Our South Pacific Story

Today we woke up with great expectation… a new adventure is about to begin! Our bags are packed and unfortunately our house is still a mess. I took time to clean the downstairs and get the laundry done before we loaded the car and headed for Charlotte. We had lunch at Zoe's Kitchen and then spent some time walking around South Park Mall before we made our way to the airport. Hugh let me out at the airport and went to park. For the first time ever they said our bags weighed too much, only 53 lbs each, and made me take things from them and put them in the carry-ons. Doesn't make too much sense to me as it is still on the plane. With everyone satisfied, the bags on the way, we cleared security and waited at the gate. Thirty minutes before our flight they made an announcement warning everyone who had connections to present their tickets at the desk. I made my way there and was told that our flight was delayed and we would not make our connections so they were rerouting us on US Airways. It was a direct flight and we would get in 2.5 hours earlier. Great news! We had twenty minutes to change terminals and while I presented our boarding passes Hugh purchased us sandwiches for the flight. We made it on but were not seated together. The flight was uneventful and we arrived very early. We were congratulating ourselves until the baggage rounder stopped and we had no luggage. Being long time travelers we had what we needed for several days in our carry-ons. I went to the luggage claim area and filled out the forms necessary and the gentleman found our luggage in Chicago... not sure how that happened but he assured us it would be there the next day. We caught the hotel van and soon arrived at our favorite place in San Diego. We took our keys and went to our room and even though it was only 9 pm our bodies said midnight and we prepared for bed.

Today dawned sunny and warm and we were full of energy. After breakfast at the hotel we took off to see a cruise ship at the cruise terminal. Along our route we found a hop on hop off trolley and spoke with the driver about tours. It sounded like a fun way to get to areas we had not seen so after checking out the ships we bought our tickets and boarded the trolley headed to Coronado. We loved listening to the history of the area and our driver Bill was a good speaker with just the right amount of humor. When we arrived in Coronado we walked from the downtown area to the Hotel Del Coronado. This is the loveliest thing on the island and has the most historic significance. We spent a long time just walking through and enjoying the beautiful woodwork and chandeliers. A large number of old black and white photos told the history and also let us know that it had been well preserved. We then headed out to enjoy the grounds and beach area. This is truly a wonderful place. We walked into the town by way of some lovely neighborhoods and caught a trolley headed towards Old Town.

Up at 7 today with lots of anticipation. We had a great breakfast and then made arrangements to get a rental car. The agency is several blocks away and the hotel van dropped us off but we quickly realized we could have walked. Had to do some finagling to get the Internet price but soon we were off in our silver Kia Elantra. We headed north on I-5 and enjoyed the changing topography. We passed Camp Pendleton and it seemed to be bigger than Rhode Island. We had a view of the ocean most of the way and soon found ourselves in Newport Beach. Jim and Nancy were not expected until 12:30 so we headed to the beach driving through some beautiful neighborhoods. We walked on the beach and on the edge of the water we could see bright orange Garibaldi playing among the rocks. This is a beautiful area and we loved exploring the cliff walk and the waters edge. We drove through the neighborhoods and looked at the expensive homes with magnificent views.

Nancy and Jim arrived early and we hurried back to the Fashion Island Mall to meet them. We walked and window-shopped and finally arrived at the Wahoo restaurant for lunch. We had great fish tacos and rice and beans. We talked for a long time before we said our sad good-byes with promises to find a trip to take together soon! We took our time driving back and made a stop at San Juan Capistrano and enjoyed the mission tour very much. This is a beautiful area and we stayed longer than we planned. We got caught in the rush hour traffic on our way back into San Diego. We turned in the car and walked back to the hotel. We changed shoes and took a very long walk all around the city enjoying the lovely weather and this beautiful city. We stopped for more Mexican before going in and getting our bags ready to check in for our cruise. It was a great day and a great visit to San Diego.

We woke up later today as we had a morning to kill before we embarked on our cruise. After breakfast we walked around the city some and then caught the 11:30 shuttle to the port. We checked our bags and then by some strange luck we asked for directions and the guard said to go on in. We were ahead of about 1000 people boarding our ship and the NCL ship in the next berth. It was easy for us but I am sure there were some angry people behind us. We made the security line easily and soon we were getting our boarding cards. Our cabin was waiting on us and we dropped off our backpacks and headed to lunch. This cruise began in Seattle so there were a lot of people off the ship and lunch was quiet. When we went back to our cabins our carry-ons were there and we unpacked and I went to the laundry and pressed the few things that need a touch up. Soon it was time for the safety drill and we participated as required.

We then got our luggage and before unpacking we headed to the Lido deck for the champagne sail-away. The captain gave everyone free drinks, sodas, and snack foods. It was a beautiful view as we left San Diego. We went back to the cabin and unpacked and organized our cabin. We have a very large and well-organized room with a large sitting area, king bed area, and a bathroom with jetted tub. We love our verandah and hope to spend a lot of our boat time reading and relaxing there. We went to the casual dining area for a late dinner and then caught the show where we were introduced to all the staff and performers. It was off to bed to read after that (oh yes I did soak in that lovely tub!).

Today we woke up to rough seas, very unexpected! We dressed quickly and went to the morning stretch class in the gym. It was difficult to stand but the stretches were nice. We decided to walk before breakfast and headed to the Promenade deck. It was cloudy and dark and the ship did not have a steady rock but stuttered and lurched making walking difficult plus the wind about blew me overboard. We headed to breakfast and absolutely nothing was appealing! We had a very light breakfast and then went back to the cabin. Neither of us felt great so we read for a while before going to the first lecture on Art History. The speaker was so interesting and for a while we forgot our rolling tummies. We had a light lunch and then we walked around the ship trying very hard to stay upright and avoid the other drunken sailors. This was not our finest day and it is unusual as neither of us is prone to seasickness. We rested a large part of the day and read and listened to music. We ate dinner in the Lido as we did not want to dress up. After dinner we went to the show and it was fabulous. It was Jim Curry who travels all over performing a tribute to John Denver. He sounded so much like him that if you closed your eyes it was the 70's again. His wife played the Mandolin and it was just the perfect accompaniment. After the show we staggered around the ship a bit and soon found ourselves back in the cabin. We turned our clocks back an hour and headed to bed with our earphones trying to forget the ships tossing about!

We slept in this morning and skipped the stretch class. The ship is still tossing about but it is definitely better than it was yesterday and there are more people out and about. We went to breakfast and food actually tasted good but the coffee still made my stomach roll. After breakfast we walked and then went to the gym. After a long workout we showered and went to the dining room for lunch. We were seated with two other couples and we didn't have to talk because one of the women did not stop the whole lunch. Food was great and after lunch we went to a talk on the whales that we might see on this cruise. It was very interesting and we left with great expectations. We then had some down time for reading and typing. We dressed for dinner and went early so we could make it to the show. We had great company at dinner and lingered longer than we expected. We just made it to the show and were lucky enough to get some seats together in the balcony. It was the Amsterdam singers and dancers in a show called dance. They were fantastic and a standing ovation from this crowd is hard to get. We walked around the ship for a while, stopping at several venues to hear music and even watch a little football on the big screen. We gain another hour tonight so we were not anxious to get to bed. Hugh went to sleep when we got back but I read for a while just enjoying the smooth sailing.

Today we awoke to calm seas and enjoyed sitting and looking out as we ate breakfast. We took a long 2-mile walk around the promenade deck before we headed to the Future Cruise lecture. Lucy, from Argentina was great and of course there were many journeys we would like to take even though we had been to some of the ports of each itinerary before. We turned in our raffle tickets but did not win this time, maybe next presentation. We then went to the gym for our daily workout and today it is so warm outside that we cannot walk on the track to cool off. After cleaning up a bit we headed to the Lido pool for the Oktoberfest lunch. Lunch was terrific with polka music, brats and sauerkraut. I thoroughly enjoyed the pretzels and hot mustard! After lunch we enjoyed the sunshine and did 2 miles on the promenade deck. At 2:30 I went to Arts and Crafts and Hugh went to a computer class on One Drive. My bracelet I made is too large for me but I like knowing the technique. I sat on the balcony and listened to my iPod until Hugh returned. Hugh went out to take pictures of the ship and I did a manicure and continued my book. After dressing for dinner we had a quiet meal that we stretched with great conversation. At 7:15 we headed to the showroom for the Liars Club. We laughed so hard at the ridiculous stories and had very little success guessing who was telling the truth. After that we stayed for the ventriloquist show and it was a real hit. Again a lot of laughter and fun! After the show we went to one of the bars to listen to the Adagio group. Then back to the cabin we went to watch an episode of Downton Abbey before bed!

Today began perfectly with breakfast in the cabin. We ate leisurely while watching the news of the flooding in SC. After breakfast we walked our mile and then headed to the gym for an hour and a hard workout. We walked another mile before going to the cabin to shower and cool off. Today is a sunny day and much warmer than the last few days. At 10:00 we went to the showroom for a Q&A with the Captain. We stayed for another lecture before showering and heading to lunch. We walked another mile and headed to the next lecture. Wes is a great lecturer and his topics are great but the rolling of the ship and a big lunch put us in a very sleepy mood. After the lecture we headed to the cabin to read but both of us fell asleep. We woke up in time to shower and dress for the gala evening. We had our pictures made and then headed to dinner. We were seated with some lovely people and enjoyed our evening very much. We then headed to the La Forza concert. These three young gentlemen were fantastic. We then went to listen to Adagio for an hour and then we went back to the 10pm concert. The ship was really pitching by the time we made it to our cabin. We dressed for bed and I listened to my story for a little while but Hugh went straight to sleep!

This morning we slept in until 8 because we were up and down during the night due to pitching and rolling of the ship. We headed to breakfast before walking for 2 miles. The deck was wet and the wind high but the pitching seemed much less. We then headed to the theater for Good Morning Amsterdam and Gene's interview with last nights performers. It was interesting to hear their history and the guys were very open and personable. From there we headed to the lecture on Honolulu. The speaker is Hawaiian and very well spoken and a pleasure to listen to. There is so much to do, but only 2 days to do it all. Our next lecture is with Wes and is on Captain Cook. This cruise has a plethora of great lecturers. After the lecture we sat on our verandah and listened to our iPods and enjoyed the sunshine. Before long we needed to shower and dress for dinner. On our way we stopped at the future cruise desk and spoke with Lucy about several future cruises. Unfortunately her computer was down and we had to wait to see if we could afford any or all of them. We had great dinner companions and finished our dessert just in time to get to the showroom for the violin concert by Amy Lee. This was a fabulous show and ended too soon. Off to our cabin, we organized our things for our tour tomorrow! Yes, at last we get to see Hawaii. Hello Hilo!

We both woke up before the alarm today… excited about landfall in Hilo, Hawaii. We dressed quickly and went to the bow, which they opened for the sail-in. There was coffee and tea and pastries as we made our way into the crescent shaped harbor. A very large Princess ship that dwarfed us quickly followed us. We sat out by the pool and had breakfast and enjoyed the view. This was the first time in 5 days we had seen land and we were more than ready. The sea days were good but the rough seas and dark skies made us happy to see blue water and sunshine, and LAND! We disembarked and were met with lovely hula girls who presented us with lovely leis. At 9:15 we began our trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We are going on an 8-mile bike trip around the crater of Kilauea. We had to sign the usual waiver and then the 12 hardy souls who signed up for this boarded a van with our guide Mike. We thought this was going to be less informative than we wanted because Mike's headset did not work and we were in the last row of the van; but fortunately he found a position that worked and we were able to here the commentary. Hilo is the 2nd largest city in the islands and the only one to have permafrost and snow. This occurs on Mauna Loa, which is 13,000 ft. above sea level and is even more extensive under the sea. It is the earth's most massive mountain. Mauna Loa and Kilauea are two of the world's most active volcanoes and still add land to the islands. This island has 11 of the 13 possible climates in the world and has more than any other place on earth. We drove past all the usual things we see at home including a very large Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. Hilo is the wettest city in the USA and areas of the island have as much as 224 inches in a year.

Once we reached the National Park we were in two of the climates, a semi-arid and a rainforest. This park has been named an International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage site. We made our first stop at Jagger Museum. Here we had a great view of the caldera and the rim in the distance. There were a lot of vents shooting clouds into the air. Mike showed us Pele's hair that looks like spun sugar but was actually spun glass that is created inside the volcano. Outside on our way to the van we saw the Nene, which looks like a type of goose. From here we went to the lower parking lot to get our bikes off the trailer, meet our bike guide Panu, and have him adjust our bikes to each of us. After donning our helmets we began our journey along the crater rim trail. We saw the Kalij Pheasant. Our first stop was the overlook that is above one of the volcano observatories. We continued to the steam vents. We made a lot of stops for wonderful views. Part of our trip we had to walk our bikes through a narrow unpaved trail that was muddy from all the rain. My favorite stop was at Thurston Lava Tube. We actually walked through this tube that was formed centuries ago and has been a conduit for lava flow during several eruptions. We ended our ride at a lava field where we could walk and explore. Here we had fresh pineapple and papaya, snacks such as granola and chips, and wonderful juice drinks. Our bikes were loaded on the trailer while we explored. We then drove to the visitor's center for a short 15-minute stop and to say good-by to Panu. Our ride back was filled with Q&A and little more history. Soon we were back at the ship and saying so long to Mike. This was a great trip and everyone on it was a real troopers. We made our way through the port and we were back in our cabin by 4:15. We spent the time before sail-away journaling and downloading pictures. We went on deck for sail away and then had a great dinner in the Lido. We went to the show and it was BRAVO with the Amsterdam singers and dancers. They are some of the best entertainers we have had on a cruise and we enjoyed it very much. Off to the cabin to prepare for another great day tomorrow!

Oh wow wee, we woke up in Maui. This morning we got breakfast in our stateroom and watched from our verandah as we sailed into Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. We did not have an excursion booked but decided to explore the island on our own. We exercised our 4 star statuses and boarded a tender without waiting for a boarding ticket. It was a fifteen-minute trip to the dock and the waves were higher than they looked. We saw surfers having great rides. At the dock we made our way through the crowd and headed to the Visitor's Center. The first thing we saw that caught our eye was the largest Banyan tree we had ever seen. We were told that it is the largest one in the world. We grabbed a map and took off. We decided to skip Front Street as that is where all the cruisers started and we walked several streets back and we were able to see where the people live and also beautiful Catholic Church. We talked to Father Joseph who told us it was over 100 years old and once had a convent. Now the only nuns are the teachers in the school. Continuing on our way we arrived at an outlet mall, imagine that! We walked through but did not see anything different and continued on our way down the island. We had some shopping to do; we forgot Motrin and needed more toothpaste. We walked along the shore and then through a neighborhood before arriving at the mall. We found a drugstore and made our purchases including a coke to quench our thirst and cool us off. It is very warm today. We explored for a bit and even indulged in a dipped cone at the local DQ. There are buses everywhere but we decided to continue on foot for a bit and see what we could see. We made it to the intersection of Front St. and the major highway and were unsure of what to do. We decided we were up to the task so we made the turn toward Kaanapoli and the beautiful beach there. We walked on the road in the bike lane for maybe 500 yds before we came to wonderful Wahikuli Beach Park. This was a great place to walk, with a paved trail along the waters edge and shade trees. We read all the historical markers, interacted with the locals, and stop to watch the Honu (sea turtles) bobbing in the surf.

Before we knew it we had made it to Kaanaapoli and were enjoying the beautiful beach. We explored the area for a long while and by mutual agreement we decided to walk back instead of taking the bus. We made it back to the mall for another coke and continued back to Front Street. We window-shopped and browsed in some of the shops. We were pulled into a shop selling skin cream and realized it was something we had liked in Singapore. They had a special for the cruise ship and Hugh treated me. Love the way it makes my skin look and feel. We covered the whole area and my phone and Fitbit said we had covered 11.8 miles. Our feet were hot and tired so we headed for the tender. We had to be waned by security and our bags and id checked before we could board the tender. After boarding we sat for a long time waiting for it to fill up. People are amazingly slow. It was hot and folks were getting restless and ruder than we expected. We finally made it back to the ship but had to wait for another tender to unload. Back on the ship we showered and drank iced tea to cool off. For sail-away we went to the pool deck and enjoyed the breeze and sunset. Dinner was being served in the Lido and we staked out a window seat and spent 2 hours just having a leisurely meal and playing kings on the corner. Soon it was show time and we made our way to the showroom. The show tonight was a great comedian, Gabe Abelson. He kept everyone laughing the whole show. After a brisk walk around the 4th floor we headed to our cabin and a restful time going through our pictures before sleep.

This morning we awoke to breakfast in our stateroom. We have found this to be most convenient when we have a shore excursion; no fighting for space in the Lido with everyone else on tour. We were very efficient and made it to the lounge for our tour stickers with time to spare. We got to our bus and our guide was easy to listen too. We started our tour of Nawiliwili, Hawaii on the island of Kauai. Our guide told us many facts about the island but he was most interested in telling us how many movies and tv shows have been filmed here. We saw the hotel and cabana that Elvis stayed in during the filming of Blue Hawaii, The Coco Palms. Hyatt is rebuilding this resort including the cabanas. Our first stop was at majestic Opaekaa Falls, an 80 ft. tiered waterfall. From here we walked across the road to see the Wailua River. We stopped to look over the coconut coast. Before statehood only kings and queens traveled this area. It was a sacred sanctuary and center of government. We saw the birthing stones; this was where women went to give birth. This island is called the garden island and it is so very lush and green. Our next stop was the Kilohana Plantation. Here we first rode on the Kauai Plantation Railroad. This 40-minute tour of the 105 acre historic Kilohana Sugar Plantation showed us a fully functioning sustainable farm. There were many fruit trees in the vast orchards, some we knew and others we had not heard of. There were fields of edible plants and Wild pigs, goats, and sheep for us to feed at one of the stops. There were also donkeys and cattle and lots of feral chickens. We had fun making pictures and helping our fellow travellers have their memories.

We spent the rest of the time in the lovely Wilcox Mansion built in 1935. It contains beautiful woodworking and paneling. The rooms now house shops and restaurants. Back on the bus we drove through the main town of the island where we saw the only mall and Wal-Mart. Soon we were back at the ship. Hugh and I washed up and had a light lunch. We then donned our bathing suits and made our way to the nearby shopping area and beach. This was a beautiful beach and there was a great Marriott there with a most beautiful botanical garden and Koi pond. We enjoyed our walk through it before we hit the beach. We walked in the surf and finally found a place to dump our backpack so we could jump the waves and enjoy the water. We showered off and then walked through the shops before we walked back to the ship. There was just enough time for showers before sail-away. We went to the party and enjoyed spring rolls and iced tea as we made our way out of the harbor. Our departure was delayed because we had to wait on the larger Princess ship, the Ruby Princess, to sail out. They seem to always have a delayed departure and we have to wait. After the departure and the evening was turning to darkness we sat in the Lido Restaurant and had a leisurely dinner, finishing just in time to make it to the show. Tonight's entertainer was Elika Santos. He is the male star of the year in Hawaii and has a great voice. He performed beautiful Hawaiian music and had a hula dancer interpret. He also sang some Broadway and old Rat Pack tunes. We then walked through the shops before going to our cabin to read, journal, and edit pictures. The ship is rocking a bit tonight so we were glad to be settled in.

This morning was everything a fantasy could be, a glorious sunrise, breakfast served on the verandah, and a smooth sail into Honolulu harbor. We ate and made pictures and had a most wonderful morning. The ship was cleared at 7:45 and we were off and running by 8. We had Hop On Hop Off trolley tickets and we were on the first one to pick up at the harbor. This was a red line trolley and we got off at the main transfer stop in Waikiki and boarded the first green line one heading towards Diamond Head. There were 3 Diamond Head stops, two at viewing overlooks and one at the crater hike. We had planned to just stay on the trolley as a tourist but at the last minute we decided to climb to the top. Like most last minute decisions we did not think this completely through; Hugh had on his sandals and I had on a sundress and flip-flops. We valiantly made our way to the trail, cold water in hand, and started the walk. We thought we were so smart getting an early start but before long we realized it gets hot early. I am happy to say we made it to the top; yes, we have pictures to prove it! The descent was much easier and much faster although the views were slowing us down. We were amazed at how many military installations we saw also.

Back in the parking area we rushed for a trolley that we saw in the distance only to be told our green line would be along in 10 minutes. There are a lot of trolley lines for Japanese speakers only. We boarded our trolley and were happy for the shade and the breeze and we had almost cooled down by the time we were back at the terminal. From there we headed out on our own and found a great restaurant for lunch. We had the best fish tacos I had ever had, and Hugh had his first ones. We decided to walk down to Waikiki beach taking our time and exploring the shops along the way. We quickly discovered that this was the high price section and there was nothing we could afford in any of the designer shops and malls; fun to look though. We made it to the beach and it was high tide and the sand area was packed. This is a downtown beach and there is a grassy area before the beach, which feels better on tender feet than the hot sand. The water is a gorgeous blue and very warm and the waves were very manageable although our driver had prepared us for high conditions, which they had yesterday. I had my picture made with Duke Kahanamoku, well at least his statue! He is the father of surfing. We continued to browse and explore until we were hot and ready for a trip around the island on the red trolley. We boarded our trolley and just sat back and relaxed. We were able to see the Moana Surfrider Hotel, which is old and stately. It is the hotel I would choose if I were to visit again. We also visited the state capitol which we were informed is the ugliest of all the states and we also saw the Iolani Palace, home of the last king! We drove to the Foster Botanical Gardens and we were able to see the first Buddhist Temple in Hawaii. We drove through Chinatown and at 4:45 found our way back to the ship. What a wonderful day we had. We showered and dressed and went to the Lido for dinner. We ate very lightly as the heat had zapped our appetite. It was a lovely evening so we left the ship and walk down the waterfront to the Aloha Tower. Here we made some pictures of the tower and of our ship all lite up for the night. We walked into Chinatown and then strolled back to the ship. By this time our appetite had returned and we had lemon sorbet waffle cones and sat out by the pool in the moonlight! Back in the stateroom we prepared for tomorrows adventure that begins early. We skipped the show this evening and put on our jammies and looked at pictures before falling into a deep sleep!

The wake-up call came early this morning and by 6:30 we were at breakfast. We were excited about todays adventure but not sure what to pack for the day. We grabbed our raincoats at the last minute; a very good decision but more about that later! Our bus left the ship at 7:30 and we were off to the Arizona Memorial and Pearl Harbor. Our driver is Cousin Sam who is both entertaining and informative. On our way he gives us all the pertinent data and reiterates over and over again our bus number, timing of the movie and visit to the memorial, and when to be back on the bus. We chuckled at his comment that he did not carry a flag, as we could not miss him; he is a 6'7" Samoan and is heads above most everyone. He said if we could not see him just look at the ground as he wears a size 17 shoe. This is a highly regulated area and no bags can be taken in so when we arrived Hugh checked our small pack into the storage locker and we begin our exploration of the visitors' area. Our movie time is not until 9:45 and we have plenty of photo opportunities. We started with the Bowfin sub and ended with the history museum. It is all so well done and by movie time my mothers' heart is hurting for all the families of these very young men. Just before the movie the skies opened up and we rushed to get the raincoats from the backpack. The movie is a lot of newsreels and is narrated by Stockard Channing. It was so moving but not over done in any way. From the theater we board a small vessel that held 100 folks and made our way to the memorial. Everyone was subdued and even in the rain stood with awe and respect. Only the gun turret of the Arizona is visible above water but you can see the shadow of her below the surface and the water has an oily sheen to remind you what lies below. Almost a poignant was the simple stark white markers for the other ships lost that day. The marble wall with all the names of the men lost was well done and all too soon we were on our way back to the visitors center. This is a very well orchestrated trip by the Navy and The National Park service. When we arrived back on land it was still pouring so we dashed to the gift shop for a memorial shirt for Bill and then headed to the bus.

We made our way across a channel and onto Ford Island, which is a military installation. We arrived at the Battleship Missouri, also known as the Mighty Mo. It was raining hard and we started our tour inside. Everyone kept reminding us to take a map and after we navigated several hallways we understood why. This ship was not in service on Dec. 7, 1941 but was commissioned in 1942. It served in WWII, Korea, was taken out of service and re-commissioned in the 80's when it was redone and served in the Gulf War. It was finally decommissioned in 1992. Today we have seen where WWII started for the USA and where the war ended. The peace treaty was signed right here on the Mighty Mo. On our way back to the bus we saw the memorial to the men lost on the Oklahoma. From here we went back to the Memorial Visitors center to get bags before we headed to Punchbowl and the National Cemetery of the Pacific. On our way we passed Tripler Hospital and it sat high on a hill looking very pink and impressive. Sam said the color was chosen because of the red soil it was built on caused a staining problem for white buildings. The cemetery was huge and so very well manicured. From there we traveled through the area to the state capitol, the palace, and the eternal flame of peace before we headed back to the ship at 2 pm. We made our way to the cabin to shed our wet jackets and shoes before we made our way to the pool area to order burgers for lunch. These tasted so good and we were amazed at how hungry we were. We went back to the cabin and worked on journaling and Hugh struggled to get our pictures sorted from two days ago. For some reason our camera times were out of sync and the pictures were scrambled in apple Aperture. We rested until sail-away and then sat on the verandah and made sunset pictures and finished the journaling I had begun earlier. It was so pleasant that we ended up going for a late casual dinner. We went to the show that evening and then stopped to hear Adagio before heading to bed. We will be up early tomorrow…

This morning started early with a 6 am wake up call and breakfast arriving at 6:15. We ate in the stateroom, as it was still dark on the verandah. We dressed quickly and grabbed our cameras and headed to the embarkation of our tour in the Queen's Lounge. The ship had to be cleared so I talked to my mom before we were called to our tender. At the last minute Hugh realized he had dropped his card key and had to go back to the room. We missed the first 2 tenders and we were very late for our tour but dear Monica had held the tour for us. We started our tour with a short ride to the state park, Komo Mai, near the beach. Here we saw some beautiful plants, lots of turtles swimming in the surf, and some wonderful petroglyphs.

We left the beach area and drove up the mountain to the cloud forest (an area that has cloud cover everyday). We started our hike up the mountain area and noticed that the temperature was remarkably cooler. This land is owned by a retired botany professor for the U of H and has not only indigenous plants but also things that he has introduced because of their beauty. We are amazed at how thick the vegetation is and we loved seeing all the beautiful flowers including the chocolate orchid. There were blue marble trees that reminded us of Cambodia and Angkor Wat. Jon showed us the fruit inside the very blue marbles while we enjoyed the antics of some of the birds that are kept on the property. Hiking here was a challenge because of the roots that grow on top of the soil and can reach 6 feet in height. This was a great way to see the beauty that is not so readily seen in the villages and along the shore. From here we made a short drive to the coffee plantation called Mountain Thunder Kona Coffee. We were able to sample the coffee and also the tea made from the pea berry. It was all tasty but very strong. We had a tour of the processing plant and we saw coffee transformed from cherry (red berry freshly picked) to roasted coffee ready to be ground. It was interesting and seemed like a simple process with the temperature of the roasting being the most important factor in the development of the taste. From here it was time to end our tour back at the harbor. Hugh and I decided to walk around the town and we looked in shops, tried on bathing suits, and purchased drinks before taking the 2:15 tender back to the ship. We dropped off our packs and cameras and went for a bite to eat. We grabbed ice cream cones and walked around the pool area before heading to the cabin to cool off and read. Hugh processed pictures, I read, and we both checked our email for the last time before we sailed at 5. It was nice on the verandah so we did not go upstairs for sail away. We showered and dressed for dinner and joined a lovely group for dinner in the dining room. One of the couples from Canada had been on our trip to Peru 2 years ago and remembered us (not sure if that is a good thing or not). We all left quickly after dessert to head to the show which was a Do Wop group and very good. We then walked around the ship for a bit before taking our tired feet to the stateroom for the night.

Today was our day to rest after several days of constant activity and long hikes. We slept in and did not get up until after 9. I am not sure of the exact time as both, yes both, of my watches battery's died. So frustrated because I did not check the second watch while we were in Hawaii where I could have gotten a battery. We hustled up to the Lido for a quick breakfast and made it to the shore excursion talk at 10. It was fun to hear about the places we will visit. Monica told us about a new opportunity to swim with whales in Polynesia but for the price we may skip it. Next we stayed for Mel's presentation on Captain Cook and it was so entertaining and made history fun. Where was he when I was in school? We headed to the Promenade deck for our daily walk and then headed up to the Lido for lunch but it was so crowded we decided to go to the library and journal and edit pictures. It was so pleasant in the library that we barely made it to lunch before they closed. We took a back table and ate leisurely and edited more of our pictures. It was a restful afternoon and we did not accomplish much more than reading, journaling and looking at pictures. We showered and dressed for dinner and then went to the Lido. We played cards and ate leisurely. The 8 pm show was just starting when we made it to the showroom. We had to sit in the back but that was OK as it was a singer. After the show we went to the raffle in the Jewelry store but of course neither of us won. It is funny but on this trip there is one little lady who is always in the jewelry shop, never buying, but just hanging out and she always wins something at the raffles. We stopped to talk with new friends and listen to Adagio, the classical music duo before heading to our stateroom.

Today was a strange day as we crossed the International Date Line and it jumped from Wednesday to Friday. We got up at our regular time and dressed to go to the main dining room for breakfast. We were seated at a table for two with an ocean view. After our great breakfast we went to the shore excursion talk and heard about our next 3 stops. We stayed in the Queens Lounge for the talk on Captain Cook. As usual Mel was very entertaining and informative. From there we went to the Main dining room for a wine tasting just for 4 and 5 star mariners. It was done very nicely but 11 am is too early for me to enjoy wine. From there we went to the room to change into exercise clothes and went for our 2-mile walk before lunch. It was very warm and there was not as much breeze as we would have liked. We had a light lunch because we are going to the dining room for dinner. After lunch we walked some more and when we were hot and tired we went to the room and sat on the verandah and read. The afternoon passed quickly and soon it was time to shower and dress for dinner. We stopped to hear Adagio before we went to the dining room. We had reservations for 2 and when we were seated it was in the upstairs dining room. We had never been there before because it is mainly used for fixed seating. We had a great dinner and made it to the showroom in time for the game show, Majority Rules. We played cards and listen to the silliness. The show was a comedian and he was a writer for Seinfeld. It was funny and we wished he had gone on a little longer. From there we went to the jewelry shop for the nightly raffle. As usual we did not win! We retired to our room and sat on the balcony and looked at the stars. Another great day!

We jumped up when the wake up call came. We were excited about the sail in to Fanning Island. This is an atoll in the Pacific with a population of about 2000. We are one of the only ships that stop here. There was debate among passengers whether our stopping here and giving them things and money helps or hurts (the age old question). We made a few pictures as we sailed in and the color of the water and the remoteness made for great shots. We had a quick breakfast and utilized our backpack to store some ship pins, batteries, and other things to give the children. While we were getting ready the crew went to the port to make sure the dock was in good shape. Using our 4-star status we went directly to the tender and got in line. There was a squabble as always when people were told that they did not have priority status and had to wait in line. It has been explained many times but people have a way of only hearing what they want to hear. The sea was very rough today and platform is bobbing up and down making the loading process very slow. We took our seats and we were sorry we had gotten on so early; the tender is rocking and there are diesel fumes. Fortunately we got on the way before anyone got sick. The ride in was not as rough as expected because we were riding the waves in.

After disembarkation we hurried to a truck Hugh had found for a tour of the island. We were happy that we had chosen the truck instead of walking…the roads were a flooded muddy mess. We were able to view the houses and the people and we also got to see the new school building and the church. This island is small so our tour was only about 45 minutes. After our tour we shopped for gifts for Micah and Noah. We found just what we wanted; a necklace for Micah and a wonderful knife for Noah. We walked around giving out our gifts and then we found a beach area where we had a fantastic view of the ship. We finished making our pictures and then got in line for the tender. On the dock a very large woman who decided she deserved to board before anyone else accosted me. She walked on my feet more than I did. We let her go and had to laugh when we sat there for a long while before leaving. The ride back was rough with water flowing in the doors as we sailed through the incoming waves. At the ship we had to wait in line to disembark and it was very rough when it was our turn. Back in our cabin we sat on the verandah trying to cool off. We had to resort to showering as nothing else would work. By the time we were through it was lunchtime and we headed to the Lido. We had a lunch at leisure and then sat there editing pictures. Our shots were wonderful and we enjoyed reliving them. We then went to the cabin and I journaled and Hugh read. We passed the afternoon and soon it was time to dress for dinner. We dressed casually and stoped to hear Adagio. We then headed to the Lido where we had a light dinner and played Kings on the Corner until time for the show. The show was a Celtic duo called Live Wire, husband and wife, who were terrific. Hugh purchased their CD and we then went to listen to Adagio. It was late and we were tired so we headed back to the stateroom. Hugh slept and I finally finished my David Baldacci story.

Guess what it is Saturday AGAIN! Darn that International Date Line... We decided not to be slugs today so we had coffee and juice delivered to the room at 7 and we sat on the verandah and enjoyed the view. After dressing we went for a 2-mile walk and then on to breakfast. We walked some more before heading to the gym. We did a great workout until we were so hot we had to go to shower. Our first lecture was at 10 and Hugh went to it while I went to the jewelry shop for the first raffle of the day. Of course I did not win but I did go back and forth from the shore lecture to the shop for the subsequent raffles. At 11 Mel did a talk on women pirates, or The Hellions of the Sea. I continued to run back every 30 minutes only to be disappointed. Raffles are just not my forte!! At lunchtime we secured the banquet seat and looked over our pictures as we munched. A pod of over 100 dolphins were spotted off the bow of the ship! We took our time talking over future cruises and then walked a bit before we headed to the verandah to read. Hugh has a throat tickle and rested some. We watched Downten Abbey and read before dressing and heading to a late dinner. We finished just in time to head to the show. Tonight was a singer who composes, sings and plays the piano. She supposedly has played at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center. She possibly played there as her skills as a pianist as quite good but I don't think she sang there. After the show we went to hear Adagio and then headed to the room. We watched some news trying to get football scores but did not have any luck. We read and played computer games until we fell asleep. Hugh had a very restless night and sat on the verandah a lot listening to his iPod.

Today we had plans to go to church, then exercise and go to the brunch in the dining room. All of these went by the wayside as Hugh hardly slept at all during the night. He slept in after the wakeup call and when the coffee was delivered I went on the verandah and read while he slept. Once Hugh was up we dressed and went to breakfast, finishing just in time for the first lecture of the day on Tonga. This was followed by a lecture on the Mutiny on the Bounty. I raced back and forth for the raffles in the shops and still did not win. At noon we put on bathing suits and headed to the pool. The poolside show was Polynesian dancers with a guitarist. It was colorful and although the sun was hot we enjoyed it. We stayed in the pool until we hit some waves that caused the pool to have very large waves that were washing over the side. We grabbed a table in the shade and had a late lunch. There is a great breeze here so we vegged, read, and people watched. Hugh commented that I should not get in a fight on this ship, as I did not have a chance to win due to my size. Bathing suits tell a frightening tale! We sat until the sun had baked us thoroughly and we headed for the shower. After cooling down we read and Hugh rested from his horrible night. We dressed for a late dinner and ate at a leisurely pace and played some cards until time for the Call My Bluff (aka Liars Club) show. This was the usual suspects, Mark, Mel, and Gene and they were hilarious. The show this evening is the singers and dancers of the Amsterdam and they were fabulous. This is by far the best dance troupe we have seen on a ship and the singers are wonderful also! After the show we walked around the ship but the Adagio duo was not playing so we made our way to the room. We were reading when Hugh had a sudden violent coughing attack. We decided he needed to make a late night run to the store on board for cough syrup or Nyquil. The store was closed but the shopkeeper let him in and he got what he needed. Sleep at last!

Today we had plans to go to church, then exercise and go to the brunch in the dining room. All of these went by the wayside as Hugh hardly slept at all during the night. He slept in after the wakeup call and when the coffee was delivered I went on the verandah and read while he slept. Once Hugh was up we dressed and went to breakfast, finishing just in time for the first lecture of the day on Tonga. This was followed by a lecture on the Mutiny on the Bounty. I raced back and forth for the raffles in the shops and still did not win. At noon we put on bathing suits and headed to the pool. The poolside show was Polynesian dancers with a guitarist. It was colorful and although the sun was hot we enjoyed it. We stayed in the pool until we hit some waves that caused the pool to have very large waves that were washing over the side. We grabbed a table in the shade and had a late lunch. There is a great breeze here so we vegged, read, and people watched. Hugh commented that I should not get in a fight on this ship, as I did not have a chance to win due to my size. Bathing suits tell a frightening tale! We sat until the sun had baked us thoroughly and we headed for the shower. After cooling down we read and Hugh rested from his horrible night. We dressed for a late dinner and ate at a leisurely pace and played some cards until time for the Call My Bluff (aka Liars Club) show. This was the usual suspects, Mark, Mel, and Gene and they were hilarious. The show this evening is the singers and dancers of the Amsterdam and they were fabulous. This is by far the best dance troupe we have seen on a ship and the singers are wonderful also! After the show we walked around the ship but the Adagio duo was not playing so we made our way to the room. We were reading when Hugh had a sudden violent coughing attack. We decided he needed to make a late night run to the store on board for cough syrup or Nyquil. The store was closed but the shopkeeper let him in and he got what he needed. Sleep at last!

We were up early today because of Hugh's cough. He said it was 12:50 and went for a walk around the ship. After he left I realized it was 5:21 am and we had slept well to that point. I read and at 7 the coffee arrived. I enjoyed playing computer games and sipping my coffee on the verandah until Hugh returned. I had a text from Trey letting me know they are all well. Hugh had read news in the library and was ready to shower and go for a walk before breakfast. We did our mile and then shopped at the $10 sale around the pool before eating a healthy breakfast; ok I indulged in a half donut... they just make then so delicious! We went to the stateroom for our raffle ticket and headed to the Queen's Lounge for the Future Cruise talk. Lucy gave a great talk on all her bucket list places and we had been to everyone but one (we plan on booking it this afternoon). After that Mel did his talk on Heroines of the Seas and it was great as usual. We went for another walk and then had a light lunch in the Main Dining room. We went to our stateroom and Hugh watched Dr. Who and I listened to my book. We sat on the verandah and then showered and strolled before going to dinner. We sat with a lovely couple from Oklahoma, Ben & Kay,and then went to the show. It was the Alley Cats again and we enjoyed them so much more this time. I am not sure if it was the music, the stories, or the jokes but this was a fantastic evening. Hugh is starting to cough by the end so we headed back and got his medicine and just watched some TV and read. Tomorrow Pago Pago!

Hugh had a great night without coughing but woke up coughing this morning. I had already been up and made some pictures as Pago Pago, American Samoa came into view. Our breakfast came at 7 and we sat on the verandah and watched and sipped our coffee as we sailed in to Pago Pago harbor. When the gangplank was in place we headed off the ship with no particular plan. We were met at the street with a lot of people offering local bus trips around the island. We decided to partake of one and we boarded a Toyota Tundra truck that had been converted into a bus. The interior was wood and it had bench seats also of wood. It was just 3 of us on this journey and it turned out to be a highlight. It had started with the potential to be a disaster as we had a couple that was complaining before we pulled out and we were glad they jumped off at the last minute. Our other passenger was Jeanette, our dinner partner several nights ago. We saw all the highlights of the island, including the lovely shoreline, the homes with their cemeteries in the front yard, the local bars, and our driver stopped whenever we asked him to for photos. One area that was not so much fun was the tuna cannery area… oh my, smelled just like an old tuna can. We saw Charlie the Star-Kist Tuna at their plant. We made it to the end of the paved road and turned back making stops at Two Dollar Beach and at the beach area to get a ship picture.

Our driver let us out at the McDonald's and we walked back to the ship stopping at some of the shops and at the tents set up to sell us pareos and other trinkets. Hugh was not feeling his best in the heat and we made our way back to the ship for him to rest and cool off. We had a late lunch and then walked up the coast the opposite way we had traveled that morning. The wind was very stiff and it was an exercise in itsself. We made it until the wind caused us to turn around. We stopped at a Laundromat that had free Wi-Fi and checked our emails, sent a group email to family, and posted an update on Facebook. We made it back to the ship in time to grab something to drink and settle on the verandah for sail-away. We showered and dressed for dinner but spent some time by the pool before we made it to the dining room. We ate slowly stopping between courses to play cards. We are not socializing much right now as Hugh is coughing a great deal. We went to the show, which was an encore presentation of the girl singer we had earlier. She was not great the first time and this evening my hip and neck were hurting so I left in the middle. Hugh stayed until the end and said she got better as the evening went on. We looked over our pictures from the day and then read. Tonight we loose 25 hours as we cross the International Date Line. Go to sleep on Tuesday and wake up on Thursday!

Today I woke up early and watched as we sailed into Apia, Samoa. Hugh woke up when the breakfast was delivered. We ate and enjoyed the view. After showers we went to the Queens Lounge to wait for our shore excursion. When we made it to our bus we met our guide Sueina (we called her Ina) and our driver David. We had a full bus and started off right on time. Ina told us that they started driving on the left side about five years ago so that they could get cars from NZ and Australia and also because so many of the Samoans go to school in NZ. She told us that the Samoans are very religious and also family is everything to them. There are no orphanages or old folks homes here as family takes care of it's own. We saw the new government buildings and also the very large hospital. Ina told us that the Chinese built these things. This sounds like a plus but Ina told us that they did not use any Samoan labor or products… they provided everything and therefore did not help the local economy. It seemed that every new or modern thing we saw, she would say… built by the Chinese! We made our way to the Robert Lewis Stevenson Museum. This beautiful island plantation home was originally built by the famous author when he move to Samoa for his failing health. He lived here with his wife, stepdaughter, and grandson, and his mother. They lived here only 4.5 years before he died. He is buried on Mt. Vaea on the grounds. He hiked this mountain almost everyday before his death. His wife returned to Scotland but had here ashes scattered on the mountain upon her death. The house has been lovingly restored with reproductions and original pieces. Each room had a guide from the University and the stories were very entertaining. After our tour of the home we were invited into the courtyard for a coconut drink and we were truly entertained by a family troupe. We participated in a Kava Ceremony, which is a welcoming ceremony whenever any one visits your home. We then had singers and dancers who were very energetic and talented.

From the museum we went to the local market and had a little too much time to wander. On our way back to the ship we saw the longboats that they race. We made it to the ship in time to have a late lunch. We decided to walk into town and look for a watch battery for me. Both of my watches stopped! It was an easy walk and we found a shop that advertised watch repair although when we entered they were more like a general store. I showed him my watch and he tested the battery, found the right replacement and put it in. He tested the watch and all was well. Ten minutes later I left with a new battery and a watch that was working! Not a fancy shop with all the correct tools like Walker's but they got the job done. We walked around the town, saw the town clock tower and then returned along the water. It was very hot and we were glad when we made it back to the ship. We sat on the verandah to cool off. I read and Hugh rested before we decided to clean up for dinner. We took our cards and went to the dining area. We ate slowly and played cards between courses. Hugh is not socializing as he is still coughing. We went to the surprise show at 7:30 and it was an Australian comedian who did magic tricks and used yoyos, gyroscopes, and tops in his act. He was great and Hugh was a big fan of this show! We were tired and retired to our stateroom to edit our pictures from the day and read!

This morning we awoke to a tap on the door and our coffee service. We have taken advantage of this service the last several days and it beats an alarm any day. We had our coffee on the verandah and then dressed and went for a mile walk. We then went to breakfast and afterwards walked another mile. At 9:30 we went to the taping of Good Morning Amsterdam and Gene interviewed the wonderful Australian performer we had last night. At 10 we headed for the shore talk and it was about one of our favorite places, Bora Bora. We stayed for Mel's lecture on Legends and Lore of the Sea. His lectures are always so entertaining. After the lecture ended we walked another mile before we headed to lunch. We ate quickly as there was a presentation on Theo Faberge at 1. This is the grandson of the famous Karl Faberge of the Imperial Russian Eggs. This is a new collection and everything is a limited edition. Fun to look at but impossible to buy! We stayed on for the next lecture on Changes in the Pacific Islands. After this lecture we worked on pictures, read, rested, and I colored my hair. A great afternoon! We dressed up but not formally and went to the Lido for dinner. We went to the show by the singers and dancers and it was entertaining and filled with beautiful costumes. After the show we stopped to hear Adagio for a while before retiring. Hugh is feeling better but still not up to par.

Woke up this morning and had coffee on the verandah as we sailed into Suva, Fiji. We went to the Lido for breakfast and then to the Queen's Lounge to await our excursion. We were called first to our bus and there was only one busload of people for this excursion… I think because it was rated strenuous. Our guides name is Lawrence and he speaks very proper English with a different sort of humor. He apologized right off the bat in case he offended anyone. He was easy to listen to and he told us that in Fiji they are very religious and if it is Sunday they are in church. He also told us that there are a lot of people from India or their descendants living in Fiji. They were brought here to work the sugar cane fields and a lot of them stayed. Today they have four types, Punjab, Hindu, Muslim, and I don't remember the fourth. Lawrence told us about the fruits and vegetables, the flowers, and the trees. When we arrived at our embarkation point for our longboats, we had time to go to the restroom before getting our lifejackets, our plastic bags for our things, and our poncho (we laughed because we had on our bathing suits). They divided us into groups of 8 and we boarded our boat. Hugh and I were at the front of ours and this worked well because we made a lot of pictures. We started down the Navua River and it was beautiful. We were in the valley between a lot of mountains and everything was lush and green. The boats sped along for a while and then the river got shallower and there were rocks to navigate. We were surprised at how many rapid areas there were. We got a little wet but no one minded as we were going to swim any way. We saw a lot of dredge operations being run by the Chinese and the local people are very concerned about the impact these changes will have on the flow of the river and the fishing. There are women washing clothes in the river and little boys playing on homemade bamboo rafts. The mountains in the distance are beautiful and we see a lot of very high waterfalls as we go down the river. We arrived at our disembarkation point and off come the life jackets and up we go to the Magic Waterfall. The climb is easy and the sound of rushing water is music to our ears. We are pleasantly surprised at how high and beautiful the falls are. People line up for pictures while others are stripping down to swimsuits and heading for the water. I will admit it was too cold for me to stay in long but it was refreshing. One of our new friends had his drone with him and it flew for a while but lost its GPS signal and crashed and broke the tip off one of the rotors. We loved our time here but we had more adventure waiting for us. We slowly made our way back to the boats and headed back. It seemed to go faster, maybe because we were not fighting the current. We landed at a village where we were greeted with drums and very friendly villagers. After they gave us time to get a coconut drink or wash-up, they began the traditional Kava Ceremony. After that and the accompanying entertainment we were treated to a lunch of Fijian food. I tried everything and it was good. Hugh had the kava and a sandwich. We had time to wander around and shop or just talk to the people before we boarded our bus back to Suva.

The ride back started on a dirt road but before too long we were back on the paved 2-lane hi-way. It seemed a shorter trip back and as we entered the town we had the option of getting off in town or going back to the ship. We chose the ship so we could get out of our bathing suits and leave our cameras. Just as we arrived I got a text that said our good friend Jim was in ICU and I took time to call Miriam to find out what was going on. Glad to say he seems to be holding his own and on the road to recovery; 6 broken ribs from the CPR and so some recuperation is needed and further testing for other problems to come. We quickly changed and then left the ship for a short walk back into the town. We had no particular place to go so we walked along the waterfront and then through the park. We found our way into the largest mall type area, which had stores for the locals. We then made our way to the drop off point for the ship shuttle and wandered around the store that sponsored the shuttle and as we expected it had some of everything, clothes to trinkets. The prices were higher than we had been seeing but no problem, as we were not buying anyway. We slowly made our way back to the ship by way of the local market and when we arrived the Police Band was giving a concert. This was extraordinary and included guitarists and singer. They were fantastic and we stood around and listened for a long time. Wish we were on the dockside of the ship so we could here them from our verandah. We showered and readied ourselves for dinner. We ate slowly and looked at our pictures from the day. After dinner we planned to go dockside and check our email but the tent selling the Wi-Fi service had closed up so we walked back into town to see if we could find some place with Wi-Fi but it was not to be. After some futile tries we headed to the ship and settled in for the night. We sailed at 10:30 and we went to bed with anticipation of our adventure in the a.m.

This morning we awoke with the 7 a.m. delivery of our coffee. We quickly went on to the verandah to watch the sail in to Dravuni Island. The day was sunny and the motus were surrounded with turquoise water. We went to breakfast and then took our time getting everything together that we needed or wanted for the day. This was a tender port and we did not want to have to come back to the ship if we forgot something. The seas are calm and the tender ride was easy. This small island is less than 2 miles long and 1 mile across and only 125 people live here; most of whom are researchers. We had no idea how we would spend our time but we had fins and snorkels, books, and our camera. We arrived and decided to climb the mountain. We walked down the beach and found the trail up the mountain. It started out flat and shady but soon it was uphill in the bright sun. It was a rough dirt path with some loose rocks that were giving people trouble especially coming down. We took our time stopping often to enjoy the views and make pictures. We can see both sides of the island and the blues are incredible. We made it to the highest point but quickly realized that the trail went on to the end of the island. We made our way there and we were so glad we did. We could see the whole reef, the motus we had sailed past, and we even saw a whale breeching and blowing. It was a magical view and we lingered a while. I got a picture of my flip-flops at the top, this is the second mountain they have carried me up. We made our way down and it was hard going for a while as the loose rocks kept us on our toes.

When we got down to the beach we found our bags and shed our shorts and headed for the water. We put our toes in and found it to be much cooler than we expected so we just walked down the beach for a short distance but found the sand to soft and our feet sank in to deep. We walked back to our bags and grabbed our fins, masks, and snorkels and walked to the other end of the beach where more people were snorkeling. Hugh got in first and looked around and then signaled me to follow. I was so glad I did. We started out just seeing schools of small fish, some colorful some not. All of a sudden this large coral mountain covered in living things blocked us. We swam around it and discovered a most beautiful reef. Here we saw clown fish, sargent majors, damselfish, chromis, wrasse, flashlight fish, a giant clam, and lots of types of anemones and corals. It was as good and as most dives we go on and so easy to get to from shore. When we finished Hugh decided to take his waterproof camera out and make pictures of what we had seen. I was chilly so I read my book under the palms.

When he came back we walked back down the beach and decided we had had enough sun for the day. We gathered our belongings and headed to the tender line. We were back on ship by 2:30 and our room was being cleaned so we went to the pool. We showered at the pool shower and got into the hot tub before having a burger by the pool. We went to our room and rested a little before we showered and dressed for the sail away. It was a beautiful evening and we took our camera and binoculars up to get the last view of the gorgeous blue waters. The buoys marking the channel through the reef had washed away so we had two small local boats that escorted us out. When the islands were just specks on the horizon we headed to dinner. We ate light and enjoyed some cards between courses. Soon it was show time and we headed to the showroom. Tonight's performer was a gentleman who is a comedian and musician, Dick Hardwick. He has performed with all sorts of stars including Johnny Mathis. He was great and the audience was in stitches the whole performance. We have had great entertainment this voyage! We stopped to hear Adagio before we went back to our room to look over our pictures. Stayed up very late, as tomorrow is a sea day!

We slept in this morning, as we did not have any thing pressing! We had coffee delivered at 8 and sat on the verandah to enjoy it. We slowly made our way to the promenade deck to walk before breakfast. We had breakfast and finished in time to walk another mile before we went to the lecture on upcoming ports. The talks always get us excited about the next several days. We stayed for Mel's lecture on the change from sailing to steam in the shipping industry. He makes everything interesting. When the program ended we made our way to walk again to warm up. Today is sunny but cooler than yesterday and the air conditioning is still going strong. We went for lunch and sat outside and enjoyed the warmth and breeze. After lunch I journaled and read while Hugh rested. At 2 we went to a lecture on WWII in the Pacific. It was very interesting especially since we just visited a lot these islands. I was so cold and sleepy I took a nap something I rarely do. Hugh watched football with the guys in the Sports Bar. When I got up I journaled and then Hugh joined me in the gym for a late afternoon workout. After showers we dressed for dinner and checked email. We ate a light dinner and played cards until show time. Tonight's entertainment was a group of 5 young men from Liverpool; ring any bells? Nope, not the Beatles but a group called Uke Box. They are a ukulele band and each of them played a different type of ukulele, tenor, bass, banjolele, etc. They sang great songs and their tribute to the other group from Liverpool was the highlight of the show. We then walked around the ship some and then went to our cabin to edit our pictures and toe journal!

We got up this a.m. to the knock on our door signaling the arrival of coffee. As we were sitting on the verandah enjoying a cup we heard Gene the cruise director say, “Good morning. Today is Tuesday October 27, and it is 7:15 a.m. You will notice that we have made an early arrival in Nuka Alofa, Tonga!" We live for these announcements each day as we have no idea of the day the time and sometimes not even the place. We have crossed so many time zones and the International Date Line several times, that we went from just 3 hours behind EST to a whole day ahead. We dressed for our day and after breakfast we headed out. We had scheduled no shore excursion but on the dock we found a map for a 2-hour walking tour and we decided to make that our mission for the day. Before we started our tour we walked away from town along the water. There were several wharfs, marinas, and dive operations. There were local markets selling used clothing and another selling fruits and vegetables. After a mile or so we turned around and when we reached the harbor we started our walking tour.

We made the whole tour and along the way we saw the Royal Palace, several lovely churches, the high school, a school for girls, the Royal Tombs, and the convention center. It was a lot to see and along the way we got to interact with some local school children. When we got to town we found a phone center with Internet service and checked our emails and read the news. It was fast and cheap and we ran out of things to do before our time was up. We walked slowly back to the ship and had a late lunch after lunch we decided to walk across the island to the lagoon we could see on the map. We made the trip and yes it was a lagoon and then we turned around and came back. We had enough time before sail away to journal and download pictures. We started the sail away on our verandah but soon decided to go on top so we could see both side just in case there were whales. It was very windy and a little chilly in our shorts so we headed down to shower and dress for dinner. We again opted out of the dining room and went to the Lido for a late dinner and then straight on to the show. It is becoming very hard to get seats at the first show, as all the entertainment has been so good! Tonight was the singers and dancers again and they were fabulous… so much so that we walked around a bit and went back for the second show. A lot of people must have done this, as there were a lot more people than usual at the 2nd show. This group appreciates the great entertainment we have had. Off to bed, tomorrow is another adventure on the horizon!

We were up this morning with the coffee delivery and enjoyed being on the verandah during the sail through the islands leading to Vavu U. It is a cool day and we look forward to exploring the island. It looks very walkable. After breakfast we joined the tender line and soon were on shore. We stopped at the market on our way into town and then saw the church on the hill. At the church there was a very cute group of small children singing the usual kindergarten songs… the alphabet song, Old McDonald, etc. We decided to continue our walk past the town and follow the road that circles the island. We walked for several miles before turning around when the road curved away from the water. It was sunny and getting very warm at this point. On our way back we followed a side road to the other side of the island. It was low tide and there were pigs out routing in the mire, something you don't see around us. We saw a park with a plaque that told that the park commemorated when the King dedicated the island and its entire population and descendants to the Lord.

We followed the road back to the main street and when in search of the cute tees that said Tonga Dirt Shirts… they also had Tonga Dirt Bags. Would have bought one but we did not have NZ dollars or local currency and that was all they accepted. It was a great idea while it lasted!! We walked on toward the dock to get the tender back to the ship. The line was very long, as two tour buses had just discharged their fares. We sat on the dock and a local fisherman offered to take us out to the ship in his very small boat for $15 NZ. After we waited in line for almost 2 hours we wished we had taken him up on it. I wonder how the Captain would have handled that? We had fun talking to different people as we waited and I must comment that everyone was patient and stayed in line even when they had to change docks because the tide had gone out and the step down to the tender was over a meter. This was a big ordeal for the staff on shore and they were fantastic. They passed out cold wet towels and water to everyone and were cheerful and kind to all. We finally got back to the ship we went to our cabin and ordered room service, showered, and sat on the verandah and waited for sail away. We had binoculars and cameras ready and we never had to leave our room. The islands were beautiful as we sail toward Alofi. We journaled and read, and even napped before we made our way to a late dinner. We were given champagne by the captain for being patient with the tender snafu. We went to the show in time to get good seats and play a couple of hands of Kings on the Corner. The entertainer tonight was Adrian Dean, a juggler, magician, comedian, but his entertainer skills were lacking. His tricks were great but his rhetoric was not able to get the audience engaged. After the show we headed to the cabin to read and edit pictures. Another fun day in Polynesia!

Oh yea, it's Wednesday again...we crossed the International Date Line again! Our coffee arrived at 7 and we quickly dressed and got ready for our day. It was beautiful watching the island of Niue come into view as we sailed into the harbor. After breakfast we took the tender ride in and thankfully there was no swell. In the past there has been so much swell that they could not get the passengers to shore safely. When we arrived at the dock we climbed the hill and started down the road to our left. After about a mile we decided that there was not much to see this way so we turned around. After we passed the harbor we continued on for a good distance stopping at the Visitors Center, a vanilla shop, and to read various grave markers along the way. This is a small island with a population of only 1200 people and they sent 150 boys and men to serve with New Zealand in WWI. There are a lot of memorials to these brave men. I cannot imagine sending over a tenth of the population to war. We made our way to Opaahi. This is the site where Captain Cook landed on the Island. We walked down the cliff to the waters edge and the water is clear and cool but there is no beach. A lot of canoes are stored under palm fronds for launch at high tide. We continued our trek down the road passed the elementary school and came upon a mini golf course. There were several of us who wanted to play this cliff top course but they would not take American dollars. This is the first thing like this we have seen since leaving the Hawaiian Islands.

We turned around and headed back toward the town stopping at all the handicraft centers along the way. We even saw the weigh in area for the local fishing contest and the fish were big! As we were walking back into the village we passed a house where a man had two very large coconut crabs in his front yard. None of us had ever seen one so we stopped for pictures. The man said he cared for these and that they were very rare. After our talk we spent time looking for tees that might be nice but again no one wanted our money and plastic was not used anywhere. We climbed down to a small beach to check out snorkeling but the water was so shallow you could not use fins and the tide was going out. We waded and looked at the fish that were close in before we headed back to the harbor. We tendered back to the ship for a late lunch and considered going back to snorkel but with binoculars we could see that the tide was low and the snorkeling area was no longer there. We sat by the pool, got in the hot tub, and then sat on our verandah to dry off. We had an early sail away and we dressed and went up for the music and views. We journaled, checked email, read, got our laundry ready to go out, and showered before going to a late dinner. We ate and then hurried to the show. Our entertainer was a young man, Lou Gazzara, who was a finalist on American Idol 13 years ago and has his own show in Vegas. He was fabulous and we even considered going back for the second show. He sang popular, oldies, and opera, did impressions of Elvis and others and each was phenomenal. Two standing ovations for him! As I have said before, this group appreciated good entertainment! Tonight we turn our clocks ahead an hour, and before we knew it was midnight!

Our coffee delivery was scheduled later today and we were both still asleep when it arrived. We sat on the verandah marveling at how cool it was. We decided to get a mile in before breakfast and we accomplished that without breaking a sweat. We went to eat and then went to walk again to warm up. The restaurant was cool! With 2 miles under our belts we headed to the Good Morning Amsterdam show because the guest was our new captain that took over in Pago Pago. We were not sure what he looked like and it was nice to put a face to a voice. It was a very informative 30 minutes with a lot of good questions for the captain. From there we decided on the port lecture. When that lecture finished and the talk turned to buying pearls we headed out and went to a pareo tying demonstration. I learned some new styles I am anxious to try. We then went to the lecture on High Seas and High Society. Melvin did another great job! We decided to get our 3rd mile in before going to lunch. With this accomplished we headed to eat. We never eat this early and now we know why. There were no tables and the lines were very long. Note to self, skip lunch until around 1:30. After lunch we went to the library to read about the Cook Islands our next port of call. After deciding on a plan of action for the Cook Islands we went to sit on the verandah and read. No marine life to watch for so we just enjoyed the breeze. We walked some more before showering and dressing for dinner. We took our time eating and arrived at the showroom just in time to get a seat for tonight's performance. Our entertainer was a soprano named Clarissa Spata from Australia. She was more enjoyable when she sang classical operatic songs than when she attempted rock or country. After the performance we went to a raffle but of course we did not win.

This morning we awoke with the delivery of breakfast. We have a fly by the seat of our pants morning planned. After breakfast we donned our bathing suits and headed for the first tender off the ship. We were fortunate to be in line with a couple we had met before. They have made this trip 6 other times and shared the best snorkeling place with us. The tender was tossed about in the huge swells but we boarded the tender and were off. We shared a taxi with them and one other couple and arrived quite early at Muri Lagoon. We walked, yes walked across the lagoon to a small island, left our shoes and swam out to the point. Here we saw our first bright blue starfish. As we swam on we saw many more. This was a great place to snorkel but we had to be careful, there was a rather strong current. We saw all sorts of fish, large clams, and more blue starfish. Hugh used his waterproof camera and got great pictures. When we started to get cold and were having to swim hard we headed back to our little island. We retrieved our shoes and sunglasses and started back across the lagoon. The tide had come in and on this walk I had to swim a good bit to stay up with Hugh and Mark. Thank goodness the guys held me up a lot of the time. We had set up a taxi for 11:00. We had time to walk on the beach and check out the small resorts and the boats coming and going. We hiked much further than we had planned and had to power walk back to the beach where our towels were. The taxi did not show up but a shuttle to the port did. We made it into town where the shuttle stopped. We walked slowly back to the ship and had time to shower and eat some pizza that Hugh picked up in the Lido.

At 12:15 we headed to the tenders and our afternoon 4x4 safari. There were enough of us to fill 3 jeeps and we were soon seated on the benches in the back. Our guide was Big Mac and after a brief orientation lecture we were off. Our trip included a trip to the highest point where we could view Needle Rock, a stop at several beaches, and a stop at a cultural heritage site. We heard legends from Polynesian history and also got instructed on local plants and trees. We went to the only waterfall on the Cook Islands but it was barely a trickle. We were told that the weather patterns had changed and they have not had the usual rain. This was a great trip and we circumnavigated the entire island and made in-roads into the interior. When the trip ended we made the last tender back to the ship. Back on the ship we took time to cool off before sail away. I sat on the verandah and watched the island disappear. Hugh slept. Later we showered and went to dinner. We ate quickly and just made it to the showroom in time to nab some good seats. We played cards until show time. This was another presentation by the singers and dancers but overall it was not up to their usual excellence. It was entertaining but not mesmerizing like most of their shows. After the show we went to our room and looked at our pictures but both of us were so tired that we decided not to edit the pictures until tomorrow. I read and Hugh did some Mavis Beacon typing program before we both fell asleep.

Today we again awoke to coffee service. We dressed and went for a long walk in quest of our 10,000 steps. We then showered and went to the dining room for breakfast. We were seated with a lovely couple from Texas. He was a retired Internist and he and Hugh talked medicine. After breakfast we went to the talk on Polynesia and stayed for the next Q & A by the new captain. This was his last lecture and he will be leaving the ship in Papeete. A lovely gentleman that we met yesterday invited us up to his suite so we could see just how they were set up. It was huge with a large dressing area and walk in closet. Nice but too expensive for us. After the talk we went to the cabin to work on the pictures and then off to the dining room for lunch. We were seated at a table for 4 but we were without company. We finished a delicious meal and still had time to make the end of the 1 o'clock lecture. At 2pm we enjoyed the lecture by Melvin Foster. This was his last lecture and he will be missed. After the lecture Hugh went to the cabin to change into exercise clothes and then to the gym. I went to the culinary center for a lesson on cake pops. We met back in the room and I painted my toes and Hugh finished editing. Today is Halloween and we will change our usual routine and eat in the dining room and go to the late show, which is earlier than usual. There is a 10pm Halloween Monster Mash. In the dining room we were seated with a lovely couple from Orlando and we enjoyed our dinner very much. We had plenty of time to get to the show; it was Uke Box for an encore and this performance was just as enjoyable as their first. We decided after the show to go to the Monster Mash even though we did not have costumes. About a third of the people had costumes, some in full regalia and others with hats or small masks. We met the couples we have been hanging out with and enjoyed the party a lot. One of the couples was dressed as hippies and the other were like us and did not dress up. I wore a Bob Marley mustache as my Halloween mask. We were tired when we made it back to our room.

This morning we were up at 6 for the sail in to Bora Bora. This island is part of a collapsed volcano and the mountains are as impressive as the blue of the water. They allowed us on the bow of the ship for pictures and they served coffee, juice, and Danish. We even had dancers in native costumes to entertain us. After the ship was anchored we headed to breakfast. Back in the room we showered and dressed for the day. We got a tender to shore and walked as far as we could in the heat and humidity and then we shopped, or I should say window shopped, as the prices here are extravagant. At lunch time we went back to the ship, ate a light lunch, and then rested a bit before we donned our bathing suits and headed out again.

When we reached the dock we quickly boarded a bus to the beach. This shuttle service was $5 each way and well worth it. When we arrived at the beach we were at the Intercontinental Hotel. This was great as there were bathroom, showers, and changing rooms. We established our beach domain and then we decided to walk for a while before going snorkeling. We walked over 2.5 miles along a lovely beach. The sun was warm but there were intermittent clouds that kept the temp down. We decided to snorkel just down from this resort and we were surprised at the large variety of fish we saw this close to the beach. It was very shallow with a good current so we had to be constantly vigilant of our movements. When we tired of this and all the fish had been sufficiently photographed we went for a swim. Before we knew it was 5 pm and the shuttles were making their last runs. We dried off and made the ride back to the harbor. We did not have to wait on a tender and by 6 we were in our room showering. We dressed in shorts, had a light dinner in the Lido, and grabbed our computers to go ashore and check email. We were on a tender with the shore excursion expert Kinoa and half way to shore he told us that the café might be closed. We got off and walked there and sure enough all closed up for the evening, as was everything else. It was back to the ship for us; we will try again in the morning. We decided to catch up on journaling and pictures tonight as there was no show and the movie was not appealing. A great day and we are tired from our early start.

Today we awoke at 7:30 when coffee was delivered. We both had a good night and were much more rested than yesterday. After breakfast we decided to take the computers in and catch up on bill paying and emails. It is very overcast and much cooler than yesterday. After our tender ride we went to the Aloe Café and soon we were using the fastest Wi-Fi we have had since Honolulu. It took about an hour but we got all caught up and now we can walk around and check out the town on a Monday. There were more vendors than yesterday but most of the same shops were open. We were not in the market for anything so at 11 we decided to go back to the ship and hit the gym. We did a great workout, ate lunch, and then walked 2 miles before going to the cabin to edit photos. It started to rain so we read hoping that the weather would improve. By 4 it was still raining so we ditched the idea of going to the beach and just hung around the ship. Tonight is the big Polynesian Bar-B-Q and I hope the weather cooperates. It begins at 5:30 so it will be close. I would hate to have to set up for this, get the tables dried, and all the food out and ready to serve. The weather improved and the bar-b-q was on schedule but the Barrows were late because the Panthers game went into overtime… but the Panthers pulled it out. We went up to eat but it was almost over and we served ourselves and ate. We then went to the show and it was extremely good. It was our American Idol finalist and he did a great encore performance utilizing the violinist from Adagio. It was very late after the show and we went off to read and journal.

This morning we woke up early to see the sail in to Raiatea. We sailed into the atoll through a narrow opening in the reef. We anchored in town and soon after breakfast we headed out. We had talked to a couple that had directions for climbing the central mountain on the island and we decided that would be a great adventure for us. We walked until we found the Post Office and the gendarmerie and turned on the road between them. We soon found our way to the marked path for the climb up Tapioa. We started up the path and found that it was filled with switchbacks but very well marked and easy to follow. It took us just over an hour to make the climb and along the way we made pictures and saw a mare and her foal. There were cows and bull and even horses grazing along the way. When we reached the top we met a film crew that was filming an advertisement for the big outrigger canoe competition that will be this weekend. This race goes from Savaii to Raiatea to Bora Bora and will feature 80 boats. At the summit we could see both sides of the island and it was lovely. The couple that told us about the climb came up just as we were getting ready to climb down. It was a faster trip down but when we reached the town we were soaked in sweat and decided to go back to the ship for a shower and a snack. We cleaned up and ate a light lunch before we headed out again. We decided to walk to what we thought was a swimming area. We had seen this area from the top of the mountain and the distance looked walkable. We made our way there and it was the staging area for the big canoe race. We got to watch two of the teams practice and it is a very demanding sport. These were girl teams and they seemed very fast to us. While we were watching the wind came up and the sky turned dark. On our way back we were pelted with wind driven rain. We arrived back at the ship soaked this time with rain. Again we cleaned up and had time to rest just a bit before sail away time. It was supposed to be a beautiful sunset and sail away but the weather did not cooperate. That shower that had driven us inside decided to linger. We walked around the promenade deck and got some pictures but even though this area was covered we still managed to get damp. We went to the cabin to change for dinner and dry off. We had a nice dinner in the Lido and then went to the showroom for the single show that they are having tonight. The crowd was not as large as usual but the time was different and I believe a lot of people were at dinner still or too tired to come. The show was a variety one with the juggler/magician and the opera singer. Both performers were much improved from their first shows. We then retired to the room to upload and edit our pictures and also give me time to catch up on my journaling.

Today we are docked in Papeete, Tahiti. The sail in was pretty but this is a much larger city than we have seen for a while so the dock area is huge. There was another cruise ship docked next to us, the Silver Explorer, a Silverseas ship. It was disembarking and we talked to some of the passengers. This was a very small ship only 125 passengers and our ship looked huge next to it. We had our breakfast and then decided to get our 10,000 steps in before 10 a.m. We took off down the harbor side and there was a wonderful walkway. It was warm but there was a nice breeze. We walked fast and found ourselves at a large entertainment complex with a swimming pool and a huge outdoor theater. We had to turn back into town but our walk was still very nice. This area has a lot of huge parks, some with playgrounds and exercise areas and some just commemorating their independence. We walked through the market and headed back to the ship to get a pair of my sunglasses that had a lens that popped out. We headed to the optician near the dock and he fixed them in just a jiffy and we were on our way. Back on the ship we packed our bags for our afternoon excursion and went for an early lunch. When we finished eating we still had a few minutes to sit on deck 3 and enjoy the view. We left the ship and found our 4x4 easily. Our driver was a young man named Hiro. He gave us the safety talk and told us we were required to wear our seatbelts while we were on the road. He was easy to understand and soon we were on our way. He told us that the morning group had a rough time and were soaked from the rain by the end of the trip. We had lovely weather and we could not wait to get in the valley of the volcano so we could roll the roof back and take off the seatbelts. Our first stop was at a grocery. Hiro said cruisers always wanted to pick up things there. From there we travelled out of the city and stopped again at a beach area where people were surfing and we had time to make some photos. We then turned inland and before too long we were off road and had our roof rolled back so we could get great photos. Our next stop was at a waterfall and Hiro told us about the plants and even used one plant to show us how they made rope. Hiro said in the rainy season there are over 500 waterfalls in this area. At our next stop Hiro showed us the Puro tree and how they used the leaves for plates, even today they use them when eating out of doors. He also show us a yellow flower that they used the pistels for red dye. As we continued our drive we crossed the river on a natural rock bridge in the river. So glad we had a 4x4 with a snorkel. At our next waterfall stop we had funny pictures made that looked like we were catching the water. A lot of this water comes out of the rock while others are runoff. We then stopped at an ancient MARA. Hiro explained that clans to honor nature, honor their ancestors, and to show thanks to God built these. The village was built around this and Hiro even showed us the signal tree where the chief would go to call the elders together. There were standing stones here just like we have seen in other cultures. We then made our final stop at a swimming place. Hiro showed us how the Polynesians make crowns out of ferns. It takes six fern frond and they are woven together. He made it sized for me so now I am officially a queen! I knew it all along!!! Then it was off to swim. It was cool clear water and Hiro did flips for us.

We then made our way out of the valley but before we got on the road, on went the seatbelts and back came the roof. Our final stop of the day was at a beach where we could see where the river we were on came into the ocean. The surf was high and there were a lot of people taking advantage. Soon we were back in the harbor and saying our goodbyes. We headed to our stateroom to shower and change as it was getting late. We had a quick dinner and then grabbed our raincoats and computers and went to a bar nearby to use the Internet. It was horribly slow but we checked email and caught up with everyone back home. We then went back to the ship for a phenomenal Polynesian cultural show. It was different from the one we had seen on our last cruise here. It lasted late and it was after midnight when our heads hit the pillow.

This morning we had breakfast delivered to our cabin early because we had an 8 a.m. shore excursion. It has been raining some each day and we are hoping that it will hold off until afternoon as we are going on a photo safari to all the highlights of the island. We will have a photographer with us who will teach us about our cameras and how to get the best pictures. We met our group in the Queens Lounge and waited to be called to our tender. The ride in was not too rough and soon we were at our 4x4 meeting our driver FrankyFrank and our guide/photographer Reno. Reno was from Paris and started in Moorea as an underwater photographer and slowly grew his business. As digital took over from film he started his teaching business. Our first stop was at a beach where we could see our ship. He talked to us about composition and camera settings before turning us loose to make our shots. He came around and looked at our shots and critiqued them tell us what could be changed to make it better. I made a shot of Hugh with the ship that he said was perfect except Hugh needed to be doing something interesting, not just standing. Our next stop was in the mountains at a pineapple field. Reno talked to us about using a low F-stop to blur the background or a high F-stop to increase depth of field. We had a fabulous array of things to photograph and each of us made way more shots than we will want to edit, hoping for that perfect one. From the fields we travelled up and up to Belvedere Point. From here we could see both bays and had a fabulous view of the mountains that were even higher than we were. It started to drizzle rain but we still worked hard on our composition. Reno talked to each of us about what we were trying to capture and told us how to best accomplish that when the conditions were less than optimum. Our next stop was an Agricultural school where we had bathroom facilities and got to taste the delicious jams they make for selling. We then travelled into their fruit orchard and flower farm to work on our close up shots. Reno talked to us about lighting and using a filler flash if needed. One thing he told us at each stop was that he liked to keep his white balance on automatic and his ISO around 200 and use the f-stop settings to accomplish the desired effect. We made a lot of pictures and hope we have a few that will be worthy of the effort we put into them.

We ended our trip back at the ship and Hugh and I walked around some and finally did some last minute shopping for stocking stuffers. At about 2:30 we decided to head back to the ship and have some lunch and look at our photos. We had lunch by the pool and enjoyed the cover over the pool as it started to rain just a bit. At 4:30 we prepared to sail and the party was moved to the Crow's Nest as it was wet outside. Hugh and I decided to stay outside and really enjoyed the view. By 6 we were well away from the island and we went to the cabin to dry out and dress for dinner. We had a great time at dinner eating slowly and playing cards between courses. We went to the show that was the Amsterdam singers and dancers. This group of entertainers has been consistently great, getting better with every show. After the show we went to the cabin to get ready for snorkeling in Rangiroa.

This morning we woke up early for the sail in but when we looked outside it was pouring rain and so cloudy we could not see the water. We went back to bed until our regular waking time. When we got up this time it was still raining so we went to breakfast and then packed our raincoats, grabbed our snorkels and fins and headed to the tenders. The ride was bumpy but short and it was really raining hard when we reached shore. With our raincoats on we headed away from the port hoping it would clear some by the time we reached a pretty beach. Soon the wind picked up and the clouds cleared some and the heat index went up. Off came the coats and soon we were ready for the water. We walked about 2 miles and found a lovely little rocky beach with a coral outcropping relatively close to shore. It was very choppy with a strong wind and I did not make it long snorkeling. It was a lot of hard work fighting the current. Hugh stayed longer and got some good pictures but was exhausted when he came in. We made spots on the beach to put our towels so we could catch some rays while he rested. It was nice while the sun shone but the wind picked up again and the rain clouds gathered.

We walked back to port and had time to do some shopping before the rain came. Our tender ride back to the ship was very rough and they had a hard time keeping it close to the ship to unload. We went to the covered pool area and showered and then sat outside to eat our lunch. It was warm under the closed in area and we could eat in our bathing suits. Close to sail away time we went to the cabin and dressed in warmer clothes before heading to deck 8. It was not raining and even though the party was in the Crow's Nest there were a lot of people by the aft pool enjoying the view. It was very difficult for them to get the tenders on board because of the wind and rolling seas. We sailed about 40 minutes late but the rain held off until we had sailed through the channel. We were able to see some dolphins playing as we sailed out. We had to make a hasty departure back to our room as the wind and rain played havoc with us the last 5-10 minutes. We took our time cleaning up one more time and dressed warmly as the ship felt cool with the rain outside. We had a great dinner and edited pictures between courses. We joined our friends for the comedy show of Frank King and it was hysterical. If it was going to be different at the late show we would go again. There was a raffle in the Jewelry store and we went. Surprise, surprise, I won a watch and bracelet. Neel sized it for me and I look forward to wearing it. We headed to the cabin and journaled, edited pictures, and read. Before we realized it midnight was on the horizon and off went the lights. We lost 30 minutes tonight as the time changed as we sail toward Nuka Hiva.

Today was a repeat of yesterday; we woke up to pouring rain. We had not set a clock but our coffee came at 8 and we slowly dressed and made our way to breakfast. It was dreary looking out the windows but we decided to go walk a mile on the covered Promenade deck before we went to the 10 a.m. lecture. Our shore guide was supposed to talk on Statehood for Hawaii and Pearl Harbor. The lecture he gave was on Captain Cook but at the end he apologized. He said he just realized his mistake and promised the other lecture soon. We stayed for the lecture on jewelry making and then went to the raffle of a $1000 custom piece. I did not win this but a gentleman did; he had no woman with him. That's not fair! I stayed and talked with friends and Hugh went to the Piano Bar to edit pictures. Before we realized it lunch was almost over and we had not eaten. We joined some friends for lunch and had fun looking at his videos made from his drone. He really had some great pictures and video. After lunch we sat by the pool and journaled and edited. Trying to get caught up from the days we were too busy to get anything done. Soon it was time to dress for the Captains Pre-dinner Reception where they honor people with the most nights on Holland America. When we arrived at the correct time there were at least 300 people in front of us. The line went quickly and I was so glad I did not have the Captains job of greeting each one. They served wine and mixed drinks and we were seated with a couple that had over 500 nights, a gentlemen who was honored for completing 700 nights and a lovely couple that were rather new to cruising. The honor of the day went to a woman from our exercise class and whom we had seen on another cruise. She had 1445 days on HAL ships. After the reception we joined our friends from Oklahoma for dinner. We went to the dining room and had a lovely time getting to know each other better. We had time to play some cards before the show. The entertainer was Annie Francis from Sydney Australia. She sang a variety of song genres and did a marvelous job. We left the show hoping to see her again. We stopped at the Adagio duo and listened for a while before returning to our stateroom.

Coffee delivery was our alarm clock today as we neared Nuka Hiva. The sun is shining and it is already quite warm. We dressed and went to breakfast so we could get a tender to shore early. During breakfast we noticed the first tenders were not going to the dock but just sitting out among the sailboats. We then heard the announcement that they are having trouble unloading the tenders' dockside. The tide is low and the dock is high making the step up a big deal for a lot of people. It will be slow for a while so we decided to just stay on board rather than sit on a tender, hot and filled with diesel fumes. Hugh backed up our pictures while I worked on some of my Christmas poems. No need to waste the time. We hope to be able to snorkel today, as this is our last port. It is sad for this trip to end but it has been filled with great memories. We took a tender at 9 and did not have to wait. When we arrived on shore we stashed our snorkeling gear under the refreshment table and decided to get our 10,000 steps first. We did some shopping or rather looking at the local vendors before heading out onto the road. We walked to the left of the harbor to the end of the island taking time to enjoy the rock statuary and the gorgeous views. We found our friends from OK and took a swim with them before making the return trip to the dock. On our way back we stopped at a lovely church and went in for Sunday prayers. It was casual Sunday, bathing suit and cover-up!

Back at the dock we retrieved our gear and walked up and over the hill to the beach area. It was crowded with families having Sunday cookouts. We marked our spot and quickly got in the water to cool off. The beach is rocky but once you are in the water it was sandy and nice. Hugh decided to swim over to the place we snorkeled the last visit but the waves were too much for me so I stayed and swam. Hugh had a great snorkel and got some great pictures. It was nice that he had an underwater camera because last time it was hard for me to describe the coral plates we saw. It was getting late when we decided to walk back and just as every other trip we had skipped lunch. Back at the dock we tried to do some computer work but the connection was so slow that we could only send one email and check scores, no bill paying or Facebook. We took the next tender back to the ship and ate a very late lunch and then went to the promenade deck and walked and waited until sail away. The views were fabulous as we left our last port. Everyone was sad to see the island slip into the mist. It was a wonderful day with bright sun and lovey vistas. We won't be seeing anything like that again and no land at all for the next 7 days. We finally made it to our stateroom for showers but took the time to wash out all our snorkeling equipment so it will dry before we have to pack.

Coffee was delivered at 7 but Hugh and I did not make it up until 7:30. The busy ports we have had lately made up more tired than expected. We had our bagel and coffee and then dressed for exercise. We decided to get our 10,000 steps in early and headed to deck three to walk. It was warmer than we expected and very windy but we persevered and finished sweaty and ready for showers. We dressed for the Captains brunch and still made it to the 9:30 Good Morning Amsterdam show. Today Gene interviewed Annie Francis the Australian entertainer from 2 nights ago. She was delightful. At 10 we went to the lecture on Hawaii's statehood and it was insightful as neither of us remembered the history. At 11 we went to the dining room for our Mariners lunch and we were seated with a lovely twosome that were traveling together. The Captain told us in his opening remarks that the company is 142 years old. The food was great and the champagne flowed freely. We were given our HAL ceramic tile coasters and this year the design is different. Soon I will have enough to tile a small room. After the lunch we took our computers to the Piano lounge to journal until time for the art lecture on Peter Max. This was a great lecture and we learned a lot about the 1960's and Peter's rise to fame. Also learned that his name is Peter Max Finklestein from Germany. His family fled to Shanghai where he grew to a teenager before moving to Paris then to the US. After the lecture we changed into exercise clothes and headed to the gym where we were put to shame by the singers and dancers doing their workouts. We were hot and tired when we arrived back at the cabin so we cleaned up and took a nap. We both slept soundly for about 90 minutes and felt so much better. It was gala night so we dressed up and headed to the dining room for surf and turf. We were seated with 3 great couples, one we new before and two we met tonight. We laughed and had a great dinner. We finished dessert just in time to get to the showroom and claim our seats. The entertainment has been so good the shows fill up fast. Tonight it was the singers and dancers in a tribute to Elton John. They were fabulous and I am sure we will join some friends and go back to the late show. We went to the library and I got a book to read this week and then we journaled a bit before heading back to the show. After the late show we were both ready to just settle in and read before sleep.

This morning we slept in and coffee came at 8. We tried to enjoy the verandah but the sun was right in our eyes and it was already too warm to enjoy. We finished our coffee and then went to the promenade deck to get our walk in before breakfast. We ate breakfast by the pool and then changed into swimsuits and staked out our chairs for the King Neptune ceremony as we crossed the equator. We sat by several people who had not done this before and were excited for the event. Just as it was getting ready to start two very large and tall people came to sit on the pool apron, which was marked off. For the first time all cruise we stood our ground and told them to sit in chairs like everyone else. One of them did but the other squeezed in. Some people are so rude. The ceremony was lots of fun and as always a lot of crew got slimed, kissed the fish, and then took a dip in the drink. After the ceremony we retired to our cabin to journal and get out of the sun. The cabin steward came and we had to relocate to one of the common areas to continue. We edited pictures, wrote travel tips, journaled, and I wrote my last Christmas poem for this year! Before long it was lunchtime and we decided to go to the dining room today. We were seated with two sailors from Florida and enjoyed listening to their adventures. We enjoyed a slow and lazy afternoon and then showered and dressed for a late dinner. We ate and played cards and this was Hugh's night to shine at Kings on the Corner. We went to the show and tonight's entertainer was a master magician named James Cielen. He is the main act at one of the large casinos in Las Vegas. He was amazing and for one of his tricks I was called on to be his assistant or in other terms make sure he did what he said. It was a lot of fun and now I will have magician assistant on my resume. After the show we walked around the ship and then headed to the cabin to read!

We slept in this morning and it was 8 before coffee arrived. Again today we were not able to sit on the verandah to enjoy our coffee as the sun was too bright and hot. We went to walk and before we reached our first mile it was raining and the wind was very high. We continued to the mile mark and then went to breakfast before we got too wet. After breakfast we walked again and this time it was still, hot, and humid. We finished 2 miles and then rushed to shower and get ready for the Veteran's Day celebration. This was an extremely moving service and there are a huge number of veterans on this trip. We then went up to the pool area to journal, watch Dr. Who, and enjoy the sun. Hugh decided mid afternoon that he was ready for a nap. I took a shower and did my hair and enjoyed sitting on the verandah finishing my book. Hugh slept long and hard and it was 5 before he was ready to edit some of our pictures. We found out we have some good pictures of ourselves this trip which is unusual. We took our time getting ready for dinner and allowed ourselves just enough time to eat and then get to the show. We sat with our friends from OK and the entertainer was Jesses Kazemek and his tribute to the Fab Four. It was wonderful and before the first show was over we had decided to come back to the late show. Between the shows we went to hear Adagio but after two songs they went on break so we headed to the Crow's Nest for the Johnny Cash tribute. We joined some of our new friends for a while and then headed back to the show. It was just as good this time! We loose an hour tonight so it is already very late so we quickly prepare for bed. Good night!

Today the coffee was delivered at 7 but we stayed in bed until after 8. Thank goodness they have wonderful thermal carafes that keep the coffee hot. We sat on the verandah and enjoyed the coffee and then dressed for breakfast. The ship is rolling quite a bit so we did not go to walk. After a good breakfast including my doughnut, we headed to the theater for Good Morning Amsterdam. The Kazemek's are to be the guest but before they came on we had to hear the wine experts and the jewelry designer. This is always a fun show and you get to know the performers more up close and personal. From here we headed to the showroom for an up close look at the marionettes from 2 days ago. Phillip Huber is amazing and his creations seem so real. He showed a video on his creative process and how each marionette came to be. The process can take up to 2 years. He uses music for his original idea and then he draws the creation, makes a pattern, carves, and even sews the costumes. He is truly a one-man show. At 11 we went to a talk on the mangroves of the Pacific. Dr. Cooper also included some Atlantic and Florida mangroves in his lecture. This is great incentive for us to visit the Everglades National Park when we are in Miami in January. We went back to the cabin to work on the computers but housekeeping was there so we went up poolside to do our work. We sat by the pool and enjoyed the shade and did our work. I left Hugh there and went to the cabin to listen to my iPod and sit on the verandah. The sun was just too much for me and my neck was hurting in the short back chairs. At three we went to the Philipino crew show. They did an amazing job… and are some very talented crewmembers. After the show we went back to relax before dinner. We went to the Lido for dinner and ate quickly so we could get to the showroom and stake out our seats. The entertainment has been so good on this trip that one has to get to the showroom early to get a seat. The entertainer tonight was a concert pianist. His name was Hyperion Knight and he told us it was not a stage name but the result of two hippie parents in Berkeley, CA. He was fantastic and we look forward to an encore performance. We then went to the theater to snatch some popcorn and then we stopped to hear Adagio. We watched some TV and then it was off to bed.

Coffee was delivered at 7:30 today but we did not get up until after 9. Sea days are so lazy. We went to the promenade deck and walked 3 miles before we headed to breakfast. After we had enough coffee to fortify us we headed to the gym and did a great workout. Then it was off to showers and preparation for the afternoon. At lunchtime we ate outside and only very lightly. Today was the ice cream buffet and ice-carving demo. This was a fun event and the ice carvers were amazing creating a beautiful eagle and Pegasus the flying horse. The ice cream social was a hoot. You would have thought that these people had not seen ice cream in years even though it is available 12 hours a day. The bowls that passed by us would have fed small countries but everyone was happy. I enjoyed the candy toppings they had the most. After eating his fill Hugh went to rest and I stayed up on the pool deck and talked with friends. Before I knew it time to prepare for dinner rolled around. We met friends in the dining room and had a great time finishing just in time for the show. This was an encore performance of Annie Francis and was even better than her first. We then went to hear Adagio and attempt to snitch some popcorn from the theater but we were to late, all the bags were gone. We went back to the late show to support this great artist and we were glad we did because attendance was sparse. Then it was off to bed.

Today was a repeat of yesterday with the coffee arriving well before we were ready to get up. When we got up we walked our 3 miles and had breakfast finishing just in time for the first lecture of the morning. This one was on the Creatures of the Deep and very interesting. We journaled some and talked with friends before we headed to lunch. Some new friends joined us and we made plans for the afternoon. We went to shower and dress for the day and evening as we had a full afternoon. We went to the encore performance of the concert pianist at 2 and it was fabulous. We then followed the hungry masses to the dining room for the cupcake tea. We were seated with some photographer/camera buffs that also liked to dive. We stayed having a lively conversation until they shut things down. We then made our way to the Queens' Lounge for the farewell cocktail party. Champagne was flowing and the music was great. They showed a video using our friend's drone videos from all the ports and then the cruise director showed a video of the crew that was hilarious. There was a lot of music and dancing and it was hard to remember that it was just 5:30. From here we ventured to the Lido for a very light dinner and 2 of our favorite couples joined us. One couple was celebrating their 30 anniversary and we had cake and champagne or mimosas for dessert. One of the staff sang to them and it was great fun. We all headed back to the Lounge for the 2nd cocktail party but there was not as much dancing and music because they had to prepare for the show. At 8 the singers and dancers performed their final show. This troupe is by far the best we have ever had on a cruise and every performance was fantastic. Our friends went to the Crow's Nest and we headed to hear Adagio but we made plans to meet back for the late show. The late show was even better than the first and we went off to our cabin very happy.

Woke up much earlier this morning and decided to walk and eat breakfast before tackling the overwhelming task of packing. The air was much cooler and the wind very brisk as we made our way around the ship. We finished just as the 5K On Deck for a Cause began. We decided to skip this walk because of the frailty of some of the walkers and the rolling of the ship. We tackled the packing and it went much more smoothly than we expected although Hugh bragged he had lots of space just before he found all his clothes set aside for Lori's and 2 drawers filled with shorts and tees. With a little adjustment we fit everything in easily. We left the bags zipped and ready and went poolside to enjoy the sun and catch up on pictures and journaling. Lunch came and went and I must say this was the last day of such variety for a while. At one we headed to the Queen's Lounge for the lecture on the 126 countries Holland America visits. Along the way we were able to swap cards and get pictures of new friends. This has been a trip to meet and enjoy people from all over and also of all ages. The captain made his daily report and unfortunately the news for the rest of the day is not good. The weather is deteriorating and we will have high winds and seas of over 15 feet YUK!!!!! Better say our goodbyes now, as people will be more prone to stay in their cabins. Hugh was nostalgic and sad about the cruise being over but we both agreed we had a fun week ahead with the kids. The weather was not too bad in the afternoon but by dinnertime we were rocking. We ate in the Lido and went to the final show but I did not enjoy the music of the HALCATS. I left early and went and watched football. There was quite a large Seattle Seahawks group and it was a fun evening. Hugh joined me and we walked a bit and then headed to the Crows Nest for a last visit with our new friends. The karaoke was not the best but the conversation was lively. Soon it was time to head to the cabin for last minute packing and then off to bed.

Today it was sad to get our final coffee delivery and then head out to the dining area where everyone was dressed in winter traveling gear. The immigration authorities took a good while clearing the large non-American contingency and we knew early on that we would not make our flight. I let Lori and the airline know. We waited until the last minute to vacate the room as they were already making announcements to stay away from the gangway. It was after 9 when we finally made our way off the ship and got a shuttle to the airport. We checked in at Virgin America and they put us on the next flight. It was a pleasant flight and soon we were in San Francisco renting a car and preparing for the next part of our adventure. This was an adventure as well as a luxury cruise. We will always remember the wonderful verandah suite we had and the great people we met. The world is full of beautiful places and the South Pacific has a plethora to choose from. ALOHA! /susan