WCB

Report #70 Monday November 13, 2023 Anchored At Fakarava, Tuamotu, French Polynesia 8am-5pm Sunny And Hot With Some Clouds 86 Degrees Part #1 Of 5.......70 Pictures---Casual Dress We have arrived to a new archipelago – the Tuamotu islands and atolls which number 80 in total. This area is the most spread out compared to the other archipelagos we have visited so far. The total population of this area is 16,880 inhabitants within 20,000 square kilometers, but only 775 square kilometers of dry land. Only 6% of the total of French Polynesians live here and have jobs linked to tourism, fishing, copra production, and even nuclear testing by France in the past. Pearl farms produce the most luxurious black pearls in the lagoons, and they supply the market with 98% of the gems. But the real wealth, it is said, comes from the underwater world, also known as their lagoons. Today’s port of call is the atoll of Fakarava, meaning beautiful in Tahitian. It is the second largest atoll, with Rangiroa the largest as well as the capital. There are about 845 residents of this atoll with only 16 square miles of dry land, but has a massive lagoon with 1121 square kilometers. There are 30 kilometers of coral-packed roads on this atoll. We suppose the best way to describe an atoll is comparing it to a string of pearls. The land portion is a ring of coral (the pearls), while the center of the necklace is a lagoon. Much of one side of this lagoon is not a solid coral reef, but consists of a series of motus, making circumnavigation impossible. Many places can only be reached by boat. There are a few cars, several pick-up trucks, and one wooden school bus like “le truck”. There were no HAL shore excursions offered here today, however some folks were able to book something independently prior to the cruise. The tours would be strictly related to the water like snorkeling, diving, or boating. It is reported that Fakarava has some of the best diving in Polynesia with hundreds of reef sharks. Kimberly mentioned that these “harmless to people” sharks have only had 24 recorded attacks here, which is way too much for us. She said these reef and grey sharks are called foxes of the seas. There are also nurse sharks that hang around the shores of the lagoon in the village, as we would find out on our walk. One thing for sure was that it was going to be a most uncomfortably hot and humid day. Like oppressive heat with little breeze. Nothing like last year’s visit where we had record hurricane winds, thunder and lightning with a tropical downpour. Today there were passing clouds, but no rain in sight. It was so hot, we almost wished it would rain. Temperatures reached 86 degrees but felt a lot more than that with the humidity. Very early this morning, passengers began to gather on the bow to watch the entrance through the north opening of the atoll. It is called Garuae pass and it the widest pass in all of French Polynesia at 1.6 kilometers from end to end. The other pass is in the southern part of the ring of coral and is called Tamakohua. The turbulence created in these passes is massive, causing a rushing flow of water that comes in and out with the tides. It can be tricky getting ships through it. Many times dolphins like to hang out in these passes because the fishing is good. However, we saw none today. Sailing into the center of the lagoon outside the village of Rotoava, they dropped anchor, and we had to use the tenders to get ashore. We stayed onboard until 10:30am, then headed down to the boat. It was easy boarding as the waters were calm today and the ride only took about 15 minutes to the village. We were all greeted with island ladies handing out the fragrant tiare flowers with the band playing in the backround. We did not choose to go swimming here, but many of the guests did just that. Remembering that there were sharks lurking in the shallows, we were just as happy with a long walk. There were a few shops at the pier landing, but we knew there was nothing we needed. Many of the over-heated guests went inside these shops because they had air-conditioning and fans. Turning right at the main road, we passed by the primary school and a nice-looking restaurant called Hirinaki Lounge. It looked closed, but may have opened for guests later in the afternoon. Most all of the cafes along the road would not open until dinnertime. And that included the place that had pizza. The shoreline of the lagoon began here, and was already filled with folks swimming and sitting on their striped blue and white beach towels from the ship. It looked like the invasion of the body snatchers. We sure hope these folks knew to wear aqua shoes or flip-flops because it is mostly broken sharp coral and volcanic rocks to navigate to get into the water. The waters are shallow and covered with smooth dark rocks with some sandy spots. If you watch long enough, like we did, you can spot the nurse sharks as they slither over the smoother rocks in search of the small fish. Some of these can measure over 7 feet in length. We spotted one within a few yards of walking the beach. Most people think they are harmless, but we did hear a story from friends that actually saw a nurse shark jump up at a woman who was taking a picture bending over to do it. The shark caught her in the chest, and both the lady and shark had to be pulled out of the water and have its jaws pried off of her. Harmless, don’t think so. Never underestimate a wild animal in their own element. As swimmers, we are prey, and out of our element. Continuing up the road, we passed many homes and a few shops, mostly closed as they always are this time of year. We came across the Catholic Church that was built with coral rocks in 1874. The interior is painted a soft blue and gives one the feeling of coolness even if it was not. On the outside, there were a few island ladies selling some shell jewelry. Some people were checking it out when another lady guest from the ship was going to enter the church with only an open shirt over her swimsuit. The local ladies actually yelled at her and stopped her in her tracks, reminding her it was a church and she should not go inside dressed like that. Sometimes people are clueless. We took the time to walk to the back of this church to see the old cemetery. People still decorate the grave sites with silk or plastic flowers, since they last almost forever. Also in the back were public restrooms, about the only ones we saw today. Good thing we brought some water with us, as the heat was melting us rapidly. Kimberly had warned everyone not to drink any island water since it is from rainfall. Even the locals drink bottled water. Going onward from here, we noticed several people had gotten rides in local pick-up trucks and even rented bikes. Some of the cruise passengers rented bikes, but should not have attempted that without some prior thinking. We have seen a man fall while riding a bike a few years back, and when he went down on the coral-based road, he was cut to ribbons. Something did happen later on involving bike riding, but not until we had boarded the tender for the ride back. So our destination was Havaiki Pearl Lodge where a small outdoor eatery is located by the name of Snack Le Requin. It was noontime by now, and there was a line of eight or more people ordering food and beverages at the shack’s window. It was more crowded than we expected, but we were in need of something cold to drink, and while we were at it, we may as well share a cheeseburger and a pile of fries. We had forgotten, but they did accept credit cards here, as long as the internet stayed running. There was a 20 minute wait for the line to move, but we did get some nice seats at a table in the shade to eat our food. Since there were six chairs, a nice lady and her friends asked to sit with us. They did not speak English, only French, but we recognized them from being at the Seaview Pool every day we went back there. By the time we finished our meal, they were still enjoying their drinks. Heading back, we came across more nurse sharks, and actually got some good photos of them lurking around the many swimmers. Not sure these folks saw the sharks as they blended so well with their surroundings. If nothing else, we could stand in the shade of the casuarinas and palm trees watching these creatures doing their thing. On past excursions, we have gone on tours where we swam with white and black tip sharks and did not really like the feeling of being possible snacks for them. Viewing from the shore was just fine with us. We did see a little dog playing with what we thought was another fat dog. It turned out to be a small pig, who stopped in its tracks when we whistled. Must have been a pet or next Christmas’s dinner, who knows? Many folks were on their way back to the tenderboats like us. The sun and heat could really take a toll on you. While we waited for the tender to take off, a police vehicle arrived with an injured lady and her friend. What a shock to see it was the two ladies that joined us at lunchtime. She could barely walk, and it took three crew fellows to lift her carefully into the tender. It just so happened that one of the most helpful crew members was our waiter Mario. Later on, he told us she had an accident while riding the bike, falling on the coral road. Ouch, that must have hurt. Mario thought she may have broken an ankle because he said it did not look right. Lucky that the police officer had driven them to the pier. Within 10 minutes of getting off of the tender, we heard the call for the medical staff. Hope she will be OK. There is a hospital in Nuku Hiva, but we are not sure how much can be done there as far as complicated broken bones are concerned. All aboard was 4:30pm, and Captain Paul came on the speakers with the sail away info. The plan was to lift the anchor, then turn around and sail out of the north passage the way we had come. We now have 514 nautical miles to reach Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas in two days from now. The speed needed will be 14.8 knots. Hot temperatures can be expected tomorrow as well. Finally, the clocks would need to advance ½ hour, one of those few places in the world we have to do that. The extra ½ hour ahead will be in a few days, followed by the final hour forward before reaching San Diego. Sailing through the turbulence was interesting, but not as bumpy as the one in Rangiroa. We had hoped to see some dolphins, but there were none. What we did enjoy was watching the sun go down before the ship turned northeast. There were considerable clouds blocking the full sun, but it was just as nice as a clear horizon. Dinner was back in the dining room where we were greeted by a new head waiter Koes. He has taken Bayu’s place and remembered us from many cruises. Now he will join the band of greeters as we all enter through the doors on deck five. We try sneaking by them, but they see us every time. It’s their fun for the day. Mario greeted us with the details of the accident this afternoon. We told him he was a good guy for being such a big help. We ordered one grilled shrimp appetizer (really good), and a bowl of tomato soup (even better). Salads were a panache of greens with tangerines and pear slices. Who knew how nicely they go together? Mains were one Club Orange roasted lamb and one duck entree with smashed red potatoes and peas. Both quite tasty. Desserts were a small slice of a chocolate cake and sliced pineapple…both with a side of a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream. Service was quick because our fellows only had us and another table of guests. Guess the heat got to most everyone today. There was a show tonight with a group called Gravity, three singers from the UK taking folks on a musical journey. And with the clocks going forward, we called it a night. Really looking forward to a lazy day at sea tomorrow. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #69 Sunday November 12, 2023 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia Day #2 Docked On The Eleventh Leave Today At 5pm Cloudy Very Humid Rain In The Mountains Sunny In Town 86 Degrees Part #1 Of 2.......77 Pictures---Casual Dress Our second day in Papeete began even warmer than yesterday. The predicted rain of 30% never did appear in town, although we could see showers up high in the mountains. That’s why it is so green everywhere. Lots of water. We stayed onboard once again getting some computer work done in our room. All aboard was 4:30pm, so we still had plenty of time for a nice walk in the humid heat. We more or less re-traced our steps from yesterday, checking the Marketplace in case they might open up for a few hours. What we did find were a few of the flower vendors with what they had left over from yesterday’s bouquets and cut flowers. The group was sitting outside the locked gates of the building. This time we did not need any more flowers since we had a nice bouquet from the florist onboard. And knowing they come with ants, we did not want those either. What we did find open was the tourist info office where we collected maps of almost every French Polynesian island for future use. Along with the two travel guides, we are set when we come back here again. So much of the useful printed maps and brochures are not around anymore, so none of this collection will be tossed. There were a few more souvenir tables set up by the info office, which really reminded us of the ones that were always under the thatched-roof huts across the street. Remember when the Tahitian singers and girls greeted you at the info center coming out of the dock area? Well that is all gone now, but these vendors across the boulevard look the same. And they did not have that special purple shell we are searching for. Maybe next time…… Continuing up the side street, we walked past the Cathedral expecting it to be open for Sunday mass. Well it was still locked up. And we are not sure the Assembly Building was opened either. Glad we discovered that area yesterday. Of course, LA Pizzeria was closed, so we walked across the street to Paofai Park and Gardens. Turning left, we followed the marina all the way to the end where To’ata Square is located. There is a grouping of grandstands there with an open-air theater for concerts and the like. We read that it can handle up to six thousand people, although we are not sure where that many people could park cars. Nothing was happening there today, so we sat on the rock wall admiring the harbor down at this end. It is very close to the airport and the planes were landing regularly. Making our way back along the waterfront, we stopped once again at Le Moana for a snack of crispy French fries, two more Hinano beers and a shared banana split. Since we had reservations in the Pinnacle Grill this evening, we wanted to keep lunch light. Maybe not the healthiest, but that’s what vacations are for, right? We did learn a few words that were helpful with ordering food and drinks here in Tahiti. Taofe means Tahitian coffee with a touch of vanilla. Firi firi means doughnuts with coconut milk. Pia is beer and pahua is a giant clam. Uru is the fruit of the breadfruit rich in vitamins, and mape is the Tahitian sweet chestnut. Coming back along the marina, we noticed that several grids of steel have been “planted” along the sea wall with corals. They attract the fish, and in time it will be a live reef. Better than snorkeling and it is completely free. We got back to the ship after 2pm, and had ice cold sodas to cool off. By 4:30pm, the rain clouds appeared to be closing in over the mountains, and soon it was raining. We could smell it before it came down. The rain continued until we were far off of the island and heading northeast towards the atoll of Fakarava. While downloading photos, we listened to Captain Paul with his plans for today’s departure. He was still waiting for 30 people to get back from a tour, so leaving was close to 5pm. He was turning the ship over to the third officer (under his supervision of course) to take the ship out through the tight reef opening. From recently reading the book Typee by Herman Melville, we knew that there were a number of old sailing ships that sunk trying to access this harbor. Many of them were whaling boats. And some of the remains are still there we understand. We will be sailing into the atoll of Fakarava, located in the Tuamotu Archipelago tomorrow morning. We have 245 nautical miles to go and need a speed of 17.1 knots to get there. The Captain added that we might expect some squalls and showers along the way, but tomorrow will be another hot and humid day. He did not mention if it would rain. Last year was a different story. We had sudden hurricane winds and torrential rain while there. The coral road turned into a flowing creek going over and into our shoes as we walked back to the tender area. We still laugh about it now, but we got soaked to the bone. Umbrellas were useless. As we stated, dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill with our favorite wedge salads and candied bacon. Honestly, that is quite enough to fill us up these days, but we did add the smallest filet mignons and potatoes. We shared the almost Baked Alaska while visiting with friends Bill and Leta who happened to be eating at our breakfast table. Always a pleasure to reminisce over the last 21 years of sailing together on many long voyages. Only two more ports left, and we will making that long sailing back to San Diego. Where has the time gone??? Bill & Mary Ann

Report #68 Saturday November 11, 2023 Day #1 In Papeete, Tahiti 8am-Over Night Docked Port Side To The Pier Sunny With Clouds 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 4.......74 Pictures---Casual Dress Well here we are in Tahiti and the capital of French Polynesia, Papeete. Up very early, we watched as the Volendam sailed into the busy harbor. Although it was cloudy, there was no rain, so that was a plus. The Captain turned the ship around, backed in, and docked port side this time. We think the reason for a certain side for docking has a lot to do with loading supplies and probably taking on fuel and water. Normally, we are nose-in, but not so today. This is better for us, because we will have a view of the town for two days now. So here is a little update on what we learned about French Polynesia. There are a total of 280,000 inhabitants, living on 118 islands, on 5 archipelagos measuring 5.5 million square miles. How’s that for massive numbers? Most of the population here between Tahiti and Moorea as it is the administrative and economic center of the country. Described as having majestic villages, fabulous lagoons, volcanic mountains, restored ancient sites, hiking trails and even world-class surfing, what is not to like about visiting here? Once again, it is all about the water, beaches, boating, snorkeling and diving as well. There was one big problem, however, and that was today happened to be Armistice Day in France and a holiday here. And because of that most everything in town was closed. We did not realize this until we ran into our good buddies who came back steaming from finding the Municipal Market closed down tight. We all agreed we should have been told that it was a holiday, but it did not happen, even when the staff onboard learned about it, nothing was announced. In our way of thinking, had they known shops and cafes were closed today, the shore excursions could have sold a lot more tours. Like duh? And with tomorrow being Sunday, most things would be closed again. Going back months ago, perhaps HAL could have re-adjusted the itinerary getting us here on weekdays and not a holiday and a Sunday. But hey, what do we know? Of course we still went off of the ship around 11am, and headed towards town, via Vaiete Square where the food trucks would be located later in the evening. The new terminal building looks almost completed now, but is still not opened. Most of the square is closed off with a cement wall, and appeared reduced in size. Our first stop after crossing the main street was at the information office. At least they were opened and also had excellent city maps and the Tahiti and Moorea Travel Guide for 2023. From there, we strolled the main street finding most of the shops and pharmacies closed. A few street vendors had tables of souvenirs set up outside the closed businesses. They had plenty of customers with the cruise ship guests that were not on tours. Speaking of which, there were seven excursions offered today and tomorrow as well. A west coast tour for 4 hours was $130, and the east coast one for 2 ½ hours was $100. We have done both in the past. A 4 hour 4x4 thrilling adventure was $120, and a lagoon discovery was $140 for 3 hours. Lagoon cruising was 3 hours for $140 while the Ohana Catamaran swim for 3 hours was $140. A sunset sail with a refreshment for 2 hours was $140. That seems to be the magic price. So we headed past the fabric store that has sold us so many yards to make blouses, but they were shut down. Just as well, as one of us already has enough forever. The big Marche or Municipal market was a ghost town….totally empty of shoppers, vendors, and cars vying for a parking spot. The outside tables were void of everything we usually see. Only some kids and a few homeless guys were laying around doing nothing since it was a holiday. What did we miss at the Marche? Besides the outside tables of black pearls and shell jewelry, we missed the fruit and veggie offerings which included breadfruit, taro, sweet potatoes, bananas (hope the ship get some today), pineapples, limes and mangoes. The fish section always sells tuna, mahi mahi, swordfish, parrotfish and red snapper. There are aisles of woven baskets, hats, monoi oil products, seasonings, and tropical flowers. On the second level are the higher end jewelry shops and clothing stores. They even have a small café upstairs that is popular with the ship guests. We always buy flowers, and take loads of pictures. Not happening today though. By the way, they do not accept credit cards here we were told. Cash only – Pacific French francs and US dollars work well. Walking across the street, we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral (1875), the Catholic church always open. Today, it was locked up tight. Perhaps tomorrow it will be opened for Sunday masses. Perhaps we might hear some of the participants singing during the service. Guess what was opened for business? McDonalds of course. There were people dining outside as well as driving through for take-away. Smart move for everyone. Now came a big surprise. The outdoor pavilion and the gardens of the French Polynesian Assembly were opened to the public. It has been a few years since we have been able to visit here. The Assembly Garden and the Queen’s pond are around the back and accessed by following the rocked pathway. The High Commissioner’s residence is adjacent to this garden, but well fenced off. Paul Gauguin’s banyan tree is planted there as well as a monument of General de Gaulle, but they are also located behind the tall fencing. The garden has ponds that always housed eels…very large eels, but we could not find any today. Among the almost ready to bloom water lilies were small fish and some koi carp. There are a few benches to relax here and lots of shade from the mature trees. Not many people had discovered this garden yet, so we had it almost to ourselves. At the pavilion of the Assembly building was a huge craft display with tables full of shell jewelry, woven hats, baskets, and artistic pieces of shell-decorated branches and trees. Some of the pieces were quite pricey as were the heavy shell necklaces. With so many tables of trinkets, you would thing we could locate a matching pair of purple shell earrings for the necklace we bought in Mo’orea. Nope not one set was right. There were far more necklaces, bracelets, and even rings, and the least amount of earrings. Looking closer at the locals, we noticed they did not wear earrings. They did wear tattoos well though. While we perused the treasures, we listened to the band and singers that were entertaining the customers. We had stayed for at least an hour, happy to have found something opened. Crossing the street, we went into Bougainville Park to take more photos of the trees , flowers, and meandering creeks. There were no eels here as well. They must have been removed. There may have been a memorial there today because the cannons of the Zelee and Seeadler ships were under a tent with a pillar of names near the bust of Bougainville, one of the early discoverers. From here we continued walking up the boulevard to find the biggest disappointment of the day – La Pizzeria was closed for the holiday. No delicious Hawaiian pizza for us today, or tomorrow for that matter. They are always closed on Sundays. Darn….. Passing the Evangelical Church, we crossed over to Paofai Park and Gardens along the waterfront. Recalling seeing friends Rich and Peg dining at a nice-looking café called Le Moana along the harbor, we took a chance and went up the steps to check out their menu. Surprisingly, it was not really crowded yet even though it was past noontime. We ordered two large pints of Blonde Hinano draft beers, which went down easy. There were many fish items on the menu as one might expect, but there were also burgers. So we had a cheeseburger with fries to share. They were generous with the fries and glad they were since they were piping hot. Topping it off, we ordered one dessert of profiteroles, and they were wonderful as some folks walking by us agreed. Time to head back to the ship, we got back walking the waterfront park by 3pm. Sure was nice cooling off in the air-conditioned ship. Of course, it was a perfect time to process those photos and work on reports. The one Kindle we own was not able to be updated since there was no wifi at the restaurant. From our veranda, we could watch the activity on the waterfront as well as the city traffic. Kept us occupied until it was time for the sun to set after 6pm. Going to the front on deck six, we joined a small number of folks doing the same as us….catching the last rays of the sun. There was a wide band of dark clouds on the horizon, so the sunset was not a great one. We took photos anyway. Checking out the night roulette area at Vaiete Square, we saw only one or two trucks. Perhaps that was not happening at all tonight. Time for dinner, we found the dining rooms almost empty. We think it was due to the fact that there was one local show in the World Stage at 8pm with Mana – The Spirit of Tahiti – singers and dancers and musicians. They always command a good crowd. However, it was right in the middle of our dinner time, and being that we have seen the show many times, we enjoyed the quick and excellent service tonight. We ordered the crispy spring rolls which Mario served with the extra sweet and sour sauce we like. So good, they could have been our main tonight. The Caesar salad was skimpy, so the chefs had not accessed the new lettuce yet. One of us ordered the veal parmigiana with linguine and the other an Asian dish of sukiyaki with sliced beef. Both were good and not too much. Desserts were a little cheesecake with sliced strawberries (no sugar added) and one hot fudge sundae. Just in case the cheesecake was too small, Mario brought over another sundae, which we split. Not that we needed it, Mario and Risman always worry we don’t have enough. Trust us, we are doing fine in the dining department. We are overnight here, and have not decided what we will do tomorrow. Whatever that may be, it will involve walking for sure. Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings fellow readers! As far as we know the Intercontinental Resort in Mo'orea is not going to open any time soon. We were told by locals that all of the bungalows have been stripped of everything. So sad as it was the nicest place where you could have a good lunch and have full use of the beach complimentary. We think the condition of the Volendam is very good, but then we have had no plumbing problems. We have been on decks one and six, and still had no issues, with the exception of poor internet reception on deck six. Thanks for sharing the wonderful memories of your visit years ago to French Polynesia, cruising grandma. Also thanks for the extra research on the correct spelling of Opunohu Bay. HAL has been spelling it wrong for years now. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #67 Friday November 10, 2023 Huahine, French Polyneisa Anchored In Maroe Bay 8am-6pm Cloudy And Hot 85 Degrees With Some Sun Very Humid Part #1 Of 5.......66 Pictures---Casual Dress It doesn’t happen often, but today’s port of Huahine is a new one for us. So what can we expect? According to the Island Travel Guide, this particular island has maintained its rural lifestyle, sort of off of the beaten track as far as tourism is concerned. “Authentic” is the word used to describe the few towns and villages on these two islands. Actually, Huahine consists of two islands….one is Huahine Nui and the other Huahine Iti, connected by a bridge and enclosed in one big lagoon and coral reefs. Together, the island is 10 miles long and 8 miles wide. There is a total of 6075 native and the main village is Fare. Together the islands are 74 square kilometers with a total circumference of 95 kilometers. Mt. Turi is the highest point at 669 meters or 2200 feet in elevation. The Volendam sailed through the opening of the reef and into Maroe Bay where the anchor was dropped. It was going to be one very hot and humid day as it was already 84 degrees at 8am. There was barely a breeze. We went off to breakfast like always, and had a visitor, Nancy, who showed us photos she just took of a few cows standing in the water. From one photographer to another, she got a big laugh with these shots. Of course, we had to take some when we got back to the room. Even the cows were laid back. There were a few shore excursions here beginning with two 3 hour tours to a pearl farm, vanilla plantation, and a marae (temple) for $100. The second one was a ride to sacred sites and places, followed by a coral garden snorkel and a 4 wheel drive safari – both also $100. Another 4 x 4 ride and snorkel was $120 for 3 ½ hours and a lagoon and motu picnic for $160 for 3 ½ hours. There were no regular tour buses here, just open-air wooden school buses or le trucks. And today was a tender port once again. We stayed onboard until 11am, then ventured down to the tender platform for the 10 to 15 minute boat ride to shore on Huahine Iti. At the old concrete pier, there was a welcome band, and a local gal handing out tiare blossoms to every guest. The pier market consisted of a table or two of trinkets and across the road was a restaurant by the name of Rauheama Snack, which was closed. Restrooms were there as well. An added bonus was seeing the many tropical fish swimming right around and under the concrete pier. We got good photos without getting wet. We boarded a waiting school bus knowing there would only be two available since today was a school day. Later on, there were a total of five trucks. The ride took us across a bridge that spanned the two islands and north towards the town of Fare. It was a 20 minute ride through dense forest jungle roads and island housing….some nice, some very old and rusting. Views of many growing areas for fresh produce were here and there as well as in the local backyards. Vanilla is a crop grown here along with pineapples, coconuts, and taro root and yams. Watermelons and cucumbers do well as do avocados and mangoes of course. We could have sworn we saw a small netted plantation of marijuana plants along the roadside in someone’s private garden. Going too fast, we did not get a picture. After the free bumpy ride with scenic views, we arrived to Fare, a quaint village with one of everything folks need here. Like one supermarket, bank, pharmacy, a few cafes, and shops. Once off of the school bus, we walked the main street looking for a suitable place for beers. By now, it was noontime, and every place was full of customers. Those cafes that had some available tables were rather seedy-looking. Heading back to the bus stop, there was the recommended Huahine Yacht Club, but obviously over-whelmed with ship guests. No way were we going to wait for a table, since it appeared most people were “parked” for the day. The recommended sandy beach behind this café was flooded with the high tide….no sandy beach until the tide went out. The few souvenir tables had shell jewelry but twice the price of what was sold in Mo’orea. We figured that it was best to go back to the comfort of the ship and have lunch and ice cold sodas there. On the way back, we passed a broken-down school bus with many guests standing along the roadside. Don’t know what happened, but they were stranded and no other bus stopped to help out. We took on the majority of guests and squeezed tight on the benches made for little kids. Now we hoped our bus would not break down. At this point we were close to the tender landing and we could have walked the rest of the way if need be. There were two boats waiting to load guests, and we got on the second one. We guess there were twelve of us, so many seats were empty. We took the seats in the center next to the opening where there was a breeze. A strange lady came and sat right next to us….we mean right next to. For heaven sakes, the entire back was empty. But we did not say anything. She talked incessantly and asked nosy questions, most of which we had to ignore. When she started coughing, the ride was about over and it couldn’t have been too soon. Perhaps due to the heat and several days of activity, many folks are getting cranky. In addition to that, there are some older people that should assess their capabilities before trying to leave the ship. One such elderly lady barely made it up the steep stairs to the upper platform. No one, not even security staffers, made a move to help her either. If she happened to fall backwards, she would have taken out at least six people behind her. We were back by 1:30pm and ready for that room service lunch of salads and a shared panini. While relaxing on the veranda, we saw the peaks cover over with clouds. Eventually those passing clouds dropped some driving rain which was most welcomed. It cooled the air off nicely. It came down hard enough to hear it hitting the water in the bay. Captain Paul came on with his daily talk and said we had 105 miles to Tahiti from here and going 8 knots will get us there early tomorrow morning. He said the winds were 15 knots and the temperatures should be 82 degrees. What was not mentioned was the fact that Papeete is expecting up to 70% chance of rain on Saturday. Even more on Sunday. Oh well, that’s what the umbrellas are for. And the best part is we are docked….no tenders for two days. Dinner was good. We had cold Vietnamese wraps with pork and hoisin sauce…small but very tasty. One of us ordered the shrimp quesadilla appetizer, and the Weiner schnitzel. It appeared the serving of the pork had been cut in half, as they were probably running low on it. The other entrée was rigatoni with chicken meatballs and covered with a marinara sauce. All good. Desserts were a hot fudge sundae and chocolate chip ice cream. The dining room was half full. Showtime featured The Knights, a singing group with their final performance. We noticed that some folks had attended the 7:30pm show, then came to dinner at 8:30pm. Anything goes in both levels of the dining room these days. “Fixed seating” really means nothing. The guests are seated where there are waiters available we guess. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #66 Thursday November 9, 2023 Day #2 Anchored In Bahia d' Opunohu, Mo'orea, French Polynesia Sail Out At 6pm Enroute To Huahine Partly Cloudy 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 3......74 Pictures----Casual Dress Day two in Mo’orea started off even warmer than yesterday. There were fewer clouds, more sun, and less wind. It might be nice for picture-taking, but this humid heat makes you “melt”. We had a big treat after leaving breakfast around 8:30am. Going down to the promenade deck, we saw some dolphins jumping in the distance near the moored sailboats. They began appearing in larger numbers, and put on quite a show jumping and even spinning like the big spinner dolphins. They must have been feeding as they do in the early part of the day. Before we knew it, a few dolphin-watching tour boats arrived and they had the dolphins following the boats as they sailed in a big circle very slowly. What spoiled the activity were 5 jet-ski people that sped around the pod and the boats, sending the pod elsewhere, not to be seen again until later when they were not bothered. At least we were able to see them frolicking, happy in their element. We doubt we could have gotten better pictures if we were in those boats. Simply the luck of the draw. We were in no hurry to go to shore, and we took advantage of the time working on the computer. We were scheduled to have our carpet cleaned between 10:30am and 2pm, although we did not have to leave the room. According to the notice we got last night, it would take 10 minutes for the shampooing and it would be under the supervision of a housekeeping officer. We gathered our stuff at the same time we had the knock on the door. Perfect timing. Once off of the tender boat, we headed to our lady friend’s table to search for matching earrings for the necklace we bought yesterday. Matching the purple shell was impossible. Actually none of the vendors had that particular shell in their creations. That will give one of us something to look for tomorrow in Huahine. Being that it was so much warmer today, we decided to take a shorter walk, but turning left at the intersection this time. Even checking what was available up that way online , it appeared that there was little in the way of restaurants or shops. We had hiked this way many years ago, but had forgotten what we saw. Truthfully, it was much the same as turning right yesterday. Shoreline homes with green gardens and plenty of mango and breadfruit trees. One house had a side lot full of banana trees. About a mile or two up the road, we found the road that goes up to Magic Mountain or a good lookout with a vigorous hike straight up. We have been up to Belvedere Lookout many times, but this one is closer to the ship. We had heard that someone would collect a fee to go through a gate on private property. Sure enough, a lady came out of a house/roadside shop, to collect 200 Pacific French francs or $2 US dollars. She laughed when we said no thanks – it was way too hot for that climb today. Best to leave it to the youngsters onboard (crew members). She agreed it was too warm, and gladly went back to her chair in the shade of a tree. By now it was after 12pm and a good time for a beer. Right next to this side road was a place called Fare Tutava. It appeared to be a take-away counter, but was in fact an outdoor eatery with picnic tables under the shade of a roof and plenty of trees. Studying the menu, we saw they served beer, so we took a table for two and ordered two bottles of ice cold Hinanos. Perfect. Most of their food items were fish, but they did have burgers and fries. We shared one and saved room for a dessert. There was a bit of a language problem, since the waitress spoke more French than we could understand. Showing us a dessert menu, we indicated a banana split would be fine. She said OK and took off, coming back with a wooden monkeypod bowl in the shape of a pineapple with the banana split. It was vanilla ice cream with rum-cooked bananas, topped with whipped cream, and sprinkled with coconut. Good thing we were sharing. Part of the screening for the outdoor restaurant were island pareos hanging on clotheslines. Of course, some of them were very pretty, and we ended up buying one on the way out. It is a piece of clothing I use all summer at home, and have to admit the collection is growing. We headed back to the pier, stopping in the shade of the old mango and breadfruit trees. Frangipanis scented the air, but so did the several fires that created smoke. One of the first times we sailed into Bora Bora, we noticed the smoke coming from the shoreline. It smelled pungent, so we thought they were firing up the BBQ’s. Nope…it turned out to be burning of the dried leaves and trimmings from the jungle foliage. Upon a closer look, we saw piles alongside the road where eventually they would dispose of the trimmings with fire. Good thing the mountains and valleys are so green, or these islands could burn up like what happened in Lahaina this year. One other observation we made while sailing away this evening was that many more fires were creating thick smoke everywhere. It is possible the smoke helps keep the biting bug population under control, especially at dusk. We are still trying to figure out the correct spelling for the bay we are anchored in. Is it Bahia d’ Opunoha or Opunohu, as it is spelled locally? If it is in fact Opunohu, then HAL has been spelling it wrong for several years. Perhaps one of our readers has the answer. We got back to the ship by 2pm, and chilled out in our room until we left the bay. Opunohu Bay to be exact. Captain Paul came on the speakers at 5pm, and said the ship had been at anchor and spinning on the it for two days. That saves fuel since they did not have to use the engines to stabilize our position. We have 82 nautical miles to reach Huahine tomorrow at a speed of 6 knots. The seas have calmed down and the sailing was smooth. We are now heading northwest where we had an excellent view of the sunset at 6:10pm. The Captain even came back on the speakers to remind the guests to look out a window to see that dramatic sun go down on the horizon. Tomorrow’s port will be a new one for us, and many other guests and crew. Having TV access to the port talk given by Kimberly really is a help with a new stop. Having saved a local tour booklet from last year’s cruise has been invaluable for information. Dinner was in the dining room with one order of chicken noodle soup and a pork belly appetizer. The salads have been skimpy, so we will wait until Papeete before we order one. Mains were the beef bourguignon meal with roasted fingerling potatoes and carrots with pearl onions. Very tasty and tender, we ate all of it. Our waiter, Mario, was a bit under the weather according to Risman, so we had a new man take over tonight. We think standing in the heat on the pier got to Mario yesterday. Just too warm. Desserts were one bowl of coffee ice cream with chocolate syrup and an orange-flavored panna cotta. Small, but just the right size. By the way, we thought we might add that there are Morimoto specials every evening on the menu. They offer Epice lobster tails with lemon foam and veggies for $25. And fresh halibut with Asian veggies, dried shrimp, and a scallop sauce for $25 was the other choice. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #65 Wednesday November 8, 2023 Bahia d' Opunoha, Mo'orea, French Polynesia 8am- Over Night Overcast And Hot 80 Degrees With Some Sun Part #1 Of 4......77 Pictures----Casual Dress Today’s port of call was the island of Mo’orea, belonging to The Society Islands and part of the Windward group. Yesterday’s islands of Raiatea and Taha’a, along with Bora Bora belong to the Leeward group. As it turns out, we will be at anchor in Opunohu Bay for two full days, right next to Cook’s Bay. Mo’orea is considered another most beautiful island in the world with emerald green cliffs, stunning lagoons, and many quiet beaches. There are about 16,000 inhabitants who have a slow pace of living. The weather almost dictates how fast the locals move since it tends to be warm, humid, and rainy at certain times of the year. And today was no exception with overcast skies, which cleared by the afternoon, before clouding up again. Naturally, we need to take the tenders to shore at Papeotai, located next to one of the oldest churches in French Polynesia. Built by missionaries in 1870, they happened to build it over a very important archaeological site, losing the artifacts forever it is said. The fun part about this tender drop off has to be the extended buildings with roofs that house several local vendors. There is a little bit of everything like island jewelry, clothing, some food stands, and even some black South Seas pearls. The ships tour group join their boats or buses and vans there. If you did not book a tour onboard, there are always excursions to take from the locals. Several taxis and mini vans are available to go to restaurants or resorts and beaches. Expect to pay dearly for these rides, we have been advised. So here are some of the ship’s excursions. A lagoon cruise in two bays runs $60 for 1½ hours. You can take a 4- wheel drive adventure for 3½ hours for $100, or for the same amount of time, you can do the island drive and Belvedere lookout for $100. A 3¾ hour highlight drive will run $110, while a snorkel safari for 3 hours will be $100. A motu picnic and ray feeding is 5 hours for $180. Or the locals offer a 2- hour minivan tour to Belvedere lookout, a marae temple, a pineapple plantation, vanilla garden, jam tasting, a distillery, and a stop at Cook’s Bay – all for $40. A similar local tour for 3 hours is $50 per person. As for us, we stayed onboard working on yesterday’s photos, then left the ship by 10:45am. The ride was quick and easy thanks to the fact the wind had died down and the waters were smooth. The first stop was at a craft table with the local elderly lady we have known for years. She does not speak English much, and we do not speak French well, but we always have luck finding one of her seashell creations to purchase. She even took the time to get the necklace on correctly, as I chose to wear it. The collection is growing….. Our goal was to take a long hike to enjoy the sights along the waterfront road. The ultimate goal was finding a restaurant that would be opened today. For some reason they tend to close on Wednesdays. The Intercontinental Hotel, about a three- mile walk, has been shut down, abandoned, going on three years now. Another fun place for lunch was Holy Steak House, but they were not opened today. We had already passed a small lagoon side café that was filled with locals at noon. It was an option if nothing else presented itself. Later on, we found out from friends that this roadside café did not take credit cards…only cash. And we are not sure if they took US dollars. Remember to ask before dining. Highlights of our slow walk took us through the village of Papeotai where there were some mini roadside cafes, tiny supermarkets, a hardware shop, hair salons in local homes, and beachside houses. School kids were out on a walkabout as their teachers led them back to the school along the lagoon. From watching the increased local traffic and a few buses, we came to the conclusion that the school takes a long lunch break, then resumes a few hours later. Besides the church at the tender pier, there was another one – Catholic by the name of St. Michael’s Chapel. Many small businesses offered scooter and bike rentals, and possibly cars and 4-wheel dive vehicles. Most are within walking distance of the tender pier. Several of the local residents were busy selling fruit from stands on the road. That included a whole lot of mangoes (in season), pineapples, small & large bananas, melons, papaya, guava, and squash of all kinds. Small tables had been set up outside some homes where they were giving away the over-abundance we assume. No one was present to take money. We have to add that it is wise to do some homework before going off blindly, although not all of the info is updated. We discovered that if we continued walking the road past the Intercontinental bungalows over the water, now closed, we might come across a place called Taoahere Beach House Snack. Eventually we found a road sign advertising this eatery and an arrow pointing right. We walked down a very private street with really nice homes that were gated and fenced. This road continued down towards the lagoon, but still we found no signs. Just by luck, we came across a nice lady who was waiting outside a solid fence door for a taxi to arrive. We asked her where that restaurant was located, and she said right here. That’s when we noticed the small sign on the door. Happy we found it, she described the food and drinks and highly recommended it. Good enough for us, we needed to go no further. Walking past the resort part of the property, we reached the water where there was an open-air patio with several tables. This was perfect. Eventually, we ordered a cheeseburger with fries to share, and large two Hinano beers. It took a little longer than we expected to get our food, but we had no specific time to be back. Remember, we were overnighting here. While we dined, we got to watch the many boats with snorkelers in the massive lagoon area. We were close enough to the water, we could see tropical fish of all sizes just about right under our feet. People were even kayaking past the café. Then the best was to arrive – a dessert of profiteroles filled with vanilla ice cream, drizzled with a chocolate sauce, and sprinkled with chopped nuts. It was quite a treat, and a dessert we always look for while in French Polynesia. A group of crew members, including several front desk people and Arnold, the Mariner rep, wandered into the restaurant. They had taken a taxi, and the driver had recommended this place to them. They had more fun taking photos of each other before their food arrived. It’s always nice to see crew members out and about in these ports. Even though they have less time to explore, they know how to make the best of the time they have. All good things come to an end, and we had to start back to the pier at 2pm. By now, the clouds had blown away and the sun was out. It was hot, but there was a breeze. We rode back to the ship with a super good friend, recalling a story of her stuck- on- the- reef tender boat ride last year. We were back at the tender port at3:30 and onboard by 3:45pm, and ready to work on photos and relax on the cool veranda. Before we knew it, dinnertime had arrived. We had small Caesar salads, because we think they are running out of lettuce. One of us had the Mexican chicken soup and the other had the Thai beef salad. Both on the spicy side. Mains were one plate of BBQ baby back ribs (which arrived with 6 ribs) and one fettucine with a shredded roast beef Bolognaise sauce. Desserts were a rum cake with vanilla ice cream and a plate of pineapple slices. There was a movie, The Bounty, in the World Stage at 8pm, but we suspect most folks were done in tonight and called it a day. We know we did. One more day in Mo’orea, but we are not sure what we will do. Many people we talked to said they were staying onboard. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #64 Tuesday November 7, 2023 Uturoa, Raiatea French Ploynesia Docked Starboard Side To Pier 8am-5:30pm Sunny And Very Windy- Sea State Rough Part #1 Of 5.......77 Pictures---Casual Dress Waking up at the ridiculous time of 5am, we found that we were sailing past the island of Bora Bora, an unscheduled trek, probably requested of Captain Paul by many of the passengers. Being that we had that port cancelled a few months ago, at least we might be able to see it from a distance. Honestly, at that time of the morning, it was too dark for good photos. And it was also very wet outside on our veranda due to the heavy mist coming at us from the waves below. Once the sun began to rise, we could make out the outline of the mountain peaks and the surrounding motus and lagoons. We have been most fortunate to having visited this island paradise numerous times over the years, and always marvel at the scenery. It has been described as having scintillating lagoons of blue, turquoise, to sapphire waters – a quintessential tropical dream. Only 5½ miles, long and 2½ miles wide, this 7- million- year- old island is home to 10,550 residents. The two tallest peaks are Mt. Otemanu at 2385 feet and Mt. Pahia at 2168 feet in elevation. Once the clouds cleared we could see the tops of those famous peaks. The main village is Vaitape, where we would have tendered from the bay. Unless we come here on a smaller ship, we will not visit here again any time too soon. Just as we turned and passed the island, a partial rainbow appeared, like the island was thumbing her nose at us. Our planned destination for today was the island of Raiatea with a population of 12,250 people. This island consists of 238 square kilometers with a total circumference of 98 kilometers. Their highest peak is Mt. Tefatoaiti at 1017 meters in elevation and the island is only about 3 million years old. It is home to the largest marae (sacred terraced temple) in French Polynesia, called Taputapuatea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And the island has the only navigable river in Polynesia called the Faaroa River. When we visit here, you get two -for- one since the closest neighboring island to Raiatea is Taha’a. This smaller island of 5235 natives has a land area of 88 square kilometers with a circumference of 67 kilometers. Mont Ohiri is the tallest peak at 598 meters high. After leaving Bora Bora behind, we entered the lagoon of Taha’a through one large opening and sailed the inner lagoon of the smaller island for a while. Lucky for us, all of the scenery was on the port side. Taha’a is known as the vanilla islands with 8 villages, numerous guest houses, and resorts. As much as ¾ of the vanilla production come from Taha’a and closeby Huahine. A specialized sugar cane grown here has given rise to rum production gaining a worldwide reputation. This island will be one of the destinations for shore excursions as it shares the lagoon with Raiatea. And speaking of tours, here are some that were offered today. Starting with Raiatea, there was a 3 ½ hour highlight drive for $120, and a sacred island drive in Le Truck for 3 ½ hours for $90. There was a drive up the Faaro River with a beach break for 3 hours for $100 or a 3 ½ hour kayak adventure for $120. The rest of the excursions went to Taha’a. For $160 you could taste vanilla and have a motu picnic for 3 ½ hours. We have done the drift snorkel for 3 ½ hours for $160, or there was Taha’a discovery and motu by catamaran also 3 ½ hours for $120. Last but not least, you could visit a pearl farm then snorkel, a 3 hour tour for $130. We noticed that several of these tours were morning times, and also available in the early afternoon. After breakfast, we worked on photos until almost 11 am, then headed off of the ship for a long walk. We had missed the welcoming band and the handing out of the tiare flower buds. These native flowers are grown primarily on Raiatea, since it is the ideal climate for them. It was a pleasant 77 degrees outside with broken clouds and a wind of 24 mph. Most everyone lost their hats when they exited the gangway on the pier. The winds were that strong. At least it did not rain like it did last year. Following the road to the right, we passed the small boat marina where the tours were beginning to take off. Further up this road was the large vessel marina, followed by a public area with a pool-like setting. This is the setting for the Hawaiki Nui Va’a, the famous international outrigger canoe race. We have been here on past trip when this was in the middle of happening. It was exciting to see the competitors and their boats. Early in May of this year, the 19th edition of the Tahiti Pearl Regatta took place in this same park. Relaxing on a nice cement bench there, we could see the outline of Bora Bora from here. Many other ship guests were doing the same as us. We headed back passing one of the many churches and stopping in the Catholic one nearer to town. We did take the time to pass through the produce market, and climbed the stairs to the second level where most of the souvenirs were displayed. Prices were higher than last years, but we were not surprised as French Polynesia is known for being pricey. It was already 1pm, and beer sounded great. Back at the cruise terminal is a place called La Raie Gate, an open-air café that serves draft beer and a very good pizza among other specialities. The French Polynesians sure have a way with baking the best bread and today was no exception. We ordered a pepperoni pizza and two beers, sitting directly across from the ship. It was a short walk back, and it was still windy. And of course, the rest of the afternoon was spent working on pictures and reports. Since we were docked with the view of the water, it was fun watching the crazy guys with their kite boards. With strong winds, sometimes these fellows were 20 feet up in the air with small motor boats speeding under them. Sharing the lagoon were kayakers and tour boats of all sizes. We had forgotten that at 4pm, the local officials were presenting a special plaque to Captain Paul for the Volendam. They usually do this for a maiden port, but we shall have to inquire what the occasion was. Captain Paul reported that there was a nice ceremony impressing all that participated and watched. Before 6pm, he had turned the ship around, and headed back the same way we had come in. This gave the starboard folks the chance to see what they missed this morning. We still claim we got way better pictures this morning because the light was by far better. Sunset was 6:15pm, and it looked promising for a while, then it fizzled. Too many thick dark clouds on the horizon hid the sinking sun. Our biggest event was getting another President’s Club amenity of Coke Zeros and flowers, which arrived after dinner. We did not expect them since it appears most all of the fresh flowers around the ship are gone now. This bouquet was full of proteas which will last until we reach San Diego. Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill with our usual wedge salads, double dressings, and savory clothesline bacon. Warm rolls are always served with two types of toppings. One is a garlic butter and the other is a red bell pepper and cream cheese spread. Our mains were lamb chops, skinny fries, and one loaded baked potato. We shared a Baked Alaska, just right for two. Other than us, there were a total of four guests dining at 7:30pm this evening. Guess with such active tours today, the folks turned in early. Showtime was supposed to be a vocalist and pianist, Lisa Harman, but in her place, were the Biddys. Ready for another early start to the day tomorrow with scenic cruising into Moorea beginning at 6:30am. Not sure both of us will be viewing that one. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #63 Monday November 6, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Uturoa, Raiatea French Polynesia Sunny With Clouds And Very Windy 30 Knots, Sea State: 8'-9' Swells Part #1 Of 1.......0 Pictures The days are flying by rapidly now as we approach French Polynesia. Beginning tomorrow, we will be looking to seven consecutive days in port, a most busy time for all. So today was a kick-back one to get ready for a week of exploring. We had hoped that the seas might have calmed down on our way east, but it appears that they have gotten even rougher. The ship has been maintaining a speed of 12 knots, but we still have a lot of pitching and rolling. We suspect that more than a few of the guests are seasick. There have been far fewer folks dining for breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, which really is good for the rest of us regulars. Our coffee cups never go empty. The winds increased as well, and the temperature was no higher than 75 degrees. When we woke up, our veranda was wet, even though it did not rain last night that we were aware of. The moisture was coming from the mist off of the waves and blowing like a fine rain on the portside. The promenade deck was soaked on the port side as well, so the folks in the Lanai rooms could not comfortably sit on their private lounges. We did at least a mile walk this morning but gave up. We could always come back later when there were fewer walkers. There seems to be a certain group early in the morning that treat the deck like it is “roller derby” time. Usually they are only good for a few laps around, then go inside by 10am when there is a lecture in the World Stage. It was so windy at the Seaview Pool that the chairs were blowing over. Guess we could call the wind blustery, sending the empty lounges skittering across the deck. The umbrellas were tied up, so there was no fear of them falling over. We get a kick out of the guests that think they can eat lunch out there. In a short time, we could see lettuce and chips flying by us, sending the diners back inside. While we were sitting relaxing in the partly sunny and cloudy skies, Captain Paul appeared. It seems he was on deck nine, and came down to chat with one of our friends. He slowly made his way around the back deck, stopping to say hi to about everyone. He had just announced that tomorrow morning at 5am, he will be sailing close to Bora Bora, the long- ago cancelled island. At least we might be able to see it even if we are not allowed to anchor there this time. At least we hope to see it if the sun will be up by then. The island of Bora Bora is so close to Raiatea that it can be seen from that island, so it isn’t that much out of the way. Apparently, many passengers asked the Captain if that could be done, since it was a huge disappointment that we were not allowed to go there because our numbers are over 1200 guests. And he kindly said OK. We asked which side of the ship would be on the dockside, and he said that was still being worked out with the local authorities. If it is allowed, we hope to be sailing on the way out in the shared lagoon between Raiatea and Taha’a, their neighboring island. It is quite scenic….so fingers crossed we do it. On the way back to our room, we stopped off for Cannonball burgers at The Dive In Grill. There was no line, and the food was ready within 10 minutes tops. We have given up the fries, since we don’t need the extra calories. Sitting on our veranda, we actually needed sweatshirts since the mist was still there keeping the floor wet. We do recall that last year when we visited Raiatea, it rained. It rained in every port off and on throughout French Polynesia. Just part of the experience and the luck of the draw. Dinner time found the dining room spotty with customers. The anytime dining downstairs was almost empty, although the tables for two upstairs seem to get filled most evenings. It does not affect our dining service at all. But we did have a little mishap this evening when a full glass of ice water was spilled on one of us and the center of the table. You know how the glasses sweat? Well our most embarrassed waiter went to move a full glass, and it slipped. We felt bad for him since he must have apologized a hundred times. They used a bunch of napkins to sop up the water, which was mostly on the table and one of our laps. Thank goodness it was not red wine. That did happen a few years ago when a waitress spilled a whole tray of red wine glasses…… all over both of us and at a pre-cocktail party with the Captain at that time. That was far worse although we were both wearing black that night, since it was a dressy evening. Anyway, we had Caesar salads, no anchovies, and mains of chicken cordon blu. There was a penne pasta entrée, so we asked for some of that on the side. It was a great combination. Desserts were a lemon meringue cheesecake and a plate of savory pineapple once again. Have to turn in early this evening to get up at 5am…or least one of us will be up. The entertainment in the show lounge was a movie, The Descendants, which most folks have seen more than once we suspect. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #62 Sunday November 5, 2023 Rarotonga, Cook Islands 6am-11am Circle Island To Rough To Tender Mostly Sunny With Some Clouds 72 Degrees Sea State 12' Swell 30 Knot Wind Part #1 Of 2....77 Pictures----Casual Dress Well, here we go again, or should we say here we do not go again? Shortly after leaving Aitutaki yesterday, we encountered rough seas again. It only got worse during the night, as our friends told us, with the waves hitting the bow and causing white-out spray. So much so, it lit up their whole room. We used to love seeing that from our deck one room. It is much more impressive close-up. As you might guess, the port of Avatiu, Rarotonga was cancelled. Before we went to our 7:30am breakfast, Captain Paul came on the speakers everywhere, including the staterooms, and announced that he would give it his best shot, but things were not looking good for today’s tendering. We have heard that some guests start lining up at the Ocean Bar well before 7am to get the first tender tickets. Perhaps he was heading off that line by telling everyone without actually saying it, they may as well roll over and go back to sleep. He was going to lower a few tenders to test the swells anyway, but from what he indicated yesterday, we knew there was no way he was going to take any chances with the safety of the passengers and crew alike. During breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, we could hear some boats being lowered to the water. By 7:45am, Captain Paul had made the decision to abandon the tendering and announced it to all. He even added that he would personally be at the front desk at 8am to answer any questions regarding that decision. And he was, along with the hotel manager, Glenn, and a security officer. This wasn’t the first time he did that, because the same situation came up with the Fanning Island day. By the time we finished breakfast, only Glenn was present at the front desk, and he was talking to a guest. With wind speeds between 6 and 7 on the Beaufort scale, and sea swells up to 12 feet at some point, we all agreed it was the only call to be made. In place of actually going there, the Captain took a counterclockwise trip around the outside of the island. Now this worked out swell for us, since the port side got the complete view. The island road is 32 kilometers, so it only took a little over an hour to complete the circle. It has been many years since we saw the west, south, and east coast, since we always walk on the north part looking for a suitable spot for lunch. One of the negative things about arriving here today was the fact it was a Sunday, and most everything would be closed. Even the circle island bus was not operating, and there would be few if any taxis available. No ship excursions had been sold either. So we were happy to get the free ride around the reefs and lagoons. Now we expected the ship to turn around to give the starboard folks the view, like we did in Fanning Island, but it did not happen. Captain Paul continued in a slightly north easterly direction, heading towards the next port in French Polynesia, Raiatea. We have 528 nautical miles to reach that lovely island on Tuesday morning. And we could expect continued swells and slightly rough seas with some pitching and rolling since we will be doing 12 knots. There were many floating clouds, but no rain at all. Most all of our day was dedicated to computer and photo work. As many sightings of birds took place yesterday as well as today, one of us had a huge amount to sort through. Sometimes to get the best of the best, it may be necessary to take many photos. Boy things have sure changed since the days of 35mm rolls of film, haven’t they? Naturally today’s itinerary had to be enhanced, adding activities that were not planned. We got the new list in the afternoon after half of the activities were over….not that we do a whole of them. Now that the stores could open up, there were many promotional things offered. A guest speaker, Lyn Yaworsky gave a lecture and Kainoa did a talk all about the Tahitian black pearls. Later in the afternoon, a third speaker, Dr. Douglas gave a speech about biodiversity. Since it was rather cool outside, room service chicken noodle soup sounded good for lunch along with a small salad and one shared sandwich and quesadilla. Surprise, surprise…the soup came with real noodles. Having mentioned that to Bayu, our head waiter, he may have mentioned it to the soup guru in the galley. Anyway, it was really good. Before we knew it, it was dinnertime. The menu had a few good choices – all different. We ordered a round of arancini, Caesar salads, and one braised beef and one sliced tenderloin, both with veggies and mashed potatoes. Both were good. Desserts were a hot fudge sundae and a plate of fresh, sweet pineapple. So refreshing and even healthy. One day at sea tomorrow, and we will be in French Polynesia, a favorite part of the world for us. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #61 Saturday November 4, 2023 Aitutaki, Cook Islands At Anchor 7am-6pm Partly Cloudy With Sun 78 Degrees 20 Knot Wind Sea State: 3' Swells Part #1 Of 6.,,,,,,,,76 Pictures----Casual Dress As much as most of you have heard this before, today was a perfect day in paradise. Honestly, this island has to be rated number one by Lonely Planet as one of the best in the South Pacific. The third largest island of the Cook Islands, the surrounding lagoon is simply stunning, made even more spectacular when the sun is out like it was today. A few drifting clouds could not hide the beauty of the large reef that surrounds the entire island. The multi shades of blue to aqua waters seem to go on forever. And considering the condition of the seas the past few days, we had our doubts that we would be able to tender here today. We can say that it was almost a miracle to find that “sweet spot” for the ship Captain Paul had hoped for. Protected from the worst of the winds and swells, the tender boats were dropped and it was a “go” from here on out. After breakfast where we have been spoiled with specially-made blueberry muffins, we went out on deck six to get some photos of the lagoons and hopefully some tropic birds. No one else was out there today, and that is probably why Captain Paul suddenly appeared and offered to take us on a tour of the navigation deck. What a treat to go up the narrow side stairway and through the locked door to the brains of the ship. In the past, we have taken a few tours on different ships, but this one was special, since we understand that only virtual tours are done in the World Stage these days. Security being what it is made this tour a privilege for sure. Captain Paul led us from one end to the other, explaining the main functions of most of the high- tech systems involved in running the ship. So much of it was computerized of course. Today the ship was not at anchor since the waters were too deep, so it was being held in place by the engines. Watching the screen, you could see how much the ship drifted several degrees, then automatically corrected. The tendering operation was in full swing by then, so we thanked the Captain and made our way back to the room, collected our few things, and off we went to join the next boat to shore. We figured that we had better not wait much longer, because if the conditions changed, they could stop the transferring. That has happened in the past, like when we were at Easter Island several years ago. Most of the guests had gotten to shore, but then the seas got too rough to continue. Tendering was stopped and you can guess how angry the folks were that were denied going to shore. Thought there was going to be a mutiny for heavens sake. But anything can happen, and you learn to accept it. Loading into the boat was not a problem, but due to a very narrow passage through the reef, the going was slow. Only one boat was allowed to pass through the reef at a time, so between the wait to board the boat, and finally getting to the wharf was as least ½ hour. Just as our boat driver got us away from the tender landing, he accidently drifted into the bulb in the front of the ship’s bow. Ka-boom was what we heard as many of us were launched from out seats. Good thing these boats do not sink, even if there was a hole ripped into the bottom. We are certain that the navigation team as well as the Captain felt the collision. Nothing was said as the driver simply headed towards the reef’s entrance. Once at the wharf, he pulled alongside the pier, and the boat drifted into the side with another bang. All of us were most happy to exit that boat for sure. There was a set of steps added to the exit, but the last step to the concrete was a big one. The fellows on the wharf were able to haul everyone out safely. Listening to Kimberly’s talk yesterday, she indicated that being a Saturday, not everything will be opened. There were no shore excursion sold here today, but there were a few options once you got onshore. We had heard a rumor that there was going to be a type of ho-ho vehicle to take the folks for a circle the island drive. And it turned out to be true as we saw an open-air truck selling the tour for $50 USD per person. It is possible that the vehicle stopped at the resorts and beaches along the way, and they would pick you up later. Last year when we were here, it was a Sunday, and there were almost no taxis or tours happening. And no ho-ho shuttle. The produce market, although quite small, was opened until noontime, and we did find that the info shack was opened to get island maps. We had been told that they were closed today, and we are sure they closed after 12pm. A few stands were set up with souvenirs, and a couple of stores were opened for business. We turned left at the main road and took the same walk we did last year. It was even better because there was no rain today. The town itself is small, then the road is lined with a few shops, small food and hardware stores, a water purifying building, a main church, and many homes in between it all. They are set off of the road and surrounded with beautiful gardens and grassy areas. By the way, we saw no dogs today as they are not allowed on this particular island. Not a bad idea because nothing is fenced and the dogs are left to roam as they wish, leaving their calling cards behind if you know what we mean. The west side of this narrow island that is shaped like a fish hook happens to house most all of the resorts. One that was on the ship’s map was the Pacific Resort Aitutaki. We recalled passing the entrance where we saw several taxis and the ho-ho shuttle go. That was not our destination since we figured too many ship people would flood the place. Going further up the road, we passed by some hillside house that had white goats tethered in the front yards. They were half-buried in the grasses, which they love to graze. It was in this area of the island that we saw several tropic birds last year. They flew from the tall trees out to the lagoon to fish,then they fly back. All we saw were chickens today, until later in the day, we did have the luck to spot some red tailed birds, but a different type. These birds had the red beaks and red tail feathers, almost impossible to see at a distance. But thanks to the fast camera, it caught every detail. Finally reaching the Tamanu Beach Resort Restaurant and Bar, we entered the lobby where some folks were checking in. A bit early for lunch, we found our way to the seaside open-air restaurant and got a table with a breeze. The local beer, Tui, sure was appreciated, so much that we each had two. We ordered a club sandwich with the hottest crispy fries to share. For dessert, we tried their carrot cake with a side of extra creamy vanilla ice cream. So good we recommended to our friends who happened to come in to enjoy lunch as well. One thing we did remember from last year was the fact they do not accept American Express credit cards. Their common practice here seems to be taking the US dollar, but on a one-to-one basis, even though the exchange rate is 1 USD = 1.67 NZ dollar. Much better to use a different card, which we did with no problem and a very small fee to do so. Having relaxed for over an hour, we were ready to move along, taking the sandy white beach almost all of the way back to the main road and the wharf. It was here that we took in every bit of stunning scenery of the lagoon and the fish that fill it. In the shallowest of the waters, were tiny translucent fish which the brown noddies seem to like. As we were beach combing for shells, we spotted some of those bonefish jumping around the volcanic rocks and broken coral. They must have been feeding on the smaller fish. From what we could see, the bonefish were a long narrow white fish about 2 feet in length. Other than turtles, which we did not see, there were no tropical fish here. Also we do not think there were sharks or sting rays in this part of the lagoon. And when the sun came out full bore, it was really hot. Thanks to the palms and the casuarinas, there was some shade to cool off. Even a few scattered chairs here and there. We happened to sit for a moment on some chairs, when a man with a very British accent that we have never seen before approached us. He asked if I had lost some of my cards out of my small wallet, and I said no I had used my room key to leave the ship. He was very sure it was me, and later when waiting to board the tender, I noticed I was missing my driver’s license and a few other cards like the one I use to open the room safe. By gosh, he was right. If he was the man who found my cards, he indicated that he had turned them in at the front desk. Having not a clue how that happened, the first thing I needed to do was go straight to the desk and ask them. The ride back was uneventful and only took about 20 minutes at the most. And the folks at the front desk did have everything I had dropped in an envelope….thank goodness. As careful as I thought I have been, it wasn’t enough. Now all of those cards are paper-clipped together and cannot slip out of the pouch. Hope we see that gentleman who was nice enough to return my stuff to the office. Once back in our room, there was a message waiting for me to come and pick it up. Since the Captain had changed the all aboard time to 5pm, it took time for the tenders to be loaded up. The ship left the island around 6pm. Watching from the back of deck six and our veranda, we did get lots of photos of the Red Tailed Tropic Bird. It was almost chilly outside now because we picked up the choppy seas and big swells once we got out of eyesight of the island and the surrounding motus. The Captain mentioned that tendering tomorrow may be a challenge if it happens at all. If we had to make a choice of the two Cook Islands, Aitutaki would win. We considered ourselves very lucky to have had such a nice day onshore, and more lucky to have recovered the lost items. Dinner time was back in the dining room with a spinach and cheese empanada and one fish cocktail. Salads followed with mains of lasagna and one chicken dinner. Both were good as were the little hot fudge sundaes for dessert. The lower dining room was about empty by the time we finished dinner. And since there was a movie, Hurricane, in the World Stage, we are sure most folks turned in early in anticipation of another busy day in Rarotonga tomorrow. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #60 Friday November 3, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Aitutaki, Cook Islands Partly Cloudy With Sun Very Windy 30 Knot Winds Sea State 16' Swells Speed 7 Knots Part #1 Of 1........14 Pictures----Dressy Night Our last full day at sea on the way towards Aitutaki found the sea conditions with 14 -foot swells and gale force winds a force 7 on the Beaufort scale. This is not what we had wished for as we get closer to the Cook Islands. The temperature has remained a warm 77 degrees, as long as the sun stayed out long enough to feel the mild heat. Of course, along with that, the humidity has been much more tolerable. During his noontime talk, Captain Paul did mention that he hoped the bay where the ship is anchored will be protected from those winds and waves. But in our minds, he has planted the seed of doubt that it might not be possible to access the island tomorrow. Hope we are wrong with our interpretation, but we can only base it on what we have experienced on past cruises in this area. The biggest excitement this morning was watching the massive waves hitting the starboard side of the bow during our walk. The pitching has become decidedly pronounced, even alarming when you watch the front rise and the aft disappear in the depth of the swells. Rolling is a factor because the stabilizers are not helping a whole lot. Captain Paul reminded everyone to be most careful walking around the ship and also going outdoors. If this cruise was being run by our previous Captain, all of the outside decks would have been roped off for several days now. The teak lounges on the promenade deck had been lashed down to the railings on many Alaskan days. We did hear there was another galley tour this morning. There should be another one perhaps next week, then all of the passenger decks will have had a chance to participate. We highly recommended it our buddies. They also booked a laundry room tour and that was equally as interesting. We did that with the head housekeeper, Shiv, many years ago while on the Amsterdam. You never imagine how many sets of tablecloths, napkins, toweling and bed sheets that have to be laundered for the entire ship’s population. And that isn’t counting clothes laundering….a massive job, and they do it so well. Captain Paul did another talk in the World Stage on the Navigational Debrief of the details on our journey so far. He seems very comfortable in a teaching sort of way, more so than most captains. He said that one of his questions from a guest referred to this ship having been housing for the Ukraine refugees last spring we believe. He happened to be the Captain involved with that humanitarian effort and has many stories to share in a future presentation. Energetic Kimberly gave a talk on the port highlights of Rarotonga, the stop for Sunday. We do know for a fact that most everything is closed on Sundays and there are no ship tours offered that day. We’ll have to look for her talk on TV to see what she recommends for that day. As far as we can remember, the island bus only runs in one direction that day, and could take folks to some beach resorts that might be open. And there is always church, where you can hear the locals singing at their morning services. One time we were invited to share in their mass and after-the-service refreshments. Very friendly we thought. The one thing we know is that American Express is not accepted there, the same as in New Zealand. We heard that it dates back to some banking disagreements, so we need to bring a different credit card if we want to go out to lunch. Or you can use New Zealand dollars (1 USD = 1.67 NZD) if you can find a place to exchange money. So far there has not been a money changer on the ship like there is on a grand voyage. We spent a few hours sitting at the back pool, mostly to get some fresh air. There have been rumors going around that some of the crew members are sick with colds or flu. Now we are making double sure we wash our hands hourly, especially if we have been using railings or touching anything in the public areas. Hard to avoid all of the viruses, but so far, we have been fine. Trying to get photos of a good sunrise or sunset has been unsuccessful. For some reason, there have been no good sunrises and even less impressive sunsets. It’s not like there is total cloud cover either. Maybe it has something to do with the area we are sailing right now. The best sightings so far have been while we were in the Hawaiian Islands. We did take the time to make a visit to the future cruise consultant, Neil. We zeroed in on some cruises for next fall, similar to the ones we have just done. It is always a good idea to book onboard since you do get some extra shipboard credit by doing so, and you are still able to use your travel agent with these bookings. Equally as important, by booking early, you can connect the back-to-back cruises in the same room. Dinner time found most all of the guests dressed “dressy” as suggested. However, we did spot one fellow with a baseball cap on downstairs at a table for eight no less. Wouldn’t he feel out of place when most of the gentlemen sitting with him had on suits? We still don’t get it. The menu was not too exciting, so we opted for a small salad, tomato soup, and a pulled pork patty appetizer. It was formed into a burger, grilled, and served over a bed of BBQ sauce. So good. Then we opted for the mains from the Club Orange menu. Tonight’s blue- plate special was braised beef short ribs, served on a bed of mashed potatoes with a tasty gravy. Incorporated in the gravy were tiny bits of pineapple and a few pomegranate seeds which really perked up the meal. The meat was so tender you did not need a knife to cut it. Needless to say we cleaned our plates, pleasing our waiters to no end. One of us tried the lemon torte for dessert and one glass of watermelon sorbet. Mario had brought another glass of chocolate chip ice cream because he saw that it was nicely frozen. He knew we would like it, which we did as we shared it. The entertainer this evening was saxophonist Barry Seacroft, a fellow we have seen and heard while on this year’s grand cruise. He said it was a new show with more sax on stage. OK. Keeping our fingers crossed for tomorrow’s port. Hoping for smooth seas and little wind. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #59 Thursday November 2, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Aitutaki, Cook Islands Cloudy With Showers 78 Degrees Sea State: 12' Swell A Lot Of Pitching & Rolling Ships Speed -7 Knots Part #1 Of 2..........61 Pictures---Casual Dress Hardly a day goes by where there is always something to do onboard the ship. Today there were two things……one was an invitation to Behind The Scenes Galley Tour. And the second was the passport collection for French Polynesia. Beginning with the Galley Tour, we were invited this morning at 10am to view what was behind the walls of the lower dining room….namely the kitchen. The only requirement was that we wore flat, closed-toed shoes. We were told that both decks six and seven were invited today. So we thought be better go at least five minutes early to line up at the dining room entrance. Well when the elevator door opened, we barely had room to enter the lobby. The line of folks went up the stairwell already. We figured that the gloomy overcast weather outside and the fact that there was no 10am lecture in the World Stage, most guests were free for the tour. By 10am, we were led in groups of 12 to sit in the dining room and wait for our turn to enter the galley. It ended up being a 20 minute wait. Thanks to a visit from Glenn, the hotel manager, the time went by quicker. We have been on many galley tours in the past, mostly while sailing on the Amsterdam. In those days, we were simply led past the various stations, like in one door, then out the other. One of the best tours took place for a rather large group of President’s Club members on a grand voyage. It was turned into a special event by adding some of the most delicious canapes at the other end. Of course, this was well before Covid hit. Since then, no tours were offered…..until today. There were five places in the kitchen where we had one of the staff greet us and give detailed info on how the kitchen operates. Even the head chef, Javier, was a speaker along the way, as was Eli, the food and beverage manager. His job was to explain this new and huge machine they call the Digester. It can turn all table scraps and other discarded food trimmings into a very small amount. Some items cannot go into the Digester like coconut, squash, celery, or anything too fibrous. We got to see some of the kitchen workers busy with their jobs such as the pasta girl who has a machine to make fresh pasta, and the soup and sauce makers who follow standardized recipes. There were some crew members that came from other countries and specialize in their cuisine prep. According to Javier, everyone who works in the kitchen has to speak and read English well. Towards the back end of the galley, we saw where room service trays are prepared, the breads and pastries are baked, and the salads are created. Lots of prep work there. One interesting fact is that only 5% of the items are purchased frozen. Everything else is made from scratch. Finally it was Maria’s turn, the Pinnacle Grill chef. She showed us the special double grill for cooking meats, which resembled a big waffle iron. The temperatures can reach 500 degrees, cooking the meat on both sides at the same time. No wonder it is so good. The entire time for the tour was an hour and we learned a lot more than we knew before. Then we had 15 minutes to turn in our passports. Tables for collection had been set up on every passenger deck and we had from 10 to 12pm to do it. We were handed receipts that will be used to retrieve the passports on November 14th. This will save us all from having a face-to-face inspection with the French Polynesian officials. With that job completed, we went off to the Seaview Pool to relax in the overcast skies. With some drizzles added. The sun never fully appeared, but it was still quite warm. We still have rather rough sailing on this stretch from Tonga to the Cook Islands. The sea swells are now in the 11- foot range, and the wind was been strong enough to keep the ship pitching a lot. The speed does not help since at 8 knots, the stabilizers are not as efficient. Today during his noon talk, Captain Paul reminded everyone to be most careful walking, especially up and down stairs, and watch the closing doors where many fingers have been getting injured. Even walking the promenade deck takes a toll on the joints as you are constantly trying to correct your stride. Most all of us can handle the motion of the ocean, but now we are concerned about tendering in the upcoming ports in the Cook Islands. It can be dicey in Rarotonga even on a good day. We have seen what can happen to a tender boat that suddenly found itself on top of a coral mound with some good holes gouged it in. On average, that port has been cancelled as many times as we have gone there. Time will tell. Around 6pm, we always go to the promenade deck to catch the sunset, especially when it is not on our side of the ship. With all of the heavy cloud cover, there was no good sunset. The mornings have not been that spectacular as well. Funny that we remember some of the best sunrises and settings on this South Pacific cruise. Luck of the draw we guess. This evening we had dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. It was the usual wedge salads with the tasty clothesline bacon. With some fresh warm bread, we are always happy campers. We added one filet mignon, and one ribeye steak. Small baked potatoes and mushrooms on the side made the meal perfect. Since we have not ordered the Baked Alaska on this extended trip yet, we decided to share one tonight. Our nice waiter, Dede, mentioned that it had been down-sized a little bit, which was better for us. There was plenty even sharing it. On the World Stage was Game Night, call my bluff with The Biddys, a group of three very funny ladies. It seems that we are always finishing our dinner when the show begins, and not wanting to be rushed, we do not attend. And tonight, the clocks went forward one hour. How rude it that, we all joked? Bill & Mary Ann

Report #58 Ground Hog Day Wednesday November 1, 2023 Again! Sea Day Enroute To Aitutaki, Cook Islands Morning Sun Turning To Showers In The Afternoon 81 Degrees 10' Swell Part #1 Of 1........15 Pictures----Casual Dress Today is November 1st, the second one, since yesterday was the same date and same day of the week. This is done by the ship’s clocks being set back 24 hours. No need for us to do that. Those who had a birthday on November 1st could celebrate it on both days. However, those who had birthdays on October 22nd when we lost one day, did not celebrate their birthday. Of course, there are always people that are born in leap year, where they only have a birthday every four years. Technically. Now that we are sailing in an easterly direction, our clocks will slowly begin going forward one hour at a time. Back for breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, we thanked Anton for his special attentions to getting one of our dinners correct last night as far as the allergies were concerned. We understand that the same meal our group enjoyed last night will happen today for the Cellar Master Dinner held in the Canaletto for a change. The big difference is that ours was complimentary while this evening’s meal pairing will cost $69. Makes us appreciate it even more. We had a later start to the day since we had to catch up on last night’s report this morning. Usually we finish our evening meal around 8:45pm, but last night it went until 10pm. It seemed that the several conversations around the table picked up speed after dinner…..maybe due to the wine consumption. All-in-all it was a fun evening. Spending some relaxing time at the back pool, we caught up with general news with our good buddies. The weather was almost perfect with a strong breeze and 81 degree temps. The umbrellas along the sides of the deck were down…it was just too windy to use them. It is also a good place to be when the Captain comes on with his noon talk. Although this question was asked of him a week ago, it was how do the navigation team measure the height of the waves? Anticipating a very scientific explanation, he simply said that they use their old-fashioned eyeballs. In other words, they guess. Never expected that answer unless Captain Paul was joking. One aspect that is not a joke is how much the ship is pitching and rolling by doing only 7 knots. Had we not missed the stop at Niue tomorrow, that would have broken up the days at sea, and our speed would have been higher. Alas, it was not to be, so we rock and roll. Lunch was room service Cobb salads with a shared club sandwich. For some unknown reason, the room service phone number was not working. So we had to call the front desk and they ordered our food for us. It arrived at the same 30 – 40 minute wait period served by our own dinner waiter, Risman. Our order has been complete with no surprise substitutes. By the late afternoon, it began to rain lightly. Passing showers even produced a brief rainbow. And it seemed like the swells had increased somewhat, making our walk on the promenade deck more difficult. Perhaps this is what the Captain meant by deteriorating weather. Looking up the weather conditions in Aitutaki, Cook Islands, showed some showers but calm enough seas to be able to tender ashore there. At least we all hope so. Dinnertime had some Mexican-themed items offered. Two appetizers were quesadillas and tortilla soup, both of which we like. Mains were one veal Weiner schnitzel and one barbacola beef dish. Not sure what that was, our waiter asked Bayu who said it was slow-cooked seasoned brisket of beef Argentinian-style. Actually, we suspect it was savory prime rib, also cooked slowly….very tender and seasoned nicely. Happy campers, we added a slice of lemon torte cake saturated with lemon juice. Really refreshing and not overly-sweet. Two more days at sea, and we will be in the Cook Islands……hopefully. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #57 Wednesday November 1, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Aitutaki, Cook Islands Cloudy With Showers And Some Sun 72 Degrees Sea State Pitching And Rolling Part #1 Of 1.........3 Pictures----Casual Dress Well, today is November 1st on the west side of the International Dateline. Once we cross that imaginary line, we will be having November 1st again – same day of the week in fact. Bet this messes with the computers and internet devices for everyone…including the ship’s systems. Now that we have a few days at sea to kick back, we are sure each day will be similar to the previous, something like Ground Hog Day, the movie. A few days ago we received an invitation to join Captain Paul and hotel manager Glenn for an exclusive dinner for the President’s Club members. We found it necessary to inform the Pinnacle Grill manager, Anton, that one of us has a shellfish allergy. So many times we have discovered that some items have even the smallest amount of clam or oyster juice, for instance, incorporated into their recipes, and it would never be tasted. Anton was kind enough to share the entire menu with us last evening in the dining room. He wrote down everything that could be suspect and promised they would substitute something else for me. As it turned out from reading the menu, it was heavily laden with shellfish and oil from shellfish. Good thing we asked ahead of time. Some folks are vegetarian, so that would eliminate almost all of the courses as well. Showtime for this affair would begin at 6:30pm and we shall get back to that later. Our day was a good one, although the ship was only doing 7 knots. At that speed, the vessel can pitch quite a bit, which you don’t notice until you go to the promenade deck. It seems like many folks go out for a morning walk around 9am, making it like a ping pong machine. They fly around you, most times not saying “on your left”, then eventually duck in the next door to go to a talk somewhere. We sure do not know what the obsession is with people that need to be first. But there are a lot of those on every ship we have sailed. We gladly move over and let them by so as not to cause an accident. This ship does not have the mirrors that were installed on the Amsterdam on the promenade deck. They were really a big help being able to see the traffic coming from the opposite direction. Especially if they were using walkers, canes, and wheelchairs. It helped to avoid those nasty head-on collisions. There is no designated direction for walking here, where on some ships, it is counterclockwise. No jogging still applies. The weather remained comfortable with a strong breeze blowing across the decks. It kept us cool at the Seaview Pool. So far we have not heard of any storm headed our way, which is good news. We would learn more later at dinner with the Captain. As we said previously, pre-dinner aperitifs were on the roster for our group of seven PC members at 6:30pm in The Mix Bar. A cozy corner had been reserved near the piano, which was OK until it was time for a game in the Shops. People began gathering to guess the weight of an opal to receive a free gift, a promotion of course. When it began to get loud with one of the staff members talking on the microphone, our group was led to the Pinnacle Grill for dinner. Joining us at the table for twelve in the back room was the chief engineer, Kimberly, Glenn and his wife, as well as Captain Paul. We all had a name tag by our place setting. Hoping to be near friends Bill & Leta, we were at opposite ends of the long table. They shared their end with the chief engineer, while we had Glenn, his wife, Kimberly, and the Captain on our end. One of the PC members was traveling solo without her husband, and she was at our end of the table. At least we have finally met Kimberly, the most vivacious cruise director we have yet to meet. She will be a nice addition to the staff on the Zuiderdam’s Grand World Voyage next year. She admitted that she is quite excited about going on the world cruise, and looks forward to chatting further with us about it before this trip ends. Kimberly also followed up with a book list for future reading, so we do hope these books will be available onboard the Zuiderdam. Now to the menu. It was more of a wine-pairing event with the sommelier describing each wine with each course. They began with Italian wine, then on with one from California, Argentina, and finally France. As we do not drink wine, cocktails were offered. The head chef came into the room and described the meal we were to enjoy. Beginning with lobster tails, a 4 -day marinated salmon with shellfish oil, a tiny shreds of salad fixings, only one of us could eat it. I had a vegetarian plate instead. Tiny cups of a chicken broth and a pumpkin sage cappuccino were served, the latter being the best. Following that, they served halibut with risotto, scallops, clams, mussels and a green mystery sauce. Obviously, I was served chicken without the shellfish. Then a slow-roasted veal tenderloin was the last entrée with artichoke puree (would have sworn it was mashed potatoes) with baby vegetables. If we were not full enough, the dessert arrived which was cheesecake with a tiny panacotta sitting on top with a flower on the top. A little bit of malaga and pistachio ice cream added color to the plate. Almost too pretty to eat. A very nice liqueur was served with this dessert which was dark raspberry and very potent, but a great finish to the meal. This drink we did enjoy served in large brandy glasses. The conversation continued around the table until 10pm, which was a record for us. And asking about the upcoming weather, Captain Paul mentioned that things might be deteriorating, although the brewing storm was in the Vanuatu area, far from where we were heading. We might have deeper swells and choppy seas, perhaps some showers. Glenn, the hotel manager, was quite the conversationalist and all of us felt comfortable asking some basic questions. One of which was why are some things done so differently among all of the HAL ships? His answer was that the head honchos are trying to get everyone on the same page, while giving the staff the chance to do their own thing as well. Grand Voyages are treated differently as they should be, but “Legendary” cruises may not be at the same level of a grand. Each hotel manager has the option of creating various venues as they see fit and keeping within their budgets – a major factor these days. Hearing recent stories of the Amazon River being historically low this year, we were concerned about the Zuiderdam even going up that river on the next world cruise. We do know that this ship, the Volendam, actually got stuck on a sand bar a few years back. Captain Paul reassured us that the Zuiderdam has less draft than the Volendam, a fact we were not aware of. We are sure the excellent waiters were patiently waiting for the party to end since it ran well beyond their normal hours. They sure have a nice team in this venue. Since it was so late to write last night, we are catching up this morning. Bill & Mary Ann

Hi renig, Yes, we do it every time we are there before a cruise. It is a long walk from the ship if you are at Pier 26, but totally safe. If there are crew members doing it, you could walk with them. Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings, Comparing the cuisine on this cruise to the Zuiderdam's world cruise, we feel the quality has been much improved. We have been happy with most all of our choices in the main dining room. Of course, the Pinnacle Grill has been excellent. As far as the sweet and sour barramundi entree, our waiter had indicated that several of his guests were not pleased with it. So we did not order it because it should have been sweet and sour shrimp. The room service quesadillas and the roast beef panini have been consistently good. However, we can verify that the portion size of the sandwich and quesadilla has been reduced. We can always order more than one. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #56 Tuesday October 31, 2023 Happy Halloween Neiafu, Vava'u, Tonga At Anchor For Tendering Muggy And Hot With Clouds Some Sun 80 Degrees 25 Knot Wind Part #1 Of 5....73 Pictures---Casual Dress A strange thing happened last night sometime after 1am. A knocking noise began to occur, like someone was hitting the wall in the next cabin. It wasn’t consistent, but enough to keep us awake wondering what the heck? So one of us got up to investigate, thinking it was coming from our room. The ship was rolling somewhat and maybe something got loose. Well, it turned out to be our safe door which was swinging open and hitting the closet door. After coming back from shore yesterday, one of us had put the wallets away and failed to lock the safe properly. Normally it makes a beeping sound letting you know it is not locked, but it had not done that. So when the ship’s motion got strong enough, it let loose. We really prefer the safes that have the 4 number code instead of the card slide. Now we know not to make that mistake again. But what a way to start Halloween….spooky sounds in the darkness of the night. By the way, Happy Halloween a day early. Many of the guests had decorated their doors for the contest today. Some folks used what was on hand such as tissues or toilet paper to make little ghosts or cover the entire door with TP. The winners of the best costume and door decorations were announced at 8:45pm. To add to the merriment, there was a Halloween bar hop ($25) in the Crow’s Nest and a party in the Ocean Bar both at 8pm. Since that is our dinner time, we would miss the tricks and treats. The second port of call for Tonga was Neiafu on one of the larger islands of Vava’u, located north of Tongatapu where we were yesterday. These islands are an attraction of the “yachties” who sail here for the calm and protected anchorages. There is whale-watching (July to October), fishing, snorkeling and diving, as well as island-hopping for secluded beaches, coves, and relaxation. Naturally, there were tours here today that included a bus tour and swim for 3 hours at $100, or Ano Beach for 2 hours at $60. A 3 hour snorkel tour was $200, and an island drive and swallow cave for 5 hours was $180. Finally an island tour with a shorter snorkel was $170 for 3 hours. And this was a tender port, so all of the tour groups went off right after 8am when the ship was cleared. As always, there were warnings about not taking off food of any kind, or flowers and animal products. Bottled water was OK. It was a heavily overcast morning and muggy, so we figured it might rain. Thinking the temperatures would not be higher than in the 70’s, we left the water at home. Mistake…we do know better but took the umbrellas instead. Never needed them of course. We left the ship by 10am about the time they announced open tenders. The ride to Neiafu took almost 30 minutes, including the time we had to wait to board the boat. It was scenic going in between the many islets and coves on the way to the Port of Refuge as this bay is called. Several years ago on our first time here, we found that the low tide had made the exit and entrance into the tender boat almost impossible. Today it was better since they had wooden steps to get out of the boat. We were greeted by more Tongan dancers as we wandered out of the dock area, which is shared by the Matson Line. The local market, Utakalongalu Market (say that 10 times). It is basically a big warehouse/shed that the locals set up with their produce on the outside patio and basket-weavings, art, and island jewelry on the inside. They also sell the black oyster shells with Dremel-designs carved into the pieces. There was no need to purchase that jewelry set today since we did that a few years ago. We just took photos. The main attraction in town is their church, St. Joseph’s Cathedral located on a rather steep knoll above the harbor. This one is Catholic, but there are more protestant churches everywhere. They invite the tourists inside to experience religion in the Kingdom. We are certain that Sundays are special here. Although most everything would have been closed. Beyond the church is the town with the basic shops. Nothing fancy, but everything they need to survive here. We continued up this road passing many homes, schools, restaurants, some closed some opened later, and sadly, a lot of roadside trash. Some of the hillsides showed recent damage from a strong storm. Buildings had been destroyed and trees had fallen. It almost appeared that garbage had flowed down the hillsides from above. And there it all sat in a heap of trash. Further up this rural road, we came upon what once was a nice hotel with views of the harbor below. We remember seeing it back in 2019 in shambles although it appeared some people were living there. A couple from the ship happened to be walking past us and told a story of when his parent’s friends used to come here in its heyday. Guess it was the “bees knees” to stay here for a vacation. Sad to see old icons like this die a slow death. Also in the course of our conversation, this couple informed us that there was a significant storm coming up from New Caledonia. Sure hope we will be able to outrun it. Our hike took as another mile or so, until the sun peeked out enough to make the walk really hot. And of course, we had left the water back home. Can’t tell you how many taxi guys stopped and offered us a ride, as not many folks walk here. The locals never walk here. We do recall that further up there was a bridge and somewhat of a beach. Still not worth going that far today. It was already after high noon, so we headed back taking our time. Other folks we passed were also looking for a beach, but when we told them it may be miles up the road, we think they turned back as well. There is a great place closer to town where we knew we could get cold beers and hopefully a pizza. We had discovered it back in 2019 and it was still there and opened. The only way to get to it is by going downstairs on the hillside. Several flights of stairs to be exact. It was worth it though, because the place was not crowded and the open-air deck had plenty of tables with a nice breeze. We picked up two bottles of beers, took a table, and ordered a Hawaiian pizza from the nice waitress. There is no rush in Tonga. And we were sure glad to sit and relax cooling off with the cold beers. We enjoyed another round when the pizza arrived. Had to try their dessert of brownies with ice cream. The best brownies with nuts we have had so far this trip. We stayed until close to 2pm, mixing with some yachties from New Zealand. They were also talking about this storm down under. Now we will have to look into that when we get back. The high school band was playing on the dock under a huge tent. What a rousing group of entertainers. Many chairs had been set up under tents to keep the guests out of the sun. With the music playing, they just stayed and listened. We lined up for the next tender and got on with the last few seats left. At least the tide had come up and getting into the boat was fine. Once again the ride was smooth but longer than usual. We got back to the room by 2:30pm and stayed working and reading the rest of the afternoon. Our all aboard time had been extended an extra half hour, so we did not leave until after 6pm. The ship had dropped the anchor, so that always takes time to get it back up. During his talk at 5pm, Captain Paul mentioned something about that storm in New Caledonia and we might have some residual waves from it. Now that we are heading east, we should be able to avoid it….we hope. Dinner time found a few guests decked out with some Halloween costumes and funny hats. Our dear friends even had a surprise bag of candies for us on our way into the dining room. How sweet in more ways than one. Tonight the menu had some very different items such as tuna rolls which looked just like sushi. One of us had the mushroom frisée salad and the other a safe Caesar salad. Mains were “Kentucky” fried chicken, not really but pretty close. It came with mashed potatoes….a nice home-cooked meal. Desserts were slices of a very spicy pumpkin pie. By the time we left, most of the guests had headed for the Halloween parties somewhere on the ship. We were headed for bed and a good night’s sleep (without the noise). Bill & Mary Ann

Report #55 Monday October 30, 2023 Nuku'alofa, Tonga Docked Starboard Side To Pier 8am-6pm Cloudy And Very Windy With A Little Sunshine 75 Degrees Part #1 Of 5........77 Pictures Another day….another country. Today’s port of call is the country of Tonga, specifically the Tongatapu Island and the capital city of Nuku’alofa. And of course, there were excursions such as historic Tonga 2 ½ hours for $60 or a scenic drive for $80 3 ½ hours. A trip to the beach and caves was 4 ½ hours for $100, or a cultural tour for 3 hours at $75, and ancient Tonga for 3 ½ hours for $85. On past stops here, we have done a fun boat trip to Fafa Island, but it is no longer offered. Blowholes, caves and an “umu” cooked lunch (underground oven) was also not available. No flying foxes were to be seen, so they may only be here when the fruit is ripe. And some of the places where these tours went in the past have been destroyed by the tsunami a few years ago. That is a subject the locals do not wish to discuss, so we don’t go there with questions. We noticed that it was very windy when we walked out on the promenade deck after the ship was docked. It was also cooler than we have known it and totally fine with us. Several local Tongan dancers put on a nice welcome show on the dock. Some folks even joined in the dancing on their way out of the wharf. What was missing were the dozen or so tents set up on the pier for souvenirs. It appears they have been moved to the left side of the shoreline by Vuna Road. Perhaps it is better because with the strong winds, the tents might have gone airborne. There was a money-changer on the road near the ship although we do not know why a lot of people do this. It is good for small purchases in stores and cafes we guess. But we know that many locals will be happy to take US dollars. And credit cards are widely accepted here. There was another drill held for the crew at 9:30am, so we left the ship shortly after it began. It happens to be the best time to send the big emails especially the ones with the photos. We still have to prop open our door, but that’s not a problem. We had been warned to hold onto our hats and visors coming down the gangway. And they were correct as the wind was strong. There was no mention of rain, so the breeze kept us cooler. We headed right for the Talamahu Market with the produce and craft sections. It is much smaller than what we found in previous ports. And also much darker in there. In the craft section, there were far fewer tables, so maybe we are at the end of the tourist season. But that made it good for special sales such as the mother-of-pearl earring and necklace set we purchased. The vendor was nice enough to use a Dremel and carve my name on the heart pendant. Once the tool cut the nacre on the surface, she spelled out my name and then used a black permanent marker pen to highlite the letters on the shiny white backround. It also had two palm trees and Tonga written on it. A reasonable price of $10 will make a nice keepsake. We toured through the veggie market getting the best photos we could considering the low light. Then we went back outside with a walk to their Catholic church. A few blocks down and over we came upon the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, one of the most modern churches here. Directly across the road was the huge grounds of the Royal Tombs where the Kings and their families have been interred for many years. And from the decorations we saw on a nearby fence, we realized there had been a royal funeral recently. But who, we did not know. Directly across from the tombs was the oldest church the Centennial Church of the Free Church of Tonga. It was built in 1885, and survived many a storm. However, during the years we have been visiting, we have seen a lot of deterioration and it does not look as if there is money to repair it. Tsunamis and hurricanes have not been kind to the old structure. The most frequent visitors to the interior are the pigeons these days. Turning the corner at the end of this street, we came upon the newer Wesleyan Methodist Church. This is where the King and his family attend mass on Sundays. Across the street is the military headquarters with guards to keep watch on the Royal Palace. It is an impressive Victorian-style palace built with timber imported piece by piece from New Zealand. It was constructed for King Tupou I in 1867 and remains the official residence of the current King of Tonga, King Tupou VI and his family. When the family is present, a flag is flown. Today there was no flag, so they must be at their home in the island’s center. Vuna Road continues from here along the lagoon for miles. We noticed that the corner nearest the palace fencing had been cleared and leveled, and the street divided with barriers. That’s when we also noticed that the pillars near the fence were wrapped in Tongan cloth with a banner above saying long live the King. The windows of the palace were draped with dark black and blue sashes, indicting once again that someone had died. We needed to ask a local. Continuing up this paved walkway, we stopped at the Seaview Inn, a place where we always have lunch. However today was Monday, and they were closed. There was a lady near the gate, so we crossed over and asked about a recent death in the royal family. She confirmed a family member had died, but with limited English, she said no more. ( We did learn later that the mother of the Queen had passed away at 75 years old at a New Zealand hospital and recently repatriated for burial here.) The nice lady apologized for not being opened but suggested maybe Little Italy was serving lunch. We knew better since we had “googled it” and they only open for dinner at 5pm. We were out of luck for a local lunch today, although beers may have been nice. It became apparent to us that another storm or hurricane had hit here since the tsunami caused so much damage a few years ago. The landing that had been constructed for this restaurant was destroyed. All of the peeler cores that had been used for the small dock were floating in the water. Even the rock wall that had somewhat of a seating along the way was no longer intact. The areas that took the worst beating as far as the walkway was concerned were repaired. New saplings of the casuarina trees were planted surrounded with half tires to hold the soil and water. Many signs were posted for no fishing in the lagoon. If that was violated, there would be a $250,000 fine and with the currency exchange of 1 US dollar to 2.47 Tonga $, that would be about half that amount for us. We did see one fellow walk out into the lagoon and it was only up to his knees for many yards out from shore. We have been told that it will take the reef many years to recover from the storm damage. Most all of the fish were gone. And the coral as well. Stopping at a few benches along the way, and taking care with all of the visiting dogs, we went to the end near the mangroves. Another new restaurant had opened up there several years ago called Little India and they served pizza. We went there for a couple of years, then it closed up. Too bad, as it was good pizza. On the way back, we stopped at Little Italy and they confirmed the fact that they opened at 5pm. We knew that. So we strolled back to the ship by 2pm, and ordered Caesar salads, a beef panini , and one quesadilla. That would hold us until dinnertime. It actually got cool on the veranda as the clouds came over and the wind picked up. Captain Paul came on the speaker early to say we might have problems leaving the pier due to the high winds. We do not have a long way to go to the next port in Vava’u, so he had time to get it right. The ship was in motion shortly after 6pm and by 6:45pm, there was a sunset. Not a really fabulous one, but OK. We had our minds set on the sweet and sour breaded shrimp for our mains for dinner. But when we saw tonight’s dining room menu, the shrimp was gone and barramundi had been substituted. What, not again? Our waiter Mario said he was not impressed with the barramundi, so we order something totally different. One of us had the very British slices of beef with a Yorkshire pudding and delicious creamy cauliflower. And the other entrée was a mix of mushroom quesadillas with extra sour cream and guacamole and three sauced veal and sage meatballs. That added the protein to the vegetarian dish. Good mix. Desserts were one hot fudge sundae and a mango sorbet….just right. Looking forward to Vava’u tomorrow. Hopefully their marina restaurant will be opened, at least it says it is on their website. Bill & Mary Ann

Well, thanks for that description of risi bisi. It does sound a lot like a dish our parents made when we were young. Perhaps it will be offered again. Very soon we will be crossing the dateline again, and will be back to the normal day and date. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #54 Sunday October 29, 2023 Sea Day Enroute To Nuku'alofa, Tonga Overcast With Some Sun 77 Degrees Sea State-7-8 Foot 25mph Wind Part #1 Of 1........31 Pictures----Casual Dress Another day at sea found the weather quite co-operative with partly cloudy skies, some sun, and a nice breeze. What more can we ask? Still tropical, the oppressive heat and humidity seems to have taken a back seat. Hope it lasts. Going out for a morning walk did not pan out because the forward deck was closed to foot traffic. But it was a good spot to stop and watch the many flying fish we have begun to see now. We were deep in conversation with a good friend, when Captain Paul happened to stop by. He can be seen on many occasions checking the condition of the ship. On past cruises, we always see the Captain walking the dock, sometimes with a camera, documenting any dents or scratches that may have happened along the way. That is really common after transiting the Panama Canal. Anyway, he chatted with the three of us for a while referring to his lecture yesterday with passenger’s questions. We are happy to report that his talk has been put on the TV and we would be able to watch it sometime today. Who knows? Maybe all of the port talks have been televised and never advertised as such. We shall check this out. We did learn that there are 587 crew members onboard this South Pacific cruise, and of that number, 102 are officers. Someone had asked what it cost the ship to dock for instance in San Diego. The bill just came in and it was $4900 for dockage, but $21,000 for security. And that was just a small number of charges for that day. The question box will remain by the front desk, and the Captain will address more of them before the trip ends. It’s really a great idea we think. There has been chatter amongst some guests that a couple had lost their passports while in Savusavu. Under what circumstances, we do not know. However, it poses a huge problem for this couple, because they would not be allowed to stay onboard the ship without those passports. That brought to mind a dear friend who had gone on an African safari with her sister and best friend several years ago. Upon returning to the ship in Cape Town, she could not find her passport. She was told she would have to stay behind and get a new one which was quite upsetting news. With the help of her sister, they finally found the document in a purse she had used while flying. Saved by the bell, it taught us all the importance of that document. Spending a few hours at the back pool was nice as the temperature did not exceed 77 degrees. There were a lot of high clouds, but during his noon talk, the Captain mentioned that the sea temps were in the high 70’s. That is an indication that the air temperature will cool off also. The ship is doing about 7 to 8 knots, like barely creeping along. During the night, the ship stopped and we drifted. Being that we still have a lot of time to get to Nuku’alofa, we will maintain the slow speed and stop once again probably after midnight. By the way, we do not think that the stabilizers can be used at that slow speed, so we are tending to roll somewhat. Some of the activities during the day involve Halloween such as a pumpkin patch game poolside, origami bats, mask making, creating door decorations, and a contest for the best door decorations. The guests have begun to hang many things on their cabin doors now, which is fun, but at one time, all decorations had been banned due to fire regulations. Guess that rule has gone ignored. Sometimes the birthday/anniversary balloons are over-done, but in time, they deflate. The sunset was non-existent with low clouds on the horizon and none in the upper sky. But the moon has remained bright as ever, as it is full, casting a most beautiful light on the nighttime waters. Due to the time change last night, the sunset was close to 7pm. And in a few days, we will get that missing day back that we lost crossing the International Dateline. Checking the daily dining room dinner menu on the TV, we saw an entrée of chicken Kiev with risi-bisi. OK that is what we planned to order. You ask what is risi-bisi? We don’t have a clue, but we have to try it to find out. Something tells us it might be a rice dish. So we showed up for dinner, ordered the entrée and guess what? They had taken risi-bisi off of the menu and substituted a cold potato salad with beets. Darn. We asked our waiter what happened to the risi-bisi, and they said they didn’t know. So we asked what it was and they did not know either. Oh we have the best time at dinner. So starters were a fried swiss cheese pocket with sweet jam, a Caesar salad, and a bacon/cabbage soup, which looked more creamy than expected. The chicken was good too. Now last night we had missed the toffee cake since they had run out. But we figured no one would remember we were promised a slice, and we ordered sliced pineapple and one chocolate mousse plate. Well, along came Bayu with two slices of last night’s dessert. Being polite, we ate most of it, finding the toffee part rather dense, like it had been cooked too long. Tasty, but heavy. Then the second set of desserts arrived along with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. We were really bad tonight and ate the second desserts as well. We will have to have a long walk in Nuku’alofa tomorrow to wear the sugar off. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #53 Saturday October 28, 2023 Day At Sea Enroute To Nuku'alofa, Tonga Cloudy And Some Sun 7 Foot Swell 25 Knot Wind Part #1 Of 1........51 Pictures---Dressy Night A sea day is what we all needed to jump start the batteries so to speak. We overheard several guests on the tender boat yesterday remarking that they were really tired, and were keeping the day simple and short in Savusavu. Maybe that is why the line was so long to reboard the boat back to the ship. We also learned today that the reason our sail away was delayed was due to a medical debark at the last minute. Captain Paul added that the patient was doing OK, which is always good news. We all had one important job to do today and that was a muster station check-in between 2 and 3pm. It is mandatory for those who are traveling on cruises longer than 30 days to repeat the drill in that span of time. Of course, these days it is as easy as finding the location of your assigned station, and have a crew member scan your room key. Then you have to watch the safety video on the stateroom TV, which gives you all of the emergency details. When this video is done, the regular programing will come back to the TV. As a matter of fact, the video was already on the TV at 6am this morning. The weather was surprisingly comfortable with temps in the low 80’s, less humidity, and a nice breeze. Since we are so close to our next stop in Tonga, the Captain maintained a speed of 7 to 8 knots. The seas were a bit choppy, but the movement of the ship was not too bad. You tend to roll somewhat when the ship goes slower. We did see a few birds but could not identify them. They were flying way too far away, and not behaving like boobies that we are used to watching. Will have to do some research on the birds in this area. We’re not entirely sure if we have covered the subject of shipboard accounts. Last week we received a notice saying that updated credit card processing rules and the length of this cruise dictates that any balance on the cards would be processed on October 25th. We do not recall that ever happening on past cruises…even ones that exceeded 128 days. That is one of the first requests we make at the front desk that our account will not be charged until the end of the voyage. When we boarded on September 6th, we were told the card would not be processed until November 22nd. This is how it has always been handled. Well, we guess the rules have changed. The only thing that kept us from being charged now was the fact we have considerable credit on our shipboard account. We do not owe anything. So for that reason, we were exempt from billing or having our credit refunded to the credit card. Things can sure get complicated and you have to be prepared for every scenario. And equally important is knowing what is refundable (cashable) and non- refundable (use-it-or-lose-it). Like we said….complicated. The notice ended by saying we had one day or 24 hours to ask questions or change your credit card they had on file. We spent some time at the Seaview Pool which was practically empty of guests. Funny, because the weather was so darn nice, this was the place to be. Of course, Captain Paul was having a session in the World Stage answering the dozens of questions he received in the box at the front desk. We really wish these talks and lectures would be repeated on the TV in our rooms. They used to be, but like many other things, they stopped doing it. If it is a nice day outside, we will never be inside a crowded dark theater. We used to look forward to listening to Barbara Haenni’s port lectures at night before we went to sleep. Maybe that is a question we can ask someone in charge that can do something about it. Caesar salads with sliced chicken and a shared club sandwich was our lunch today at 2:30pm. Everything came as ordered too. By not going to the Lido, we are not tempted with grazing. And we have successfully stayed away from the sweet desserts at lunchtime with the exception of one chocolate cookie each. Dinner was “dressy” and most of the folks did just that. We are seeing fewer baseball hats and t-shirts in the dining room at dinner. Starters were jumbo shrimp cocktails with American sauce. No escargots for us. The salad was niçoise with ahi tuna slices, and was fine if you ignored the raw part of the fish. Yes, we know that is how you eat it. The savory balsamic dressing “cooked” it just enough to make it good. One of us ordered the roasted lamb chops (very tasty) and the other a tenderloin (tender and good with grilled shrimp). There was a different cake offered for dessert, but when we ordered one, they said they had run out and were making more. That’s really unusual, but when we mentioned it to Bayu, our head waiter, he promised to have it for us tomorrow. Or he would have it sent to our room like he did for another couple of folks. Tomorrow is fine we said. Risman substituted a hot fudge sundae and a frozen banana yogurt. Fine and dandy with us. Showtime was a group of three singers called The Knights. They celebrated works of Elton John, Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, and Andrew Llyod Webber and many more. However, one thing we never like is the fact we had to turn our clocks forward one hour. We are beginning to head east now and the extra hours they gave us will slowly disappear. Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings...... Morimoto items became available every day in the dining room at the start of the Tales of the South Pacific. It was not available on the Alaska trips. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #52 Friday October 27, 2023 Savusavu, Fiji At Anchor Tendering To Shore 8am-6:30pm Sea State -Calm Slight Breeze 82 Degrees Partly Cloudy With Sun Part #1 Of 4........74 Pictures-----Casual Dress Our final port of call in Fiji was the town of Suvasuva, located on the second largest island of Vanua Levu. Also our last chance for “bula” greetings, although today there were fewer of those. Situated in a protected harbor, the Captain dropped anchor and we needed to use the tender boats. We arrived early after 7am, and it looked like another promising day with some sun and warm, humid temps. It also appeared to be low tide, so the ship had to anchor a bit further away from shore. There were a few excursions sold beginning with a siteseeing tour for $100 and 4 hours. A visit to Fiji village for 3 hours was $80, and waterfall and rainforest strenuous hike and swim was $90 for 3½ hours. A visit to a chocolate farm was 5 hours for $90, while snorkeling with Cousteau for 2 hours was $99. Finally a garden walk for 1½ hours was $100. We waited like we always do for the majority of folks to tender over before leaving at 10:30am. It should have been an easy transfer, but when 90% of the folks got off of the tender at the Copra Shed Marina, at least six of us remained, not being able to get off. It seems that a hook broke off of the boat and they had to pull away and turn it around. That took some time before we were tied up again and ready to get off. Much to our surprise, there was already a long line of guests waiting to board the boat back to the ship. Well, we shouldn’t have been surprised, since we have been here before, and recalled there wasn’t much to do or see. Once we walked through the small marina building, we came out to the main street where many tents were set up with tons of souvenirs. There must have been double the number from a few years ago, or before Covid hit. The people from the ship blocked the sidewalks with their over-stuffed backpacks looking over the table treasures. There were many “pearls” to be bought, but all of it was costume jewelry. We assume most of the seasoned guests knew that. Instead of squeezing by, we just walked in the street and around the parked cars. A little bit up this road was the produce market, a smaller version compared to Suva or Lautoka, but large enough to stroll through. Once again many local ladies ran the show here. There were some fruits and veggies we did not recognize, and we still don’t know what they were because we were told the Fijian name. There was no fish or meat market here, so there were no pesty flies. As we walked further past this crowd, we came across a public kiddie park. Further up, the paved walkway that lined this harbor ended. There were some young local guys hanging around, who tried to engage us. We think they were high on something, so we left immediately. Sometimes you just get that sudden feeling that things are not right, and we have learned to trust our instincts. We went directly back to the main street and kept walking up the road until the sidewalk stopped. This was a good place to turn around, since the road across the way went to the airport. No need to go there. This time we stayed on the main drag to the center of town where several businesses were located. There were many Indian and Chinese shops, a supermarket, bus station, health services and small businesses. We saw few if any cafes or bars in town. There were a some projects happening, one large one being funded by the Chinese. And we saw one huge billboard reminding locals to get their typhoid vaccines. Oh boy, never thought of that. Of course, there were the Covid boosters advertised but that is everywhere we have gone so far. We continued on the opposite side of the road past more vendors and one police fellow with a stand and tent. We learned later that he was there just for show as there were few police officers for this area. Passing the Copra Shed Marina, we walked the seaside road passing a nicer part of town. There were a few more cafes along the way, but all appeared to be closed. A nicer supermarket was located here and more small shops. It was low tide, and the exposed mud was not really nice to see. There is no beachfront here at all. To find that, you need to take a taxi elsewhere. The was a park-like small island across from Suvasuva called Nawi Island. You need to take a boat there. We made it as far as the Jetty, where folks can go out to fish in deeper water. There was a very nice breeze there, although we did not see any tropical fish in the waters. Following a tiny map the ship gave us, we could see a lodge up on the side of the hillside. A 4 star hotel, we have no idea how to even access this place and no idea if it was opened to the public. So we headed back the way we came, and happened to talk to a nice fellow from New Zealand. Heaven help us, we originally thought he was Aussie, but he set us straight on that account, laughing the whole time. Huge competition there we suspect. Anyway, he said we might have a hard time finding a place for beer, since most all of the eating places had closed after Covid hit. He went on about the current situation here where people have been out of work and there was crime everywhere. Especially the young crowd that tends to turn to drugs. As recent as last evening, he said an 83 year old local woman was raped and attacked by some guys. He told us that he has been living on his boat for a few weeks, and in that short time he has been robbed repeatedly. Last week he was out at night and got approached by a group of guys that demanded his money. He said it was either give it up, or be beaten or worse. Once he re-supplies his boat, he said he will be going back to New Zealand. So our feeling earlier in the day with the strange guys on the waterfront was correct. Upon saying goodbye, he said to watch our bags and wallets on our way back to the pier. That was enough for us. Since there was no good place for beers or lunch, we lined up with 50 or 60 people waiting for the next tender boat. It was only 1:30pm. No way would we stay until the last tender at 4:30pm. While waiting, we did get some good pictures of some tropical fish under the gangway to the tender. Back on the air-conditioned ship, we opted for Dive In burgers and hotdog. At 2pm, there was a short wait for the food. Around 4:30pm, the Captain came on the speakers for his sail away talk. He mentioned that we were close to the next port of Nuku’alofa, Tonga, but we had two full days to get there. Normally that is accomplished with one day at sea. However, the itinerary made it so we would not land at Tonga on a Sunday when everything is totally closed. By taking two slow days at sea, we will arrive on a Monday. For that reason, instead of leaving at 5pm with some scenic cruising around some islands, we would leave later around 6:30pm in the dark. And he added not to be surprised if we actually slow down and drift for some part of the night. It will save on fuel we guess. Dinner in the dining room had some different choices. We ordered Vietnamese spring rolls, served on a banana leaf with a chopped cucumber relish. Very good. We also had corn fritters, something new. Mains were one swordfish dish and a wasabi-crusted tenderloin of beef. Both were very tasty, moist and tender. Then we were invited to share an anniversary cake with friends Leta and Bill at their table. Can you believe they were celebrating their 67th anniversary? That is incredible. We all enjoyed the chocolate mousse cake with sides of vanilla ice cream. Prio, their waiter was most patient with us since we stayed until the dining room emptied out. We had a great visit as always. Looking forward to two lazy days at sea before we hit Tonga. Bill & Mary Ann

We are quite happy to sharpen your appetite! Bill & Mary Ann