Alaska/Hawaii on the Eurodam with Bill & Mary Ann 9-23-17 to 10-17-17

Report # 15 Hilo,Hawaii October 7, 2017 Saturday Scattered showers & 82 degrees Part #1 Of 3 68 Pictures

Hilo was our port of call today. It is Hawaii’s oldest port city with a currentpopulation of about 38,000 people. It ispossibly the first of the islands to be inhabited by Polynesians. It is also America’s wettest city with annualrainfall of 120 inches. It is notunusual to get 12 inches of rain in one day.

The island of Hawaii is home to Hawaii Volcanoes NationalPark, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, and Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano….eruptingdaily since 1983.

The city of Hilo is famous for two tsunamis. One was back in 1946, and the second biggestone in 1960. The Merrie Monarch Festivaloccurs here every year. It is a weeklonghula competition, world renowned. Also arecognizable name is the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation, the world’sleading producer of the macadamia nuts. Kona Coffee is big here as well.

Breakfast was great in the dining room, because mosteveryone was elsewhere. The waitersseemed happy to have been given a lighter job this morning.

Over the years, we have toured each and every one of thesehigh lights. More than once. So as we always do, we took a morning shuttleto the Prince Kuhio Mall, specifically Walmart. It sure was the most popularactivity for many passengers too. Couldnot help but overhear some ladies talking that they were going to buy gifts forfriends there. Not a fancy shop, thismajor store has everything you might need. They also have a decent fabric section with the nicest cotton Hawaiianprints. Never have a problem finding afew lengths for future blouses. Amongother things, we found the items we went for, then went back to the ship to putit away.

Then we walked from the pier to our favorite lunch spot atthe Pond. The sun was out, and boy, wasit hot? You bet. Hot and humid. The forecast for scattered showers never didhappen, although during the course of the day, the dark clouds did take overthe skies. Taking umbrellas was a goodidea anyway, as one of us used one for shade.

Located on Kalanianaole St., this restaurant is perched overwhat the locals call the Ice Pond. Actually, it was our morning bus driver who explained that the pond isbrackish water, getting the fresh, cool water from lava tubes in the mountains. It is also a favorite spot for the locals tofish, swim, and picnic. The water isshallow, but cold and extremely clean.

Under this restaurant is a caged area where large koi carpare kept. They seem suspended in air,the water is so clear. We were quitelucky to get a table for two at the windows. Thankfully, they were opened and a nice breeze was blowing through. Small sparrows took advantage of thesewindows, and flew right inside to clean up all the crumbs they can find.

We ordered an appetizer of beef taquitos and a mushroomcheese burger to share. They serveddraft beer, and we both ordered the golden ale. Sure tasted good since it was a warm, sticky day so far.

While dining, we watched a group of local teenaged boysjumping from the road from the fence and into the pond. Their objective is to try to drown folkswalking by them. Yes, they did get uswet once, but the breeze was not blowing off of the ocean today, so thesplashes were negligible.

We continued on with our walk around Reeds Bay, where manyfamilies were spending a lazy Saturday afternoon. Do you know what we noticed? Not one of the locals were playing on theircell phones or using any modern devices. The kids were swimming, playing kickball, fishing, or eating, while theelders sat at picnic tables chatting away. Really nice to see for a change, when peopleare communicating with each other….young and old.

We continued past Reed’s Bay and hotel, the Country ClubCondo Hotel, and the Hilo Naniloa Hotel. Liliuokalani Gardens is a cultural park withmuch history, as well as beauty. Thetheme is Asian, and it is a lovely place to walk. Restrooms are present in this park also. Watching a Vietnamese couple fishing thebanks of the small ponds here, we discovered they were catching small darkcrabs. We also kept a lookout formongoose, which frequent this park. Never did see one today.

We hiked out to Mokuola or Coconut Island, crossing over afoot bridge. Many more local familieswere here having BBQ’s and chilling out. There is an old bridge mooring where kids, mostly boys, climb to the topof the rocks, and jump in the water. Occasionally,you will see a few brave girls showing off for the boys.

The sky was getting so dark, it felt like it would rain atany instant. So we headed back towardsthe ship, and stopped for a soda and an ice cream cone (Kona coffee flavor) atUncle Billy’s General Store, a tiny variety store by the hotels. The walk back was so much more pleasant, sincethe heat of the day was gone, and an afternoon trade wind was blowing.

Security at the port is thorough, with a check point beforeyou enter the area. You absolutely needyour picture ID with the cruise card. That could be a driver’s license or a passport. They make no exceptions. Whether by bus, or on foot, each and everyperson is checked.

Going into the terminal, we were checked again, thenproceeded through the xray and bag search. At least we did not have to repeat that process once we boarded theship.

The Eurodam left the port quietly before 6pm. We had gotten involved in photo sorting andreport writing, and never made an attempt to attend any sail away at the aftdeck. Just read the daily newsletter,and realized there was no sail away party. Probably because it was dinner time already for many guests. Relaxing on our veranda was a far betteridea.

It was almost dark by the time the ship left Hilo Bay. This is about the only place in Hawaii thatwe seldom see wild life, either in the water or in the air. No sea life and few birds. You would expect sea gulls, but we neverspotted one. Odd.

Dinnertime found us back at our table, welcomed by the head waiter,wine stewardess, and our most friendly waiters. It had been three days that we dined here last. If we had made reservations elsewheretonight, we would have cancelled them, because on the menu was the Bronx vealchop, a most delicious entrée.

The show tonight was a combo act of Brett Cave and DaleKristien. Since our meal was servedwithout delay (which we like), it was only 9:30pm….too early for the 10pmperformance. So we headed back to ourroom for another episode of Downton Abbey. There are two season and several episodes, so we need to take in a fewevery day now.

Tomorrow, we shall be docked in Honolulu, an overnight stopwith two full days to enjoy Oahu.

Bill & Mary Ann

Thank you for your continued live report! I'm excited to be doing the Hawaii portion next year and interested to hear about your explorations in each port.

Watched your lovely ship arrive this morning from our lanai. Beautiful day here in Paradise. It'll will be fun to read what you do during your two days since you've been here numerous times. Enjoy!

Report # 16 Honolulu, Oahu October 8,2017 Sunday Mostly sunny & 82 degrees Part#1 Of 3 54 Pictures

Quite early this morning, the Eurodam pulled into theHonolulu Harbor, and docked at Pier Two. We had been expecting to dock at Aloha Tower, but it might be possible thatthis ship is too large. We were notbumped from there, because no other cruise ship was in port today. On the plus side, we are docked closer todowntown, shortening up the hike to town by a bit.

Located in the massive expanse of Pacific Ocean, Honolulu isconsidered the largest and most remote city on earth. Or at least that is what’s stated in our portguide. Honolulu is the capital of thestate of Hawaii, and has a population of over 905,000 people. It’s most famous beach area is Waikiki with175 high rises that can house 33,000 visitors. This 1 ½ mile stretch of beach ends with the extinct volcano, DiamondHead.

Another interesting fact is that there are 600,000 vehicleson the island, with only 1500 miles of mostly two lane roads. In the afternoon, we did notice that the mainboulevard, Ala Moana, was solid traffic. A few years ago, a couple of cruisers with uson the Amsterdam missed the ship. Getting caught in the back-up of cars, they missed the ship by perhaps20 minutes. We heard that major finescan be levied against the cruise lines by staying later than they should. Thousands of dollars by the minute in fact.

The weather was on our side today. It was mostly sunny with no rain in theforecast. At one point, we did get somelight misting from a passing cloud, but we welcomed it.

Breakfast was served from 7:30 to 9am, as it always is onmost all port days. And as we have been doing,we got to the doors around 8:30am. Today, there was no greeter at all. We waited at the kiosk, hoping that someonemight spot us. Some pushy folks came upbehind us, and said to just go in and seat ourselves. Saying no, we would wait a minute, theyalmost knocked us over to race to the back of the room.

Shortly after that, Mega, our head waiter buddy, did come toseat us, apologizing for the wait. Unless we have an assigned table for breakfast and lunch (which we do onthe Grand Voyage), we will never take any seat in the house. If there is no waiter in that area, you willend up waiting forever to place your order. So, this is a first for us….seat yourselves? They don’t even do that in the chainrestaurants at home. There is always agreeter.

So, after we were seated at a very nice table for two withgood waiters, we had a private word with the manager, Luis. He agreed that this method of seating folksin here is incorrect, but for just this cruise, it will remain this way. The excuse is that the average age of theguests at the moment is well over 80. Infact, he added that over 28 people came in with walkers and scooters thismorning. They literally have no place topark them, without breaking the safety rules. He confided to us that so many of these guests demanded to be let insidewithout waiting, they gave in to their demands. They do not want to challenge the ADA rules, so the head waiters compromisedthe best they knew how. Make it afree-for-all. Despite it all, our foodand service were excellent, because our dinner waiters took care of us.

We did our early morning emailing first before heading offto town. Leaving the ship around 10am,we were hit with the heat and humidity the second we went down **********. Barely a breeze blowing, it waspromising to be one hot day. In hindsight, we should have brought more beverages with us, as the heat and searingsun sort of wiped us out on the way back. OK, maybe it was just one of us more than the other. Lingering in the shady spots taking photosalong the way worked just fine.

Many buses and shuttles were passing by us on the boulevard. Some were tour buses, while others were freeshuttles to Walmart or Hilo Hatties. Atleast they still have stores here in Oahu. One large store is near the airport, and the other is in the Ala MoanaMall, a smaller version. So if we wimpedout to walk back, we always had that option. Of course there are always taxis, but we prefer to get the exerciseinstead.

One place we like to stop at is the Ward Center. This complex, one of the oldest shoppingareas built back in the early days of tourism, has been under renovations thelast few years. The final section hadbeen closed down, and fenced off to begin the remodeling. Gone is one of the shops one of us always hasluck in finding some unique clothes, one of a kind items suitable for cruising. Hope they relocate here the next time we comeback.

A group of new condos are about complete in front of the AlaMoana Mall. These appear to be 5 storieshigh, and are probably a small fortune to rent or buy. It appears that the underground parking maytie these apartments to the mall shops and restaurants. We will probably come back here tomorrow forlunch.

Continuing on, we walked to the Hilton Hawaiian Villagebuilt right on Waikiki Beach. During apast trip, we spent a few days here before boarding a ship. Everything you need is right here. And obviously, scores of tourists havefigured that out. Compared to theactivity we saw here in January, we would estimate that four times the amountof tourists were here today. The lobbywas jammed with folks coming and going, the spacious pools were full ofsunbathers and swimmers, and every restaurant and café had few emptytables. Even a wedding party was in thebeautiful garden and pond area, getting priceless photos taken. The beaming young couple looked like theycame right out of a fashion magazine.

Snapping pictures of the koi streams with the visitingducks, we continued on with our walk towards the sandy beach. Once again, the beach was full of umbrellasand beach towels, with hundreds of folks cooling off in the shallow aqua-bluewater. It was so hot that one littlegirl, maybe 3 years old, found it impossible to put her tiny bare feet on thesand to follow her mom and sister. Youcould see that the tears were coming, and they did.

Every Sunday morning, a church group has a morning serviceon the beach. Signage indicated thatpermits are required to do this. What isnot permitted is smoking, drinking alcohol, littering, biking, skateboarding,or soliciting among other things. Looks like it has worked, with the exception ofa few people hiding in the shrubs sneaking a smoke.

By now, it was well past noon, and we needed to get out ofthe sun. One fun place to go here is theHard Rock Café. Getting there, we walkedthrough Fort Derussy and the US Army Museum. Finding Beachwalk Rd., we turnedleft at the Trump International Hotel and Tower, and made our way to the highend shopping area. A well as the HRC, anew Tommy Bahama shop is there, with their new restaurant located on the secondfloor. Maybe we will try lunch there sometime.

The Hard Rock was pretty full with customers for this Sundaymorning. What drew some locals there wasa singing contest with some groups of young kids, well-practiced littlemusicians and singers. These youngster,some only 8 years old, took the stage to sing tunes that only they knew. We ordered appetizers of Tupelo chickentenders and a Margherita flatbread pizza to share. Ended up with a Southwest pizza, but saidnothing, as it did look good with diced chicken and slices of avocado. With themusic blasting, our waitress probably did not hear what we had ordered. Good way to try something new. We both enjoyed the pints of Longboard IslandLager.

Back-tracking, we slowly headed back towards the pier,cooling off in the shade along the park walk. Something new we had not seen in January is a rent-a-bike program. Just like we saw in Seattle, these bikes canbe rented through an app on your cellphone, and the use of your creditcard. The flyer did not state the price,but outlined the rules. Once in theWaikiki area, we spotted many of them being used by mostly young couples.

It was most welcomed getting back onboard into theair-conditioning at least for a few hours. By 5:30pm, we were headed out onceagain, but went in the opposite direction. This was the high light of the day…..dinner with longtime cruise friends,Bill & Leta. They have come toHonolulu every October for the last 10 years, and stay for one month at a hotelright on Waikiki Beach. This was our fourthyear of meeting them at the Aloha Tower and a popular beer place. At one point, we all checked our watches andfound it was 8pm. The next time welooked, it was 10pm, and the pace was shutting down for the evening. What a nice time we all had catching up onship news and everything that has happened since we saw them in July on a twoweek Alaska trip. The ship was overnightinghere, so the gangway would be open all evening. The streets were fairly empty of walkers thislate, with the exception of groups of our kids from the ship. The only other company were hundreds ofrather large cockroaches scurrying over the sidewalks as we walked by. Yuck…..

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 17 Honolulu, Oahu October 9,2017 Monday Day Two Mostly sunny & 81 degrees 36Pictures

Day two in Honolulu was just as nice as yesterday. Mostly sunny, partly cloudy, and 81 degrees. And lest we forget, it was humid. If it wasn’t for that afternoon breeze, itcan be unbearable.

After a proper breakfast, we headed out back to downtown. Wanting to check out the progress of the finalWard Center remodel, we found that it had just recently closed at the end ofSeptember. The message on the adjacentbuildings also indicated that the stores would re-open next year.

Our destination was the Ala Moana Mall or Hawaii’s Center. There are four levels consisting of 340 shopswhere you can find jewelry, high fashion boutiques, department stores, andrestaurants. It’s rather easy to getlost in here, even with all of the maps posted. This is not a totally enclosed mall, as it is open-air with some roofingfor shelter from the elements.

We were not in the market for any big shopping, but here forthe purpose of lunch. Great pizza can befound at the California Pizza Kitchen, located up on level four. Also on this terrace is a Macaroni Grill, aKorean BBQ House, a Seafood Restaurant, burgers and drinks, a JapaneseRestaurant, and a Bubba Gump’s. Everyone of these venues were packed solid with customers. Noticing the large number of kids in the malltoday, we asked if it was vacation time. We were reminded that today was the official celebration of Discover’sDay. Asking what that was, our waiter atCPK said Columbus Day, and yes, the kids were out of school for a break.

Upon entering the crowded restaurant, we were handed abeeper with a 20 minute wait. It wasmore like 15 minutes, but we were seated in a nice booth. We ordered the BBQ chicken pizza with a smallplate of guacamole and chips. Ice coldsodas helped to cool us down. We toyedwith the idea of ordering a dessert to share, but changed our minds, becausetonight the ship will be celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving, and maybe they willserve pumpkin pie.

Actually, we did stop at a kiosk to purchase a waffle cupice cream treat. The extra crispy wafflecups were being made right there, and filled with gelato, it was reallygood. Expensive, but good.

We headed back to the ship around 3pm, and cooled off in thecomfort of our room, working on photos and catching up on a TV series.

Something has been amiss at the fixed seating dining room atdinnertime. We are so accustomed toseeing a greeting team of the dining room manager, as well as his head waitersas we enter the room. On the Amsterdam, theystay there, welcoming guests, from the minute the doors open for at least 15minutes or more. While on this ship, youmay see one greeter or none at all. Orperhaps they are unorganized, which is the impression we get.

Dinner was indeed a typical Thanksgiving meal, just like wehave in the USA. Turkey, stuffing, andcranberry sauce was indeed followed by a small slice of pumpkin pie with a sidescoop of vanilla ice cream.

By the way, we forgot to mention the show last night, whichwas “This is Hawaii”, a group of dancers direct from Maui. By the time we got back from dinner, the showwas long over.

Tonight the entertainment was a movie appropriate to thisarea, “Pearl Harbor”, shown at 9pm. Thesame film is also shown on the room TV’s.

The ship is scheduled to depart around 11pm, but for sure,there will be no sail away.

Tomorrow we will be in Maui, as long as the seas are not toorough to tender ashore.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #18 Lahaina,Hawaii October 10, 2017 Tuesday Mostly sunny & 85 degrees Part #1 Of 3 63 Pictures

The town of Lahaina on the island of Maui was our port ofcall today. Today Lahaina is a popularparadise destination, according to the port shopping info. We recall that the name Lahaina actually means“unrelenting sun”, or something to that effect. Maui is an island of fertile plains, sandy beaches, and beautifulbays. Way back in the 16thcentury, Lahaina was home to Pi’ilani chiefs, and later became the capital ofthe Kingdom of Hawaii. Reigning at thetime was the Kamehameha family. Theywould have witnessed the rise and fall of warriors, kings, whales, traders,sugar barons, and celebrities. Today,the area is full of world travelers just like us.

Normally, we would have gotten a notice that we would havepriority tendering. This means that wewould not need to get a tender ticket in the BB King’s Blues Club starting at8am. The way this works on other ships,we would gather at the front desk, then be escorted down to the tender platformby an officer. And that might be througha hidden secret door, only used by staff and crew. However, we never got that notice.

So while doing our emailing by the office, we checked to seeif this perk had been suspended. Thereceptionist looked surprised that we did not get the special instructions, andoffered to escort us down to the boat. Since we were not ready, we said we would wait until the next tenderinggroup was announced. At least we knowthat we not forgotten.

As it turned out, when we went to go down to deck A, the “guard”at the stairs let us pass without question. They are trained to look at the symbol on your key card, as four andfive star Mariners, as well as deck seven folks (suite people) get prioritytendering. That can be problematic when 75% of the passengers have thatstatus. There is no special escort likefor the President’s Club members, but they are allowed to blend in with theticketed guests. Can get touchy.

On this 24 day cruise, this is the one and only tenderport. And it worked well in our opinion. Two boats were being loaded andoff-loaded at the same time. We went downa narrow flight of inside stairs from deck A, coming out at boat level. Lucky for all, the swells outside of Lahainawere at a minimum today. The ride overwas cozy, but mostly smooth. The badthing was that today had to be the hottest of days since we reached Hilo a fewdays ago. Actually, the warmest we have felt in a longtime.

Getting to town, it felt like it was just a few months agothat we were here, not two years. Whatwe did notice that the dock area has been renovated. It was under construction here the last fewyears, and it is finally done. Manytours are offered here, especially boat-related.

We took a right turn on Front Street, which led to a smallstrip of beach with the older, but nice hotels. There are always groups of guests that take kayak or surfing lessonsfrom this beach. They can stay withinthe confines of the coral reef, and get plenty of exercise rowing orswimming. The waves are fairly gentle inLahaina, and surfing is suitable for all ages.

Going back towards town, we enjoyed the shade of the largestbanyan tree in the world. It was plantedin 1873 to commemorate the arrival of Christian missionaries who arrived 50years previously. The tree has beenallowed to root and re-root over the decades, and now it consumes about ¼ of anacre. Most impressive, indeed. On every visit here, under the shade of thistree have been many artist’s stands, selling souvenirs. Today, there was not a one. Perhaps this is the low season.

The same could not be said about the rest of the town’sshops and restaurants. Everything wasopen, and promoting sales. With only onemore port in Hawaii left on this trip (and a short one at that), we think folksspent a lot of money here today.

We headed up Front Street, taking photos, andwindow-shopping. The big decision waswhere we would land for lunch today. Maui’s Hard Rock Café has closed their doors since we were herelast. Hard to believe they could notcompete with the rest of the chain restaurants in town. Glad we thought to buy one of their cityt-shirts on our last stop there. Now itis a collectible.

Zipping through the Outlets of Maui complex, we took astroll through Hilo Hattie’s, now down-sized from the original store. There is still a clearance section through aside door, but we found nothing that interested either of us.

Continuing up the road, we did remember checking out a pizzacafé, but since we did pizza yesterday, a burger sounded better today. But first, we wanted to walk another beach abit further up called Baby Beach. Thisis another thin slice of clean, sandy beach with shallow water perfect for thelittle ones. It is conceivable to hiketo Kaanapali from here, but it would be a long way back.

We got as far as Mala Wharf and the Lahaina JodoMission. This appeared to be a complexwhere picnics are catered. Next to thismission was an old cemetery, part of which appeared to be Buddhist. Unfortunately, there were tents for thehomeless on the outer ring of the graveyard. You would never guess that the paradise they call Lahaina also hashomeless.

It was time for lunch, so we headed back towards town. Thank goodness, a breeze was blowing, becauseit was downright hot and sticky. Lunchtoday was a good choice at a place that offered patio seating on the ocean witha strong breeze blowing. It was Kimo’s,and although we had to wait 15 minutes, it was well worth it.

We immediately ordered two ice cold sodas with a lime, thenadded a BBQ western cheeseburger to share. When the entrée arrived, they had already split the burger and piledFrench fries generously on each plate. It was delicious, made with beef from the DoubleR Ranch, just like the beef that is served on the Eurodam. Dessert was the absolute best ever. We had to try their Hula Pie, which wassimilar to what we know as Mississippi Mud Pie. Only the ice cream part was a creamy macadamia nut vanilla, covered witha thick chocolate sauce. The “hula”skirt part of it was whipped cream made to look like a grass skirt. You should have seen the looks we got fromthe tables around us. Actually that ishow we got the idea to order one. Goodthing we shared it, because it was huge.

We ended up at the tender pier around 3pm, and decided itwas time to go home. This is the firsttime we ever remember staying so late in Lahaina. Usually, we are sailing out of the area by3pm. Today all aboard was 6:30pm. OfficersJorn and Nadia, who we dined with, were just getting off the boat, and headingfor Baby Beach (first time for them). Giving them quick directions after asking, they were on their way, wellslathered with a high numbered sunscreen.

Spending the late afternoon in our room, we caught up oncomputer work, while watching the sun disappear. Actually, it had clouded up, and the sun wasgone for the day. Only the heat remained. Showers on the horizon headed our way, and alight sprinkle covered the veranda railing. It was most welcomed.

The final tender boat brought back the shore equipment after6:30pm. Shortly after, the ship leftsilently, leaving the evening-lit coast of Maui behind us. On this particular cruise, there have been fewsail away parties on the aft deck. Mostly because we have been leaving after sunset, and during the dinnerserving time.

Dinnertime found us back in the dining room, enjoying thesweet and sour chicken entrees. Theserving size was massive, but presented quite nicely. Dessert was minimal however, since our lunchtreat was not conservative, not by a long shot.

Here is another observation concerning dinner times. Every night we arrive in the dining room, theroom appears to be half full already by 8pm. So finally, we asked Hananto, our waiter, why that is. He informed us that they have been opening upthe doors on deck three at 7:35pm, and allowing the late fixed seating gueststo come earlier. Seems that they are doing anything to avoid unhappy guests,who may have to wait in a line. Also,the over-flow from the open seating guests have been sent up here toun-assigned tables. So we are not latein coming, but about the last to arrive. Can we assume that “fixed seating” is doomedto extinction???

Now we’re wondering if tomorrow evening will be a “gala”night? This is one thing donedifferently here, or actually, not done at all. On the first day of the Hawaii cruise, it would have been nice if the 17day trip was printed on the front of the daily newsletter. Normally, every day’s itinerary, such as portdurations, tendered or docked, and the dress suggestion is provided. Not here. We have to wait until we get the next day’s paper to find out what’shappening. Of course, this info could begathered at the front desk, but why not post it ahead of time?

Our final stop in Hawaii will be Nawiliwili on the island ofHawaii. A short stay, but better thannothing.

Bill & Mary Ann

"Now we’re wondering if tomorrow evening will be a “gala”night? This is one thing donedifferently here, or actually, not done at all. On the first day of the Hawaii cruise, it would have been nice if the 17day trip was printed on the front of the daily newsletter. Normally, every day’s itinerary, such as portdurations, tendered or docked, and the dress suggestion is provided. Not here. We have to wait until we get the next day’s paper to find out what’shappening. Of course, this info could begathered at the front desk, but why not post it ahead of time?"

I love your blog. I have been reading it for several years and have used some of your posts to help me plan days ashore in places such as Australia. I believe that the Spa will have the list of gala nights posted from the beginning of the cruise - to assist people with booking hair appointments. You could check that out.

On my last two cruises we did not receive the explorer booklet (?) that showed the whole cruise and what the dress code would be nightly. I found it to be quite handy but it seems to be another cutback. At least it appears to be that way on cruise less than 30 days.

Report #18

 

 

 

 

 

Now we’re wondering if tomorrow evening will be a “gala”night? This is one thing donedifferently here, or actually, not done at all. On the first day of the Hawaii cruise, it would have been nice if the 17day trip was printed on the front of the daily newsletter. Normally, every day’s itinerary, such as portdurations, tendered or docked, and the dress suggestion is provided. Not here. We have to wait until we get the next day’s paper to find out what’shappening. Of course, this info could begathered at the front desk, but why not post it ahead of time?

 

 

 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

The information about formal nights should be in the first page of the port guide, the pamphlet with maps of all the towns along with the names of the port agents fir each port. I had the same question on my last cruise - finally found the info in the port guide.

On my last two cruises we did not receive the explorer booklet (?) that showed the whole cruise and what the dress code would be nightly. I found it to be quite handy but it seems to be another cutback. At least it appears to be that way on cruise less than 30 days.

We had it on our last cruise in August....

Report # 19 Nawiliwili, Kauai October 11,2017 Wednesday Partly cloudy & 85 degrees Part #1 Of 3 72 Pictures

The Eurodam entered the Nawiliwili Bay around 7am, thescheduled time. However, the ship wasnot cleared until 8am. With the allaboard time of 1:30pm, it would be a painfully short stay here.

Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands, settled in500AD. It is the most northern island,and the 4th largest of the 8 main islands. The population is about 63,700 proudKauaians. Besides sight-seeingexcursions, one of the high lights has to be flights over Waimea Canyon. Through the journeys ashore, they run about$290 to $450. Ten miles long, a milewide, and with a depth of 3600 feet, this canyon has been compared to the GrandCanyon in the USA. We have been lucky tosee it once, and unlucky to have seen it covered in fog. A tour here by coach would run around $70 to$80.

Another excursion we took many years ago was to hike in thePrinceville Ranch, a rather vigorous one at that. This was while we were on a different cruiseline. We do not see that offeredanymore, and we certainly would not repeat it. Perhaps on horseback, but not onfoot, dodging cow patties all the way.

Considered the Garden Isle, Kauai get 600 inches of rainannually. It has to be one of thewettest spots on earth. Of course, withthat amount of precipitation, that is why Kauai has the most beaches, rivers,streams, and waterfalls than any of the other Hawaiian Islands.

While doing our emailing this morning, we checked to see ifour shipboard account was up-to-date. The kiosk to print it out was not operating properly, so we had itprinted at the front desk. Lo andbehold, it was incorrect again. The mistakes are related to our perks….some ofwhich should not be charged. The mistakewas promised to be corrected…..again. Also, there were two more port charge credits given back for thisHawaiian trip. She informed us that themoney could be cashed out with a 3% fee, but not until the last day of thecruise. This amount should be creditedback to our credit card on file, but we are not comfortable trusting that willbe done correctly. We may be forced totrust them, because waiting in line on the last day could be a very longwait.

Leaving the ship around 10:30am, we slowly walked to thenearby Nawiliwili Beach Park and Kalapaki Beach. There ws a shuttle transporting folks there,but we needed the exercise. We ended upbeating the shuttle that waited to be full before they could leave. Other buses were also taking folks to the townof Lihue and the modern mall of Kukui Grove Shopping Center. You can find all sorts of shops, cafes,restaurants and some big name department stores. Kmart is one, and the other is Costco. We have gone to this mall, and found it was agood place to pick up supplies on a much longer trip.

Staying in Nawiliwili was our plan for this short day. As for the weather, it was promising to be avery hot day. Only a constant breezesaved the day. We toured the Marriottproperty, which has lovely gardens. Thecentral courtyard has several streams and ponds, full of koi carp. Some black-neck swans, and some rare nenegeese keep the fish company. Thismorning, two large trays had been filled with chopped lettuce and a mash ofbird or fish feed. Tiny doves weregorging on the feed, while dozens of mature koi were fighting to get thecrumbs. What a sight. And we did get some good photos.

Making our way to the far end, we went down to the pool andpatio area of the hotel complex. Thegarden area was posted with a sign to remind people that these facilities arefor the hotel guests. Now, on the beachside, the whole area is open to the public. It sure was easy to spot the HAL guests, who came prepared for the sandybeach with their blue and white striped towels. Dead give-away.

Duke’s Barefoot Bar and Grill is a nice place to eathere. So we got a table in this verybusy establishment, and enjoyed two local draft beers and a split crispy friedchicken sandwich. To our surprise, theyserved the Hula Pie here. It is famous,we understand. Too full, we passed on ituntil the next time we come to the islands.

On the way back, we intended to stop at the Elephant WalkGift Gallery, only to check earrings we saw advertised in the Kauai ThisWeek. They are created from dichroicglass, hand-made in Hawaii. Wonder if this substance is the same glass that wasused on the space shuttles? Perhapssomeone reading this will be familiar with this type of jewelry. Turns out, we would not find out today, sincethe shop was locked up for a “few” minutes. We’re guessing that only one person runs this tiny shop, and must havegone to lunch. So it never opened whilewe were there, and with all aboard so early, we headed back to the ship.

That’s when we ran into the Staff Captain, who happened tojoin this ship recently. He recognizedus from the Amsterdam. We thought helooked familiar, but we seldom see any officers on this ship. And when they are out of uniform, they certainlyblend in with the crowd. Visiting allthe way back, we were surprised to find a line of greeters waiting at **********. We knew the hotel director, thefood and beverage manager, and Noel, the cute red-hair girl that is themarketing manager. They were welcomingthe passengers back, or maybe, they were expecting some new guests? We teased them that the reception was for us,as they all had a good laugh. Or thiswas because today’s port was the final one. Who knows? The Captain may have beenamong the greeters, but as we have never met him, we would not have known whohe was.

It wasn’t long before the ship was moving away from thepier, and we were on our way for the trans-Pacific crossing back to Vancouver. Onceagain, we never left the comfort of our room, watching the sail out of the bayfrom our veranda. As much as we havecomplained a bit about the excessive heat, in a few days we will be missing thewarmth of the tropics. Captain Scottmentioned that the ship will be doing about 19 or 20 knots as we sail towardsVancouver.

Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm. We had a cute Irish waitress, who treated usroyally. She even called one of us “mylady”, a term we have only heard while catching up on the Downton Abbey series. As always, the cuisine and the servicewere both excellent. And fitting for theoccasion, it was “gala” evening, with most everyone dressed in theirfinery. It was odd to have a dress-upevening on a port day, however. Eventhough we departed rather early, many passengers chose to treat the evening asa casual night. Anything goes these days…..

A multi-instrumentalist artist, Viviana Guzman, was theentertainer at the Mainstage tonight. She must have had a full audience, since it was like salmon swimmingupstream for us, as the crowd poured out of the lounge about 9pm. It was way too early for us to see the showat 10pm. Especially with a time changetonight.

And as we begn to travel northeasterly, the clocks went ahead one hour tonight. Before we get back to Canada, we shall havetwo more time changes. Ahead. We all hate that, losing an hour every otherday, especially the crew.

Bill & Mary Ann

We had it on our last cruise in August....

The information about formal nights should be in the first page of the port guide, the pamphlet with maps of all the towns along with the names of the port agents fir each port. I had the same question on my last cruise - finally found the info in the port guide.

Hal hasn't had formal nights for a while now ;). I think you were lucky to receive it on your cruise in August. I have not seen that information on my last 2-3 cruises. There was nothing of the sort included with the port information/maps like it was before on my recent cruises. If it was there I assume wcb would have found it as they have done a cruise or two it seems. Also have not seen a cruise log either for those cruises although some have said they did on recent cruises. We know the logs are going away.

Regarding dichroicglass, yes this is the same type of glass that NASA uses. It is used to protect astronauts and electronic equipment from radiation. The Romans actually made this type of glass using a different process than is used today. The process today is more "high tech".

Report # 20 Day atSea October 12, 2017 Thursday Sunny & 77 degrees

The first day at sea on our way back towards Vancouver wasdefinitely not a sunny one. Well,actually it was very early in the morning, but as the day progressed, we wouldsee the temperature drop 10 degrees, clouds drift over, and eventually rain fall. Not only rain, but lightning, thunder, andrough seas. The ship was rolling and pitchingfor most of the afternoon into the evening hours. Hard to believe we were trying to cool offwalking on that lovely warm and humid beach in Kauai just 24 hours ago. So thebalmy Hawaiian days are behind us, and we shall get out the cold weatherclothing again. Or at least until wefind our way back to warmer climates next January.

Having lost one hour last night, we were slow in getting tothe dining room for breakfast this morning. This probably was the case with many other passengers,because the room was near empty of customers. Today, we were greeted by a head waiter, and were seated at a table bythe back window. Our food wasfreshly-cooked and served right away. No waiting. Just like when we are on the Amsterdam.

It was time for some shopping to use up some of thatshipboard credit. One particular line ofpearls has always caught our eye – Majorca. A collection of them were displayed in the shop last night, and it wasnot hard finding some to take home. Be anice token to remind us of our tropical trip this fall. This afternoon we picked out a watch and moreelegant jewelry. Hope the “gala” nightsnever go away, or wearing such nice jewelry will be difficult while we are athome. Anyway, we vowed not to leave anyof the credit unspent, and we did a fine job of doing such that.

Lunch was in the dining room, the first time they have beenopened from noon to 1pm since before we hit the islands five days ago. Once again, showing up near the end of theservice, it was not crowded. We had awonderful waiter that had recognized us from previous cruises. He admitted that he also prefers the smallerships, like us. Both of us ordereddifferent entrees, but found the food to be very good….even the mushroomcheeseburger.

After lunch, we relaxed on our veranda, until the rainbegan. Once it did, it flooded the gutterquickly. Good time to continue theDownton Abbey series. There are severalseasons with many episodes. And we arerunning out of time, with only 4 days left before we are back to Vancouver.

Lectures continued about the Kon-Tiki, and Kona coffee. Movies shown were My Cousin Rachel and MeganLeavey. We spotted an unusual behind thescenes ad in the daily newsletter. Atour of the navigation bridge, engine control room, back stage, main gallery,laundry, and the provisions store was offered for a mere $150 per person. Funny, we did the very same tour for free afew years ago. Oh well, we hope they havesome takers.

We have noticed that the three music venues alternate withone group being off one evening. Today,the musicians from Lincoln Center Stage are absent, but will returntomorrow. The billboard onboard and theBB King’s Blues have been off once this week as well. It is possible andpractical that the Hawaiian team are gone from the ship.

Dinner was good in the dining room. It was also very quiet, since we were toldthat lots of guests were reportedly tired from 5 days of ports. Sea sick might also be the case for afew. A favorite entrée happens to be thehoney-mustard drizzled parmesan crusted chicken breast, and it was on the menutonight. One of us had turkey scaloppini,also very tasty. Frangipani pie provedthat some of “Hawaii” is still on the ship. Luis, the dining room manager, stopped by to chat, as he does every timewe dine in there. You could not help butnotice that half of the room was empty this evening at 8pm. Luis said that was correct, because of therough seas. Apparently, many guests weresea sick. He added on the evening ofNawiliwili, that was just the opposite. And since we went to the Pinnacle Grill that evening, we did not see therush of guests showing up at the same time, especially on deck two, to eatdinner at the open seating time. Luissaid it had to be the worst night of his life, because over 1000 folks showedup, demanding to be seated. We oftenwondered what they would do if this happened. He said it was not pretty, and he thanked us for going elsewhere thatevening. In addition, he concluded bysaying life for them was so much easier when the seating at dinner was fixed. He would be happy to see that return, butdoubts it ever will.

Entertainment this evening was a film from Frozen PlanetLive with music to accompany it. Exceptit starts at 10pm, and it was only 9pm. Oneof these nights we will see this performance.

On another note, we searched through our stack of savedinfo, and still could not locate any itinerary of either cruise – Alaska orHawaii. We do remember when the portinfo booklet had more real info. Now,these booklets come without a cover that shows the Captain’s biography and theentertainers that we would see during this cruise. Usually on the grand voyage, every segment isprinted on the first daily newsletter. Andit certainly helped to have the Log of the Cruise handed out at eachsegment. We have heard rumors that thesehave been eliminated. We did not get oneafter the Alaskan trip.

Then today, we got a notice that let us all know that therewill be no tiles given out at the Mariner’s Celebration tomorrow, The boxes of these tiles are reportedlydelayed. Now, they are promising to sendthe tiles to our home addresses. Theyare scheduled to arrive at our homes by late-October. We shall see…….

Bill & Mary Ann

Thank you for your updates.

Hope the seas will be calmer for you.

Report # 21 Day atSea October 13, 2017 Friday Partly cloudy & 72 degrees 7Pictures

Another day at sea, and we are closer to Vancouver. But not without a ripple. Not even close, as during the course of thenight, the ship continued to rock and roll. The best place to be was between the lily white sheets, safely tuckedaway for the night.

This morning the conditions had not improved. During his PM talk, the Captain warned thatthe winds on the outside deck had been exceeding 50 km, so the exit doorswere cordoned off since last night. And they would remain so during the rest of today. Come to think of it, we did go under thosetapes after dinner last night for a quick walk. But it was not as windy as it was today. And it did not stop us this morning or afternoon when we ventured outfor some exercise. There were peopleoutside besides us, but they were crew workers grinding, chipping, and paintingthe railings. Nothing besides drivingrain stops the work in progress.

Trying to keep breakfast minimal is always hard. But maybe not, as our waiter forget severalof the items we had ordered. Some areundoubtedly better than others. Or hewas anxious to clean up to get ready for the Mariner Lunch today.

We need to mention that prior to today, while doing businessat the front desk, it was impossible not to hear people complaining about beinginvited or not being invited to the medal ceremony held at 11:30am. This has been a touchy subject that we recentlyread about on Cruise Critic. Forinstance, while on a grand voyage, these medal ceremonies were held in theQueen’s Lounge, and everyone is invited. Now the group is limited to a small number of guests, and no matter howthey try, they will never get it right for all. Where is it decided to cut off the number of guests? On the Alaskan cruise, there were about 56people in the lounge, while today, there were up to 200 guests. Truthfully, we feel the day is coming thatthese medallions will not be awarded anymore. It is confusing to deal with the Mariner Star Program and the MedallionProgram. They are two different beasts,aren’t they?

A reception for the Mariner Society was held at 11:30am inthe BB King’s Blues Club where the medallions are awarded. We attended one already for the Alaskancruise. So the protocol should have beenthe same, but it was not. We have nothad the pleasure of meeting the captain of the vessel, Captain John Scott. And although he was standing there chattingwith Marco, the HD, no attempt by the Mariner Society rep who led us to our “reserved”seats was made to introduce us. In ourway of thinking, it is just common courtesy to do this. It only takes a few seconds.

Our reserved seats were not so special, as five of us President’sClub members were jammed in a couch area with large chairs in front of us. Chairs so close, we had to turn sideways toget around them. Even though a few barwaiters passed by us, drinks were never offered. One other PC couple we know, had to get upand visit the bar to get their own beverages. We did not bother, thinking someone would come along soon. Didn’thappen. Our other PC friend offered ussome of the nuts in her jar, but we declined. On the Alaska cruise, we had custom drinks from the bar, and specialcanapies offered. Why not now? The only conclusion we could come up with isthat the staff on this ship is not used to dealing with this level of Mariners.

After a small number of medals were handed out, we werecalled up to have our photo taken with the Captain and Hotel Director. At least this was the same as the last time.

We had not intended to go to lunch, but Mega said they hadreserved tables for us, and they were waiting to seat all of us, at differenttables. Both dining rooms were beingused, as it appears that everyone was invited this time. In fact, we heard that there will be anotherceremony and lunch tomorrow. So we endedup attending, and did get seated at a table for two next to where the Captain,Hotel Director, and the Cruise Director were giving the champagne toast. It was short and sweet, and an opportunity tointroduce the crew member of the month.

The menu was a nice one with starters of a shrimp, mango,and cherry tomato salad or cream of chicken and artichoke soup. A choice between a ginger soy glazed beeftenderloin, eggplant curry, or macadamia nut crusted ono were the mains. Finally, dessert was a coconut mousse tart.

Before we left the room, we had a chance to visit with theother Pres Club couple. They agreed withus about the change in this awards ceremony, saying they weredisappointed. Wonder if they will passthis message along to anyone? We felt weneeded to speak up.

Recently, while reading Cruise Critic, we can upon a threadconcerning changes with HAL. A wiseperson wrote something to the effect that if you settle for mediocrity, thenthat is what you can expect. Hopefully,we are not stepping on their toes, but we totally agree with that outlook. With that in mind, we went back to our room,and wrote a constructive “Share Your Thoughts” card. Perhaps our comments will help them in howthey conduct future Mariner Awards for the President’s Club members.

Later this afternoon, we received a call from the HotelDirector, apologizing profusely about their “mistakes”. He freely admitted that they are notaccustomed to hosting guests in our category, but they are learning. With that said, he offered to include us intomorrow’s activities, which would be a repeat of today’s. Thanking him, we declined. Twice in 24 days was plenty for us.

The remainder of our day was spent relaxing on our verandauntil the wind drove us inside. Thebreeze was still warm, but when the clouds came over, it was downright cold. We doubt it will be nice much longer, since weare sailing northeast on a rapid pace.

An ad was placed in our mail slot this morning stating thatthere was a one day sale on their high end watches. We found that strange, because we justpurchased one yesterday and there was no mention of a sale today. Getting to the bottom of it, we inquired atthe front desk if these watches were being sold at a lower price. After a phone call to the shop, we discoveredthat there was no “real” sale today, only the same watches at the everyday 15%off price. It was simply a promotionalad to get people into the shop in hopes of finding a better deal.

Dinner was back in the Tamarind Restaurant tonight. With the movement of the ship in the rollingseas, it was far more pronounced up on deck 11. So it was not crowded at all, andthat worked well for us. The wait staffwere so attentive, making our meal delightful. You never find better spring rolls or a Thai salad than in thisvenue. The wasabi crusted tenderloin isthe best beef in the house. We werehappy, but full campers when we left the room by 9:30pm.

The show this evening was a comedian by the name of Dan St.Paul. He has been the opening act forSeinfeld, Natalie Cole, and Ringo Starr among others. His current show is “What’s funny after 50”.

Then we discovered that we would lose one more hour on theclocks tonight. We knew it was coming, but always resist doingit.

Bill & Mary Ann

Your mariner brunch sounds like the one on my recent cruise. Higher level Mariners used to get invited to a small cocktail party before the brunch. All Mariners were invited to the cocktail party on this cruise. On my last cruise, or maybe it was the one before, they didn't have a cocktail party at all. I did ask and that's what I was told. While I'm certainly not at your level I'm very close to being a 5 star. It's disappointing that if you have one day with Hal or 10,000 they see no difference.

Thank you for your time spent on this blog. As always we

enjoy your pictures and dialog. We will be looking forward

to your world cruise. Wishing you safe travels.

Report # 22 Day atSea October 14, 2017 Saturday Partly cloudy & 68 degrees

By mid-day, the Eurodam was about at the halfway marktowards Vancouver Canada since leaving the island of Kauai. Hard to believe that the weather can changein that short amount of time. But it has become much cooler, and morecloudy. On every horizon, we could seerain showers, although, we never had any showers hit us. Perhaps if the middle dome over the Lido Poolremained closed, the folks may get at least one more day of swimming andlounging about. Then it will be back toa crisp fall in North America.

For some reason, we never made it to any of the pools, sincewhen it got really warm, we were in port. Normally, we would have been spending a lot of time in the sun, whilecatching up on reading books. Reallybooks….paperbacks or hard covers. Manypeople we have spoken to are not happy to see the libraries on the shipsdwindling. As we have stated, there areno librarians anymore, so the books are slowly being removed. What we found here were mostly research booksthat cannot be removed from the room. Wethink it has been assumed that a lot of people are reading books online, downloadedinto personal devices. Even though we doown a Kindle with a few books on it, we find it is difficult to see whileoutside in the sun. Can’t win. Except for being able to ship some booksahead on the Grand Voyages. That workswell.

Lectures continued today, the new test kitchen had asession, and the Captain gave a virtual tour of the bridge and engine room inthe Mainstage. As for us, we did ourusual couple of miles totally alone on the promenade deck. Absolutely no one was outside. It was no- where near as windy as yesterday,but it had cooled down significantly. Wesuspect that the money-making activities onboard love these kind of days. People will stay inside the ship, and spendmoney at the art auctions, shopping, or gambling.

On this style of ship, you have to go out of your way tofind the casino. On the Amsterdam, youhave to walk through it or the adjacent Sports Bar to get from the dining roomto the Ocean Bar. The casino here is offof the beaten path, so we have only gone through it maybe three times. Maybe because of its size, we feel almostdisconnected from these venues. Thisship has more of a hotel feel about it, than the smaller ships. The connecting hallways are more like a mazewithout windows, especially near the front end of the ship.

Since there was another Mariner Lunch, the dining room wasclosed this afternoon. We thought itmight be easy to get lunch in the Pinnacle Grill, but upon calling forreservations, we were informed that it was fully booked, as were the next twodays. Makes sense, since there are onlythree days left. Monday was open, so webooked a 12:30pm lunch then. Within 5minutes, our phone was ringing, and we were surprised to find that if we cameat noon, a table would be found for us. Really? A change of heart orsudden cancellations? In fact, she saidwe could come at noon on both days, and we would be seated. Guess being in President’s Club does work forsomething, even though we never mentioned it.

Most of the afternoon, we stayed inside and watched moreepisodes of the popular Downton Abbey. We are determined to follow this series through to the end. We haven’t even watched more than two moviesthat were available on the interactive TV. And there were scores of them. Gosh this would be great on a grand voyage. Hint, hint.

At 5pm, we did go to the Ocean Bar, much like we usually doon the Amsterdam. A band plays therefrom 5 to 8pm, which is nice. Except forthe Lincoln Stage Center and the string music, the other music venues don’tbegin until after dinnertime. At leastsomething is going on, and there is no dead time. It is working, since most all of the seats aretaken in and around the Ocean Bar.

Back at our table in the dining room, we enjoyed entrees ofcarne asada and roasted chicken. Bothwere cooked perfectly, and served piping hot. Another favorite, split pea soup, was on the menu. We could make a meal out of that alone.

While we finished the meal with a little bit of ice cream, avery lovely couple from British Columbia stopped by to introducethemselves. They were not only avidreaders of Cruise Critic, but also friends of our tablemates, Maureen and Jim,from Vancouver, who we had the pleasure of being tablemates on this year’sworld cruise. They said they finally recognizedus at the Mariner’s awards gathering, and decided to hunt us down today. That’s one of the downsides of such a largership, you seldom cross paths with people you know. Sometimes, you can go an entire trip withoutmeeting folks again.

It was still too early to go to the Mainstage show. This evening there was a medal-winningillusionist, James Cielen. Appears heuses a small dog in his act, which explains why the “doggie” grass is still ina corner on the promenade deck. Maybetomorrow, we shall make an attempt to see the singers and dancers again. It will be the final gala evening, andpossibly their last performance on this trip.

The good thing is that the seas have leveled out, and thewinds have died down. Sure makes for asmoother sailing.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 23 Day atSea October 15, 2017 Sunday Partly cloudy & 70 degrees

Not too sure who creates these weather predictions, butsomeone needs to look out the window. Abetter description would be completely cloudy, and nowhere near 70 degrees. We did notice that the promenade deck loungeswere laid out with pads and towels, and there were a couple of guests sittingoutside. A handful of people were doing laps,like us, but disappeared once a lecture and a movie began. Don’t blame them, since it was much warmerinside the ship.

Breakfast seemed back to normal, with less guests diningthere. Without asking, the head waiters all know we prefer a table for two,especially with a window view. Despitecoming in to the room halfway through the meal time, we never felt rushed byour waiters. It seems that we always knowsome waiters, who stop by to take care of us. Good way to begin the day.

We took the time to fill out a couple of Share Your Thoughtscards. Over the years, we have learnedthat mentioning crew and staff members that have been good to us is very muchappreciated. We are not certain, butcrew members that we have complimented can earn an extra day off while inport. While on a world cruise, the shipwill overnight in some major ports and special buses will be reserved for acrew excursion. We think this is whenthe crew members use their “points” to be able to take an all day tour. So for that reason, we always write specificnames to thank each one of them.

The only slightly negative comment we had concerned ourinability to have a quick chat with the Onboard Booking Consultant. Her hours have been limited, and the line offolks waiting to book trips with her unlimited, it seems. We had intended to pay a visit to the GuestRelations Managers, but Joanne, the consultant, waved one of us over to herdesk, 10 minutes before she was opened to begin the line of waitingguests. Quite obviously, she had gottenthe message, and came to us with answers to questions she knew we had. Every time you make an onboard booking, thedetails are emailed to you, and there is a follow up confirmation with an old-fashionedpaper confirmation left in your mail slot. Our dilemma was that October is a special salemonth with every onboard booking getting some nice extra shipboard credit. However, it was not that simple, as all ofthis info has to go through the HAL offices in Seattle. Unknown to us, that is the info she has beenwaiting on. She promised an updated emailbefore we leave the ship on Tuesday, assuring us that all of the proper creditwould be attached to the invoices. Wewonder if she has help behind the scenes? Some of the consultants are couples, who share the job. Now we know why.

While waiting to speak with Joanne, the consultant, we couldhear the Park West Lightning Art Auction taking place in the Ocean Bar on deckthree. Some of the bids would curl yourhair, so to speak. We have to admit, wehave never understood this obsession with purchasing art in this way. But of course, this is a trapped audience,and the company capitalizes on this. Wehave heard rumors that much more is involved with the art buying, such ashidden fees and taxes, as well as shipping charges. The only good news is that they advertise thatyou can return any work purchased for up to 40 days. Of course, that is if the art arrives to yourhome before then. Buyer beware, we’vebeen told from those who know.

Lunch was in the dining room at 12:30pm. By then, the room was beginning to empty, andit was easy to get a nice table at the window. Small salads, a pasta dish, and a mini-burger was just enough to hold usuntil dinner at 8pm. A long walk aroundthe deck followed lunch.

Many ads advertised last minute shopping sprees in all ofthe shops onboard. The main shopcontains all of the items such as clothing, perfumes, jewelry, and watches,among other various sundries. Until theydraw the folks in with a 75% off most things, the shop remained fairly quietfrom what we saw. Bet we see those clearancetables tomorrow, our final day at sea.

We did receive a delivery of two more photos, a gift fromthe last Mariner’s medal ceremony a few days ago. Having a houseful of ship photos over theyears, we never purchase them anymore. Actually, when the photographers offer to takethose “gala” photos, we always decline. Sowe have to laugh at the gift of four of the 8 x 10 photos, but we only get onetote bag, probably worth 50 cents, between the two of us at the beginning ofthe cruise. Surely these pictures areworth far more than the tote bags.

The day dissolved as they all seem to do. We thought about packing,but as far as we got was filling out the luggage tags and Canadian customs form.Before we knew it, dinnertime had arrived. We decided to spend the last chance we had to dine in the TamarindRestaurant. We did not realize that notall of the ships have this venue. Onlythe Nieuw Amsterdam, Koningsdam, and the Eurodam. The next one to have one will be the NieuwStatendam.

Not sure if we mentioned it, but last night at dinner, wegot a card From the Captain and Hotel Director that gifted us with a bottle ofwine to enjoy with dinner. As we do notdrink wine, we said thanks, but perhaps we would have a cocktail instead. But maybe tomorrow. So this evening, the Cellar Master located usin the Tamarind, and offered us that drink with dinner. Wow, they certainly are taking good care ofus. We said thanks, but tomorrow forsure, we shall have that cocktail.

Our meal was excellent as we expected it would be. The staff all gathered as we left the room,and wished us a good evening. Anotherwow moment. Perhaps they had gotten themessage we turned in at the front desk letting them know how much weappreciated this venue……especially the staff.

At 9:30pm, there was a Chocolate Surprise - chocolate treatsserved throughout deck two. We mighthave checked it out, but we were filled to the gills from our special dinner. The last time we saw this, there was chocolateeverywhere. Could be due to the fact wewere in a very hot and humid area of the world, and the chocolate had melted.

The entertainment this evening was performed by the singersand dancers of the Eurodam. The title oftheir act was 1000 Steps. We did see this show on the Alaska cruise, so wethought it wise to head back to our room and call it a night.

The bad news is that the clocks went forward one hour,putting us on Pacific Standard Time. Tomorrowwe will deal with packing, which should be OK since we did buy another rolledpiece of luggage, which was sold on the ship. The last time we did this, the bag we bought had metal wheels. They were already tweaked by the time wearrived to the airport. This bag hasinline wheels, so we will see how well they hold up.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 24 Day atSea October 16, 2017 Monday Partly cloudy & 57 degrees

Partly cloudy was the way the day began, but that changed tototally rain by late afternoon. Notpredicted, this system advanced quickly, giving us some rough seas. Enough so that the Captain announced his disappointment,along with a warning to be careful walking about the ship. At his PM talk, he mentioned that once we gotcloser to shore, we may be lucky enough to spot whales spouting. Chances of that were dashed when the rainhit. He suspected that this storm wouldremain with us through the evening.

We noticed that our room stewardess was nowhere in sight thismorning. Normally, she is close by,watching and listening for the stateroom doors to open and close. That way, she and her assistant can getinside and tidy up when you’re gone to breakfast. We did ask Moh, our assistant, where she was,and he said in the infirmary. Never didwe have clue she was feeling ill, at least not that bad to go off duty. So we never had a chance to thank her for hergood job. We did, however, leave her acard at the front desk, doing just that. They promised that the head housekeeper would see that she got it. We also handed a card to Moh, who was sopleased, he asked if he could give us a hug. Now that’s a first. And a goodindication that we did not over-load him with extra work. We always try to keep our place as neat as wecan.

One thing we miss here is the ability to watch re-runs ofthe visiting lecturers. Today’s subjectof gardens and gardeners would have been right up our alley. Later in theday, another good lecture by Mr. Tartaglino was all about Vancouver and itsearly beginnings by who else, but George Vancouver. Unless we have missed something, we do nothave these talks on our room TV. We’reafraid that this interactive TV has turned us into what some might considercouch potatoes. But then, it wassomething to do while packing most of the day.

Is packing to go home anyone’s favorite activity? Certainly, it is not ours. Although our purchases were few, we did buy asmall rolled piece of luggage to take some of the overflow. At least it helped to keep the other threebags lighter. Actually, we should notcomplain, because from some Canadian friends we have traveled with, they toldus they have to itemize everything in each suitcase. Not sure if that applies to all cruises, butit sure did on the Grand Voyage.

We had made reservations for a 12:30pm lunch in the PinnacleGrill, but since we slept later this morning, our breakfast was later thanusual. So we cancelled them, and as itturned out, we never did eat a real lunch. There was still one bottle of sparkling wine left in our refrigerator,so we cracked that open, and enjoyed it after the packing job wascompleted. The “champagne” and some Mauionion potato chips would hold us over until dinnertime. Oh yeah, we had some crunchy Snickers candiesleft, and that became dessert.

Glad we took our long walk this morning, because the rainbegan, and never let up. It sure did notfeel like 57 degrees, but not warm enough to spend much time on ourveranda.

At 7:30pm, there was a drawing in the shops onboard. For every $50 spent there, we had been giventickets to fill out. The prize was acollection of HAL souvenirs and rum cakes. The problem with that is where are you going to put it all to bring ithome? Although we attended, we did notwin. But then, we were glad we didnot. Wonder if you could pass on their$300 collection and swap it for something smaller……like jewelry for instance? While waiting for the drawing, we watched thefolks milling around, looking at the 75% off items. Most of them were from the Alaska season. The one thing we did notice was that the O (Oprah)collection in the corner was empty of shoppers. For the life of us, we cannot understand what the attraction is to theseitems. But then, we are not “name”shoppers, with the exception of Tommy Bahama or Hard Rock Café items. We feel that you get quality with their lineof clothing.

For our last time this cruise, we enjoyed a prime rib dinner….everybit as good as it was the last time we ordered it. Our head waiter, a young fellow from theNetherlands, came over to say goodbye and chat for a while. He was followed by Luis, the DR Manager, whowas checking once again to see how we liked the cruise. Such a fuss, but it was nice to be able to thankhim for the excellent service.

Not sure we mentioned it, but had been gifted a bottle ofwine by the hotel director and Captain. Since we passed on the beverages the last two nights, we felt it politeto accept drinks of our choice tonight. So our wine stewardess ordered what we preferred (no wine), and theywere delivered promptly. Making itdoubles, by the way. She came backoffering us another one, or an after dinner drink, but we said no thanks.

Around 8:45pm, while we were almost done with our meal, thechefs paraded past us and down the staircases to the lower deck. They got a huge applause from all that werestill there. This replaces the BakedAlaska Parade they used to have several years ago. Remember the lights dimming, the musicstarting, and the sparklers flashing on top of the Baked Alaska dessert? Oh, the good old days………they are goneforever, but never forgotten. What youwon’t see are the napkins spinning overhead, because the new group ofpassengers probably never saw this before.

There was no Log of the Cruise waiting for us in our room tonight. These are a thing of the past. Why, we do not know. At least we knew what time breakfast would beserved tomorrow morning, as it was printed in the log. Oh, that’s right. It is on your smart phone, or on the TV now.

The luggage had to put out in the hallway before midnight,so we made that deadline quite easily. Tomorrow will be busy, and we will need to be up bright and early to goto breakfast at 6:30am.

We intend to follow up with some comments, as we alwaysdo. So stay tuned, and give us a coupleof days. Thanks for coming along on this24 day journey!

Bill & Mary Ann

Welcome to Rainey Vancouver. Shortly after you people disembark, I will be embarking for the cruise to Ft. Lauderdale

Thanks so much for taking us on your cruise with you. I loved every word.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thanks for taking us along! Always enjoy reading all about it!

Report # 25 Goinghome October 17, 2017 Tuesday Rain & 59 degrees Pictures

The Eurodam arrived very early this morning to the port ofVancouver, British Columbia. We wouldguess around 5am or earlier. Although itwas still dark, we could see that it had continued to rain. At least, after dinner, it was not as roughand it was smoother sailing.

Trying to get to sleep was another matter. Probably due to the anticipation oftomorrow’s travel, and knowing we would have to get up early, sleep evaded atleast one of us. For the second night ina row too. One word of caution, watchthat green tea they serve in the Tamarind. It may contain much more caffeine than you would suspect. And diet soda can also be a problem. You never consider that when ordering a CubaLibra (rum and coke) as a before dinner drink.

And why would the people next door to us decide to put theirluggage out in the hall at midnight? Wesuspect that someone had been ill next door, either due to a cold or seasickness. The noise of coughing driftedthrough the bathroom exhaust fan, so you couldn’t help but hear it during thedaytime. More so at night. But last night, one of us woke up with astart when the drawers began to bang, and hangars clinked in the closets. The last that was heard was the cabin doorslamming quite hard. We can only hopethey were feeling better and had tied one on in one of the bars orlounges. Other than that, we see noexcuse for being inconsiderate of the neighbors. Doesn’t take much to keep those cabin orveranda doors from slamming.

With that thought in mind, we noticed this morning atbreakfast, that some folks were pretty crabby. This is something that always happens at the end of a trip. A sort of depression takes over, realizingthat the pampering will soon end, and reality sets in. Best to ignore it, and enjoy our finalbreakfast onboard. We were at the doorof the dining room by 6am, first in line. Expecting a much longer line, we were surprised that there were only 10of us. What service we had. Every waiter on our way to the back windowtables said good morning. They seemedhappy, since most all of the 2000 plus guests will be going home today. We found out that a total of 17 passengerswill remain onboard for the next segment to San Diego or even Ft. Lauderdale. Today, 600 guests will join the ship for fourdays to San Francisco. Now why couldn’twe have stayed onboard until SF? Especially when they are selling that 4 day cruise? Bottom line, they blame the Jones Act.

After breakfast, we went down to deck one and sat in ourusual spots at the little bar near the front desk to do the last of ouremails. While we were there, Jorn, theFood and Beverage Manager, stopped by to say goodbye. He added more info about the rules of theJones Act, and said that the foreign crew members that were going home eithertoday or in SF, had to have a direct flight out of the USA to a foreigncity. Go figure……

The time for us to leave the ship was 8am. Even though we had a colored ticket, we areallowed off at any time we wish. It is aperk of being in the President’s Club. Now this is when you see how crabby some folks can be. Most all, if not all of the expedited guestshad left ship, so we ended up in the line behind them. Another man yelled at us that no colored tagshad been announced, and we could not be allowed to get off. Not saying a word to him, we showed ourcards, and the head of security gave the go-ahead to the “guard” at the kiosk. Saying it was OK, he informed him that wewere special, and yes, we did have priority. Would have loved to see the man who announced loudly to all around himthat we would not be allowed off. Andwithin a few minutes, our color yellow one was summoned to debark. Big deal.

Directions were given along the way by many HAL reps. That was most helpful. The first stop was in the luggage pick-uparea, where we found that our luggage had not arrived yet. Most of the colors were there, but not all ofthem. The one nice thing is that luggagecarts were available to take your stuff to the waiting buses. And they werefree.

Once loaded up, we headed for the bus, but not beforepassing off the Canadian customs form to the agent. They barely even looked at the form. We joined a waiting bus that already wasabout full for the ride to the airport. Itwas raining hard all the way to the airport, but we could see just about everycoffee shop that was opened were full of customers. It was a real treat to see the trees in fullfall color, especially the maples….outstanding.

By the time we arrived at the airport, the clouds broke up,and the rain stopped. We could alreadysee blue skies, and the rest of the day looked promising. Turned out we were in for more surprises.

It has been several years since we flew in or out of Vancouver,so it was pleasant to see the new improvements at the InternationalTerminal. One of the best things theyhave here are free luggage trolleys, right there where the bus dropped usoff. Loaded up, we went to United’scheck-in kiosks, and confirmed the flight to SF, printed the luggage tags andboarding passes. This time we did notget the TSA approved security check. Butthen, this was international, and we did not even see a separate line for anyspeedy security check. So it was shoesand jackets off, and the normal computers out, and pockets empty. We passed.

Then we had to go to more kiosks where we filled out our USCustoms and Immigrations info. No paper formsto fill out, this type of checkpoint was totally by computer. It scanned our passports, asked the usualquestions, and even took our photos. Once done, we proceeded to see an agent, who asked why we pushed thebutton to declare what we had purchased out of the country. Not exceeding the limit of $800 each, we didnot need to declare anything. The way itwas presented confused us, and the agent laughed and said have a nice day……passed.

We should have had a two hour wait for the flight, but itturned out most all flights to SFO had been delayed. Assuming it was from the smoke from thehorrible fires in Northern California, it was uncertain when or if we would beable to get home. Since we hadcomplimentary wi-fi, it was easy to go to the website and research itourselves. The connection was off andon, but stayed on long enough to find out that construction on some runways inSFO was the actual culprit. As wewatched the time advancing on the screen for our flight, many folks werepanicking. Lots of them had connectingflights to elsewhere in the US, and would for sure miss their connections. A long line formed at the desk, as peopledemanded to be re-routed a different way. One couple from Boston was visibly upset, but the agents did find theman alternate route. Good to seesomething happening to cool them down, as everyone was uncomfortable with thesituation. We had no connecting flight,so if we got back later than expected, it was not the end of the world.

Then when we had decided to chill out and relax, they wereup and running again, and said there was a window for some flights to take off,and we would begin seating shortly. Soas it turned out, we were delayed only an hour or more. Not as bad as everyone thought, although somefolks were cutting it close to missing other connecting flights.

It was an uneventful flight with one serving of Bits andBites Meli Melo snacks with our choice ofwater, juice, or sodas. The fancy namewas really Chex mix with a French-Canadian name. The flight was under 2 hours, and we werelanding by 4pm. We could spot the smokefrom miles away, and were told that it had been much worse. We cannot begin to imagine the severity of somany people losing their homes and their lives. And from the reports we were getting, the fires were far from being putout. So sad.

All four pieces of luggage came down the carousel, and wemade our call via the courtesy phones for our driver to pick us up. We followed the doggie prints that brought usto the #4 relief stop for dogs. It doubles as a pick-up for shuttles aswell. By then it was nearing 5pm, andthe worst time for commuting anywhere in the Bay Area. We knew we were in for at least three hoursof traffic.

It was dark by the time we pulled in the driveway at7:30pm. The road detour was stilloperating, as we expected, but it was sure good to be home, as it alwaysis. Not so much work to do this time,because we were only gone a little over 3 weeks. We were simply grateful to have a intact hometo go to.

We will follow up with some more comments on the differenceswith the two ships as we see it. But thatmay be in a few days.

Thanks for tagging along…..

Bill & Mary Ann