Day 32 - Woodland, CA to Portland, OR

The title for today was to have been "Day 32 - Woodland, California to Redmond, Oregon", however it wasn't to be.

The day started out pretty much normal. After a good breakfast at the Blackbear Diner we headed north on Interstate 5. Checking the Weather App along the way, we became more and more concerned about the conditions near home. Snow was in the forecast over the passes and here we are in another rental car without winter tires. This day was beginning to sound a lot like day one when we spent hours and hours on a detour around the slides on Interstate 5. Anyway hours later we decided the smart thing to do was overnight in Portland and then try to get home the next day. We found a hotel, a meal and are now heading off to sleep, hoping we will get out of here tomorrow morning.

I tired, that's all.

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Day 32 - Portland, OR

Today we were to be home. So much for the well laid plans. Up at 5:30 AM and checking the weather on our route home. CalTrans - severe high winds. ODOT - severe high winds. NOAA - sever high winds. Sounds like it might be windy.

At breakfast I check some of the road cams. Doesn't look so good on Highway 97. Since all routes lead to Weed, California we head there first. Rain most of the way and temperature drops to 31°. We decide 97 is out and continue on Interstate 5. On the way up to Siskiyou Summit it starts to snow. I'm not driving my Jeep. I'm not driving my AWD Ford. I'm driving FWD rental car. After some careful driving we are in Ashland.

Too much snow in the passes means we spend a night in Portland and the head home through The Dalles tomorrow. Ten plus hour drive today and I'm tired.

Had rain today. Had snow today. Had hail today. Didn't have any wind, severe or otherwise.
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Day 31 - Disembark and Woodland, CA

When the alarm went off at 6:00 I took a quick look outside and found we were already at the pier. Early. We headed down for a pastry and coffee and then back to the cabin to find those forgotten items.

By 8:00 we were down with our group ready to walk off. It is really amazing how many bags some people will try to maneuver. Anyway, disembarkation went smoothly and we zipped through customs. Having an honest face works wonders.

We were down at the Enterprise pickup spot at 8:05 and not seeing their van I called. During the week they open at 8:00. Saturday's it 9:00. Can you believe that? Cruise ship docks at 6:00, passengers start off at 8:00 and they don't open till 9:00. The people waiting with us didn't understand it either.

Rest of the day was just driving. Good amount of traffic until we got out of LA and the Grapevine had been cleared of everything looking like a slide. Once down in the valley there was a heavy brown layer from horizon to horizon. And it smelled bad. No idea what it was.

Stopped for a quick lunch in Buttonwillow and gas a short time later. Right now we are sitting in a Hampton Inn in Woodland, CA. Dinner was at Red Robin and breakfast tomorrow will be Black Bear.

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Day 30 - At Sea

Up just before 7:00 to a pretty nice morning. Partly cloudy, no whitecaps in sight and 367 miles to go. Breakfast at Horizon Court and then down for coffee.

Back in our cabin it was time to pack, so out came the suitcases and in about 45 minutes the deed was done. After a short walkabout we hit the books, Barb in the sun and me in the shade. Dickens is a somewhat uneasy read because it's difficult to find a period. Sentences drag on through multiple commas, colons, semi-colons and an occasional dash before ending. I counted 73 words in one sentence and wager it's not is shortest.

After lunch in the Di Vinci dining room Barb retired to the balcony with a glass of wine. When a little shade appeared I filled my glass and joined her. It's the first day weather permitted this since leaving Tahiti.

Big lunch so we skipped dinner. Later in evening we arraigned a first time meeting with a couple who are friends of our Redmond CPA. About a half hour into our conversation we identified that we were two of four couples that shared the van tour in Apia. Small world.

Up early tomorrow so off to bed early tonight.
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Aboard the Crown Princess

031° 41' North
118° 13' West

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Day 29 - At Sea

Rough night. Lot of movement, lot of noise. Somewhere around midnight there was a terrific bang that had both of us instantly sitting up. Barb was ready to head to our muster station, but a quick look outside found the ship was motoring along just fine through significant whitecaps. Of course incidents such as this serve to magnify in the mind further sounds and movement.

We were up early to get the laundry started and then off for a pastry and coffee. By 7:30 everything was folded, put away and ready to be packed tomorrow. Last night we received our Express Walk Off ticket. I had turned in our disembarkation request form as soon as it hit our mailbox and was rewarded by being placed in the first of forty-five groups to leave the ship. Also completed the Customs Declaration form, so I think we are ready to go.

By this morning's GPS reading we have 805 nautical miles to go.

Having finished the Clancy novel I'm now full time into Charles Dickens and "Great Expectations", which was a free download from iTunes. I don't know why it was free. Perhaps an attempt to bring a Dickens classic to a larger audience. Perhaps because no one would pay for it.

Lunch today was the British Style Pub Lunch. I was hoping for Bangers and Mash, but it was not to be and I joined Barb for the Fish and Chips. With each of our three Pub meals I've had a Guinness and with each I have wondered "What is the Guinness Widget" and "What is it doing in the can." Well, the answer on the first question is its a small, hollow plastic ball. The answer to the second question is a bit more complicated, but the short version is it involves nitrogen and producing an optimal head.

After getting up at 4:45 this morning it's no surprise we were ready for a two hour nap after lunch. Then, with only one day left, it was time to open the last bottle of Pinot Gris. We will finish it off tomorrow while packing.

After a big lunch we passed on dinner and spent the night reading and watching FOX News.
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Aboard the Crown Princess

024° 43' North
123° 30' West

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Day 28 - At Sea

Interesting night. Lots of rocking and rolling, slapping of waves against the hull and noises which came from I don't know where. The few times I looked out during the night, ship's lights illuminated a sea of whitecaps. Nice sunrise, but by 7:30 it was mostly cloudy. By this morning's GPS reading, we have 1,218 miles to go.

Today is Veteran's Day, and we would like to take this time to say Thank You to all those who served in the military and thanks for protecting our freedoms. We would like to especially acknowledge the veterans in our immediate family who have served our country: Robert C. Houston, deceased Gary H. Houston, deceased Odell Homsley, deceased Bob Houston Don Homsley Loretta Farnum Jeff Gabel

International Cafe is becoming a morning habit. Convenient, decent breakfast sandwich, good coffee and plenty of seating at 6:30 AM. A short walk around decks six and seven had Barb searching for her missing sea legs.

Well, this is day 26. Hard to believe we have been living on the Crown Princess for nearly a month and in five days we will be back to real life. What? Have to make our own bed and cook our own food? No chocolates on the bed every night? No room service? Bummer. Truth is I think we will both will be happy to be back home to the real life. And there are Christmas lights to be put up.

Around 9:30 we took a little walk about and in the process purchased a shirt and Jasmine soap for Barb, as well as additional DayQuill Severe for me. After a short nap we ordered sandwiches for lunch followed by a rerun of Iron Chef.

Afternoon weather deteriorated. Whitecaps and swells continued to dominate the landscape, with gray skies and occasional light rain. No better time to relax, read and watch the discovery channel.

A quick dinner at the Horizon Court included a broadcast by the Captain about the 55 knot winds and 3 meter swells. He advised us to use handrails where available, exercise caution if venturing out onto a balcony and finished by assuring us we were all safe. Back in our cabin chocolates were in place on the bed and our steward left a note reminding us that clocks must be reset tonight. Tomorrow we will finally be back on Redmond time. And it will also be housekeeping day, which means getting up early to secure a washing machine before heading down for coffee.
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Aboard the Crown Princess

018° 45' North
127° 38' West

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Day 27 - At Sea

I was up at 5:15 and finally able to get Sunday's posting uploaded along with downloading 68 emails. This internet thing is a real bummer.

Huge rainstorm off to starboard completely blocked what might have been a nice sunrise. Actually any sunrise at sea seen from the balcony of D205 is not just a nice sunrise but a great sunrise. It was the International Cafe again for breakfast and coffee, but this time we managed to avoid the Future Cruise kiosk.

Our mini-suite manages to contain 2 flat screen TV's, 2 thermostats, a small refrigerator, a full size couch, small table with chair and 15 switches operating 18 lights. There is a good size area to hang clothes, shelves to store clothes and a safe for valuables. The balcony has 2 chaise lounge with foot rests, small table and a recently refurbished wood railing. The couch opens into a bed and there is some sort of bed that drops down from the overhead, entry to which is by ladder found tucked away with the coat hangers.

Barb finished her first true crime paperback yesterday and just started a new one, while I'm about halfway through what I though was my last e-book. Looking a little more carefully I found an unread copy of Great Expectations, so now alternating between Tom Clancy and Charles Dickens.

Barb skipped lunch today, while I brought an all beef hotdog and beer back to the cabin. I'm getting kinda attached to Blue Moon beer, brewed in Golden, Colorado and served with a slice of orange. It's a suitable substitute for a filtered wheat beer.

Not much in the Princess Patter for today. The "Body Parts Trivia Challenge" could prove interesting and there's a "Remembering the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" presentation by a fellow passenger. Think I'll pass.

Neither of us are feeling great at the moment. I've got a little tickle in the throat and cough, while Barb is suffering a case of whitecaps and swells. Think we will head down and see what OTC medications are available.

Three days to go.
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Aboard the Crown Princess

012° 08' North
131° 50' Westest

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Day 26 - At Sea

As a sign the cruise was about to end we filled out the disembarkation questionnaire and as usual selected walk off carrying our luggage. A lot quicker than waiting for the ship to unload and searching for our bags. If off the ship early enough we will head for either Sacramento or Redding and then home the next day. Otherwise we spend the afternoon at the Reagan Library and take two nights to get home. I'm partial to option one, as I can drive from Redding to Mt. Shasta for breakfast at the Black Bear.

Kinda cloudy to start the day and looks like it rained overnight, but by 9:30 it was sunny and getting hot. Too hot for Barb, who loves hot, to sit on the balcony and read. Heading Northeast we have sun in the morning, but by Happy Hour we're in the shade.

Breakfast at De Vinci was ok and then we found a table in the Atrium for mocha and coffee. And what follows coffee? The Future Cruise Kiosk, of course, and today it was Land and Sea Vacations. Barb became instantly attracted to the 22 day Europe's Imperial Treasures.

Not much happened today. A little rain in the afternoon and at 2:30 alarms went off as the ship started a one hour emergency drill. First up was a fire on deck 2 in the forward thruster area followed by an exercise for lifeboat crews.

Had another great dinner at the Crown Grill that included a bottle of Columbia Valley Merlot. Only four days left. Hard to believe 25 days have gone by already.
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Aboard the Crown Princess

006° 46' North
135° 04' West

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Day 25 - At Sea

Well, another great morning at sea. According to the Patter it will be 86° for the next few days. At 7:12 this morning the GPS put us at 1° 54' South, so we would be crossing the equator later today. Breakfast was in our cabin and then it was off to get decent coffee. I did manage to get yesterday's blog posting uploaded about 7:30. I think fewer users early in the morning makes a difference.

I continue to make progress stretching out my last book, finishing 476 of 1,224 pages. I've taken to mixing movies and music into my day to stay within 125 pages a day. Got through Napoleon Dynamite in two days and now about half way through Nebraska. I do have one other book "How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It", but I'm having too much fun to get into kind of stuff right now.

After coffee we headed for the Future Cruise kiosk and checked out cruises around Australia. Must be popular as some are practically sold out a year in advance. So now we have the Caribbean and Australia on our possibles list. I expect Barb to add the Mediterranean before this is all over.

Making a buck
It won't come as a surprise to anyone who has cruised that cruise ships are out to make a buck. The key to siphoning away our hard earned bucks is the Cruise Card. Its obvious use is entry into our cabin and it keeps track of us when we leave and board the ship. But beyond that there is this thing about no cash transactions on the ship. Everything is on the card. Want a designer coffee? Use the card. Want that Crown Princess t-shirt? Use the card. Want a specialty dinner? Use the card. Even a beer? Yup, use the card. No need to check your wallet and see the cash disappearing, just use the card. Of course it all comes to an end when the ship transfers all those charges from the Cruise Card to your Visa.

Life at sea III
Continuing yesterday's personal care theme we have The Celebrity Cellulite Cure, All About Eyes, Skin Care Secrets and Acupuncture Live Demonstration. Among today's Princess Picks "Trouble in Paradise - Natural Disasters of the Pacific" stands out. My Personal Pick is the Spelling Bee Challenge.

Ok, enough of the ship stuff.

At 2:48 PM we crossed the equator back to the Northern Hemisphere and have about 2,326 miles left to LA. I'm hoping over the next few days temperatures will cool, but I'll settle for less humidity in the meantime.

I'm afraid time is just about up for Barb to see dolphins. Loretta: reminds me of you and the whales! I was hoping for flying fish mostly because she doesn't believe they exist, but it looks like that won't happen either.

00°00'00.0" - Right on the Equator ______________________

Aboard the Crown Princess

000° 37' North
138° 39' West

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Day 24 - At Sea

Woke up to a bright sunny day. Blue water, blue sky, a few clouds on the Eastern horizon and a gentle warm breeze. Perfect.

Today is was the International Cafe for coffee, breakfast sandwich and a better WiFi signal. WiFi in the cabins is good for one and maybe two of the three possible bars. Open the door to the passageway and you move up to two and maybe three bars. Very frustrating. I usually end up going down to deck 5 for a much stronger signal at the Internet Cafe or next door at the International Cafe. Email is hit and miss, at least for Bend Broadband.

People
It is amazing how fast the public spaces fill up on the ship. The two swimming pools I understand. Surrounded by lounge chairs on two decks, bodies are everywhere gathering in the rays. Sleeping, reading and eating are popular while acquiring the much sought after tan. My guess is most have staked their claim and are there for the day. In my opinion many of these men and women should consider alternate attire when hanging out at the pools. Likewise, the interior spaces with couches and chairs along windows facing the sea fill up fast. Dressed more modestly, these are the readers, knitters, sudoku specialists, crossword experts, occasional sleepers and those who dropped $400 on an iPad to play solitaire. They too appear to have claimed their territory and are there for the duration. Interior space away from windows is the domain of serious competition. Here you find canasta, cribbage, dominos, scrabble, mahjong and more. All in all there is something for everyone, including us who are happy just to hang out in our cabin or relax on the balcony. As far as we are concerned watching the world go by is an activity.

GPS
As I do on most cruises I brought along my handy dandy Garmin Legend Cx GPS. Pocket size with easy to read color screen and a multitude of functions, it's only drawback is the rate at which it will devour batteries if I forget to turn it off. Although only having detailed maps of the Lower 48, it does show all land masses around the world, including islands in the South Pacific. What I do is lay down a waypoint several times a day. This shows up as a little flag symbol on the map and these all become a track of where we went. Once home I can download all the waypoints. I'm now using the GPS Goto function to take us back to the first waypoint in San Pedro, which at the moment is 2834.8 nautical miles to the Northeast. Just something to keep me busy.

Life at sea II
Personal care is big today with Zumba Fitness, Walk-in Foot Print Clinic, Liquid Facelift and Natural Relief for Arthritis all showing up in the Princess Patter. Today's Enrichment Lecture is "French Aviation Through World War I." I don't recall much about the French being at the forefront of aviation, but this is a Princess Pick so who knows. My Personal Pick is the Crab Sorting Competition at Neptune's Reef & Pool.

As part of our life at sea we headed out to the balcony before dinner and finished off a bottle of King Estates Pinot Gris, the first of two we were allowed to bring onboard. Just to be clear, we finished off the last or bottom half of the bottle.

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Aboard the Crown Princess

005° 57' South
142° 42' West

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Day 23 - At Sea

First of eight sea days. Slept in late and woke to a gray rainy morning. Tried the Da Vinci dining room for breakfast and it turned out pretty good. The smoked salmon with capers, red onion and tomato was excellent, however the coffee was not. So it was a mocha and another attempt to upload Thursday's post. Mocha was great, but for some reason couldn't get on the Google server.

Life at sea
So what's there to do on the ship at sea? Well, here are some of the 75 activities listed in today's Princess Patter, otherwise known as "Your daily guide to life at sea." Knitters and Natters Get-Together, Croquet Challenge, Morning Trivia Challenge, Designer Watch Event, Ukulele Music Class, Hula Dance Class, Ping Pong Challenge and for the night owls there's Dance the Night Away with DJ Jamie. How well do you know your spouse? Sign up for The Marriage Match, it's a Princess Pick. With only six Princess Picks today, this should be a significant event.

The Dining Guide lists twelve establishments serving food and ten serving adult beverages, so no one should ever go hungry or thirsty. Add the boutiques, casino, spa and salon, library, fitness center and medical center (if necessary) and there should never be a dull moment.

Money
Our first stop outside the U.S. was Western Samoa, which is an independent country with their own currency the Tala. The exchange rate looks to be about 2.52 Tala for 1 Dollar. I traded five bucks for one ten Tala bill and several coins. Issued by the Central Back, the bill is very colorful with South Pacific scenes. Bora Bora, Moorea and Tahiti all used the Polynesian French Franc, rather than the Euro. Exchange rate seems to vary between 90 and 100 Francs for 1 Dollar depending on where you shop. Prices can be a little intimidating until you remember to drop off the last two digits. So, the 50,000 Franc pearl ear rings become 500 dollars and the then duty free price is even less. Most places don't give the U.S. Dollar in change, so I'm taking home a few too many Francs. If for some reason you need Francs I have a very favorable exchange rate. As with the Tala, the Polynesian Francs are very colorful, sporting stingrays, turtles and birds.

Cars
Downtown Papeete was a jungle of cars. There were a few Fords, a couple of Chevys and even one Dodge pickup, but the majority were Peugeot, Renault, Hyundai, Suzuki and a dozen so I didn't recognize. Nearly all are small and most are stick shift. With all fuels being imported I suppose small fuel efficient engines rule the day. We were told by our guide that Polynesian drivers were very courteous and this proved true. No matter how fast and seemly out of control they drove they always stopped when we wanted to cross a street. And they actually signal at traffic circles, something drivers at home could try on occasion.

I'm about a third of the way through my last book and there is no way I can stretch it out for seven more days. I'm fortunate to have some movies and fly fishing videos on the iPad, as the ship's library is lacking.

Well, that's about it for today.
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Aboard the Crown Princess

011° 40' South
146° 20' West

Posted by iPad Air 2

Day 22 - Papeete, French Polynesia

Had to meet our excursion group at 7:45, so we were up early and down to the International Cafe by 7:00 for a breakfast sandwich and coffee. Once off the ship we joined hundreds of other passengers boarding tour busses and heading for various parts of Tahiti. Our tour took us on a drive along the east coast and then back to Papeete.

We started with a stop at the James Norman Hall museum. Ever heard of him? Neither had we. Born in Colfax, Iowa, it turns out he was a pretty interesting guy. During WWI he fought for the British, French and Americans. As an American he couldn't join the British army, so he claimed he was Canadian. Later he went to France and was one of the 38 founding members of the Escadrille Lafayette. Finally he joined the American Army Air Corps. Landing in Tahiti he began writing adventure stories, many set in the South Pacific. His son was in the Hollywood movie business winning three Oscars, including one for Butch Cassidy And The Sun Dance Kid.

Next stop was Point Venus, which has a black sand beach considered to be the most popular on the island. I don't know about popular, but I have learned a few things about sand. Black sand comes from black volcanic rock broken down by years and years and years of pounding waves. In the South Pacific some of the white sand beaches come from fish eating coral and pooping out white sand. I know what you are thinking, but it needed to be said. Anyway, Point Venus is so named as it was where explorer James Cook brought his astronomer to track the transit of Venus across the sun.

The Blow Hole didn't live up to it's reputation, blowing out a lot of air but no water. The noise was pretty impressive as were the waves crashing nearby.

The view from One Tree Hill of Matavai Bay was pretty impressive. This is the bay where the Marlon Brando version of Mutiny On The Bounty was filmed and from there we could see our favorite island Moorea 13 miles away. It is said that at one time One Tree Hill had one tree. Not now though. The hill is a sea of green.

A Monument of Captain Bligh and Tomb of Pomare V gave us a chance to leave the bus for a little walk about.

Once in town I was amazed at how our driver could maneuver the bus in all the traffic. Our last stop gave us a walk through of the parliament building and nearby grounds, where the last Tahitian Queen bathed in a large pool now filled with koi.

After the bus dropped us off we went back aboard ship for a short rest stop and then it was back to town for lunch and shopping. Papeete is easily the biggest town since Honolulu and begins right at the pier, so both objectives were nearby. But first we grabbed a sidewalk table at Le Retro for a pair of Hinano beers. Later when checking restaurants we found menu options were in French and prices seemed a little on the high side. Like 25 bucks for a salad. Since we couldn't find any English friendly menus shopping moved up the to do list.

After a little back and forth Barb eventually settled on a black pearl necklace. I know black pearls wasn't supposed to happen, but once Barb saw "the" necklace, that was it. Actually the pearl thing is pretty interesting. Native divers harvest small oysters, hanging them in nets while they grow. Later Japanese specialists carefully insert the core to start the pearl and two to four years later voilà a pearl.

Unfortunately it was time to leave South Pacific and board the ship for our journey back to LA. We will always remember the beautiful Islands and plan to return .

We were back aboard and having lunch about 2:00. At about 5:00 the ship pulled away from the pier headed generally Northwest toward Los Angeles. Yup it's over except for the eight sea days ahead, which will be our time to really relax before getting back to everyday life.

Barb at one of the black sand beaches

It's Hinano Time ______________________

Aboard the Crown Princess

017° 33' South
149° 33' West

Posted from my iPad 2 Air

Day 21 - Morrea, French Polynesia

It was cloudy and rainy as we entered d'Opunohu Bay in Moorea and dropped anchor. How come it rains on all these islands? Oh well, we should be getting use to it by now.

Breakfast was the usual cold cereal, orange juice and coffee, followed by a coffee at the International Cafe. 10:15 saw us joining our group to board a tender and begin our five hour adventure. Once ashore we boarded a water taxi for a half hour ride out to a coral motu, which is a little island about the size of two or three city blocks. No pier here, the boat got as close as it could and then we waded ashore. Fortunately I wore swimming trunks.

The island is all sand with lots of coconut and other shade trees, tables, chairs restrooms. By this time the rain had stopped and the sun came out. Our excursion included a BBQ lunch and adult beverage, which was our first activity. After that I was in the water. You wouldn't believe how beautiful the water is!

First I joined a group watching stingrays. These guys had wing spans of about three feet and in knee deep water would swim around your feet. They don't seem to mind being touched and I thought their skin felt kinda like velvet. Schools of fish swam around me like I wasn't even there. Pretty cool! If I ever get back here I will definitely go snorkeling. The water was great; warm and clear enough to see down 12 feet or more. Finally got out, had another beer and went for another swim. All in all this was the best day of the cruise so far and if Papeete doesn't step up to the plate Moorea will take the title.

Eventually we had to head back to the ship for an early departure to Papeete, Tahiti. Dinner tonight was at the Cafe Caribe for the Mongolian stir fry.

My swimming buddies

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Aboard the Crown Princess

017° 32' South
149° 49' West

Posted by iPad 2 Air

Day 20 - Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Woke up to a gray sky and whitecaps, with rain predicted. Raisin bran and orange juice in the cabin followed by a mocha. About 8:00 the ship entered Povaie Bay through a narrow opening in the reef and at 8:52 anchors were dropped. If your cabin is forward like ours the anchor and what seems like miles of chain make a lot of noise.

Every evening we get the Princess Patter, which is the ship's newspaper. Not much use in it except for limited information on the next port/island. Today's tidbit is that there is no B in the Tahitian language and that Bora Bora should really be pronounced Pora Pora. It means First Born.

From where we where anchored we could see a resort with the grass roofed accommodations out over the water. With glass floors to see the water below, they run from $300 to over $1,000 a night. Count us in for a couple of hours.

Our excursion was to start at 12:30, so about 11:0 we headed down to catch a tender. Well, today they were handing out numbers to everyone and that number would determine when we went ashore. No problem thought I, except our number was 1,257 and they were loading 767. So I showed our excursion tickets to the officer passing people onto the tender and asked if we would make it. He let us go.

By getting that free pass we were about an hour early and that gave us time to look around the shops. Pearls. Pearls everywhere. Alaska is diamonds. Mexico/South America is emeralds. South Pacific is pearls. French Polynesia is famous for the its black pearls, which Barb will have no part of. How did I get so lucky.

The excursion was good. The tour guide was excellent. He attended high school in Richmond, California, caught a ship out of Coos Bay, Oregon in 1967 carrying lumber to French Polynesia, jumped ship in Tahiti and never looked back.

Our tour started aboard a colorfully painted "Le Truck" in the town of Valtape and wound clockwise around the island. All 22 miles. It's not a big island, but it has a number of those really neat hotels with bungalows out over the water, old deserted military installations, coconut plantations and some great beaches. The water is absolutely beautiful. It's hard to describe just how beautiful. Miles and miles of turquoise water and white sandy beaches. Our last stop was Bloody Mary's and yes I had one. We had a late lunch in town, which included a dark beer brewed in Tahiti by Hinano, before returning to the ship.

Tomorrow is Moorea.

Need to stay here someday

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Aboard the Crown Princess

016° 30' South
151° 46' West

Posted by iPad 2 Air

Day 19 - At Sea

Well, today started sooner than expected with the Hazmat Team showing up about 2:40AM. Barb didn't take her Dramamine in time and consequently was a little seasick. After two calls she convinced the medical staff it wasn't Norovirus and once everything was tidied up we slept till 8:30.

Today was to be a housekeeping day, which meant up at 5:30 and off to the laundromat. Didn't happen. By the time we got up to the Horizon Court it had started to empty out and we were able to get seated by a window. Getting a window table is a real competitive sport at the Court and being among the youngest on the ship gives us a real advantage. Of course we are no competition for the many scooters on board.

On the way back down to our cabin we stopped by the laundromat and spied an empty washing machine. That being a real prize this time of day we raced back to get our laundry bag and soap pod. Luckily the machine was still available. Unluckily the coin dispenser was empty. To run the washer and dryer you need special coins that you get from a coin dispenser using your cruise card the cost of said coins ending up on your account. So while Barb stood guard over the washer I went in search of coins. Five decks later I scored. By 11:00 laundry was done and put away, our cabin steward had worked his magic and we were ready to settle into another lazy day.

Barb didn't feel much like having lunch, so I ordered a sandwich in and then it was nap time. I'm not sure how we are going to handle this nap business once we get home.

For the time being the ocean has calmed down. No whitecaps and the swells we had yesterday and last night are almost nonexistent.

Got a little bad news on tomorrow's excursion. I thought Bloody Mary's meant we would have a Bloody Mary, but no. Seems like Bloody Mary's is a well known bar where we can purchase a Bloody Mary. Oh well.

Barb was feeling better so we had a little dinner at the Horizon Court and then back to the cabin for Dramamine. Looking forward to Bora Bora tomorrow.

Mr. C how about those Royals!
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Aboard the Crown Princess

015° 29' South
155° 43' West

Posted by iPad Air 2

Day 18 - At Sea

Up at 6:05 to cloudy skies and a morning that's not quite so hot and humid as yesterday. I'm sure we will look back on Pago Pago as our least enjoyable shore day. Then again it was no worse than some days at home.

No breakfast in our cabin today. We actually got to go out and mingle with other people while eating. Waited about a half hour for the Michelangelo dining room to open, thereby guaranteeing us a table next to a window. Only thing I will say about breakfast is we won't be going back there again. Since breakfast didn't turn out so well, we stopped by the International Cafe for a small pastry and coffee.

Every time you leave a cruise ship they want to take a photo of you with a crew member in some kind of costume. Could be anything from a pirate to a porpoise. These photos are then displayed in a gallery on the ship for searching and purchasing. Something you can look back at after ten years and think "where was I and what was I doing with the pirate?" Anyway we do our best to avoid this recording of history, but then the other day in Apia we gave in. After our makeup breakfast we checked to see if our photo was worthy investment, but the gallery wasn't open yet. I'm thinking that may be a sign.

When the steward came to make up our cabin we headed back down to the photo gallery. I did a quick count of the panels holding the photos and approximate number of photos per panel and figure there must be close to 4,900 on display. Fortunately signs to indicate the location they were taken. Anyway, we found the Apia photo with the appropriately dressed Samoan natives and it now safely in our possession.

Note to Loretta: Dolphins are as hard to find as whales. Barb is getting a little ticked that she hasn't seen any yet.

Lazy afternoon. After a light lunch it was nap time, followed by a trip down to one of the clothing stores. Seems I need a pair of flip flops. Apparently there is coral, which can do a number on your feet while swimming. We have excursions at the last three ports and it looks like two may include a chance to swim.

Well, we decided to give the Michelangelo dining room a chance at dinner and it turned out great. Barb went for the shrimp appetizer and mushroom risotto, while I opted for the shrimp cocktail and a tomato base with shrimp and scallops.

Well that's it. Tomorrow is another sea day and my goal is to organize photos.

Sunset ______________________

Aboard the Crown Princess

015° 5' South
163° 17' West

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