Today will need to be a very restful one, because starting Tuesday, we will have six ports in a row. Now that's what we call hard work. And knowing that so many major cities in the US and Canada are experiencing either snow or rain and definitely colder temps, we will savor each and every day we are in the South Pacific. Even if it does rain, it will not be cold, and it usually is passing as quickly as it began.
We were back to normal with breakfast in the dining room and our most friendly waiters, Gan and Chandra. The new Thai waitresses have been teaching us some new words in their language, so we have a test when they come around serving coffee. We are getting better at saying hello and thank you, even though the accent is not exactly the same as theirs. And yes, you can teach old dogs new tricks.
After a short walk on the promenade deck, we stopped to check out the Christmas scene in the lower atrium. Originally, we had thought the gingerbread houses were artificial, but with a closer inspection, we found they were freshly made with real food. We could smell the marshmallows, graham crackers, and fruit loops among other things. That's when Thomas, the food and beverage manager came out of his office to chat with us. He told us that he is responsible for the train and the tracks around the display. Even better than that, it really works. Well almost. A few spots in the tracks are not making a good connection, so he has a small train to test it. Nothing like a train set to turn us all into little kids. Before we knew it, Christel joined us, followed by Henk. It has been a real treat for us to see this pre-Christmas decorating. In a few days, these displays will be officially lit up to coordinate with Rockefeller Plaza in NYC and the lighting of the Christmas tree there. Should be cool. We are not too sure about the constant Christmas tunes all over the ship, as it still seems too early for us. But we guess that the majority of the guests like it.
Sales were pitched in all of the shops, and lectures were held as well. The ports of Cook's Bay Moorea, Avatoru, Raiatea, and Fakarava were discussed with shore excursion in minds we are certain. And here is a new twist, at least to this ship…..three excursions in Bora Bora, Raiatea, and Tahiti, and or Moorea have been bundled and offered at a 15% discount. They range from about $250 to $290 for the set of three. Our guess is that they need a certain amount of participants in order for the tours to go. This way, they are certain to add some folks to their list. Perhaps this is done on the other HAL ships, but we have only seen it here once or twice, and never on the world cruise.
Since the sun was out, and the temperatures quite tolerable, we spent a few hours at the Seaview pool. Chatting with friends, catching up on yesterday's port activities or the lack of in the case of Rarotonga. Many other folks had the same idea as us, because the deck was crowding with sunbathers. When the Captain came on with his daily noon updates, he mentioned that tomorrow might bring some rain with it. Gosh, we sure hope not, as Bora Bora has to be the most gorgeous island there is to see. Without the sun shining, all of the color is washed out. Especially the water. We will all keep our fingers crossed for a good day like today.
This evening was another gala night. Did we mention that originally there were only four scheduled? We thought that was odd, since gala nights usually occur once a week on the longer voyages. So now we have found out that there are a total of seven galas. The menus reflect it with special appetizers like escargots, large shrimp cocktails, surf and turf, and their best desserts. We had one cod entrée and one sweet and sour duck, which was ordered really for the noodles with vegetables. Both were outstanding, and we let them know how pleased we are for whatever they are doing in the kitchen. Desserts were flourless cake and passionfruit cheesecake. Thank goodness the portions are on the small side, or we could not enjoy all of it.
The singers and dancers did a nice performance tonight with "Dance". In our opinion, they are superior to some of the professional acts that have come and gone. It is nice that the group has been on stage more often during this trip, compared to the world cruise. We are fairly certain they will be staying on for the entire grand voyage.
Looking forward to exploring Bora Bora tomorrow….rain or not, we will be there.
Bill & Mary Ann
PS Wish we could help with locating ship tiles, but we do not have any idea how to locate the older ones. Good luck with your quest.
