Cruise Critic Poker & Pub Crawl

Today is the second sea day after leaving the Hawaiian Islands. From now on it's all new territory for us.

It's not hard to pass away time on these sea days. We tend to get our workout in after breakfast on the
jogging track to help ward off the almost certain weight gain on the cruise! LOL So far it's working pretty good. Then we settle down into deck chairs and do a bit of reading and before you know it, it's time to eat again! HAHA Today we did something we've never done before.....the Cruise Critic group that we are a part of on this ship organized a Poker & Pub Crawl this afternoon. For $5 each we got a scorecard and pulled a playing card out of a bag at 5 different bars on this ship. We didn't win anything with our cards but it was fun to visit with others. Many of these people have been on cruises all over the world and it's great to get cruise tips from them about places to go, etc.


After the Poker & Pub Crawl with our 'losing' cards.


Tomorrow morning at approximately 5:00 - 6:00 am we will be crossing the equator. Terry has been in contact with a fellow runner who is organizing a 5K run on the jogging track--that's 31 times around the 1/10 mile track for 3.1 miles during the time that we cross the equator. Hopefully the ship will let them run that early in the morning. Around 11 am the ship puts on some kind of crossing the equator cermony, which we hear is silly but fun. I think it involves kissing a big fish and first-timer "pollywogs" become "shellbacks". It came from an old naval tradition I think.
Our next ports of call are in Tahiti, French Polynesia. We stop in Moorea, Papeete, and Bora Bora. Yesterday the room stewards had to collect all passenger passports to be presented to French Polynesian Immigration upon arrival at Moorea on Sunday in order for ship's clearance to be granted. We get them back after Bora Bora. That was something new to us. Our room steward was happy that his cabins were cooperating in giving up the passports. I can imagine that some people on this cruise would give a lot of flak about this.....there are complainers on this ship...but that's another story.

Sailing away towards the equator,
Terry & Joyce

Maui - Day 6 of the cruise

Our port of call on Tuesday was Lahaina, Maui. We have been to Maui 3 times over previous years so feel we have pretty much covered the island. One thing we had not done was to go snorkeling at Molokini, a crescent shaped island off Maui's shore. It is the very top of an extinct volcano and is known for is great coral reef and tropical fish.

Lahaina is a tender port, which means we anchored off shore and had to take little boats from the ship to the dock. Since we arranged this excursion through the ship, our group was one of the first to tender into shore, where we then met the boat that would take us over to Molokini. It was about a 45 minute boat ride to reach our snorkeling spot. The water was clear and the coral was pretty but the fish were quite sparse. I did get a fairly good picture of a nice yellow fish. A couple we met said that they have noticed over the last 20 years that the ocean fish have really dwindled in numbers.

Molokini

Terry ready to snorkel

After the snorkeling at Molokini, we headed over to an area where endangered sea turtles are apt to be found. In the water we went again and immediately spotted turtles! There were about a dozen of them that took to the bottom of the ocean as all the snorkelers floated above. Since the camera battery was running low, we opted not to take the camera in the water with us; too bad, as we were positioned just above the turtles and could have taken some good photos. The turtles would ascend every once in awhile for a breath of air and at times, we were within 5 feet of the turtle. Once we were back on the boat, we got a photo of a turtle that surfaced near us.

After the snorkeling trip, we walked around the town of Lahaina for a bit before tendering back to the ship. Lahaina is a quaint, New England-style town that was once the whaling capital of the Yankee Pacific fleet.

Oh, we did see a whale breach while on the snorkel boat, in addition to lots of flying fish that would jump out of the water and 'fly' for 10-15 yards at a time as the boat sailed by.

The 2 days in Hawaii were busy ones and very enjoyable. We stocked up on more sunblock as our supply was already dwindling and we have a lot of sunny South Pacific ahead of us. We now have 4 days at sea as we head south easterly to our next ports in French Polynesia.

Honolulu Lights

We arrived in Honolulu before dawn. The sun was just rising as we pulled in to the dock. We had a gorgeous view of Diamond Head volcano on the far end of Waikiki Beach.

Since we had been to Honolulu twice before but never really got outside the city itself, our plan for the day was to rent a car (a fun little Mustang convertible) and head over to Diamond Head crater first so that we could hike to the top before it got too busy and too hot and then travel the north shore highway, which is the famous surfing area. The trail leading to the top of Diamond Head starts out as a concrete sidewalk but soon turns to dirt and rock. There are switchbacks that lead you one mile up the backside of the crater and you gain 560 feet in altitude. Near the end there are 99 steps plus a spiral staircase followed by more steps and then a ladder to get out of the building that was once a bunker. They say about 1500 hikers a day head up to the top.....it was very busy when we did the climb and HOT. The view was indeed spectacular!

After the Diamond Head hike we put the top back down on the convertible and turned the AC on full blast and headed over to the windward side of the island via the H3 highway. This 16-mile highway cost almost $100 million per mile to build and took 37 years to complete. We cruised past the fluted cliffs of Ko'olaus. It was the next best thing to taking a helicopter ride along the mountains.

We stop several times along the highway that hugs the shore of Oahu for picture taking and enjoying the view. The highway got increasingly busy as we reached the north shore and it was pretty much bumper to bumper traffic. The waves were big and it's not even the winter surfing season yet. Along the way we enjoy fresh pineapple and shave ice (like a snow cone with ice cream on the bottom)

As we circled the island and made our way back to Honolulu, we had time to stop at Pearl Harbor. The only thing we were able to get tickets for so late in the day was the submarine USS Bowfin, a WWII submarine which sank 44 enemy ships. We got earphones and a tape player to take a self-guided walk through and see the instruments and experience how the sailors lived and fought.

Next stop.......Maui

ALOHA

The rainbow and pot of gold!

This morning after breakfast, as we headed back to our cabin, we saw a rainbow arching over the ship and into the sea! We quickly raced to the edge of the deck hoping to see a pot of gold at the base of the rainbow.....and then realized we were standing on the pot of gold in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.....the Sapphire Princess cruise ship!! LOL

Today was another lazy day at sea. After our workout we found deck chairs and relaxed away the day. There was a line dancing class nearby--it was almost entirely Chinese cruisers, and they were pretty good getting the steps down to Achey Breaky Heart! The funniest was at the end of the class when they all yelled out "HEE HAW" with a Chinese accent!
Terry thanks everyone for the birthday greetings. He got treated last night to dinner in the specialty restaurant on ship, the Sterling Steakhouse. The meal was fantastic. For dessert he was given a special birthday cake and, of course a birthday song by the wait staff.

Tomorrow we arrive in Honolulu and then the next day, Lahaina, Maui....ALOHA!!

This morning's sunrise

Happy Birthday, Terry

The jogging track

Today is our 3rd full day at sea and Terry's birthday! Last night was formal night and picture taking by the ship's photographers. We had a few taken but the best one was the one our waiter took of us at our table with our camera! We are now just over half way to Hawaii and the weather is getting warmer every day. Our morning routine includes trying to get some running/jogging in to help keep the pounds off on this long cruise. The fitness center with the treadmills and elipticals is crazy busy in the morning. So we opt to find a place to run (Terry) and jog/power walk (Joyce). The choices are Deck 7 Promenade that goes around the entire ship or the jogging track on the top level of the ship where 1 lap = 1/10 mile. The Promenade Deck is a very popular spot for people to walk and gets very busy. So we opt for the jogging track and go around in small circles to get our exercise in. Most people catch on fairly quick that jogging track etiquette is: one goes counter-clockwise around the track and keeps to the right except to pass! BUT there's always a couple that make it interesting and difficult to get the laps in. Today it was a German couple who walked slow and took up the entire width of the track. They would meander all over and you never knew which side to pass them on. I asked them at one point what side they would like me to pass them on but got no response. Our new friend Ann who walks every morning finally said to them, "If you walk on the right, you won't get run over". The German guy snapped back at her, "You walk on the right!". (She was!) Perhaps they thought they were in the right....do they drive on the left-hand side in Germany? Maybe that's why they kept toward the left. Oh well, interacting with people makes interesting days here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Tonight we will celebrate Terry's birthday by going for dinner in the Sterling Steakhouse. Went there on our last cruise and the service/food was amazing!! Lisa e-mailed us a video of Enzo today in honor of Grandpa's birthday. Seeing that little guy made our day!

Signing off from the middle of the Pacific!

Ahhh..another day at sea

The first day of sailing was a busy but fun one! We went to a Meet & Greet for the people who have been writing for the last several months on the Cruise Critic rollcall forum for this cruise. It was nice to put faces on names. We will be going on several tours with many of these people. We met ColoradoBob, who happens to live just down the street from us in Colorado! We never saw him in the neighborhood as he and his wife have been traveling around in their motorhome until they boarded the ship. While soaking in a hot tub yesterday afternoon we met a very nice couple from Victoria, Vancouver Island. They had just finished a road trip across the USA and had travelled within 30 miles of where we lived in Montana several times over the years. Today up at the running track on the ship Terry met a guy who has done 17 marathons. Guess what they talked about!! He is going to try to organize a 5K run for during the time that we pass over the equator, about a week from now, I think.
Today is a beautiful day on the sea. The sun is warm and the skies are blue. For lunch we went to one of the restaurants that was catering a "Traditional English Pub Lunch". Terry had a Guinness beer and we sampled Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips, and the Traditional Cottage Pie (which is like Shepherd's Pie). This was a fun alternative to the usual buffet and got us thinking more about planning a British Isles trip in the future.
We spent the afternoon lounging at the aft of the ship looking at the wake and reading our books. My Kindle is wonderful as I'm trying it out for the first time. Occasionally whales are spotted and everyone shifts to the side railings to try to spot them. I suppose they are migrating to their winter waters in Hawaii.
Tonight is our first formal night. We have 5 of them on this cruise. Lots of chances for picture taking! LOL

Signing off from the middle of the Pacific. We have about 6,000 feet of water between the ship and the ocean floor.

We have sailed!

We are on the ship and sailing towards the Hawaiian islands. Our first port will be Honolulu after 4 days of sailing. We left the port of San Francisco about 5 pm and headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge and the setting sun.

Since we had a late lunch after we got on board, we decided to skip dinner in one of the dining rooms and go to the Horizon buffet instead for a light meal. While dining we saw a pod of whales swimming alongside the ship. We saw the blows of water, the flipping of the tails, and dorsel fins--no breaching (jumping out of the water). After dinner we attended the first show production in the theatre. A little bit of singing and dancing and then a ventriloquist performed. He was pretty lame but it was good people watching in the theatre. The cruise director surveyed the group and found a couple who have been married 66 years and a young couple who have been married only 3 weeks and are on their honeymoon. Of course he asked the older couple what advice they would give to the younger couple.....the husband said, "Just do what you are told!" That got a laugh from the audience. This is definitely an older crowd on this cruise; if they are young, one wonders how they can leave their jobs for such a lengthy cruise. Today we will attend a Meet and Greet get-together of the people we have been corresponding with and following on the cruise critic rollcall for this cruise. We have met our stateroom neighbors....they are from Great Britain! It will be fun to chat with them as going on a British Isle cruise is in our "Bucket List".

Day 2 - Golden Gate Bridge and then we sail

Terry's 'bucket list' includes running across the Golden Gate Bridge. Today we can check that off the list!  To get there, we successfully navigated the city bus system, including transfers, with a cost of only $4 total; a taxi roundtrip would have cost us about $40! Just minutes after we got off the bus, we saw the Sapphire Princess sailing beneath the bridge coming into port to pick us up.! Our timing was great. Terry ran across the bridge and Joyce walked and snapped pictures, and the weather was surprisingly great! No fog, just a breeze and lots of sunshine. We couldn't have asked for anything better. The bridge is 1.7 miles long and connects San Francisco with Marin County. The walkway on the bridge floats 220 feet above San Francisco Bay and the towers rise to 746 feet above the water. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1937.

Now it's time to head over to the ship and this afternoon we will sail beneath the bridge as we head to the South Pacific.

Bon Voyage!

Day 1 of our retirement vacation

Hello from San Francisco!  It took all day but we finally made it. Our first surprise of the day was that Lisa and Enzo came over to the shuttle departure station to see us off.  That was GREAT!!  Our flight was supposed to leave DEN at 11:35 am.  Our second surprise was that soon after we arrived at the gate, the departure time changed.  Due to "maintenance and weather conditions" in San Francisco, where the plane was coming from, the plane was pulled from service and another plane had to be found.  We were 3.5 hours late in leaving DEN but everything went smoothly after that.  After arriving at our hotel near Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, we asked the concierge where a good Italian restaurant would be.  He directed us to the Italian District and a restaurant called Firenza by Night, which is near the Coit Tower.  A good walk was what we needed so off we went.  Dinner was indeed very good.  We chose the pasta special and when we inquired if a salad came with it, the waiter said, "Oh, no, not with pasta!"  Hmmm, news to us, and Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, Johnny Carino's, etc., etc.  Tomorrow morning we will run (Terry) and walk (Joyce) the Golden Gate Bridge before we head over to the port to board the cruise ship for our cruise to 'downunder'.  If we time things right, we just may see the Sapphire Princess sailing into port under the bridge.

Coit Tower

The suitcases are packed...

and we are ready (hopefully) to start our retirement celebration vacation.  But today we spent as much time as we could with our grandson.  Enzo has a trailor that he rides in behind Lisa's bike.  Today we enjoyed the beautiful summer-like weather and rode our bikes along the river trail.  It was a great way to spend our last day of our first summer here in Colorado.  It will be cold when we return.  Tomorrow we head to the airport and our adventure begins......stay tuned!  We will surely miss this little guy!