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 5th 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.
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