Come Along with Bill & Mary Ann Going Full Circle on the 2015 World Cruise -114 days+

[PathfinderEss]

I so remember this port, my DH and I sat on our deck watching the unloading of tuna from ships to trucks. Kept thinking that those ship couldn't possibly hold that many fish, but they did bring up net after net of tuna.

[SilvertoGold]

I so remember this port, my DH and I sat on our deck watching the unloading of tuna from ships to trucks. Kept thinking that those ship couldn't possibly hold that many fish, but they did bring up net after net of tuna.

 

We remember the tuna and the market, but what really sticks in our minds is watching the crew of one of the tuna boats loading drinking water in large white jugs by hand in three or four man lines from the truck onto the boat. Hot day, heavy lifting work! They loaded literally dozens and dozens of those jugs!

[Higntn]

Enjoying reading about your cruise.

[WCB]

Report # 16 Sailing Towards Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia January 14, 2015 Wednesday Partly cloudy & 81 degrees

 

Who would think that after leaving humid and steamy Manta, it would cool off so much? There is no way the thermometer will reach 81 degrees as predicted. We would guess maybe in the 70's. We are now heading in a southwesterly direction, as we chart a course to one of the most beautiful areas of the world - French Polynesia. Just this last fall, we were on the Statendam, sailing from Alaska, down the west coast of the US, and finally to Hawaii and French Polynesia back to San Diego. So we are back-tracking now, and totally prepared for the eight day sailing. Recalling the weather back then, we think it was much the same. Not as hot as you would expect, despite the fact that we recently crossed the Equator. Not to worry. Soon we will be complaining of the extreme heat and humidity.

 

It would have been nice to sleep in this morning, but one of us woke up at 5am. Turned out to be a good time to try emailing, expecting most of the crew and passengers not to be online. It did give us the chance to send backed-up blogs. Over the course of this week, we should have several more time changes. We won't know if breakfast time becomes lunch or lunch becomes dinner. Or visa-versa. Still, it is better to put the clocks back, and not forward. For that reason, we have never sailed on an eastbound itinerary. Probably won't, if we can help it.

 

The daily On Location was full of activities including "learn to play the ukulele". This will be presented in 6 lessons, presented by a Tahitian team. We did spot one young Tahitian gal in the stairwell yesterday, who looked very familiar to us. On every Hawaii/Tahiti cruise we have done the last three years, there has been a group of Tahitians onboard giving dance, song, and ukulele lessons. The head teacher was Henry, with his younger wife as his assistant. Wonder if they are onboard this trip?

 

There has been a heated discussion regarding the "Happy Hour" times in the bars every day. So far they have been posted for 4 - 5pm in the Ocean Bar and Crows Nest, and 9-10pm in the Crows Nest. In case you don't know what Happy Hour means, it's buy one drink, get the second same drink for $1.00 (select beverages only). What happened to the same deal for the late dinner seating at 8pm? That is discrimination, and the late dinner crowd are protesting with a signed petition to change the policy. Good for them, since we agree it is not fair.

 

To take this a step further, more and more activities are taking place during our dinner time. For instance, tonight at 9pm, there is a casino raffle, a Texas hold'em cash game, and those glorious Gershwins with Debbie Bacon......all around 9 and 9:15pm. Some nights, Debbie has a name that tune, where folks can win DAM dollars. But at 9:15pm, it is not convenient for the late seaters. Now we are wondering if the majority of passengers eat early, either in the Lido, or at the 5:30pm fixed seating, the majority wins? We noticed the beginning of this compromising itinerary while on the Prinsendam back in 2010. We thought it was the call of the cruise director, but obviously it was not his doing. Here's our take....it is about the money that HAL can make with folks buying drinks in the lounges. By making the venues more attractive to the larger number of folks, the better it is for the company. Understandable, that's what keeps them in business.

 

We braved the cool winds at the aft pool for a few hours this afternoon. Think we ended up with a wind burn, not a sun burn, although the sun was out.You can be lulled into a complacency regarding sunblock. You do not feel the heat from the sun, so you think you won't get burned. Wrong. Have to remember not to miss any exposed skin tomorrow. Or cover up.

 

Paying a visit to the sandwich bar, we had two custom-made deli sandwiches on french rolls. Perfect. There was no line, and few people in the Lido. Finished up with one scoop of ice cream or yogurt in sugar cones. Going back to our room, we watched a good movie, although old, called Proof of Life. It was set in some part of South America where we recently visited, and was a chilling tale of a kidnapped oil company executive and his wife's attempt to rescue him.

 

Hoping for a good sunset, we went out around 6pm when it was going down behind some clouds on the horizon. Nothing special yet, but we know they will get better.

 

Dinner was good again, but that should be no surprise. The beef entrees have been especially tasty, like the beef Wellington tonight, or the prime rib last night. One of us got creative with the entree salad (vegetarian), but added a grilled chicken breast to it. Again, it was perfect, and not too filling.

 

Reports from our tablemates also brought the entertainment up to date. The Motown singer did a better show a few nights ago, but there was no show yesterday. A big screen movie was substituted instead. It was fairly new from last summer......This is Where I leave You. Since it ran until almost midnight, none of us went. But it should be televised in a few days from now. After today's violent movie, we are ready for some comedy.

 

Oops, just found an invitation in our papers on the desk for a complimentary wine tasting. It was held in the dining room today at 11am, a bit too early for drinking wine for us. We have attended some of these tastings to learn what we can about the wines and paring, but since we don't drink it, going today was not a priority anyway. It is a nice perk for the Mariner program, however.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[oofroggie]

Having been on 3 World cruises on the Amsterdam I am enjoying your blog and it is taking me back to my cruises. One question, where do you get enough popcorn that you would need a large bowl or do you have a IN with the popcorn man? I had to take from the movie theatre half way thru the movie leaving plenty for those there to see the movie

[lcand1923]

One of the things that I really appreciate about HAL is the availability of Mass on Sundays. Is this provided on a World Cruise? What about Daily Mass?

[AryMay]

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your cruise to do daily updates! I look forward to reading each day...it sure helps get through a long, cold winter in Minnesota!

 

It would have been nice to sleep in this morning, but one of us woke up at 5am. Turned out to be a good time to try emailing, expecting most of the crew and passengers not to be online. It did give us the chance to send backed-up blogs.

 

Are you referring to the updates here on Cruise Critic or do you also have a personal blog? If so, I would love to have a link! :)

[ger_77]

Next to the market was a housewares store, where we located a large plastic bowl for making popcorn. Now we were set, finding everything we needed.

 

You make popcorn in your cabin?:eek:

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[boards]

I was wondering if I was misunderstanding that comment too. Do you make popcorn in your cabin? NO way, really!! LOL

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

If all goes well we will be on the 2017 World Cruise.. Thanks for all your info..

[WCB]

Report # 17 Sailing Towards Nuku Hiva, Frenh Polynesia January 15, 2015 Thursday Partly cloudy & 77 degrees

 

The day started out promising.........blue skies and lots of sun. It was a bit warmer as well. Going for breakfast in the dining room, we found that it appears the staff is holding a table on the railing for us every day. We have noticed that certain couples have had the same table, but we have not gone as far as asking for one. Guess we don't have to now. The nice thing about a set table is that we have the same set of waiters, who know what we like to order. Within minutes, we have fresh-squeezed orange juice, our choices of pastries, and hot coffee.....one regular, one decaf. These waiters are the best.

 

During the course of breakfast, we always get greeted by one or more of the dining room captains. Today we had a chance to chat with Presti. He is the one to ask about the facts regarding the cruisers. That is, how many are onboard now? His answer was about 1000 passengers. Of those, over 700 are on for the entire cruise. We will pick up many segment folks along the way, and lose some of the Europeans before the ship heads across the Atlantic. Presti also added that the highest number of guests was on the 2012 world cruise. He attributed it to the economy.

 

The overland tours were being presented in the Queens Lounge this morning. We assumed most of these longer tours that include flights, hotel stays, and extensive touring, were supposed to be booked well ahead of the cruise. Guess they have space for some of these, so they are actively selling the last of the spots. Of course, some of these excursions operate on a fixed number of guests participating. If that number falls short, the tour could be cancelled. If you choose to want to be in a large group, then this is the way to go, although it can be pricey.

 

You know the nice thing about all these activities? We can pick and choose what we want to do, or do nothing at all, and truly relax. Reading by the pool is our way of relaxing. We can catch up on the talks on TV anytime during the course of the day.

 

Spending some time at the pool proved to be relaxing for an hour or so. We began sailing under clouds that eventually led to some raindrops. One thing we must remember.......when that imitation teak decking gets wet, it is very, very slippery. An elderly lady sitting next to us got up, shoeless, and immediately fell down. She was OK, but gathered her stuff and left. Probably more embarrassed than hurt.

 

Henk M., the Hotel Director, stopped by for a chat. We gave him some hints that he may or may not think about regarding the Happy Hour times. At least he is polite enough to listen, and promises to consider changes for the better........that is, for the late dining seating passengers.

 

When we got back to our room, we had our two promised bottles of liquor (part of the Presidents Club benefits) waiting for us, along with a note from the new President of HAL, Orlando Ashford. He wished us to have our days at sea filled with joy and inspiration. Yep, the scotch and bourbon will definitely help with that.

 

Time for a late lunch of Lido sandwiches at 3pm. Late for us, it keeps us going until our 8pm dinner. Watching a movie on TV, a good rerun, it was time to go watch the sunset, which was 5:35pm this evening. Due to the clouds, there was no sunset. The closest thing we saw to something bright, were the photographers who were taking formal pictures tonight. They like to use their flashes when the elevator lets out the Crows Nest guests on their way to the dining room. We can say that the team of photographers this year are among the most polite and unobtrusive we have had in several years.

 

At 3pm there was a classical and flamenco concert in the Queens Lounge performed by one artist, Francis Diatschenko. We heard from friends that his show was excellent. Hopefully there be an encore during the next seven days at sea.

 

The big event of this formal evening was the Black and Silver Ball. You are invited to slip on your dancing shoes and enjoy the unforgettable evening. To entice more folks, they had advertised a drawing for a Signature Shop watch as their main prize. Other prizes were to be had too. Now the clincher was this ball began at 9:30pm. And unless we rush through our dinner, there was no way any of us could make it to the lounge early enough to even get a ticket for the drawing. With special appetizers of caviar, escargots, and crab cakes, all of our tablemates indulged with more than one of the treats. By the time our entrees arrived, it was already long past 9pm. A couple of years ago, these balls began at 10pm, but apparently the early crowd complained that was too late. So this became a fleetwide policy to begin the balls earlier. Upon inquiring about this situation last year, we were told that 25% more people attended the 9:30pm ball, and that increased bar sales. There goes that same theme about the revenue once again. Oh well, we guess we will survive, and after all, we did have Debby Bacon playing the piano through the mealtime in the dining room. The speakers on the lower level were not the best, but we got the gist of the music she was playing. Remember when the Rosario Strings played in the orchestra pit on deck 5 on every formal night? Well, that is long gone. As you may guess, we are not fond of changes...........

 

One change we did like this evening was the time, since the clocks went back one hour.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Folk Singer]

Enjoying this and thank you for taking the time to do this review.

[WCB]

Greetings to all!

 

Just want to inform you that we are located in an area where the internet may be spotty, or not working at all. Has something to do with satellite footprint, and our location to the fringes. Not a surprise to us, but an inconvenience to all. Reports will be coming through eventually.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update.

[WCB]

Report # 18 Sailing Towards Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia January 16, 2015 2015 Partly cloudy & 77 degrees

 

The distance to Nuku Hiva at 5pm was 2372 nautical miles. The total cruise miles sailed from Ft. Lauderdale was 3300 nm. That shows that we have a lot of sea to cover before we reach French Polynesia. And partly because of where we are located, there are serious internet and TV satellite problems. Described on the front page of the daily newsletter, we are on the edges of our current satellite footprint. So for the next several days, we can expect outages at any time of day or night. At least the powers-to-be have figured out a way to prevent us from trying to log on, and getting stuck trying to get offline. There is nothing more frustrating than spending several minutes logging on, only to have the system shut down three minutes later. The staff expects this to improve as we get closer to Nuku Hiva. Having recently sailed on this same route, we do recall having the same problems. To help get communications for the ship's operations, the Captain has been tacking, or zig-zagging the ship all day. That may or may not help get the signal from behind the stacks.

 

We kept breakfast as light as we could, because we had a lunch date at 12:30pm in the Pinnacle Grill with friends. And because of last night's time change, one of us was wide awake at 5am. Today we were in the dining room shortly after 8am. And the room was filling up quickly with folks just like us. The service was excellent as always.

 

Back at our room, we found a large envelope filled with arrival and departure cards for Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. They needed to be filled out, answering the appropriate questions, and signed. Normally, we receive these cards one port at a time, so today's request was unusual. This should have worked out OK, but after filling out every card, we noticed that the info was switched on 6 of the 8 cards. Our birthdays had been reversed, making these official cards incorrect and invalid. Having the time now, I took them to the front desk, where they had already learned of the mistake from other folks. By 11am, an announcement was made for everyone to return the packets, and new ones would be issued. Our nice room steward had already begun to collect them on our deck so we did not have to return them ourselves. Wonder how that happened?

 

Lunch was really nice in the Pinnacle Grill. We met with Leslie and Handler, friends from the 2005 world cruise. Hard to believe that much time has gone by since we met. Most of us ordered the hamburger, which has always been excellent, but today's was even better. They have switched to serving Waygu beef, and reduced the size of the burger. So much better, since we all had ordered appetizers. Saving a little room for dessert, we ordered the bittersweet chocolate brownie with vanilla sauce. Not being rushed, we lingered over coffee until 2:30pm.

 

Good time to make a short visit to the aft pool and get some fresh air and perhaps some sun. It was comfortable and actually cool this time of day. Spotting our tablemates, we had another 40 minute conversation with them before leaving. And so went the day.

 

At 7pm, we were invited by the Captain and Hotel Director to a VIP Party in the Explorers Lounge. We are not certain what qualifies passengers as VIP, but most of us speculated that it might be tied to the Star Mariner Days sailed. On past cruises, this included 4 & 5 star members as well as Presidents Club members. Whatever the reason, we were happy to attend, as did many of our longtime friends. We had the opportunity to speak with Shiv, the head of housekeeping. He is from Delhi, India, and is a treasure-trove of information of his country. Specifically, he could tell us about the areas we will be visiting when we go on safari there in March. And more importantly, he could share info about the food, which is not really too familiar to us. As it was crowded and noisy in the Explorers Lounge, Shiv suggested that we invite him one evening to dinner, where we can show him our itinerary for the trip. As long as it is not on a formal evening, when he is committed to attending the Captain's Dinner, he was happy to join our table. We told him he had a date.

 

There were trays of hors d'oeuvres being served, and your choice of any beverage. Raymond, the assistant beverage manager, had started us off with doubles.....Bill had JD, while I had diet Coke. Dinnertime rolled around quickly after visits with the dining room manager, and Karen, the Captain's wife, who is onboard for the entire cruise. She is very outgoing, and enjoys mixing with the repeat passengers as often as she can.

 

We had company this evening at dinner.....Tom M. our trusty host from our travel group. By talking about many shared memories, he brought up the fact that we have all known each other for almost 13 years now. At the time, we were on one of the first Asia/Pacific grand cruises, but traveling with a different agency. Two years later, with a little encouragement from our friends, we joined this group, and Tom and Ellen became our hosts too. We have stayed with the agency ever since. Part of that too, is having one of their best agents.

 

Barb was missing in action, and we did not know why? Not like her to not let us know if she had other plans. She had also been to the party, but stuck in a far off corner with two other friends, Glenda and Ron. In fact, they had brought her unfinished glass of wine to the table for her, since she left the party unannouced. Maureen solved the mystery by calling her room, to find she had suddenly gotten ill. When we got back to our room, there was a call waiting for us explaining she was not coming. Too bad.....she missed a good dinner. One of the entrees was a 16 oz. ribeye steak, cooked perfectly. We both ordered it, and did quite a good job of almost finishing it. Eating lunch at 1pm made a difference. We were hungry for dinner. Then, to top it off, we had pre-ordered the Bombe, a chocolate-covered scoop of mocha ice cream, drizzled with raspberry sauce. Excellent.

 

 

Guess what? We had unexpected presents tonight. Unexpected, because usually the gifts arrive on a formal evening. We each got a wireless bluetooth speaker for our computer. It will work with a phone, which we do not have, or better, it serves as a speaker for music, which we do have. Now we just have to figure out if it will work on our new computer.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 19 Sailing Towards Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia January 17, 2015 Saturday Partly couldy & 79 degrees

 

The Amsterdam has continued to enjoy smooth seas and fair weather as we sail in a southwesternly direction towards paradise. There is some humidity, but it is not unbearable because we have a nice breeze going for us.

 

There was one thing that gave us some concern, and that was the health precaution printed in the daily newsletter. The powers-to-be are suggesting that we all regularily and thoroughly wash our hands with soap and water. Bottom line......there is probably a bug going around the ship as we write this. Using the Purell stations upon entering the dining areas is good, but not a substitute for hand washing. This subject came up yesterday, while we were visiting with two of our tablemates, who both happen to be doctors. This is the first cruise they have taken that the Purell use has not been mandatory when going to the dining room. To take this a bit further, we did not go into the standard 48 hour everything-is-served when we boarded in Ft Lauderdale. Yes, it is a lot more work for the staff, but if it prevented the spread of the upper respiratory illness or gastro-intestinal problems that have plagued many ships, then it should be continued. We will have to investigate why this precaution has stopped.

 

The usual activities have been taking place such as the guest speakers series at 11am and 2pm. One was about rascals in paradise, and the other about being marooned on a deserted island. The arts and crafts have gotten a big thumbs up from several guests we have spoken to. They seem to like new and challenging projects. Dance class featured the rumba, and watercolors continues to have two classes every sea day. We do have a minister, a rabbi, and a Catholic priest onboard. They have services that alternate between the early morning hours, or late afternoon. That happens every day.

 

To answer your popcorn questions, yes we plan to make some in our room occassionally. The popcorn the ship supplies to the Wajang Theater tends to be oily and salty. If you do not attend the movie, then you have to sneak in the entrance and swipe a couple of bags off of the tray. Once it is gone, then that's all there is for the day. We got the idea to bring a hotair popcorn maker when we heard on a previous trip that the occupants in one of the suites was supplied a small microwave oven to pop it. We have not had the chance to try it yet, but will soon.

 

It was quite pleasant at the aft pool today. The sun was not too hot, and the breeze was perfect. Many guests took advantage of the first Mongolian Cookout at the Lido Pool. A buffet-style line was set up poolside, where the chefs provided mounds of vegetables, meats, and seafood to be cooked in woks. We could smell the aroma of sizzling oil all the way to the aft pool. It's not really our cup of tea, but it is popular with most of the guests and crew also.

 

Another party was on our itinerary this evening at 7pm, once again, in the Explorers Lounge. This cocktail time was hosted by our travel agency and our hosts Henk and Lucia. Tom M, is always present, but he had come down with the dreaded cold. Last night he seemed fine when he joined us for dinner, but this cold bug hits fast. There were so many in our group, that two party times were necessary. Many of the crew members were invited as well, including the Captain and his wife.

 

Our favorite drinks were available to be enjoyed along with trays of tasty treats. The hour went by quickly, and we were off to dinner by 8pm.

 

Our two Aussie buddies were off to the Le Cirque dinner in the Pinnacle Grill, so we invited another friend who came solo to dinner, since his wife was not feeling well tonight. Nice that we have an extra place to invite company. The best entree this evening was the turkey dinner, always a great choice.

 

 

A group called the Alley Cats were singing doo-wop songs from the 50's and 60's. Don't recall having seen them before, so it's nice to get new performers. Heard from the grapevine that the magician, Jeff McBride, gave a good show last night. That's a big thing, because as a rule, the magicians are not usually a big draw. This world cruise crowd is a tough one to please, we have heard.

 

No time change tonight. Good thing, because it has been hard trying to stay awake through dinner. Difficult to adjust this quickly to the several time changes.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[boards]

Thank you for the popcorn info, never thought about a popcorn maker. We had one once, it seems a little awkward to bring, but a great idea.

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update.

[Nlcisme]

We are so enjoying following along with you! Would you ever consider publishing your 100 things you can't live without on a world cruise list? My husband and I are planning one in 2017. Happy Cruising!

[bcd2010]

To answer your popcorn questions, yes we plan to make some in our room occassionally. The popcorn the ship supplies to the Wajang Theater tends to be oily and salty. If you do not attend the movie, then you have to sneak in the entrance and swipe a couple of bags off of the tray. Once it is gone, then that's all there is for the day. We got the idea to bring a hotair popcorn maker when we heard on a previous trip that the occupants in one of the suites was supplied a small microwave oven to pop it. We have not had the chance to try it yet, but will soon.

 

Someone wondered earlier why you had so much luggage (7 big pieces) - let's see... popcorn popper, cheese bars (mentioned about being out in the sun on the dock on embarkation day) and other snacks, real books (not kindle), garden supplies... it does add up doesn't it?

 

I agree with what you said early on that clothes are not the bulk of what you take - there's all that "stuff"!

Edited January 18, 2015 by bcd2010

[Belle]

I think they do great with seven.

This cruise is 114 days then they do a

fourteen day after.

When gone that long you do need "your stuff"!

 

I've seen people who are a seven/ten day bring

three or four suitcases.

 

Really enjoy reading your WC blog again.

Love them every year. Always wish I was

there too.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We are so enjoying following along with you! Would you ever consider publishing your 100 things you can't live without on a world cruise list? My husband and I are planning one in 2017. Happy Cruising!

 

Yes please we are planning 2017 as well That would be a great list thanks Marty martygottliib13@gmail.com

[cruz chic]

I think they do great with seven.

This cruise is 114 days then they do a

fourteen day after.

When gone that long you do need "your stuff"!

 

I've seen people who are a seven/ten day bring

three or four suitcases.

 

Really enjoy reading your WC blog again.

Love them every year. Always wish I was

there too.

 

I was thinking the same thing about the luggage. It's a long cruise.

[WCB]

Report # 20 Sailing Towards Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia January 18, 2015 Sunday Partly cloudy & 79 degrees

 

Upon entering the dining room this morning, we found two things. The room had been highly decorated for tonight's theme of Tropical Paradise Dinner. Palm trees and parrot mobiles hung from every square foot of the ceiling. Well, almost. How fun. In addition to this, there was a set-up in the raised center of the lower dining room for a brunch. Had we read the newletter last night, we would have known that a traditional Sunday Brunch was to be offered here from 11am to 1pm. It may be traditional, but we sure don't remember this happening on a world cruise recently. That is with the exception of the Easter Brunch, which is a huge affair later on in the trip. Also promised for this meal will be live music. Pretty civilized, we think.

 

It was going to be another nice day, partly cloudy, humid, and little breeze to speak of. We have noticed that most of the guests have established their daily activities. One of these activities includes relaxing on the lower promenade deck. Just about every teak lounge is utilized, and some folks choose to sit there almost all day. They may take a lunch break, or go to the Lido, and bring their lunch back here. It is not unusual to see the same group of cruisers drinking wine around cocktail hour and sharing snacks. It's healthier, because they are getting lots of fresh air along with their drinks, right?

 

Today is a special one for the football fans among us. The NFL Playoff Conference Championships will be broadcasted at 1pm with the Seahawks and Packers, and at about 4:30pm with the Colts and Patriots. It was originally scheduled for later this evening, but it was announced this morning that they would be able to receive the TV signal at the real time. So it was shown in the Wajang Theater, where beer buckets were for sale, or in the comfort of our rooms as well.

 

In the meantime, the talks in the showlounge continued with Barbara H. giving a heads-up on Bora Bora, Mr. Goltz speaking about 18th century sailings of Captain Cook, and Captain Eschenfelder talking about flying the North Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans routes. As for us, we cooked in the sun, and cooled off in the pool. Well, actually the pool water was rather warm, and not as refreshing as it looked. We lasted until 2:30pm, when we left for a quick sandwich and single scoop ice cream cones. That's when we left for the comfort of our air-conditioned room to watch a little football. It was entertaining to say the least.

 

Dinnertime had us all back together again. Pamela and Stuart had gone to Le Cirque last night, and although they said the experience and food was great, they felt a bit rushed. Tables for two are at a premium, so if they can turn that table over at least twice, they make out well. That particular dinner is pricey if we remember right. To follow the theme of tonight, we had silk leis in shades of orange and yellow to wear. Large palm trees made of flowing foil streamers hung from the ceiling lights, and smaller palm trees sat on each table. It was most colorful. And at the end of the meal, our waiter was persuaded to give each lady at our table one of the parrot mobiles. Doesn't take much to make us happy.

 

While we were waiting for dessert to be served, one of Pamela's friends came by, and sat for a spell. She had just come from the showlounge, and reported that she never heard so many people coughing in all of her life. She stated that many of these folks had face masks on. Gosh, what in the world are they doing out of their rooms? Wonder what the entertainer thought about that? By the way, the singer tonight was Hawaii's 2010 male star of the year by the name of Elika Santos. Last night's performers were the Alley Cats, who were said to be really good. Also, at 7:30pm, the magician Jeff McBride, gave a brief show of his magic. Again, our tablemates were impressed with him. That's saying a lot, because most magic acts are not always well-attended. Someone in Seattle has been paying attention to what the passengers like. We may have to check this out ourselves soon.

 

The clocks went back one hour this evening. We are now on Pacific time.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the updates.