Btimmer

As an update, we've made it past the turnaround point which took about 4 hours.

Before this cruise and in over 650 days of cruising we had never experienced a helicopter medical evacuation. Now we've had two.

It's 4:25am, we were just awakened with a message from the Captain that another helicopter medical evacuation is in progress after returning to within helicopter range. We left Kona yesterday at around 5 pm , and at 10:55pm there was a medical emergency in a stateroom on deck 6. It's dark out, so I'm staying put.

We ended up booking a last minute HAL snorkeling trip to Kealakekua Bay where the Captain Cook monument is found and which we snorkeled in 2016. In my opinion, the snorkeling was much better then. The fish today were much smaller. I was also able to replace my 2016 polyester shirt with a 2022 version. What animal?

Today another couple and us shared an Uber to go to Poipu Beach which was rated as the favorite place for locals to snorkel. We got there fairly early before the crowds arrived and spent about an hour in the water. The water was clear, but pretty shallow and there was a significant current flowing across from left to right. Additionally there were periodic large swells that were cool to ride. Afterwards we returned to the ship and then took another Uber to Walmart. Angela purchased a ukulele at a nearby music store. We then Ubered back to the ABC store in an interesting way. But you'll have to read my blog to learn of that. Below are some snorkeling pictures from today taken with my GoProHero7. Tonight we booked a last minute HAL snorkeling trip in Kona tomorrow to Kealakekua Bay where Captain Cook was killed and a monument is erected.

So far it does. But the itinerary changes weekly.

It was fantastic scenic cruising today along the Napali coastline. Kilauea Lighthouse Honopu beach arch

The start of all day scenic cruising along the Kauai coastline all day.

Here's a flew pictures from yesterday on Oahu. Bird of paradise with Jurassic Park mountain in the background. Swimming with turtles Polynesian dancers Our route

I was aware pre cruise of the possibility of the requirement and we were asked at embarkation if we had travel insurance (we do have an independent annual policy).

We have just received notice of new changes in our itinerary. Also there's a further reminder about travel insurance and possible additional Covid testing for Fiji and New Caledonia.

Here's tonight's moon 150 miles NE of Honolulu. Saturn is off to the left.

We enjoyed a nice Hawaiian sunset tonight as well as more Hawaiian music. Earlier the wake from our fast speed was impressive. The curve isn't due to a lazy helmsman. There's a long swell approaching from our starboard rear quarter. We've made up the lost time and are expected to dock on time at 8am.

They are at the top of our list. While the individual members vary, there's a consistent quality to the group. The Jersey tenors are another quality group.

It's 75° as we near Hawaii. We're enjoying Hawaiian music and dancing Lido poolside. Earlier today we had a large crew drill which utilized much of the Promenade. Wish you were here!

The Noordam is also headed this way.

Tonight's entertainment was Cantaré performing songs from Stage and Screen. It was the world public debut of this set. They were really good. It was so good that we watched both performances. We've seen this group on other ships and they are a favorite of ours.

Our stateroom attendant delivered two sets of test kits free at 8:30am and we were expected to immediately use them and provide the negative results 10 minutes after test.

Just in case you are missing cruising, here's a photo from a few minutes ago.

We had part 2 of our Hawaiian history lesson with Hawaiian music and dancing to accompany it.

We passed our Covid-19 tests this morning which was a relief. It was also just announced that interior mask requirements are optional after Honolulu on Saturday.

Ours is a postage stamp with no couch. We travel on a lemonade budget (grin) and indulge in accessory items

We passed our Covid-19 tests this morning which was a relief.

Today we received a Covid testing letter describing the self administered test we have to perform in our stateroom tomorrow morning. If both of us test negative, we give our test strips to our stateroom attendant along with the testing supplies and we are free to leave the cabin. If one or both of us tests positive, we have to wait in the cabin, contact medical and then retest with further instructions. We also received notification that the Lido seafood pop up scheduled for tomorrow was cancelled due to not making the signup threshold. It is rescheduled for 10/29. We just finished a Pacific NW wine tasting that was excellent. I learned there that there are some 400 4-5 star Mariners onboard. Earlier today I saw my first child on the cruise. Our speed continues to be 23+ mph and the Captain still is optimistic about arriving on time in Honolulu. The seas are flat but rain is expected tomorrow.

It was a quiet night and we're cruising along at around 22 miles an hour. It's pretty overcast with moderate swells. My daily blog is current and can be found at: HTTPS://timmer2022du.blogspot.com Monday's meet and greet was well attended and a lot of connections were made after seeing just screen names these past many months.