10/16/08 Noumea, New Caledonia

After the great day at Ile de Pins, I was really looking forward to the stop in Noumea. I had again booked a pair of half-day excursions, one billed as an “off-road adventure” and the other a city tour by the “Petit Train”. The off-road trip sounded particularly interesting, using phrases like “pristine pools” to describe sights that the usual tours don’t visit. Boy, was that an exaggeration! The trip turned out to be just a rough, bumpy ride up and back on a rutted dirt road down a valley. We drove alongside a dry river bed for most of the trip. The “pristine pool” turned out to be water backed up behind a bridge. After driving down the road for about an hour, we reversed direction and drove back over the same road. Not quite the “adventure” I was expecting!

Then the day got worse. After coming back to the ship and having lunch, I went to the lounge for my afternoon excursion on the little train. While we were waiting for the staff to call our group, an announcement was made that the train had broken down. They were going to try to have it repaired so we were given two options: either come back in a couple of hours or cancel and receive a refund. Since it was already 2:30 pm and I was already irritated by my earlier “adventure”, I opted for the refund. I later found out that the train was repaired and that the tour was very scenic and a lot of fun. Some days you just can’t win, I guess.

The good news was that our next stop, following two sea days, would be New Zealand. I was looking forward to New Zealand and Australia more than any of the other places on the itinerary. So, in the grand scheme of things, Noumea was just a little speed bump. Onward to the land of the kiwi, the long white cloud, the silver fern and forty million sheep….

By the way, we’re now sailing east again and we set the clocks ahead two hours!

10/15/08 Ile de Pins, New Caledonia

Ile de Pins was an unknown commodity for me. I had looked it up while researching the ports but hadn’t found anything particularly remarkable. It seemed like just a vacation spot for the New Caledonians. The cruise line offered no shore excursions, suggesting just a relaxing day on the beach. I’m not a beach person! I’ve been on three Caribbean cruises and I’ve only been in the water once. So a day lying on the beach didn’t interest me. I wasn’t even certain whether I’d go ashore at all. But it was a beautiful day and I didn’t have anything else to do so I decided to check it out. At worst, I thought I could take a few pictures. Am I glad I made that decision!

Ile de Pins is exactly what you picture when you think of a South Pacific island. Beautiful white beaches, azure blue lagoons, coconut palms, tropical fish, gorgeous flowers, etc. The only word that comes to mind is idyllic. I strolled around for about a quarter-mile when I ran across some friends on a small beach between two lagoons. That’s where I spent the rest of the day, on a towel on the beach. I don’t own a bathing suit, so I was wearing shorts, but I waded out into the water as far as I could without getting the stuff in my pockets wet. It was cool watching the fish swimming around my feet and the water was so clear that you could get pictures of them. We were only there for the afternoon and it went by very quickly. This was the best day so far!

10/14/08 Port Vila, Vanuatu

The only knowledge I had of Vanuatu was that it was the location for one season of “Survivor”. There weren’t many appealing excursions offered here, either. I chose a couple of half-day trips, the Mele Cultural Village in the morning and a Port Vila Highlights tour in the afternoon. Just as we were docking, we got our first really bad weather. It started raining buckets, the kind of rain you imagine when you think of the tropics! Maybe not the best day to wander through a jungle village. Fortunately, I had a waterproof nylon rain jacket and a wide-brim hat, so it wouldn’t be too big a problem. Plus, it changed from a downpour to a drizzle by the time we left the ship. The village was interesting even though we had to deal with sporadic rain the entire time we were there. Most interesting to me were the native animals, which included iguanas, flying foxes, coconut crabs and snakes. I’m not a big fan of snakes but I couldn’t resist the urge to have a large boa constrictor draped around my neck! Especially after several others tried it and survived the experience. I even had a photo taken with the snake and a cannibal! It was a fun morning.

The afternoon tour was less enjoyable. Port Vila has no “highlights”, in my opinion. We drove around town, with the guide pointing out various exciting landmarks such as city hall, the post office and a local church. All in all, it was a total waste of time. But that’s the problem with excursions. You just never know!

10/12/08 Suva, Fiji

Unfortunately, I can’t really say much about Fiji since I barely left the ship. On the way to Suva, we were told that there was a serious outbreak of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne virus with several unpleasant symptoms and no real treatment options. I was barely into the third week of my nine week vacation, so I really didn’t want to take any silly chances. The ship’s staff was passing out insect-repellant wipes, warning everyone to wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, etc. Worst of all, I had scheduled a walk in the rain forest! Now, if mosquitoes want to come looking for me, that’s one thing. But it just didn’t seem too smart to walk voluntarily into a rain forest. So, along with a long line of other passengers, I cancelled my excursion. I was brave enough to catch a shuttle into town for a little souvenir shopping but that’s all I saw of Fiji.

I later heard from some passengers who did go on excursions that the Fijians said that there wasn’t really much of a problem. I guess that HAL was erring on the side of caution and just covering their own butts. I probably would have done the same thing in their position. We depart for Port Vila, with a sea day on 10/13.

10/10/08 thru 10/11/08 At Sea / Crossing the International Date Line

Okay, pay attention! This goes fast and gets a little tricky. We leave Western Samoa on Thursday, October 9 at 6:00 pm. I go to bed that evening, we cross the date line and I wake up on Saturday, October 11. One day at sea and we reach Fiji on Sunday, October 12. Got it?

On the cruise log given out at the end of the trip, the entry for October 10 states “Day did not exist”. Bill Stahl, one of my new cruise friends, had a birthday on October 10. Or did he?

By the way, we lost another hour on the way to Fiji!

10/9/08 Apia, Western Samoa

It’s only seventy-five miles from Pago Pago to Apia, so we made a very slow trip during the night and arrived before 8:00 the next morning. There were no interesting excursions being offered by the cruise line so a group of my new “roll call” friends and I had arranged for a private van tour of the island. I’m usually a little leery of private tours, since the ship will leave without you if you don’t get back by all-aboard time. We made sure that our driver knew that we wanted to be back with time to spare. Our group had decided to disembark as soon as the gangway was in place in order to beat the ship’s tours to our first stop, the Robert Louis Stevenson museum. So I was number two off the ship. We were greeted on the pier by a Police Band and a Polynesian dance troupe in full native dress. We enjoyed the show while we waited for Jennifer, who had booked the tour, to locate the driver. Both groups were good but the Polynesian group was outstanding!

Our van was waiting and we got away ahead of the other tours. We were the first group at the museum and made it through in record time. I’m not particularly interested in seeing old buildings and such but I will admit that this place was impressive. It was built around 1890 on more than three hundred acres on the slopes of Mt. Vaea. It has five bedrooms, a library, a ballroom and the only fireplace in Samoa. Stevenson is buried on the mountain overlooking the estate. After wandering the grounds and taking a few pictures, we continued on our tour.

Our next stop was the Baha’i Temple for a quick look around the grounds. There wasn’t much to see but the architecture was unusual and the grounds were immaculate. Next we made a brief stop at Papapapaitai Falls, an average-sized waterfall in a magnificent setting. After a few minutes of picture-taking, we headed down the coastline to Lalomanu Beach, where we planned to have lunch and spend a couple of hours doing water stuff. The drive along the coast was beautiful (again) but the beach itself was even better! The sand was the whitest, softest powder I’ve ever seen. And the setting was just fantastic. Several of the group had brought snorkel gear and did a bit of snorkeling, but mostly we stayed out of the sun under the patio roof. The tropical sun is brutal and you can get a serious burn before you know it. Best to be careful! At about 2:00 pm, we decided to start back to the ship, making our way through the LeMafa Pass and making a short stop at Falefa Falls, a small but pretty waterfall. Most of the drive back was on two lane back roads and we passed a lot of residential areas. One of the most interesting things I saw in Samoa relates to the living arrangements. I mentioned earlier that family is extremely important to the Samoan people. This is reflected in their family home sites, where several generations share the land. There is typically one house, where the eldest live. The house is surrounded by any number of fales, open-sided structures where other family groups reside. No walls, no doors, no windows! As we passed the fales, we could look in and see beds, furnishings, etc. We didn’t stop for pictures since our guide said that it was considered rude to do so. I guess that would be the equivalent of a “Peeping Tom”, but we did snap a few as we drove by. Being from the U.S., I still wonder how people live that way.

After seeing more banana plants and palm trees than I’ve ever seen in my life, we arrived back at the Volendam with about an hour to spare. I bought a dolphin necklace and a baseball cap from the craft vendors on the pier, then boarded the ship. Next stop: Fiji…..

10/8/08 Pago Pago, American Samoa

Pago Pago, it even sounds exotic! We arrived early in the morning and it was a beautiful sight after all those days at sea. From the ship, it was a beautiful island, very lush and green with dramatic steep mountains. It got even prettier as we sailed into the harbor and prepared to dock. I was glad to be here! I had signed up for a pair of half-day sightseeing excursions using local buses for transportation. There was some duplication in the tours but each offered some things that the other did not. In particular, I wanted to learn a little about the local culture and the second tour visited a Samoan village. So I was looking forward to both tours.

The tour descriptions stressed that the buses were genuine island transportation, without air conditioning, padded seats, etc. I quickly found out why this was important. The lack of air conditioning wasn’t a big deal but the seats were a different story. The bottom and back of the seats were boards, maybe twelve to fifteen inches wide. There was nothing to recline against so you essentially sat straight up, with no back support, on a plank. The intelligent people brought a towel from the ship to sit on but I wasn’t smart enough to think about that. After an hour or so, my back and neck were killing me, not to mention my sore butt! Fortunately, there were multiple stops during the tour and we were able to get up and move around for a few minutes. The sights were gorgeous, especially along the coastline. We stopped at the Flower Pot Rocks, Leone Village, Turtle and Shark and Governor Taueses Museum in addition to our drive along the coast. All the sights were impressive but I was even more impressed with the people. They were extremely friendly and they are so proud of their island. By our standards, they appear to have very little but they seem so happy. Vickley, our guide, had taken off from school (skipped) in order to make a few dollars and he was very enthusiastic to be showing us his home! Family is very important to the Samoan people, with multiple generations living together. Deceased family members are buried on the family home site, which is passed from generation to generation. There are no public cemeteries, so far as I know. It was an interesting and enjoyable half-day learning experience.

The afternoon tour was also enjoyable, even though some of it was repetitious. We did see the Sliding Rocks and the golf course which were not part of the morning tour. Then we went to the village where multiple stations depicted various aspects of village life – washing clothes, weaving mats from palm fronds, cooking, etc. My favorite demonstrated the uses of coconuts and began with a Samoan native climbing the palm to retrieve the coconut itself. He was up and down in a flash! Refreshments were served and I took the opportunity to try the local beer which was on sale. Not bad! The visit ended with a show featuring traditional dances, including the obligatory participation of a couple of audience members. Although I normally don’t care much for touristy recreations, the hospitality and friendliness of the villagers made this a fun afternoon.

10/3/08 thru 10/7/08 At Sea / Crossing the Equator

We left Maui Thursday night. Our next port was American Samoa, the following Wednesday. Oh joy, five full days at sea! I’m gonna go nuts, absolutely stir crazy. At least the lights are back on, no more “stealth” mode. It became a sort of joke among the regulars on the Lido deck. Every morning I’d get my coffee, walk out the door and ask “Are we there yet?”. Of course, we never were “there”. Or anywhere, for that matter. For five full days, we never saw another ship, a plane, a bird, a fish, nothing! I believe that we passed within a couple hundred miles of Kiribati (formerly Gilbert Islands) but we couldn’t see that, either. To make matters worse, we also lost our satellite reception, so we were no longer able to receive CNN, ESPN, TNT, etc. Needless to say, it wasn’t my favorite part of the trip.

The only thing that we had to break the monotony was crossing the equator. There is a long-standing tradition among sailors regarding “crossing the line”. First-timers (called pollywogs) must be initiated by King Neptune through a hazing ritual into the Royal and Ancient Order of Shellbacks. Fortunately, the ceremony only applied to the crew while passengers got a free pass. The hazing involved being smeared with some rather disgusting food, flour, liquids and other assorted “stuff”. It reminded me of my college fraternity parties. It also seemed that the most enthusiasm was reserved for the ship’s officers, which I suppose shouldn’t be any surprise. After being lathered up, the initiates jumped into the pool to wash the stuff off. This produced a side effect – the pool was closed for a day and a half while it was drained, scrubbed and disinfected. All in all, I thought that it was pretty sophomoric. But at least I now have Neptune’s permission to cross the equator whenever I wish and I have a certificate to prove it!

By the way, did I mention that we’re still sailing west and my body is still confused?

10/2/08 Lahaina, Maui

When I initially started planning for this cruise, I decided that I had to go to the top of at least one volcano while in Hawaii. It’s just one of those things that must be done, like visiting a sheep ranch in New Zealand or petting a koala in Australia. However, all the descriptions warn that it can be dangerous for folks with heart problems, due to reduced oxygen at high altitudes, and I had bypass surgery about eleven years ago. I had decided to do it anyway but, just to be safe, I chose to visit Haleakala which, at just over ten thousand feet, was the lowest of the volcanic excursions. And today’s the day! It was the first stop on an all-day excursion which included lunch at the Botanical Garden and a visit to Iao Valley State Park. Maui is reputed to be one of the most beautiful of the Hawaiian Islands and, after my disappointing excursion in Hilo, I was looking forward to a great day. I wasn’t disappointed this time!

We arrived early in the morning and dropped anchor around 7:00 am. Tender service is done very efficiently on the Volendam and we were ashore pretty quickly. Greg was also on this excursion and we boarded the tour bus around 8:00 am as scheduled. We learned very quickly that we had a chatty driver who never stopped talking. For a while, it was interesting hearing all the stories, facts and anecdotes. However, as the ride continued, it became more annoying than interesting. So we began to just tune him out as best we could. We saw Haleakala from a distance long before we approached the base of the volcano. Clouds were covering the top of the peak and we were concerned that the view wouldn’t be very good. By the way, it looked very high! Like any road that goes up a mountain, this one was steep and loaded with switchback turns. I’m still amazed that a tour bus can maneuver around some of those corners! We made one stop about a third of the way up (I believe that it was a bathroom break). I got some coffee and took a few pictures before we headed for the summit. On the way, we passed some gorgeous homes with fantastic ocean views (I believe the driver said that one of them was owned by Tom Selleck but I was only half-listening). We passed through the clouds at about seven to eight thousand feet and emerged into a beautiful, sunny day. Then we reached the summit….

Wow, what a view! It’s really strange to look out over the horizon and realize that you’re looking down on the clouds. I’ve never done that except from an airplane. And the landscape of the crater is simply amazing. One thing that I do remember the driver saying was that the astronauts trained here for the moon missions and I can completely understand. It looks more like a moonscape than a landscape. It’s also much colder at this elevation than at sea level. We had been told that temperatures could vary by forty degrees from sea level to the summit, so I brought a sweatshirt along. It was a smart decision and I was very comfortable. We spent about an hour or more just wandering around admiring the view, then we started back down. It was just an amazing experience. What a great start to the day!

Our next stop was supposed to be lunch at the Maui Botanical Garden but our driver said that, since we were a little ahead of schedule, we would make a stop at one of his favorite places. So we detoured to Makena Beach, an absolutely gorgeous stretch of coastline. People were participating in every water sport you can imagine – swimming, surfing, sailboarding, wind surfing, parasailing, whatever. It was a nice unscheduled stop but, as a result, we were late arriving for lunch. Not that it mattered, since lunch turned out to be the worst part of the day. We were herded into a large open area with row upon row of tables and directed to our seats. It seemed like forever before the food arrived. It definitely wasn’t worth the wait. I settled for the fresh fruit and several servings of dessert, passing up most of the entrée. Even though the lunch was sub-standard, the grounds of the Botanical Garden were beautiful. We wandered around for a while taking pictures of the flowers, plants and trees. Unfortunately, our late arrival and long lunch wait meant that our visit was cut short. I wish that we had more time to browse around the gardens but we had to leave for our next stop, Iao Valley State Park.

If you’re a fan of the original “Jurassic Park”, you’ll recognize Iao Valley. The scene where the helicopter descends straight down between the lush green mountains was shot in the park. I recognized it as soon as we drove down the road. There’s really not a lot to say about the park, except that there’s just gorgeous scenery everywhere you look. The most famous landmark is the Iao Needle, a 2,250 foot monolith covered in green foliage. For history buffs, the valley is the site where Kamehameha defeated the Maui army in 1790 in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian islands. Just thought that I’d throw that out, in case anyone’s interested! We wandered around for a while, then boarded the bus for the trip back to Lahaina. Oh, almost forgot something! The driver had stopped talking a bit earlier and had been playing a CD of Hawaiian music. Before we left the park, he gave everyone a copy to take home! It was a nice touch and I’m sure it didn’t hurt his tips. On the way back, we were given the option of a drop-off at Hilo Hattie’s, a chain of souvenir shops. Greg and I decided to take this option, picked up a few tee shirts and made the short walk back to the tenders.

The captain made another strange announcement before we left Maui. The bird thing was weird enough but this time the subject was passengers. He announced that for the next five days we would be at sea, in the middle of nowhere, with no way to get help if it were needed. Anyone with a potentially serious medical condition was encouraged to consider whether they should continue on the cruise or possibly leave the ship in Maui. I can’t imagine that anyone in that circumstance would have booked such a long cruise in the first place. But I later heard that several people did disembark! Go figure…..

10/1/08 Hilo, Hawaii

Our second Hawaiian stop is Hilo, on the Big Island. I have mixed emotions regarding my shore excursion in this port. There are several interesting looking excursions here and I had a problem choosing one. That’s the problem with cruising, I suppose. Limited time doesn’t allow for in-depth exploration of the attractions. I had decided to see Akaka Falls, the iconic waterfall featured in all the promotions for Hawaii. The problem is that the only tour which includes a visit to the falls also features several stops which don’t particularly interest me, such as the Tsunami Museum. I suppose that the museum is worth a visit, if you’re interested in the science of tsunamis, but I’m not cruising to be educated in that sense. At least we did the museum at the beginning of the tour. We saw photos, a factual presentation on wave formation and travel and a movie of interviews with some survivors of previous disasters. Not my favorite stop….

After leaving the museum, we did a bit of sightseeing on the way to Akaka Falls State Park, including a stop at Onomea Bay. This is a very picturesque location and I got some very good scenic photos. We finally arrived at the park and I was surprised to learn that there are actually two falls, Akaka and Kahuna. The walk to the falls is fairly strenuous and our guide suggested that we go to Kahuna first, then uphill to Akaka. So we set off down the path. It’s a pretty long walk down to Kahuna and a disappointment once I get there. The falls is not very impressive and barely visible from the viewing platform. So I snap a couple of quick pictures and head up the path to Akaka. Unfortunately, it’s not as impressive as I expected, either. It’s over five hundred feet high but there’s not a lot of water flowing over the cliff. I later learned that it had been pretty dry recently, reducing the flow. It’s pretty nonetheless, just not the sight that I had remembered from the tourist commercials.

On the way back to the ship, we stop at Shinmachi Park, where a second Kamehameha statue stands. It’s the same as the one in Honolulu but I take a picture anyway. Then back to the Volendam. In retrospect, I wish I had joined Greg on his bike ride around the Kilauea crater!

9/30/08 Honolulu, Oahu

One of the problems with sailing westward is that your body never gets adjusted to the time changes. Each night I would plan to stay up a little later in order to catch up. And each night I would receive a “gentle reminder” to turn my clock back another hour “as we sail into a new time zone”. I’m constantly falling asleep at 10:00 pm and waking up at 5:00 am. I believe that we eventually were nine hours behind Richmond time but, after we crossed the date line, we were actually fifteen hours ahead. It’s all very confusing! Anyway, I’m up before the sun again today but I really don’t care. We’ll be in port soon!

Somewhere around mid-morning, I can start to see the shadowy shape of land on the port side of the ship. It’s covered in fog and mist and I must admit that my first glimpse of Hawaii wasn’t exactly awe-inspiring. Later, someone said that it was Molokai, one of the minor islands, but I don’t really know for sure. After more than four days at sea, I was hoping for more! As we continued to sail, the fog started to lift and more land came into view. Eventually, I could see the distinctive shape of Diamond Head, the icon that says “Honolulu”. As we approached closer, I could make out Coco Head and before very long, the harbor and the city itself. Now we’re getting somewhere!

Unfortunately, we didn’t dock until noon so there was limited time to see the sights. Greg and I had opted for an afternoon “Natural Highlights of Oahu” tour. We would see a bit of Honolulu but mostly we would cover the countryside. My first impression of Honolulu, as we drove through the city, was that except for the palms it could be any other big U.S. city. Construction was everywhere and the traffic was terrible. Not what you think of when you visualize Hawaii. It seemed that we were never going to actually get out of the city. We did get a brief glimpse of Waikiki Beach as we drove along. It’s not as pretty from land as from the ocean. Eventually, we made it to the open road and the scenery started looking much better.

Our first stop is the Diamond Head crater, reached by driving through a concrete tunnel constructed by U.S. military forces during World War II. Once inside the crater, there’s not much to see, just grass and trees. But the size of the thing is pretty impressive. After a brief stop, we continue on to Halona Point (site of the blow hole), Makapu’u Beach and Pali Lookout. Finally, some really gorgeous scenery, just what I was expecting to see. All in all, it was a nice excursion and I got some good pictures. Once we returned to the ship, Greg and I decided to use what little daylight was left to visit the Iolani Palace, about a fifteen minute walk from the pier. We took a few pictures of the palace and the statue of King Kamehameha just across the street. We got back to the ship a little before dark.

Dinner that evening was an island-style barbeque on the Lido deck and everyone was encouraged to wear appropriate dress. In my sixty-six years of living, I’ve never owned an Aloha shirt. But, in the spirit of the trip, I went shopping. Not being one to do things half-way, I now own two of the aforementioned shirts, along with several shell necklaces! I’m not quite sure if I’ll find an appropriate occasion for them once I get home. Dinner was fun, however, and I blended right in with the crowd.

A very strange thing happened before we reached Honolulu. Captain Peter Bos made an announcement that we would be complying with an Hawaiian seabird program during our time in the islands. This meant that all outside lights would be turned off and curtains drawn so that light didn’t escape the ship. It seems that some of the birds navigate by moonlight and become confused by the bright lights of the ship! Now, my first thought was that any bird that couldn’t tell the difference between the moon and a cruise ship was too stupid to survive in any case. Seems like natural selection would get them eventually. But, for the next few nights, we sailed in blackout conditions. I sure hope we saved a few…..

9/26/08 thru 9/29/08 Crossing the Pacific

The prospect of four consecutive sea days doesn’t exactly thrill me. Not that I have a problem with motion sickness or anything like that. I just get bored! I know people who cruise just for the pleasure of being on the ship. They don’t really care which ship it is or where it’s going. I’m not one of those people. My selection of a cruise is mostly based on the destination, with the exception of an occasional Caribbean cruise taken for the sole purpose of escaping the cold. As I stated earlier, I want to see and do as much as possible in each new port. On sea days, I don’t find much to occupy my time. I have no interest in most of the shipboard activities (galley tours, bingo, line dance lessons, etc.). I did participate in the trivia challenges but that consumed less than an hour. So I found myself wandering around a lot. Fortunately, most of the sea days were concentrated at the beginning of this cruise, when my enthusiasm level was highest. So I took the time to get to know the ship.

The Volendam is a perfect size, in my opinion. I like smaller ships as compared to the megaships which seem to be the new standard. I usually prefer a balcony stateroom, although I travel alone since my wife died a few years ago and don’t spend much time in the cabin. It’s just nice to have when you want it. However, on this trip it just didn’t seem worth the considerable extra cost. I booked an outside cabin on Main Deck, just aft of midships. This was a great location, out of the main traffic flow but convenient to both the midship and aft elevators and stairs. The Volendam is in pretty good shape, considering that she’s nine years old. My cabin was fine, with plenty of closet and drawer space for all my “stuff”. My steward, Touluse, was excellent and provided the standard of service I’ve come to expect from Holland America personnel. I found out later in the cruise that his contract was up and that he was disembarking in Auckland. He was professional right to the end of his trip. Plus he made great towel animals!

I mentioned that I had participated in a “roll call” for this cruise. On the first sea day, Greg had organized a “meet and greet” for the twenty-five or so passengers on that roll call. The ship had reserved a section of the Crows Nest for our group and provided coffee, tea, juice and cookies free of charge. It was a great way to get to know your fellow cruisers and I feel that I have some new friends as a result. I also purchased an internet package on the first sea day - $100 for 250 minutes. I thought this was pretty expensive but I didn’t want to be completely out of touch with my friends for two months. E-mail would be better than nothing. However, the response time was somewhere between “slow” and “really slow” so the minutes dwindled very quickly. As a result, I purchased a second package of minutes just about mid-way through the cruise. A suggestion to others: bring a laptop if you plan to use the ship’s internet service. You can compose messages off-line and only sign onto the internet long enough to actually transmit them. You’ll save a lot of money.

This was my first cruise using the “As You Wish” dining option. It’s perfect for me! I’m not a big eater and I never know when I’ll be hungry and this option gave me total flexibility. I had read some criticism while doing my research but HAL must have ironed out the bugs in the system. Greg and I typically went to the dining room around 7:00 pm and we were always seated immediately, usually at a table for six or eight. Service was fine and the pace was about the same as fixed-seating dinners. We also ate in the Lido restaurant quite a few nights and, although it was served buffet style, waiters were there to carry trays to the table and get drinks. I also took advantage of room service on multiple occasions. The menu was extensive, service was quick and the food was good. In fact, I believe that the food quality was better than on previous Holland America cruises. It just seemed to taste better, not quite as bland as on previous trips. One last thing: if you like hamburgers and fries (and I do), don’t miss the Lido grill. The food was excellent, although a little slow at times since they cook everything to order.

That’s about all there is to say regarding the ship itself. By the end of the fourth sea day, I believe that I had seen every inch of the thing. Tomorrow we get back on land. Hopefully, it’s Honolulu but at this point I’ll take any island the captain can locate!

9/25/08 Embarkation Day

Through some combination of jet lag and excitement, I’m wide awake long before the sun rises. Thank God for Starbucks! There’s a coffee bar in the hotel lobby and, after inhaling a grande Americano, my heart settles into a normal rhythm. Now what? The bus transfer is scheduled for 11:30 so there’s time to kill. Several boring hours later, we meet in the lobby for the transfer to the ship. The luggage had been collected earlier so all we have to do is board the bus and go. Not quite! We’re led to the parking lot (single file, stay in line) to find all the luggage in a line on the concrete. Our driver, a very out-of-shape Jackie Gleason look-alike, is attempting to load the bags, one very slow bag at a time. It’s very hot and I’m concerned that he’s about to have a stroke any minute. We’re told to board the bus, where the air conditioning isn’t working. In an effort to speed the loading process, the HAL rep (a small woman probably in her sixties) started carrying bags two at a time onto the bus. Finally the luggage is loaded and we’re ready to go. Not quite! The door won’t lock. After fifteen minutes of fiddling with the lock, Greg removes the strap from his camera bag and ties the door to the passenger-assist bar. And we’re off. At least for a hundred feet or so. As we exit the parking lot, the bus begins to scrape the ground and the driver announces that we’re not going anywhere. The hydraulic system which raises the bus is shot! We park right in front of the hotel, almost an hour after we were scheduled to depart. After several confusing calls by the driver and the HAL rep (who actually is sub-contracted and works in San Diego), we’re told to go back to the hotel lobby. The bus company will “try to get another bus as soon as possible”. Sorry, ain’t gonna happen! Given my personality, there’s no way I’m waiting around to see how this plays out. Since we’re right in front of the hotel, there are plenty of taxis a few feet away. Greg and I crawled under the bus, retrieved our luggage and hopped into the first taxi in line. It cost us $60 plus tip but it was worth every penny. We arrived at the pier, checked in and were having lunch in less than an hour. Later, we stopped by the front desk and explained what had happened. To HAL’s credit, our taxi fare was refunded (minus tip, of course). Later, as Greg and I enjoy some ice cream in the Lido, the HAL rep walks past. They finally arrived just before 4:00 o’clock. We sail at 5:00….

Of course, before we can sail, there’s the always-entertaining lifeboat drill. This one seemed more confused than usual. Rather than recording cabin numbers as people arrived, the lifeboat captain waited until the drill began, then started calling cabins. Regardless, we survived the drill and were ready to sail on schedule. The sail-away was festive and noisy. Drinks were on special, beer was half-price, Charlie and the HAL Cats were playing and generally everyone was in a good mood! We eased away from the dock, aimed the “pointy” end to the west and sailed off into the sunset. Next stop, Hawaii….

9/24/08 Richmond to Los Angeles

Finally, after almost a year of planning and research, it’s time to go! I had begun preparing for this trip in late 2007, when I decided to see the South Pacific. I had always said “One of these days….” but had never gotten around to actually doing it. Then I noticed a cruise on Holland America’s website: forty-three nights from L.A. to Sydney, stopping in Hawaii, American Samoa, Western Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Zealand and Australia. It seemed like a great way to get an overview of the islands. Plus, everyone who has ever visited New Zealand seems to fall in love with the spectacular scenery so it was high on my “bucket list”. Australia was a bonus even though I would only have a few days in the three ports on the itinerary. So I said, “One of these days is now” and booked the cruise! Then it hit me that while I was in the neighborhood, I should check out French Polynesia as well. So I booked a ten night cruise on the Paul Gauguin beginning on November 12, five days after disembarking in Sydney. Of course, that required airline reservations and hotel reservations so they were booked. Lots of pieces to this little puzzle….

When all the pieces were in place, I had a two month trip which visited thirty-one ports on two cruise ships, four airline flights and four hotel stays. One thing to know about me – I am a very detailed person. I don’t simply leave things to chance. When I go somewhere new, I want to see and do everything. So the research and planning began immediately and went on right up until departure time. Hundreds of websites, articles, traveler reviews, etc. were visited, read, printed, filed, etc. Lists were made, items completed and crossed off, new items added, and on and on. I bought spare batteries and memory cards for each of the two cameras that I would take, a pair of travel binoculars for wildlife viewing, colored luggage handle wraps, etc. I joined “roll calls” for the cruises, chatting with others who were booked on the trip. That turned out to be an excellent move since I had a new group of friends before I even boarded the ship. And I had twenty-nine shore excursions booked! As each item was completed, it went into a file folder (in chronological sequence, naturally). Airline tickets, hotel vouchers, cruise documents, shore excursion descriptions and receipts, etc. all were filed away. There was even a map showing the locations of the smoking lounges in each concourse at the Atlanta airport. I was ready….

Just a quick word about packing. What does one take for a two month vacation? Especially when temperatures will range from very hot (Samoa, Fiji, etc) to almost freezing (New Zealand). My answer: virtually everything I own. Big mistake! I found that I lived in shorts and tee shirts for most of the trip, except during the time spent on the South Island of New Zealand. A lot of clothes came home wrinkled and never worn. Next time, I’ll take less and have more frequent laundry service.

Anyway, I’m standing by the door, bags packed, waiting for my friend who will take me to the airport. She arrives right on time, the bags are loaded and we’re off! The flights are uneventful, on schedule and I arrive at LAX twenty minutes early. I was doing a one-night pre-cruise hotel package (again, taking no chances) so I caught the shuttle to the Marriott, checked in at the desk and with the HAL representative and went to my room. A little later, I met up with Greg, a retired school teacher and principal, whom I had met on the roll call. He was also traveling solo, as his wife wasn’t interested in such a long cruise. We had a lot of similar interests and he became a very good traveling companion. We talked for a while, had a beer and a burger and, my body telling me that it was 1:00 am, I went to bed around 10:00 pm. Looking forward to tomorrow!