A day at sea was exactly what everyone needed after five full days of exploring the lovely islands of Hawaii. And the weather was cooperating too. Warm, balmy, and no sign of rain showers, it may be a good day to go to the pool.
It deserves mentioning that the laundry service has been wonderful. Naturally, getting the laundry done complimentary is nice, but now it seems to be coming back to us same day. Small notes have been included from the person that folds it, taking credit for doing a good job.
A photo competition was announced this morning, just like they have on the world cruise. It's really a pretty good deal, since for $5, a print is made of your entry, and it is returned after the contest. Certainly an 8x10 photo costs a lot more than that in the photo shop. The categories are landscape, people, wildlife, architecture, and miscellaneous. The winners will be displayed December 15th.
The next port will be Fanning Island, a very tiny island that can be called basically native. This will be our fourth visit there, and we doubt much has changed since the first time we set foot there. What is different about this stop is the fact that many passengers are bringing donations of all sorts for the islanders, especially the kids. While in Hilo, for instance, one lady was pulling a full size suitcase on the bus to Walmart. Someone asked her why, and she answered that she was going to fill it up with toys and balls for the little kids. However, we also know that any bulky donations will not be allowed on the tender boat ride to the island. So for that reason, a donation station was set up in the Atrium this morning for collection. Everything will be brought over by the crew. The ship also brings essentials over like food and beverages we heard. We are sure it will be appreciated by the locals, as much as selling their wares to most everyone.
We noticed that America's Test Kitchen has been conducting sessions twice a day on sea days. But we have also noticed that the "hands on" cooking classes have been eliminated. Also, we don't see their signature red aprons as a perk anymore. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
Finally, we made it to the aft pool to enjoy the gentle breezes and not-too-hot sun. A high number sunblock is mandatory now, since we are approaching the Equator in a few days. Many passengers were relaxing back here for a change. There were plenty of lounges and towels set up, and there was even a surprise happy hour around 2pm. Certain drinks, mostly the sweet ones, were buy one get one for $2.
Lunch was around 3pm in the Lido. On this cruise, there is no manned sandwich station, only a variety of pre-made sandwiches. Now these sandwiches are piled high without wrappers. And the potato chips are in a large bowl…again, not in small bags. Guess this is the new save-the-paper campaign. The extensive salad bar is still there with service from two waiters. The nearby station has a pasta bar with three types of pizza. Today we sampled the veggie and pepperoni pizza, and found the newer version much improved even since last June. It appears all of the recipes have been tweaked to the better.
Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm, our first one on this cruise. The menu is the same, but the price had gone up to $39 per person. Both of us ordered the wedge salad, with a side of the clothesline bacon. Good combination, we thought. Remember when we used to get a bowl of assorted breads and rolls? Well now the bowl had only two rolls. Much better, since we tend to munch on this while waiting for the meal to start. Fills you up too quickly. Now if we wished to have more, our waiter would have brought whatever we wanted. Wisely, we said two rolls were sufficient.
Our meal consisted of the small filet, French fries, and mushrooms. The steaks melted in our mouths, and were almost fork tender. We did save a little room for desserts of cherry Garcia ice cream (special request), and one tasty small slice of key lime pie. Arlin, the Pinnacle manager, said we came at a good time, since the restaurant was filled entirely around 6pm. For that reason, or service was perfect, without waiting too long between courses. That's the way we like it.
Ukebox was the name of the group of entertainers tonight. We finished our meal just in time to catch some of the show, although they were on the grand cruise this year. It seems that most of the good acts re-appear on other HAL cruises of course.
One more day at sea before another port. Hope to enjoy it as much as today.
Bill & Mary Ann
