More Ship Days!

Last night was the second formal night of the cruise.  Richard did bring his tux and decided to have some fun and dress it down a little by wearing sandals!   A number of men patted him on the back or gave him a thumbs up.  I’m sure they were wishing their wives would have let them do the same. 

I have continued to think about Hawaii and have learned that the only letters in the Hawaiian alphabet are H,K,L,M,N,P,W and of course A,E,I,O,U.   So I guess redundancy is necessary! 

Day 10 - Another Day At Sea!

One more sea day after today and then we will be in Papeete, Tahiti.  We only have 700 more miles to go.  We were there in 2005 and the most popular activity was shopping for Tahitian pearls!  

We crossed the equator yesterday afternoon.  This is our third trip to the southern hemisphere.  The Pacific is currently about as smooth as it could possibly be. 

Third Consecutive Day At Sea!

The weather has been pretty unpredictable.   At times, there will not be a cloud in the sky and it will be 80 degrees , but if you look towards the stern, you can see its quickly going to change as we approach dark clouds up ahead.  Then, as quickly as it clouded up, we run through a small squall, and then are back to sunny blue skies again.  

Several days ago there was a show in the theatre titled “Comedy with Strings”.   Intrigued by the title, we attended.  Unfortunately, it was a gentleman with a ukulele playing, singing, and telling a few bad jokes between songs.     Then, last night, we were duped into attending another show with another intriguing title.  As the show began, yep…..out walks the ukulele guy!   We endured it for about 10 minutes, but when he began playing Sweet Home Alabama… that was more than I could bear.  Our music loving friends from the Shoals (you know who you are) wouldn’t have stayed that long.  There IS something about our Muscle Shoals music!

We have found it rather surprising that there are actually quite a few young couples on the ship.  For this length cruise, we expected a much older crowd.  However, we have talked to several couples in their early thirties that have told us they quit their jobs to travel the world.   This is certainly a change in philosophy from which I was brought up!

Maui

Yesterday morning we rented a car and headed to a snorkeling spot (Honolua Bay) recommended by the locals.    We walked from the parking lot to the water through a scenic path of flora.  It was magical.  

The water was the perfect temperature and the coral was awesome.   We watched a sea turtle eating on the coral until we got bored watching him.  There were quite a few small fish, and luckily, no really big ones!  Afterwards we drove to a spot in the interior of the island that was recommended, Iao Needle.  It wasn’t anything spectacular and I couldn’t recommend it.  I’m sure there are much better viewpoints on the island.  

I know this is starting to sound a little “perfect” and “flowery”, so I’ll throw in a little negativity.  It could be because I’m “suffering” from some sinus issues, and feel pretty yucky, that I am willing to admit….I absolutely hate Hawaiian music!   I also don’t understand why the Hawaiians have chosen to use so many vowels when spelling their words!   I won’t even mention the redundant Hs and Ks.    Don’t get me started on the hula and luaus!  Do the locals really get dressed up in coconut bras and grass skirts and invite their neighbors over on Saturday night to roast a pig in the ground, or is this all a show for the tourists?   (Humor intended here).  Nevertheless, the Hawaiian people were very friendly and nice to us.  Also, if you have to have sinus issues, what better place to be than in the middle of the Pacific Ocean taking in the salt air!  Life is good.

Honolulu, Hawaii

After four days without seeing any land we pulled into the Port of Honolulu this morning around 6 a.m.  

By 7 a.m., the sun was shining and a beautiful double rainbow could be seen right outside our cabin.  We could see both ends touching the water.  It was absolutely breathtaking!   (None of these pictures have been enhanced….this is truly how it looked).   

We left the ship before the Captain made his announcement that we could go ashore this morning.   The gangways were open and everyone appeared to be in place, just no announcement.  We walked a block to Enterprise, picked up our rental car, and headed to Pearl Harbor.   The Arizona Memorial was pretty amazing.  

This one is for you Jane!

Oil could be seen still seeping up from the ship.   With the sun shining on the oil, the pictures I took look like modern art (again, no enhancement needed). 

We then headed to the north part of the island which is known for its surfing.  We kept driving and before we knew it, we had driven around the entire island.  We saved the best for last and ended up stopping at the Haauma Bay Preserve on the south tip of the island.  The views were spectacular.   If we had it to do over again, we would probably go there and snorkel all day!

On the way back to the ship, we drove past Diamond Head, but chose to not stop.   

We don’t leave until 11 p.m. tonight!  I hope it doesn’t wake me up…..another busy day tomorrow in Maui!  

Ship Life - First 4 Days at Sea

First, Richard is spending his birthday doing just about anything he wants to do.....other than get off the ship!

A number of improvements have been made to the Golden, with regards to technology at sea.  Each Princess ship has its own intranet that can be easily accessed from your mobile device or computer.   Passengers can set up a free account and message each other while on the ship.  This is a big improvement over leaving sticky notes for each other in the cabin.   It also contains a listing of all the events happening on the ship for a particular day, and a “Map It” link that will pop up a deck plan of the ship to point you to where on the ship the event is taking place.   So, for this trip, our Iphones are being used for more than a clock!

The past four days at sea have gone by quickly.   The weather has changed from being cool and rainy to warm and tropical as we get closer to Hawaii.   There are many Aussies and Kiwis onboard, making their way back home after visiting the States.  

More pics after Hawaii!

Day 1 of 28 San Francisco to Sydney

We slept in this morning, after a long day of flying yesterday.  We walked across the street from the Hyatt Regency to the ferry terminal (which is actually a great little market area) to find coffee.   While drinking our morning java, we walked ½ mile or so to see the Golden Princess in port.  This is our second cruise on the Golden Princess; the first one was in May of 2002, when we were married on a sea day between Malta and Athens, Greece.    The ship has had a major renovation since then.

Leaving port this afternoon, we had a great view of Alcatraz and then sailed right under the Golden Gate Bridge.  As we looked up from the 15^th floor of the ship, we seemed to be very close to the bottom of the bridge.  I’m sure there was more clearance than it seemed.  

View of San Francisco leaving the harbor

Too Close for Comfort!

This one is for a very special person in our lives.  

We can’t wait for you to get back home, but until then continue to #fightJANEfight!

This is the last we’ll see of land until next Thursday, September 24^th.    We will be celebrating Richard’s birthday at sea on Wednesday….happy birthday to him!

San Francisco to Sydney and All Points In Between...Begins in 36 Hours!