Dec 05 Budapest

I woke early and grabbed a shower and shampoo, my best effort. There is not a lot of soap here and a shortcoming of tissues. Otherwise I love this little hotel. Breakfast was delicious with a few different things to try like veal liverwurst. The restaurant is downstairs.

Looks like a 1920s's underground speakeasy! Charming in so many ways. Stuart had things to do on his computer. By the time my hair was dry, we took off for a lunch/dinner and then to a grocery store. Not a lot of energy today so we stayed in. It is also sprinkling. No responses from Debra, but I guess they got off all right and they are in Zurich by now for their layover. Upon return, we had a gin and tonic in the hotel bar. We played Phase Ten in our room before bed.

Dec 03 & 04 - Vienna, Austria & Budapest, Hungary

 Dec 03: We woke early enough but markets don't open until at least 10a. We had breakfast (included) in our hotel, Hotel Graf Stadion. Some time was spent on the computer. Stuart went online and got our train tickets for tomorrow to Budapest. They printed them at the front desk, so we are all set. Then we were off to a market. The market we went to is by city hall. I'm not exactly sure the name of it, but I took a picture of it! We strolled around, and I had some rose gluhwein and Stuart had some orange and ginger gluhwein. We walked all around looking at the different booths. He got some ornaments for the group he's bringing on the Yuletide cruise. For food, we ended up having a pulled pork bratwurst sort of sandwich. It was on a flatbread-likebread with cheese, onions, and mustard. It was good.We also had a gluh gin with it. After a feq hours, we headed back to the hotel and stopped at the grocery store along the way. We got a salad to share tonight before the concert.

The concert fell through for us, Stuart was especially tired and didn't want to face the cold. I agreed. We played some phase ten and then went to bed.

Dec 04: We are up early, dressed, and off to breakfast.In the hotel. When we came back, we packed everything and headed out to the train station by Uber. We were there in plenty of time. Finnally, our train showed up on the departures, and we headed to our platform. They keep talking about work on the railway and the tardiness of some trains. Our train is running about 6 minutes behind, but it really doesn't matter to us as we have no plan in Budapest tonight. 

It is quite cold cold outside but there's no snow on the ground. The fog is hanging very low and the trees are all bare. There are fields that look like something could possibly be growing in it, but i'm not sure about that since it is so cold.

There was constant coughing and nose blowing on the train. I'm glad it's just three plus hours that were on the train because I sure don't want to catch anything. I hope we don't!

Arrived to the train station with no problem and got an uber right away. We were off to the Cotton House Hotel in no time at all. What a quaint and nostalgic place.The wallpaper is two different matching designs. All the furniture is beautiful reproductions, all matching the little area rugs all match, there's like a Tulouse-Lautrec picture over our bed, and a kind of roaring twenties theme throughout. Of course, there's a TV on the wall complete with remote. Nobody wants to be without that! 

We went to cross the street literally.Steps away to For Sale Pub and had a huge dinner that we shared and there was still some left over. They did have live music that we enjoyed for a little while. Two men with the keyboard and a violin. The violin player asked where we were from. When I told him California, he played, I left my heart in San Francisco. Cute place with hay and peanut shells on the floor, friendly staff.

Back to the hotel and a few games of hase Ten and off to bed. We didn't do much today but we are tired.

Dec 02 - Vienna, Austria

We awoke at the hotel and had some coffee in our room and downstairs. We were too late for breakfast and too early for lunch.So we shared a half of sandwich from the little market area inside the hotel.

We got an uber to our hotel. Hotel Graf Stadion. We told the desk clerk about our dilemma last night, but she didn't really say anything about it. She said, your room is ready and it was. It's a charming little room. 

We spent a good part of the afternoon there.Because my tummy was not feeling great. We headed out for some early dinner.Because stewart has made concert reservations for tonight. We chose the destination that was only a three minute walk. However, on the way there we came upon a restaurant that looked too good to pass up. Marienhof was the name of it. After perusing the menu, Stuart decided on the Elderflower Spritz, and I decided on the Autumn Aperol Spritz. Both were delicious. For a starter, he had cream of garlic soup and I had cream of pumpkin soup, also very good. My soup had pumpkin seed oil on it, whick seems to be on the seasonal items. For our main Stuart ordered pan fried butterdumplings with egg and I ordered Styrian fried chicken breast. Both are considered classic menu items. There were many items to choose from, so it was hard to decide. Stuart was not fond of his but I loved mine. The chicken breast was nicely coated and cooked. On the bottom of the plate was a cold potato salad that was tangy and delicious. Next was lamb's lettuce and the chicken on top of that. Of course, we skipped dessert. It was a quick walk back to our hotel. We played Phase 10. We were tired and skipped the concert tonight. We changed it to tomorrow night. It was good to have a fairly restful day. 

Dec 01 - Train to Vienna, Austria

We were up into the train station with plenty of time after getting there. We had a coffee and an apple crumb cake. My coffee had Baileys in it. It was delicious but it tasted a lot stronger than just Baileys in it. Our seats are good, both together and facing backward for a short part of the journey, then forward for most of the trip. We did get first class train tickets, so we have service from the waiter the entire time, they bring you food to your seat. The views are absolutely magnificent. We can't always get good shots outside of the train because of the lights inside the train, but it is like a winter wonderland out there. Even though it's an eight hour+ ride on the train. We are glad we did the train instead of a plane because of the views. The trip has been amazing until we got to some stop, which I forget the name of. Now there is a problem with the track ahead and they're working on it. We are stopped here for an unknown amount of time. We are about thirty minutes out of Linz. It ended up being about a 1 hour stop. It will be good to get to Vienna and our hotel. Even if it is still early, we are tired. It is only 4:30p, but it is dark already. 

 

There was another glitch of course. I did not realize check in time was only until six o'clock. I was supposed to contact them 48 hours ahead if we were going to be late. That didn't happen and we could not figure out how to call the hotel. Finally we did call the hotel and got a message in German and couldn't figure out what to do. So Stuart to the rescue once again, he booked the Marriott for tonight. Even though it's not very late, we are pretty tired. The hotel gave us a complimentary drink in the bar and we ordered a small pizza item to have before going to bed. It has been a day full of beautiful scenery and delights. Tonight it is cold with a little rain and we are tired. 

Nov 30 - Switzerland

We had a tiny breakfast in the lobby of the hotel and now we are awaiting Brian and Michele to go on the train for 1 hour to Einsiedeln to see the markets there. It was a beautiful ride there with sights of the Alps, the lakes, and the snow-covered fields and hills. That was almost as wonderful as the markets!

On arrival to the market we promptly had Gluh Gin! It was very good. Not exactly sure how they make it, but I will find out! We took the path of slow incline up toward the cathedral tasting many things along the way. I found it interesting that at the Cathedral they have statues of crusaders. It is called the Abbey of Einsiedeln, and it is one of the most important baroque monastic sites and the largest place of pilgrimage in Switzerland. The Black Madonna of Einsiedeln in the Chapel of Grace attracts around 800,000 pilgrims and tourists every year. The community of Benedictine monks has around 40 members.

We are tired after almost 14,000 steps yesterday. We came back down the slope to the train station and headed back to Zurich. We went directly to Brian and Michele's home for Fondue dinner. It is very gracious of them, as they are tired too. Michele prepped the fondue and made a delicious broccoli salad. (she sent me the recipe). We had a little tour of their 3-story home, and it was lovely. They have some amazing views from the top floor and a balcony. Not too inviting this time of year but I am sure it is in the summer and spring. 

Brian walk us the short distance to the Uber pickup point and we were back to the hotel in no time. It is sprinkling but not much.  Another great day!

Nov 29 - Switzerland

Nov 29: Slept pretty well last night. Had a coffee in our room and then came down and had a coffee and a tiny bite at the hotel restaurant. We are staying at the Marriott Courtyard. After coffee we waited in the lobby for Brian and Michele to get here. We're going to Christmas Markets today in Zurich. They met us at the hotel and we walked to the train station and took the train to our first market; Zuricher Weihnachtsallee (I think). We had a great time at two different markets. The first market had cute little vignettes set up for people to sit in to relax or eat or whatever you wanted to do. It's a cute idea, very festive. I never saw this before. We also saw Zurich Lake and Brian's office (where we stopped to use the facilities).

The next market was the Lindt Chocolate Market. Near that was the train station, so we also bought our tickets for the train to Vienna. 

We were going to have fondue at their house tonight. But we are just too tired, so that is scheduled for tomorrow night. After they left and we rested, we split a hamburger in the hotel restaurant. Everything is very good here and the services impeccable. 

Heading to Zurich, Switzerland

Nov 27: We went over to Deb and Sam's in the morning and gave the family the advent puzzles I got them. Back to the house and did a few more things. Then it was on to the airport where we had a nice lunch.I had the nachos and Stuart had a hamburger. Now we're waiting for our flight.

Nov 28: Our flight is direct from LAX to ZRH (Zurich). The plane left Los Angeles ten minutes early. We had wonderful seats in business class. The service was impeccable, and most of the food was quite good. It was all served on glassware and with real silverware. We were offered all kinds of things. This is all NEW for me! I usually fly economy! Thank you Stuart! For beverages, there are many to choose from, but we both tried the Swiss drink that they were offering called Swiss Alpine Essence. It has a lot of Elderflower in it, and it smelled wonderful. It tasted pretty good but kind of sweet. When we arrived, the captain asked everyone to stay seated because somebody was being escorted off of our plane by the police. I'm not sure why and there was never a ruckus on the plane for any reason we noticed. The man was seated about 10 seats in front of us. The lines for passport control are enormous. We waited about an hour for the 2 minute process. It's a good reminder to get a wheelchair when entering a new country like this.

We took an Uber to our hotel. We planned to take Brian and Michele out to dinner but we were beat. They happily joined us at our hotel and we had a drink and small meal there. Of course, I met Brian in Prague in 2023, but now I met Michele. She is a delight. Tomorrow the will meet us here and we will head out for the markets.

  

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.

 

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!

Hilo, Hawaii and Sea Day Day 11 & 12

DAY 13 – Oct 11: Hilo, Big Island Hawaii. This is the windward side of the Island. This island has the largest Japanese Garden outside of Japan. I am struggling a bit with pain so it is a day of rest for me. Stuart walked to a nearby store to see if he could find a few little things, but it was really just a 7/11 type store. We had lunch and worked on laptops in the afternoon. We had a delicious meal in the Pinnacle Grill with the Tamarind theme tonight. The casino has been closed since we arrived to the Hawaiian Islands. It was steaming with activity tonight after we have left port. Now we will have 2 days at sea before our next port.

DAY 14 – Oct 12: At Sea. We had a nice sea day. Sunday brunch was first on our agenda. I had a Hawaiian Plate, which I really enjoyed. I didn’t eat the egg or the rice but the Korean Beef ribs and Teriyaki chicken were delicious with macaroni on the side. We made it to the pool after that. Stuart took a nice dip in the pool. It is pretty rough today so I have Dramamine onboard today. It is Casino Royal Night. The décor around the ship is amazing. It was the perfect night for Stuart to hit Queens of Hearts for $625!!! YAY! They were playing all sorts of games with tickets to collect for the drawings. We didn’t do that part but it was a very festive evening.

Kahalui, Maui DAY 12

DAY 12 – Oct 10: Maui! We are excited for today. We are headed to Mama’s Fish House. The ship is in Kahului and the restaurant is in Paia Town. It took the taxi about 20-25 minutes to get there. They don’t allow Uber into the port area, that would have been half the price of the taxi. Anyway, I don’t care because we are here and ready for a fabulous meal. There have been some changes since my last visit. There is a new boat at the entrance off the hwy. There is also a new check in area up at the top and down below, with a paved area leading down to the beach. Other than that, it looked the same. It was the same lovely atmosphere, service, views, and the food was amazing. We had a very private table looking out to the waves and beach area. We first chose our cocktail concoctions. Stuart had the Scorpion and I had the Pau Hana; we were very happy with our choices. While waiting for those to come we received a small cup of potato vegetable soup with smoked

Gruyère cheese and a small loaf of bread with butter. Wow! We were instructed to drink from the little cup, what a tasty little treat. After looking for some time at the menu we made the appetizer choices. The special, not published appetizer of the day was fried Mahi Mahi roll, we got that along with the shrimp wontons. Both items were amazing with delicious sauces to go with each one. They were perfect for sharing. We weren’t sure if we could eat anymore but YES, we did! Stuart ordered a bottle of Sileni Sauvignon Blanc for the rest of our meal. We chose Opah with caramelized Maui onions, bok choy, and avocado. This was served on a bed of flavored rice. Opah was caught in the local waters south of the Big Island aboard the “Kawika”. It was served with a delightful sauce poured on tableside. We shared this full entrée and it was very good. We are stuffed but we made room for the famous Black Pearl dessert. I honestly don’t know how long lunch took but it was leisurely as we enjoyed the food and the views in our own time. One never feels rushed here but the staff is very attentive. The décor here is so pretty. There are fresh flowers everywhere and they are set off by beautiful vases and carved wood. Even our taxi driver agreed this is the best place to eat in Maui.

Back to the ship by Uber, they are allowed to drop us off closer to the port, just not for pickups. Of course we relaxed much of the afternoon. Sail Away by the Sea View pool and walking around the ship a bit. We are not hungry this early so we went to the 7:30p show to see a family instrumental group called Highly Strung Orchestra. They were entertaining. Now we set out for a light dinner in the dining room, followed by the music in Ocean Bar, a few hands of cribbage, and bedtime.

Honolulu, Oahu DAYS 9-10-11

DAY 9 – Oct 7: Our first of three days in Oahu. Today I have an errand to pick up a prescription from the picked up the prescription. I am thankful and grateful for Dr. Kan my personal physician for arranging this. No extra cost to me. I hope it helps. Uber back to Ala Moana Shopping Center was half the price of the taxi! Unfortunately, I could not get a ride to come up from Uber when we left the ship. We were happy to be at the mall. Right away we found an ABC Store and got almost everything on my list. I brief stop later at Longs completed the last few items. We had lunch in the Food Court at Little Café Siam. It was good with big servings. My “mild” Yellow Curry Chicken was at the absolute top of my heat level – far from mild! But that was delicious as was Stuart’s Chicken Satay.

We took Uber back to the ship and dropped our purchases in the cabin and headed up to the Sea View Pool for some sun and fresh air. In the mountains surrounding us you can see that it is raining. We were told it might rain but we didn’t feel any.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat in the Lido Market because we wanted to be around the Lido Pool for the party tonight. It was James on the piano and Shelly on the guitar until 10p, then we went to Ocean Bar, and called it a night after that! 

DAY 10 – Oct 8: Happy Birthday Debra! We were supposed to have a complementary Circle Island Tour today. There was some mix up on the paperwork and we are not included after all. It is a little disappointing but we have both done this trip in the past. It would have been interesting to see how things changed and perhaps even enjoyed shrimp at the North Shore. Instead, we went to the dining room for a nice breakfast. The day is lovely so we spent a little time at the Sea View Pool area. The morning was completed with some computer work followed by a walk to the UPS Store. I got Julie the Hawaiian slippers she wanted and I am mailing them home. We had bubbly by the pool before dinner, which was at Canaletto. We had the Antipasti plate to start with. Stuart had the spaghetti with shrimp and clams and I had shrimp Scampi with a side of pasta. Dessert was Affogato, and we did NOT share! Tonight was a local show, the Drums of Polynesia. It was very good. It is always a treat when locals come on to perform. Today we also got a new Captain! Time for the first one to take his time off. The new Captain Michiel Willems seems nice.

DAY 11 – Oct 9: Our last day in Honolulu. The big event of the day today is Parasailing! Neither of us has done this before. I was going to surprise Stuart with this outing but one has to be dressed and prepared for it, so it was no surprise. We took a brief Uber ride to the dock, checked in, waited a few minutes, then boarded our boat for adventure. We were the first to go, it was lots of fun. Getting on and off the boat was the hardest part. I took Dramamine, glad I did, it was pretty rough out there, Stuart didn’t feel too well by the time we got off. It was back to the ship with a bit of a rest and he was feeling fine again.

We had a nice dinner in the dining room followed by the classical group Vivace in the Explorer’s Lounge. We finished off the evening with James in Mix and then called it a night.

Kuilua-Kona DAY 8

DAY EIGHT – Oct 6: Today we are in Kona. It might be surprising but we didn’t get off. It is a tendered port and we have both been here before. We saw a lot of tours but everything was either a repeat or of no interest to us. We slept in and had a pool day. There is a lot of overcast so I am not sure how that will turn out for those taking any sort of flight to see the volcanic activity. An announcement was made yesterday that some heritage park and refuge will be close due to the Government shutdown. I am sure that is very upsetting to a lot of people. However, it does say online that Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park will remain accessible to the public during the federal government shutdown, but some services may be limited. We had a small lunch at Lido Market because we have Morimoto in Pinnacle Grill tonight. We have enjoyed this venue in the past and we are looking forward to it. We are thinking a lot about our friends Paul and Maureen who had to cancel coming on this trip just days before departure. They would have enjoyed it so much, but happy to know Maureen is making a good recovery.

There is much to enjoy on the Big Island, Kona is more of a village than a city. There are many areas to walk around and enjoy the area. You can see breathtaking sunset, as we did at sail away. There are many lovely beaches and you may see whales, dolphins, turtles, and more. You can explore Hulihee Palace, built in 1838 as a vacation home for Royality  You can visit the Palace Museum and many other places in the port.

Morimoto was fabulous. Appetizer choices were the dumplings and the fresh Ahi Tuna pizza. I like the pizza more each time I have it. The crust is thin, crisp, and goes so well with the tuna and other toppings. For our main course, Stuart had the Tenderloin and I had the shrimp 3 ways. Everything was quite delicious. For dessert we both had the White Chocolate Lime Ganache. We are so stuffed. We went to the piano bar to listen to James and then off to bed with 1 last Cribbage game of the day.

Our Last Sea Day - Tomorrow Kona, Hawaii DAY 7

DAY SEVEN – Oct 5: Latte and small pastry by the Sea View Pool this morning. The weather is lovely. We are having quite a few swells today. The pool has come over the sides a we times. We hung out there and played Rummikub until lunch time in the Lido Market. We don’t want to eat too much since we have the special Konigstafel Dinner tonight. Konigstafel means “Kings Table” in German, so it should be very special. After lunch it was a little housekeeping for me and a nice hot shower! It was water color class at 4:30p where we attempted to paint a jellyfish. This was not terribly successful.

Oh my, the dinner tonight was absolutely amazing. Certainly, this was the most outstanding meal experience we have had on a cruise ship. This was an eight-course event. I’ve listed the associated beverage serving after the dish. 

First, we were asked to join in the Ocean Bar. We were served 2 appetizers (crab for one and some goat cheese mixture for the other). The cocktail served to us was a very fancy Cosmopolitan, with a crown stenciled on top. We were surprised there were only 12 of us. After a few introductions we were taken for a tour of the galley. We didn’t know this would be part of the evening. After that we were escorted to the Kings Room, near the dining room, for the event.  We have the head Maitre d’, Celler Master Ron and Sommelier Temmy served the wines. There were six waiters to serve the 12 of us. It was quite formal with them all coming in with a specific course, they standing behind the guests, then serving us all at once. This type of dining is called synchronized service, also known as hand service or sweep service. This is an extremely formal and elegant method of food service often used for special events or in fine dining establishments. It was outstanding. The Executive Chef made an appearance more than once to see if we were pleased! One can certainly see why this event is limited to 12!

Here is our menu with every wine or spirit listed after the course.

Sesame Challah Poppy seed braid with 4 kinds of butter.

Asian Wagyu Steak Tartare - Smoked Champagne Cocktail

Butter Poached Lobster Tail, Lemon Grass Foam - Taittinger Brut Prestige Rosé, France

Spinach Ricotta Malfatti - Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand

Sour Cherry Granita

Cannon of Smoked Lamb, Pistachio Crust - Figgins Figlia Merlot/Petit Verdot, Walla Walla, WA

Artisan Cheese/fruit relish - Selection of Port and Amari

Honey Cremieux, Lemon Curd

Perfect ending for our last day at sea before reaching Kailua-Kona, the Big Island of Hawaii.

Sailing Toward Hawaii - Day 5&6

DAY FIVE – Oct 3: Coffee in our cabin plus this interesting yogurt dish they have on the breakfast menu. It is passion fruit yogurt with diced mango, chia seeds, mint, and a small sprinkling of granola on top. Tasty and perfect to take morning meds with! It was time for laundry for me. Yes, we have complementary laundry but I don’t want to send delicate items to be sent through the dryer. Stuart ran errands. By the time we were both done, it was almost lunchtime at Lido Market. It was very nice today. The special theme was Tex-Mex in addition to all the regular choices. The Tex-Mex was really good. I think they had the best salsa Verde I have ever had. There was regular taco meat that was very good, along with tender and juicy steak slices. Stuart went to the casino after that and I went to work on this blog and photos. I am not keeping up daily as I hoped I would. Soon it was time for our 4-star Mariner wine tasting event. We sat with Terry and Patty and they were nice to visit with. We tasted some delicious wines hosted by Celler Master Roy. It was almost time for the classical group Vivace in the Explorer Lounge. They were good but it was so cold in there it made it a bit harder to enjoy. Back to the cabin to warm up! We went to dinner around 7p and got in with just a couple minutes wait. Andy was sitting by himself at the table next to us, we struck up a lot of conversation with him. After dinner I wanted to listen to Shelly on the guitar. She has not been performing for a few days due to illness. All she really did was strum the guitar. We didn’t stay long and headed to Ocean Bar. The Dam Band was playing there. They are a rock band and we enjoyed that. James at the Piano was off today. We closed down the Dam Band and headed to the casino. Tonight, I am just watching, there is a good reason for that! Nonetheless, we stayed up late playing Cribbage in our cabin.

DAY SIX – Oct 4: We slept in. Stuart got lattes from the Coffee Bar on 5, delicious. Once I was finally dressed for the day, we browsed all of the shops. We have some significant OBC to spend. However, I didn’t even see anything I liked! We are going to need to eat in the specialty restaurants a lot to use it all up! We had lunch at Dive In. It was quite warm as the only table we could find at first was in the direct sun. Eventually, we moved. We left when the Ice Cream Social started. There was a speaker on the World Stage I wanted to see. The topic was Murder on the Dance Floor. What the speaker, Michael Adams, spoke on was telling the story of a murder from 1920’s in Australia. It was fairly interesting, but we were both nodding off after lunch! Ater that, back to the cabin to try and catch up on things on our laptops. It is dressy night so we need to change for dinner. When we saw the line at the Dining Room, we opted to return to Pinnacle Grill. I might have mentioned they have some Hawaiian menu items, so it was fun to try some of those. We had Violet from South Africa as our waitress again, she is delightful. Dinner was followed by the Zaandam Ball. We arrived after it started but we still enjoyed the music we did hear. It was fun and entertaining to watch the many interesting styles of dance that were displayed by some! Brief stop at the casino, then cribbage playing in our cabin to close out the day again.   

Sailing Toward Hawaii Day 3&4

DAY THREE – Oct 1: We got up early (for us) so we could go to the dining room for breakfast. The Swedish Pancakes were my choice and Stuart had the French toast. Both were delicious. From there we went back to the Sea View pool for the sun. It felt so nice. I believe the noon announcement said it was 72F. Very nice cruising today. Still, lots of swells and some challenge for balance for me. We stayed up there until after lunch time. The Lido Market was in full swing for food but we are still full from breakfast. I went back to the cabin to change, shower, and work on the blog. Stuart changed and went to a Rum tasting and a few other errands after that. Later in the afternoon we went to the Crows Nest for Aloha Sunset Music. It was enjoyable with both singing and dancing to Hawaiian music. After relaxing there we decided to head to the dining room. We were passing Pinnacle Grill and, on a whim, we decided to eat there. One usually needs reservations but honestly, we have seen very few people eating there. Stuart had a filet and I had the short ribs. Both were very good but my highlight of the meal was the Coconut Seafood Chowder. It was rich and delicious and did not overwhelm with the coconut flavor. We closed down the day with music at the Ocean Bar.

DAY FOUR – Oct 2: What a fun day at sea! We go up a bit early and grabbed a large Latte on our way to the water color art class. That was fun, even if we didn’t end up having a stellar painting. We will definitely do that again. The instructor teaches many classes a day, but they are repeats to accommodate everyone who wants to participate. It was lunch in the dining room today. This is typically served from 12-1p on sea days, often we go to the Lido Market for lunch but this was a nice change. We thought about a wine tasting, but we have that tomorrow so we just played games until time for the Tiki Bar Grand Opening. Such a festive event with so much participation. From décor to pool toys, with Hawaiian tunes and dancing. There is a lot of entertainment on this cruise. Dinner in the dining room, followed by a brief casino stop. The casino has not been very lucrative to date. We finished off the night with James in Mix. 

Boarding Tales of the South Pacific DAY 1&2

DAY ONE - Monday, Sep 29: As in the brief post from our stay in San Diego, we are on the ship. We have a few welcome gifts waiting in our cabin. One was a tote bag; the other was a reusable 12 oz. cup. They want you to use the cup for “to go” drinks, nice thought on saving waste. After dropping our small suitcase in the cabin, we ventured out to see the ship and have lunch. We chose Dive In for a burger by the Lido Pool. They have expanded their small menu with a few more options both in burgers and fries. One can get cheesy fries and Buffalo fries in addition to the standard ones offered before. Service was a bit slow, flavor was good. I was disappointed in my lettuce “wrapped” burger as the lettuce was falling off. However, I could eat it with a knife and fork.

4:45 was Sail Away at the Sea View pool. Tasty drinks, a few nice snacks, and Cruise Director Claire introduced some of the Dancers for a brief performance. She continued with some dancing for cruisers after the brief show. We appreciated views of San Diego upon departure. We chose Lido Market for dinner. It was so-so. 

Dinner was followed by the daily show featuring Erwin Urbi, from Hawaii. The show was called “Home in the Islands” with many traditional Hawaiian songs. A casino stop was next. I broke even on the slot machine so I was done for now. Not sure how Stuart did with Black Jack or Craps. From there we went to the Mix Piano Lounge. We met the piano player, James. He is from Scotland. He was personable and a I am sure we will enjoy many hours there listening to him perform. Long and tiring day. We have not fully unpacked the big suitcase that arrived in the afternoon. That will be a chore for tomorrow.

Ps: I forgot to mention we did not have a refrigerator in our cabin. We were surprised as we have never been on a ship that didn’t have one in our cabin. On this ship, only suite guests have them. We have a window cabin. There are no balcony cabins on this ship either. If you want a balcony one must splurge for a suite. We were told to inquire at Guest Service. We were told we could rent one for the cruise and it would be $60 for the entire trip. However, we were told there are none available. They hope to get more in Hawaii; they are on order. When we got back to our cabin, we now have a refrigerator! They put it below the desk, so now the chair doesn’t fit there anymore. This is an older ship. It has been refurbished and looks nice enough but there are these small things missing that larger ships have. Another missing feature is outlets, but we can deal with that.

DAY TWO – Sep 30: Today we slept in late. We are still feeing tired from yesterday. We had breakfast delivered along with coffee. After that we stayed in the cabin for some time working on our laptops and catching up on a few other things. In the afternoon it was Rummikub by the Sea View Pool and a few snacks to hold us over for dinner. It was a lovely day. The water looks like glass but there are swells and it has been challenging for me to walk. The pool even sloshed over the seating area. We went to dinner about 6p and that was a big mistake. It was very crowded. We were told the busiest time was 6p-7p so we will adjust our timing from now on. We skipped the violin show tonight and spent time in the casino and the Ocean Bar. There is a nice band in there, somewhat like the Rolling Stone lounge on other ships.

Valencia and San Diego

Sunday, Sep 21: We left home after dropping Tony off with Julie and picking up the rental car. We met our friends from the Bucharest to Budapest River Cruise for dinner. That was lots of fun to see them and catch up!

Monday, Sep 22: It seemed like a long drive to San Diego today. We stopped for Panda Express along the way.  The traffic wasn't that bad but I really dislike the multiple freeways. Before going to the timeshare, we first made a stop at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Both of Stuart’s parents are buried there. It was an emotional and touching visit. We checked into WorldMark for our 1 week stay. We unpacked what was needed and relaxed. We ate our leftover Panda Express for dinner, watched some TV, and called it a night.

Tuesday, Sep 23: Today we went to lunch and then to Trader Joe’s for a few groceries for the week. In the late afternoon we headed to Eric and Kathe’s (Stuart’s brother and wife) home to meet them for dinner. We enjoyed dinner and a nice visit. Kathe just had hip replacement surgery 4 days ago and she was eager to go out to dinner. I think that is amazing!

Wednesday, Sep 24: Today we went to the Coronado Del Rey Hotel. I had never been there before, only viewing it from the mainland. Stuart took us to Nobu for lunch and it was amazing! The weather was perfect. The hotel is historic and so beautiful. We played cards and watched a little TV in the evening. A lovely and memorable day.

Thursday, Sep 25: We both worked on our laptops for most of the. We left to meet Eric and Kathe at Jake’s Delmar by 4:45p. It was a nice dinner, but quite the lively place, so it was a little bit hard to visit. It is a nice place directly on the beach. If it weren’t foggy, we would have had a nice sunset! The food was flavorful, but the steak was a bit over for me and the entire meal could have been warmer. Still it was an enjoyable visit spending time with Eric and Kathe. 

Friday, Sep 26: Today we are just going to rest here at WorldMark. I’ve been dealing with a lot of leg swelling so I want to keep my feet up as much as possible. I have also been working daily on my album, which I enjoy. Stuart always has something to keep him busy on his laptop.

Saturday, Sep 27: Another restful day. We made meals and did laundry. We are set to pack. We are watching posts of the Facebook group. It certainly piques the excitement we are feeling. The Zaandam had a stop in San Francisco. We did a few small efforts in packing.

Sunday, Sep 28: We had a lovely brunch and visit with Eric and Kathe today. After that it was time to seriously think about packing. It didn’t take very long to organize and put everything back in our suitcases. We filled up the gas tank for a speedy return of the car at the airport tomorrow morning.

Monday, Sep 29: The day as come!!! Checking out of WorldMark was a breeze. Drive to the ship airport to return the car and then a quick taxi ride to the ship. I believe we were to our cabin around noon. Boarding was efficient.

Lisbon Day 4 and Flying Home

07-15: We were up late and sleeping in when the phone rang in our room. We had been trying to set up a “Sprunch” (massage and lunch) but it was never confirmed. This call was to inform us we have that set up and we needed to arrive in 30 minutes. Since the massage part is only 30 minutes we had to choose from head-neck-shoulder or legs-feet. I chose legs and feet; Stuart chose the other. It was nice enough. Then we went downstairs for the brunch part. It was astonishing. There was so much food: Rolls of all sorts, pancakes, toppings, cheese, meats, fruit bowl, muesli with yogurt. Aside from that we each chose a main dish. Stuart had Eggs Benedict and I had chicken salad. All was accompanied by a glass of sparkling wine. We took the chicken salad and the fruit bowls back to our room to have for lunch later.

I spent a great deal of time filing a claim for my lost bag. I need to fill it out now, but they said they will wait 28 days to submit it, giving that long for my luggage to show up. I am told it will be sent to my home when (I say IF) it is located. I am very doubtful it will ever show up. It is much more disturbing to fill out everything than it was to just lose the luggage. Who can come up with receipts for everything in the suitcase? Not me. It will be daunting to begin the replacement process when I get home. Of course, several things cannot be replaced, such as dresses I bought in Africa and Hawaii.

We played Rummikub this afternoon and Stuart packed in preparation for our departure tomorrow morning. We plan to leave about 7-7:30a.

07-16: On our way home today. Still no luggage, I have very little hope it will be found! We had a taxi to the airport because we couldn’t connect with an Uber. We breezed through most of the airport. I was thankful to get a wheelchair ride the last long walk of the day. Everything was fine after the very long line to double check passports. Back on the plane. We have a layover Newark but no time for the club. We took an Uber from the airport and we were home at 10:45p.

Lisbon Day 2 and Day 3

07-13: There is no word about my luggage. I have connected via FB messages and online at the website. They are good to acknowledge quickly on FB to assure me they are searching for it. Off we go for our next day of HO-HO. We went in a little clothing store across the street from our hotel and I got a few things to get me by. Panties, sports bra, socks, top, and pants. All of it was less than the $40€ they say I will get daily until my luggage comes. Stuart took the stuff back to our hotel and I walked on to get us a table at Confeitaria Victόria. Sadly, it was closed on Sunday! Just across the street was another café so we went there. They had some similar foods but no the same rustic atmosphere. That’s okay because we are fueled up for the day to begin. This time Stuart got the correct directions on his own instead of trying to follow those given to us by the hotel. Soon we were on the Blue Line bus and out for our adventure. We also did the Green Line today; it was my favorite. It was a much smaller bus to take us through the small, winding cities of the old part of Lisbon.

Walking back to the hotel we stopped at a Lebanese café for a beer and French fries. As planned, we went to Aldi’s next for a few things. We are stocked for water, wine, cheese, salami, nuts, chips, and fruit. We played Rummikub (Phase 10 is in my suitcase), had a few snacks, and called it a day. They did clean our room today but they did not and do not restock the little coffee packets. We only got one towel as well. The 2-star hotel in Thessaloniki was nicer that this 4-star hotel for sure! The people are very nice here but lacking in service. They have a massage brunch offered. We have been trying to sign up for that for 2 days to no avail.

07-14: No luggage. I think I will never see my nice Away bag and contents ever again. We are off for a late breakfast to Confeitaria Victόria. It was almost noon by the time we made it there. Time must be set aside for daily laundry! We discovered that they also serve lunch and perhaps dinner. We decided to have lunch. Stuart had a meat skewer from the grill and I had ½ order of pork from the grill. Both were huge, included a small salad, delicious, and satisfying. Neither of us could finish! We went to Aldi again, but we didn’t buy much, we don’t need much. We spent the afternoon playing Rummikub and on our laptops.

Tonight, we have a cooking class. We are excited about that. We left in time but the traffic was horrible and we barely made it at the exact starting time. There was one other couple, Ben and Susie from Miami, but they were late. Beatrice our host was delightful. Lisbon Affair was clean and inviting, with a cozy atmosphere. Bea had all the food we will use at each station with utensils and everything we will need. We made a delicious soup for an appetizer, a pork dish for the main, and ended the meal with an amazing dessert. Wine and a charcuterie board were first offered just before starting. We cooked and then ate the dinner together about 9:30p. Feeling stuffed we got an Uber to return to the hotel and off to bed.

Thessiloniki to Lisbon and Lisbon Day 1

07-11: Checking out of the hotel was a breeze, and oh yeah, I put in yesterday's blog that even though there was no elevator here, the staff carried everything upstairs, like it weighed a feather, and this morning they did the same. 

They suggested taxi to the airport for a flat price of 25 euros, instead of Uber, which was more. When we got to the airport, we were treated with luxury. The nice man helped us get our boarding passes for Aegean Air, and then ask us if we knew where the club was. Well, of course we didn't. He personally took us through security through A. Gate or it was just a us and then walked us on right to the club. I've never had such service such personalized service! We have a couple hours until our flight. But we're sitting comfortably in the club and there is food. I haven't taken a look at it yet, but I see there are lots of choices.

Arrival in Rome was uneventful, also went to the club and awaited the next leg of our trip on TAP Air Portugal. Flight was uneventful. Arrival was fine until my luggage didn’t arrive. Stuart got his. I waited by the baggage belt and he went to lost luggage and filed a report. There is nothing more we can do. Uber to the hotel and had a snack in the lobby before bed. Nice hotel but boy that bed is FIRM! Tried other ways online to find and report the missing luggage, but they say they are “searching” for it. I have the clothes I have on, nightgown, medications, and a small toiletry bag. I guess I will be washing undergarments every night! Ugh…

07-12: Still no luggage. However, we are off to see Lisbon! We skipped the hotel breakfast, I think it was $20€, also just the same foods we have been eating. We wanted something Portuguese! I was thrilled when we walked just down the street and found a little café. It has many things I recognize from Brazil. A cochina was my breakfast with coffee. Stuart had a sort of tiny, flat meat pie. It reminded me of a pastel in Brazil. We added 2 cups of coffee with milk for $6,90€. So delicious! I want to go back there tomorrow!

On we walked for the HO-HO starting point. Somehow the 15-minute walk turned into almost an hour. We took a wrong turn somewhere. We did stop for some cheese and wine along the way because we wanted to use their restroom! That was $29€ but that was 4 glasses of wine with the cheese board. Still recovering from our wrong turn in the very hilly city of Lisbon! We finally got there and bought a 48-hour pass. Today we did just the red line. We were going to shop for some things for me, but I wanted to wait in hopes the luggage shows up. Tomorrow we will do 2 or maybe 3 lines. I’m not sure of our plans for the rest of the days.

Another up and down walk back to the hotel. No luggage… I am exhausted from all the walking; seems we were always going uphill! We stopped at a shop near our hotel and bought fresh cherries and a couple cold drinks. Also, a bottle of wine for our room.

For dinner we ate a hamburger in the hotel, I am much to tired to go out somewhere. It was huge and I could only eat half. Off to bed in total exhaustion. Even this hard bed did not stop me from sleeping!

 

Last Day on Cruise and Welcome to Thessiloniki

07-09: Thessaloniki, Greece. We are staying on board today and taking care of laundry and more. I caught up on this blog and organized things for packing. We were also warned last night that it is going to be very hot today. Apparently, Greece is having a heatwave. I just read online where they have closed the Acropolis in Athens due to heat being 107.6F. We will see about our plan after disembarkation tomorrow. We plan to go to our hotel and drop our bags and see Thessaloniki by HO-HO bus. That should be cool enough.

After laundry we headed to Beefbar for lunch. It was delicious as always. We did more organization and packing in the afternoon then headed to Crystal Cove. We had a bottle of champagne (Veuve Clicquot) to celebrate the sale of Stuart’s house in Boise.

We finished it off in Waterside with our last dinner onboard. Entertainment tonight was in Starlight Lounge with the singers and dancers, it was great. Then back to Crystal Cove and to our cabin to put luggage out. It’s been a great cruise.

07-10: Today we disembark. It was easy to find our luggage when there are so few passengers on these smaller ships. The hotel was easy for our taxi driver to find. Taxis were waiting at the gate. We were able to check in very early. The hotel is not fancy but the people are so nice. The carried all our heavy luggage to the room. I was grateful for that because of the steps and no elevator. For whatever reason we are exhausted and took a good long rest, even sleeping for a bit. After noon we tried to get the HO-HO bus but missed it. Instead, we walked around the city, saw St. Demetris Cathedral, the largest in Greece. We also saw some Roman Forman ruins with parts of an amphitheater left. We had a very different pizza for lunch. They called it Mediterranean but it mainly had feta cheese, peppers, and sauce with a few olives. Anyway, it was good. Back to the hotel for a rest, we are feeling so tired. We ventured out later for a small bite to eat and a drink. Off to bed at a decent time after playing Phase 10. We will fly to Lisbon tomorrow, via Rome.

Patmos, Greece and Sea Day

07-07: Patmos, Greece. After a quick breakfast, we took the tender to the port where we boarded a bus and drove a short distance to the cave of the Apocalypse. There were fantastic views. The Cave of the Apocalypse is located approximately halfway up the mountain on the Aegean Island of Patmos, along the road between the villages of Chóra and Skala. This grotto marks the spot where St. John of Patmos received his visions that he recorded in the Book of Revelation. The cave is now part of a complex of monastic buildings protected by UNESCO.

You can see the rock where John put his head, but they have it surrounded by metal and also a metal gate. But we saw it, and I never thought I would be able to see a place like this. This is the cave where he received the Revelation. After that we drove on to the to the base of the monastery of St. John which is a big hike up a hill. I stayed at the cafe at the bottom and Stuart went up the hill to the cathedral. At the cafe, I bought an iced coffee and a piece of spinach pie. I'm not really hungry, but I don't want to sit here and take up the space without buying something. Stuart took some great photos. We also saw and took a picture of the windmills of Patmos. These are 3 windmills that were built-in the 1500s and 1800s. When flower production ceased in the 1950s, the windows were abandoned and fell into disrepair. Now they've been restored, and they're a landmark One mill still grinds, some small quantities of wheat and there's a small museum, we did not go in.

Back on the bus and it was just a few minutes until arriving to the restaurant, Aloni, for our snack and Folklore show. The place of food call Meze (also spelled mezze or mezé). Just like our other food in Greece, it was delicious, accompanied by very tasty white wine. The short Folklore dance was nice. I felt sorry for them dancing in heavy costumes. Now back to the ship.

Dinner in the dining room, my sole was outstanding. I ordered a half portion, but I am sure it was the full portion. I could not eat it all.

07-08: Today is a relaxing pool day. It is our ONLY sea day as well. Stuart spoke at 10a about the Seven Wonders of the world, both original and new. It was well attended and enjoyed by all. After that he was free of any obligation. We headed to the pool. We split a hot dog for lunch from the Trident Grill. We have Beefbar dinner tonight so we don’t want to eat too much before that. Today there were a lot of people around the pool since it was the only day at sea. We played Phase 10 all afternoon. We skipped the Captain’s Reception and opted to rest before dinner. Again, Beefbar did not disappoint. Afterwards, we went to the show and also the casino. It was a nice and relaxing day at sea.

Two days in Kusadasi, Greece

07-05: Kusadasi, Turkey today. We slept in and skipped the breakfast, heading right into the city for a nice lunch at 1453 Osmanli. It was quite tasty trying some different foods, a huge platter with a lot of choices. We took quite the walk out to the Kusadasi Castle on the other side of the port. It isn’t too hot and there was a breeze on the walk there. Not much of a breeze on the way back. We stopped at Molly Malone’s, strange as it may seem, they did not have Guinness Beer! However, they had other beers and a nice cooler to sit in front of!

We have our Turkish Lira left over so we walked around and found some goodies (Turkish Delight) for the crew. They guy who owned the shop was so proud of his shop and the things in it. He even offered us some watermelon. The walk back to the ship seemed very hot so we were happy to find our cabin nice and cool. After freshening up we had a predinner cocktail in Crystal Cove and then on to the dining room. Fish and chips was the choice tonight. Later on it was listening to Jazz in the Avenue.

07-06: Today was a relaxing pool day. We're still in Kusadasi, but since we were out all day yesterday, we stayed in today and enjoyed the pool and relaxing. We had a wagyu pepperoni pizza for a snack from Beefbar. Once we finally got warm, we went back to the cabin. Tonight is a treat again in Umi Uma. We refreshed for dinner and had another epicurean delight! It was really outstanding. We had delicious dishes – sashimi, tempura, lobster and some shell crab spring rolls. We went to crystal cove, afterwards and listened to Inga play for a little while. Then we moved on to the starlight for dancing music and a few people in there. The Ambassadors were there to dance with the ladies.