Personal Opinions After 50 Days On a Ship

• Am I homesick?  No.  I miss hugs and conversations with the people I love and I miss my shower.  And Mexican food because what HAL calls Mexican food isn't even close.  Tasty but not Mexican.
  
• People are rude.  People at home are rude too but this is a reminder why I don't want to live in a retirement community.  Passengers are mostly elderly and I'm sure many are in pain.  Some are incredibly entitled and rude.  I try to avoid those who are and to not be like them.  Please stop yelling and cursing at crew who are doing their very best to help you.  When they tell you that you and your scooter cannot get on a tender because it is dangerous for you and the crew, trust that they have your best interest at heart.  And no crew member should be put in danger because you "have" to get ashore.

• There was a loud noise in my cabin for two afternoons in a row during sea days.  I called Guest Services.  Within minutes a staff member came to my cabin and said "Oh, that is the drilling they are doing on the deck below you.  It will happen every sea day for the rest of the cruise.  But it is ok because we've told them not to do it at night or early in the morning."
  
  No, not ok.  Several hours later I got a call saying they would only be doing the drilling during port days because they had gotten so many complaints.  Hurray!
  
• Has Holland cut back services and amenities on the world cruise since I did it 19 years ago.  Yes.  And, they haven't made upgrades that they should have.  To watch a movie involves going to guest services and getting DVDs (free) and hoping they work since most are so used they skip or don't work at all.  C'mon HAL, upgrade the ship.  Including replacing the tiny bathtubs with walk in showers.
  
  Food is better than a "regular" HAL cruise, but still not what it used to be.  But there's a lot of variety and someone else shops, cooks and cleans up so I'm happy.
  
• Sickness spreads like wildfire on a ship.  Several people got on with colds and the majority of passengers got it.  I have been lucky, so far.  It does not help when people insist on being out and about because they don't want to miss anything so happily cough and sneeze their way around the ship.
  
• The HAL crew is consistently amazing.  Friendly, helpful and always there to do what is needed.  Many have worked for HAL for years (including a couple of guys I met 19 years ago on the Rotterdam) so they must be doing something right.  I was talking to a crew member about the rumor that two crew members got hurt in Easter Island.  She said that if they were hurt they'd be flown back to their home country, medical treatment paid for and would receive 3 months salary. 
  
• I've met some really lovely and interesting passengers.  I've also met a few I prefer not to spend time with (and I'm sure there are some who feel that way about me).  What's really interesting is that I'll occasionally see someone and think, "Where did they come from?  Never seen them before". 
  
• People tend to get in routines, sit at the same tables, etc.  Which is fine but please don't assume that because you typically have lunch at the same table at the Lido that it is reserved for you.  Sorry, it was vacant and we sat there.  Don't stand on the other side of the room in a huff saying "I can't believe the nerve.  They KNOW that's our table."  A.  I didn't KNOW and B. No, I'm not moving.  There's an empty table right next to where I'm eating.  Sit there and be nice.
  
• One woman told me that another woman had a complaint lodged against her with casino management because she was "too loud and too happy.  She must be on drugs because no one is that happy all the time."

February 22, 2020 - Day 50 - Papeete Tahiti and Catching up on the Pacific Crossing

I can't believe I've been cruising for fifty days.  It is so different than being on a short cruise.  It's more like moving to a new, small town, where you are treated like royalty and the town happens to move.

The days tend to blur together, especially when you have a stretch of sea days.  Conversations often include phrases like "Yesterday...or maybe it was the day before.  Or was it last week?  Anyway, sometime after Antarctica..."  I'm not complaining, mind you.  Part of the joy of this cruise is the absolute luxury of doing as I like, when I like.  While I tend to have a routine, I also just do whatever I want, in the moment.  Yes, I do that at home, too but feel more "obligated" at home.  When you're at sea, who's going to complain because you stayed up reading until 3 am and choose to have breakfast in bed at noon?

We've been incredibly lucky on this cruise.  We have had virtually no rough seas.  A few days with big swells but they tend to be rhythmic which makes it easier to stand.  I still only shave my legs on port days, though, since I hang on when I'm in the shower, even when the seas are smooth.

Most on board were very excited to arrive in Easter Island.  Because the large swells there tend to make it hard to tender, passengers are only able to disembark there about 50% of the time.  We were in luck.  But it wasn't easy.  Because of the conditions and since I've been there I opted not try it and am glad I didn't.  I've seen a few people on crutches after tender mishaps and the rumors are that two crew were injured helping passengers.

It was a great decision to stay on board.  The ship was almost deserted so it was like having a private yacht for the day, with excellent views.

After a few more wonderful days at sea, we stopped for a few hours at Pitcairn Island.  Pitcairn is a very small, rugged and beautiful island inhabited by descendants of the crew of the Bounty.  Because of the rough conditions, there is no chance of accessing the island but instead, the island people come on board to sell their crafts and honey.

I promised my cabin stewards that I would buy them souvenirs so braved the crowds to buy a couple of magnets.  The way passengers were behaving, you would have thought they were giving away keys to heaven.  So crowded with some shoving and angry words.  I very quickly went to the first table, bought the magnets and left.

After our quick stop in Pitcairn it was back to more sea days.  3?  4?  Can't remember but they were each wonderful.

Today, a Saturday if you believe the rug in the elevator, we're in Papeete, Tahiti.  I've been here before and didn't want a tour but thought I might get a taxi to ride around for a bit before finding a spot with WIFI.

That changed a bit when I was leaving the port and fell.  I'm fine, although I'm guessing I'll be a bit sore tomorrow with some bruises on my scrapped knees.  I fell because the cobblestones were uneven and I was busy gawking at the scenery.  The bigger cause, though, was because when I get off the ship now, I get vertigo.  I experienced this on two cruises last year but since we had rough seas then I was hoping it wouldn't be an issue.  If you've experienced "landsickness" and have a cure, please let me know!

Anyway, after the group of very kind (and good looking) Tahitian men helped me up and gave me a place to sit to collect myself for a minute, I just walked a few blocks into town and went into the first cafe I came across.  "Do you have WIFI and may I use it?"  "Yes, of course."  "May I buy something to drink?"  "Certainly!"  "Can you accept USD?"  "Of course!".  I got an orangina (why is that not a big thing in the USA?) and being encouraged to sit anywhere in the small, very casual cafe, I logged on to the very speedy internet.

Then I saw the food at the next table.  A whole fish.  Since I'm still "moving" even though I'm sitting in a chair on land, I opted to just stay here instead of paying for a mini-tour.  My lunch of fried fish and a French baguette was delicious.  Gotta love having the server bring a container of freshly caught reef fish over so I could choose which size I wanted.  And only $14 USD for the drink and food.  Eating the deep fried reef fish with my fingers made me feel like I was back in Samoa.  But the best part?  Even though I'm right in town, not a single passenger in sight!

Some of the other patrons of the cafe where I'm typing this.  They've now been replaced by ship's passengers.

Lunch at the Gauguin Cafe in Papeete. Very casual, no view but fans, very friendly and accommodating staff.  Highly recommended.

We're not in South America anymore!

Locals performing by the ship, with a HUGE yacht in the background.

The yacht was too big to get in one photo.

My dessert yesterday.  They called it an alfajores (which is a kind of cookie in Argentina).  It was actually a flourless chocolate cake with dulce de leche and delicious.

The seas in the South Pacific have been very calm.

Lunch yesterday was salmon, veggies and fried zucchini.  We've been at sea for 50 days and I've lost 10 pounds.  Hurray for me!

Breakfast was a crepe, bacon and sausage.  Usually it's just oatmeal but this was a sea day treat.

I like this artificial sweetner.

I had lunch at the Pinnacle Grill for the first time ever the other day.  I started with a salad, then a filet with bleu cheese, scalloped potatoes and asparagus.  Normally $15 USD, I get a 50% discount because of my 4 star Mariner status.  Worth it.  No sea view but only a couple of other patrons and wonderful service.

It rained for about 30 minutes one day.  

A chocolate brownie with coffee  ice cream and caramel corn at the Pinnacle lunch.

Salad at the Pinnacle. 

This is my dinner about 4 days a week.  Cheese and dried fruit with Saltines.

The shopping was more like being in a Rugby scrum when the people from Pitcairn came onboard.  I was happier being upstairs.

The rugged terrain of Pitcairn.

My view of Pitcairn at breakfast

Jamestown, Pitcairn Island.  The mail truck comes every two months.  Imagine 60 people living here, in 9 families.  I couldn't do it.

The dock in Pitcairn

Dinner appetizers in the Lido the other night.  Duck pate.  Is it just me or does the plating look "suggestive"?

Today we got one for Tonga. 

Typical desserts at the Lido, available at lunch and dinner.  Plus, the ice cream station is open all day and evening.  Did I mention I've lost 10 pounds.  I've been working on walking off the desserts.

I had the ship to myself during our stay in Easter Island.

A tender, making the long trip to Easter Island.  A lot of the crew were late getting back from their breaks because it took over an hour to get from the island to the ship.

Easter Island

If you look very closely, there are several Moais on shore between the two sail boats.

Noon in the Lido.  Normally, it is packed.

Tandoori chicken and lamb vindaloo with garlic noodles.

It took 5 hours to get everyone from the ship to the island.  Although passengers were asked not to line up in the halls, this is what happened.

Because I was too chicken to take the tender, I just took photos from the ship of Easter Island.

Thunderstorms were predicted in Easter Island but all we got was a rainbow.

I've been loving my Fitbit but the no breathe band started to rot my arm.  It's healed now and I'll try again, wearing it looser.

Wine bottle from Chile, rose was a Valentine's gift from Holland America.  It's still looking good.

Every lunch and dinner there is a fish option and that's what I've been eating most.

All over the ship, the crew wore festive/cheesy outfits and handed out a variety of chocolate treats.

I got See's Truffles from my travel agent and these truffles from HAL.

And I thought no one would remember me on Valentine's day.

Fresh fruit for breakfast!

We got to give input on the 2022 world cruise itinerary.  HAL needs a new CIO, though.  This is a typical example.  The instructions were incorrect and they hadn't loaded the survey.  It took them five days to figure it out.  On the bright side, I put down a deposit for the cruise (which is almost sold out).  Whether or not I'll go will depend on price and the eventual itinerary.

This is what it's like at sea.  The view from my cabin.  I never get tired of it.