Live from the 2015 QE World Voyage

[Janix]

We made it to Honolulu early, only 2.5 hours after our scheduled time, but it was 12 moon before we could leave the ship.

 

Weather ok but looks as though it could rain at any time- rain is forecast for tomorrow, so hope it is not too bad.

 

After being told otherwise, we berthed under the Aloha Tower, although the Aloha centre is undergoing refurbishment at present.

 

Dinner tonight was a change of venue from the Britannia Restaurant to the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant at the end of the pier. We decided to give the only other establishment that was open (Hooters) miss this time.

 

John

[alibabacruisers]

Babs, if you are referring to my mention of microwave popcorn, we take it

at breakfast time and have one of the guys there pop it for us. I haven't seen

any microwaves in public spaces.

 

Friday, 13 Feb

 

After breakfast this morning I decided to wander around and take a few pictures

of different areas. I also wanted to check with the Purser's office about the

shuttle fee; if we were Cunard Fare. I have checked and emailed Cunard ever

since we first booked, and NO ONE has been ever able to tell me "yes, you booked

under the Cunard Fare". According to their definition, we are Cunard Fare, but

just trying to get that in writing has been unsuccessful. Anyway, the guy said

you should not have to pay, so I will take that answer with me. The other

item I wanted to know was if we could book the Hong Kong Cunard transfer to

the airport now, or do we have to wait until closer to the time of disembarkation.

I was told we could book it now, but that we have to go through the Tour Office.

That is good news, and we will book that in the next day or so to get that

taken care of.

 

It was a great time for taking pictures as nobody was around on Deck 1. I

had to get a picture of the wonderfully huge flower arrangement that is on the

table there in the atrium right in front of the QE mural at the stairs. Went to

each of the areas and took a few more pictures while no one was around, then

headed back to the cabin to get ready for Honolulu.

 

Out the port side we have been able to see land off in the distance and it

seems that it is Molokai, which used to be a leper colony a long time ago.

We also saw Lanai, I think. In a short while will have to go up on the star-

board side of the Promenade to see if we can see Diamond Head as we sail past

Waikiki and then onto the Honolulu downtown area.

 

At the moment the wind is howling across the deck at 53 mph, with a temp of

24C, 3.5 meter waves, and a speed of 14 knots.

 

At about 11:45 we headed to deck 1 where we thought they would be letting us

get off the ship and waited in the line that was already forming when we got

there. It was about 50 people long and got longer very quick as we were all

ready to go. About 12-12:15 or so the Captain finally gave the go ahead and

off we went. Cunard had a shuttle service for us that took us from the ship

to Ala Moana Shopping Center which is about 2 miles away. It was free!

 

Once we got to the Mall our plan for the day was to head toward Waikiki and

walk the man strip on Kalakaua Blvd. We have been here before so just wanted

to see the area again. From Ala Moana to the end of the strip, which is close

to the Zoo, is about 2 miles long. We walked to the end and back with lunch

in between. Lunch at Duke's a famous restaurant attached to the Outrigger

Hotel. The cheeseburgers are so good and the dessert, the famous Hula Pie,

is great! They hit the spot and enabled us to face the journey back to the

Mall and Walmart for supplies. All totalled, we walked around 6-7 miles

today and our feet are telling us off right now. The weather was overcast

with periods of sun and even a sprinkle or two, and winds to keep it interesting.

There was an International Market in the middle of Kalakaua Blvd before, but

they knocked everything down, to be rebuilt and opened in 2016. There were

lots of stalls selling all kinds of souvenirs and things. There are ABC stores

on every block that sell food, drinks, souvenirs, beach items, etc. very

reasonably too. As we passed the Moana Surfrider Hotel, an old-fashioned,

old girl, there was a wedding that occurred earlier and we saw the ride and

groom getting their pictures taken in all kinds of poses and in front of the

hotel. That is common for that hotel. Lots of people were at the beach today

as well, splashing, swimming, tanning and just having a great time! Also,

on this stretch of Waikiki are all kinds of high end shopping, like Prada,

Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo (attention Christine) Coach and many more!

I, of course just, observe those stores from the outside:)) I also noticed

lots of construction going on in this area.

 

Well, resting in our cabin in anticipation for tomorrow! May have drinks on

our balcony to enjoy the Friday night lights in Honolulu. One last thing that is

so funny! As we are on our balcony the Star of Honolulu, who does dinner cruises,

is anchored right outside our balcony, not too close though. The music is

going full blast and there is dancing and applause, while they also take pictures

of the QE. We are watching them as they watch us! :) Until next time!

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for the update, a shame the weather is still playing a part but glad you finally arrived and could have some Hula pie.:D

[cwn]

It is 11 AM here and the rain has stopped for a few minutes. It has rained hard all morning...not a good day to be out.

 

We hired a taxi yesterday and went to the Punchbowel to walk around. Our taxi offered to wait free as we accepted his offer. Dick found one the graves he was looking for and we walked around the memorial area.

 

Then we went out to Pali overlook. The wind was howling, but the view was nice with the sun peeking around the clouds for a nice effect on the water and mountain side. Again our taxi waited free and finally drove us to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel where we lucked out with front row seats in the beach bar. We had drinks and snacks and watched the wind surfers. They are very daring.

 

After that we found a store and got coke, water and liquor for the room.

 

Another taxi ride back to the ship and cocktails in the room. We had ordered ahead the shrimp tempura as a main course for dinner. it was very good and just right since we had had snacks at the hotel.

 

Looks like the weather is improving some...as predicted...we are going to try to go out to Pearl Harbor to see the new museum later. Life is good on the Queen!

[cruiseluvva]

I am so enjoying these reports, though with more than a touch of sadness because we were supposed to be on board ourselves from San Francisco to Hong Kong. Sadly my elderly and very frail mum is now so much worse that we are unable to get insurance cover if we need to cancel or curtail, and with the expensive flights we would have needed, added to the cruise fares, it was just too much money to risk losing.

 

So thank you to all you kind bloggers, who allow me to experience this trip - until we are able to do it ourselves.

[MicCanberra]

I am so enjoying these reports, though with more than a touch of sadness because we were supposed to be on board ourselves from San Francisco to Hong Kong. Sadly my elderly and very frail mum is now so much worse that we are unable to get insurance cover if we need to cancel or curtail, and with the expensive flights we would have needed, added to the cruise fares, it was just too much money to risk losing.

 

So thank you to all you kind bloggers, who allow me to experience this trip - until we are able to do it ourselves.

 

Sorry to hear about your mum.:(

[cruiseluvva]

Thank you MicCanberra. I hope I wasn't sounding "poor me" just appreciating living the trip vicariously until it will be our turn.

[carolian]

Thank you Ray66 and Barbara.

Just wanted to check if prices had increased across the board and it seems they have.

I really prefer the way Princess book their tours. It is possible to book online to be sure of getting the trip you want BUT you do not pay until you are onboard. This leaves much more room for flexibility.

Barbara - thank you so much for your blog,it is sad that you will leave the ship before we board.

Carole

[alibabacruisers]

Mic, oh we got our Hula Pie at Duke's alright! :eek: Delicious!

 

Carole, as I previously said most of the prices of the excursions have increased but only by $1-13 US. That is on the ones up to this point. I haven't looked at a list for the ones later. If you have one you'd like me to check for you, I can do that, just let me know which one/s.

 

Saturday, 14 Feb

 

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! My wonderful husband has surprised me, and that

is a feat, with a dozen red roses for Valentine's....isn't he so sweet?

 

Today we got up ate breakfast and headed out to the shuttle at a little before

8:30. The DP has its spiel about the shuttle again saying the first one was

at 9am. Well when we got there was only a single Cunard tour bus waiting.

We asked the lady and man that were there where we needed to wait and they said

the first shuttle was at 11:00! We explained that the DP stated 9 and that more

people would be there shortly, and they again told us the same thing..11:00.

Of course, the next moment a lady appeared saying she was from Maui Divers

Shop and they had a free shuttle now...smiling. We knew there'd be the hook of

watching/listening to a promo but wanted to get started so we agreed. 13 other

people did the same.

 

We have done this kind of "free" shuttle before and always resisted their buying

tactics, but this time I actually liked a couple of things and the prices were

reasonable. An interesting thing that I saw (wished I had bought) was that they

had tanzanite, you know the rare gemstones that Cunard always has someone onboard

trying to sell us? Well, this shop had beautiful rings with all different sizes

and shapes and colors of tanzanite, mounted in silver (which Cunard does not offer)

and very good prices! I wanted to go back but did not and I will probably

regret that. This free shuttle offer, also included the return trip to the

ship as well as transfer to Ala Moana Mall if you wanted, first or just back

to the ship directly.

 

When we finally got to Waikiki it was raining cats and dogs and the wind was

really kicking up! We originally were going to go to the Zoo, because we like

seeing animals, but quickly changed our plans because #1 the weather, and #2 no

animals would be in for entertaining us in the current weather. We thought

we'll try to wait it out for a bit and then walk around and see what else we

could get into. But the rain would not let up so it looked like we would have

to go back to where the Maui Divers Van were supposed to pick us up at 11:15.

We got there at 11:00 and waited until 11:30 when we finally saw the driver and

he just passed us by even though we tried waving him down....he acted like he

never saw us :((( So we waited a few more minutes and miraculously the rain let

up...thank goodness! So we got another bit of a walk in today back to the

Ala Moana Mall.

 

We went back to the ship to get some lunch. And then I had a brilliant idea.

Laundry! I prayed that there would be at east one washer for me as I walked

the length of the ship to the laundry on deck 7. Lo and behold 2 washers and

3 dryers!!! So got my laundry done...hurray!! Then decided we sit on the Lido

Pool Deck and try the cocktail of the day (the first that has been listed at

a reduced price since we boarded)...the Passionada for $5.95. When we tried

to order it the waitress and bartender had no idea that there was a drink of

the day today! :o We told them it was in the DP and they finally checked and

found that we were right, and served it pretty quickly. It had vodka in it

and I hadn't had that for years!

 

It seems like we are always telling crew, etc about something that is in the

DP and they have no idea...I find that a bit strange.

 

It seems that while we have been here it is Chinese New Year and we thought we

heard fireworks/firecrackers last night and asked the various drivers if that

was the case to which they said yes. We did not go to Chinatown but several

people we talked to did and said it is a small Chinatown compared to others

around the world and there was not much to see, so glad we did not kill ourselves

trying to get there. It wasn't that far from the ship we later learned.

 

It was so interesting to people watch all day today, around Waikiki today. We

kept seeing people arriving to their hotels full of excitement and those that

had to go home after their wonderful holidays with a bit of sadness on their

faces. Then there were the many that were trying to make the best of the weather

and get around from place to place without getting drenched or having their

umbrellas flip inside out, or trying to jump across huge puddles or ducking

into any building or outcropping to get relief from the weather. Most seemed

to take in their stride and I applaud them for that! It was also amazing to

me see so many still heading for the beach for a swim or to surf...that is

what I call ambitious!

 

Almost time to get ready for our formal night (even though it is a port day),

because it is also Valentine's Day. I really expected to see hearts and bits

of red around the ship but have seen none of that, with the exception of our

next door neighbor's who have put a red decorative heart on their door to

share with us all. How nice! Have to figure what to do with this wind blown

look I have going on and then dress. Dinner was very nice. Since it was

Valentine's day, there were guys dressed in what looked like red bell hop

uniforms, stationed at the entrances to the DR handing out a single red rose

to all the ladies that came in. My table is right near the entrance so I loved

watching the ladies expressions, as well as the mens. For dessert, there was

strawberry pavlova in the shape of a heart and it was very good. Then when we

got back to our cabin, there was a Valentine card with two heart shaped chocolates

waiting for us. Very nice gestures from Cunard.

 

Now we will have to try to get some rest before our full day excursion in

Lahaina tomorrow. Earlier the Captain said it was going to be a nice day

and the winds were coming from a NE direction, which would be good as we would

be protected from them. The seas were supposed to be calm so that is a good

thing.

 

Until tomorrow...I hope everyone has a nice Valentine's Day!

[Scrapnana]

I really prefer the way Princess book their tours. It is possible to book online to be sure of getting the trip you want BUT you do not pay until you are onboard. This leaves much more room for flexibility.

 

Carole

 

If you book online before the cruise you pay at that time. I found last year that all the tours went up at least a few dollars if you booked onboard over the pre-cruise price.

[MicCanberra]

Thank you MicCanberra. I hope I wasn't sounding "poor me" just appreciating living the trip vicariously until it will be our turn.

 

I am doing the same.:D

[MicCanberra]

Mic, oh we got our Hula Pie at Duke's alright! :eek: Delicious!

 

Carole, as I previously said most of the prices of the excursions have increased but only by $1-13 US. That is on the ones up to this point. I haven't looked at a list for the ones later. If you have one you'd like me to check for you, I can do that, just let me know which one/s.

 

Saturday, 14 Feb

 

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! My wonderful husband has surprised me, and that

is a feat, with a dozen red roses for Valentine's....isn't he so sweet?

 

Today we got up ate breakfast and headed out to the shuttle at a little before

8:30. The DP has its spiel about the shuttle again saying the first one was

at 9am. Well when we got there was only a single Cunard tour bus waiting.

We asked the lady and man that were there where we needed to wait and they said

the first shuttle was at 11:00! We explained that the DP stated 9 and that more

people would be there shortly, and they again told us the same thing..11:00.

Of course, the next moment a lady appeared saying she was from Maui Divers

Shop and they had a free shuttle now...smiling. We knew there'd be the hook of

watching/listening to a promo but wanted to get started so we agreed. 13 other

people did the same.

 

We have done this kind of "free" shuttle before and always resisted their buying

tactics, but this time I actually liked a couple of things and the prices were

reasonable. An interesting thing that I saw (wished I had bought) was that they

had tanzanite, you know the rare gemstones that Cunard always has someone onboard

trying to sell us? Well, this shop had beautiful rings with all different sizes

and shapes and colors of tanzanite, mounted in silver (which Cunard does not offer)

and very good prices! I wanted to go back but did not and I will probably

regret that. This free shuttle offer, also included the return trip to the

ship as well as transfer to Ala Moana Mall if you wanted, first or just back

to the ship directly.

 

When we finally got to Waikiki it was raining cats and dogs and the wind was

really kicking up! We originally were going to go to the Zoo, because we like

seeing animals, but quickly changed our plans because #1 the weather, and #2 no

animals would be in for entertaining us in the current weather. We thought

we'll try to wait it out for a bit and then walk around and see what else we

could get into. But the rain would not let up so it looked like we would have

to go back to where the Maui Divers Van were supposed to pick us up at 11:15.

We got there at 11:00 and waited until 11:30 when we finally saw the driver and

he just passed us by even though we tried waving him down....he acted like he

never saw us :((( So we waited a few more minutes and miraculously the rain let

up...thank goodness! So we got another bit of a walk in today back to the

Ala Moana Mall.

 

We went back to the ship to get some lunch. And then I had a brilliant idea.

Laundry! I prayed that there would be at east one washer for me as I walked

the length of the ship to the laundry on deck 7. Lo and behold 2 washers and

3 dryers!!! So got my laundry done...hurray!! Then decided we sit on the Lido

Pool Deck and try the cocktail of the day (the first that has been listed at

a reduced price since we boarded)...the Passionada for $5.95. When we tried

to order it the waitress and bartender had no idea that there was a drink of

the day today! :o We told them it was in the DP and they finally checked and

found that we were right, and served it pretty quickly. It had vodka in it

and I hadn't had that for years!

 

It seems like we are always telling crew, etc about something that is in the

DP and they have no idea...I find that a bit strange.

 

It seems that while we have been here it is Chinese New Year and we thought we

heard fireworks/firecrackers last night and asked the various drivers if that

was the case to which they said yes. We did not go to Chinatown but several

people we talked to did and said it is a small Chinatown compared to others

around the world and there was not much to see, so glad we did not kill ourselves

trying to get there. It wasn't that far from the ship we later learned.

 

It was so interesting to people watch all day today, around Waikiki today. We

kept seeing people arriving to their hotels full of excitement and those that

had to go home after their wonderful holidays with a bit of sadness on their

faces. Then there were the many that were trying to make the best of the weather

and get around from place to place without getting drenched or having their

umbrellas flip inside out, or trying to jump across huge puddles or ducking

into any building or outcropping to get relief from the weather. Most seemed

to take in their stride and I applaud them for that! It was also amazing to

me see so many still heading for the beach for a swim or to surf...that is

what I call ambitious!

 

Almost time to get ready for our formal night (even though it is a port day),

because it is also Valentine's Day. I really expected to see hearts and bits

of red around the ship but have seen none of that, with the exception of our

next door neighbor's who have put a red decorative heart on their door to

share with us all. How nice! Have to figure what to do with this wind blown

look I have going on and then dress. Dinner was very nice. Since it was

Valentine's day, there were guys dressed in what looked like red bell hop

uniforms, stationed at the entrances to the DR handing out a single red rose

to all the ladies that came in. My table is right near the entrance so I loved

watching the ladies expressions, as well as the mens. For dessert, there was

strawberry pavlova in the shape of a heart and it was very good. Then when we

got back to our cabin, there was a Valentine card with two heart shaped chocolates

waiting for us. Very nice gestures from Cunard.

 

Now we will have to try to get some rest before our full day excursion in

Lahaina tomorrow. Earlier the Captain said it was going to be a nice day

and the winds were coming from a NE direction, which would be good as we would

be protected from them. The seas were supposed to be calm so that is a good

thing.

 

Until tomorrow...I hope everyone has a nice Valentine's Day!

 

How wonderful to have a Valentines day spent like that. Hope the wether is better for you for the remainder of the cruise.:D

[Oahucruiser]

As fate would have it, the blustery weather in Honolulu yesterday has given way to a stunningly lovely day today with not a cloud in the sky. They should be having similar weather on the island of Maui too.

[MicCanberra]

As fate would have it, the blustery weather in Honolulu yesterday has given way to a stunningly lovely day today with not a cloud in the sky. They should be having similar weather on the island of Maui too.

 

Good to hear that the weather has fined up for their visit to Maui.:D

[alibabacruisers]

Sunday, 15 Feb

 

Well, what a day! After breakfast, we went to the RCT around 7:55. The DP

told us that for our tour (Haleakala Volcano) we were to meet there at 8:15.

Two tour groups had been dispatched by the time we got there. Then our turn.

We snaked our way down to the first deck in the RCT, along deck 1 outside the

cabins...what a mess for all involved. Well, we got about 3/4 down that hall

and STOP. Turns out, according to Gavin, the Tour Guy, that the US Immigration

stopped the tenders for an unknown reason. :o We all assumed the worst...that

the seas were rough and we were about to be cancelled...but that ended up not

happening. Some people were having trouble standing for this extended length

of time so Gavin finally came around and said we could all go to the atrium

area and sit and he would call us before any others were sent down from the RCT.

So many of us did just that. So, finally they got us to the tenders an hour

late. Our tour was supposed to start at 8:45, but didn't actually start until

about 9:45. The tender ride was rough and took about 20 minutes.

 

The guide told us that the weather in Maui was pretty atrocious yesterday, but that today was expected to be beautiful and it was!

I loved our tour and even though the drive each way was about 2 hours, the guide/

driver did a running commentary that was full of interesting information. The

road there was a good road but near the last hour or so it was curvy and I had

to shut my eyes a few times....lol. The summit was 10,000 feet above sea level

and was spectacular! I didn't think I would love the scenery so much, but I

really did. The colors were amazing! It was sooo cold though! Some people

disregarded the Shore Excursion Booklet and other information stating you

definitely would need a jacket. There were bathrooms, marked Wahine for women,

and Kane for men, and outside those was a sign saying caution Ice....and there

was a spot where some water was and had frozen creating black ice! The guide

said that when the winds were higher than 76 mph they closed the National Park

for safety reasons and I can clearly understand that. They even have bike tours

up to the Park....37 miles! OMG...I don't know how they do it! The scenery

to the Park was interesting too. The west side of the island was brownish

green and needed rain, while the east side was pretty and green. We saw sugar

cane fields in varying growth stages and learned that it takes one ton of water

to produce 1 pound of raw sugar! I tell you this island sure is environmentally

conscientous (sp)! Wind turbines, solar panels, drip irrigation, water reuse,

crop rotation, etc. The people we encountered were so nice too. We had a lunch

included with this tour at the Maui Tropical Plantation. It was pretty meager

but it hit the spot for me. We walked around afterwards and I love to take pictures

of flowers and such. I was taking one picture of some foliage and a noise

startled me! I look from behind my camera and saw this bright green lizard

about 6 inches in length that had dropped from a tree onto a nearby leaf! I

was able to get 2 pretty good shots of him even though he tried to avoid me! LOL.

Then we headed back to the ship, where the drama continued.

 

We got back to the tender pier and there was already a line of about 50-60

people. The sun was out full force at this point, 4:15. Supposedly the last tender

was at 4:30, but there was no way that was going to happen. While we were

waiting we noticed people from the previous tender had come back and had to

get out of their tender. A man went over to ask the two Cunard ladies in

unifrom what was going on...she said technical problem. But someone finally

found out that partially the way back to the ship the tender had mechanical

issues and and to return to the pier and they would send another tender soon.

So here we all were...the previous about 90, the 50-60 before us, us, then the

amassing 100++ that had arrived later! Sun, dehydration (Cunard served us

a bit of cold water), long day of touring, "holier than thou" mentalities,

"know it alls", all together with the rest of us ....lol....made for more fun.

We finally made it back at 5:15, and there were at least 2-3 tenders still to

come! Sailaway proceeding around 6:15 or so.

 

Since sunrise this morning until sunset a bit ago, we have been able to see,

from the ship and shore, whales galore!! I could sit and watch them all day.

So graceful and peaceful creatures! There is still some good in our world.

 

Flew to the Lido for the quickest of bites after washing all the germs from

our bodies. "Cunard cough" is alive and well, which I am sure will be passed

around because so many of those afflicted were also the variety that DO NOT

COVER THEIR MOUTHS!!!!!!!!! I hate that! Extra extra vitamin C for us! We

started taking it 2 weeks before the cruise and have taken it religiously

ever since and we hope it helps us avoid those germs! Sorry...rant over...

for the time being...lol.

 

Time for a relaxing drink I think and time to ponder to wonderful things we

saw and learned today! Until next time!

[MicCanberra]

Wow, glad you saw the whales to make up for stressful tendering.:D

[dancourt]

I am loving the daily blogs all about everyone's adventures.

 

So thank you for taking the time to do this for us.

 

Susan

[Janix]

Monday 16th Feb

 

After a few busy days in Hawaii, it is time to enjoy the sea time and catch up on the last few days.

 

We arrived in Hawaii around 1030 am and were secure under the Aloha Tower and ashore by noon. Unfortunately the area around the tower is undergoing refurbishment, so all the small shops and restaurants that were located here on an earlier visit were closed. Only the premises associated with Star Cruises, Hooters and the Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restaurant were open.

 

We planned to visit the Ala Moana shopping centre on the Friday and then take the shuttle to Hilo Hattie’s on Saturday, and used the latter’s shuttle bus to visit the Waikiki Beach area.

 

So off we headed by free shuttle bus to Ala Moana, although a short trip the traffic and road works made it a little longer than the expected 15 minutes, nearer a 30 minute trip. After visiting some of the many shops, and doing nothing in particular apart from finding the Post office, we returned to the ship. A quick change and we headed out for some alternate sustenance, finding the Gordon Biersch Brewery at the tip of the Aloha tower pier. We sampled some typical American food whilst the sun set on Hawaii. A quick shower meant we headed inside under cover, and we were soon joined by a couple of forum friends so had a pleasant evening looking over the harbour, and then an early night.

 

The forecast for Saturday wasn’t good, and when we eventually left the ship it was tipping it down. The Hilo Hattie’s were not running for some reason, so we joined the long queue for the Ala Moana shuttle. However owing to the heavy rain, we were told that they were running considerably behind time, and after queueing for 10 minutes we were told it would be another 30 minutes before the shuttle would arrive. Along with another couple we therefore shared a taxi which cost $20 to the shopping centre. We once again spent the afternoon in the area as the weather slowly improved. A quick trip to the Apple store had my iphone rejuvenated and once again I was able to imessage home.

 

For lunch we tried a quick snack in the Japanese type store there, the name of which escapes me, but an interesting sausage roll and cup of coffee. After picking up a couple of lei’s and another Hawaiian shirt for the sailaway we returned to the Aloha tower in order to find Walmart, for ‘provisions’. It turned out it was Chinese New Year again, we saw the parades in 2011, and we could hear the noise and noticed the closed off streets. However we did not linger and returned to the ship. We managed to miss the sailaway party as it coincided with ‘nap’ time !

 

We left Hawaii at dusk and headed toward Lahaina, a short hop of 70 miles as the crow flies, but somewhat further when negotiating the islands. From our balcony we could see many whale spouts and tail fins as the Humpback whales frolicked in the sea around us. On arrival at Lahaina the captain was informed by the harbourmaster that he had anchored in the wrong place, so we had to reposition. Also a couple of tenders were held at the harbour entrance for approaching one hour, until they were given permission to approach the jetty. I bet they were impressed being kept in the heat and rocking boats for that amount of time.

 

After further negotiations we were allowed ashore, but it was a slow process as only one tender was allowed at the pier. We made it ashore for around 1120 and quite a quaint little place it was. We wandered up and down the main street, shared a quick bite for lunch and then proceeded to the pier for our 1430 whale watching excursion. There were 45 of us on a large catamaran and we saw several whales and their calves, but not too close.

 

All too soon it was time to return to the pier in order to take one of the last tenders back to the ship at 1630. However there was a log jam at the port entrance and we did not alight the Catamaran until 1630 and the queues to return to the ship were very long. Apparently one of the tenders had developed engine trouble and had blocked the pier for some time ? Anyway there just happened to be the Pioneer Inn Bar opposite the end of the queue, so where better to keep out of the sun until the line shortened ?

We were around one hour later than scheduled when we left Lahaina, but we think it was a great stop, and could spend more time there !

 

As the ship departed I spotted a large pod of whales in the distance off the starboard side who appeared to nearly synchronise their blows, and then one of the larger whales breached about 5 times – fascinating, but no photos.

 

This morning we had Amanda Reid interviewing Kim Novak about her life in Hollywood and subsequent life as an artist. She is married to an equine veterinarian and lives on a ranch in Oregon. She stood up for Alfred Hitchcock following recent reports and films of his life painted a less than favourable impression of him. She also told us that she was bipolar, a fact that has influenced her life and her artistic talent. She was heading towards the Czech Republic to receive a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award in the near future.

 

Sunshine has returned, after a few showers and grey skies this morning, as we head towards the equator. They were asking for volunteers to participate in the ‘Crossing the Line’ ceremony which will take place soon, where Polywogs are transformed into Shellbacks. We are 880 miles north of the equator at present heading around 200 degrees at 21 knots, for our planned arrival in Pago Pago on the 20th Feb.

 

John

[alibabacruisers]

Monday, 16 Feb

 

While waiting for breakfast this morning, I noticed that there were less

crew around. A week or so ago, the morning routine (in starboard side of

the Lido) had at least 2 senior (managers?) keeping things in order, a chef,

around 5 cooks, and 5 or so other. Additionally, previously the Lido, which

usually opens at 6:30, would find barriers would be up to block the entrance

at both ends and the heavy door would be closed. This has not been the case

for the past week allowing people to come in before open time and get upset

because things were not ready. I wonder what has happened to make this change?

 

As I brought up yesterday, the Cunard cough is making its appearance. DH is

dealing with a cold but I hope it doesn't turn into the cough because that

seems to last for a while.

 

Went onto our balcony and watching the sun slowly emerge from some clouds in

the distance. So beautiful it is to see the suns rays come through the clouds

creating a pretty amazing effect. Had to ponder the peace and quiet of the world

and enjoy such beauty. It was easier at the moment as the sea is relatively

calm with only 1.5 meter waves and winds around 15mph. The humidity is about

88% and coupled with those darker clouds in the distance make me think rain

may be in our forecast later.

 

Last night we received a notice that we are to turn in our passports between

9:30am-1:30pm this morning on Deck 2 stairway B Lobby. We also received a

Hawaii Visitor Survey to complete. The accompanying letter stated that our

cabin number was chosen to be a part of this month's Cruise Passenger Survey.

For today, the DP selections include fitness classes, Decathalon events,

various seminars, dance classes, trivia, music throughout the ship, Cunard

Insights Celebrity is Kim Novak, Spa lectures, Bingo, and the movie of the

day "Dallas Buyer's Club". It is another formal night tonight but will most

likely skip that. At sme point we would like to try the Alternative Dining,

tonight is Aztec (Mexican), or the Alfresco Dining on the aft Lido Deck, which

is weather dependent.

 

After I turned in our passports, I went to Deck 2 next to the Cafe Carinthia.

There is a sofa and two chairs next to the stairway B and it was the only

seating available at that moment so I read and had a coffee there. At 11:00

there was Flower and Character Vegetable/Fruit Carving in the atrium on Deck

1. People gathered along the rails on Deck 2 to watch and everynow and then I

went over to get a few pictures. Then it was time fo lunch so met DH at the

cabin and headed to the Lido. I had a taste for my hotdogs so got them at the

aft Lido Grill, where the guy was just waiting to take my order.

 

With out stomachs taken care of we discussed our afternoon plans. I wanted to

finish my book, and DH wanted to go swimming and he said the water was warm.

I decided to try the chairs outside the library on Deck 3 to finish my book so

I could be right there to turn it in when I finished. I checked another out and

started to read that later in the day.

 

With DH feeling a bit run down we ate a quick dinner in the Lido and came back

to the cabin. He retired early while I read some of my book before drifting off

to sleep.

[rlw104]

Love reading your updates - I'm a lurker rather than a poster, but your time is appreciated!

[DreamflightPat]

Hi Barbara, Loving reading your posts and looking forward to catching up with you again when I board in Sydney. It sounds as though the weather and seas are not as good as I had last year but hopefully now you are going towards the warmer weather and calmer seas. Sorry DH has the "Cunard Cough", it always seems to appear on every ship,certainly on the 16 cruises I have been on and that includes the 6* luxury lines. Keep your posts coming and see you on 3rd March. Am having a lovely time with my family down here in Aussie. I met up with a couple who I cruised with last year who live in Sydney. Happy memories.

[Lakesregion]

Not to be a total downer but after reading the world news of the past few weeks I am thinking that the world cruises currently afloat may be the last ones for many a year. Sort of like the last time the world blew up, no one was thinking about sailing the oceans blue for pleasure.

[figgy1978]

Pardon?

[MicCanberra]

There are still more world cruises scheduled for next year though and not just with Cunard.

[roscoe39]

Not to be a total downer but after reading the world news of the past few weeks I am thinking that the world cruises currently afloat may be the last ones for many a year. Sort of like the last time the world blew up, no one was thinking about sailing the oceans blue for pleasure.

 

what a little ray of sunshine! But I know what you mean, I think our generation is going to be one of the last generations that has enjoyed "free travel" so to speak. Each year when I have travelled, particularly to the Middle East I have come back saying, "Go and Go now" before it is too late, I fear our window of opportunity is fast closing.

 

Having said that, I have faith in the human race, and maybe this will pull the world together having one common goal to beat out the worlds terror.

 

fingers crossed it will have the opposite effect from what "they" are attempting.

 

:)