#4 Hawaiian Cruise Album ~~ Kauai

PHOTO ALBUM #4 ~~ KAUAI

We spent Sunday, March 7, visiting this gorgeous island.


http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=511242813407%3A588275843

PHOTO ALBUM #3~~ Honolulu, Hawaii

Photo Album #3~~ Our day in Honolulu, Hawaii


http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=367246513407%3A1133093052

Photo Album #2 of our Day in Hilo, Hawaii

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=490787213407%3A977696558

#1 ALBUM OF PICS: Getting to the Ship in LA 2/27

I am making KODAK albums of our cruise pics and will post each album here when it is finished.

#1: http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=577186113407%3A295098129

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: HOME~~ March 16

We left Chip's house at 10:00 a.m. and arrived home at 5:00 p.m. God once again blessed us with safety and the trip went quickly. We met up with Brian, Amy, and the kids for supper at CiCi's at 6:15. What a joy to see our loved ones and to enjoy their hugs and greetings.

When we got home, we had a surprise on our front porch from Emery, our neighbor. He had left a gorgeous cake plate with doughnuts for our breakfast in the morning. He knew how spoiled we had gotten these past 2 weeks on the cruise so provided our breakfast. That was sweet of him and much appreciated.

We've been busy unpacking, getting the laundry going, and giving out the souvenirs. We are now officially tired and are calling it a day.

We are humbled that a few people read the blog thus going along with us on the trip. If you got even a minute's worth of enjoyment out of it, we are thrilled. Most of all, we are thankful for the prayers prayed and for the "missed you" messages we have received. Family and Friends~~ special gifts from God.

Nightie-Night!

ALMOST HOME~~ March 14

Nearly Midnight in Madison (Huntsville), AL

We left the ship at the pier in LA when we disembarked at 9:00 a.m. It surely was a nice home away from home for 14 nights. Here is a picture of our ship, and I put a yellow line over our balcony doors. See it? Right under the second "s" in Princess. We were on deck 14. We had never stayed up there so weren't real sure about it when we booked it. WE LOVED IT!!! We were just down from the area where you catch the elevators or take the stairs. That was very handy (and we never heard any noise regarding the elevators.) We were just a few doors down from "hitting the deck" which took us to the Horizon Buffet ~~ out there is where the pools, hot tubs, pizza place, hamburger/hot dog/grilled chicken stand/fries, as well as the beverage bar (which kept us well supplied in Diet Coke) are also located. It was such a great view from that high up and a fantastically handy location. Next time, we will REQUEST Room 301 on the Lido Deck! Did you spot our balcony yet? The yellow line is right over our sliding glass doors. We are in the top set of rooms with balconies. Not having anyone above us was very nice.


At 9:00 a.m. we caught a transfer bus from the ship to the airport. That went without a hitch as shown below. This was early on before our flight which ended up being delayed delayed for an hour.

Our gate's waiting area got very busy and folks were sitting all over the floor~~ so much so that you couldn't hardly walk through there to make a trip to the restroom. Anyway, we camped out at LAX and the hours went real fast. Our incoming plane was late in getting to LAX because of a medical emergency and having to divert to Phoenix, AR with a sick passenger. It was a huge 777 with 9 seats across. Richard and I were in the 2-seat section on the right side of the plane. There was a row with five passengers in the center of the plane, and then a row double-wide down the other side of the plane. Here is a pic I made looking across the plane from our seats as folks were still getting on and settled in:


We each had our own "video" screen. We could watch the map of the flight with the stats as to how high, how fast, the air temperature, etc. Also, you could choose from some TV shows and movies. Everyone had earphones so it was all very quiet. Anyway, we finally made it to Dallas and didn't have a minute to spare. We got off of the packed plane, caught the sky-link to get to another terminal. They were waiting on us and as we "ran" into the gate area and approached the ticket lady who was checking boarding passes, she said, "You must be the Deans" with a smile. We were the last ones on and then they had to wait another minute for our luggage to make the transfer so it would arrive in Huntsville with us. That was a mad dash, but we didn't miss that plane. We made it!! Here is a pic I made as we were flying out of Dallas. We were pretty high up so it didn't take very well but I shall post it for posterity:


The flight from Dallas to Huntsville was about 100 minutes (little longer than expected because for whatever reason the pilot had to circle around Huntsville before landing) and we were finally here at 9:50 p.m. It took a while for our luggage to come out on the carousel (I thought it might be first since it was the last loaded, but that wasn't the case) and then to get out and hail a cab.

It was 10:45 when we arrived at Chip's house. We got our stuff in and decided to go get a sandwich for we hadn't had much to eat all day. At 11:30, we were off to McDonald's for a grilled chicken sandwich. We felt like we were living on the wild side. HA!!

It's 12:22 a.m. and I really need to get off and get to sleep for we have FOUR grandchildren to see tomorrow when we get home. Not to mention our daughter and son-in-law!!!!

It was a fantastic 2-week trip and we thank the Lord for keeping us safe and healthy and even allowed us the privilege to be a witness for Him along the way.

Good night!!

FLIGHT OUT OF HERE DELAYED~~ March 14

They are announcing that our flight out of LA has been delayed by about 30 minutes as they had to make an emergency landing in Phoenix with an ill passenger who was on our incoming plane. We already had a tight connection in Dallas which has been cut down to 30 minutes there, so we will pray that it all goes smoothly and we catch out flight out of Dallas as scheduled.

We are praying that the ill passenger will be okay and are thankful that didn't happen on our flight.

LISTENING FOR THE CALL TO BOARD OUR FLIGHT TO ALABAMA~~ March 14

Richard has gone to refill our BK diet cokes as we will be getting the call to board our plane probably in the next 20 minutes. When we arrive home on Monday evening, we will have traveled nearly 10,000 miles in just under 3 weeks:

5,000 by ship from LA to Hawaii and back again
4,000 by plane from home to Huntsville and back again
700 miles by car driving from home to Huntsville and back again.

All but the 700 miles will have been piloted by either a ship or airline captain. We like that kind of travel.

AT THE LA AIRPORT ~~ March 14

We got off the ship and were on the bus to the airport right after 9:00 a.m. We got settled in a the airport at about 10:00 so have a good 3-hour wait. They do NOT have FREE WiFi here in the airport so Richard bought us some time which cost $8. It should be good when we have our lay-over in Dallas so that makes it pretty much worthwhile for us. HA!!!

We have another 2 hours here in the airport so will chill, internet for as long as my battery holds us, read a novel Jeanette loaned me, and enjoy the sights all around us. We packed and brought Trailmix from home that we had never eaten. It is tasting might fine right now.

Signing out from LA!!!!

THE VIEW FROM OUR BALCONY IN LA~~ March 14

WE'RE IN LA~~ March 14

We were docked in LA by the time we got up at 6:00 a.m. We are showered, dressed, might go to breakfast, and are ready for our 8:00 a.m. departure from the ship so we can start winging our way home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOGGING OFF WITH THE CAPTAIN'S LOG ~~ Just 8 hours from disembarkation on March 14

LOG OF THE CRUISE ~~ February 28 to March 14

CAPTAIN Nicolo Binetti

CRUISE NP1006: Los Angeles * Hilo * Honolulu * Nawiliwili * Lahaina * Ensenada * Los Angeles

Ports/Distance/Average Speed
Los Angeles to Hilo (Hawaii’s Big Island: 2139 Nautical Miles @ 19.4 knots
Hilo to Honolulu on Oahu: 204 Nautical Miles @ 18.2 knots
Honolulu to Nawiliwili on Kauai: 93.5 Nautical Miles @ 13.7 knots
Nawiliwili to Lahaina on Maui: 174 Nautical Miles @ 13.8 knots
Lahaina to Ensenada, Mexico: 2247 Nautical Miles @ 20.4 knots
Ensenada to Los Angeles, California: 149 Nautical Miles @ 17.5 knots

At the end of this cruise, Golden Princess (and us as two of her passengers, will have traveled a distance of 5060 Nautical Miles or 5823 Land Miles. It has been a great cruise, and now we are ready to return home.

OUR DAY IN ENSENADA ~~ March 13

12:40 p.m. We have just pulled up alongside the pier where we will be disembarking in just a little bit. It was fun to watch the ship’s thrusters maneuver us right up to the pier. We have learned that the ships can turn on a dime, pull in totally sideways, and do all sorts of amazing feats. We are thankful for a competent Captain and his staff.

The city looks very beautiful from here. The mountain range looks very much like the terrain we saw throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Visitors are drawn to Ensenada’s warm Mediterranean climate, friendly atmosphere and easy access by land, air and sea. Ensenada boasts a harbor and modern port facilities, making it Baja California’s leading seaport. In 1602, Sebastian Vizcaino sailed into the bay and was so taken by its beauty that he named it Ensenada de Todos los Santos (inlet of all the saints). The scenic setting, beautiful beaches, numerous boutiques and restaurants, vast accommodations and excellent fishing make Ensenada one of the leading resort and commercial centers on the Baja peninsula.

It is a beautiful sunny day in Ensenada with a pretty stiff breeze blowing. We look forward to our last port-of-call of this cruise. Buenos Tardes!!!

6:00 p.m. We are just now back on the ship from our Ensenada Sight-Seeing/Shopping Trip. We traveled 25 miles south along Baja California countryside to Punta Banda. On the drive, we drove through areas of town and as well as out in the country where we saw some very poor living conditions. It’s always an eye-opener as to how truly blessed we are to live in America. As part of our tour, we stopped at the Riviera Del Pacific~~ the civic and cultural center of Ensenada, also known as the historical symbol even though its structure has been mutilated. This former gambling casino was built in 1930. Several of the rooms were decorated beautifully for two weddings taking place there. The gardens and fountains surrounding the building were gorgeous. We bought some Mexican trinkets for each of our four grandkids there. (OOPS… there I go spoiling a surprise!)



We drove out to Bufadora and saw a natural cave formed by marine erosion. La Bufadora (Blowhole) throws a gush of water that rises up to 24 feet when the waves come into it, producing the sound associated with its name. The natural blowhole spews seawater and foam high into the air. On the walk out to this GORGEOUS scenery, we walked through the poorest of the poor flea market area.



I bought a necklace/earrings for Amy and me (OOPS…. There I go spoiling surprises again) and a cute bracelet for Belle that was made by a sweet little girl who was out there with her very poor-looking family selling their wares on the side of the road.

Picture of the BlowHole We Saw

It was an interesting afternoon. We are now SO READY to spend our last night aboard the GOLDEN PRINCESS as she finishes her 5,000 mile cruise with this last lap to the pier in LA, catch our flight out of LA tomorrow afternoon, fly into Huntsville on Sunday night, and then get up and DRIVE HOME on Monday. How our hearts yearn to see our loved ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But first things first……………. It’s dinnertime!!!

ARRIVING IN ENSENADA, MEXICO!~~ March 13

Buenos Dias! We are getting real close to Ensenada. At noon, we will take on the local pilot who will help the Captain navigate into our berth. The ships take on these local pilots to help assist the navigation team with his local knowledge of the port conditions until alongside. The pilot will again be onboard for our departure this evening.

Ensenada is the third largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California. (That is the name of the state in Mexico and confused me for a minute.) It is located about 70 miles south of Tijuana. It is one of the five cities into which the state is divided. Ensenada is locally referred to as La Bella Cenicienta del Pacifico which, when translated, means The Cinderella of the Pacific. The city is home to immigrants from other parts of Mexico and from all around the world. Located in the Bahia de Todos Santos~ an inlet of the Pacific Ocean~ Ensenada is an important commercial and fishing port, as well as a popular cruise ship stop.

Captain’s Barometer
Today’s forecast for Ensenada: Scattered showers in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. High: 65. Low: 46. Wind: 15 mph. It sounds like a good thing that we don’t disembark the ship under 1:00. We shall hope and pray that any rain is over with by that tine. Our excursion this afternoon is a bus tour around the area, and we look forward to that. We’ll report later as to how it went.

BLANKETY-BLANK!! March 12

We attended two fun events which took us through 1:30. We went to a game show called “Blankety Blank” (hence the name of this blog entry) which was a lot of fun! Here’s the deal: We went to a game show this morning called "Blankety-Blank." We were in a team of 6 and there were about 10 other teams we were competing against. They had 3 volunteers from the audience to come up on stage and for each fill-in-the-blank they put up, those three folks secretly wrote down their answers. Each time decided on their answer. For every time our team's answer matched what the any of the three folks on stage had written down, we got a point.

For example: MAIL_______.
One person on stage might write down MAN.
Another might write down BOX.
Another might write down DELIVERY.
(Sometimes they wrote down 3 different answers. Of course, sometimes there were two people who wrote down the same answer. It never happened that all 3 of them wrote down the same answer.)
Then the narrator would call on each group to shout out our answers after the people in the group decided on an answer. The narrator wrote down each team’s answer. After all of the groups had given their answers, he called on the three folks on the stage to show what they had written down. For each time our answer matched one of theirs, we got a point. Well, it turned out that our group (us, an elderly couple as well as two ladies) was in a tie for first place, so we all got a prize: A Princess bag. Guess what the tag on the outside says: ORIENTAL TRADING! That really cracked me up.
It doesn’t take much to entertain a bunch of folks who have been out to sea for 4 days. Ha! It really was a hoot!

After the game, we were part of the audience for the taping of Saturday morning’s “WAKE-UP SHOW’ with Cruise Director David and Deputy Cruise Director Neil. It was an hour long taping with the band, last night’s comedian, the couple who has conducted a lot of the Hawaiian shops on the cruise (lei making, ukulele lessons, hula lessons, etc.) Their names are Dave and Leiahola and are real nice folks. So that hour was fun.



We have a fun evening ahead of us but need to do some work on packing so will say ALOHA for now.

LAST FULL DAY TO CRUISE~~ March 12

Our last full day of cruising. As much fun as we have had together, it is sad to know it is coming to an end. But life is so much more than this sort of fantasy we have lived for these two weeks. Yes, we ate, slept, met new people, saw new things, did new things, and have enjoyed every minute of these two weeks. But we have a real life back home: our ministry, our family, our friends, our home, our routine. Sometimes routine can get monotonous and that is one reason vacations are so healthy mentally, physically, and even spiritually. But we now look forward to getting back in the groove and living the life God has for us back at home. We do thank HIM for the Christians we have met on the ship. It is always a blessing to meet other believers from all over the country and around the world. We met several whom we knew aren’t born again believers and were able to witness (down to the bare bones) with one mother/daughter set from England. I blogged about that the day it happened and related how that they cannot see God as loving when He allowed the girl to get sick at 9 years old with Chron’s Disease. We weren’t able to help them past that point and they rejected their need of salvation right then and there. That was a downer, but we are thankful God allowed us to perhaps plant a seed in their hearts so that someone else may come by and water it, and yet another may see it come to fruition. Yes, we have known that Christ is right here on the cruise with us and trust He found us to be faithful in all of our activities and interactions.

We are once again so very impressed with the PRINCESS organization. The crew members we have had contact with have been exemplary in their work ethics and in their courtesy to us. We have immediately made ourselves friendly with those with which we have come in contact: our servers, our waiters, our steward, others we have passed on the decks and in passageways. We always tried to have a smile and a word of greeting. We have wanted each one to know how much their hard work on this ship is appreciated and how much their work means to the integrity of a PRINCESS cruise. We attended a fun activity yesterday with David, the cruise director and his assistant Neil talking about life aboard the cruise ship. They had lots of funny stories and then did a Q&A session that was very informative. Again, we appreciate everyone on this ship.

This is our last full day at sea. We still have 500 miles of sailing to get us to Ensenada, MX tomorrow morning. We will spend some 7 hours there and then take off to sail into LA on Sunday morning. Today, we need to get our stuff packed since we will be busy running around Ensenada tomorrow. We have several activities planned for today so had better close for now. We pray that our family and friends back home are having a FABULOUS Friday and that your weekend is blessed with some fun, relaxation, and a wonderful day of worship come Sunday.

JUST THINKING AND TRUSTING ~~ March 11

CRUISING THOUGHTS ~~ March 11


One really does step out in faith when cruising 5000 miles (2500 each way), out in the middle of the ocean with
no land in sight, not another ship in sight, and sitting on top of water that is 5 miles deep… not to mention flying to and from LA in a "big bird" -- flying thousands of miles through the air ~ defying gravity. It’s a matter of faith for sure.

As a Christian, living this life is a matter of faith. We trust the Lord (place our faith in Him) that He will lead us and guide us through life, giving us wisdom for decisions that have to be made, peace when things happen that our beyond our control, and joy in the midst of the storms that come our way. How do folks who do not know JESUS CHRIST as Lord and Savior get through the hard times of life? I don’t know how they pillow their heads at night as most nights I fall asleep praying for burdens and trusting Him to work it all according to His will. Oh that I might know Him more so that I can trust Him completely, for far too often, I give Him my burdens and then take them back. GOD knows my failings and loves me in spite of them. It’s just that I want to please Him with my every thought, word, and deed; and I fail HIM so often. I need HIM more today than I did yesterday. We never out-grow our need for the Lord. I thank HIM and praise HIM that HE never leaves us nor forsakes us, and that we can claim the promises of HIS Word.

The Hawaiian Islands were amazing. Their natural beauty is astounding and the laid back serenity was quite evident. On each of the four islands we visited, two things were mentioned which really perked up our ears: the gods of the volcanoes that are still worshipped today, and the goodness of the missionaries who came to these islands to help the Hawaiians with the sin and corruption that was causing ruin and disease among their people by teaching and preaching JESUS CHRIST to them. What a contrast!! One tour bus driver actually said, “I am a Christian but I fear the volcano and still take my offerings of fruits and vegetables to appease the god of the volcano.” I heard that with my own two ears. Doesn’t the Bible “quote God” in saying that we aren’t to have any other gods before Him? And then my heart was pricked. What other gods do I put before the True and Living God? Money? Family? Vacations? I was reminded that my heart is sometimes divided and that I too must guard against making things a “god” in my life. But my heart truly was saddened as we saw very few churches around the islands and VERY FEW that would probably be classified as still preaching the fundamental truths of God’s Word. Those Hawaiian people were so kind, friendly, helpful, and eager to please us as tourists. Tourism is their “bread and butter” and they love to see the cruise ships arrive. I pray that God will continue to call men and women to be missionaries and that many will be called to tell the Hawaiians about JESUS CHRIST and how to know Him and serve Him as the ONLY God in their hearts.

Regarding our two week cruise: Richard and I really have enjoyed each other and have determined that we will do just fine in a nursing home one of these days: small room, meals provided, housekeeping provided, activities provided, etc. The only things missing will be finding the chocolates on our turned down bed each night as well as the gorgeous view we have enjoyed these two weeks.

We thank God that He has been with us each step/mile of the way and trust that He will grant us safety as we cruise for three more days, fly from LA to Huntsville, and then drive the 300 miles from Huntsville to Home. Trusting Him, for there’s no other way to be happy in JESUS, but to trust and obey!

Wednesday Afternoon ~~ March 10

CALM SAILING TODAY~~ March 10

After a day and night of rough seas, we have much smoother sailing today. I woke up several times in the night due to the motion of the bed and thinking, “I should have taken a double-dose of Dramamine at bedtime.” But we made our night without incident and have had a good day. It is noon here as I write this. The sun is bright and the sea is a beautiful dark blue. I just came in after reading out on our balcony for a while. There seems to be no greater place of relaxation for me.

We went to our John Maxtone-Graham lecture this morning. It was on a totally new subject but so very interesting. Tomorrow will be another new subject. We have enjoyed listening to him so very much throughout this cruise.

We will be heading to lunch* here in a bit and then a couple of things lined up for this afternoon. We are trying to decide our evening activity from those that are listed as there are so many choices!

We had a nice time at our formal dinner with a good meal. I choose all of the “healthy” choices for my appetizer, soup and salad, and main entrée but then blew it on the dessert. Oh well… it was “formal night” and that’s always a special time.

Maria, our cabin steward, brought in a scale so that we can weigh our bags once we repack them to make sure we are within airline limits on the weight. I surely hope and pray we don’t have to leave any souvenirs behind. Anyway, I stepped on the scale and by it’s number, I haven’t gained any weight. I don’t see how that could be except that we have had quite a bit of exercise and take the stairs instead of the elevator a lot. But I do think the scale is weighing a little light so will have to take that in account when weighing our bags once they are repacked!

We are nearly halfway of our 2500 miles back to LA. We do have the stop over in Mexico on Saturday so that will be a fun few hours off of the ship before we arrive in LA on Sunday morning.
We are eager to get back home to our family and friends and to check out things on the home front. Until then, we will “endure the drudgery” of being on this ship. (NOT!!!!) I think I’ll wait a couple more hours to post this in hopes that perhaps the “kids” might send us a note when they are home from work. Can you tell how much I’m missing them?!
We hope everything is fine with you and yours. Take care!

*Lunch…. We skipped the restaurants and buffet today and instead grabbed a grilled chicken sandwich and a few fries from the grill. In addition, we "made" our own oriental soup which meant choosing from the myriad of seafood, noodles, vegetables, etc., putting them in our bowl, and then the soup chef adding the broth, cooking our soup in his pot and then pouring it back into our bowls. The one picture is of the chef pouring up the soup we put together. The other picture was made as we are about to partake of our lunch out on the deck where the grill is located. After trying the soup and eating some of it, I decided that I'd rather stick with the "hot and sour" soup that I always get at the Chinese restaurants! The chicken sandwich and fries were yummy!

Rainbow over Maui as we were leaving on Monday Evening

Hawaiian Demonstration of how to husk, break, and enjoy a coconut.

A whale blows and surfaces for us on our whale-watching excursion.
This baby and his mom was one of many we saw.

Hanging with a salty-sea captain in Maui

This is me with Maria, our cabin steward. Her husband died in the Philippines and was buried this past Sunday. She is a born-again Christian and knows she will see him again.

THE WINDS AND THE WAVES ARE IN GOD'S CONTROL ~~ March 9

WINDY DAY AT SEA ~~ March 10

I guess it was windy and rocky all night long but the Dramamine pretty much takes off the edge, and we slept great. In fact, it worked so well for me that Richard had to wake me at 9:00 a.m. so that I could get up and be ready for the resuming lecture by Mr. John Maxtone-Graham. We heard him each morning on Monday-Thursday of last week as he discussed his book, ’THE ONLY WAY TO CROSS” but, of course, the lectures were discontinued on Friday-Monday as we were at our ports-of-call on the four different Hawaiian Islands. Now that we are out at sea as we make our way back to LA, his talks have resumed and will take us through Friday morning. I had my picture made with him last week and then we just now ran into him and his lovely wife Mary as we were leaving from our lunch. He was very gracious and it was delightful to meet Mary. They are well-bred and high cultured. Reckon any of it has rubbed off on me? Probably not.

The Captain announced over the public address system that we are experiencing high winds and therefore rough seas as this area of the Pacific has a dome of high pressure above it which is causing the wind and waves. He said that our “comfort and safety” are his utmost concern and to please be careful when walking about and to be sure to use the handrails, etc. The upper outside decks are closed as it is too dangerous to be up and outside at that height. We are every so thankful that the Dramamine works so well for us and that we have the non-drowsy formula for daytime which allows us to be very alert and able to enjoy all of our activities and for the regular “drowsy” formula at night which affords us a good night’s sleep.

After attending the lecture, we went by the Passenger Services Desk to turn in our form to have our checked luggage picked up on Friday night. This cheap service ($20 for the two of us) also provides us with our boarding tickets for the plane in LA. Our sweet Maria, our steward, will be able to help us in getting our bags weighed sometime on Friday to make sure we get them evened out so that nothing weighs more than the 50# limit.

From there, we dropped by and had lunch. Richard had gone and gotten me a cup of decaf coffee which is all I had for breakfast so my lunch of soup/salad/half-a-Ruben sandwich tasted really good.

We are now back in our room for a while. It is nice and breezy out on our balcony so I think I’ll go out there and read for a while. Richard looks all comfy as he is watching Fox News. Glenn Beck is on here at 1:00-2:00 due to the time change. It is now 4:25 at home and our kids are getting ready to end their work day as our ship day is just barely into the early afternoon hours. (We gained an hour back last night and advance another hour before we get back to LA. We’ll then have one more time change when we fly into Dallas so we are slowly but surely getting ourselves revved back up to the central time zone.

We have “formal night” this evening so will probably not skip it as we did last week coming over. I have a new red top to wear ~~ assuming that it still fits!!!
It is so rocky sitting here at the desk typing. I am wobbling from side to side in my chair like crazy. Again, I’m thanking the Lord that the Dramamine works so well for the two of us.

I am going to try to post a few pics from yesterday’s visit to Maui.

We do hope and pray that our family and friends back home are all doing well. We think of you and pray for you often.

Sailing for Home,
Richard and Susan

Aloha to Maui and all of the Hawaiian Islands ~ March 8

MONDAY UPDATE ~~ March 5

9:00 a.m. As of yesterday in Kauai, we had sailed 2,456 miles from LA. On our return trip home this week, we will make that many miles or more as we do have a stop-over in Ensenada, MX on Saturday. This Princess Ship is foreign-made and registered as a ship of foreign origin, which means we have to touch shore in a foreign country while out. The “Jones Law” or something of that nature.

We met two nice couples at breakfast. Both were doing the whale-watching excursion so am guessing it may be the most popular one today.

It’s a beautiful day in Maui. The forecast calls for a high of 79 and for a low of 76 this evening. I saw here at the desk/my dressing table right here at the open sliding glass door onto the balcony to do my hair and make-up. The sunshine is pouring in and the breeze is cool and feels so good. I think I could live in this itty bitty room for the rest of my life right here (with the food, activities, and room service provided, of course.)

Our friends from home, James and Ann, began their big trip today. James retired in January and this is their celebration trip. Ann is from Alaska so they are going out there to see her mom and other family, and then on the 11th fly from Alaska to Hawaii to spend two weeks here in Maui. Seeing the beauty of this place from the ship, (we have to tender over to the island in just a few minutes), it is obvious that James and Ann will have a wonderful vacation here.

9:15 a.m. We’re now ready to report to the Princess Theater for the staging of our first excursion: Whale Watching. Immediately following will be our bus tour. It promises to be a great day!

7:00 p.m. We are exhausted but had a WONDERFUL day! The trip out on the whale-watching boat was quite an experience. It was very windy but we didn’t know at the time just how windy it was. We heard upon arrival back to the ship when the Captain came on to report that the wind had been up to 50 mph today ~~ after having been forecasted for up to 20 mph. We knew it was a rough and blustery ride on the whale-watching boat for 2 hours, but we had a great time with some great whale sightings. The moms and their calves were very much enjoying the windy day as they frolicked all about the ship. Pics were difficult to make as the boat was so rocky, but we got some shots. The Dramamine worked wonderfully well and we never were the least bit seasick out there. PTL!!



We got in from that trip and had about 45 minutes until we had to be in place for our next cruise so made a visit to the International Room.” Upon entrance, we were “Russians,” while going, we were “Europeans,” and when done we were “Finnish.” Our bus driver told us that one so I just had to use it. Ha! We had a lovely ride through the town of Lahaina on Maui and enjoyed seeing the mountain scepter known as the ’Needle” out in Haleakala National Park. Our visit to the Plantation was fantastic and we enjoyed the Hawaiian lady who gave us the tour. The ride down was lovely as we drove along the coast and watched the sun glimmer across the water as it was starting to come down at 5:00 p.m. We were some of the last to get back to the tenders and come back aboard the ship at 5:30 which was the “due time” to return. It was an active day with a lot of wind, sun, clouds, and more wind. We were very thankful to have our jackets as it was quite chilly at times. In Maui!!!!

5:30 p.m. We came back to our room and washed up for dinner. We had one scoop of ice cream during the day but otherwise nothing since our 8:00 a.m. breakfast. Dinner tasted mighty fine. J

7:15 p.m. We are in our room for the night to read, relax, watch TV, catch up on the news of the day, and probably to go to sleep early rather than late. It is a tad sad to be leaving the islands but realize we still have a lot of “trip” ahead of us as we sail for the next 6 nights, visit Ensenada, Mexico on Saturday, and pull into the Pier in LA at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.

We called Chip as well as Brian and Amy this evening during dinner (it was 10 p.m. their time) as it is the last cell service we will have until Sunday morning when we reach LA. It was good to chat with each of them for a minute as they were winding up their Monday.

By the way, I saw our cabin steward MARIA this morning. She said she is doing okay. I told her that lots of folks are praying for her. I wish you could have seen her smile.

Aloha from Hawaii for the last time.

GOOD MORNING FROM MAUI ~~ March 8

8:00 a.m. We are ever so slowly gliding into a beautiful morning and onto a beautiful Island as this day gets underway.

Maui’s Valley of the Kings, Iao, runs so deep into the hills that some parts never see a sunrise or a sunset. IT is guarded by the mountain scepter known as the Needle. Higher by a mile than anything on the island in Haleakala National Park, where cinder cones rise 1,000 feet from the crater floor and strange, beautiful flowers bloom. AT Nakalele, the eerie lava shoreline looks like the ragged edge of Mars, and ocean geysers spout every few feet. To find a quaint, New England-style town amidst al of this exotic scenery is a wondrous experience. The old wooden buildings curling along Front Street and hanging over the water were once grog shops and ships’ chandlers when Lahaina was the lusty, bawdy, whaling capital of the Yankee Pacific fleet. Spruced up a bit, they are now part of a National Historic Preservation District and serve as art galleries, boutiques and fine seafood restaurants.

The above is what is written in our PRINCESS PATTER this morning. We won’t see all of that but do have two fun excursions which will take up our day in Maui. Our plan:

MAUI WHALE WATCHING (2 HOURS)
Every year humpback whales migrate from Alaska to the waters of Maui, where they mate and calve from December through May. We will be boarding a state-of-the-art whale-watching vessel that’s equipped with both above and below water viewing. Our experienced skipper will maneuver the boat to provide us with the best views without disturbing these gentle giants of the deep.

IOA VALLEY AND TROPICAL PLANTATION (4 HOURS)
We will explore Maui’s sacred “Valley of the Kings” on a scenic drive to Ioa Valley State Park. A guided walk leads to the overlook of “The Needle” ~~ the sacred volcanic spire that rises from the valley floor. We will board a tram for a 35-minute tour of Maui Tropical Plantation, a paradise of flower gardens, macadamia groves, and sugar cane fields.

We pray for our family and friends a wonderful day in your part of the world!! This time next Monday, we will be driving home from Huntsville (flying from LA to Huntsville on Sunday) to arrive home sometime on Monday afternoon, the Lord willing.

I do have a prayer request to share:

Last evening, when we came in from our day in Kauni, our cabin steward, Maria, was in here turning down our bed, leaving candy on the pillows, and all of that (wonderful) stuff. :) We hadn't had much interaction so I asked if we could visit for just a minute and she seemed happy to oblige. We asked her how long she has worked on the cruise ships, and this is her 14th year. I asked about her family. She told me that she has a 14-year-old son and that her HUSBAND DIED THREE DAYS AGO! That was a shock to hear. She said they have been apart for these 14 years. He worked in Dubai and she here on the cruise ships. Her mother has raised their son. Her husband went to Dubui to make his money and she came on the cruise ships to make her money. I asked her if we could have prayer with her and she eagerly grabbed for our hands. I prayed. When we finished, she was crying. She said that she and her husband both are born-again Christians (her words!!!) and that she knows he is in Heaven. He had come back to the Philippines from Dubui some weeks ago and she took a leave from the ship to go be with him because he came home very sick with a terrible kidney problem. She spent some amount of time with him, made things right with him, and then returned to the ship to complete her contract. And he died three days ago and was buried yesterday.

Isn't it wonderful that the Lord gave her the opportunity to go home, to make things right with her husband, before he passed away? What terrible regrets she would have had for the rest of her life. Her name is Maria Villacruz and I would ask that you please whisper a prayer for her and her son (age 14 and back in the Philippines) during this time.

I told Maria that after today's outing on Maui, we will have lots of free time and when she is off and can come by to visit with us to please feel free to do so. She brightened up and seemed to really appreciate our invitation to do so. I don't even know if that would be allowed on her end, but we offered the invitation.

Just wanted to share with you this prayer request for Maria.

PICS FROM OUR TOUR IN KAIUA'I ~~ March 7

We enjoyed a fabulous 5-hour tour on Kaiu'i Island which we have just returned from. It was a great ride with fabulous scenery. God's creation in the Pacific Islands. I only wish my camera could have captured the beauty of it all as well as our God-given eyesight did. Here are a few pics...




We went out to Spouting Horn and saw the lavu-tube blow hole. It was a gorgeous view of the Pacific with this special bit of entertainment provided by nature herselfas shown in the picture above.

Another view out there:



We then drove out to Waimea Canyon. We viewed the volcanic slopes from a lookout of 3,400 feet above the canyon floor, which is covered with lush vegetation. It was an amazing vista as shown below:

ALOHA FROM KAUAI ~~ March 7

Welcome to Nawiliwili (Kauai) ~~ March 7

We have just arrived but aren't settled in the ship's berth yet. In a bit, we will need to report to the Princess Theater to meet up with the group going on the 5-hour excursion we will be on.

The Golden Princess sailed out of Honolulu at 11:00 p.m. and approached Nawiliwili on a north westerly course during the early morning hours of Sunday. With our pilot on board, we navigated the tight turns into the harbor and arrived at approximately 7:30 a.m. Hawaii consists of eight main islands which, from East to West are: Hawaii, Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau. There are also 124 inlets, reefs and shoals which are either uninhibited or are only sparsely populated usually by people who are staffing government facilities. The first Europeans to land in the islands were led by Captain James Cook who, on the 18th of January 1778, landed on Kauai, which is the 2nd largest island of the group. By this time, there were an estimated 300,000 native inhabitants.

Sunday’s Weather Forecast at Nawiliwili: 75 degrees with partly cloudy skies and isolated showers.

For many visitors, Kauai is the Hawaii they dream of. Known as the Garden Isle,” Kauai offers breath-taking scenery, sandy beaches and charming villages, all combined with a sense of aloofness from the other Hawaiian Islands.

This separateness has both geological and historical roots. Geographically, Kauai, along with its mysterious neighbor Niihau, is the one island that cannot be seen from any of the others. And historically, Kauai was never physically conquered by King Kamehameha. Rather, Kauai’s king voluntarily submitted to Kamehameha’s sovereignty and, as a result, kept much of the island’s autonomy.

Nature has full reign in Kauai, the 4th largest of the Hawaiian Islands. In the center of the island is the dramatic Mt. Waialeale, a remnant of the long-extinct volcano that gave birth to Kauai. Along the north shore are the spectacular Na Pali cliffs, 14 miles of rich green valleys and steep, narrow cliffs. There’s also the desert-like palette of beautiful Waimea Canyon, the lush tropical sanctuary of Fern Grotto, the splendid Lamahai Beach, and so much more. Incidentally, the wettest spot on earth is Waialele with 450 inches of rain per year.

Lihue is the commercial and governing center of the island. It has a country-style charm characteristic of Kauai and serves as a gateway to this special place.

OUR EXCURSION IN KAUAI

Leaving at 8:30 a.m. we will view Kauai’s Spouting Horn on a scenic drive that visits Waimea Canyon. Ancient Hawaiians believed that the loud lava-tube blow hole was the voice of the angry goddess Kaikapu. Mark Twain hailed Waimea Canyon as “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” We will survey its dramatic volcanic slopes from a scenic lookout 3,400 feet above the canyon floor. We will see Lihue which is Kauai’s main town, the historic sugar town of Koloe, flower farms, cane fields, and the villages of Oma’o, Kalaheo, and Hanapepe on our 5-hour tour.

Richard and a BAMA Fan in Hawaii

We were out at Pearl Harbor to visit the Arizona Memorial when a man walked up to Richard, stuck out his hand, and asked for a handshake. He had spotted Richard wearing his BAMA hat and came over to meet and greet him. It turned out that Earl, born and raised in Honolulu, has been an AVID Bama fan since the days of Bear Bryant. He said that he and a doctor in town are both huge fans. He was so glad that BAMA had won the National Championship and that Mark Ingram had won the Heisman as well. It was a lot of fun "BAMA" talk there for a few minutes. I asked if I could make Earl's picture with Richard. Earl was happy for me to do so and Richard gave Earl his Bama hat to wear for the picture.

HELLO FROM HONOLULU!! March 6

Wow!

5:00 a.m. Woke up to get up and get our day started.
6:00 a.m. Had breakfast in the buffet restaurant. I ate lighter this morning. J
7:00 a.m. Back from breakfast and overlooking the city of Honolulu! It’s beautiful!!!
8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Our tour of Honolulu (more about this below)
2:30 p.m. Late lunch back on the ship
3:15 p.m. Walked over to Aloha Tower (beautiful outdoor shopping plaza and restaurants) to get on some FREE WiFi!!

Honolulu (Island of Oahu)
To most visitors, Oahu is Honolulu, the state capital and home to approximately 400,000 residents. The Hawaiian Islands’ only major city. Honolulu has something for just about everyone.

Pearl Harbor, the Arizona Memorial, and Punchbowl Crater are haunting reminders of the tragic events of December 7, 1941. Waikiki Beach, with it’s high rise hotels, sun-drenched sands and hordes of sun seekers, has an unquenchable holiday air, and the stunning silhouette of Diamond Head, an extinct volcano, stands sentinel over the sparkling Mamala Bay.

Beyond Honolulu and between two mountain ranges lie tropical rain forests, extinct craters and deserted beaches, as well as Hawaii’s legendary sugar cane and pineapple plantations. A visit to Oahu promises a wealth of sights and experiences.

LAST NIGHT’S VOYAGE FROM THE NAVIGATOR’S REPORT:
Upon leaving our Hilo berth last evening, Golden Princess set a varied northerly course taking us around the north coast of the island of Hawaii, before passing through the Alenuihaha Channel which led Golden Princess on a north westerly course as we made our final approach to Honolulu. The bridge team, which included a local pilot who assisted in our navigation towards the harbor and Pier #10 where we berthed at 7:00 a.m. this morning. The sea is often busy with large numbers of fishing boats as fishing is one of the main livelihoods of the Islands. Other traffic includes numerous tugs and barges that transport bulk products such as sugar, pineapple, and oil between the islands and along the coasts. Honolulu is by far the busiest port of the Islands. Other important ports include Barber Point on Oahu, Kahului on Maui, Hilo on Hawaii and Nawillwilli harbor.

For our departure from Honolulu tonight, we will back off our berth and turn in the harbor, setting a southerly course to clear the breakwaters. Throughout the night, our courses will be set towards our next port of call, Nawiliwilli.


TODAY’S WEATHER IN HONOLULU:
High of 81 degrees. Sunny skies. Wind E-ly at 17 mph.

HONOLULU is called “The Gathering Place” ever since Hawaii’s royalty assembled here. Oahu has drawn visitors with its gentle surf and pristine sands. Secluded coves and sheltered shores lure swimmers, snorkelers and water lovers of all kinds. Surfers take to Sunset Beach and the North Shore to catch some of the world’s most perfect waves. Oahu is home to Waikiki, the most famous beach in the world, as well as infamous Pearl Harbor. Here, you’ll also find the Iolani Palace, America’s only royal palace, as well as the world’s only wholphin, a cross between a killer whale and a dolphin; it’s at Sea Life Park on Makapuu Point. In between, a glorious island paradise awaits you in every direction.

The capital of the islands, Honolulu is actually the biggest city in the world. Its municipal boundaries reach across 540,000 square miles of the Pacific, most of which is underwater.

OUR HONOLULU TOUR TODAY
We were on a big nice coach for today’s tour. Our first stop was to visit PEARL HARBOR and the haunting Arizona Memorial out there. We were out there for about 4 hours and totally enjoyed the time spent there. The movie about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was very touching and lasted 25 minutes. From there, we walked around reading plaques and other memorabilia and looking in the gift shops. Finally, it was our group’s turn to get on the boat that took us out to the Memorial. It was a quiet and reverent place as we viewed what we could see of the USS ARIZONA that still today rests on the bottom of the sea where it was bombed so many years ago. Many of the men on that ship are entombed down there. Oil is still dripping from the ship and bubbles up to the top. It was a sober reminder of war and the sacrifices that men and women and their families have made down through the years to keep American FREE.

We got back on the bus and traveled to Pali Lookout in the rugged Ko’olua Mountains. We got off the bus to walk up to the observation point and could look down out across Honolulu. It was a gorgeous vista. We got back on and rode some more around town. We traveled on Beretania Street which was of great significance to me. My Dad and his first wife were married in Honolulu in August ’38 as 22 year olds. They had dated as a young couple in Iowa and when Dad had been stationed in Pearl Harbor for 15 months, Anna came over from Iowa and they were married. Anna was killed a year or so later in a car accident in Iowa as was the baby she carried. A couple of years later, my dad met my mom, they were eventually married, and the rest, as they say, is history.

When on our city tour, we also saw Aloha Stadium: home of the Pro Bowl, historic downtown Honolulu, Chinatown, Kawaiahao Church, City Hall, State Capitol, Governor’s Mansion, Iolani Palace: former residence of Hawaii’s last two monarchs, and Punchbowl National Military Cemetery. It was a wonderful tour!!!

We have had a wonderful day in Honolulu, Hawaii. Aloha!

ALOHA FROM HILO ~~ March 5

HAWAIIAN ARRIVAL~~ March 5 ~~ ALOHA!

As we sailed into our first stop in the Hawaiian Islands, the ship was requested by the local authorities to keep the ship’s illumination to a minimum, whilst in or near Hawaiian Waters. This is to reduce the impact that artificial lighting may have on some bird species and on their migration routes. Princess Cruises are committed to the protection of the environment and so we noticed a slight reduction in the restaurant’s lighting during our breakfast.

HELLO FROM HILO, HAWAII

5:00 a.m. Didn’t sleep as well as usual ~~ I think because we were halfway worried we would sleep in and miss our arrival into Hilo. LOL!!!

6:00 a.m. Dressed and ready so went and ate breakfast. As we were eating, we began to see some land and landmarks (which included the largest volcano on the island) when we were eating breakfast so finished and came back to our room/balcony. We watched the volcano turn into a brilliant rosy glow from the first rays of the sun as it rose on the other side of the ship. It was quite a remarkable sight to watch!

7:00 a.m. We discovered that we have cell service so quickly called Chip and then Brian and Amy to make a touch with our “kids” who were nearing the lunch hour at work as we were just finished with breakfast. It surely was good to hear their voices!!

7:45 a.m. We reported to the Princess Theater where we were staged into groups according to which excursion we had purchased. At about 8:15, our group was called out to board our bus for our “Highlights of Hilo” 4-hour excursion. Here is what we did on our excursion: We experienced the Big Island’s tropical splendors on a drive along the Hamakua Coast. We walked through a lush rainforest to view Akaka Falls and also a second water fall. I have to note that we had to go down a steep walk way with lots of steps DOWN to the bottom so that we could view the waterfall. The downside was that we had to come back UP all of those same steps to get back up to the top where our bus awaited us. I actually did pretty well considering…..





From the Falls, we rode out to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory. We were able to peer into the factory but didn’t a soul at work. We enjoyed visiting the gift shop, eating free samples of macadamia nuts, and looking at all of their wares for sale. We boarded the bus from there and were driven out to the Nani Mau Gardens, a 20-acre repository of native Hawaiian Flora. It was a lovely ride through the gardens on a tram. It would come a good shower and then clear up and be sunny. Come a good shower and then clear up and be sunny. We were glad we had our rain jackets at times!! But, it is nice and warm (probably 75) so we were very much enjoying the day out on Hilo.

We were driven back to the ship where we had to go through security measures to get back into the ship’s area. We are always thankful they keep a careful watch on who comes aboard the ship!

1:30 We had lunch at the buffet. After all of our walking and nice outing, we were hungry!
SOME INFORMATION ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAII WHERE HILO IS LOCATED:

The Big Island of Hawaii is the largest of the Hawaiian Islands (4/038 square miles and still growing), the youngest, and the island is considered to be the cradle of Hawaiian civilization, the birthplace of kings. It is the source of much Hawaiian folklore, a place where history is palpable and accessible and where past and present fuse together to add a special mystical quality to its shores. On the eastern coast is the seaport of Hilo, the seat of government and the fourth largest city in the state. It sprawls along the crescent-shaped edge of Hilo Bay and is the flower capital of Hawaii. Hilo is also the gateway to Kilauea Volcano and Volcanoes National Park, which was established in 1916.

With its varied terrain, diverse climate, lush vegetation and rich array of attractions, many find Hawaii the most interesting of all the islands. In a single day, we may travel from black-sand beaches to lava flows, from snow-capped mountain peaks to tropical jungles, from tranquil bays to volcanic craters.

FROM THE NAVIGATOR ON FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH 5

During the night, Golden Princess followed a West sough Westerly course towards Hilo. We boarded our local pilot at 6:45 a.m. who assisted with the navigation towards our berth. Hilo is an old port town, but much of the port was taken away by a tidal wave in 1960. The tsunami deluged the waterfront, sweeping an organ console out the stage door of the Palace Theater, depositing fishing boats in the street like parked cars and taking out many blocks of the business district and dock area. It its place are some beautiful gardens and green vistas. Located on the windward side of the island, Hilo has rampant tropical growth, waterfalls, leafy tree ferns and various flowers. The rainfall is well over 100” annually, making Hilo the wettest city in the USA.

3:00 p.m. We are back on the ship in preparation to leave in a little while and sail to Ohau for our big day in Honolulu tomorrow!

Aloha (which means both "hello" and "good-bye" in the Hawaiian language

THURSDAY AFTERNOON ~ March 4

THURSDAY’S MID-DAY BLOG, MARCH 4

We thoroughly enjoyed the lecture by Mr. Maxtone-Graham at 9:00 and then the Maui Talk by the Cruise Director at 10:00.

11:00 a.m. We came back to our room to grab some gear and then headed down to the desk to ask about future cruises and to ask for some WiFi information in Hilo on Friday. Got answers to all of our questions.

11:30 a.m. Went out to the Trident Grill on the pool deck to grab lunch and listen to the Hawaiian songs being performed. Sat at a table with a very nice couple from Ocala. We sat and talked to them for a long time and then they stepped in to see our balcony room. We enjoyed meeting Bob and Gretchen and made a picture of them which I will post on this blog entry if possible.



NOTE FOR CAROL HICKS BACK HOME: Carol, I noticed that Gretchen had a book at the table with something about quilting in the title. She showed it to me and it is a serious of fiction books with a quilting theme by Jennifer Chiverinoi. The title of the first one is THE QUILTER’S APPRENTICE in case you are interested in looking for them if you haven’t already known about them.

1:30 p.m. We are in our room for a break and to see what is next on tap for our afternoon. Richard is stretched out watching the news so I think I may sit out on the balcony and read. It’s the first day that it has really been warm enough to be truly comfy out there.

ALOHA!

Last Full Day of Sailing To Our Hawaiian Destination ~~ March 3

LAST FULL DAY OF SAILING TO OUR HAWAIIAN DESTINATION ~~ March 3

6:00 a.m. Awake! It’s hard to think that it is 10:00 a.m. at home already. We will have adjustments to make when we get back home.

This is our last full day at sea before we reach Hilo on Friday morning. There’s nothing like a week at sea for relaxing by the pool, reading a book, browsing through the boutiques and taking part in a long list of organized activities that are listed in each day’s Princess Patter. As a passenger, you can stay on the go throughout the day and into the night or you can lay low and enjoy the quiet and beauty of sailing from your deck. That’s the beauty of “personal choice cruising.” We’ve done our share of interspersing activities with periods of being in our room and out on our balcony. We have really enjoyed the cruising portion of our trip to Hawaii.

FROM THE NAVIGATOR in Today’s Princess Patter:
Throughout the day on Wednesday, Golden Princess maintained her west south westerly track to reach our first port of call HILO on Friday.

THE NAUTICAL CHART
All of our courses are drawn in advance on nautical charts by the First Officer who is the ship’s navigator. One of the main duties of the officer of the watch on the bridge is to make sure that the ship is correctly following the track in use. A nautical chart is a representation on a plane, in a certain type of projection of portion of the spherical surface of the Earth, for the purpose of navigation. It is essentially a map of a sea area showing as well coastlines, rocks buoys, lighthouses and other prominent features, such as characteristics of all lights and depths of water. Currently, Golden Princess is navigating through the means of an ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display Information System): an approved digital system of self plotting charts that no longer require deck officers to fix the ship’s position on paper charts and facilitate the process of correcting them.

THURSDAY’S WEATHER FORECAST:
Temperature: 68
Sky: Partly Cloudy
Wind: ENE’ly (18 knots/21 mph)

OCEAN MOTION SICKNESS
We are so very thankful that we have not gotten sick as we have heard that several have gotten sick. We both had a headache on Tuesday evening so, just to be sure, we popped an early (drowsy) Dramamine (our usual night dose), a couple of Tylenol, stayed in, went to bed early, and have been fine ever since. The Ocean Motion is quite relaxing when sleeping and even when sitting but it can definitely make walking a straight line nearly impossible. You feel foolish, but “we’re all in the same boat” so to speak.

TODAY’S EVENTS
We plan to attend the customary lectures both morning and afternoon that we have attended all week and have so much enjoyed. There is an Illusionist on board that we haven’t seen yet so maybe we can catch some of his show. The “Street Entertainment” today will be provided by the “Golden Princess Singers” at 4:00 so perhaps we can enjoy seeing/hearing them this afternoon. There is a class to learn to do the HULA today but somehow, I don’t think I’ll bother with that one.

8:00 a.m. We are back from a delicious breakfast. I had a bowl of oatmeal, a bran muffin, and an assortment of fresh fruits. It was a healthy and very yummy breakfast. We are now back in our room to get ready to go to today’s 9:00 a.m. lecture by John Maxtone-Graham. It is session III of his book, “The Only Way to Cross.” It has been a fascinating lecture series.

We will sit tight when he is finished at 10:00 so we can hear the “port talk” with today’s focus on “Maui” which will be our last port stop and will take place on Monday. After that, we are open until lunchtime unless we decide we want to go play trivia challenge, participate in a basketball free throw competition, attend a designer watch event, play BUNCO, go to a bridge lecture, play jackpot bingo with the kitty up to $2,200, attend a ukulele class, go the bar and learn how to make mixed drinks (for sure NOT!), play charades with musical melodies, go to the rum tasting and raffle event (NOT!), or enjoy relaxing Hawaiian melodies out in the sun on deck around the pool. (Now that sounds like a possibility!) After all of those possibilities (10:00 through 12:30) it will be lunchtime…. And I didn’t even mention sitting out on our private balcony! Life is rough out here on the open sea!

We hope you all are having a great day stateside!!

STRAIGHT RHUMB LINE SAILING ~~ March 3

WE ARE “STRAIGHT RHUMB LINE SAILING” ~~ WEDNESDAY, March 3

ARTICLE FROM THE SHIP’S NAVIGATOR AND PRINTED IN TODAY’S “PRINCESS PATTER:”

Throughout the day, Golden Princess will maintain a steady west south westerly track navigating in deep waters with an extended depth well below 5000 meters (15,240 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, however, a line that follows the curvature of the surface is the shortest distance. Straight line or “Rhumb Line Sailing” is acceptable for most navigation, especially coastal or short distance navigation, but when traveling vast distances like the Oceans, ‘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 the centre. When a ship or an airplane follows a Great Circle track, during long transit, she continually changes course to compensate for the curvature. In this occasion, Golden Princess is following a straight rhumb line to avoid excessive high latitudes and poor weather conditions.

5:00 a.m. Awake! We are now just to the halfway point of our cruise to Hawaii. We are so much enjoying the ride.

7:30 a.m. Headed for our buffet breakfast. We’re a tad hungry as we haven’t eaten since “Afternoon Tea” at 4:00 yesterday. It’s good to skip a meal every now and then. I had a delicious and healthy breakfast: bran muffin, bowl of oatmeal, and an assortment of fresh fruits. Instead of coffee, I had a cup of hot tea and drank a glass of water. I’m going to think “healthy” at mealtimes today. It’s too easy to go overboard (oops…. That wasn’t a good word to use while out in the middle of the Pacific for another 48 hours!) with all of the delicious food available 24/7.

8:15 a.m. We are back in our room to collect our stuff and head over to John Maxtone-Graham’s lecture at 9:00 in the Princess Theater. Today’s subject: “THE ONLY WAY TO CROSS, PART 2” as Mr. Graham continues his discussion of North American liners. He is a wonderful story-teller and makes it all come alive. You know if I am enjoying THIS subject, he has got to be a good speaker. HA!!

8:20 a.m. Just saw these stats on the Ship’s TV station:
We have sailed 1,239 miles from LA
We have 906 more miles to make before reaching Hilo o Friday morning at 8:00 a.m.
Ship’s Position: 24 degrees 03.26’N, 139 degrees, 16.80’ W
Skies are cloudy but sun is expected with a high of 60. Slight breeze from N-NE at 15-17mph

11:00 a.m. We are back in our stateroom from hearing the Maritime Lecturer again and then staying to hear the portside talk on Kauai, the Island we will visit on Sunday.

11:30 a.m. We elected to have lunch on the desk of the Calypso pool at the Trident Grill. We both got a “veggie” burger which wasn’t good. We got a slice of pizza each to augment what we were unable to finish of the burger. We came back to the room to freshen up and then went back out to the same area (which is very close to our stateroom) for the Ice Carving Demonstration. It was interesting to watch the two men carve their ice sculptures. One turned out to be a fish and the other was a swan. The two men worked up quite a sweat working on their sculptures for our enjoyment. I made pics and hope to be able to post a couple of them with this blog article.



1:00 p.m. We are back in our room before we go to the 2:00 Naturalist’s talk about Hawaii’s bird life. I thought about going and laying out on a deck chair and the pool to read for a bit but decided I had better post what we have done thus far today before I forget. HA!

4:15 p.m. We are just now back from a turn around the entire ship’s desk after attending the bird lecture which turned out to be watching the movie “UP” instead. Somehow we messed up the timing and was sitting there awaiting the arrival of the Naturalist when the movie started. It was real cute, and we have no idea why it was rated PG.

Anyway, we are back in our stateroom to catch up on news, sit on our balcony in the late afternoon sunshine, and prepare for dinner a little later on. We have had a glorious day and thank the Lord for His gracious blessings upon our trip this far.

Everyone take care and we’ll hopefully be back with a post tomorrow which will be our last full day at sea as we arrive in Hilo on Friday morning at 8:00 a.m.

Love to all~~

Tuesday Night Update ~~ March 2

Tuesday Mid-Day/Evening Update ~ March 2

PRINTED IN OUR TUESDAY MORNING “PRINCESS PATTER” FROM THE NAVIGATOR: On Monday morning, due to an extended low pressure system in the north Pacific moving East towards the west coast of the United States, our course was altered to the South West to minimize the rolling and pitching movements caused by adverse weather conditions. Then throughout the day on Monday, as soon as the atmospheric pressure rose, the wind and swell reduced. Golden Princess resumed her west south westerly track towards the Hawaiian islands navigating in deep waters with a depth of 5000 meters (15,240) feet. On Monday afternoon we passed over what is called “Fracture Zones.” These zones are characterized by rugged escarpments, great seamounts, and very deep trenches which are caused by friction created when the tectonic plates that comprise of the Latin’s crust move against each other. Occasionally these plates move against each other generating submarine volcanoes. Interestingly, the Hawaiian Islands themselves are exposed peaks of a great chain of dormant or active volcanoes.

As of 5:00 p.m. PST on Tuesday Evening: Our sailing trip has gone as follows:
Distance sailed from LA since Sunday evening: 928 miles
Remaining distance to Hilo (arriving on Friday morning): 1,217 miles

Funny Anecdote: I was on the balcony at one point today when all of a sudden I heard a lady next-door (I had never seen nor heard a neighbor up to that point) yell out: “Look at the WHALES!!!!!!!!!!” I was sitting in my deck chair but popped up to look over the railing and then yelled, “Where’s a whale?” She stuck her head over the railing and around the corner to say, “SWELLS. Look at the swells!” (My family and close friends will “appreciate” my faux pas.)

Tuesday Update:
We have had a real good day on the ship. Here’s a run down of what has filled our hours:

6:00 a.m. Woke up and got ready for our day.

7:00 a.m. We left our stateroom to grab a light breakfast at the Horizon Buffet. It is located on our deck and is so convenient. I ate one small banana pancake, one small Belgian waffle, and an assortment of fresh fruit. It was delicious!

We returned to our room after breakfast. Richard got online and downloaded my emails so I can read them and answer them offline. (Feel free to email us a note. We are enjoying hearing from family and friends back home. Long4heaven@cox.net. While online, I was also able to post an update on the blog. I have pics to share but need to figure out how to resize them so I can post them faster and so when enlarged for viewing, they aren’t too large. (Thanks to Robin for the tips she shared and to Richard who helped me to figure out how to do it!)

8:30 a.m. We went to the Princess Theater to get a good seat for the lecture we wanted to attend. It turned out that we were the first ones in the theater and we got great mid-theater seas in the center section. A woman came in and began top set up her camera equipment to video the lecture. I figured she works for the ship. While Richard was out to get our coke cups filled, the lecture speaker, John Maxtone-Graham, came in and came over to speak to the woman photographer. When they were finished talking, I asked Mr. Graham if I could take a picture of him. He asked that I give my camera to the photographer and let her snap a pic of us together. So, that’s what we did. If you see a pic of me with a strange man, it is that picture. He was so very gracious.

Just before the lecture was to begin, a man came in and joined the lady photographer with a camera of his own. Early on in the lecture, Mr. Graham noted that his son and daughter-in-law were in attendance and were videoing the event. That’s who our “neighbors” were in our row. We chatted with the son after the lecture. His name is Ian. He and his wife reside in LA. He was so very cordial and asked us our names and called us by name. Very well bred if you know what I mean.



Mr. Graham gave a wonderful lecture entitled, “TITANIC SURVIVOR.” He shared some griping tales about that incredible “night to remember” stories. Back in the 60’s and 70’s, he interviewed three survivors of the Titanic; 2 crew members and one passenger. The passenger was Edith Rosenbaum (who later married and became a Russell.) She had never been interviewed before and was thrilled to share her remembered experience with Mr. Graham.

He also talked about Violet Jessup, a “stewardess” on the ship whom he interviewed in 1970. Her story also was amazing. And he told the Titanic story of James Bissett. I want to look up each of these on the internet to see what I can learn.

10:00 a.m. The Captain came on over the ship’s system to update us on the weather. He said that since last night, our weather isn’t quite as dynamic and that we are back on our scheduled course but that there are still some large swells and to use caution when moving about the ship. We are sitting in the theater so aren’t bothered with the rolling of the ship.

10:05 a.m. We attended the cruise director’s seminar on Island Oahu and the city of Honolulu in particular since that will be our Saturday port of call. It was very informative and interesting. We didn’t get out of there in time to go watch the fruit and veggies carved and the flower arrangement demonstration. No big deal.

11:00 a.m. We caught an early and light lunch so that we can enjoy afternoon at 4:00 this afternoon. We will attend the formal dinner this evening probably at 7:00.

12:00 Noon The sun is glorious this afternoon so we sat out on the upper deck of the pool and soaked some up some rays while basking in the warm sunshine. The Captain came on to update us on the weather. It is 68 degrees and we are experiencing 30’ swells. We feel them, especially when walking, but they haven’t made us feel bad in the least. We thank the Lord for blessing us with folks who are praying for us and for the wonderful medicine called Dramamine. The captain said we have some 1350 miles to go before we reach Hilo on Friday. Thankfully, we are thoroughly enjoying the long voyage. (We are traveling at about 25 miles per hour. Doesn’t that sound every so slow? It’s not as slow on water as it is on land!)

1:30 p.m. We have been running around since we got up at 6:00 a.m. so are in our cabin for a bit of rest time.

2:00 p.m. Rest time didn’t last long as we remembered that we wanted to attend the Naturalist’s talk about the Hawaiian volcanoes. It was very interesting. The “Ball Room Dance Class” was next on the agenda in that area so we stayed put and watched some two dozen couples learn to do the Cha-Cha. I was tempted to ask Richard to go up there with me, but GRACIOUS… I have enough trouble walking without tripping on my own two feet so decided I had better leave well enough alone. We enjoyed watching from the peanut gallery.

3:30 p.m. We went to “Afternoon Tea” and had a delightful conversation with a sweet little couple from Wisconsin. Tom is a retired Lawyer and Kit is a retired real estate agent. They were both married for many years to their first spouses who passed away. They met and have been married for 10 years. They were as cute as could be and we enjoyed their company. We were the last 4 people to leave “Afternoon Tea.”

4:30 p.m. We stopped by the gift shop and then came on back to our cabin to rest a bit before the formal dinner at 7:00. Afterwards, we are going to one of the lounges to hear a “virtuoso” musician. You’ll never guess what instrument. Harmonica? Doesn’t that sound delightful? If we don’t like it, we can always leave and “come home” early.

5:30 p.m. We are back in our room catching up on Fox News (Richard), typing emails and blog entries (Susan), and resting a bit before we get all dressed up for our formal Captain’s Dinner at 7:00.

PRAYER REQUEST: I had an opportunity to witness to a 76-year-old lady (JANET) and her 55-year-old daughter (SADIA) from England. The Lord opened the door so that I was able to ask if they had assurance of Heaven were they to die tonight. They both said “no.” I began to witness the gospel to them. They were very resistant to it because Sadia came down with Chron’s Disease at age 9 and has had a very difficult life with her physical problems. They both blame God for Sadia’s illness and can’t get past the fact that HE let her, as a little girl, be so sick and to suffer so much for all of these years. Anyway, I haven’t seen them again but would appreciate your prayers for them that someone would come along and witness to them when their hearts would be receptive to hear the truth of the gospel and to receive Christ.

7:00 p.m. We have determined that we aren’t hungry so aren’t going to dress up for dinner tonight and are going to hang out in our room. This will help to off-set the scones we had with our tea this afternoon. Signing off for today!

SAILING ON~~ Tuesday, 3/2

CONTINUATION of Monday, 3/1

We enjoyed a nice dinner which lasted 90 minutes. Those nice “sit-down” dinners are served in courses and definitely stretch out the meal. I had salmon, veggies and a salad for dinner (shrimp cocktail for the appetizer) but splurged on dessert tonight and ordered the “Hawaiian” banana ice cream with macadamia nut dish. Richard ordered the same and we SHOULD have ordered just one and shared. But ALAS, we didn’t do that and each at the whole thing. Made me thankful that I had skipped the sweets all day long. I would have to skip them all week to make up for that one dessert but don’t imagine that will happen. I’ll just have to be more careful from here on out.

After dinner, we went to the Princess Theater for the 8:30 show. It was just too racy for us (skimpy dress and raunchy dance moves) so we quickly exited the theater. Returned to our room to read, catch up on Fox News, and went to sleep around 10:00.

STILL SAILING AND GOING STRONG, Tuesday March 2

We woke up at 3:00 which was 6:00 your time so prayed for you all as you were getting up and ready for your day. We are gaining (going backwards in time) an hour each day due to crossing the time zones. Isn't that cool? It's nice to be gaining them going out and then will nice to lose hours as we return home so we will get there quicker. :)

6:00 a.m. Awake and up! Boy, the gentle rocking of the boat is so good for sleeping but makes it hard for walking. Now I know what a drunk must feel like. It's not THAT bad but even a little sway disrupts your equilibrium, I guess. I heard 3 or 4 folks yesterday saying they were feeling queasy so guess our Dramamine is working just fine as we haven't had ANY of that. PTL!!!

9:00 We are going to hear a lecture this morning from a man who interviewed the last survivor of the Titanic. So we are up a bit early (got up at 6:00) so we can go catch breakfast before we go to that lecture.

At 10:00, we will attend the Port Talk on O'Ahu as cruise director David introduces us to Nawiliwili and then he will tell us all about the different shore excursions there.

At 10:30, we are going to the demonstration to watch the ship's culinary artists turn fruits and vegetables into works of art and the florist will create an award winning arrangement.

At 2:00, we plan to attend the Naturalist talk about Hawaii's Fire and Ice: Volcanoes.

One day at 2:00, I need to attend the class where you make a beautiful lei from fresh orchids. Some ladies were sporting them yesterday, and they are beautiful and last 2 weeks (so they said!).

Tonight is our first formal dinner. WE get to gussie up and enjoy a fine feast. I am hoping for some prawns on the menu. I haven't had prawns in nearly 2 years~~ when we were introduced to them on our Alaskan cruise that we so much enjoyed with our friends John and Jeanette.

There is tons of other stuff (pages of activities are listed in the Princess Patter (daily paper) so you can pick and choose. You know they HAVE to keep the passengers busy during this long of a voyage so that we don't become restless. HA!

It's a beautiful early morning on the Pacific and should have a high of 65 today. Still looking forward to those low 80s on the islands Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday!

We hope you have a wonderful day!

P.S. Just hearing this on the ship channel on TV: there is no jet stream in the Pacific like there is in the Atlantic so that's why Pacific is some 30 degrees colder than the Atlantic. He said we will have warmer weather tomorrow and each day thereafter. YAY!!!

Monday On the Pacific ~~ 3/1

SAILING ALONG ~~ Monday, March 1

What a memorable start to March 2010~~ steaming through the Pacific toward Hawaii. We had a wonderful night’s sleep as the ship listed (is that term correct, John?) from one side to the other. Sleeping in a free-flow waterbed for the past 25 years seems to have prepared us for the ship’s motion. Anyway… here’s a snapshot of our past 24 hours:

Sunday, February 28:

11:30: Checked out of our Marriott Room and waiting to board the bus to the ship. Spent time on the internet while waiting, so the time passed quickly.

12:55: Boarded bus #3 and headed to the ship. The route to the ship took us on THE 405, which is quite well known.

2:00: Made the bus trip, checked in at the princess desk at the pier, onboard the ship, and in our room. Very nice and love the balcony!

2:30: Went to the Horizons Buffet to catch a late lunch. During the meal, we met three other couples who were from Florida, Massachusetts, and Ohio.

3:30: The mandatory muster drill.

3:55 Back in our room to await our Sail-Away and enjoy our evening. (We weren’t hungry so never went out for dinner.) The wave action lulled us to sleep.

Monday, March 1

5:45 a.m. AWAKE! We studied the day’s PRINCESS PATTER to make some plans for our day.

7:30 a.m. BREAKFAST! We went to the Donatello Restaurant for a delicious breakfast. We both had a “Caribbean” pineapple ring filled with tropical fruits and topped with yogurt with an Eggbeater omelet. See, girls… I’m trying to pace my eating so that I don’t myself in. HA! (We had the 2:00 lunch on Sunday and didn’t have dinner so this was the first bite of food I had eaten since 2:00 p.m. YAY!) At breakfast, we met a nice couple (Duke and Carol (couple from Iowa) and then Janet and her daughter Sadia from England. (Janet is 76 and her daughter is 53.) All were nice breakfast company.

9:00 a.m. We headed to the Princess Theater for a lecture given by John Maxtone-Graham. It was a very good talk about life aboard the great North Atlantic liners of the past. He was a good speaker ,and it was very interesting with the pictures and drawings shown throughout.
After that talk, we stayed for the “Port Talk” by our Cruise Director David Cole. He introduced us to our first port-of-call: Hilo. It was very interesting and gave us great pointers on what to see and do when we arrive in Hilo on Friday.

10:00 a.m. The Captain came over the ship wide PA system to let us know that there is a low pressure area that is affecting us and that with the strong wind and high waves, the ship will pitch and roll for the next hour. We were in the Princess Theater during that hour so didn’t feel anything more than the “rolling” we have felt since sailing out last night. The Dramamine seems to be working just fine!!!! (Please keep praying!)

11:30 a.m. We returned to our room for a while before lunch. I am enjoying typing for the blog.
WEATHER: I was very overcast when we woke up and through the morning but just now, the sun is breaking through the clouds. Our balcony door is open so that we can enjoy the sight and sound of the ocean and wind as the boat steams through the water. We are beginning to think a bit about lunch, but we want to pace ourselves so that we can enjoy afternoon tea at 4:00. (I really am trying to stay on program, Jennifer. Please pray for me regarding that, okay?)
We hope that some family and friends have emailed us when I am able to read the emails that we down-loaded. I will be able to reply so feel free to email us at long4heaven@cox.net to let us hear your news. (I won’t reply to comments on the blog but will enjoy reading them for sure.)
By the way, we have FOX NEWS on the ship so thank the Lord we are able to stay abreast of the news in a fair and balanced way.

Posting this with much love to all of our family and to our friends and with a special “shout out” to Brian, Amy, Jarrett, Isabella, Josh, Jaden and to Chip: We love and miss you and wish you were all here with us!