This blog is intended primarily as my personal journal of our travel and I’m sure a lot of it is factual and mundane. You are welcome to read it at your own risk…
BTW: For anyone unfamiliar with blogging formats, the newest post is at the top and older ones further below.
This blog contains the newer travel itineraries. The earlier ones can be found in https://letsgetaboutmore.wordpress.com/.
Our most exciting port of call! Well, following 5 days at sea it was a relief to get off the ship. Unfortunately, the ship progressed at a modest 14 knots, compared to the top speed of ~21 knots. Our arrival time was 1:00 pm. We suspect this was to save on port fees but had the unfortunate side effect that guests on the tour would get little time to visit Butchart Gardens.
In the morning, we had the postponed Captain Q&A. Paul Adams gave a short presentation to answer common question. He explained the detailed cost of going into a port and explained the coordination of an evacuation at sea. Later in the morning we packed.
We had lunch in the Grand Dutch Cafe just in time to go ashore and walked into town. This is the route we have followed many times before. We go along Government to see the shops, then return going into the Empress Hotel and Convention Centre. After looking at the old photos and exhibits (again), we cross the road and enter the Museum. There was the van used by Terry Fox during his cross Canada run which we had not seen before. Then we entered the Parliament Building and looked at some of the photos, finding one of Vicky Huntington. Finally, we retraced our steps along the road back to the ship.
Alison went for her final swim, while I recovered from the long walk before dinner. Due to Candian regulations, our favourite Grand Dutch Cafe was not serving alcohol and we needed to find the Ocean Bar on deck 2. After dinner, Alison went walkabout while I got a seat in the World Stage. Our entertainment was the Mentalist, Brian Ledbetter. He did some incredible demonstration of mind reading. I explained to Alison how I thought he did it and she called that cheating and was disappointed.
We were in no rush to get off the ship in Vancouver, so had a leisurely breakfast in the dining room. I had one last meal and felt my arteries contract after reading a book on the Heart! Time to go back to reality and get the public transit home.
A few things worthy of noting during this leg of the cruise.
During the mornings we have attended several of the coffee talks with Bettyanne. One morning we had four of the bridge crew talking about navigation and life at sea. Another day, we had a lonely, third-class engineer who must have drawn the short straw to be quizzed by all the guests on topics he was not familiar with. He did a decent job talking on the engineering topics that he knew.
We also had a talk on the City at Sea, which was professional presentation on the ship operations explaining all the back of house activities. The presentation was led by Bettyanne who reading from a teleprompter and introducing several of the officers. The performance of Bettyanne seemed stilted compared to others, especially the activities manager. We have not been impressed with the cruise director and have referred to her as a wet rag. The photo below shows the crowd waiting for a talk 25 minutes before the start of the event!
We received a gift of a small purse from Christine and Sid in the Grand Dutch Cafe. This was so kind and the first time we have received a personal gift from a crew member. A few days later, when I ordered our after-dinner coffee, Christine painted a chicken on the cup. We seem to have befriended the team and often they will come to talk to us while we are having our drinks. Possibly because we are their best customers. One day we had lunch in the Grand Dutch Cafe too. Alison submitted feedback on what she is calling the dream team. We also gave them “Vancouver” fridge magnets we had brought to give away.
During the week I worked on migrating files for the radio club. Now I’m no longer the secretary, I have a lot of files that need to be placed in a common public area. On the top deck we played corn-toss a couple of times. Surprisingly, I won and have discovered a new technique. Emma had given me a book to read on the heart. After reading half of it, I found it depressing to learn about all the things that can go wrong and what I will need to give up limiting the irreversible damage.
One evening we had our second Pinnacle restaurant visit. It was busy with all tables occupied since it was a sea day unlike our previous visit. We were given a table next to the entrance into the kitchen and had a constant stream of waiters going back and forth. I counted fifty waiters pass by in the space of 8 minutes and sometimes they would knock Alison’s chair going by. The maître d’ offered to move us, but we decided to stay where we were. Learning our lesson from the previous visit, we had 1/2 a portion of salmon each which was just the right amount and we finished it with clean plates.
This was also the day of the orange party. It began with the Lido pool being invaded by towel animals. In the evening, the party began with line dancing tht Alison had been practicing. The music was very loud, and we walked around the deck taking in the atmosphere. Interestingly, the event was attended by many of the crew and officers, but the cruise director was nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately, this was also one of the evenings for the clocks to go back so we didn’t stay long.
In the dining room, we usually have a glass of wine each since it is included in our package. Invariably, I have the Chateau St. Michelle Reisling, which is my favourite wine. On two evening, it did not taste good. The first night I questioned whether it was correct and got a replacement which tasted the same. The second time it happened I asked to speak to the sommelier. He confirmed that they had substituted a French Reisling because their supply is low. He promised to get me the real one in future.
As we return to BC from Hawaii, we have been losing 3 hours and it has been challenging to wake up in the mornings. Sometimes, I have skipped the evening show and gone to bed early. On Monday, the show was four male singers, and I couldn’t stay to the end of the performance.
The most exciting event was a medical emergency. We were woken up at 4:50 am with an announcement for the medical staff. There was another announcement at 7:30 for blood donors. Later in the morning we changed course towards Portland and then rendezvoused with a helicopter at 3:00 pm. The top decks were closed, and we saw the helicopter making a lot of circuits and a few practice approaches.
Not to be outdone, the following day we were woken at 2:40 am by another medical emergency. It is rather surprising that we have only heard of two medical emergencies being announced in the entire 22-day cruise with 2490 guests. However, rumour has it there are 4 guests in the freezer!
This was our last day in Hawaii, and we went for a walk in the rain. Hilo is the fourth wettest city in the US, and it lived up to the expectation. We started with walking along the road in an industrial area until we got to Banyan Drive. Here we walked around the park looking at the Banyan trees and remembering our last time here with Kateline, a friend. All the trees were identified by the people who planted them in the 1930’s. We saw a few interesting birds including a saffron finch and Nene. There was also the Japanese garden which didn’t look as pristine as we remembered it.
Alison continued to the farmer’s market while I returned to the ship. On the return journey she walked back through the park and stopped to look at the turtles. We got together again for lunch in the Solarium.
We seem to have made friends with the Grand Dutch Cafe staff who come to talk to us while we are having our evening drinks. In fact, I have realized we go there for most of our drinks, since they have coffee, draft Strongbow and is on the way to the dining room – we spend a lot of time there.
The evening entertainment was a musician by the name of Dennis Daye, who played the piano, accordion and trumpet, sometimes at the same time. He is talented and I was impressed with the video display on the large screens which were synchronized to the music, although I found it distracting.
Following breakfast at the rear of the Lido deck, we went ashore and walked to the shops close by. Alison realized she had forgotten her phone so we returned to the ship since we can no longer function without a phone, especially when taking hundreds of photos.
Then we returned to the shopping area where we caught TheBus. A couple of stops along there was a crowd with suitcases boarding having just departed the large Quantum of the Seas. We struck up a conversation with a couple who had Australian accents and soon become the travel advisors for much of the bus telling people where to get off. We got off by the Army Museum along with a couple or two who followed our advice and walked to Fort DeRussy Beach.
Alison sat on the beach and went swimming while I found a shady bench and caught up with my blog. We then walked along the beach to Ala Moana Mall which we did not visit the previous day where we explored some of the shops, before getting TheBus back to the ship.
Due to a lack of communication, we went in different directions but eventually ended up in the Solarium with a burger and two refreshing glasses of Strongbow. Following my siesta, we went for our predinner drinks at the Grand Dutch Café where we had a lengthy conversation with the crew. The staff there are wonderful: Christine, Kristina, Sid and Jarno.
After dinner we went to the show, which was an American comedian, who unusually had a few good jokes. The show was interrupted by a man trying to sit on a seat occupied by a service dog. The owner was trying to protect his space and called for security and oddly, medical. Another guest intervened and the offender finally backed off. Shortly after this the medical staff arrived but could not find anyone in need of help.
There was another open bow deck sail in at 5:45 AM. We got up but decided to stay in our cabin since the big city did not seem as interesting as the previous day. Following our arrival, we went to the Lido Market for breakfast then sat out at the back of the ship, downwind of the smokers.
Alison had arranged to meet our friends, Twyler and David, from White Rock who were in Honolulu for a half-marathon race and would be returning to Vancouver on the Quantum of the Seas. We took “TheBus” all the way to the far end of Waikiki Beach near the Zoo, all for the senior price of $1.25 for me and $3.00 for Alison. Then walked towards the Aquarium where we met them and talked for a couple of hours
We again skipped lunch but had a protein bar to keep going, before walking to along the beach to the Ala Moana shopping mall. By the time we got there, we no longer wanted to go in, and I took the bus back while Alison walked. This time the bus driver wanted to see my US Medicare card to get the senior rate. I told him I had a Canadian driving license if he wanted to see proof and he was happy with my response.
We arrived back on the ship at about the same time – Alison walks quickly – and were ready for refreshments from the Grand Dutch Café. Following dinner, we went to the show which was the Drums of Polynesia. This was a diverse set of music and dance extending from Hawaii, through French Polynesia to New Zealand. The French Polynesia dance was authentic, and we had the Haka from New Zealand, with audience participation.
We woke up early to the open bow, grabbing a coffee on the way. The bow was crowded but we still enjoyed the view sailing in before breakfast.
Once ashore we expected to get the free shuttle to Hilo Hattie, but so did most of the ship and the line was huge. Instead, we decided to walk since it was only 3.8 km, but Google said it would be an hour. Google was correct – it was up hill most of the way – and not an interesting walk along a busy road with no sidewalk. Along the way, we came to a green area and found the City Hall that we went in to explore. It wasn’t much further to our destination. Hilo Hattie seemed a fraction of how we remembered it and was disappointing. Exhausted from the walk there, we waited half an hour for the return shuttle. I suggested using the public bus which was $2 but this was ruled unnecessary when there is a free shuttle.
The driver stopped at the beach close to the ship and we got out so Alison could paddle in the water. We recalled visiting the area around the beach with a large hotel.
Back on the ship, we had lunch and I napped in the afternoon. After dinner, the show was the Sandman again, so I decided to skip this one.
The ship arrived at 7:00 AM, but before we could get off, we needed to go through US Customs and Immigration which was in the World Stage theatre. We were called by deck so our time was ~9:00 AM and we were slowly walking there when they announced our deck could go. At this point, Alison took off quickly and hopped over the stanchion. I followed, but the stanchion police were on high alert following Alison, so they shouted at me to stop. At least I think that what they said since I’m conveniently deaf. The process went smoothly with a stamp in the passport and a sticker on our key card.
The next challenge going ashore was getting a tender ticket at the opposite end of the ship in the dining room. Then with our tickets in hand, we waited to be called
We have a tradition of walking to the Royal Kona Resort Hotel. Alison stayed there with her parents in ~1970 and we stayed there in ~1995 so we like to relive our memories. It hasn’t changed much, other than the parrots have gone.
We walked slowly back along the waterfront checking the shops along the way. Then went into the Catholic church, which was refreshing with a breeze blowing through. Back at the pier we checked in for our tour and waited for the transportation to arrive.
Conveniently, I was able to sit in the front seat of the 12-seater van next to our driver, Marcus. Our first stop was a beach where we watched the turtles. Next, we proceeded up the side of the volcano to a coffee farm where we sampled the extremely expensive Kona coffee. Our final stop was a walk through a cloud forest, except there was no cloud today. The forest was privately owned and planted by a University Professor, who took on the project after retiring. In a period of 40 years, it had grown into a jungle of diverse trees. On our way back to the ship, our driver distributed snacks which were welcome since we had not eaten lunch and was hungry.
We arrived back in time for the last few tenders back and these were loaded to the maximum which was a little uncomfortable. A man sitting opposite did not look well and was take into the ship on a wheelchair. His family then caused a commotion since none of them appeared to have the correct cards and had somehow swapped with others. I suspect they had been drinking heavily.
Dinner was in the exclusive Pinnacle Grill which was pleasant. We were hungry from skipping lunch, but I could not eat the 8 oz salmon steak they provided. They also provided and extra starter and dessert so we were well fed by the time we had finished. With all that food, all I could do was go to bed.
Sea days tend to be mostly the same and we had six in a row while traveling between Mexico and Hawaii.
We had 3 hours of clock changes, one every other night. With the abundance of food, we skipped breakfast and just had coffee from the Cafe with a muffin. Alison would have a busy morning with activities, while I would have a second coffee in the Crow’s Nest and catch up with blogging or other projects. We moved around for lunch, in Lido Market, New York Pizza, Dive-in Burger and Grand Dutch Cafe. Usually, we had pre-dinner drinks in the Grand Dutch Cafe. Dinner was normally in the dining room on deck two with fixed dining at 5:00. The day ended with a show in the World Stage.
We found the ship had 2490 guests and 961 crew. However, the theatre only had capacity for 500 which meant only 20% could be seated. The meant we needed to arrive half an hour early to get a seat or longer if we wanted a good seat.
On Wednesday we spent the afternoon talking to our friends, Jeremy, and Esther who we had not seen for years. The evening show was Jeff Burghart, an American comedian, who true to form was not funny – I still don’t understand American humour but everyone else seemed to enjoy it.
On Thursday, we had to check in for our next cruise in May. In the morning, we attended a talk by Bettyann, the cruise director, on Hawaii. This was followed by a Q&A session with the ship’s captain, Robert-Yan Kan. He gave an interesting 30-minute slide show of the bridge, engine room and back house. There was no room for questions from the audience with only a handful of preplanned questions.
I was still catching up on my blog and finally wrote up the page on the eclipse. I sent a link to my friend Peter who is publishing an article about the eclipse.
Over lunch we watch the video simulcast of a talk on Brown Dwarfs by the astrophysicist. While having dinner, I read about the death of my friend Jason which was incredibly sad. The club meeting was dedicated to his memory, and I tried to join it, but it had ended before I got out of dinner.
The show was the One Step Dance Company again with a light and dance performance called Musicology on the theme of musical instruments.
On Friday we went to lunch in the Lido Market, and I could not find a seat anywhere. Eventually, we found one indoors near the back of the ship but by then I had eaten the food, so stayed with Alison while she finished hers.
I created a silent key page for Jason on the club website. This was another day of VPN configuration and I managed to connect reliably to the home router and a cloud computer which gives several options.
Over dinner, both waiters thanked us for our feedback. This was odd because we had not given specific feedback on the dining room but had made a general comment that the crew are wonderful. The evening show was Marcus Winter, The Sandman from New Zealand who is an artist creating pictures with a sand box and painting. I was tired from the hour changes and went straight to bed.
On Saturday, I went to coffee with Bettyann where she talked to the Hawaiian Ambassadors. I expected it to be a cultural event and was disappointed to find that two of them lived in Las Vegas and one was born in Michigan.
Lunch was in the Solarium having pizza while watching the simulcast on the James Webb Space Telescope looking at the images. Dinner was in the Tamarind Asian Restaurant where coincidentally we sat next to Jeremy and Esther. I skipped the evening show which was a repeat of the Xylo-synth performer.
On Sunday, Alison went to the church service and sent me to line up for the Hawaiian craft making event. When I arrived 10 minutes before the start, there was already an extensive line of hundreds of guests, and the kits of materials ran out long before I got there.
It was an extremely balmy day having lunch in the Solarium. There was an old-fashioned ice cream event which yet another line stretching the full length of the Solarium. We decided to get tour ice cream inside the Lido Market. The show was Jeff Burghart, the American comedian again. He was about as funny as I found him last time.
On Monday, we had an extended coffee talk with Prof. Adam Burgasser, the astrophysicist which was in the World Stage due to the expected crowd. This was remarkably interesting, and the guests asked insightful questions. Immediately following the talk was a dress rehearsal for the Hula Dance which Alison had been practicing.
Unfortunately, I lost my glasses case in the theatre. It was a good thing that I have a Tile locator inside the case. I wandered down the stairs watching the signal strength and located the row where I had been sitting which was occupied. There a lady found it under her seat. One of the problems of getting old is I lose things which is why I use the Tiles.
Our evening entertainment was our third show with the One Step Dance Company performing In Tandem. It was suggested to be a tango performance but was a mishmash of song and dance to a European backdrop. The closest we got to tango dance was to a modern song. At least in this performance the focus was on dance and not the lighting effects. We also had a solo singer from BB King bar, and this was the first time having a singer on stage during the cruise.
We arrived in the port at 7:00 AM so were ready to get off the ship immediately following breakfast. Alison went looking for a map and since there were two gangways, we got separated before rejoining for the trolly ride. We were not allowed to walk through the port.
Having been here before and moved away from the annoying taxi drivers, we followed the blue line leading to the city centre. This is where we found the man from Calgary who we had met the last time we were here and chatted for a while.
We continued to the square by the town hall and cathedral where we took photos of the eclipse display. Then we entered the cathedral and continued along the road to the market. Further along we found the shrimp market that the Calgary man had told us to visit. At the end of the main road, we came out by the sea where Alison went paddling in the water.
We continued all the way back following the sea front and along the Malacon, which was like the loop we had followed previously. We passed the men jumping off a rock into the water, the pretty street with flowers, another one dedicated to the Beatles and over a hill. There we met a family from Ottawa who were looking for directions. They had booked to visit Mazatlan for the eclipse 14 months ago and the husband was a keen amateur astronomer.
Eventually, we arrived back at the port. Alison explored the shops and we returned to the ship. Lunch was appropriately a Mexican meal out at the back. In the afternoon, I completed the newsletter and mailed it out.
In the evening, we had drinks in the solarium bar before going to dinner in the Canaletto specialty dining. This was a disappointment since it was in the corner of the Lido market, so it felt like we were eating with everyone else having dinner. It was noisy with staff shouting orders and loading dishes. In addition, the selection of food was limited. We didn’t feel that the premium price was justified and would not be returning there again. Fortunately, our visit was included in our “have it all” package.
Learning our lesson from earlier shows, we had coffee to go and went directly into the World Stage half an hour before show time where we were able to get seats near the front. The performer was David Meyer, a musician playing an instrument which he called a xylo-synth, which was a combination of a xylophone keyboard and synthesiser. A few of the tunes were accompanied by his wife dancing with a light show. Overall, it was a technology show. He was clearly talented, but the technology was the focus of the show and not the enjoyment of music.
This is the big day – the main purpose of the entire trip was to witness a total solar eclipse. Following breakfast, we went straight up to the secret location we had scouted out the previous day. Everyone had been told to go to the open deck at the stern of the ship for best viewing. However, we had found an accessible area at the bow on deck 14, which was hard to find since you must pass a private sign for the cabana rentals and only two elevators go there. We also timed it for when the astrophysicist was giving a talk, which we thought would distract most people. Unfortunately, lots of other people had the same idea and had bagged all the loungers and chairs by the time we arrived, but we managed to find a spot to set up camp and wait while sitting on the deck.
After a while we could see a nibble of the sun missing through our Holland America solar glasses. We passed the time talking to our neighbours who lived in the other Vancouver in Washington State. They were well travelled and interesting to talk to. Sitting under the full sun was hot. Gradually, more of the sun was obscured and it cooled down. I set up my phone on a small portable stand and took a series of photos. I was also using the “talking solar eclipse” app, which gave direction on the event timing.
Eventually, we got the countdown to the second contact (C2) of impending total eclipse and received directions to remove the glasses. This was just in time to witness the diamond ring. Alison was still wearing her glasses and I told her to take them off quickly just in time for her to see it too. There was cheering as we entered totality. I removed the filter from my phone and took a series of photos with different exposure settings. We were able to see two red prominences at ~2 o’clock and 4 o’clock on the disk. We also looked around to experience what seemed to be a sunset in all directions. As we approached C3, end of totality, I prepared to photograph the next diamond ring, which looked spectacular to the naked eye, and caught it with a couple of photos that really did not do it justice. Following totality, a lot of people left the area, but we stayed for the full experience all the way until C4, final contact.
Back on the Lido deck we had lunch and celebrated with two glasses of Chateau St. Michelle sparkling brut wine. After which, I was ready for a nap. Feeling in need for exercise, I walked the circuit on deck 3 again. It was hot on the deck, so I went to the Grand Dutch Cafe for a cold drink and realized it was close to dinner time. Alison joined me while I ran to the cabin to change for dinner. Alison had the dessert of an eclipse cheesecake.
Show time was packed again. There were no seats available by the time we arrived, and we realized we need to get there early to find a seat. We managed to find a space next to one of the pillars and I sat on the floor. The entertainment was a comedian by the name of Leland Klassen from Abbotsford. Often, I find comedians to be hit or miss. We find the English humour hilarious but usually don’t understand the American comedy. Having a Canadian comedian was refreshing, and I enjoyed it.
Later, our Amateur Radio friend, Peter Vogel VE7AFV, published an article in BC Catholic.
Chris's Wanderings 