There was no rush Wednesday morning since we couldn’t check
in at the ship until 12:30, so Becky worked out and I slept in. (Being forced to rest is soooo
tiresome.) We finally headed for the
Worldwide Cruise Terminal in San Pedro a little after 11:00, knowing we would
be quite early. By pre-arrangement, they
were set to take me around in a wheelchair---just in case my body hadn’t
recovered enough to let me operate on my own.
Even though I felt pretty well, I decided to let the situation play
out. Wow! If you can abide sitting in a
wheelchair while appearing to the world to be able-bodied, that’s the way to
go.
I didn’t have to stand in any lines, we wheeled right up to the security gate, had a quick pat down while seated, and immediately stopped at a special check-in desk where there was no waiting. When it was time to board, I was wheeled past a line of people and taken directly to our cabin. Nice deal. Becky had also arranged for a scooter on board---again just in case I needed it. The thing was waiting for us when we got to the cabin. It was a little large, and getting it into the cabin was quite a challenge. Since I was feeling fine, we decided to just park it in the corner and not use it unless things change dramatically. We call it our giant paperweight.
We had a nice (late) lunch of fennel salad and a chicken and pineapple sandwich at the International Café on Deck 5 in the Atrium area. I had to have a ceremonial Mai Tai (actually, two of them) since we would be heading for Hawaii in an hour or so. Delightful. We then settled in and, after a quick tour of the ship, relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.
We had dinner in the Capri dining Room. We both had prime rib. Nice.
We then went up to the Horizon Court to pick up small desserts, which we
took to our cabin and washed down with a nice Zinfandel. Thursday morning, we had a light breakfast at
the Horizon Court, then Becky headed off for the gym while I got back into
reading the tons of material I brought with me.
I also did a few crossword puzzles.
We went to the Portofino restaurant for lunch at 1:00, having one very
talkative tablemate and five sphinxes. I
had mussels and a small Cobb salad. Both
were very tasty. Dinner was a nice cioppino
in the Capri dining room again, with some interesting tablemates, one pair of
which, from Las Vegas, had been full-time RVers for 13 years, getting off the road 17 years ago.I didn’t have to stand in any lines, we wheeled right up to the security gate, had a quick pat down while seated, and immediately stopped at a special check-in desk where there was no waiting. When it was time to board, I was wheeled past a line of people and taken directly to our cabin. Nice deal. Becky had also arranged for a scooter on board---again just in case I needed it. The thing was waiting for us when we got to the cabin. It was a little large, and getting it into the cabin was quite a challenge. Since I was feeling fine, we decided to just park it in the corner and not use it unless things change dramatically. We call it our giant paperweight.
We had a nice (late) lunch of fennel salad and a chicken and pineapple sandwich at the International Café on Deck 5 in the Atrium area. I had to have a ceremonial Mai Tai (actually, two of them) since we would be heading for Hawaii in an hour or so. Delightful. We then settled in and, after a quick tour of the ship, relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.
Friday morning involved a light breakfast, a spinning class
for Becky, and morning trivia for the two of us.
Our team, including a couple from England, tied for first with 17 out of 21, but lost the tie-breaker question to another team. The question was how many muscles a cat has in each ear, with the winner being the team with the closest guess. The answer was 32. One team got it exactly. Wow! Lunch was at the Horizon Court buffet, which today supposedly featured Asian food. Nothing there looked familiar, but it was OK. After lunch, Becky and I played two games of Rummikub. We each won one. Then it was nap time for me.
Our team, including a couple from England, tied for first with 17 out of 21, but lost the tie-breaker question to another team. The question was how many muscles a cat has in each ear, with the winner being the team with the closest guess. The answer was 32. One team got it exactly. Wow! Lunch was at the Horizon Court buffet, which today supposedly featured Asian food. Nothing there looked familiar, but it was OK. After lunch, Becky and I played two games of Rummikub. We each won one. Then it was nap time for me.
There is a “sport court” on this ship, which Becky
discovered hosts paddle tennis each afternoon.
Becky played on Friday for the second day in a row. She’s never played the game before, and is
enjoying it immensely.
Friday evening was the time for “dress up” for dinner and the
Captain’s Champagne Reception for the passengers. We sat for dinner by ourselves at 6:00 in the
Capri restaurant again (overcooked and only OK beef tenderloins for both of us)
and we decided that we could pass on the reception (it started at 7:30) without regret. We’ve been on enough cruises that we know we
can miss some of the goodies and still enjoy the cruise immensely.
Saturday morning we watched Definitely Maybe, on our cabin TV. It starred Ryan Reynolds, Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weitz, and Kevin Kline. Cute movie. We then played trivia again, this time by ourselves, and didn’t do so well---getting only 13 out of 20. I then finished Last Man Standing, by David Baldacci, a novel I’ve been reading for a week or so, while Becky worked out. After a Latin-style lunch in the Horizon Court (the centerpiece was a tasty Brazilian feijoada)
we went to the main theater to watch About Time, starring Rachel McAdams and a bunch of Brits we’ve never heard of. It was an absolutely delightful film---cute, funny, sad, sexy, quirky, and extremely entertaining. Saturday night we had dinner (primarily club sandwiches washed down with a nice Malbec) via room service in our cabin.
Sunday morning after breakfast we played trivia again, this
time joining with a couple from Montreal.
We were miserable---getting only 5 out of 20. Arrrgh!
After losing badly at trivia, we watched Letters To Juliet with Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave on our cabin TV. It was a typical romance film, but kind of fun because most of it took place in Tuscany. I’ve started reading an autobiography by Charles Grodin, How I Became Whoever It Is I Am. It’s entertaining, even though he shows he’s very much in love with himself. (He keeps reminding us how much he cares for his fellow man.)
After losing badly at trivia, we watched Letters To Juliet with Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave on our cabin TV. It was a typical romance film, but kind of fun because most of it took place in Tuscany. I’ve started reading an autobiography by Charles Grodin, How I Became Whoever It Is I Am. It’s entertaining, even though he shows he’s very much in love with himself. (He keeps reminding us how much he cares for his fellow man.)
Sunday afternoon we went to the Princess Theater to watch The Book Thief, with Geoffrey Rush and
Emily Watson, and an unknown girl who was terrific. It was an odd, bittersweet, but very engaging
film about an average German family during WWII, essentially just trying to
survive while not precisely following the Nazi rules. It was fascinating. Sunday night we ate at the Horizon Court
buffet, primarily blackened chicken, and returned to our cabin to relax.
Monday morning we landed at Hilo. After breakfast we went ashore to join an all-day bus tour of Hilo and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Our driver/guide was Jane, who was terrific. We’ve been to Hilo before but only very briefly, and we’ve been to the national park and seen a lot of the Kilauea volcano area, but Becky needed to get her national park passport stamped there. The tour of Hilo was very interesting and we’re very glad we went on that particular tour. The only downer was that it rained off and on all day---sometimes very hard---but it didn’t really matter.
For dinner we went to the Portofino Restaurant, one deck up from our usual place, the Capri Restaurant. I had a wonderful piece of salmon. Tuesday morning we landed at Lahaina, Maui. Or, rather, we dropped an anchor outside the harbor and took a tender into the town, where we met our tour for the day---primarily a trip to Haleakala National Park. Again, we’ve been there before but Becky needed her passport stamped.
This time our driver/guide was Henry, who was also terrific. It’s been several years since we had been to the crater, and it was nice to actually see it again and take the nice ride up the mountain. The weather was fabulous all day and from the top we could see all the way to the big island---seeing the tops of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, more than 100 miles away. As part of the tour, we had a surprisingly nice lunch at Casanova, an Italian restaurant in Makawao.
When we returned to Lahaina, we stopped first at the Pioneer Inn. Thirty-seven years ago, the first time I was in Lahaina, we discovered a drink called Harpoon at the Pioneer. We got the recipe and the Harpoon became a favorite of ours for several years. I ordered one at the Pioneer on Tuesday and the bartender said he had never heard of it. Quite a disappointment! We then walked along Front Street for a few blocks, had an adult beverage (my first mai tai actually in Hawaii this time) at Kimo’s,
and then took the tender back to the ship. Becky immediately went aft and watched whales cavort for an hour. We weighed anchor and left the harbor just before 6:00 PM, seeing a few more whales on the way out of the harbor. We had initially thought we would have a room service dinner again, but Becky noticed on her way back from her solo whale watching that they were serving barbecued beef ribs at the grill next to the main pool. So that’s what we had for dinner.
It was farther than I had expected. After I returned to the ship I started another book, The Takeover, by Stephen W. Frey, an author with whom I’m not familiar. At about 2:00, Becky returned from her hike, including a stop at Hilo Hatties for the purchase of a cute shirt, and we had had bratwurst and sauerkraut for lunch. Becky then headed out for another walk, while I returned to my book. After sailing out of Nawiliwili Harbor, we picked up dinner consisting primarily of pork sandwiches at the International Café on board,
and returned to our cabin to watch Philomena on our TV. If you ignore the negative comments about Ronald Reagan, the entire Republican Party, and the Catholic Church, it was a well-done but only somewhat interesting movie. One thing I’m wondering about---There were at least two prominent movies this award season that dealt with AIDS. Since (I believe) AIDS stopped being a major scourge in the U.S. quite some years ago, why is it suddenly such a hot topic in Hollywood? One answer suggested by Matthew McConaughey in his acceptance speech on winning the Oscar for his starring role in Dallas Buyers Club, is that it often takes such a long time to go from concept to theaters that otherwise newsworthy movies are often not very timely.
Thursday morning we docked at Honolulu. We had arranged for breakfast in our cabin,
consisting primarily of yummy Egg McMuffin look-alikes.
After breakfast, Becky headed out for her first long hike of the day, while I read. For lunch we took a taxi to the Outrigger Canoe Club at the far end of Waikiki Beach. It’s a private club to which we got entry through a reciprocal arrangement with the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles. The OCC is apparently famous for having been a hangout for Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) in Magnum, P.I. (I never saw the show.) I had a Mahi Sandwich. Delicious! And a couple of mai tais. Yummy!
Thursday night’s dinner in the Terrace Court was German in style. I didn’t recognize any of it, and it all tasted like mystery meat. Not yummy! We were already asleep when we left Honolulu at 11:00 PM. Friday morning we played Trivia again. This time, playing by ourselves again, we got 12 (out of 20) correct, but still lost big. The people who scored our card even missed one of the ones we got correct. The nerve of them! Friday afternoon we played Rummikub again, this time in our cabin, while we watched 27 Dresses. If you need an explanation for the apparent death of Katherine Heigl’s career, just watch a couple of her movies. Painful. As is customary, Becky won both Rummikub games.
For dinner we splurged on calories and fat by having pizza in our cabin. How tasty! That meant we skipped a dress-up night and the accompanying lobster.
I finished reading The Takeover just after midnight Friday night. Good read. Saturday morning before breakfast we watched Quartet on our cabin TV. We’d seen it before, and it was delightful again. Before lunch we saw 12 Years As A Slave in the ship’s theater. It was interesting and engaging, and some of its cruelty was very hard to watch, but neither of us thought it deserved the Oscar for Best Picture.
We overate at lunch (Asian, again, but delicious this time.) We’ll probably skip a formal dinner tonight as the result. After lunch, Becky beat me at three straight games of Rummikub, the last of which I would have won but I didn’t see the winning play. I picked up a new book, Rearview Mirror, an expose of the FBI, CIA, etc., written by someone named William Turner, with a foreword by Oliver Stone. The book promises to be quite anti-government, but it might be interesting.
After breakfast, Becky headed out for her first long hike of the day, while I read. For lunch we took a taxi to the Outrigger Canoe Club at the far end of Waikiki Beach. It’s a private club to which we got entry through a reciprocal arrangement with the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles. The OCC is apparently famous for having been a hangout for Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) in Magnum, P.I. (I never saw the show.) I had a Mahi Sandwich. Delicious! And a couple of mai tais. Yummy!
Thursday night’s dinner in the Terrace Court was German in style. I didn’t recognize any of it, and it all tasted like mystery meat. Not yummy! We were already asleep when we left Honolulu at 11:00 PM. Friday morning we played Trivia again. This time, playing by ourselves again, we got 12 (out of 20) correct, but still lost big. The people who scored our card even missed one of the ones we got correct. The nerve of them! Friday afternoon we played Rummikub again, this time in our cabin, while we watched 27 Dresses. If you need an explanation for the apparent death of Katherine Heigl’s career, just watch a couple of her movies. Painful. As is customary, Becky won both Rummikub games.
For dinner we splurged on calories and fat by having pizza in our cabin. How tasty! That meant we skipped a dress-up night and the accompanying lobster.
I finished reading The Takeover just after midnight Friday night. Good read. Saturday morning before breakfast we watched Quartet on our cabin TV. We’d seen it before, and it was delightful again. Before lunch we saw 12 Years As A Slave in the ship’s theater. It was interesting and engaging, and some of its cruelty was very hard to watch, but neither of us thought it deserved the Oscar for Best Picture.
We overate at lunch (Asian, again, but delicious this time.) We’ll probably skip a formal dinner tonight as the result. After lunch, Becky beat me at three straight games of Rummikub, the last of which I would have won but I didn’t see the winning play. I picked up a new book, Rearview Mirror, an expose of the FBI, CIA, etc., written by someone named William Turner, with a foreword by Oliver Stone. The book promises to be quite anti-government, but it might be interesting.
Sunday we had another losing shot at trivia in the morning,
followed by another losing day for me at Rummikub---although I did finally win one game from Becky. We had lunch in the Crown Grill. Today’s theme was pub food and I had fish & chips, naturally, washed down with a nice Bass Ale. Very tasty.
After lunch we watched Dallas Buyers Club in the Princess Theater. It was good but not great. A little depressing. Because of the hearty lunch, we ducked a full dinner again and just had a hamburger and onion rings from the Trident Grill. We watched 50 First Dates on the cabin TV, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. I’ve seen it a number of times. It’s a nice movie.
Monday morning on St. Patrick’s Day was laundry time for Becky. She’s so organized. After breakfast I succumbed to the siren song of the casino on board, and headed for the blackjack table. With a stake of $100 designated for entertainment, I first was down $95, then rebounded and ended up plus $65.
I’d like to say it was the result of smart play, but that doesn’t explain the $95. We then tried to spend the winnings but couldn’t find anything appropriate. Amazing!
followed by another losing day for me at Rummikub---although I did finally win one game from Becky. We had lunch in the Crown Grill. Today’s theme was pub food and I had fish & chips, naturally, washed down with a nice Bass Ale. Very tasty.
After lunch we watched Dallas Buyers Club in the Princess Theater. It was good but not great. A little depressing. Because of the hearty lunch, we ducked a full dinner again and just had a hamburger and onion rings from the Trident Grill. We watched 50 First Dates on the cabin TV, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. I’ve seen it a number of times. It’s a nice movie.
Monday morning on St. Patrick’s Day was laundry time for Becky. She’s so organized. After breakfast I succumbed to the siren song of the casino on board, and headed for the blackjack table. With a stake of $100 designated for entertainment, I first was down $95, then rebounded and ended up plus $65.
I’d like to say it was the result of smart play, but that doesn’t explain the $95. We then tried to spend the winnings but couldn’t find anything appropriate. Amazing!
We played Rummikub before lunch, and I won the second
game---with a move that Becky claimed was illegal. After lunch we found some people who were
Rummikub players---who confirmed that Becky was correct. So my big win was nullified.
Monday night was the final dress-up night, and we did just
that so we could score a “surf & turf” consisting of lobster and beef
wellington in the Capri Restaurant.
It was tasty but not especially so. We sat at a table for six, the other couples being from Korea (via Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they have lived for the past 51 years) and Arizona. The Arizona people are dedicated cruisers---having a total of 171 cruises since 2006, just on Princess. Previously, they had cruised on three other lines on which they had achieved the highest “loyalty recognition” status. Needless to say, they are quite used to being treated like royalty, and are quite proud to explain how they like to complain when not so treated. At the end of this cruise, they are going to visit a nephew in Torrance for the day, then get right back on the ship to repeat the Hawaii trip.
After Becky hit the spinning class Tuesday morning, we watched Jack Reacher on our cabin TV. It was better than I expected. (I’m not a big Tom Cruise fan.) We then had lunch in the Terrace Court. It was billed as a sushi fest, but it was almost entirely mysterious rolls we didn’t recognize.
In frustration, Becky insisted on buying a new watch---another Citizen Eco-Drive. Then, out of guilt, she made me buy one, as well. It is nice, I must admit. And they’re rather inexpensive on board. Then we played Rummikub for a while. I actually won two out of three games, legally. In late afternoon, we watched Undertaking Betty, a delightfully funny British comedy, with Brenda Blythen, Alfred Molina, Christopher Walken, and Naomi Watts. Tuesday night we again dodged a real restaurant and took dinner (mostly beef ribs) from the Horizon Court to our cabin---so we could watch the endless coverage of the missing Malaysian Airlines plane. “Coverage” suggests that there was any news involved---which there wasn’t of course.
I figured I would have to lug my carry-on bag quite a distance getting off the ship and through immigration, customs, etc., so I opted for accepting being an invalid again. Using a wheelchair was just as good getting off the ship as it was getting on the ship. I zipped past all kinds of lines again. Yippee! We headed for Pasadena to see Becky’s dad (who was asleep the entire time we were there) then drove to Acton to pick up the dogs (who were very glad to see us) then drove to the RV park in Palm Desert.
Altogether, it was more than 225 miles, and we arrived at 4:00 PM. We decided to take the rig out of storage and check into the park. We found a nice spot that was, however, very difficult to squeeze into (requiring the advice/help from five neighbors) and, after setting up enough to test the satellite dish, we had to move the rig a few feet to avoid interference from one of the zillion palm trees in the park. Thus ended The Hawaii Adventure.
It was tasty but not especially so. We sat at a table for six, the other couples being from Korea (via Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they have lived for the past 51 years) and Arizona. The Arizona people are dedicated cruisers---having a total of 171 cruises since 2006, just on Princess. Previously, they had cruised on three other lines on which they had achieved the highest “loyalty recognition” status. Needless to say, they are quite used to being treated like royalty, and are quite proud to explain how they like to complain when not so treated. At the end of this cruise, they are going to visit a nephew in Torrance for the day, then get right back on the ship to repeat the Hawaii trip.
After Becky hit the spinning class Tuesday morning, we watched Jack Reacher on our cabin TV. It was better than I expected. (I’m not a big Tom Cruise fan.) We then had lunch in the Terrace Court. It was billed as a sushi fest, but it was almost entirely mysterious rolls we didn’t recognize.
In frustration, Becky insisted on buying a new watch---another Citizen Eco-Drive. Then, out of guilt, she made me buy one, as well. It is nice, I must admit. And they’re rather inexpensive on board. Then we played Rummikub for a while. I actually won two out of three games, legally. In late afternoon, we watched Undertaking Betty, a delightfully funny British comedy, with Brenda Blythen, Alfred Molina, Christopher Walken, and Naomi Watts. Tuesday night we again dodged a real restaurant and took dinner (mostly beef ribs) from the Horizon Court to our cabin---so we could watch the endless coverage of the missing Malaysian Airlines plane. “Coverage” suggests that there was any news involved---which there wasn’t of course.
Wednesday morning we docked at Ensenada about 8:00 AM. I slept very poorly Tuesday night for no
apparent reason, so I relaxed in the cabin while Becky went ashore at 10:30.
I went ashore at noon, after turning in the Turner book---having abandoned it after only 33 pages. As I had thought, it was essentially a debunking of everything good you have ever heard about our government. I was last in Ensenada 25 years ago, and the town seems to have at least entered the 20th century. The cruise ship dock area is very nice. After touching a lamppost in town I turned around, got back on the ship, and hit the bar for a very delicious margarita. Becky then returned from town and we had another one.
After Becky beat me two-out-of-three in Rummikub, we went back to the Capri Restaurant for our final cruise dinner. I had threatened all during the cruise to order fettuccini alfredo (also known as heart-attack-on-a-plate) which is on the menu every night. I know it’s not good for you, but I remembered that I used to enjoy it many years ago. So, I ordered it as an appetizer, planning on just having a few bites. So much for good intentions. I had a tough New York steak for my entrée and a delicious apple-something for dessert.
Thursday morning after a quick breakfast we headed for our
designated disembarkation lounge. I went ashore at noon, after turning in the Turner book---having abandoned it after only 33 pages. As I had thought, it was essentially a debunking of everything good you have ever heard about our government. I was last in Ensenada 25 years ago, and the town seems to have at least entered the 20th century. The cruise ship dock area is very nice. After touching a lamppost in town I turned around, got back on the ship, and hit the bar for a very delicious margarita. Becky then returned from town and we had another one.
After Becky beat me two-out-of-three in Rummikub, we went back to the Capri Restaurant for our final cruise dinner. I had threatened all during the cruise to order fettuccini alfredo (also known as heart-attack-on-a-plate) which is on the menu every night. I know it’s not good for you, but I remembered that I used to enjoy it many years ago. So, I ordered it as an appetizer, planning on just having a few bites. So much for good intentions. I had a tough New York steak for my entrée and a delicious apple-something for dessert.
I figured I would have to lug my carry-on bag quite a distance getting off the ship and through immigration, customs, etc., so I opted for accepting being an invalid again. Using a wheelchair was just as good getting off the ship as it was getting on the ship. I zipped past all kinds of lines again. Yippee! We headed for Pasadena to see Becky’s dad (who was asleep the entire time we were there) then drove to Acton to pick up the dogs (who were very glad to see us) then drove to the RV park in Palm Desert.
Altogether, it was more than 225 miles, and we arrived at 4:00 PM. We decided to take the rig out of storage and check into the park. We found a nice spot that was, however, very difficult to squeeze into (requiring the advice/help from five neighbors) and, after setting up enough to test the satellite dish, we had to move the rig a few feet to avoid interference from one of the zillion palm trees in the park. Thus ended The Hawaii Adventure.
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