"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report # 17 Honolulu, Oahu October 9, 2017 Monday Day Two Mostly sunny & 81 degrees 36 Pictures

Day two in Honolulu was just as nice as yesterday. Mostly sunny, partly cloudy, and 81 degrees. And lest we forget, it was humid. If it wasn't for that afternoon breeze, it can be unbearable.

After a proper breakfast, we headed out back to downtown. Wanting to check out the progress of the final Ward Center remodel, we found that it had just recently closed at the end of September. The message on the adjacent buildings also indicated that the stores would re-open next year.

Our destination was the Ala Moana Mall or Hawaii's Center. There are four levels consisting of 340 shops where you can find jewelry, high fashion boutiques, department stores, and restaurants. It's rather easy to get lost in here, even with all of the maps posted. This is not a totally enclosed mall, as it is open-air with some roofing for shelter from the elements.

We were not in the market for any big shopping, but here for the purpose of lunch. Great pizza can be found at the California Pizza Kitchen, located up on level four. Also on this terrace is a Macaroni Grill, a Korean BBQ House, a Seafood Restaurant, burgers and drinks, a Japanese Restaurant, and a Bubba Gump's. Every one of these venues were packed solid with customers. Noticing the large number of kids in the mall today, we asked if it was vacation time. We were reminded that today was the official celebration of Discover's Day. Asking what that was, our waiter at CPK said Columbus Day, and yes, the kids were out of school for a break.

Upon entering the crowded restaurant, we were handed a beeper with a 20 minute wait. It was more like 15 minutes, but we were seated in a nice booth. We ordered the BBQ chicken pizza with a small plate of guacamole and chips. Ice cold sodas helped to cool us down. We toyed with the idea of ordering a dessert to share, but changed our minds, because tonight the ship will be celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving, and maybe they will serve pumpkin pie.

Actually, we did stop at a kiosk to purchase a waffle cup ice cream treat. The extra crispy waffle cups were being made right there, and filled with gelato, it was really good. Expensive, but good.

We headed back to the ship around 3pm, and cooled off in the comfort of our room, working on photos and catching up on a TV series.

Something has been amiss at the fixed seating dining room at dinnertime. We are so accustomed to seeing a greeting team of the dining room manager, as well as his head waiters as we enter the room. On the Amsterdam, they stay there, welcoming guests, from the minute the doors open for at least 15 minutes or more. While on this ship, you may see one greeter or none at all. Or perhaps they are unorganized, which is the impression we get.

Dinner was indeed a typical Thanksgiving meal, just like we have in the USA. Turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce was indeed followed by a small slice of pumpkin pie with a side scoop of vanilla ice cream.

By the way, we forgot to mention the show last night, which was "This is Hawaii", a group of dancers direct from Maui. By the time we got back from dinner, the show was long over.

Tonight the entertainment was a movie appropriate to this area, "Pearl Harbor", shown at 9pm. The same film is also shown on the room TV's.

The ship is scheduled to depart around 11pm, but for sure, there will be no sail away.

Tomorrow we will be in Maui, as long as the seas are not too rough to tender ashore.

Bill & Mary Ann

A reminder in a shop that Halloween is close