octoberfest! This crew really works hard with all the entertaining. I am sure they are exhausted but they sure seem to be having fun! At Octoberfest they had pretzel buns and another sort of plain bun. In addition, there were 2 kinds of cheese sauce, 2 kinds of mustard, and 2 kinds of sausage. The meal was completed with sauerkraut. We sat out there a while after the party. The weather was so nice with a slight breeze. After coming in, we both went to the casino and won for a change! The rest of the evening we listened to James on the piano. Once James was done, we chatted with John and Karen. John is quite the unforgettable guy who is loud and boisterous, but also very nice. We met him on the Africa Cruise. A game of cribbage in the cabin and off to bed.

Sea Day and Kirabiti, Fanning Islands Day

DAY 15 - Oct 13: At Sea. Today is Thanksgiving in Canada and the ship is decked out with Fall décor everywhere. It is warm enough at 77F but it is raining. We opted for lunch in the dining room. Then the cocktail water color painting class. I did some things in the cabin and we worked on laptops. After some Cribbage in our cabin, we had a nice dinner in the dining room. There were a lot of nice choices for the Canada Thanksgiving dinner. Stuart went to the casino. Sharon went to the cabin to work on the cruise album. The plan was to keep up every day. That has not happened!

DAY 16 – Oct 14: Tabuaeran (Fanning Island), Kiribati. What a great day! It was a quick stop in this remote location. Often the weather doesn’t permit going ashore since it is a tendered port but we did go and it was wonderful. We walked around the small area with the variety of goods being sold. We bought a little knife to be used as a wall hanging in the office. We wandered to the white sand beach and got in the crystal-clear water. What a delight. Kiribati, aka Fanning Islands is remote. The nearest land is Hawaii and that is approximately 900 miles away. The elevation is 10 feet and population is approximately 2,000. It was a somewhat of an overcast day or it would have been really hot. This island appears in the closing shot of Gilligan’s Island! Tender back and lunch at Lido by the pool. We also played Rummikub before heading back to the cabin for a nap. We went to the lively show on the World Stage with the cast performing in Feel the Beat. It was a great show. The singers and dancers on the ship are really top notch. We ate a late dinner after the show followed by a stop in the casino and then James on the piano. A really full and nice day!