We were greeted with a most unique sunrise early this morning, but the good news is that we could see the sun. The rain was gone and sunny skies should be appearing after the strange low dark clouds dissipate. During our AM walk outside, a nice lady asked if we saw and heard the thunder and lightning last evening around 7pm. Actually, no we had not. Must have been around the time we were visiting with Shiv across from the Ocean Bar, where the band was playing. The lightning was blocked by the heavy curtains the staff had drawn over the windows. Darn……we love to experience nature at its most dramatic, but something tells us, there may be more of this activity ahead of us. In other words, be careful what you wish for.
While having breakfast in the dining room, we got the sad news that retired CEO of Holland America, Kirk Lanterman, had passed away. We have had the distinct pleasure of being on a few special cruises with him and his wife, Janet. The most memorable occasion was an Indonesian lunch in the King's Room for Janet's birthday. We must have had 18 or more courses of spicy Indonesian specialties, served by their top waiters dressed in native garb. Surely, he will be missed, but the good memories will live on.
It sure was warm today on the lower promenade deck during our hour stroll. Judging by the number of people out and about, we would take a wild guess that this is a slightly younger crowd than we are used to. There are a handful of kids onboard including chef Peter's two boys, who are both getting taller than their dad. We have seen a darling 3 year old boy, and one baby as well. And guess what? We have one service dog here. We have only caught a of glimpse of her? here and there, and can say she resembles a small cocker spaniel. What her specific job is, we have not heard. So far the pooch has been well-behaved and quiet. No barking.
Having the veranda has sort of changed our habits, because we seem to spend more time sitting outside. Instead of baking at the aft pool in the wind, we find the veranda has sun, but we also are more protected from the strong breezes. And it has proven to be more productive for reading and note-taking. After lunch, we did venture to the back pool, mainly to see how crowded it would be. There was a good size group, but not as jammed as we expected. One thing we did notice, was that the discarded lounges with piles of used towels sat there for what seemed like hours before it was picked up. We did not recognize any of the bar staff or deck crew, as these workers seem to be moved around to other ships in the fleet. Since the sun was out with a nice breeze, we stayed back there, visiting with friends Denise and Howie. They are so much fun.
We found that if we don't go early to the Ocean Bar before the first dinner call (5pm), our seats are taken. Studying the When & Where, we found that the only live music at this time of day happens in the Ocean Bar and the Piano Bar. We heard that there is no band in the Crow's Nest, and there is no music, let alone dancing up there. In talking with the hotel manager, Henk, the other evening, he re-assured us that the Crow's Nest will never get the overhaul like the other ships, where the EXC centers and Explorations Cafes have been inserted. Twinkle did say that the Station Band will come back to the Crow's Nest for the grand world voyage. Good news for those who love to dance there.
The passengers are more than ready to begin the five days of ports in Hawaii. All of the islands we will visit have been covered in daily talks, and the tours have been well-promoted, of course. Tomorrow, there will be 20 tours offered in Oahu. We have done at least half of them, so we will be on our own exploring the best of Honolulu.
Tonight at dinner, our waiter, Zaki, announced that he will start training with the head waiters for a different job in the dining room. He seemed very excited about it, but we will miss him. Our assistant waiter, Dede, will probably take over for him, and we will have a new helper. Tonight one of us tried the alternate steak entrée with a small baked potato. It was perfect. The other entrée was shrimp jambalaya, a new treat neither of us has ever tried in the past. Spicy, with a hint of heat, it was tasty. When Philip, the head honcho, stopped by to chat, we made it a point to compliment him for the almost totally re-vamped menu items. Yes, it is the same food, but in our opinion, improved as to the taste and presentation. In the last couple of years, we have gone through too salty, too saucy, overcooked, or too rare. But like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, they seem to be just right on this trip so far. Philip admitted that the menus have been worked on quite closely, and it shows.
Showtime featured Jim Short and Louie Shelton with an all new performance. Guess they will jump ship tomorrow. We find it interesting that while we sit in the atrium area outside the Ocean Bar around 6:30pm, how many folks head for the Mainstage to get seats for the 7:30pm show. Our guess is that if they go back to the room, they might not leave. So getting a good seat and perhaps chatting with other passengers is a better way to spend that time while waiting.
Back in our room, we found a funny note about Fanning Island. It appears that the nautical department in Seattle got the incorrect date that we will be crossing the International Dateline. So our visit to this small island will be November 10th instead of the 11th. And the gala night scheduled for one of those nights, is now November 12th. Actually, looking closer at the itinerary, we will be crossing that line four times on this voyage. That means we won't know what day it is, or whether we lose a day or do a day twice. Confusing? Yes, but as long as we get fed on time, no one seems to mind.
Speaking of time, the clocks will go back one more hour tonight. Being that the clocks go back on the continental USA tonight, that may confuse the folks even more.
Looking forward to firm ground under our feet…….
Bill & Mary Ann
PS To answer the question asked, yes, Dolly is here.
