February 29, 2020



At Sea



I woke up at 8 to try to get on the internet.  Last night I was able to get the blog up but not the pictures.  They loaded very quickly but I could not save them.  I could not get on Cruise Critic at all.  This morning was a little better and I managed to get everything up in about an hour.  It was another case of getting on-line, trying to open a site, and then being told there was no connection.  Through the grapevine I heard that HAL had changed companies that provide the satellite connection since I was on Prinsendam last year.  We had pretty good service then, now it is just plain bad.  I think there might have been a mutiny already if we were paying by the minute (most of us have an unlimited plan).



Up to Sit and Stitch and we had a full house.  I continue working on my socks (one of four projects that I have going) because I will likely need those needles for my next project.



In morning trivia we had 12 out of 15 and the winners had 14.

1.What are the two countries that border the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere?

2.Which of the five senses is less sharp after you eat too much?

3.Which nation has 60% of the world’s tigers?

4.What does the “Q” in Q-tips stand for?

5.What is the largest feline?

6.Which witch was flattened by a house in The Wizard of Oz?



Lunch in the Lido after some work on my Linus blanket.  In Arts & Crafts we made earrings to go with the necklace we made the other day.



In afternoon trivia we had 15 out of 17 and the winners had 16.

1.What type of cheese is Emmental?

2.Which sport would you be participating in if you do a “flick-flack”?

3.In 1997 The Simpsons replaced what show as the longest running cartoon?

4.What is the plural of mongoose?

5.How many tuning pins are in the neck of a violin?



We had started having some movement and had encountered some strong winds so swimming was out.  They were even netting the Lido Pool as I walked by on the way to the back deck.  It was even too windy to sit out.



This morning I received a notice that HAL did not have a copy of my visa for Sri Lanka.  Well of course they didn’t, they never asked for it.  (This was true for almost everyone.)  So, I took my copy to Guest Services so they would have one.  Everyone I talked to had gotten a transit visa because that was what HAL told us to get in the pre-cruise paperwork.  Nobody knows if this will still be good since we now have a second port in Sri Lanka.



Tonight was another Gala Night and the theme was “Bowlers and Bumbershoots” in honor of our arrival to Commonwealth nations.  I was hoping for a HAL umbrella as our pillow gift but once again there was no gift (there is a real cutback from previous years).  The dinner was very good, however and I then went to see the second performance by Annie Frances.  She is very popular because there was a good crowd for the 9:30 show which isn’t always true.



Another sea day tomorrow.





Morning trivia

1.Argentina and Chile

2.hearing

3.India

4.quality

5.tiger

6.Wicked Witch of the East



Afternoon trivia

1.Swiss

2.gymnastics

3.The Flintstones

4.mongooses

5.4

 Dining room decorations

 Billy with his bowler

my towel animal modeling my earrings

Smooth sailing until next time!

P.S.  After bad mouthing the internet this all loaded (including pictures) in six minutes!

February 28, 2020



Nuku’Alofa, Tonga



Once again, I have taken a very good tour of this island so I decided to walk around on my own.  I had driven through the town six years ago but I wanted to see it on foot.  I left the ship at 10 and picked up a walking map.  Although I did not follow the entire route, I walked over three miles. And it was really hot!  I stopped and looked at the stalls on my way back to the ship and was back in my cabin by 11:30.



After changing into my bathing suit, I had lunch in the Lido.  I spent from 12:30 to 3:15 at the Sea View Pool.  About half of that time was in the pool and the other half sunbathing.



Debby and her husband joined Diana and me for afternoon trivia.  We had 11 out of 18 and the winners had 16.

1.Sazerac is now usually made with rye or bourbon.  What was it originally made from?

2.What was the first movie Mel Gibson produced, directed, and starred in?

3.The Sealed Knot Society re-enacts what?

4.In the TV show Hogan’s Heroes what did Sgt. Schulz know?

5.The bomb plot of 1944 failed to assassinate whom?



While we were going over the trivia answers, we sailed away from Tonga.  The Captain came over the speaker and made the announcement that we have all been expecting – a revised itinerary.  A number of ports in Asia and one in Africa (due to civil unrest) were eliminated and a few added.  The most controversial was the addition of a two-night, three-day stay in Mumbai, India.  Most of the talk afterwards dealt with two things.  The first was how unhappy everyone was that the crew would not have a chance to see their families with the cancellation of all Indonesian ports.  The second was how would we get visas for India.  The Indian visa has for many years been one of the most difficult and costly ones to get.  We will see what HAL can do to expedite the process.  (I actually have a valid visa for India – I bought a 10-year one in 2013.  Unfortunately, it is in my old passport at home.)



There was a very unusual 6:30 pm general trivia.  There were only three teams and one many playing by himself.  We had 9 out of 17 and the winners had 10.



1.What war movie did Frank Sinatra direct?

2.What is the theme song of the Harlem Globetrotters?

3.What song did Dolly Parton write as a farewell to her partner Porter Waggoner?

4.What NBA star retired for the third time on May 14, 1996?

5.What singer had top 40 hits in every year between 1970 and 1998?



After dinner I went to the show which featured an impersonator. I did not stay for the entire show (and I was not the only one).



Sea day tomorrow.

Afternoon trivia

1.Sazerac cognac

2.Braveheart

3.the English Civil War

4.nothing

5.Hitler

6:30 trivia

1.None But the Brave

2.Sweet Georgia Brown

3.I Will Always Love You

4.Magic Johnson

5.Elton John

new treasury building

Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua

Centennial Church

Royal Tombs

Centenary Church

stalls on the pier

Beautiful flowers all over

The Royal Palace

views from the deck

front and back of first notice

second notice we received

Smooth sailing until next time!

February 27, 2020



At Sea



Today became Ash Thursday since we had no Wednesday.  There was a large service in the Mainstage.



Since I could not get on line last night, I went to bed at 11:30 so I was awake at 8.  The internet was working really well again and I was able to get everything posted as well as get through some e-mails.  I also picked out a pattern for the yarn I expect to buy in Auckland.



I had to leave Sit and Stitch early because I needed to turn in my fifth Linus blanket.  I was able to get more yarn than I expected but will have to make another “stashbuster” blanket with a row or two of each color.



In morning trivia we had 13 out of 15 and the winners had 14.  We talked ourselves out of a correct answer or we could have tied.

1.”Chadao” is the art of ____________.

2.The Hugo award is given in what field?

3.Defenestration is the act of being thrown out of what?

4.”Haldi” is the Indian name for which spice?

5.What is the universal blood type?



After trivia I started on my new Linus blanket.  In Arts & Crafts we made a wooden bead necklace.  I sat out by the Lido Pool before time to go to the Crow’s Nest for afternoon trivia.  We had 12 out of 17 and the winners had 15.5.



1.In what European nation could you visit the headquarters of NATO?

2.Who averaged one patent for every three weeks of his life?

3.Which Shakespeare character speaks the most lines (1442)?

4.What is a “ruderal” to a frustrated gardener?

5.What is heaviest element that occurs naturally on earth?



The lounge chairs were back on my favorite afternoon sitting area – the back of deck 9.  I sat in the sun for about 45 minutes and worked on my knitting as well as looking out at the sea.  The sea had been beautiful and very smooth all day long with just slight ripples caused by the breeze.



When I returned to my cabin there was a note from Guest Services asking about my water situation.  After the first time the plumber came my shower water went from 10 seconds of hot, then 10 seconds of cooler, and then repeating to one minute of a fixed temperature then back to the 10 second hot/10 second cooler.  The plumber came back today and I was able to get 3 minutes fixed and then back to the 10 second hot/cool.  On my way to dinner I stopped by and told them it was getting better but still not perfect.  They said they would send the plumber back and try again.



After dinner I went to the show which was a Doo-Wop group called The Alley Cats.  They were good.



Nuku’Alofa, Tonga tomorrow.



Morning trivia

1.making tea

2.science fiction

3.window

4.tumeric

5.O-



Afternoon trivia

1.Belgium

2.Edison

3.Hamlet

4.weed

5.uranium

calm waters 

my spot on deck 9

 yarn for Linus #6

 today's necklace

The Alley Cats

Smooth sailing until next time!

February 26, 2020



Nowhere



February 26 did not exist for us as we crossed the International Date Line.



Smooth sailing until next time!

February 25, 2020



At Sea



We added another member to our Sit and Stitch group with Kathy for Sherita’s table.  Now we have the three Judys, Bonnie, Sherita, Sherry, Kathy, and me.



For morning trivia we had 11 out of 15.  Two teams tied for the win with 14.



1.What fruit is fermented to make “Perry”?

2.What city has the most famous Yonge Street?

3.”Sounder” is the term for a group of which animals?

4.How many provinces does the Netherlands have?

5.What company produced the first computer to run a Microsoft system?



I finished my fifth Linus blanket before lunch and tried to add more pictures to yesterday’s blog.  The internet was terrible.



In arts and crafts we made a pouch for the necklace we will make tomorrow.



I sat in the sun and finished my book after crafts.  I decided the water was sloshing around too much in the pool to swim this afternoon.



Debby joined us for afternoon trivia.  We had 12 out of 17 and the winners had a perfect score.

1.A praying mantis is the only insect to have only one of these.

2.What part of the population is left-handed – 5%, 7%, or 10%?

3.In what year did Monty Python’s Flying Circus debut on the BBC?

4.How many wings does a bee have?

5.What organs’ capacity is measured by a spirometer?



I tried to sit out on deck 9 overlooking the pool but they had already put away the loungers and tied them up so I came back to my cabin to battle the internet once again.  Things were slow (as usual) for the first 30 minutes and then, all of a sudden, the internet was working great.  I was able to get five pictures up in about 5 minutes, do a little research on Auckland (like the closest McDonald’s) and get rid of about 225 e-mails that had been stacking up since I could not get the e-mails to load.  I hated to have to leave to go to dinner.



Beads and masks were the order of the day in the dining room to celebrate Mardi Gras.  There was also a party up in the Crow’s Nest.



Instead of the show (a juggler) I went to the stargazing session.  Evidently people had asked for some stargazing and been told no so they mounted a protest and got it on the schedule.  There was a huge turnout (my estimate was at least a 100 people).  We made our way up to the Sky Deck which is deck 10 (although it does not show up on deck plans) right above the Crow’s Nest.  It was very windy and even with my Star Chart app, I could not find most of the stars the Third Officer was pointing out.  I did see Sirius and Orion’s Belt and maybe the Southern Cross. 



When I got back down the stairs to deck 9 I stopped in to see the Mardi Gras party.  There were quite a few people there (more than on a typical night at 10:30), the Station Band was playing, and people were dancing.



Tonight we gain an hour and lose 23 hours.  Tomorrow is a sea day.



Morning trivia

1.pears

2.Toronto

3.Wild pigs or boars

4.12

5.IBM



Afternoon trivia

1.ear

2.10%

3.1969

4.4

5.lungs

Linus blanket #5 onboard (11 total)

dining room decorated for Mardi Gras

everyone received a mask and beads

Billy, our waiter, dressed for the evening

the jewelry case we made in Arts & Crafts

P.S.  After bragging how great the internet was, last evening I could not stay on long enough to get to even one site.  Hence, the lateness of this post.  This morning is great, however.  I was able to upload my five pictures in six minutes!


Smooth sailing until next time!

February 24, 2020



Avatiu, Rarotonga, Cook Islands



I did a good tour of the island two years ago so I did not do one today.  I could not remember what the area around the tender pier was like (and I didn’t have but two pictures) so I decided I would take the tender over and refresh my memory.



Since I was in no hurry, I waited until open tendering (no tender ticket needed) which occurred at 10:15.  I went down and got on the tender and was on land by 10:35.  The reason I could not remember the area was because there was nothing special to remember.  I walked for a short time but I had no real desire to find the town so I turned around and looked at the stalls by the pier and was back in my cabin by 11:35.



After lunch in the Lido I went to the Sea View pool and was able to do 2/3 of my laps before the pool got too crowded.  I sat in the sun for awhile and read.  When there were only two in the pool, I got in and finished my laps.  The chlorine in the pool is turning my hair blue (kind of a turquoise shade).  Not sure if there is much I can do about it.



When I got out the second time, Sherita was working on her crochet.  We sat and talked while I knitted and she continued her granny square blanket.  It started to drizzle after a few minutes and we gathered our things and moved under the overhang from deck nine.  Just it time too, because we got a good downpour.



I left the pool at about 3:40 to get ready for afternoon trivia (the only one of the day).  Only Diana and I showed up so we played with the “We don’t need Google” team that sits beside us in morning trivia.  We won with 15 out of 17.

1.Who flew for 43 years without a pilot’s license?

2.How many eyes does an earthworm have?

3.What is the state flower of Alaska?

4.What color are the flowers of the dill herb?

5.Which part of a woman’s body would ancient Chinese artists refuse to paint?

6.Which planet has the longest days?



I went to the Sea View pool for the last of the sail-away party.  I sat and talked with Judy (Lee) and her husband, Rich, for some time.  She treated me to the drink special – a Blue Lagoon.



The usual four for dinner.  I did not go to the show which was the Amsterdam singers and dancers.  Once again, I think I saw the show last year.



A sea day tomorrow.



Trivia

1.Orville Wright

2.none

3.forget-me-not

4.yellow

5.feet

6.Venus

Home, sweet home

Not sure why the trash bin is in the tree

Views from the deck

Finally, got all the pictures up!

Smooth sailing until next time!