Report #31 Friday, October 3, 2025 Sea Day #4 Of 6 Enroute To Kona, Hawaii Partly Cloudy And Warm, 75 Degrees, 71% Humidity---19mph Winds--6' Swell-----Casual Dress

Day at sea #4 was a quiet one for us, waking up nice and early due to the time change.   Well, at least one of us was up early waiting for that perfect sunrise, but it was OK, not stunning.   We are sure there will some beautiful sunrises and sets when we travel below the Equator.   

 

Arriving first to the Pinnacle Grill, we have had some time to visit with some of the waiters.  It is nice hearing about their country, which for the most part is Indonesia, and specifically, Bali.  One of our newest waiters is from the Philippines and enjoys sharing things about his country.   Since we have visited and toured these countries, we know what they are talking about. 

 

During his noontime update, Captain Smit stated that we have 973 nautical miles to reach Kona on the big island of Hawaii.   Since leaving San Diego, we have traveled 1281 nautical miles.  The weather has been fine with temperatures in the mid 70's and 19.4 mph winds that appear to be following.   The wave heights have been moderate with a 6-foot swell. 

 

The day was loaded with fun stuff or all.  Between lectures, port talks, Hawaiian activities, and trivia, there is no excuse for being bored.  Speaking of trivia, we passed by the Ocean Bar at 4pm to find the room over-flowing with players.   In fact, they ran out of seating, so some fellows were bringing folding chairs on a hand truck to help seat the folks.  And it just so happened that the 50% off drinks $11 or less started at 4pm as well.  Smart move.  There was a total of three trivia sessions today.  A new activity was Paint Misty Mountains on Canvas for $25.  It was held at 8pm in the Art Studio (5) with an instructor with a 2-hour session.   

 

There was a Texas Mexican Buffet in the Lido for lunch, and a seafood boil ($35) in the Lido for dinner.  It was a one-time dinner for this cruise. 

 

Lunch for us was from the Lido with two sandwiches around 2:30pm.  Walking the hallway on our deck six, the aft elevators lead right to the sandwich section of the Lido.  That way we are not dodging the Lido Pool area, which is always crowded.  Anyway, we passed by many of the veranda rooms with special door decorations.  Most of them have put up banners, magnets, balloons, and personalized posters.  One of those posters was funny saying  "Not all that wander are lost – some of us are just looking for our room".  Many guests have decorated for Halloween.  Just yesterday, we received a copy of the "Know Before You Go" booklet for the 2026 Grand World Voyage.  Reading the details, we came across a warning concerning door decorations.  They are basically not recommended, and if the security folks determine any of these decorations are flammable, they will be removed. 

 

Something we did not expect was receiving a notice from Captain Smit that a port had to be cancelled – Dravuni Island, Fiji.  There has been some storm damage to the floating pontoon dock, and it will not be repaired prior to our visit.  That is disappointing, especially for the guests that have never been there.  Now we will spend an overnight in Lautoka, with an extra day there.  Of course, shore excursions are working on more tour options there.  

 

A couple of days ago, we received an invitation to a President's Club welcome reception, held in the Mix Bar at 4pm.    We showed up at exactly 4pm on the dot, and the seating was almost filled with 9 other guests and some of the key officers, such as Captain Smit and Hotel General Manager Darren and Clare, our talented Cruise Director.    Guess we can consider that fashionably late, although we were right on time.   Drinks of our choice were offered and very fancy and tasty canapies were passed around.   The photographer showed up and took several shots of the group.   Since we had met Darren on last year's legendary voyage,  we were comfortable being seated next to him.  Darren is quite the talker, and somehow the subject came up about next year's grand voyages.   We told him about the two captains of this ship, the Zaandam, being announced as the captains on  Volendam's GWV, and he looked puzzled.  He said, no, they were on the New Zealand/Australia grand.  So we told him about getting the copy online of the complete booklet for that cruise, and both captains had their photos in it.  Now here's the stranger thing….Captain Smit knew nothing about it.   We guarantee that this error will be corrected soon and we will let you all know what we find out.   Another subject came up, and that was concerning the excessive charge of $260. for the bottle of Jack Daniel's.  Another President's Club member said he ran into the same thing asking about a bottle of something similar.  With that, our rep Kumar, brought the Beverage Manager over and we asked him what's up with those charges.  He blamed it on Seattle and promised to look into being able to exchange some of the sparkling wine bottles we have as well as using one of our $60 bi-monthly credits.  We have our doubts it will be approved, but if we don't ask, we will never know.   The pleasant gathering broke up after 5pm, and most of the folks headed for their early dinner.  We stayed with two other guests and chatted until almost 6pm. 

 

Captain Smit said he would be looking for us on deck six forward for the sunset, which we almost missed because we had not paid attention to the time.   Of course, with last night's time change, the sunset was earlier.   It turned out to be disappointing once again.  One of our buddies, Nancy, had spotted us on the bow TV channel and joined us until the light was gone.  It is always fun comparing notes with fellow President's Club members, especially when they  are as nice as she is.   

 

Dinnertime had some more good choices like tataki salad, although a little too raw for one of us.  Mains were buttermilk chicken and mashed potatoes…..served piping hot.  We always refer to this dish as KFC chicken and so do the waiters as it is one of their favorite dishes.   On this year's world cruise menu, these types of dinners were titled "comfort food", and included meatballs and spaghetti, meatloaf, KFC chicken, and even cheeseburgers on a bun with French fries.   And they turned out to be the most-ordered entrees on those evenings they were offered.    So far, we have not seen that symbol on the menus at all.  In fact, there is no reference to the Club Orange selection of the day.  We added some vanilla ice cream and watermelon for dessert, then called it a day.

 

On our way "home", we passed through the Explorer's Lounge to find a special performance was happening with Elliot Finkel at the piano.  We could have sworn that was Clare, our cruise director, singing with Elliot playing.  The room was filled to over-flow.    The other entertainment in the World Stage was violinist Roy Theaker with a musical voyage around the world.  And with the Dam Band playing in the Ocean Bar, every seat was taken in there as well.  This is a whole different crowd from the world cruise.

 

And so much for day 4 at sea.  Two more sea days to go before we reach Hawaii.  And we sure hope that no more ports will be cancelled.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

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Report #30 Thursday, October 2, 2025 Sea Day #3 Of 6 Enroute To Kona, Hawaii Clear And Sunny And Warming Up 78 Degrees 12mph Winds 8' Swell--Speed 14 Knots-----Casual Dress SR-6:10am-SS-6:49pm

Last night we had two large cards slipped under our door.  They came from the Effy team onboard inviting us to visit them and check out their merchandise.  Guess we are on a list of passengers that have spent a lot of shipboard money in their shops over the years.  Sometimes we find one of their pendants on a chain on our bed with some other incentive offers.  However, none of those have shown up so far.    And we are not seeing that shopping lectures have been given for the shopping onshore at their recommended stores.  That may have ended with the sailings in Alaska.  

 

Day three at sea began nicely with a sunrise.  The weather is becoming more tropical and we have finally seen some flying fish popping up near the bow.  We concluded that the temperature of the water must have something to do with their presence.  After breakfast, we ventured outside for some laps around the promenade deck.  The morning sun was shining on the portside, but the starboard side was in the shade and almost cold.   Most of the people chose to relax on the leeward side (port) instead of the windward side.  As long as we are heading west, the sun should remain about in the same position.   

 

Captain Smit came on with his noon message.  He said we are 931 nautical miles from San Diego and still have 1323 nautical miles to go to Kona.  Maintaining a speed of 14 knots will take the next three days.  A sea swell of between 6 and 7 feet was expected for the day, and we still have some motion going on.   There seems to be more pitching than rolling, and we can say from memory, that this will remain with us until we reach Hawaii.  It could be much worse. The temperature has been a comfortable 73 degrees with 12 knots winds.  The perfect spot to enjoy this has been on our veranda.  One of us has finally found some time to read books found in the library.  Tomorrow's forecast remains about the same as today, except there may be a shower or two.    Finally, some guests have reported seeing a turtle and even an owl.  Obviously not a sea bird, the owl may have hitched a ride on the ship like the small swallow-type bird we saw yesterday.  We know that with the flying fish we began seeing at 10am this morning, there may be some birds appear that will hunt these fish.   That's when the fun starts as we watch the hunt from the promenade deck.  Nature in action. 

 

We did learn some news yesterday concerning the upcoming world cruise in January.  The captains assigned are Ane Jan Smit, the one and the same captain we have right now.  The second captain will be Michiel Willems.  There are two hotel general managers – Glenn Cowley and Florin Dragomir.  The two captains have been the team on this ship, or at least they were a year ago,  as well as Glenn being the hotel manager.  The Volendam is the sister ship, so they are quite familiar with this class of ships.  And all very nice and personable we may add. 

 

And here is a laugh of the day.  We inquired about the price of one bottle of Jack Daniels Whiskey available through room service.  The last time we bought a bottle was perhaps a year ago, and the cost was $90 which included the 18% gratuity.  We thought that was high, but it did last for 56 days.  Today's quote was far different with the same bottle costing a whopping $220 plus 18% gratuity…bringing the total to just under $260.  Wow, we do like the whiskey, but not that much.  So we said no thanks, especially when they added there was no discount for any Mariner status.  That only applies to the limited selection of beverages that were in our room refrigerator.  

 

Something different today was the opening of the Tiki Bar on deck 8, which we assume would be the decorating of the Lido Pool Bar.   There were 13 promotion-related activities, seven "new today" things to do, and seven local activities.  Family fun rated three things to do.   Never a dull moment we say.

 

While going out on deck six forward to observe the sunset,  we were pleasantly surprised to find a trio of what appeared to be brown boobies working the waters around the front of the ship.   We figured when we saw the flying fish, the birds would come.  Every now and then, they would dive for a fish, making a squawking noise.  Quite often , the younger birds will make that noise begging for food from the adult, probably the parent.   The sunset was underwhelming, and we were losing the light rapidly.  That made getting good pictures of the birds in motion more than challenging, if not impossible.   

 

A highlight of our day for one of us was having meatballs and spaghetti for dinner.  And the blue plate special (Club Orange) was a grill veal chop.   Both excellent.  Two of the new chefs came over for a visit asking how we have been liking the food.  We complimented them on their good job, thanking them for the introduction of some good Mexican cuisine.  One of us had the blueberry pie, which really was a torte with a shortbread bread crust.   They apologized for running out of whipped cream, so they substituted vanilla ice cream.   Actually, it was better that way.  Watermelon was just right for other one of us, although I had to test the blueberry pie and agreed it was a winner.

 

The comedy of Dave Konig was the entertainment of the evening.  Missed it again unfortunately.  So much for day three at sea.  Three more to go…….Oops, almost forgot that the clocks went back one hour tonight.  Always appreciated.

 

Bill & Mary Ann  

 

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Report #29 Wednesday, October 1, 2025 Sea Day #2 Of 6 Enroute To Kona, Hawaii Clear And Sunny 75 Degrees 10' Swell---Speed 14 Knots Light Winds ---Casual Dress-- SR-6:46am--SS-6:49pm

Gosh, where has the time gone?    Cannot believe it is October 1^st already.  All we can say is that time flies when you are having fun.

 

Breakfast was at 7:30am this morning, even though it was a day at sea.   We asked Arsa, our Pinnacle Grill manager,  last night why the change?  He appeared not to be aware of the change in time and double-checked for us.  Yes, we were right.  He explained that on days the clocks go back one hour, we will have a ½ hour difference in breakfast time.  That is a first for us.  Given a choice, we would choose to go at 8am and most people did just that.  We were the only customers this morning until 8am sharp. 

 

Well, we are still rocking and rolling with the motion of the ocean.  It seems to decrease but then increase due to the swells coming from Vancouver now, according to Captain Smit.   During his noon update, the Captain mentioned that we still have over 1058 nautical miles to go to reach Kona, Hawaii.    The weather was described as beautiful with temps in the 70's.  The swell has been between 6 and 9 feet, causing some pitching.  For those that are on the lower decks and center of the ship, it is not so bad.  However, up higher, we noticed the movement a whole lot more.    It's no wonder the Captain suggested for everyone to be careful both inside and outside the ship.  And mostly around the staircases and elevators.  Much the same conditions will apply to tomorrow as well, although the temperature may raise a bit.    Checking the position of the ship on TV, we saw that we are still heading about due west.  The last thing the Captain mentioned was a possible sighting of a single whale, but it appeared to have spots.   So they were not sure what they were seeing as it was very far away.   The only thing we saw, except for the expanse of water, was a Hapag Lloyd cargo ship going the opposite way.  Nice to know we are not alone.

 

As you might expect, there were a slew of activities today to fill the time for the guests.  There is an Hawaiian speaker by  the name of Kealoha.  Not to be confused with Kainoa, who is usually on this trip at one point or another.  He has been on every Tales of the South Pacific since HAL starting doing these longer runs.   We were told that Kainoa may come here but towards the end of the Polynesia portion of the voyage.  In the meantime, people are learning how to play the ukulele, tie sarongs or pareos,  dance the hula, or listen to Hawaiian stories.    And appropriate to the area, the movie "Blue Hawaii" was shown in the Wajang.   Port talks have begun to promote bookings of the ship's excursions.  From what we have read on Cruise Critic there are many guests who have organized private tours.  It appears that the interest in doing independent tours had increased significantly over the years.   The pricing could be much more affordable as long as you know the risk of missing the ship is aways a possibility.  

 

We kept busy doing whatever we liked best which always incudes online computer work, walking, and dining.  Lunch was two sandwiches on a cheesy bun custom- made special in the Lido Café after serving time is over.    We made reservations in the Pinnacle Grill for dinner tonight, so kept lunch light. 

 

Hoping for a repeat sunset of last night, we were disappointed to watch a cloudy horizon and no chance of a real sunset.  But what we did see was possibly a lone albatross soaring in front of the bow as we watched from deck six forward.  It moved so quickly it was hard to get a good photo.  Then a small bird, such as a swallow, appeared overhead, squawking all the way until it disappeared.  Perhaps we have a stowaway from San Diego.  It wouldn't be the first time some birds hitched a ride. 

 

Dinner was at 8pm, in the Pinnacle.  Thinking it would be full of customers, we were surprised to find the venue sparsely occupied.  Nice for us, because we had excellent service in a timely manner.  Starters were the usual wedge salads with a shared side of clothesline bacon.  Entrees were one lamb chop platter and an 8 ounce filet mignon.  Also shared was a flute of French fries, the skinny ones we like so much.   The new "Hawaiian" menu selection began yesterday, so we shared a glassful of a pineapple/coconut sponge cake with sweet pineapple chunks. It mentioned rum, but we did not taste it.   Perfect refreshing way to end the tasty meal. 

 

The entertainer this evening was a nice surprise, with Elliot Finkel taking the stage with his expert piano performance.  Our meal ended about the same time his show did, so we will catch his next show for sure.  Many years ago, he came onboard with both his father and brother, and they did a show together.   Never forgot it.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

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Report #28 Tuesday, September 30,2025 Sea #1 Of 6 Enroute To Kona, Hawaii Mostly Cloudy Clearing To Sun--67 Degrees, 4mph Winds---Speed 14 Knots---Dressy Night

During the evening,  the Zaandam experienced some pitching and rolling, which lasted well into the morning.  We are heading basically west and not dropping south yet.  Captain Smit explained in more detail about taking a route that is easier due to the swells and winds, etc.  A bit over our heads, but it has to do with following the rhum line.  We will be sailing six full sea days to arrive to Kona on the big island of Hawaii.  And with that in mind, many Hawaiian activities began today such as kukui nut lei-making, ukulele lessons,  learning the hula dance, and how to create tropical origami. 

 

A new title for some daily activities is called Family Fun that includes meetups and coloring, playing ladder ball, and origami Hawaiian shirt-making.  We have seen a few kids onboard, but then we don't get around to the areas where the kids may be. 

 

At breakfast this morning, we had a visit from the new Mariner rep, Kumar.  We met him on this year's world cruise when he assisted Michelle on the Zuiderdam.   The new General Hotel Manager is Darren David Lewis, the very same manager we met on last year's "Tales" cruise.  He joined the ship later in the cruise, when Glenn Cowley went home.  So we doubt he remembers us from the one Pinnace Grill dinner we had with him, the Captain, and cruise director Daniel and one other President's Club member and his grandson.  Before she left, Leonie mentioned that we can expect another dinner with the same officers and the other President's Club members onboard.  In addition to that, we were informed there will be another couple getting their" pins on this cruise and there will be a ceremony. 

 

We were busy at work in the room when Captain Smit came on with his sea day talk.  He began by telling us we had 2000 more miles to reach Hawaii, and the temperature today was  a comfortable 70 degrees with sea temps the same.  The swell was about 5 feet, but it sure seemed more than that.  He predicted warmer weather the further south we travel, and the clouds would clear up and we could see blue skies.   He was right.  We did not like hearing that the swells would increase, due to a system in the Gulf of Alaska.  Sunset will be 7:02pm, and the sunrise will be 6:21am.  The depth of the seas was 11,600 feet….well over our heads.  Finally – the clocks will go back one hour this evening.   That suits us just fine. 

 

Dinner attire was "dressy" tonight, as we expected with the Captain's 15 minute toast at 7:15pm.  Many guests are at dinner at that time, so the World Stage would not be full.  In the "old" days,  while on a grand voyage, this evening would be formal and a real party took place before each dinner time, early or late dining.  Drinks of our choice were served along with fancy canapies.  The officers would be introduced then the Captain would do the welcome toast with champagne or whatever you wished to drink.  It lasted far longer than 15 minutes.  Now we cannot recall how long ago this happened.  All we know is that it has changed significantly.  

 

Happy hour has begun with 50% off beverages under $11.  It is only in the Crow's Nest and the Ocean Bar this evening from 4 to 5pm which targets the early diners.   For those who Have-It-All drink package,  the happy hour would not apply.  We think this is happening on this ship now, but we are not sure.    Will inquire tomorrow.  Other packages are the Quench Package which gives you 15 beverages a day (non-alcoholic) for $18 per person and both guests sharing a room have to buy it.  The Signature Package gives you 15 drinks under $11 for $61 per person per day.   And the Elite Package give you 15 beverages under $15  for $66 per day per person.  

 

Dinner was good this evening with a different menu than we had for the Alaska runs.   Tonight we ordered the smoked chicken appetizer and a slab salad, a small version of the wedge salad in the Pinnacle Grill.  Mains were the veal chop without the big bone and cooked like a beef roast.  It was very tender and tasty.  One of us did not care for the Brussel sprouts, so the green beans, rice pilaf, and pumpkin cubes were substituted.  Mixing and matching is no problem with our waiter.   Desserts were watermelon, like that is a surprise, and one chocolate cup with creamy chocolate mousse.   Arsa from the Pinnacle Grill paid us a visit and we asked him if the breakfast time was printed correctly on tomorrow's Daily news letter.   He did not seem aware that the sea day time had changed.  Checking it, he came back and said yes, it was 7:30am and it may have something to do with changing the clocks.  Whatever the reason, we will be on time as we don't want to chance losing our table by the entrance. 

 

Four friends from previous cruises have joined the ship in San Diego.   We chatted with one couple that we keep in touch with, and finally met up with the other two this evening.  It seems like just  yesterday we sailed on a world cruise with two of them, but it has been 6 years.   We all agreed it was great to be back sailing.

 

We sure hope the seas calm down a bit as the rolling and pitching makes walking a little more difficult.   Guess it could be worse…..

 

Bill & Mary Ann 

 

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Report #27 Monday, September 29, 2025 San Diego, California---7am-4pm Docked Starboard Side To Pier Morning Overcast Clearing To Sunny Skies 77 Degrees 10mph Winds---Casual Dress

The Zaandam arrived at the port of San Diego quite early – well before sunrise.  We were docked starboard by 7am, and Clare started debarking announcements before 7:30am.  There were about 350 guests leaving the ship today, while about 400 of us stayed.  By the time we leave this afternoon, the ship should be totally full with close to 1400 passengers. 

 

Breakfast was the normal "port day" time of 7:30am, even though we had expected to have a zero-clearance count, that did not occur.  If for some reason we had left the ship earlier, we would not be allowed back on before 9:30am.   Not a problem since we had plenty to do before heading into town.  With 10 complimentary dinners to book in the Pinnacle Grill, we worked out the dates and presented them to Zhandy, the Pinnacle Grill assistant manager.   Since we do not have an interest in some of the pop-up events, we chose days at sea for the dinners.  We may change our minds and try the Tamarind, although the pop-up dinners are not always the same as in the dedicated restaurant on the larger HAL ships. 

 

We came back to our room after breakfast to find two Legendary Canvas tote bags (not plastic) as well as two insulated 13.5 ounce covered mugs.  Useful and a nice touch. Today is the official start of the 51-day Legendary Tales of the South Pacific.  It is also the last one scheduled for the next two years.  That was one reason we booked this voyage again this fall.  Another weekly event was the cleaning of our veranda, which was also in progress when we returned.   A separate crew handles the scrubbing and hosing, which is nice.  We have never noticed a build-up of salt ever since we boarded a month ago.  

 

Then we had a knock on our door, and there was our deck supervisor with a case of 24 Coke Zero's.  Since we did not expect a President's Club delivery, we said this might be in error.  No, he said, this is a little something from Leonie and Cynthia who were both leaving the ship today.    How sweet and thoughtful was that?   Ladies, if you happen to be reading this, we thank you for your kindness and sincerely hope to sail with both of you again.  We also want to thank April, our Mariner rep, who also left a nice message saying goodbye.  You have done a wonderful job of making us feel welcomed and taking care of our perks.  

 

The weather today was not the usual sunny and balmy day we have always enjoyed.  Overcast skies and cooler temps greeted us.  That would change later in the afternoon.  Working online kept us busy until 11am, then we went off the gangway which was loaded with the new passengers.  Once again, we were like salmon going upstream trying to get off.   Once through the terminal, we turned right and headed down the Embarcadero.  Docked across from us was the Caribbean Princess, a big one with 24 lifeboats.  The Zaandam was dwarfed by her size. 

 

Despite the overcast skies, the temps were in the mid 70's and climbing.  There was noticeable humidity in the slight breeze and we were glad we wore our shorts today.  Passing the USS Midway aircraft carrier and museum, we learned that this vessel saw action in Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War operations, and the Persian Gulf.  It was retired in 1992 and is opened for touring these days. 

 

Seaport Village, a charming waterfront complex has unique shops, many eateries, and landscaped fountains with views of the bay. It's always fun passing by the boutiques and souvenir shops there.  Along the way, we passed by numerous street vendors who seemed to be selling the same items for fairly good prices.  Looking for a simple visor , we came up empty-handed.  There were tons of baseball caps for the guys as always.  Passing by some of the most impressive yachts in the marina, we came upon the Hilton Hotel where we walked through the lobby and out the door to the pedestrian bridge over the highway below. 

 

Crossing over, we ended up close to Petco Park - home to the San Diego Padres.  Following our path from last year with a little help from Google maps, we located a nice CVS that was actually still opened for business.   Much of their inventory was under lock and key…..even simple everyday items like toothpaste, deodorants, and shampoo and conditioners and cold meds.   We asked the clerk why the need for locked cabinets and she said "theft".  Mostly done by the homeless folks.  She did not feel that this store will stay opened either, especially after we told her that two CVS pharmacies had closed by Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.   Such a shame.  We made our purchases, and continued down Market Street, passing through the Gaslamp Quarter Historic District.  This appeared to be the center of the city's nightlife with theaters, galleries, concert and symphony venues and dozens of neat cafes and bars. It was already getting busy with the lunch crowd, and we were also on the same page…..thinking about lunch.   All aboard was 4pm today.

 

At the end of Market Street, we located the Cheesecake Factory in a shopping complex.  They serve a salad we love at home, so we took a high-top table that we prefer in the bar area.   The booths were full with a 25-minute wait.    As we mentioned earlier, the skies had cleared, and the sun came out making it a warm day.  The Stella draft beer and Coke Zero really tasted good.   We shared the Mexican tortilla salad with their special brown and French bread with added ranch dressing on the side.  We did see plates of various cheesecake servings going to some nearby tables, but we did not indulge.   Just sitting and enjoying the meal while taking in the scenery was fine with us. 

 

Heading back to the ship, we went through x-ray in the terminal, which was virtually empty.  It appeared both ships had loaded the majority of their passengers already.  Doing some info-gathering, we learned that the Caribbean Princess was enroute to LA, after doing a 7-day Coastal run.  This was not a turn-around day for them.  We were back to the room by 3pm.    And there we stayed until it was time for the mandatory passenger emergency muster drill at 4pm.  This was a full drill where we had to go to our boat assignment and be logged in with the boat captain.  Clare had announced this drill, specifically saying do not bring food or drinks, and please leave your life vests in the cabins.   Well, guess what we saw?  Drinks from the bar and life vests with the straps dragging on the floor.  Duh???  And the ever-present cell phones, which were asked to be turned off.  Might as well be talking to the wall.  On several cruises in the past, we have seen some guests asked to put the phones away and pay attention.  This type of full muster drill has to occur every 3 months we were told.  On the remainder of this voyage, we will have more stream-lined drills by scanning our cards at our muster station.  Much easier.

 

Sail away was around 5:15pm, but shortly before that, a few guest names were announced that had not attended the muster drill.  Hope they found them because we were pulling away with or without them.  Instead of a 3,4, and 5 star as well as President's Club members Mariner gathering in the Crow's Nest prior to sail away, there was an exclusive reception in the Lido Pool area from 6:30pm to 7:15pm.   These longer cruises do tend to attract guests with the higher amount of pure sea days, so the venue must be moved to a suitable place.   Of course, that is right in the middle of dinnertime for many, and we are not sure how the attendance was, since we did not go this time.  Instead, we cracked open one of our bottles of sparkling wine and stayed on our veranda for the entire sailing out of the scenic harbor and well beyond.  It is always fun watching the diving pelicans and lazy seals on the buoys.  And we also got the view of Coronado Island and the military complex there that makes us proud to be Americans.

 

With the beginning of this legendary voyage, there was a change with the menu selections.   Much to our liking, there were several Mexican appetizers and entrees.  We both tried the open-face tostada with spicy toppings, one seafood cocktail with a touch of jalapeño pepper, one tomato/mozzarella salad, and the best beef enchiladas we have tasted yet.   Desserts were watermelon and one scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. 

 

Showtime was an aloha performance by a fellow named Erwin Urbi with Home In The Islands.   Now we are heading into the Polynesian culture part of the world with many activities to match the theme.

 

We will have six sea days to reach Kona. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

336 Pictures