LIVE from the EURODAM - CIRCLE HAWAII

[Lido deck main]

5 hours ago, zelker said:

 

His name is Keoni, he’s from Maui as are 2 of the 3 ladies on his team, and they were also on Noordam last fall with us as well.  They really do a great job imparting the Aloha Spirit onboard.  🏝🌺🍍

 

Hi Zelker,

We were on Noordam in the spring 2019, we had Keoni, as well but we have

had Kainoa as well.  Kainoa is from Oahu, the Honolulu area is a larger person, very soft spoken. Keoni is on the thinner side and is not as soft spoken.  Both are excellent and we would be happy with either of them on our cruise.

[brnowl]

On 3/1/2020 at 7:50 AM, Himself said:

Have a great cruise on a great ship.  The first day out can be rough but the whole Hawaiian adventure is good.

 

Do you have any recommended excursions?   Or port comments?   it is our first time there.

[Loreto]

DH and I are on the March 18 sailing...I am reading your posts with great interest.  Thanks for doing it!

 

Karen

[cat shepard]

1 hour ago, brnowl said:

 

Do you have any recommended excursions?   Or port comments?   it is our first time there.

 

Not sure what you like to do, here is a link to my “review” of my excursions. I was there last October, and had a great cruise. Enjoy yourself whatever you end up doing.
 

BTW -  I am a fairly active 65 year old with a very bad knee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jomurbie]

Cat Shepherd-thank you for that link. I noticed there were very limited recent reviews for a lot of HAL's excursions!

[westcoastcruiser]

Am also on this cruise.  Enjoying it very much.  My observations and thoughts...

listened to the string quartet last evening..a favorite  of ours and they did not disappoint.

 

the Dutch Tenors were outstanding!  Extremely talented and entertaining. Doing a second, different show Saturday evening which we will attend.

 

one gala night so far.  Saw some tuxes and exquisite evening wear as well as some less fancy, but nice evening attire.

 

last night, a smart casual evening, saw one gentleman turned away from the MDR in the evening as he was wearing shorts.  Happy to see rules consistently enforced.

 

in the Captain’s noon overhead announcement he mentioned  guests should adhere to handwashing recommendations but I only see the gel dispensers at MDR and Lido entrance and compliance, IMO, is inconsistent.  No sinks like I saw on Nieuw Statendam last summer.
 

lots of guests utilizing  the promenade deck for walking as the weather is perfect.

 

thallasotherapy pool is relaxing and enjoyable.  Perfect for this cruise with the string of sea days.  It is not crowded so I am thinking they did not sell out of the passes.

 

service is excellent, staff friendly and overall at the standard we know and love about HAL.

[Xaintrix]

Appreciate the reports from everyone.  Going on the next one!  Love the tip about coming in on floor 1 - I can do without the champagne for a nicer seating experience.

[brnowl]

3 hours ago, cat shepard said:

 

Not sure what you like to do, here is a link to my “review” of my excursions. I was there last October, and had a great cruise. Enjoy yourself whatever you end up doing.
 

BTW -  I am a fairly active 65 year old with a very bad knee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your ideas.   Much appreciated!   I think I shall follow up on that luau.

[cat shepard]

4 minutes ago, brnowl said:

 

Thank you for your ideas.   Much appreciated!   I think I shall follow up on that luau.

Here is one of my favorite pics from the luau.

[sansterre]

Day 5 - still at sea

After breakfast in the MDR,  Coffee with the Dutch Tenors was nice.  They come from different parts of the Netherlands, are 26-29 years old, and were created 2 years ago by Rose, a woman who runs the organization from the Netherlands. There is a fifth member who is also a violinist (does the music they sing to) and fills in as a vocalist in case of illness or family emergency. You can friend them on Facebook!

At 10:00,  I (and about 100 others) made a bracelet with Keoni.  It is made by weaving rafia into tree bark which is split.  To finish there is a circle of small shells.  Mine turned out a little too large for my wrist so thinking about taking it apart and remaking it smaller.  I'll take a photo of it and post it as soon as I find out where my downloaded photos go. ( I may have to email my photos when we reach Kona.)

Perfect weather today so spent a little time on our veranda.  Many walked the outside deck.  During his meteorological and nautical noontime report, the Captain said the seas tomorrow will be a little rougher.  The next day is our arrival in Kona so we will keep an eye out for whales as we near the Sandwich Islands, aka Hawaiian Islands.

We came in second in the Pop Quiz; it was on Movies.  But we won again in the 4:00 trivia.  Today there was a 2:00 lecture by CD on Surfing.   Other subjects have been on Whales, and Sharks.  This morning there was a talk about the history of Leis which I meant to attend but was tending to my knitting up in the Crows Nest instead.  

We enjoyed dinner in the Pinnacle.  I had the wedge salad, petite fillet, French fries, and chocolate soufflé.  I would order the same again except perhaps change the dressing on the salad (it comes with creamy ranch-type dressing).  

There was a vocalist for entertainment but it was late and a full day so we didn't attend.

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great report.

 

Sounds like you had a very busy day.

 

Can't wait to see your bracelet that you made and will do over in a smaller size.

[Jomurbie]

2 hours ago, sansterre said:

Day 5 - still at sea

After breakfast in the MDR,  Coffee with the Dutch Tenors was nice.  They come from different parts of the Netherlands, are 26-29 years old, and were created 2 years ago by Rose, a woman who runs the organization from the Netherlands. There is a fifth member who is also a violinist (does the music they sing to) and fills in as a vocalist in case of illness or family emergency. You can friend them on Facebook!

At 10:00,  I (and about 100 others) made a bracelet with Keoni.  It is made by weaving rafia into tree bark which is split.  To finish there is a circle of small shells.  Mine turned out a little too large for my wrist so thinking about taking it apart and remaking it smaller.  I'll take a photo of it and post it as soon as I find out where my downloaded photos go. ( I may have to email my photos when we reach Kona.)

Perfect weather today so spent a little time on our veranda.  Many walked the outside deck.  During his meteorological and nautical noontime report, the Captain said the seas tomorrow will be a little rougher.  The next day is our arrival in Kona so we will keep an eye out for whales as we near the Sandwich Islands, aka Hawaiian Islands.

We came in second in the Pop Quiz; it was on Movies.  But we won again in the 4:00 trivia.  Today there was a 2:00 lecture by CD on Surfing.   Other subjects have been on Whales, and Sharks.  This morning there was a talk about the history of Leis which I meant to attend but was tending to my knitting up in the Crows Nest instead.  

We enjoyed dinner in the Pinnacle.  I had the wedge salad, petite fillet, French fries, and chocolate soufflé.  I would order the same again except perhaps change the dressing on the salad (it comes with creamy ranch-type dressing).  

There was a vocalist for entertainment but it was late and a full day so we didn't attend.

 

 

Curious. Are there soap dispensers in the cabin bathrooms or is it still a bar soap?

[Himself]

On 3/5/2020 at 3:52 PM, brnowl said:

 

Do you have any recommended excursions?   Or port comments?   it is our first time there.

I wold not miss theArizona Memorial and the tour of the Battle Ship Missouri.

[brnowl]

I have heard it was closed?  But I am not sure what is up to date.

 

[Jeff_Lori]

I checked the official web site, and also booked a tour for when we're there (on the next sailing). Looks like it re-opened last September.

[Mooregre]

3 hours ago, Jomurbie said:

 

I’m wondering if the Dutch Tenors will be entertaining on the March 18th Cruise?

Edited March 6, 2020 by Mooregre

[sansterre]

4 hours ago, Jomurbie said:

Curious. Are there soap dispensers in the cabin bathrooms or is it still a bar soap?

There are three dispensers in the shower:  Shampoo, Conditioner, and Bath/Shower Gel

There is a bar of hand soap at the sink.

DH always brings a bar of antibacterial Dial Soap to use in the shower.

 

[sansterre]

1 hour ago, Mooregre said:

I’m wondering if the Dutch Tenors will be entertaining on the March 18th Cruise?

Possibly.  They didn't say, only that they had several more bookings on cruise ships.  It is possible they will be in the islands for awhile so you might get them while you are in the Hawaiian Islands, or perhaps on your return to US.

BTW, I noticed we have a local show scheduled to be on board for our second night in Honolulu. We always enjoy the music and dance from the local area.

Edited March 7, 2020 by sansterre

[sansterre]

2 hours ago, Himself said:

I wold not miss theArizona Memorial and the tour of the Battle Ship Missouri.

We have two excursions planned:

1.  Pearl Harbor - it is free.  I got two tickets for 1:30 on the National Park website.  There was a $2.00 transaction fee.  We will either take the public bus, take a cab, or call Uber.  I believe the free tickets are just to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona memorial.  If you want to visit the Missouri Battleship, there is an additional charge as that is not part of the National Park area.  Or, you can purchase a tour (Holland America or others) which takes you from the ship to Pearl Harbor, and the cemetery;  it is pricey but we did that the first time we were in Honolulu.

2.  Whale Watch in Lahaina.  The humpback whales are in the area at this time of the year.  I'll definitely report on this after we take it next week.  

Edited March 7, 2020 by sansterre

[sansterre]

Day 6 - getting excited for landfall in Kona tomorrow

After breakfast we attended a talk about Captain Cook.

Then up to the Crows Nest where DH reads and I knit with Judy.

At 1:00 the Pop Quiz Trivia was on Music - not our subject, but we did OK.  Question:  What singer was originally named Anna Mae Bullock?  (Answer:  below)

Cruisers who learned how to play the Ukulele and others who learned the Hula this week joined the Hawaiian entertainers for a special Hawaiian Show at 2:00 on the MainStage.  Our trivia teammate Brian starred as the Hula Dancer in a grass skirt.  Keoni and the 3 Hawaiian women gave some great performances too.

At 4:00 it was Trivia with Monique which we won.   Question:  Which New England author did Herman Melville dedicate Moby Dick to?

Dinner in the Main Dining Room where servers Made and Ilham provide excellent service.  We look forward to setting feet on land tomorrow in Kona, although we have no special plans other than a short walk to the market and perhaps the shuttle to the store, Hilo Hatties.  There are some interesting places near Kona which we saw last time we were here - where Captain Cook was killed, an old church, a coffee packing house to name 3.  

Entertainment tonight was the instrumentalist and the singer.  Since we were supposed to have some rough seas, we did not attend.  As it turned out, the seas were calm all evening.

Trivia Answer #1:  Tina Turner

Trivia Answer #2:  Nathaniel Hawthorne

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful reports.  Like that there are so many activities.

 

Have a great day in Kona.

[Jomurbie]

Awesome! The classes sound fun. I hope to make a lei, also. What is your itinerary? It sounds a little different from our loup on the 18th.

[puppycanducruise]

Loving these reports.  Thanks for sharing.

[Jeff_Lori]

5 hours ago, sansterre said:

We look forward to setting feet on land tomorrow in Kona, although we have no special plans other than a short walk to the market

 

The best restaurant in Kona (IMO), right in the middle of the market area, is Bongo Ben's. (Full disclosure: We're good friends with the owners, but we'd recommend it anyway. Definitely a locals' favorite.)

[Jomurbie]

2 hours ago, Jeff_Lori said:

 

The best restaurant in Kona (IMO), right in the middle of the market area, is Bongo Ben's. (Full disclosure: We're good friends with the owners, but we'd recommend it anyway. Definitely a locals' favorite.)

Glad to hear no issues with going in to port. Any other suggestions for Kona?