Today happens to be Friday, the 13th, and what a better way to start it was with a battery-operated smoke alarm going off loudly in our room at 6:30am. Why, we don't know, but we are not sure what type of alarm it was because everything on it was written in Dutch or German. Obviously, it was not wired into the ship's system, or else someone would have showed up at our door. We called the front desk and were told they were sending a room steward to check it out. A young fellow arrived within minutes and said it may be due to a low battery. There was no smoke, although one of us smelled something electrical, but by then, we had the veranda door opened. This might be a unit that detects cigarette smoke. Hopefully a new battery will take care of it.
As we head due south, the weather has remained mostly sunny and partly cloudy. The temperature at 9am was in the high 70's, but we are certain that it will get warmer as the day advances. No rain in the forecast now.
We all received the American Samoa traveler health declaration forms this morning. It was helpful that a sample guide was included to fill it out correctly. It did ask if we had been vaccinated for Covid, were tuberculosis free, had a fever or cough, rash or trouble breathing and a few other similar inquiries. No was the answer to all except the booster. We don't believe the rest of the countries care about the health of the visiting guests. The last couple of years the biggest concern was Covid and the boosters we had gotten. Also, before we entered every country, we had to be tested on the ship. All of that is gone now….forever we hope.
Except for a morning walk, we had a lazy morning hanging out in our room as usual working on the blog. Lunch was a run to the Dive-In for a hot dog and a cannonball burger. Nine times out of ten, riding the elevator back to the room, someone will offer to push your floor button. It can be done packing the tray and plates, but it helps when someone offers. One lady told me that she heard someone ask another woman guest to push a button for her, and this person said "I am not your slave". Can you believe that? Takes all kinds…..
Other activities today included talks on the up- and- coming ports and the shore excursions available. Talks included the agriculture of Hawaii and the influence of Hawaiian education around the world. Perhaps this will tie into the ports we are soon to visit. There were Spa Specials advertised as well. You could treat yourself to 75 minutes of massage, eye treatment, facial, foot and ankle massage, and a scalp massage….all for only $179. Bet there were some takers. Acupuncture, teeth whitening, and posture analysis were also offered.
We had a great performance of the masked boobies all afternoon as a group of two became four, then seven and eventually 10 birds flying in formation. There were few flying fish, but that did not stop them from hunting for hours. Taking a seat on a couple of teak lounges on deck three, we watched as the sun began to go down. There was some color in the sky, but nothing like we saw while in Honolulu.
Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill with wedge salads and clothesline bacon. Mains were savory grilled lamb chops with mushrooms and a baked potato. It was nice to see the guests dressed in something other than t-shirts and shorts or baseball caps, since it was "dressy" this evening. Anyway, dessert was a couple of little scoops of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. Just right. We passed on the tray of chocolates since we seldom eat them.
The entertainer tonight was a magician Scott Pepper, CW's network show Masters of Illusion. The first show at 7:30pm must have been full, since we saw the procession of folks going from the World Stage, past the Pinnacle Grill, and off to whatever. We know that down this hallway is a bank of elevators and the stair wells. You cannot get to the other end of deck four since the kitchen is located in the center. So there must be a long wait for the elevators to ride.
Captain Paul announced today that we will not be changing the day when we cross the International Dateline before Fanning Island. Normally, we lose one day, but keep the same time. There are no buildings of any consequences on that island with clocks, so it should not confuse anyone if the day is off by one. When we cross back over the line, the time and day will be correct for a while.
Bill & Mary Ann
