Join us, Bill and Mary Ann, on our 128 day epic journey around the world in 2009

[WCB]

Report # 22 January 23, 2009 Friday Day at Sea

 

The clocks went back again last night, so now we are on Hawaii time. This is our last day at sea, having traveled 1904 naitical miles since leaving Los Angeles. After a hearty breakfast, the most activity we got today was walking the promenade deck. Nice folks, who were resting in the padded teak lounges, asked us to dedicate a mile or two for them!

 

The explorations speakers today were Barry Brown, the Hollywood expert, and Dr. Stanley Teitelbaum, a sports scandal guru. We have not heard any reports on the speakers so far, but when we do, we'll let you know.

 

There was a big difference in the temperature this morning....warm breezes and sunny. We can tell that we're getting closer to Hawaii, hurray! However, the seas remain choppy.

 

We finally got some quality sun time at the back pool. It was the first day that most of the lounges were filled with sunbathers since we were in Mexico. There is a different crowd on this ship now, compared to the Panama cruisers. They tend to be older and European, in particular....Dutch and German.

 

The last two days, we lost all satellite TV, despite the ship's state-of-the-art eqipment and tracking systems. Just another indication that we are in the middle of nowhere! Once we reach Hawaii, we are sure to get some network TV back.

 

Tonight the dress code was "Hawaiian Theme". And the Pinnacle Grill had a special dinner for the occasion, that included a gift for all those that attended. We think they are promoting these special dinners in order to fill the restaurant. While on the Panama cruise, the dinners were $20 a piece. We were told they were going up to $25, but HAL decided to keep the price the same. They really are trying to keep us happy!

 

We met our friend, Millie, in the Explorers Lounge for birthday cocktails. Millie has been our friend since the 2005 world cruise, and today was her 88th birthday. She is such a delightful lady, who has traveled with her husband for years and years until he passed away. Bless her heart, she still comes back every year, even though she needs the help of her walker. Her travel stories are filled with fun and adventure. These days, she seldom leaves the ship, not trusting her ability to get on and off of the buses. That's where we come in.......we meet with her and tell her about our tours in each port. Nine times out of ten, she has been there and done that!!

 

Dinner was really special tonight. We spotted a 20 ounce t-bone steak on the menu this morning, and decided to keep lunch light. Thank goodness we did! Our eyes almost popped out of our heads when we saw the huge, thick, juicy steak that covered the plates! Cooked to perfection, we savored every bite and just about finished the whole thing! Our tablemates were in awe! George also ordered one, but it took him 20 minutes to finish it. The three of us will be "mooing" tonight! Speaking of tablemates, it seems that we have lost Ray, our shy and sensitive guest. Perhaps he wanted to find a more suitable table, one that wasn't quite as noisy as ours!

 

Tomorrow.....Hilo, Hawaii!!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[ger_77]

I can't begin to tell you how much I'm enjoying your travels. We're going through another "cold snap" where our night time temperatures with the wind are -40 to -45C, so the thought of the warm breezes you're experiencing are helping keep up my spirits.

 

I know you've packed for a multi-month cruise, but do you pack with a method in mind like a particular colour scheme, or do you just pack whatever you think you might wear? What to you bring for formal nights - several gowns, or do you stick with basic black pieces and change things up with jewelery and scarves? And here's the big question - how many pair of shoes did you bring???

 

Smooth Sailing! :):):)

[KKMKEM]

We were on the ship at Christmas and loved the Piano Bar just wondering if you have been?

[ColumbiaSC]

I hope someone can answer my earlier question about seeing the wonderful gentlemen who does the needle-point -- he is not hard to find and loves to do his work in the public corridors. . . He is from Michigan. He has travelled widely and for long periods, the last being on the 2008 Farewell World Cruise of the marvelous QE2.

 

Lord Kay of Shandon.

[jckvpa0]

Thank you again for taking the time to post, loving your live thread :)!!!

[candbgirl]

Thank you again for taking us along on your adventures. I loved the story about your friend Millie. How fortunate for her that she has surrounded herself with good and kind people. I am sure she loves to hear about your tours and remember when she did the tours herself. Happy travels.

[WCB]

Report # 23 January 24, 2009 Saturday Hilo, Hawaii

 

The Rotterdam arrived to the port of Hilo, located on the eastern side of the island of Hawaii. It was quite apparent, due to the lush green hillsides, that we were on the "wet" side of the island. They have gotten as much as 200 inches of rain a year! Wow, we sure could use some of that in California!! The skies were heavy with black rain clouds, with a forecast of scattered showers and temperatures in the high 70's. After being at sea for four days, we did not care if it did rain...we were just glad to be on land for a change.

 

Today happened to be my birthday, and I had mixed feelings about beginning another decade. But when we went out of our room to go to breakfast, there were several cards in our mailslot. What a nice way to start the day! Got a feeling it will be a good one after all!

 

Hilo is famous for being home to volcanoes. Mauna Kea is an inactive one, while Mauna Loa is still active. Kilauea in Volcanoes National Park is the most active volcano in the world. We would be witness to that later in the day.

 

Hilo has been hit by devastating tsunamis in 1946 and again in 1960. There is a sophisticated alarm system in place today warning residents to flee the coast when a tsunami is on the way.

 

Sugarcane plantations drew a large number of Asian workers, but the industry has been shut down since the 1990's, causing the economy to decline. Tourism is their biggest business today.

 

We joined our Specialists group of 47 in the Ocean Bar at 10 am to get "stickered" for our tour today. Tom directed us out the wrong door at the terminal building, but eventually we found the waiting bus. Ellen was our escort this morning.

 

The bus driver was also our guide. He was very entertaining as well as knowledgable. And the Roberts bus was new, clean, and roomy.

 

Our first stop was at Rainbow Falls, an 80 foot waterfall that can be as wide as 100 feet. That must be when the rain is pouring, because it was much smaller with no rainbows to be seen. It probably came out after we left!

 

The bus headed towards Volcanoes National Park, passing by several housing tracts on the way. Our driver said most of the newer hillside homes sold for about 400K. Older homes built on stilts sold for half of that. We gradually climbed towards the park, which has the elevation of 4000 feet. We forgot that the weather takes a change at that elevation......it was darn cold and windy!!

 

Soon we reached the Jagger Museum and Visitors Center and the viewing platform for the gigantic crater of Kilauea. We had been here in the early 90's, and remembering very little steam coming from this massive crater. Today, it was far different. Shortly before we arrived to the center, a tremor occurred causing smoke and steam to billow from the fissures. Can you imagine what it would be like to see this volcano to blow lava and ash? Gosh, we would all be "toast"! We could see the snow-covered peaks of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. Funny to see snow in Hawaii! Inside the museum was an excellent display describing the process of the volcano activity. very interesting.

 

Our next stop was at the Volcano House, a historic hotel and restaurant. A buffet lunch was ready for our group. It offered salads, fresh bread, chicken, pulled pork, and a salmon cassarole. We were allowed two drinks, either sodas, coffee, or wine. However, we were halfway through eating while waiting for the drinks to be served. It was obvious, we were on our own. The little bottles of wine were fine, but they had to hunt down plastic glasses for us. Frankly, it was not as nice as most of the Specialist's lunch tours, but we all survived! We did have a perfect view of the crater below, that is, until the rain showers blocked it completely.

 

Time to head back. On the way down, our driver stopped at a lava flow site, where some of us got out and walked on it. This flow had torched everything in its path as it came down the hillside over the vegetation. As bleak as it was, there were signs of trees and ferns growing from the rich lava beds.

 

We also stopped at a section of the 30 mile long Thurston Lava Tube. It was dark and wet when we entered the cave for the short walk through it. Funny, we saw a gentleman who had gotten his motorized wheelchair down the steep steps to ride through this cave. He even had headlites on his chair. Our driver said he had seen everything now. When there is a will, there is a way!

 

We drove a little further, and stopped at the Akatsuka Orchid Farm. It had started to rain, but once inside the massive hothouse, we stayed dry. They grow 100,000 cattleya and prize western orchids here. What we saw were beautiful. Of course, there was a gift shop where many of us bought souveniers.

 

Our final place to visit was the Macadamia Nut Farm. However, it was Saturday, and the factory was closed. But wouldn't you know it, their gift shop was opened! We treated ourselves to a bowl of chocolate macadamia nut ice cream. It was the best! And we did purchase a small bag of chocolate covered nuts. They are just too good to resist.

 

On the way back to the pier, the driver passed Walmart and Hilo Hatties. Shuttles were running from the pier to these stores today for free, but we were too late by the time we got back. Oh well, there is always tomorrow in Honolulu.

 

Right after we re-boarded the ship, the sky opened up and it poured big time. And we finally saw that elusive rainbow we missed at the falls.

 

Bill had a 6 pm haircut appointment this afternoon. Prior to the trip, we pre-purchased a haircut package, which would provide 5 haircuts, but only on port days. For $15. plus a tip, Bill had a nice hair trim, a shampoo, a head massage, and voila.....he was a happy camper!

 

We joined the crowd in the Crow's Nest for the sailaway at 7 pm. Our star entertainer, Vicki Lawrence was also there with her husband, we presume, and her daughter, Courtney enjoying farewell cocktails. More than likely, they will fly back to LA from Honolulu tomorrow.

 

Trying to escape a birthday celebration in the dining room, we went to our first dinner in the Pinnacle Grill restaurant. Since there were only five tables of diners in there, we had personalized service from all three waiters! These same fellows had remembered us from last May, when we had to use five prepaid dinners in 2 weeks. The food was marvelous as usual. We ordered bone-in ribeye steaks, Caesar salads, baked potatoes, and mushrooms. Before we had the chance to order dessert (like there was any room left), Pulung from the dining room came into the Pinnacle with a large birthday cake for me, complete with candles! See, we can't hide anywhere when it is our birthday!

Since the cake was meant for eight, we asked to save it for tomorrow. Then the Pinnacle manager brought over a smaller, rich and decadent chocolate mousse cake decorated with a thick ribbon of gold painted chocolate. It melted in our mouths!

 

And so ended a marathon day!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

 

.

[mudscraper]

Thank you for todays report and HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

 

 

Rich

[Aussie Gal]

Mary Ann and Bill,

 

Happy Birthday. It does sound as though it was special.

 

Your description brought back memories of when we did the exact same tour back in 2007. We also had every sort of weather when we were there, sunshine, rain, hail etc.

 

Would you mind telling us whom the Cruise Director is and also the Cruise Consultant on your wonderful cruise.

 

Jennie

[seafun]

You did have a long day! I've visited the Big Island a few times, and visited all the places you saw -- and even stayed for a few nights up at Volcano. I'd say you packed a lot into one day. I'm glad you stayed awake through dinner after all that! :)

Thanks for the reminders of the sights you saw. (I'm still laughing about how that guy must have dragged his motorized chair down into the lava tube).

I've been vacationing in Hawaii for twenty some years and am always happy to hear it described by other folks. I have to wait until the end of March until I get to visit again for a couple weeks.

Thanks again for the time you're taking to share this with all of us. :D

[SDHALFAN]

Report # 23 January 24, 2009 Saturday Hilo, Hawaii

 

The Rotterdam arrived to the port of Hilo, located on the eastern side of the island of Hawaii.

 

Today happened to be my birthday, and I had mixed feelings about beginning another decade. But when we went out of our room to go to breakfast, there were several cards in our mailslot. What a nice way to start the day! Got a feeling it will be a good one after all!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

 

.

 

I'm not sure which one of you is posting (although I'm guessing it's Mary Ann), anyway HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Guess what? January 24th is also my birthday, although I am well into my present decade. What a lovely way to spend your birthday - you had a lot more fun that I did, but at my age just waking up in the morning is an adventure:D.

 

Please tell Ellen and Tom hello for me and continue to enjoy your cruise and thanks again for your posts which make me green with envy but still entertain me - I really do look forward to them.

 

Valerie:)

[2happywanderers]

I'm not sure which one of you is posting (although I'm guessing it's Mary Ann), anyway HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Guess what? January 24th is also my birthday, although I am well into my present decade. What a lovely way to spend your birthday - you had a lot more fun that I did, but at my age just waking up in the morning is an adventure:D.

 

Please tell Ellen and Tom hello for me and continue to enjoy your cruise and thanks again for your posts which make me green with envy but still entertain me - I really do look forward to them.

 

Valerie:)

 

G'day from Down Under!

 

Mary Ann and Bill ........I've been following your wonderful journey from Day 1 and feel that I have been travelling with you all the way. I really enjoy your interesting, descriptive posts. We are counting down the days until we board Dawn Princess in Sydney in July and sail for 104 days right around the world through the Panama and Suez Canals back to Sydney.

 

It made me smile today to read that January 24th is your birthday, because it is also mine! Birthday twins! Belated Happy Birthday to you and also to Valerie. I've only ever met one other person who shares my birthday.

 

Enjoy the rest of your wonderful trip .... I look forward to following it with great interest over the weeks ahead.

 

Happy cruising

 

Faye :)

[Rebecca33]

Thank you so much for your posts. I so enjoyed them last year and look forward to reading every new entry on this trip.. ( I just found this thread today so I had a lot of great reading to do today).... My Husband and I are talking of our first Grand Voyage or World Cruise and your entries make me feel like I am there already.. Continued safe travels and always looking forward to your next post..

 

Keep Well, Wendy:)

[Sleepladypalmdesert]

It's true Rebecca!! Right after work, I log on, and see if there is an update. I fear I am hooked on someone else's cruise! God help me.

[Rebecca33]

It's true Rebecca!! Right after work, I log on, and see if there is an update. I fear I am hooked on someone else's cruise! God help me.

 

I agree, it is a problem..lol.. but there are worse things to be hooked on....Wendy:)

[SDHALFAN]

G'day from Down Under!

 

Mary Ann and Bill ........I've been following your wonderful journey from Day 1 and feel that I have been travelling with you all the way. I really enjoy your interesting, descriptive posts. We are counting down the days until we board Dawn Princess in Sydney in July and sail for 104 days right around the world through the Panama and Suez Canals back to Sydney.

 

It made me smile today to read that January 24th is your birthday, because it is also mine! Birthday twins! Belated Happy Birthday to you and also to Valerie. I've only ever met one other person who shares my birthday.

 

Enjoy the rest of your wonderful trip .... I look forward to following it with great interest over the weeks ahead.

 

Happy cruising

 

Faye :)

 

A belated Happy Birthday to you also Faye. I know what you mean about only ever meeting one other person who shares your birthday. I was 25 years old before I met someone who had the same birthday as I. Everyone else seemed to know several people who shared their birth date and here am I thinking "am I the only person in the entire history of the world who was born on January 24th?" Quite honestly, I still haven't met too many - I guess it was an off day for the Storks.:D

 

Have a wonderful around-the-world cruise. Oh there is so much to see and to experience. I don't want to be away from home that long so I do the world cruise in segments - last year 65 days and the year before 49 days - that works for me.

 

I just have to say that I love Sydney. My brother and SIL lived in Sydney for at least 30 years then relocated to just outside of Brisbane (she loves it, he hates it) so whenever I am on a cruiseship which docks in Sydney for a couple of days they drive down to meet me and I am invited to dinner at the house of their friends with whom they are staying. That is something I always look forward to.

 

Valerie:)

[SDHALFAN]

Hi Mary Ann & Bill:

 

I just have one question to ask you. Are our "friends" onboard and are they playing Trivia? You know the ones I mean - the ones who always, always have to win? (thinking June Cleaver here;)).

 

Valerie:)

[WCB]

Report # 24 January 25, 2009 Sunday Honolulu, Hawaii

 

The ship sailed into the port of Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, around 8 am. The skies were heavy with rain clouds, keeping the temperature a cool 76 degrees. We could see colorful rainbows from the showers over the nearby mountains. We do hope the rain stays up there today!

 

Among the many sites to visit here are the Pearl Harbor Monument, and the SS Arizona Memorial, the ship that sank during a surprise attack on December 7, 1941 during World War Two. Having toured Honolulu many times over the past years, our destination this morning was a long walk from our berth at the Aloha Tower to Waikiki Beach, the International Marketplace, and the Ala Moana Shopping Mall. It would take us the better part of six hours to complete the hike, a good workout we hope.

 

Once we left the cruise terminal, we came upon free shuttles to Hilo Hatties, Waikiki Beach, and Walmart, a favorite shopping stop for many of the cruisers. How smart to provide transportation to these stores. That does not always happen in countries where the taxi unions are strong.

 

We passed the Ala Moana Park, where the locals were assembling for their family picnics. You could smell the inticing aroma of their BBQ's! Kids were playing soccer and volleyball. Some were fishing in the canals alongside the road.

 

Our first stop was at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Resort. We have stayed here twice before joining cruises a few years back. We were mostly successful in making calls to family. There will not be a chance to connect easily until we reach Sydney after today. We walked through the manicured grounds of the hotel, making our way to the beach. We came across the end of a church service right on the beach. The people had brought the straw mats you can buy at the ABC Stores, unfolded them, and sat in the warm sand. We even passed a bride and groom having their pictures taken with Waikiki in the backround. There were not as many sunbathers here as we normally saw in the past. Perhaps it is another indication of low occupancy due to the sagging economy. Who knows?

 

We continued walking the beach trail, past hotels and cart vendors selling hot dogs and icees. Diamond Head was visible from the beach. We have climbed that mountain before, and it is much steeper than you would think! But what views you get from the top!

 

We cut inland near the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and made our way to the International Marketplace. For a change, it was not crowded, and the sales girls were quite willing to bargain. We found a monkeypod bowl for our room candies for a really good price. After browsing through all of the little stalls and jewelry stands, we figured it was time to start back. It was getting warmer, so walking to the air-conditioned Ala Moana Mall was a must. This mall is a four story complex with all of the stores and boutiques you would find in the states. This is where the crowd was today.......mostly teenagers and families with little ones. But what we were looking for, was the best place for a super good hamburger.....Ruby Tuesdays. We don't have that chain of restaurants in our area of northern California, so we had to take advantage today. It was soooo good to finally sit and relax while drinking gallons of ice water and bottomless Cokes! The cheeseburgers we ordered were delicious...just as we remembered them.

 

Our last stop was at Longs Drug Store in the mall. We needed a few things, and we also picked up some stuff for friend Millie, who seldom leaves the ship. We took our time walking back, stopping to tke pictures of tropical fish right under a bridge near the terminal. We spotted the state fish, the Humuhumu, yellow tangs, and black and yellow angel fish. Colorful parrot fish swam deep under them, pecking away at the coral. This was better than our last snorkel trip we did in the Cook Islands, and it was free to boot!

 

We strolled through the shops at the Aloha Tower, then made our way back to the ship nearby. It was 4 pm already, time to do e-mails, and write reports, that is, if we have any energy left!

 

We had sailaway cocktail in the Crow's Nest, while the ship sailed out of the harbor after dusk. We watched the last of the harbor lights, knowing this would be our last glance of the good ol' USA for many months!

 

Our table has been missing one for the last two days....Barbie. She and Martha met with old friends who flew here to see them. Too bad she wasn't there tonight. She missed the wonderful chocolate/strawberry cake topped with whipped cream and shaved white chocolate. The waiters had brought it for my birthday (a day late), and sang the Indonesian birthday song! There is no such thing as keeping your birthday quiet here!! These fellows just love to make your day special!

 

We are going to be seven days at sea from here to Vanuatu!! That's a long haul.......

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[Cruising-along]

A belated Happy Birthday to you also Faye. I know what you mean about only ever meeting one other person who shares your birthday. I was 25 years old before I met someone who had the same birthday as I. Everyone else seemed to know several people who shared their birth date and here am I thinking "am I the only person in the entire history of the world who was born on January 24th?" Quite honestly, I still haven't met too many - I guess it was an off day for the Storks.:D

 

lol, you can add one more person who has a January 24 birthday -- me! So funny, I've only known one other person with that birthday before, and tonight I see there are several right here!

 

Mary Ann and Bill I want to thank you again for taking us all along on this amazing adventure, I'm loving your posts!!

[jckvpa0]

Just want to wish you a Happy Birthday :p!!!

[WCB]

Hi Valerie! Happy Birthday to you too! Will say Hi to Tom and Ellen for you.

Yes, the Cleavers are here, playing trivia, but not winning. Go figure!

 

Happy Birthday to all the great readers who also share January 24th!

 

The cruise director is Bruce Scudder. The future cruise consultants are Denise and her husband. Will check their names again for you.

 

We have not spotted the needlepoint man as of yet.

 

Basically, the crew remains the same for the entire trip. They are specially chosen for this grand voyage.

 

As for packing formal clothes, I do go with numerous tops and basic black skirt and palazzo pants. I threw in a few dresses as well. With unlimited shipping, we packed all we wanted....the only problem was where to put it all!!

 

We have visited and enjoyed the Piano Bar once.

 

Sometimes the speed of the internet is slow, so we wait until it is better, then we can answer questions.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Aussie Gal]

Hi Mary Ann and Bill,

 

Loved your description of your day in Honolulu. I could picture every place you visited. We spent 5 wonderful days there 18 months ago after a cruise and are returning at the end of November this year, after our Prinsendam cruise finishes in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Thanks for helping us relive our time in that wonderful part of our world.

 

Also, thanks for telling us the names of the Cruise Director and Cruise Consultant.

 

Jennie

[Makeithappen]

Exciting stuff, can't wait for all the installments!

[Texas Tillie]

This mall is a four story complex with all of the stores and boutiques you would find in the states

 

Uh, if you're not in the states, then we've got a real problem with our current President!:eek::eek::eek:

 

Joking - I'm really enjoying sailing along with you two!

[DFD1]

Your walk thru Honolulu brought back many memories for me. We used to have such great times there.

 

In the last few years, we've gone to Maui instead. Your day there makes me want to go back again.

 

Thank you again for sharing your treasure with us. Great fun to read.