Tuesday  4/14/09 11:45pm PDT

Speed: 16.0 kts, Temp: 54.1 degrees, Humidity 63.1%

32 degrees 34’ N 117 degrees 32’ W

Sailed 49.49.9 nautical miles from LA

Sailed 82.2 miles from Ensenada, Mexico

67 nautical miles to LA

Seas: .3 – 1.5ft wavelets, wind: Force 9 Strong Gale

Sea temp 73.4 degrees

This morning we were greeted by barking and they weren’t dogs, sea lions in the waters in Ensenada, Mexico. The weather has held true, it’s overcast and cool, about 65 degrees, so much for having any type of suntan from this trip. We took a short bus ride into town and spent the afternoon soaking up the culture and shopping. We made our first stop at a Starbucks and Marlene said her treat. We all placed our order and the register showed a total due of $162.57 – wish you could have seen Marlene’s eyes pop as she turned to Kim and asked her what the heck she ordered. The total was in pesos (divide by 13), and Marlene relaxed just a little bit. There were two women in Starbucks who were starring at Kim’s ankle, we thought it was her turtle tattoo, but they were admiring her sandals. There was a discussion related to were they comfortable, what kind were they, where did you get them, and where can they be found. Kim referenced e-Bay and they both smiled! A universal techno geek understanding. There were lots of children and women up and down the sidewalk selling small trinkets and they really don’t take “no gracias” for an answer. Kathy stopped in a store, we all followed behind her. She started conversing in Spanish with the storekeeper. Marlene found a fleece jacket that she liked, and then the bargaining began. Kathy did a great job; we should remember to take her with us more often! Bonnie was telling the storekeeper assistant that Marlene was Mom and Kathy was sister, and the assistant asked Bonnie “you are?” Bonnie responded that she was the bad, Cinderella type sister. About then Marlene and Kathy made their purchases and as they walked to the exit, handed Bonnie the sack with the purchases. The assistant smiled “that” kind of smile as Bonnie followed the girls out of the store. We made our way up and down the street window shopping. We by passed the McDonald’s and Burger King and went to El Corralito for lunch. No one had a hamburger, rather choosing from the local foods and of course that included a few peach margaritas!! Kim had a celebration margarita and the rest supported her. A mariachi band came through the cantina and asked Kathy if they could play for us, Kathy responded in her perfect Spanish, that we would enjoy hearing their playing, but her Mother’s ears were broken and it would be very selfish if we were able to enjoy and she wasn’t. They smiled a little smile at Marlene and walked away. Kathy sure comes in handy!! After a “few” servings of fruit, and a few conversations with some of the locals thanks to Kathy, we needed to make our way down the street heading towards the ship. There are lots of liquor stores, pharmacies, souvenirs and then repeat that over again. A stop into a liquor store was on our list and we believe we picked the best. The storekeeper, Victor (yes, we are on a first name basis), was very wise and shared his knowledge regarding Agav (the tequila plant). He brought out four small shot glasses and filled them with a brand of tequila for us to try. Before we had completely finished, he had disappeared around the corner and came back with another bottle, opened it and filled the glasses again. This was a 5 year old cured tequila, and we raised our little shot glasses and toasted to Victor. That was all he needed, once again, back around the corner, and a silver and blue bottle was brought to the counter, this one would be very smooth, said Victor, as he filled up the glasses again. Please remember that we had already had each had at least a “cinco” (translated is 5) Margarita with a floater on top (for a total of 6 shots-5 too many). Marlene started talking in Spanish “bueno, mucho gracias”, Kim asked if there was another brand we should try, Kathy finally started to feel warm and Bonnie was ready for a nap. We saw a few other cruise ship folks and introduced them to our Mexican sommelier Victor. More shot glasses appeared and it started all over again (ever have a feeling of déjà vu?). Finally we made a decision on the type of tequila to purchase and both Victor and his partner sang us out the door, waving as we wobbled down the street. It was time to get to the ship. We boarded our return bus and were waiting for it to fill. The entertainment was a man with a guitar that also thought he was a comedian. He talked to Marlene and asked if she was married, she responded no, and then he said “Sugar Momma, for you, I work for green card”. Then Kathy was responding to him in Spanish and all we could make out was a few of his words, “Barbie”.  After contributing to the comedy show, getting through security at the port and finally on board, we needed to pack. All of our suitcases needed to be outside in the hallway to be transported to the dock in San Pedro for us to pick up. We had to strategize what we need to carry off to ensure that everyone has their “necessities” (undies and makeup). After a couple hours doing the big pack, we had our last dinner with our favorite purring waitress and said our goodbyes. We took in the karaoke finals in the theater which is located at the very front of the ship. The ship is still bouncing around and it was a real challenge to walk down steps. Some trivia for you. What happened 90 years ago today? The Titanic sunk. What happened today in 1865? President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth. What goes from aft to forward on the starboard side and forward to aft on the port side? This is of course one of Kim’s trivia questions – stumped us all. Did she stump you? The answer is the ship’s name. We heard the groan from here.

On a quick side note, one of the memories we have that was forgotten to blog about when it happened was a hot tub story. Kathy talked Bonnie into going to the top deck to one of the hot tubs late in the evening. No one would be around, it would be relaxing and finally talked Bonnie into going. They got there, got into the tub, and were enjoying the star filled sky, and noticed a technician working by the band stand area, then another. They were talking and it was fairly dark on the sides of the walk way, then the lights came up a bit and they noticed what had been empty chairs and tables were now filled with people and a full band was coming in to play. It seems that the deck area that Bonnie and Kathy were at was the site for late evening music and dancing. After another 30 minutes, Kathy was sitting on the edge of the tub and telling Bonnie that it smelled like something was cooking and it was Bonnie! Kathy wanted to go, Bonnie did not want to get out during a Beach Boys song or any other. Finally, about 45 minutes later, Kathy talked Bonnie into getting out, throwing her towel around her waist and running like mad down the hall to avoid being on the video tape.

We have had other great memories that we will cherish always. Time with family and close friends are special and one should always treasure those moments, tuck them away into the corner of your heart and keep them always. Until we travel again, aloha!!

Saturday  4/11/09

We took this day as a rest and relax day. We had our lunch and then headed out to take in some of the boat activities. We went to Win, Cruise or Draw. Kim was a member of one team and she had to draw Pearl Harbor, she only had to draw a portion of the Arizona Memorial and it was guessed correctly. Her team, of course, won. The next stop was to take in Karaoke Power Hour. It’s always fun to listen to folks who really can sing and those who can’t. It was a quick dash to Lazy Day Trivia, we made it and managed to get about 11 out of 20 right, not bad! Of course, it was high tea time, and we must have our tea!! Back to the cabin, everyone got changed for dinner – a challenge all the time. When the clock struck midnight, we headed back to the room. The beds were turned down, and the bunk bed was down from the ceiling, so we were all set. A quick goodnight ended up in giggles. The ship is really tossing and rolling around a lot. We have seen so many folks that have been injured on the ship, a broken foot by a lady who mis-stepped, a crush injury to one of the officer’s foot by a lifeboat that was being lowered for Coast Guard inspection, a woman who has cracked ribs and bruises after tripping over the bedding her husband had kicked to the floor and the usual bruises from the railings as the ship moves suddenly in one direction. Lucky for us the only issue we have is that Kathy is still cold, we can not get her warm. We should have brought an electric blanket for her!!

Sunday  4/12/09

Happy Easter to everyone! We had a great day at sea, checking out the various boutiques, seeing the various displays that the chefs had put together. There must be about 30 giant eggs that are made of cake, that have been decorated. Some look like chickens, others look like birdhouses, some are rabbits, and others are covered in flowers. They are all very intricate and pretty. The pastry chefs had a display of various small desserts (mostly chocolate) that could be classified as artwork. We had our lunch and then split up. Kathy maintained a perimeter security at the cabin (in other words, she read and napped), Kim, Marlene and Bonnie went to the trivia gathering (sample question – which city is positioned the most north, Moscow or Copenhagen). We managed to get 10 out of 20 questions right, we are just a bit smarter. Did you pick Moscow? Then you’re right! We had to stop in for high tea, and then headed to Dicey Wooden Horse Racing in the Vista Lounge at the back of the ship. Kim was the only one who won, but we had a good time yelling for our horse to win!  We stopped in to watch the ballroom rehearsal, these are the folks who have been at the dance lessons offered, and the best six couples were doing a “play off” for the best of the best later on in the evening. The rehearsal was fun to watch. It was tine to get to the cabin to change for dinner. There were many folks dressed up, including one sighting of a kilt!! After a photo or two to prove that we can clean up pretty nice, we went to dinner. It’s always amazing the amount of food they can produce and deliver with limited resources. After our entertaining dinner (we have a waitress who purrs when she comes to the side of the table, we think it’s because the older folks are a bit jumpy and this is like a warning that she has arrived), we made our last stop at the casino as they were closing it down to move it while in dry dock (when we return, the ship is scheduled for maintenance for 3 weeks prior to starting the summer cruises to Alaska) and they are trying to get ahead of schedule. The rumor is that it will be moved to the 15^th floor at the back of the ship. We started towards the bow of the ship to watch the magic show. It’s entertaining to walk down the hall while the ship is bouncing around; you meet the nicest people when you literally run into them.  With the amount of wave action, this must have been a real challenge for both the magician and the assistant. The show was pretty good, and it was played to a full house. Lots of activities were going on this night; Kim took in the Ballroom Finals, as well as the Princess Pop Star (karaoke finals). The end of the day has gone by fast, and so has the cruise. We have two more full days and then we’ll be back in San Pedro disembarking. We have created some new and wonderful memories that will make us smile when we think back, and we have had some great giggle events too! For all of you who are holding down the fort for us, we appreciate you all, in fact we toast each and every one of you every night – our bar bill is outrageous!! Hugs to all!

Monday  4/13/09 7pm (1 hour earlier than PDT)

Speed: 20.6 kts, Temp: 57 degrees, Humidity 86.1%

30 degrees 18’ N 122 degrees 33’ W

Sailed 4592.1 nautical miles from LA

Sailed 1962.1 miles from Lahaina, Maui

290.7 nautical miles to Ensenade, Mexico

Seas: 4.0 – 7.5ft moderate, wind: Force 9 Strong Gale

Sea temp 73.4 degrees

Today we were greeted by snores. Everyone was snoring so much, that Kathy was woken up; she got up and went to an early breakfast. She was joined by a 92 year old woman who has been married 70 years. Kathy came back to the cabin and was our alarm clock. We managed to get to lunch without tipping over; today this seems to be a real challenge. We had a nice afternoon of playing cards, seems that lady luck is standing behind Kim and Kathy. Kim left us to attend the Navigation at Sea lecture and she came back even smarter than when she had left. She brought the answer to one of the trivia questions with her. What is the two word phrase for the lowest temperature? The answer is absolute zero. We made it to a new type of trivia, musical movie theme trivia. Kathy rocked on this one, and we did pretty well, the rest of us didn’t contribute much, but we had fun. We made it to the regular trivia, but had to wait while the junior talent contest wrapped up. The questions they come up with are amazing, what man made invention was the first to break the sound barrier? We got some right, more wrong than right, but again, it’s a good time. Did you guess the whip? Yep, the whip was the first invention to break the sound barrier, we guessed a jet engine. We grabbed a table along the walk way after trivia and played a couple rounds of hearts and then introduced spades to Kathy. The ship is really rocking and the wind has picked up. Watching folks try and walk is becoming a show in itself.  Note: We are at force 9 winds, one notch down from hurricane force. Kathy just rolled her eyes. We are really rocking and when we open the door to outside and the “front” door of the cabin, anything that isn’t nailed down starts to blow! You can hear the wind as it makes it way through the ship. We should have a real challenge at dinner; try not to have anything spill. Do they make seatbelts for cruise ships’ beds??

Friday 4/10/09 11:55pm HST (2 hours earlier than PDT)

Speed: 19.2 kts, Temp: 67.1 degrees, Humidity 72.6%

23 degrees 49’ N 146 degrees 56’ W

Sailed 3206.2 nautical miles from LA

Sailed 576.4 miles from Lahaina

1676.6 nautical miles to Ensenada, Mexico

Seas: 4.0 – 7.5ft moderate, wind: Force 4

Sea temp 75.2 degrees

 
Today is an at sea day that the Golden Princess has filled with activities. You can do anything from spa treatments, to paddle tennis, ceramics, ballroom dancing lessons, trivia challenges, ukulele lessons, various lectures, and so much more. We took our time getting up today; I think the four to five mile walk yesterday wore a bit of us out, but just a bit. We greeted the day, had an early lunch, and did some people watching, and we have seen this one lady before, and she should be shared, so you have got to hear about “Maxine”. She is about 75-80 years of age with the blackest shoulder length hair. She wears a very short skirt with black fishnets and large hoop earrings and about three quarters of pound of makeup. She was walking in high-heeled sandals with half of her foot shoved through the toe part of the sandal. She has become known as Maxine and our interest in her has continued through most of the trip. It was discovered later this evening at the Captain’s Cocktail Party, that she has a male counterpart. He is approximately the same age, does a wicked comb-over and was attired in a tuxedo that was complete with a white coat and peach colored shirt and the pants were peach colored too. They did some cha-cha dancing and other moves. But we digress, the afternoon was filled with some fun act ivies. There was a bit of casino time,  a game of Kings Corners by the pool, afternoon high tea, art of napkin folding class and a bit of trivia throw in for good measure. We had a formal night and a cocktail party to get ready for and that always takes a bit of coordination to get everyone totally “done up” We did a great job, even with the ship still rolling a bit. The cocktail party was fun, hearing about people who in total have been on so many cruises that the time adds up to 3 years! Imagine the places those people have been.  After a great dinner at the steakhouse and being entertained by the conversations in Spanish between our waitress (Wendy from Mexico), and Kathy, we made our way back to the cabin. Our cabin steward (Edwin), has been wonderful and our room was made up for the evening, this involves bringing down the bunk bed from the ceiling.  We got ready for bed, got the blog done and turned out the lights. The door to the balcony stayed open and you can hear the waves crashing against the bow of the ship, and sometimes you feel the jerk of the ship as if it has run over a pothole in the sea. We are hoping for sunshine weather tomorrow, heard that the Seattle/Tacoma area has had some days that were 70 plus degrees! Will “talk” with you tomorrow…..good night John Boy!

Thursday 4/9/09 11:45pm HST (3 hours earlier than PDT)

Speed: 18.6 kts, Temp: 69.3 degrees, Humidity 83.8%

21 degrees 32’ N 155 degrees 10’ W

Sailed 2735.1 nautical miles from LA

Sailed 105.3 miles from Lahaina, Maui

2147.8 to Ensenada, Mexico

Seas: 4.0 – 7.5ft moderate, wind: Force 5 Breeze

Sea temp 75.2 degrees

Wednesday 4/8/09 11:45pm HST (3 hours earlier than PDT)

Speed: 18.6 kts, Temp: 71.8 degrees, Humidity 77.8%

21 degrees 12’ N 158 degrees 19’ W

Sailed 2525.6 nautical miles from LA

Sailed 73.2 miles from Nawiliwili, Kauai

104.3 nautical miles to Lahaina, Maui

Seas: 4.0 – 7.5ft moderate, wind: Force 6 strong breeze

Sea temp 75.2 degrees

Welcome to Nawiliwili!!! In the wee hours of the morning, we reached Kaua’i, which is also known as the Garden Isle. Waialeale is the wettest spot on the earth getting about 450 inches of rain a year, and we thought Washington got it bad. This area is so green and lush, everything that grows is huge! Kim woke up early and woke Bonnie up to go into town early, prior to the excursion at 11:50am. A quick into town and back was perfectly timed. Marlene and Kathy were up, breakfasted and ready to go….go where you ask? Why the entire group was going Mountain Tubing!!! We were outfitted with a helmet with headlight, gloves and we brought our own water socks. We were given instructions and then…you wondering yet?  We were helped into our inner tubes that were already in the water. We were going to explore an old sugar cane plantations historic waterway system called flumes or ditches, which were used to float sugar cane down from the mountain side. These ditches were hand dug around 1870 by plantation workers and they dug through rock (yes, there are tunnels, five of them), and there are a couple of small waterfalls (well, maybe water drop is more appropriate) that you go over at a pretty fast pace. We went through the tunnels with our headlamps on and then the long one with lights off, a bit scary especially when someone is humming the “JAWS” theme song behind you! Marlene was bumping off the walls, Kim was spinning around and around with a huge smile, Kathy was torn between laughing and yelling at Bonnie to catch up, and Bonnie was at the back of the pack. If you ever get a chance to do it, you should, we all would do it again tomorrow! We were all wet, laughing and had a great time. It was about an hour long ride down. Next time, we’ll try and get Marlene up on the Zipline!! We had a brief break complete with snacks prior to making our way back to the ship. Marlene and Bonnie went onboard to get the showers started while Kim and Kathy headed in to town. When they got back, they brought back Starbucks for all!! We cleaned up and went to a late dinner.  A fun day filled with adventure, laughter and fun people, gotta find a way to keep the fun going! We are all tired but it’s a good tired. Everyone is in bed, dreaming of fluming and sunny days. Tomorrow we will be in Maui….and our trip is half way over. We miss our family and friends, but are so grateful for this time together and are trying to make each day as memorable as possible to carry us through the days when we are apart.

Tuesday 4/7/09 11:00pm HST (3 hours earlier than PDT)

Speed: 0 kts – Docked, Temp: 72 degrees, Humidity 87.2%

20 degrees 17’ N 155 degrees 34’ W

Sailed 2353.0 nautical miles from LA

Sailed 211.4 miles from Hilo

99.5 nautical miles to Nawiliwili, Kauai

Seas: 4.0 – 7.5ft moderate, wind: Force 1 light breeze

We made our way into Honolulu guided by the first light of the day. The rays of sun outlined the coastline as the ship headed towards the pier. The skyline was gorgeous and held the promise of a wonderful day ahead. Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii, and on the laceType w:st="on">islandlaceType> of laceName w:st="on">OahulaceName> and is home of the most famous beach in the world – Waikiki and also the infamous Pearl Harbor attack that took place on December 7, 1941. Honolulu is the biggest city in the world. It’s boundaries reach across 540,000 square miles of the Pacific, most of it is underwater. Kim was up early to watch the sun as it rose over Diamond Head. Marlene and Bonnie were up early getting ready for their excursion to the USS Arizona Memorial. Kathy and Kim had plans to spend most of the day at laceName w:st="on">WaikikilaceName> laceType w:st="on">BeachlaceType> soaking up rays. The tour guide on the bus to the USS Arizona Memorial was well educated on the events surrounding Pearl Harbor. He provided a wealth of information as the bus made it’s way to the memorial. Once there, you are provided with a ticket that is time stamped for your entry into the actual memorial at the Arizona. We were there by 9:00 and our entry time was 11:15am. There are many exhibits you can walk through and plenty of history to read as you wait, as well as a bookstore that also had a couple of  veterans who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and available to answer questions. We were guided into a theater to watch a short documentary related to the events leading up to and the day of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. We were also counseled on what to expect once we were on the memorial. We boarded a small boat that took us out to the memorial that looked to be floating above the final resting place of the Arizona. Once there, the normal chit-chat noise has disappeared and is replaced by a silence of respect and reverence by all. We saw what was left above water of the Arizona and could see the shadows of the rest of the ship as it lay on the ground below us. At the end of the memorial is a marble wall that has the names of all who were lost during the attack. Looking across the water, the USS Missouri is berthed just a few hundred yards away. The Missouri is where the signing of the article of surrender by the Japanese took place. “Mighty Mo”, aka USS Missouri, was stationed in Bremerton for many years. The experience is something one takes into one’s heart and soul and remembers that it’s the actions of others that allow us to be where we are today, and hopefully, our children’s children as well. A moment of time to always remember. We headed out for a bit of a city tour taking in a visit to The Punchbowl, cemetery for WWII and Korean and Vietnam War soldiers. We took in the scenic view from Paili lookout that overlooked the windward side of the coast. We saw the laceName w:st="on">IolanilaceName> laceType w:st="on">PalacelaceType>, the last residence of Hawaii’s monarchs. It was about 2:30pm when Marlene and Bonnie’s tour finished up and were back to the Golden Princess. Kim and Kathy had been at the beach enjoying the sun and the sights. Kim was in the water and out again. There was something about the 49^th wave that hit the beach and got both Kathy and Kim wet as well as their beachbags, but who ever heard of a 49^th wave, Uncle Harold? They finally stated to make their way back from the beach to meet up and then we were to go ashore for dinner on the beach. For good or bad, Kathy and Kim had their own little tour adventure by taking a public bus that passed right by the ship’s pier and headed on into town further and further away! They figured out how to get back and were ready to head out for dinner, but not on a public bus. We went to the Hula Grill for dinner, right on the beach and watched the people surfing and the sun start to set. It was a warm evening that was complete with tikki torches and ukulele music. A little of bit window shopping, a cab ride back to the pier and then, gelato for dessert made for a great day. We set sail around 10:30pm with the lights of Honolulu blinking saying “aloha for now, come back soon”.

Monday 4/6/09 10:00pm HST (3 hours earlier than PDT)

Speed: 19.5 kts, Temp: 68.9 degrees, Humidity 87.2%

20 degrees 17’ N 155 degrees 34’ W

Sailed 2195.6 nautical miles from LA

Sailed 54 miles from Hilo

157.4 nautical miles to Honolulu

Seas: 5.0 – 7.5ft moderate, wind: Force 7 Gale (50 mph)

Sea temp 64.4 degrees

This morning around 6:30am our time, the Golden Princess made her arrival into the laceType w:st="on">portlaceType> of laceName w:st="on">HilolaceName> on the Big Island of Hawaii. Hawaii is the largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Hilo is considered the flower capital of Hawaii and is also the gateway to Kilauea Volcano as well as the laceName w:st="on">VolcanoeslaceName> laceType w:st="on">National ParklaceType>. The goddess Pele is said to live in the heart of Kilauea Volcano, lucky for us we had no plans to visit the volcano so there would not be any offerings needed to appease Pele. The weather was mostly clear but you could see the dark thunderhead clouds bumping up against the mountains, they helped to bring the humidity up to 88% with a temp of 84 degrees. We had an early breakfast and Kim headed out to get the rental car while the rest of the team made a quick pit stop and then disembarked. We reserved a bouquet of local flowers to be picked up on the trip back, something to bring more of Hawaii into our cabin (adding it to the martini windsock that is hooked on the outside on the balcony, thanks to Kathy). A quick bit of history before you head out on our adventure in Hilo….Hilo is a very old port town but much of this area was besieged by a tsunami in 1960. It deposited fishing boats into the main streets as if they were cars being parked on the streets. Hilo is very tropical with beautiful gardens and has rampant jungle like growth of leafy tree ferns, and various flowers as well as Banyan trees. Now on to the adventure! Kim picked us up and we headed out to visit the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory. We drove south for about 5miles and turned down a road lined with trees, 2800 acres of Macadamia Nut tees, and no, that wasn’t a typo! We were able to look in from the outside of the factory and see the workings going on. There were videos setup along the way that helped explain the process (some of us process freaks really enjoyed this part). The air was filled with the smells of freshly baked Mac-Nut Cookies, it was amazing. We did our best to not to be enticed, but had to pick up a few cookies to nibble on. We headed out to do some sightseeing, driving down the scenic routes, looking into the jungle like vistas, passing waterfalls and just enjoying the scenery. We made a stop at a tropical garden area and took a look around, and Kim found a mongoose that was darting in and out of the foliage, but not fast enough to escape Kim’s photo talents. We were just wandering around the area, stopping here and there for better views and then saw a sign for Malasadas!! We had heard about them during our Hawaiian lecture the day before, so Kim did a quick maneuver and we found ourselves right in front of the store. Malasadas are a freshly cooked doughnut type of pastry. YUM was on everyone’s lips and a bit of sugar too!  Kathy found a Starbucks, so we had to stop and get our “fixes”. We found a local farmers market down the road and spent some time looking and oohing and ahhing at all the fresh vegetables (so many different kinds) and fresh fruit – Paulette, they had papayas priced at 7 for a dollar! Everything smelled so good! There were many handcrafted items, items made out of ti leaves, shell items, koa carved items, lots and lots to see. The folks who were behind the “counters” were older and very happy to tell you all about their wares. This would be the place to buy all your grocery needs if you lived in Hilo! One of the most interesting things available for purchase was a frog purse made out of tanned skin of a genuine frog, complete with legs – hope it wasn’t Kermit. We made a stop at Rainbow Falls, watched the water for a while, Kim climbed up and down the pathways and the not so made pathways. Bonnie put her fanny pack on the back of the car while looking for something and then about ½ a mile down the road realized she didn’t have it!! Yep, it was a panic moment that flashed through her mind…but then her sister Kathy smiled and pulled the pack out from the back seat and said she had seen it had been left and made sure it made it into the car. Bonnie now calls Kathy, Saint Perfect Sister I’ll Do Anything For You Kathy! We stopped at a local place for lunch – called L and L Drive In BBQ. They are known for something called Plate Lunches. Plate Lunches are a combination of different cultures, Japanese, Philippino, Korean, Portuguese, Hawaiian, Maori and Puerto Rican to name just a few. During the early settling of the islands, while these groups of folks worked the sugar cane, they would bring their lunches and would share their foods, so the Plate Lunches ended up having a bit of everything. BBQ ribs, chicken, rice, mac salad (only and always made with
Best Foods mayo), fish, shrimp, Lau Lau (pork rolled in Ti leaves and steamed), kahlua pork are some of the main components. Kathy ventured out more than anyone and had the Lau Lau plate. She shared bites with everyone, so we were all exposed to more than just fried fish or bbq chicken, way to go Kathy!! A giggle fest erupted over lunch and the locals thought we’d been drinking too many mai tais! It was time to gather up our exhausted and sore rib bodies and do a bit of shopping before heading back to the ship. We accomplished all we needed to (trinkets, pants, pop to name a few), and it was a trip to the airport to drop off the car, catch the shuttle back to the ship and be onboard prior to the sail away. We had a great time in Hilo, enjoyed the time and the lack of rain (we really lucked out), and the giggles!  Good time was had by all, and we are now sailing to Honolulu, so stay tuned for the continuing adventures of Marlene, Bonnie, Kathy and Kim.

Sunday 4/5/09 11:30pm (2 hours earlier than PDT)

Speed: 19.6 kts, Temp: 70.2 degrees, Humidity 74.3%

20 degrees 36’ N 153 degrees 1’ W

Sailed 2016.4 nautical miles from LA

125.2.0 nautical miles to Hilo

Seas: 4.0 – 7.5ft moderate

Sea temp 64.4 degrees

We all managed to shower, get ready for the day, (which isn’t as easy as it sounds when you have four women who are either doing hair, putting on makeup, showering, dressing, or picking up the room prior to heading out for the day), and had a relaxing breakfast by the pool around 10:00am. We were treated to a waffle table complete with all the fixings, and since we didn’t have to make them ourselves and they were hot off the griddle, they were exceptionally good. A quick note regarding last nights laundry adventure (bet you didn’t think doing laundry could be called an adventure, but it was). Kim and Bonnie had started two loads of laundry and figured the wash would take about 30minutes. When we went back to load the dryers, one washer was filling, figured it was for the rinse cycle. After about 15 minutes it was still filling, so we checked into it. We figured out that the washer was filling but at the same time emptying the water, a never ending battle. It would never fill, and to top it off, it had not even filled for the wash cycle. We transferred to a working washer. Bottom line was that a task that should have taken about 1.5 hours actually took us over 2.5 hours. We got things taken care of and finally got to bed after midnight.

Today brought us more sunshine and warmer weather. There were plenty of sun worshippers out on the loungers and some were slathered in suntan lotions, while others looked to be about medium rare already. We wandered to one of the dinning rooms for their “SALE”. Did a bit of looking and Kathy found a nice shawl for a decent price, but things had been pretty much picked over. After a “walk-a-bout” through the ship, we headed back to our room for some sun worshipping ourselves in the privacy of our balcony, and a time to chat about our trip so far and what we wanted to do at our first stop, Hilo. The skies were blue and the water even bluer with few whitecaps. The ship is making good time but it’s not rocking like it was on our first couple of days. We got our lazy buns up and headed for a quick lunch on deck. There were many folks participating in the various activities such as Survivor done Princess’ way. There were more people walking around with bright red backs and faces. Marlene headed to the salon for a haircut while the rest of us headed to loungers of our own to relax in the sun and wait for her return. She didn’t take long and the cut looked great. We gathered up our group and headed to lecture on the Hawaiian culture. We were glad we had made a point of going a few minutes early, because it became a standing room only situation. The couple who spoke were informative and gave us keypoints regarding some of the best places that the locals enjoy as well as a lesson in the Hawaiian language. We found out how to properly say some of the islands’ names and a host of other interesting and useful items. We finished up and made a beeline for our own loungers and cocktail hour prior to dinner. We enjoyed the day as it faded away into evening, watching the sky change from blue skies to a glorious sunset of bright pinks and orange. The weather was a bit balmy and finally feels tropical (Kathy still isn’t warm, but we’ll work on that). We had a late dinner” at our now favorite table and spent the time laughing and telling stories of our various memories of our childhood days. Laughter definitely was our “main course” and the evening was, as our travel companion from the transatlantic would say “delightful”. After dinner Kim headed to the Princess Theater to listen to a singer, must have been a fun time, because when Kim came back to the cabin to report she said everyone ended up on the stage singing. We have turned down the lights and are ready to call it a day. Tomorrow is Hilo and we have no official plans, other than to jump in a rental car and explore the area. It’s times like this you need a project manager extraordinaire like ET (sorry, for those of you not familiar with ET = evil task master, who actually is a wonderful woman that Kim and Bonnie are fortunate to know from work). We send our love and hugs to all of you and hope you are enjoying the trip along with us, you are thought of often as we toast each and every one of you with our glasses during cocktail hour!  Aloha!!

Saturday 4/4/09 7:00pm (2 hours earlier than PDT)

Speed: 19.5 kts, Temp: 65.1 degrees, Humidity 71.6%

24 degrees 12’ N 143 degrees 37’ W

Sailed 1450.6 nautical miles from LA

691.0 nautical miles to Hilo

Seas: 1.5 – 4ft slight

Sea temp 64.4 degrees

 
Continuation from Friday -- We left the “race track” and spent time exploring and headed back to the room for afternoon snacks. Kim brought a plate of chips and guacamole then Bonnie and Ahnna (aka Kathy), brought down a cheese and fruit tray. Watching the water and chatting and snacking was a nice relaxing afternoon. We decided to pass on the formal night dinner and wandered up to the buffet for a late dinner. While having our dinner, we noticed a small Chihuahua (small Mexican dog) sleeping in a large beach bag. The woman was playing cards and had brought her puppy on board.  We ran into the cruise director in the elevator and learned that Princess was moving it’s ports from Vancouver to Seattle due to the cost of flights into Vancouver. The Vancouver area can expect to loose $10B worth of revenue. Seattle can expect a surge of jobs in the next 6 months. The waves had settled down a bit and made for a more relaxing night. Kim is sleeping under the bunk bed that comes down out of the ceiling, and Kathy is the brave one who climbs the ladder up and sleeps in the upper bunk. Marlene and Bonnie share the double bed. We turned the clocks back another hour and that should be all we need to do until the return. There has not been a lot of sun, mostly overcast, but we’re hopeful. A big aloha to our family and friends, until tomorrow!

Through out today we maintained a West Southwesterly track navigating in deep waters with a depth of 16,400 feet. We all know that the shortest distance from A to B is a straight line. This is true for flat surfaces but on a sphere such as the earth, a line that follows the curvature of the surface is the shortest distance. Straight line or “rhumb blind sailing” is acceptable for most navigation, especially coastal navigation, but when crossing vast distances like the Pacific Ocean as we are now, “Great Circle Sailing” is used. A “Great Circle” is defined as any line depicted on the surface of the Earth by a plane which passes through it’s center. When we follow a Great Circle track we are actually continually changing course to compensate for the curvature. This is the same type of navigation that airplanes use when you fly.

We were up and out of the room breakfasting by 11:00am. Then we toured down to the Plaza Deck to check out the library, and game room. We shopped at the boutiques and then were off to watch the karaoke in the Explorer’s Lounge. Marlene, Kathy and Bonnie went to Princess Theater to watch Benjamin Button while Kim participated in the Wii Boxing, she defeated three opponents to win her rounds. Kim had time to take in a Hula lesson and then we all hooked back to the room for afternoon cocktails. The sun has set and the group is ready to head out for dinner. It’s amazing how four woman can make great use of a small cabin, find space for all they have brought and not get in each other’s way. We manage to go through our morning routines and are ready to head out within 2-3 minutes of each other. Marlene is keeping us honest,  Kathy is getting some reading time in while lounging, Kim is still trying to break the casino and Bonnie is not worrying about anything (most of the time).

Bonnie has officially taken over the blogging and K is very happy! 

Dinner was fun. We lucked out by having the same waitperson that Kim had talked about from her previous cruise. Jeanine, from South Africa, was a delight. She remembered Kim and inquired about Sandy and Paulette (Kim’s travel partners in January). We had a fun time and enjoyed another great evening. Note to Stephanie – the cold soup was cucumber; always think about you when ever a cold soup is on the menu. We did some wandering about through the various piano bars, listened for a bit and called it an evening. We crossed the ½-way mark to the islands last night about midnight. The moon is out and casting shadows amongst the scattered clouds. The evening outside is comfortable enough to just sit without sweatshirts and relax. Side note - they have been showing a constant stream of various episodes oft The Love Boat, the original tv show was filmed using the Pacific Princess. We are doing a load of laundry, finishing the blog for posting and then calling it a night. Sending you hugs from somewhere in the Pacific Ocean!!

Oh, there was a humpback sighting off the port side of the ship this morning about 6am and double rainbows.  None of us were up that early and we are on the starboard side, anyway.

We heard a small bit regarding the missle from N Korea landing out in the middle of the Pacific...HEY!!! We are out in the middle of the Pacific!!  Was it a missle or a satellite? 

Friday 4/3/09 3:00pm (1 hour earlier than PDT)

Speed: 19.9 kts , Temp: 69.1 degrees, Humidity: 69.4%

27 degrees 59’ N  133 degrees 28’ W

Sailed 861.4 nautical miles from LA

1280.1 nautical miles to Hilo

Seas: 4 – 7.5ft

Sea temp 64.4 degrees

Happy Birthday Greg!!!!!

Yet another leisurely sea day yesterday…up late and lounged around.  In the afternoon, it was dicey wooden horse racing for M, B & K.  Each won a race and we were quite pleased.  Anna, one of the cruise directors, called the race and she is so fast we can get in three races.  We enjoyed high tea in the dining room, but the people we sat with were kind of stuck on themselves…oh well, we enjoyed it despite their sourness.    Went to Sabatini’s, one of the premium restaurants on board, and had a great Italian dinner.  K remembered not to eat too much of the antipasto and the others followed her lead.  A saw a man in a ship’s uniform and hollered out, “Hey Captain!”  She was not intending him to hear her, but he laughed—especially since he was the Assistant Food and Beverage Manager.  Expedia sent us a voucher for a free bottle of wine, so that was enjoyed, as well.  A bit of shopping on board and some casino gaming was enjoyed and then we retired early.  A decided to try the top bunk for the night with K sleeping on the bed below.  It worked out well for everyone, it seems.

The ocean is relatively flat today and the sun is peeking out now that we are clear of that coastal stretch.  We had a cargo ship sighting this morning in the distance, but it soon disappeared over the curvature of the earth.

The ocean temp has cooled as we are in the deepest part of the ocean with a depth of about 16,400ft.  We are currently passing over what are called ‘fracture zones’ which are characterized by rugged escarpments, great seamounts and very deep trenches which are created by friction when the tectonic plates move against each other.  When these plates move apart, molten rock is forced upward creating submarine volcanos.  Hopefully one doesn’t blow today!

One of the three formal nights is tonight, along with the Captain’s Gala Cocktail Party—Think free drinks!  Yahoo!  We also tip the clocks back an hour again so we will officially be on Hawaii time well in advance of our arrival in Hilo.

They offered a Pub lunch in the steakhouse today and we were given a choice of Bangers & Mash, Fish & Chips, Ploughman’s Lunch or traditional Cottage Pie. All seem to be fairly happy with their selections, although A had to pass on eating something that resembled a mix of spam and head cheese.

Mom-you will be happy as we put the water bottle to good use at lunch!

A is up by the pool soaking up some rays of sunshine.  M had to get out of the sun as she felt as if she was burning.  K is waiting for the sun to swing over to our side of the ship.  Everybody is good and no seasickness or anything else.

Had a bunny rabbit towel animal last night which I think A slept with—it reminded her of Bob her cat.

Heard about the shootings in New York this morning…very tragic.  It is amazing that we all just can’t get along.

Forgot to mention that B, along with her horse racing win on pony #5, also won an official Princess beach bag…it was her lucky day.

We hope everyone enjoys their weekend!