March 2, 2022
Interesting start to the evening last night. I couldn’t seem to get hot water for my shower. Granted, I like to take hot showers that some might say would boil a lobster. But, I was shivering in this particular shower with only intermittent lukewarm water. It was a very fast shower. If it is no better today, I’ll need the room steward to call a plumber. Weird thing is that the hot water in the sink is very hot.
The challenging evening continued into dinner. We had a reservation for 7:00 like usual. Since we don’t specify which table, dining room section, or waiters we prefer, we take whatever is assigned to us when we arrive. We’ve been pretty happy with any table/wait staff we get.
The waiters were very nice and they took our order promptly but dinner was not without its SNAFU’s which in our experience rarely happens with HAL. Sometimes service is slow but accurate. As usual, we each ordered an appetizer, soup, and a main course. We planned to split a dessert and I ordered a cappuccino and Chuck regular coffee.
The appetizers came quickly but I realized we had no salt/pepper on the table. I could have reached over to the next table to get a set but I figured the people dining there would not be pleased. Finally got the waiter’s attention and he seemed startled that the set wasn’t there.
After we finished, he cleared the setting and put down a new knife and fork – no spoon. I told Chuck that I bet we weren’t getting that soup. Yep – out came the main courses – Vegetarian Jambalya for me and steak for Chuck. We could have insisted on getting the soup but the portions for the main course were large so we didn’t bother asking. I helped Chuck eat his steak fries.
Our dessert came and my cappuccino but no coffee for Chuck. We didn’t want to wait so we just ate and left. Inaccuracies in the order happen so rarely, I hope they were just having an off night.
I also noticed that there were many people as confused as me about “Festive” night. Some dressed like Gala nights. Others did nothing special. While some, like me, threw on some Mardi Gras beads and called it a day.
We went to the BB King’s Room to listen to the band’s first set. The leader singer’s voice was great and her backup musicians were excellent. We danced to several songs as did many other couples. Once the set was over, we called it a night.
Slept really well and woke up at 5:30 to a beautiful dawn. Chuck roused up at 7:00 when I came back with our coffees.
As I was in the process of logging out of my Navigator account on my phone and logging into it on the laptop, I suddenly realized I did not have to go to that trouble. Our internet package allows for only one device at a time to be logged into the Internet. However, we both were given the package. Since Chuck doesn’t bother with Internet access, I kept my login on the phone and used his login for the laptop. No more wasting time logging in and out. Yay! Small victories.
We ate a light breakfast in the Lido and then went to the gym. They were having a yoga class and many of the aerobic machines were in use. We used the weight machines and did the best we could to duplicate the routine we do at Workout 24/7 at home. I was proud that we spent about an hour in there. We need to keep it up – at least on sea days.
We then went to the Crow’s Nest to locate the tour organizer of our tour in Bora Bora. We needed to pay him for our spots. He was located where he said he would be and we spent a while chatting with him and his wife.
We tried walking the promenade deck today but there was no sunny warm side of the ship. Sprinkles, wind, and cool temps – I was done before we made it halfway down the promenade. Chuck did not object.
When we got back to the room, I saw our room steward in the hall and told him about the lukewarm/cool shower last night and he came in and tested the water. He said he would call maintenance about it as he acknowledged that something was not right.
Chuck was signed up for the 1:00 poker tournament so we decided to head up to the Lido for an early lunch. Again, I had the salad bar and it did not disappoint. Paired it with two small slices of pizza and a Blue Moon which made it a perfect lunch. Chuck had a sampling of different offerings from the menu. We shared a table with a couple from Flagler Beach, Florida. We saw them on the dance floor last night. Very nimble on their feet.
The Captain came on the PA system promptly at noon for his daily address to the passengers. He was very pleased to announce that all passengers tested negative yesterday so, according to CDC guidelines, he could change the mask wearing from required to recommended.
There will be some venues that must still be required – Casino, Main Stage, riding the tenders, and getting on and off the ship. I still plan to wear mine whenever I find myself in a crowd. Hawaii should welcome us with open arms. Having no COVID cases out of this many people is amazing.
According to the paperwork received, we will be tested again on March 8 or 9 and again on the 16th. Hope the results are just as good as today’s results.
Once we finished, Chuck was ready to go to his tournament and I hung out in the room until it was time for the 2:00 lecture. The topic was “Geology and Geography” presented by one of the Hawaiian ambassadors: Kainoa. He was an excellent presenter mixing family stories with factual information.
Interesting points: Two types of volcanoes: Shield (a volcano formed entirely from accumulated flows of fluid lava, growing a few feet at a time and giving the volcano its broad, gently sloping profile – ex. Diamond Head) and Composite (is a conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava and tephra. Characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and periodic intervals of explosive eruptions – ex. Mount St. Helens). Two types of lava: A’a – slow moving (so slow you can step out of its way) and Pahoeho – fast moving – can get to 60 mph.
Our next lecture was Navigating the Night Sky by Jim (HAL guest speaker). I had a feeling he was a college professor at one time. He was very enthusiastic and animated. He had some great shots of the night sky and was pointing out the various constellations. He is going to hold some actual star gazing workshops on an upper deck if we can get some starry nights. So far, the nights have been cloudy.
Interesting points: There are 88 constellations. The Big Dipper is part of the Ursa Major Constellation. A light year is 6 trillion miles. Constellations shift in the sky 15 degrees every hour. The star Polaris is a Super Giant – 36 times the brightness of the sun.
After the lectures, I found Chuck in the Ocean’s Bar listening to the Dance Band. He was already dressed and looking sharp for the Gala evening. I needed to catch up.
Fondest Travel Memories 