Come sail with me on a virtual cruise to Hawaii on Ruby Princess

[ellie1145]

Back again...

 

We have just returned from our first ‘staycation’ in over 20 years, as we have always flown across the pond to vacation in the past. With British weather being what it is we had few expectations, but were pleasantly surprised. 

 

We visited the Isle of Wight, on the south coast, just off Portsmouth, and had glorious weather. There is so much to see and do on this little island and the weather was spectacular. 

 

 

 

We had an amazing cream tea, visited the holiday home of Queen Victoria, Osborne House, which was magical, and also saw The Needles, (an amazing rock formation), plus we explored Carisbroke Castle. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you ever have the time then do take a trip to this little island. 

 

But now, on with the show!

 

[ellie1145]

On 6/4/2021 at 12:22 AM, cr8tiv1 said:

I don't have photos but here are my experiences of Maui.

 

My brother was part of the group that built the Maui Marriott in Lahaina.  I was there for the grand opening.  9 months later, my youngest was born.  (Too much information?)

 

I have seen the sunrise at Haleakala.  I've lived in cold.  It WAS definitely cold.  Had my down parka, hotel blankets, and was still freezing.  Spectacular.  Too old now to get up that early.  Sunsets and stars are the way to go.

 

I was on an NCL cruise and did the road to Hana.  Once was enough.

 

I have been on a foodie tour of Maui (Maui Potato chips, manju, guri guri ice cream) pre Krispy Kreme days.  

 

At one time, Hawaiian Airlines had an all island pass (8 days) for $100.  Flew from island to island.  Visited Kauai, Kona, Hilo, and Lahaina.  

 

And of course, courtesy of Princess.  To be honest, Maui is not my favorite island.  

 

Thank you for your input, cr8tiv1. That was most interesting. What a fascinating insight into the island.

 

I believe the road to Hana is quite something - pretty scary by all accounts!

 

How amazing to have been able to island hop for just $100! Those were the days.......

 

 

[cr8tiv1]

How amazing to have been able to island hop for just $100! Those were the days.......

 

I can say that I am in a class of those who have been able to visit every major island in the Hawaiian chain/state except Ni'ihau.  The island is owned by the Robinson family and you have to have a certain percentage of Hawaiian blood to reside there.  

 

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/WeekendWindow/hawaiis-forbidden-island-weekend-window-niihau/story?id=11767576

 

[Pizzasteve]

13 minutes ago, ellie1145 said:

 

Thank you for your input, cr8tiv1. That was most interesting. What a fascinating insight into the island.

 

I believe the road to Hana is quite something - pretty scary by all accounts!

 

How amazing to have been able to island hop for just $100! Those were the days.......

 

 

My dad was telling me a few weeks ago (as we visited Maui) about the $5 inter island fares on his first trip in the late 60s, early 70s.

[ellie1145]

 

Wednesday, April 17th - At Sea

 

We have 2257 miles to go until we reach our final port, Ensenada, and we average a steady 17.5 nautical miles per hour. No time for hanging about, we have a long, long way to go.

 

We are following a north easterly heading across the Pacific Ocean and today is going to be cloudy, with a temperature of 22C, 72F.

 

After a hectic 4 days we have 5 glorious sea days ahead of us, so we don’t rush to get up this morning, and have a relaxing breakfast in the dining room. Eating breakfast in the dining room is such a civilised way to start the day, and we really enjoy sitting and watching the world go by as we enjoy being waited on hand and foot!

 

After a leisurely repast we make our way up to the Explorer’s Lounge for Morning Trivia and are pleased to meet up with our team mates for a catch up before we start the quiz. We make a very decent effort and score 23 points out of 25. But we are pipped at the post when a team gets 24 points.

 

So let’s get your brains working shall we? Here are a few trivia questions for you to ponder....

 

1. Which city is furthest north, Quebec or London?

2. Which is the southernmost country in Scandinavia?

3. Who is Frederick Austerlitz better known as?

4. Who do the Galápagos Islands belong to?

5. What is Schubert’s String Quartet No 14 in D minor known    as?

6. What Veteran Rock Band released ‘Just Push Play’?

 

Fastest finger wins!

 

And the prize today is your own personal Tardis, which will be winging its way to the lucky winner, via Amazon (the river of course).

 

 

[ellie1145]

17 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

How amazing to have been able to island hop for just $100! Those were the days.......

 

I can say that I am in a class of those who have been able to visit every major island in the Hawaiian chain/state except Ni'ihau.  The island is owned by the Robinson family and you have to have a certain percentage of Hawaiian blood to reside there.  

 

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/WeekendWindow/hawaiis-forbidden-island-weekend-window-niihau/story?id=11767576

 

 

That is a really fascinating article, cr8tiv1. What an unspoilt island it must be. 

 

It is interesting to note that even in 1952, when polio was raging in the other islands, Niihau was able to protect itself by requiring a doctor’s certificate and a two week quarantine. Sounds familiar?

 

"My uncle wanted to protect the residents here from the epidemic and it was forbidden to come out here unless you had a doctor's certificate, and there was a two-week quarantine," Robinson says. "And it worked. We never got polio out here."

[ellie1145]

16 minutes ago, Pizzasteve said:

My dad was telling me a few weeks ago (as we visited Maui) about the $5 inter island fares on his first trip in the late 60s, early 70s.

 

Wow, now that IS a bargain!

[ellie1145]

A fruity encounter.....

 

 

Trivia over, and our despair at losing under control, we make our way to deck 5 midships, where there is Fruit and Vegetable Carving. 

 

 

 

 

 

What amazing skills these chefs show. I can’t imagine being able to make something so beautiful from a melon.

 

I love these comical carvings. So cute!

 

 

 

I’m afraid I missed, once again, the ‘How to Look 10 Years Younger’ seminar. Maybe I should have chosen to go there instead of failing miserably at the Trivia. We shall never know.....

Edited June 12, 2021 by ellie1145

[PurpleTraveller]

Glad you had a lovely staycation. I think that many of us are doing the same. I went to the Isle of Wright many years ago and had a wonderful time there. I loved Osborne House - so much history and such a beautiful outlook. 

 

Frederick Austerlitz is better known as Fred Astaire. 😊

[ellie1145]

 

A Titanic moment…..

 

This morning there has been quite a lot to entertain us, with Zumba Express for the energetic, and a Cruise Long Scavenger Hunt Check In, Number 2.

 

For those who want to learn something there is the Enrichment Presentation with Mike Tribe on Nobel prizes, plus a Naturalist Lecture on Pacific Seabirds with Mike Harris.

 

In between all this is a Bean Bag Toss, and the Princess Pop Choir Rehearsal. I miss the Hawaiian Orchid Lei Making as we are too busy taxing our brains, but I will look out for another opportunity later in the cruise.

 

One of my favourite movies, ‘The Greatest Showman,’ is on Movies Under the Sea at 10.00 am.

 

For those after a bargain there is the Holiday Store at Sea, with gifts for only $10. Here you can browse a selection of watches, jewellery, evening bags, ties and much more. All those things you never realised you wanted, which when you get them home you realise you didn’t need.

 

Today is a Princess favourite, the Pub Lunch, but we give it a miss and plan to go next time.

 

We enjoy listening to Afternoon Melodies with Souvenir Duo in the Piazza, as they are very talented.

 

 

 

We then take a walk round the deck in the sunshine. It’s a lovely day and the sun is shimmering across the water.

 

There is nothing better than standing on the deck of a ship watching the ever changing sea below. I love gazing at the wake of the ship.  It is mesmerising, and I have to admit to an occasional urge to stand on the top of the rails like Rose in ‘Titanic,’ but thankfully DH always manages to grab me in time. 

 

 

 

[ellie1145]

On 6/13/2021 at 12:28 AM, PurpleTraveller said:

Glad you had a lovely staycation. I think that many of us are doing the same. I went to the Isle of Wright many years ago and had a wonderful time there. I loved Osborne House - so much history and such a beautiful outlook. 

 

Frederick Austerlitz is better known as Fred Astaire. 😊

 

Great, you are the first with a correct answer!

 

Your updated, mini-Tardis, small enough to put in your handbag, will be winging it’s way to you momentarily. Now you will be able to revisit all your past cruises! 😉

[ellie1145]

On 6/12/2021 at 10:27 PM, ellie1145 said:

1. Which city is furthest north, Quebec or London?

2. Which is the southernmost country in Scandinavia?

3. Who is Frederick Austerlitz better known as?

4. Who do the Galápagos Islands belong to?

5. What is Schubert’s String Quartet No 14 in D minor known    as?

6. What Veteran Rock Band released ‘Just Push Play’?

 

 

We have our first worthy winner!

The answer to Question 3 is, of course, Fred Astaire. Well done, Purple Traveller.

 

Now, has anyone got an answer for the other 5 brain teasers? 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

5 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

 

Great, you are the first with a correct answer!

 

Your updated, mini-Tardis, small enough to put in your handbag, will be winging it’s way to you momentarily. Now you will be able to revisit all your past cruises! 😉

 

Thank you! What a useful prize! 😀 Firstly I think I will revisit my first cruise on Regal Princess leaving from Venice to go around the Mediterranean for 17 days. It was a wonderful cruise and had amazingly great and warm weather (unlike the weather at home at the moment). 🚢

[ellie1145]

6 hours ago, PurpleTraveller said:

 

Thank you! What a useful prize! 😀 Firstly I think I will revisit my first cruise on Regal Princess leaving from Venice to go around the Mediterranean for 17 days. It was a wonderful cruise and had amazingly great and warm weather (unlike the weather at home at the moment). 🚢

 

Now that sounds perfect. I may well join you! 17 days on Regal Princess - magic!

[PurpleTraveller]

45 minutes ago, ellie1145 said:

 

Now that sounds perfect. I may well join you! 17 days on Regal Princess - magic!

 

It was a magical cruise and you are very welcome to join me! It was a great itinerary - Venice, Kotor, Civitavecchia (Rome), Livorno (Florence), Toulon, Barcelona, Toulon, Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Venice. Ohh how I miss cruising! 😀

[ellie1145]

2 hours ago, PurpleTraveller said:

 

It was a magical cruise and you are very welcome to join me! It was a great itinerary - Venice, Kotor, Civitavecchia (Rome), Livorno (Florence), Toulon, Barcelona, Toulon, Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Venice. Ohh how I miss cruising! 😀

What a lovely itinerary. We love Kotor, Mykonos and Santorini especially.

 

I do hope your mini Tardis arrived with full instructions. It’s pretty simple, all you need to do is key in the date and year and you are away, ‘back to the future’, or rather, back to the past! 😀
 

Will see you onboard! 👍🏻😉

Edited June 17, 2021 by ellie1145

[DUCHESSRN]

2 hours ago, PurpleTraveller said:

 

It was a magical cruise and you are very welcome to join me! It was a great itinerary - Venice, Kotor, Civitavecchia (Rome), Livorno (Florence), Toulon, Barcelona, Toulon, Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Venice. Ohh how I miss cruising! 😀

Sounds wonderful , any cruise sounds wonderful at the moment . 

[ellie1145]

2 hours ago, DUCHESSRN said:

Sounds wonderful , any cruise sounds wonderful at the moment . 

Doesn’t it just!

 

My DH has booked us a 3 night cruise to nowhere on Regal Princess for my birthday (pre-birthday actually). Sadly it’s only for Brits and all must be vaccinated. We will really miss having our American friends onboard. It’s years since we cruised with all Brits.  There may be a lot of tattoos and football shirts….. 😉 (only joking!)

 

We also have a 6 day booked on Sky which WAS going to Belfast and Glasgow but Madam Sturgeon has banned all cruise ships. Really defies belief as we could happily drive up to Scotland with no vaccinations and nobody would stop us! In fact we could drive up to Scotland with raging Covid and nobody would stop us! 🤣🤣🤣

 

Hey ho, such is life! 

[PurpleTraveller]

8 hours ago, ellie1145 said:

What a lovely itinerary. We love Kotor, Mykonos and Santorini especially.

 

I do hope your mini Tardis arrived with full instructions. It’s pretty simple, all you need to do is key in the date and year and you are away, ‘back to the future’, or rather, back to the past! 😀
 

Will see you onboard! 👍🏻😉

 

Thank you, my mini Tardis arrived this morning complete with instructions. Today we are expecting a cool and rainy day so I will fire it up and travel away to the wonderful Regal Princess on the Mediterranean. Absolute heaven! How about we meet up at Bellini's for a pre-dinner drink? 🍸

[ellie1145]

On 6/17/2021 at 11:00 PM, PurpleTraveller said:

 

Thank you, my mini Tardis arrived this morning complete with instructions. Today we are expecting a cool and rainy day so I will fire it up and travel away to the wonderful Regal Princess on the Mediterranean. Absolute heaven! How about we meet up at Bellini's for a pre-dinner drink? 🍸

I’m pleased to hear your mini Tardis has arrived safely.

 

Will certainly see you in Bellini’s! Make mine a large Baileys on the rocks 🥃

[ellie1145]

Now I can’t believe all you clever Cruising Adventurers don’t know the other 5 answers. Feel free to ask Mr Google if you are stuck 😉

 

You are missing out on the chance to win my new, updated, even smaller, mini Tardis so that you, too, can whisk yourselves back in time to revisit your favourite cruises! 🤣
 

1. Which city is furthest north, Quebec or London?

2. Which is the southernmost country in Scandinavia?

3. Who is Frederick Austerlitz better known as? Fred Astaire

4. Who do the Galápagos Islands belong to?

5. What is Schubert’s String Quartet No 14 in D minor known    as?

6. What Veteran Rock Band released ‘Just Push Play’?

[ellie1145]

Progressively frustrating……

 

There is plenty to do this afternoon, including Line Dancing in the Piazza, Wacky Pool Games, and another chance to do Hawaiian Ribbon Lei Making. But we have an appointment we cannot miss - we must meet our team for Progressive Trivia in Club Fusion, at 1.30 pm so no Lei making for me, I’m afraid.

 

Now we have always been fans of Progressive Trivia. It’s a great way to get to know a team, as you must attend each session or you don’t stand a chance of victory. One of the most interesting things is to find out how well you are doing each time. But our quizmaster has different ideas. He does not give out any information about how each team is doing, and cannot be persuaded to even give us all a hint. We will later find out the reason for his frustrating rule. And it gets even more frustrating…..

 

We do fairly well, and enjoy the session and we are desperate to know how everyone else is doing. But we will just have to wait…

 

Here is a selection of the questions, and today I will give your brains a rest and tell you the answers.

 

1. Which disease is translated from the Latin for ‘Bad Air? It’s malaria of course, and we get it right.

2. What is the most dense planet in the solar system - earth is, and hooray we are correct!

3. What is Chile’s main export? Copper (we miss this one!)

4. What cosmetic causes the most injuries? Believe it or not it’s mascara! Yes, I am sure all you ladies will remember the times you accidentally poked your eye with the mascara wand. Not pleasant I can tell you. We got this right!

5. In Hinduism, what is the name of the sum of one’s actions carried forward? Karma. No points for us.

6. What fruit induces forgetfulness? The Lotus. We miss this one too.

 

There is a movie in the Theatre - ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ with Melissa McCarthy and Richard E Grant.

 

Outside by the Pool there is a Concert @Sea with Annie Lennox - An Evening of Nostalgia. This is followed by the Afternoon Movie - ‘Black Panther.’

 

I don’t know where the afternoon goes, but it seems that in a flash it is time for Afternoon Tea. Followed by, of course, more Trivia at 4.30 pm. We score a very acceptable 17 out of 20 and to our surprise there is a tie breaker, which we win! Hooray!

 

I love these questions, and hope you will too! If you know any of the answers please post - you could win my mini Tardis!

 

1. Which city in the USA has a royal palace?

2. What is pentheraphobia?

3. Which 1965 Beatles song is the most covered song of all time?

4. Who is the fastest man on earth?

 

It is Formal Night tonight so we make our way down to the cabin to get ready.

 

Tonight’s Production Show is ‘Colours of the World’ and we are just in time to get a seat for the 6.30 performance. It’s lovely and colourful with some great singing. We thoroughly enjoy it.

 

Photos not the best I’m afraid as I forgot to bring my better camera and only had my phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2021 by ellie1145

[cnd crsr]

1 hour ago, ellie1145 said:

Now I can’t believe all you clever Cruising Adventurers don’t know the other 5 answers. Feel free to ask Mr Google if you are stuck 😉

 

You are missing out on the chance to win my new, updated, even smaller, mini Tardis so that you, too, can whisk yourselves back in time to revisit your favourite cruises! 🤣
 

 

1. Which city is furthest north, Quebec or London?

2. Which is the southernmost country in Scandinavia?

3. Who is Frederick Austerlitz better known as? Fred Astaire

4. Who do the Galápagos Islands belong to?

5. What is Schubert’s String Quartet No 14 in D minor known    as?

6. What Veteran Rock Band released ‘Just Push Play’?

Hi Ellie,

Just joined in again and will try my hand at the questions:

1. I think London is further north???

4. Ecuador own the Galapagos Islands.

5. Schubert's String Quartet 14 is called Death and the Maid.

Hope I win, I need a trip, not  sure where I will return yet!

[cnd crsr]

My choice this afternoon will be the concert with Annie Lennox and afternoon tea before heading up to get dressed for formal night.

 And the only U.S. royal palace is in Honolulu.

 

The progressive trivia questions were difficult!  I didn't do too well/

Gail

[JF - retired RRT]

City with a royal palace is Honolulu, Hawaii.