Gosh, where has the time gone? Cannot believe it is October 1st 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
