What a difference a day makes when it comes to the weather. Of course, this is the Pacific Ocean, and the closer we get to the tropical zone, the more humidity we will see and feel. That came in the way of showers and rain this morning and into the afternoon. We recall while on a cruise in French Polynesia in early December, we encountered downpours of historic amounts. That's when a tour operator reminded all of us that this is their wettest season of the year. Usually, it does not last forever.
Anyway, here is a little info on our first stop on this trip, namely the state of Hawaii, which is America's 50th state. The population is 1,211, 537 (2018). The capital is Honolulu, one of the most remote and largest of US cities. The highest point in the state is Mauna Kea at 13,796 feet in elevation, with the lowest point being the Pacific Ocean. There is no daylight savings time here, so their time remains the same. They are three hours ahead of the west coast, and six hours ahead of the east coast of the USA. The temperature in November ranges from 64 to 84 degrees, and the tropical showers can be expected year round. Some of the islands get more rain than others, such as Kauai.
A few interesting Hawaiian facts include the history of the hula. It was a sacred ritual for the ancient Hawaiians. Each move had to be precise or the slightest mistake could be punished by death.
Pele, the volcano goddess, is part of the folklore of Volcanoes National Park. She resides in the Kilauea Caldera according to the locals, spitting fire and lava steadily since 1983. Hopefully, we may see signs of this as we sail from Hilo after 8pm.
Thirteen hours of daylight graces Maui's valleys and grasslands, thanks to their demigod of the same name, Maui. Rainbows grace every island thanks to the "liquid" sunshine. It contributes to the lush gorges, plummeting waterfalls, green valleys, and teal waters to name a few. There is a myriad of things to do and see, followed by feasting on island specialties such as kalua pig and poi. Our first stop will be at Honolulu on the island of Oahu on Sunday. Can't wait.
Following up with some price changes, the dinners in the Pinnacle Grill are now $39 per person, while the Sel de Mer remains $49 per person. Of course, your Mariner discounts are still in effect. We booked our 10 complimentary dinners with manager Arlin. She was well prepared to fit us in between the specialty dinners, although we may try Sel de Mer once.
We heard through the grapevine that there are 1275 passengers on this trip. The staff has prepared a full daily schedule to keep everyone busy and well-fed on these sea days. Passing through the Lido pool area, we noticed that the favorite pastime here is relaxing while reading. Or perhaps, catching a few winks. Nothing wrong with that. With the passing showers, this is a good place to be.
There is a guest chef onboard by the name of Kate AcAloon. She was described as chef to the stars. Team trivia stumps the folks, and the arts and crafts class keeps the ladies (some fellows too) busy. Frankly, we see little difference between this trip as compared to a grand voyage as far as daily shipboard life is concerned.
Between walks, lunch, catching up on emailing, and listening to the band, the day flew by. Since there is no aft pool time for us yet, we have taken advantage of our veranda. Even with the light rain, the depth of the veranda kept us out of the dampness.
We did learn today the explanation of the power outage a few days ago. Seems that a transformer located in the galley failed, despite the fact it had been installed shortly beforehand. This is probably not technically correct, but the story goes that the failure shut down everything. It was more than likely a one-in-a-million chance that it would blow, and they doubt it would happen again.
At dinner tonight, we ordered one fish entrée and a cornflake-crusted turkey breast dish. Both were new to us, and were very good. The fish dinners do not have the sauce drowning them so far. Much better. We shared a hot fudge sundae, which was also good. We were done by 9pm, but still too early for a show at 9:30pm. There was a singer by the name of Michelle Montouri, and we certainly remembered her from this year's world cruise.
After dinner, we found two little Poppy Lapel Pins to wear on Veteran's Day. This will be a tribute to the veterans and their dedication to world peace. Wearing the pins on November 11th will be in remembrance of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to ensure freedom and peace. We are now proud owners of about eight of these pins, as they are always gifted when we are on the ships in the month of November.
One more day at sea, and we will be in Hawaii and we are all ready…….
Bill & Mary Ann
