View Points

Every morning I walk two miles. When the cruise first started, there were many walkers every morning, but now that we've been at sea for a week, the walkers have disappeared. This was my view of walkers this morning

Depending on conditions I either walk on the Promenade Deck (#3) or the Observation Deck (#10). Generally speaking ,the higher number decks are less stable and rock more than the lower number decks. BUT there's an exception...if the lower deck is wet, walk the higher level deck as it will have less sea spray. 

From the Observation Deck, you can see all the radar/navigation equipment. It's not a mosque and those are not minerets. 

I love looking at the roiling wake from the stern of the ship. BTW this looks a bit more calm than it was.

In the meantime, the cooks are busy 

...creating edible confections and the room stewards are 

,,,fashioning towel animals for our enjoyment. The cruise is going well.

Blanket at Sea

I just finished a teddy bear blanket. It's for the grand baby of a friend of mine. The baby is due in August and we don't know if it's a boy or a girl...hence the minty green color. It has the official "Teddy Bear Seal of Approval" so I know mom, dad and the baby will love it.

Kona and a Sea Day

Yesterday we were anchored off Kona. The crew took the lifeboats out and used them as tenders to take us from ship to shore and back. The skies were gray but the sea was navy blue. 

From the Crow's Nest we looked at the hotels lining the shoreline and decided that we did not really want to leave our quiet place on the ship.

Today is a sea day, as we are wending our way to Fanning Island in the Kiribatis. In case you don't know where that is, imagine Hawaii and go south about 1200 miles and you will run into a tiny scrap of land where there is NO electricity. Today I went to a program about Fanning and discovered that it's very primitive but very picturesque. We'll be there in a couple of days and I'll post pictures so you can make up your own mind.

The ship has some cool models on display. 

And 

It's hard to imagine sailing in wooden ships like these models represent. The modern cruise ship has evolved a lot since the days of wooden ships and iron men. SO, with that in mind...

I'll end with a towel elephant hugging my teddy bear. Both seem to be happy campers. 

Hilo

We spent our third day in Hawaii in Hilo. We arrived right after the sun rose and we were greeted with a rainbow.

Then the tug came up to the ship and we were "herded" to the port facility.

In Hilo that facility is out of the way. Therefore, it's quite a distance to Hilo town site

There are several ways to get to HIlo...a taxi, a shore excursion, or the famous free Wal-Mart bus. We decided to take the Wal-Mart shuttle and get on with our day from there. 

In Hilo you can visit Volcanoes National Park, or you can fly over an active volcano, or you can see Akaka Falls State Park, or you can see the views from the cliffs. We've done all of that in the past, so we walked a bit and came back to the ship. The ship without people is a very pleasant place to be. It was sad to hear the "Muggles" when they came back from their excursions. In between we had a quiet time without them. 

I did see one piece of wildlife today--a sea turtle, about 18 inches in diameter was minding his own business when the ship was gliding toward the dock. The turtle was quietly swimming when he looked to the side and saw our behemoth on his left flank (literally) at which point he dived and that was the last I saw of him. It all happened so quickly, I did not have time to take a picture...and if I had taken a picture I don't know if he would have been visible as we as just about the same color as the water. 

Tomorrow we head for Kona, one or our favorite places in Hawaii.

Stuff and Nonsense

We stayed overnight in Honolulu. Last night was absolutely beautiful...the lights in the harbor were fun to look at...not good for pictures though, but that's all right. 

That's our big ship "parked" beside the city. Next to the Aloha Tower the Grand Princess is "parked" 

...the Princess ship has the better parking space as it's a bit closer to town. 

Once in town, you can get all the Spam you can eat. Spam is a favorite for Island folks as it's good "typhoon food"--have you ever seen a can of Spam spoil? I bet you did not know there were that many varieties of Spam either. 

There are lots of container ships and barges in the bay. This barge is interesting as it has it's own crane to lift and carry the containers. Generally speaking, the cranes are on the shore and the barge floats up to the crane...not in this case. 

This morning the crew was doing life boat drills, and they actually loaded a life boat...now I know how folks get into and out of one of these things. The process should be included in the drill...or it should be on a video you can see you your room.

This is a huge tile mural, that I thought was an old Delft piece...only, it was made for the ship in Spain.

As I said, this was all stuff and nonsense. Tomorrow we will be in Hilo.

Honolulu

We are docked in Honolulu. Our first port of call on this tour. Lots of folks have left the ship to explore Honolulu and vicinity, but we have opted to take a short excursion ashore, then stay on board. Staying on board is so much more fun when the ship is just about empty, Folks who have cruised a lot, like these days, when not too many people are onboard. It's like having the ship to ourselves.

We were greeted this morning with a view of Diamondhead. Always distinctive...Diamondhead tells you that you've arrived on the islands. 

While Diamondhead is more or less empty, the rest of the city is alive and bustling. Honolulu is a busy, thriving city. If you are looking for grass shacks along the beach, don't come here, as I don't think there are any. Some of the other islands might have that feature, but the famous beach here, Waikiki, is way too developed.

This picture gives you a pretty good idea how Honolulu has grown both upward and outward. In the old days, the Aloha Tower at the left edge of the picture was the tallest building on the island. That is no longer the case. From my vantage point on the ship, I can see from Tripler Hospital to the left, the Punchbowl in the center, and Diamonhead to the right. It's perfect. We will be here 2 days. 

The best place to be...somewhere on deck, near the pools enjoying the beauty of Hawaii.

Arts and Crafts

The ship is filled with art. In addition to the obligatory art gallery, there's always a collection of objects around the ship. This ship has a strange collection of "stuff." At the elevators there are 

 These fawn benches. Different floors have different colors. Not only are really strange to look at, they are uncomfortable too. 

This six foot urn fills it's own niche, and it's one of a pair. Not too far away is 

A large majolica creation sporting a colorful parrot. 

A lovely nymph dances beside one of the elevators. And the elevators have beautiful doors

Yet not all the art is stuffy. 

As this turkey appeared on my bed last night. 

Safety

Safety is the number 1 priority on a ship. Everywhere there are signs telling you to mind your head or watch your step. But, the most important safety issue, is the lifeboat/safety drill that everyone has to participate in before the ship sets sail.

Depending on the company (Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Princess, etc.) there are specific standards that HAVE to be met. One of the basic standards is "Everyone has to participate in a safety drill." That's not hard. However, how you participate in that safety drill is different for each line and sometimes for each ship.

As an example, when we were on the Oasis of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship, we were instructed to go to the Champagne Bar to see the pre-recorded safety message on the TV that was scheduled to be shown at a specific time. We showed up without our life jackets, listened to the message, watched a live demonstration on how to wear a life jacket, and we were dismissed. That was the full extent of the safety drill.

On most Princess ships, we have been instructed to go to a lounge near our muster station, with our life jacket, and watch a pre-recorded safety message on the TV. Then there's a live demonstration on how to wear a life jacket followed by the passengers actually putting on their life jackets. After getting "inspected" for doing it correctly, everyone is dismissed. 

Then there's "The Westerdam" on Holland America. No cushy lounge or bar for the Westerdam...no... We had to go to the actual muster station which is boldly printed on our room key. At the designated time, we proceeded to our muster station where we were checked in. Then came a waiting game as everyone had to be quiet so the captain could speak. He told us what needed to be done in case of an emergency. The captain of this ship is definitely the leader as he has a huge booming voice that does not let anyone even think about doing anything other than following his directions. After the directions, we saw a live demonstration on how to put on the life jacket. We were not requested nor required to put on the life jacket. It did not take long to get to the muster station, but it took a lot of time for everyone to get quiet and then listen to the announcement. It was a very different feeling from any other ship we have been on over the years. I don't know if it was "better" than other safety drills, but it was certainly different.

Whatever the case, when the drill is over, most folks have a general idea what needs to be done in case of an emergency. What is never ever told to the passengers is HOW to get into the lifeboats.  Somehow that is completely ignored. I guess we are supposed to know how to do that task. 

These are the formal directions for putting on a life jacket. 

And these are the formal directions for putting down the extra life rafts. Again, no directions on how to get into the life rafts. 

20 Knots Per Hour

That might not seem like a lot, but it's 20 knots per hour, day and night. By noon yesterday we had traveled 350 knots and we were 1900 knots from Hawaii, our first stop. 

The ocean is calm and the sky is blue. Yesterday we saw a whale surfing on the water, and after a few minutes, it dove under never to be seen again. That was our "excitement" for day! 

The folks I've met are all experienced travelers. Most of the pax are older, but there are 2 children on board. They are celebrities as kids are rare on a 30 day cruise. We have at least 2 lecturers on board, and there might be more as the cruise director's staff is bringing them out slowly. Trivia has started, and it's a "big" thing. I have a team and I'm sad to say, we lost yesterday. Do you know how many seconds there are in a year? 

Learning the Ship

Each ship is different, even though they do the same thing. It takes a bit of time to learn what a ship does and does not do. Today and tomorrow I will do some exploring to find out more about the ship. 

I did find out this morning that it's very possible to walk two miles outside, on the ship's deck. That's important as I like to walk 2 miles a day. It takes 6 laps around the Promenade Deck (aka deck 3) to accumulate 2 miles. Along the way I experienced sunrise, which is always special on the ocean. As I looked if the back if the ship I could see just a glint of sunshine trying to push up the clouds. Alas, this morning the clouds won

...but that will not always be the case. It might be cloudy, but it's still very pleasant outside. We are steaming along at 20 knots an hour, and at this rate, we will arrive in Honolulu in about 4 days.

I'm off to do more exploring after our breakfast arrives. It's nice to have breakfast delivered, something that does not happen at home.

On The Westerdam

We finally embarked on the HAL Westerdam. It was a slow process that was not well organized. HAL you should be able to do better. 

Once onboard, things are a little better. We have a Suite, with a huge bathroom

There are double sinks

...a Jacuzzi

...and a shower. We will stay clean!

Of course there's a huge bed, that I hope is comfy

...then there's a sofa

A desk with TV and a hidden fridge 

...and another desk.

We have a verandah, with two "lounge" chairs (they don't look too soft to me)

And a little table for breakfast in the waves. That's always fun!

We are still in San Diego, but sail-a-way is at 5 and then we will head for Hawaii. Watch this space....more to come. 

Turkey Time

It's springtime, and that means it's time for turkeys to "strut their stuff." Yesterday we saw some wild turkeys doing their dance. The pictures are not great, but if you look carefully, you'll see the Tom displaying his beautiful tail. 

Wild turkey are never easy to find, and here they were just walking around on a back road. 

What a treat!

On The Road Again

Watch this space as we're on vacation again. Today we drove south to San Francisco and we were treated to a green state. 

The hillsides are covered in green and yellow. The meadow foam is lush.

We've not seen this much green in CA for a long long time. It's a treat. Keep watching this space as the scenery will be changing yet again. We are beginning a new adventure.