March 4, 2022
Had a very nice time listening to the Dance Band play two sets prior to dinner last night. I like watching couples who are either natural ballroom dancers or took lessons. They can waltz, rumba, and cha-cha. After the second set, we played some slots. Tried a few new machines but kept going back to old faithful – Wonder Woman. I have her theme song stuck in my head now.
Dinner was in a different section with different waiters. I wonder if we will ever repeat waiters during this voyage? No matter. There were no hiccups in tonight’s dinner. I had the sweet potato soup, Hawaiian macadamia and pineapple salad, and Pasta with chicken meatballs. Chuck an appetizer, the same salad, and the Parmesan encrusted chicken breast. He also had a hot fudge sundae.
I had assumed that the pasta would have several small meatballs in it. No…just one large chicken meatball. Interesting.
We went to the first set of the BB King Band. Another excellent performance. Lots of people up dancing to Prince and Stevie Wonder. After it was over, Chuck went for some three card poker and I headed for the room. I briefly thought about getting dessert in the Lido but just kept going to the room.
The laundry was delivered all cleaned and pressed. I got it put away. I am very thankful for this service.
Only fly in the ointment last night was the shower again. The warm water is tepid interspersed with bursts of Arctic water. I’ve got to check with our room stewards to see if they have notified maintenance. If not, I will need to call Guest Services. I might someday take part in a Polar Bear swim but I don’t want it to be an every day shower.
We set our clocks back another hour so we are officially on Hawaii time now.
After a light breakfast in the Lido, we went up to the gym. Quite a few members of the BB King Band were working out. I had to admire them. Put on a great show every night and then workout in the mornings. Dedication.
Hope this rain doesn’t follow us all the way to Hawaii. Would love some sunny 80 degree days – especially in Kona where we are supposed to snorkel.
I attended the 11:00 lecture on “Unexpected Heroes” presented by Ian, the Cruise Director. He discussed the various Caribbean sports teams that made history by besting some of the sports powerhouses over the years. Examples – Jamaican Olympic Bobsled team, Trinidad/Tobago vs USA in soccer, and West Indies team against England Cricket. David and Goliath type stories.
Met Chuck for lunch in the Lido. As we were eating, he spotted birds flying along side and diving into the water. First birds we have seen since leaving Catalina. They were too fast for pictures but I think they were frigates. Glad to see them as it is a sign we are getting closer to land even though frigates can fly miles away from land.
It was still raining so Chuck decided a nap was in order. I went to the Explorer’s Café to pick up a latte and then went to the presentation by the Hawaiian ambassador, Kainoa. It was entitled “Hawaiian Migration.” Two main points in the presentation – how people navigated to Hawaii and all the different cultures that can be found in Hawaii. He is a great speaker. I look forward to more presentations.
Interesting points: Hawaiian islands are the most isolated group of islands in the world. First wave of people are said to have come from the Marquesas islands around 200 AD. The first explorers determined that there were islands north of them due to the types of currents flowing to the Marquesas. Had only canoes to traverse the ocean and stars and currents to guide them. Hawaiians are the only Polynesians that never participated in cannibalism (good to know).
Fondest Travel Memories 