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.

 

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.