Honolulu

Aloha Honolulu!

We berthed in the early morning. Spent time in the gym. Did laundry. Then hit the shopping capital of Hawaii. Took a shuttle to the shopping area. Bought some nice things.

I finished my first project – a knitted bird (blue with a multicoloured beak). Will stuff it when we get home. Roak's sombrero is turning into a pointed yalmeka.

Looking forward to Kona tomorrow. Weather is warm and sunny. TTYL.

Grand Canyon of the Pacific

Daily hint: Buy proper deck shoes. We have seen people falling on deck due to improper footwear. Crocks are OUT! Deck shoes like Sperry or Rockport are the best. They are a worthwhile investment to consider. They are made for ship decks that are covered in water.

Today we had a wonderful 5 hour tour of Kaui that included Po'ipu Beach; the Spouting Horn; and, the Waimea Canyon (aka the Grand Canyon of the Pacific). What a grand and full day in the sun and the heat. Last night as we berthed our sister ship the Rotterdam embarked for San Diego.

Tonight on our return to the ship, Holland-America hosted a reception and host bar to recompense for the alteration of course due to the medical emergency that resulted in our not stopping at Maui. We had a fabulous time. TTYL.

Nawiliwili Tonight and tomorrow

Had a lazy day on the lanai enjoying the sun and warmth. Roak went to the onboard sale and replaced his $10 watch that he had purchased two years ago in Montreal. He splurged this time and bought 2 $10 watches. Hey they work! (If you too want a $10 watch be sure to buy the ones that say that there is no nickel content).

We did a one mile circuit on the Promenade deck and spent the day getting ready for our landing at Kaui tomorrow. Didn't do any “high” teas or cooking classes today. Just relaxed, read and proceeded with our projects. Mine is coming along better and Roak's “thimble hat” may soon turn into a sombrero.

We dined at a table for two last night. It was a “formal dress “ evening. The Captain's table was right next to us so we saw he and his guests dine. We learned that on this ship, dining with the Captain is by lot and not be pre-selection. Guests from all room classes and even first time mariner guests may be selected to dine with the Captain. How democratic. Roak wants to eat at the Captain's table, I think. This “open seating” dining is great. You get to meet a wonderful and differing array of people and you can choose to dine with people again if you wish. We have had an offer from a nice group of people to dine with them but I think we prefer to leave our options open. We met an interesting couple from the NWT. He was an elected official there for a number of years and may know our family from Squamish. We'll be checking that out when we get home. Well dear hearts, that's all for now. TTYL.

BOO HOO MAUI!

Daily Log

NO Lahaina Maui and scrap the sugar cane train. Due to the medical emergency *earlier in the trip that necessitated a 700 mile deviation of our ship's course, the stop at Lahaina cannot be accommodated and has been cancelled.

The cooking class yesterday was: oven roasted halibut with greek olive and caper sauce. Delicious. Another “must do” after we get home.

Met some new friends at Happy Hour. Met a great new set of dinner partners and had a delicious dinner, last night. Tonight is our second formal night. We enjoy those.

Have rented a movie for today “Finding Nemo” which Roak has never seen.

Get to Kaui in two days. Our first stop and probably followed by a laundry day. TTYL.

*the gentelman fractured two cervical vertebrae when he fell while taking a shower during a gale. He cracked his head on the sink or toilet. Xrays sent to Houston Medical Centre that said that he had to be removed from the ship and not just stablilized and transported to Hawaii. Good Call on the part of the Captain Peter Visser.

Day 6 at Sea

Over the past few days we have attended lectures on volcanos, whales, and the birds of Hawaii. The shows in the evening have been great. We have open seating at dinner so we have met a wonderful array of dining partners. We have attended cooking lectures from the exclusive dining room_the Pinnacle. Bringing home recipe on lamb chop with easy to make apple chutney. My knitting project is abit of a bust so far and Roak's crotchet project has turned into a “thimble hat”.

Tomorrow land – yeah! Lahaina Maui. Hope to ride on the sugar cane train. Stay tuned!

Day 5

Sun is shining.  Seas calm.

Days 4 & 5

Medical emergency yesterday.  We had to zigzag back towards Astoria Oregon in order to facilitate the helicopter removal of a gravely ill passenger.
5 hours later we were back on course.

Today, did exercise in the gym.  Earlier found out that we need to detoxify our livers so we have had champagne cocktails daily. 

Warm weather. Rain stopped.  Seas calm.