Happy Halloween to all!!!
Today began with overcast skies and not a lot of sun. It stayed that way most of the day with temps in the high 70's. It is still humid, but not quite the same as Samoa, Fiji, or Tonga. The sea swells have been over 6 feet, keeping many of us off-balance at times. According to the Captain, these swells will decrease later in the day, and the winds will remain moderate. The Captain also mentioned that we are sailing about 48 nautical miles from an underwater reef that may have recently been discovered. He said he is very glad to be that many miles away from it. So are we…..
Early this morning during our breakfast, Vini, our Mariner rep, came and asked if the florist had brought us a flower arrangement. This was part of our President's Club every 2- week amenity. No, he had not, so we assumed there are no fresh flowers on the ship. Vini said we could get some of the island flowers, similar to the ones we bought in Fiji, which was fine with us. The florist brought the bouquet later in the afternoon and it is quite pretty.
Today we all received a notice that prior to arriving to French Polynesia, we will need to turn in our passports for the local immigration's inspections. This will take place tomorrow morning between 10:30 and 11:30am at a collection station set up on each passenger deck at the mid-ship elevators. At that time, we will get a receipt which we keep to pick up the passports on November 5th. This happens quite often on a grand voyage, so the process is quick and easy as we recall.
Hidden treasures of the Cook Islands, scary weather, and coral gardens were the subjects for the lectures today. A talk on the remaining shore excursions was also presented this morning. For the upcoming ports in the Cook Islands, there are no HAL tours since we will be landing there on a weekend. Most everything is closed, especially on Sunday. Last year there were a few independent excursions offered by the locals on Aitutaki, but there was nothing for Rarotonga, which ended up not mattering since it was too rough to tender ashore. We do hope the same thing does not happen this time.
There were some Halloween decorations around the ship. When we went to the Lido for lunch, we saw a double row of carved pumpkins in the dessert end of the restaurant. Nice to see the vegetable carvers are still talented in that special skill. Then from 6:30m to 11pm there was a Halloween Event and costume parade party in the Lido Dome. Some of the guests that showed up for dinner in the dining room had on costumes, but the majority did not. Wearing something orange and black was close enough for most folks.
Our meal was good starting with one shrimp cocktail, a bowl of pumpkin soup on the sweet side, and two Caesar salads. No anchovies please. The entrees we chose were the Club Orange special of pork bellies and one lasagna dish with a slice of garlic bread. The best was the conservative slices of pumpkin pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Excellent.
The World Stage was "dark" tonight due to the special Lido Dome Event. But you could still watch a movie in the Wajang – Ghostbusters Frozen Empire. Something for everyone.
One more day at sea, and we will be at the Cook Islands.
Bill & Mary Ann
