DAY 50-51 Nov 18 & 19

DAY 51 – Nov 18: Sea Day. I’m not sure where my counting went wrong. I’m already to 51 and tomorrow is supposed to be 51 days. I am sure it has something to do with losing a day and then having Oct 29, twice. I may not try to figure it all out! It is colder today for sure. Not much sun either. We spent most of the afternoon packing. Lots of papers to go through and toss! Our last bottle of Champagne chilled. We drank part of that and played Phase 10 before dinner. We had a quick stop at the casino and visiting with friends; Ann, Eric, Michelle, and Bill. Back to the cabin and we finished the last glass of champagne and off to bed.

LAST DAY - Nov 19: San Diego. We got up and dressed and then walked off around 8:30 or 9a. We got a quick taxi to the airport and had some breakfast. Then we made it to our gate to await the flight. The flight was late coming in so of course it was late departing. Anyway, we made it to FAT and the Uber home. We were happy to be home by 4p. Jeff came by to say welcome home and we had a glass of wine to celebrate. It is good to be home. We had a fabulous trip!

Sea Days Heading Back to San Diego

DAY 47 – Nov 14: At Sea. My tummy is not feeling great today so I am laying low. The seas are rolling and I think it is catching up with me. I decided to wash my hair and work on the trip album, in the cabin, all day until dinner. Stuart had a little meeting with Shelly who plays the guitar. She wanted website and business advice. The highlight today was dinner with the Hotel Manager Darrin Lewis. What a delightful, funny, and friendly man. This was a table for 10 and an enjoyable evening. We were even given a gift with a photo frame, coaster with the itinerary on it, and a captain’s hat pin.

DAY 48 – Nov 15: At Sea. We were invited to the Mariner’s Lunch in the dining room today. It was good, but slow service. We ate with a nice couple from Seattle, Tim and Judy. We didn’t want to eat too much because we have Koningstafel Dinner again tonight. I was surprised we had the same menu. Of course, the menu is wonderful but it would have been nice to have something totally different. Again, we met in the Ocean Bar and we had the tour of the Galley before heading to the King’s Room. We briefly went to the casino after that.

DAY 49 – Nov 16: Sea Day. To Lido and Dive In for lunch, then cards by Lido Pool. At 2p there was a ship building finals. We didn’t really see much but I did snap a photo of Annie’s canoe ship and the one the crew made. Back to the cabin when the wind kicked up and we worked on laptops. Dinner with Eric and Ann in Pinnacle as a gift from the casino. Well-earned I might add! That was fun and the Sea Day was a good one.

DAY 50 – Nov 17: Sea Day. It was a quiet day for us. Lunch at the Lido. We also met with Eric and Ann who signed up for the Africa Safari in 2027. In the later afternoon it was the Crew Talent Show. It started at 3p. I went to get us seats at 2:30p and it was almost full already. We had poor seats but we enjoyed the event very much. We decided to skip the dressy night in the MDR and went to Canaletto instead. We still dressed up but it was nice and quiet in there and we had a lovely last dinner there. Hostess Mercy may be on our South America Cruise for 2027. She is so sweet. We went to the Casino instead of the Zaandam Farewell Ball. We did have tile gifts awaiting us back at the cabin.

DAY 45 - 46 - Nov 12 - 13

DAY 45- Nov 12: Taiohae, Nuka Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia. What a surprise when we looked out of our window this morning and saw dry, rocky mountains! This is not the typical Polynesian Island for sure. We decided to get off, even though there are no shore excursions here. The tender was not long but there was nothing much on shore when we got there. A few stalls dotted the immediate area offering diving and a few dresses. There was a stall for breakfast but nothing was offered. We walked around and headed the opposite direction. We asked people walking back and asked what they found? The answer was everything was closed! Yes, island time. Most of these smaller places close up at 12 or 1p and there is nothing else. We headed back to the tender and the ship for lunch. We barely made it to the Lido Market as it closes at 2p. It has been a mystery to us that they close so early. There is Dive In but that is burgers and dogs only. I think they do have a chicken sandwich but it is a very limited menu. The dining room is only open at lunch from 12 to 1p and that is only on sea days. Anyway, we are back and after lunch we came back to the cabin to rest and do some computer work. We headed out to our Rijsttafel dinner at Pinnacle Grill at 6p. Why an Indonesian dinner on a HAL cruise ship when we are not in Indonesia? The territory that is now Indonesia was once owned by the Netherlands, which ruled it for centuries as the Dutch East Indies. This colonization ended after World War II, leading to Indonesia's declaration of independence in 1945 and the eventual transfer of sovereignty in 1949 after a war of independence. Therefore, you will find a large influence of Indonesia also in the Netherlands! We did browse the menu for some time deciding what Main Course we would choose. Much to our surprise ALL the mains are served to everyone! First, we had a noodle and vegetable salad but we didn’t want to eat too much of that. We also had the breads, which were more like crisps and a place full of condiments. Next was the soup with an astounding broth to die for. Then came the huge family style plate with 2 of all 7 items listed, followed by 2 different bowls of rice. We did our best to try everything. My favorites were the lobster and sea bass. By the time we got to trying some of the items, they were not really hot anymore. It was quite an astounding meal. We aren’t sure if we would do this again or not. While certainly delicious, it is just a huge amount of food and a bit overwhelming. From here we went to Mix to listen to James, we had forgotten it was his night off. I went to the Swing show by the cast, and it was good. Stuart went to play Black Jack. I joined him after the show. I was an okay night for that. 

DAY 46 – Nov 13: At Sea. First of 6 days at sea heading back to San Diego. The water is pretty rough, not enough to feel sick but enough that handrails are certainly handy. By the time we made it up to Lido it was lunchtime. We opted for Dive In today. We played Phase 10 until about 3:30p and came back to the cabin to work on the laptops. Facebook is not opening on my phone, but it works fine on my laptop…who knows why? Tonight is the Orange Party. I forgot my orange scarf and Stuart’s orange polo is no where to be found! He does have a Hawaiian shirt that is orange and I have a black dress with gold and red on it, I think that is close enough to orange to work! One does not have to wear orange but most people do wear something orange. Some really deck out in the orange theme. After dinner we headed up to Lido for the party. Tonight’s dinner was called favorites, so the choices were good. At first it was very windy but after a while with orange streamers flying everywhere they closed part of the roof a bit more. They also served appetizers, which was nice. We stayed up there watching the festivities until almost 10p. Then it was a brief stop at the casino. No further luck for me.

Day 42 - 44 Nov 9 - 11

DAY 42 - Nov 9: We talked about breakfast in the dining room but we didn’t do it. It was coffee in our cabin and computer work for the balance of the morning. We went up for lunch to Lido Market and ate around the Sea View Pool followed by Rummikub. Stuart stayed on but I am back in the cabin trying to catch up on this blog and organizing photos. We both met at the Tiki Bar in midafternoon for a tiny snack and Phase 10. We had dinner tonight in the MDR with Ann and Eric. Afterwards it was the casino and visiting but not too late.

DAY 43 – Nov 10: Fakarava, Tuamotu, French Polynesia. We skipped breakfast and just drank some Liquid IV and started out to the tender. Water is calm and beautiful shades of blue/green. There was only 1 excursion offered today, which was a drive around the island (or atoll). We just got off, looked in the few shops, and made our way to a small restaurant called Hirinaki Lounge. There was another snack place in the other direction, so this was good for us. At first every table was full. However, in just moments out came another table and a couple chairs and we were perched on an area that was mostly stairs! Ingenious really! They are typically closed on Monday’s but they had a sign out that said they would open at 11. The 11 was crossed out and said NOW. It is a cute place with just a few staff that were really hopping today. All the tapas on the menu were sold out. We did order a beer, one of the few still available on the menu. After a long wait we finally put in our order for 2 burgers and 1 fry. It came quickly and tasted good enough. Finally, we headed back to the ship in the heat of the day. Even though it said it was 81F, it must have been wrong. By the time we were back we were dripping. Showers and some quiet time. We met Bill and Michelle at the Ocean Bar and headed to Pinnacle Grill for Morimoto by 6p. We had a nice dinner with at Pinnacle Grill. We went to the casino after that and it wasn’t even fun for some reason. Off to bed.

DAY 44 – Nov 11: Sea Day. A quiet day. We slept in and went to the Pinnacle Grill for a fabulous lunch. We started with the wedge salad and followed that up with Filet Mignon, baked potato, asparagus, and mushrooms. From there we spent the afternoon around the Lido pool playing Phase 10. After changing clothes, we weren’t very hungry for dinner so we had a quick bite in the Lido Market. We opted not to go to the casino tonight and spent the entire evening listening to James at the piano in Mix Bar. Then back to the room for a little Cribbage.

DAY 38 - 41 Nov 5 - 8

DAY 38 – Nov 5: Bahia d’ Opunoha, Moorea, French Polynesia. This is our 3^rd of 8 port days in French Polynesia. This is a tendered port along with a 25-minute free shuttle ride to the town. We opted not to get off. We have both been in Moorea before. We finally have our photos uploaded to Forever, at least most of them, so I am spending the day sorting and taking care of those photos. I am unhappy to see some of the dates are not accurate. I am not quite sure how long that will take to sort some of them for the album. I guess it has to do with crossing the dateline and back. I’m not sure. I had room service in the cabin and Stuart went to the Lido. We didn’t want to eat too much as we have Tamarind Dinner tonight in the Pinnacle Grill. It was delicious. We went to the show after dinner, it was really outstanding. The title of the show was Drive In, Let’s Go to the Movies. Great tunes and fabulous dancing from iconic soundtracks of the past. We arrived at the casino late but had a good night and a nice chat afterwards with Ann and Eric.

DAY 39 – Nov 6: Huahine, French Polynesia: We decided not to get off today. All the islands are starting to look alike to us. It is pretty warm and we enjoyed Sea View Pool area and resting in the afternoon. We had beautiful views from the deck and an enjoyable dinner in the dining room. Games and casino rounded out the day and night.

DAY 40 – Nov 7: Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia. No tendering today so we are happy to get off, it is so much easier! The port was pretty walkable with various shops, etc. We walked around and found on GPS the restaurant we were looking for. Actually, it was a brewery that also serves food. We liked using our bit of French, which they speak here. Stuart is much better than I am with that, but I did use a few phrases. First, we had some chicken wings with a beer. We were still hungry so we had a Chicken Caeser Flatbread and a smaller second beer. It is hot and we were tired when we got back. It was a 10K+ day of steps! But the enjoyment didn’t end there, there was a local show onboard this evening. Mana: The Spirit of Tahiti featuring Tahiti Ora. Stuart took a couple videos too. After that we stopped at the casino and again talked the evening away with Ann and Eric.

DAY 41 – Nov 8: Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia. We did have a tour today but at the last minute we decided not to go. We even got up early to go but just felt like a day onboard again. This was a private tour so

Stuart contacted the arranger and let them know we would not be going. We had a relaxing day around both the Sea View and Lido Pool areas playing mostly Phase 10. We had dinner in the dining room and an after-dinner drink in Ocean Bar before heading to the show tonight. Again, it was the Singers and Dancers with a show called Sounds of Summer. It was so enjoyable. Then the usual casino stop and visiting afterwards.

DAYs 34 - 37 Nov 1-4

DAY 34 - Nov 1:  Avatiu, Rarotonga, Cook Islands! Another new country for us. There were no shore excursions offered in this port. This was a tendered port and the water was pretty challenging so the process of getting everyone off took time. There was a small market near the ship but most of the shops were shutting down by noon. There were very few offers for excursions on shore, just a couple of signs and people were not hustling to get business. We had no Verizon cell service either. We walked for awhile in search of a café or something. People didn’t seem at all friendly. Some did not even look up when you smiled and tried to make conversation. Finally, we came to a little café and ducked in to see if we could get a cold drink. They were at least friendly here! We ordered some tasty chicken wings and a ginger beer. The beer was bright and tasty with no alcohol content. The ginger was strong and we enjoyed the beverage. Once it was time to leave, we asked if they could call us a taxi. Of course, this restaurant and almost everything else is closed for the day. One of the ladies working there said it will cost too much to take a taxi and offered to take us back to the port. We took her up on that offer and she did reluctantly accept cash for the kindness. So, there were some nice and friendly people on the Cook Islands after all! Showered after we returned and worked on laptops until it was time to head to the Celler Master Dinner in Pinnacle Grill. It was delicious and quite filling. A brief stop in the casino and off to bed.

DAY 35 – Nov 2: At Sea. For whatever reason we slept in really late. Too much food last night and too much wine. However, we did make lunch at the taco bar! We played games all afternoon. When we were done friend Bill came by to chat. I went back to the cabin and Stuart stayed to visit. It is a pretty day but very windy. Tonight, it is steak and lobster in the dining room. We didn’t even go. We had lobster last night and tenderloin, which we could not even finish. We went to the casino and then visited with Ann and Eric. It ended up being a quiet but nice day.

DAY 36 – Nov 3: Vaitape, Bora Bora, French Polynesia. We have a sunset cruise tonight so we had a quiet day onboard. We left the ship about 3p. It is a tendered port so we were warned to allow at least 45 minutes, we made it in plenty of time. The cruise was a little different that we expected. There were 28 people divided into 3 small speed boats. The guide/captain/host was a nice young man. We went several places to see the coral reef area. The deepest point in the crater is only 100 feet. There are even some places where you can walk from the shore to the reef as the water is so shallow. The many colors of blue/green are just amazing. Since my first visit here I felt it is the prettiest place I have ever been. The sunset was beautiful. After returning to the ship, we cleaned up and decided on Canaletto for our dinner. Those meatballs from the other day were calling to us! We had the antipasti plate and the grilled shrimp, which we split. Upon ordering the main dish we both chose the meatballs over spaghetti noodles. We got such a huge plate neither of us could come even close to finishing! We saw dealer Musa come in for dinner. We had forgotten she was going there for her birthday. We sent them a bottle of wine. She is sweet and from South Africa. Maybe we shall meet again someday! It was a stop in the casino after that and chatting afterward with Ann and Eric.

DAY 37 – Nov 4: Utuora, Raiatea, French Polynesia. We didn’t take a tour today. It was not a tendered port so we simply got off and walked around. We hoped to find a restaurant but ended up back at the port for the restaurant there. Of course there were the typical booths with stuff, and most were pretty expensive. Interestingly, the restaurant was mostly Chinese food. It Was fun for Stuart to use a bit of French, which is what they speak here of course being French Polynesia. We came back to the ship and decided to sit by Sea View Pool and play games. It was so windy we had to switch to the Lido Pool area. It was an enjoyable afternoon. We headed back to the cabin and then realized they were having scenic cruising with a commentary as we leave the port and edge our way out to sea by the reefs that are very close. We couldn’t hear a lot of what was said due to wind and people talking, but it was a lovely experience. We are guessing the narrowest part was a couple hundred yards. Such a beautiful place with the reef, shallow aqua water flowing to turquoise, to dark blue. We were still full from our big Chinese lunch so we simply grabbed a bit from the Lido. It was a stop in the casino after that and chatting afterward with Ann and Eric.

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.