Day 58 - Nawiliwili - and dogs at sea

A fair night sleep before berthing at the Hawaiian bonus port of Nawiliwili.  We’d been here before in 2007 when we’d hired a car and seen what we wanted to see, so this time, we just watched as the people queued for the free shuttles.

Ship berthed on the port side.

One of our identical el Cheapo, $30 Vodafone pre-pay phones still worked, Paula’s of course…

As we’d been processed in SF, just a walk off.

See below regarding shuttles.

We did need either a government ID or passport copy on our return.

Cruise cards checked on returning to the dock area.

Scanning ashore of hand luggage on return – and this time, there were many bottles of spirits taken, to be returned the night before departure.

We watched from our cabin for quite a while, the long queues for shuttles.  Initially, the first shuttles were a free trolley to Anchor Cove, and a free van shuttle to the same place.  Many were leaving less than half full – then the K Mart shuttle arrived.  They left full, but the big wait was for the Walmart shuttle van.  The queues were very long, stretching half the length of the terminal building.

By the time we opted to go ashore, the queues were still long and it was a shambles.  We would have been happy enough with the Anchor Cove shuttles, but there was no organisation in getting people on, so they were still leaving less than half full.

We turned around and walked out to Anchor Cove – which was less than 10 minutes away anyway!

A nice coffee, then a wander around (there was free Wi-Fi available).  Paula found a couple of the colourful dyed, lightweight dresses she likes and then a container of fresh mango for $4.

The toy/model shop had ukuleles for sale, but they were expensive, ditto in another souvenir shop.

We kept bumping into Mal & Marie, Peter and Sharon and took over their table at JJ’s, overlooking the small, but popular beach, when they opted to go for a swim before their planned helicopter ride at 3pm.   Earlier in the day, M & M had got locked in their cabin for 40 minutes, which is a worry had the ship been sinking.

We had three burger sliders with chips which we shared and a coke each.

Some of the booze in the ABC shop was quite cheap, but nothing compared to what people brought back from Walmart!  The little card table they use for illegally brought aboard spirits was groaning under the weight of the 2 litre bottles.  Some people mistakenly think that the spirits are forfeited, but they are not, they are just held.

We’d planned a surprise for Roy at dinner, by placing my Alaskan husky hat in his cupboard.  Needless to say, this caused poor Roy a real shock and gave us yet another laugh when he opened it.  In fact, the $15 paid for the hat was probably worth it just for that.   

We had a couple of dances in the Atrium with Graham and Lynda before retiring.

Honolulu tomorrow, another port where we have been several times before but we cancelled a tour to the Arizona Memorial, as in 30 degree heat, a 2 hour queue, even on a ship’s tour, was less than appealing.  It is very warm out and I suspect that it will affect me in the reverse way that the UK used to.  There, I’d be out in the fresh air OK, but many buildings were stuffily hot inside which usually gave me a succession of chills and sinus problems, going from the cold to the heat.  Here, it is warm out and air conditioned inside, which at times, is almost too cool.

Sorry, not much in the way of pics of the island, but if I was at home, I could have added a few from 2007.

Days 56 & 57 - Sharing - and Cats at sea

The usual sort of morning with Shed followed by a losing trivia – though not by much.

The ukulele class was the advanced group, with Salomon this time, concentrating on the introduction to the Beatles song, ‘Let It Be’.  With 4 different chords on 4 beats, a bit too tough for us to master – especially me!   Some chord changes just aren’t possible, as I still don’t have enough active fingers.

Lunch in the buffet was a Mexican theme, but for some strange reason, they never seem to advertise the various themed lunches as they used to.  Our perceptions of this cruise are that some things are better than before and some things are not and that seems to be the opinion of most people.

Our afternoon trivia score was a pathetic 8/20, but, had we put down all our alternative suggestions that were discarded or overruled, we would have had 15/20!  Not enough to win, but a lot more respectable.

The early theatre show was billed as music/comedy.  Forget the comedy, it was just light hearted patter, but the music was David Pengelly on ukulele.  A tremendous performance including ‘Duelling Banjo’s’ – but playing both parts.  No mean feat.  We thoroughly enjoyed this show and it was a shame that one or two of the ukulele class missed it.  Sadly, he isn’t getting a second show, which is a real shame.

For dinner, a fair sized group from Cruise Critic (Pacific Circlers) invaded the new, Curtis Stone, ‘Share’ restaurant.  The idea is simple enough.  You can opt for the fixed price $39 per head meal, which includes 2 from the ‘Charcuterie and Cheese’ menu (9 options); 1 from the ‘From the Garden’ menu (3 choices), 1 from ‘The Oven’ menu (7 choices) and one dessert (3 choices).

Or, you can go a la carte, with the above lists at $4.50, $5 – $7:50, $7.50 - $15, $3.50 - $4.50 respectively.

We had a table of 10 and asked the staff to just bring a selection of dishes as appropriate and we’d just divide the bill – which worked out well enough, at $24 a head.  Bearing in mind you are being fed normally anyway, this is quite a hefty surcharge.  Macaroni cheese for 2 (supposedly) at an extra $7.50, even though it was nice enough, or potato gratin at $9, seems a bit over the top, but most nights, there aren’t many people dining and no one that we have spoken to, has been more than once, plus tonight.  The food was nice though and very little was left uneaten, and we certainly had plenty of variety – though no the crab leg at $15, deemed only enough for one anyway, so not really a ‘share’ dish.

Free bubbles though, courtesy of the Hotel manager, was a nice touch, but my Rekordalik strawberry/lime cider was a hefty $9.50.

Up on deck at 9:30pm, we had the ‘70’s deck party, with the Love Boat theme.  For those unaware, the ‘Love Boat’ TV series was in fact filmed on Princess ships and the original cast still do some promo work for Princess.   The dance music wasn’t really our cup of tea, so after a couple of laps of the deck, to settle the meal, we retired.

Clocks back another hour tonight, so another 25 hour day.  Passengers don’t seem to be affected by this, whereas moving the clocks forward certainly did.

 

Day 57 – Where did that cat come from?  

For our last day at sea before hitting the Hawaiian Islands, we very nearly scored a win in trivia – again, but managed just 19/20.  It was a Mark Turner (Cruise Director) quiz and our Western Australian and South Australian friends, will know exactly what I mean when I say ‘Bandi Bandi’ returned.  Had we got the correct century for the gunpowder plot, we would have tied for first place.  One digit wrong again.

Our final class with Salomon had a chord test!  He gave us 8 chords to fill in on the question paper and we managed a respectable 5/8.  That was the 1pm class, which then rolled into a Champagne farewell at 2pm, as Salomon gets off in Hilo.  We also managed competency certificates for the intermediate class.  (We would have got those even if we got 0/8…)  Sad to see Salomon go as he really has been an inspiration to so many people, especially if judged not so much on the numbers attending, but on the number who acquired ukuleles whilst travelling.

A very late lunch (and lamb curry…) followed by a NZ Natural ice cream.

For dinner, I opted yet again for the Curtis Stone belly pork, only because I didn’t fancy beef yet again.

About dessert time, we had one of those laughs of the cruise.  Assistant waiter Roy, went to his cupboard for the tea pot and knocked over a small metal dish, which crashed to the tiled floor.  His immediate response was a loud ‘meow’, as if the cat had disturbed it…  Very funny, but it gave me an idea…

We also celebrated Bev’s birthday.

We didn’t fancy the violinist’s second show, so we went to The Wheelhouse bar, but the party band’s music was just a bit too loud, so we retired early.

I seem to be a little behind with this blog, but hope to catch up soon.    

 

Days 54 & 55 - Heading for Hawaii and a trivia win.

Nothing of interest to report (nothing new there…) before the advanced ukulele class at 1pm, with Salomon.  As this was the advanced class, we were only really observers, and Salomon spent most of the time on musical theory.  A good session, but without either printouts, a white board or slide show, it was at times a bit too confusing.  Our musical theory knowledge is minimal, though my brother did do a fine job in explaining some of the basics a few years ago.  The notes in the different keys made sense, though I do remember playing the scales as a youngster, but without knowing what the keys, such as two sharps or two flats, actually were.

Paula went off for a massage at 2pm whist I tidied up some computer files, mainly video clips, either my own ex-YouTube.  The laptop struggles with any advanced video editing, so I don’t really try at sea – but when I get home, I never seem to have it high on my list of priorities.

At afternoon trivia, we finished equal first – but would have won if we’d stuck with Garry’s answer.  We guessed the wrong number of triple word score squares on a scrabble board and the other team got it right.  It was a fast guess as Renee wanted the first team to answer.  Ho hum.

The early show was Canadian comedian Scott Harris.  So-so.

At dinner, probably for the first time on this cruise, we felt it wasn’t up to standard.  The steamed pot-stickers were a bit doughy and undercooked.  Garry and I both had the vegetarian curry, but with a lamb shank on the top.  Last time, it was perfect.  This time, the lamb seemed to be a little undercooked and probably not as hot as it could have been.  Those who ordered the tempura, deep fried bananas for dessert expected the dish to be hot.  It was cold.  The meal elicited a few genuine complaints from people who don’t normally whinge.

Thankfully, the evening ended on a high, with the production singers, dancers and orchestra with ‘Save the Last Dance’.  It was a very pleasant surprise to see some brand new scenery, with built in coloured lights.   A thoroughly enjoyable show.

Clocks BACK an hour tonight, so now we get a run of 25 hour days.

 

Day 55 – Strings and things

We welcomed two newbies to the Shed.  Ed and yet another Ray.

Morning trivia, we WON! With 16/20, a bit of a surprise.  Sadly, we didn’t win a sheep station, just the least popular of all prizes – lanyards.

Intermediate ukulele, no theory lesson, but a couple more sheets of music for our portfolio, then to the buffet at 2pm.  A dollop of vegetarian curry plus a couple of pieces of what was supposed to be hot red Thai chicken. It wasn’t hot, but it was nice.

It was about time we had an ice cream.  So we did.

The early show was Salomon with half the violin duo ‘Fiore’, Maria.  They are an item, having met on the ship, but they did manage to put a show together, despite a minimal amount of practice.  As usual, Salomon managed to incorporate the Chicken Dance within a classical piece.  They got a huge reception from the audience and they really do want to continue to perform together, so ultimately, they’ll need to get their contracts aligned, as Salomon gets off in Hilo, having already had his contract extended twice.

Another formal night and the food was back to excellent.  Very nice fillet steak, so I ended up with 3.  My own 2 and 1 donated by Paula.

It was a real strings day, with the late show featuring an American violinist, Doug Cameron.  He played well enough, but it felt as though the concert went on a bit too long.

Afterwards, the music in the Wheelhouse bar was a bit too loud with the party band, so along with Ron and Angela, Lynda and Graham, we retired to the buffet for a late hot chocolate, just before they closed the coffee machine.

Clocks back another hour overnight and bed at midnight.

Half way through this sea spell and it is getting warmer.

 

Day 53 - Another half day in SF.

A good sleep, but we both heard a ‘ding’ at 4am.  Maybe someone on the bridge hit the wrong button for the change of watch?  No announcement followed.

We were up and about at 8am because our electricity was going to be off at 9am.

Once again, we wandered through Pier 39 and then up to 45, before a steady amble back.  We bought a small gift for a friend and Paula bought another fleece top.  Why not?  At that price it makes sense.

We were back on board 11:30 and to the lifeboat drill (again) at 12:15.  Straight after, we joined the rush to the buffet!  The chowder was NOT the best in the world, but OK, then to the sailaway, where there were free drinks.   That usually makes for happy passengers but was a small compensation for missing San Diego.

Trivia, we managed 24/26, so just missed out again as others did better.

The evening late show was one number by the dancers and orchestra and then, back by popular demand, Assistant Cruise Director Jamie.  Probably not the huge success of his first show in the Vista lounge, but still a very good show.

So, back at sea now for another 4 days before we hit Nawiliwili (that is the correct spelling, not the double ‘L’s I may have used before).  We were last there in 2007 when we did the 7 day Hawaiian Islands with NCL.  It seems a long time ago now, but that was my first ever cruise.

The weather will be warming up again now but as we have only had one wet port day since leaving Sydney, we have no complaints about the weather or the sea, as it continues to be very calm.

We now have a new captain.

Day 52 - San Francisco for a whole day!

As the seas have been so smooth, we can hardly tell the difference on the ship between port days and cruise days.  By the time we were out of bed, the sun was up and it was a beautiful day.  There was obviously no rush to go ashore as in most places, nothing much happens before 10am anyway.  Others had decided to go ashore early to get on the cable car.

At Pier 33, the Grand Princess (see pic) was berthed, but as in yesterday’s photograph, that is NOT the Golden Gate bridge, but the Bay Bridge.

A full breakfast and surprise, surprise; in the buffet pastry cabinet, a LARGE chocolate doughnut and I’m sure it had my name on it.

Originally, we’d planned a Princess Alcatraz tour, but with Paula feeling fragile earlier, we’d cancelled.  More on-board credits to spend again.

We walked off and turned right once again, up to Pier 45 again and across the road was where the famed cable car terminus is situated.  We waited for ages to see a trolley roll car onto the turntable, then the crew manually turned it around onto the ‘up’ track. There was quite a delay before that cable car headed off, with people hanging on the sides, 2 per platform step.  Not much fun for those sitting on the back to back benches, facing outwards.  By the time number 1 was heading back, there were 8 trolley cars lined up, before the turntable, so whether there was a hiccup in the system or not, we’ll never know.

We found the ‘Ross, Dress for Less store OK (Paula bough a shirt), but most passengers never ventured to the store next door, in the same block.  They missed a great shopping experience.  Although it appeared from the frontage to be little more than a furniture/home store, it was billed as an International store and at the rear, was an extensive selection of beers, wines, spirits and food.  We staggered out with a 6 bottle pack of cider (20% off all beers and ciders…), one large bottle of Australian, Bundaberg ginger beer and a small bottle of Dandelion and Burdock.  (If you don’t know what that is, then you probably aren’t British.)  We also bought a small gift and the total hit on the Onesmart card was just $22.95.

Lugging that lot around for the rest of the day was not on so we headed back to the ship.

We managed to get to through the shore scanner but were pointed towards the ‘booze table’. The bottle of ginger beer was NOT wine and nor was the D & B.  The cider wasn’t beer so we walked through intact.  Ironically, that was the only time we saw the booze table manned.  It was probably put in place as much for the people boarding as those in transit.

Once we’d unloaded, we headed for the buffet and bumped into Ray and Mirella from previous cruises, so we chatted with them whilst scoffing yet another lamb curry.

We went ashore again and just relaxed on Pier 39, but we did buy some fresh cherries.  Not exactly cheap at $11.60 a pound, but some of the nicest we have ever had.

After a drink, we retired to the cabin for a while, for a blog catch up and a read.

An early dinner in the buffet, then briefly to the Wheelhouse Bar en route for the theatre.  Salomon was playing and wanted us to dance, so played a cha-cha for us.  Not much fun in shorts and sandals…  Then Paula asked for rumba and we gave him one minute, as it was almost show time.

It is very tough on a performer playing when half the passengers are ashore anyway.  Bernie Fields is a very accomplished harmonica player.  The show  was very high quality but more for the real music enthusiasts, when we really wanted entertainment.

We then bumped into another well-known cruise couple, Ed and Bev, who joined the ship today, so we chatted to them whist enjoying a hot chocolate before retiring for the night.  They were completely unaware of the revised schedule and had only learned of it through this blog.  Cutting out San Diego without letting boarding passengers know, seems very slack of Princess.

Another half day in SF tomorrow and for the second time, we had  a note to say they’d be switching off the power for a while.

 

 

Day 51 Arrival in San Francisco

We were originally scheduled to be in San Francisco at 10am, but we already knew we’d be late and as seems to be normal, the iconic Golden Gate bridge was shrouded in mist as we approached, but it didn’t seem to stop about three quarters of the passengers standing outside on various vantage points, having cameras poised.  It wasn’t too long before the mist dispersed as we berthed at pier 35.

Ship berthed on the starboard side.

One of our identical el Cheapo, $30 Vodafone pre-pay phones worked, Paula’s again…

An on board face to face interview (again) with US Immigration.

Just a walk off afterwards.  No need to carry the passport or a copy.

See below regarding HoHo buses and shuttles.

Cruise cards checked on returning to the dock area.

Scanning ashore of hand luggage on return.

By the time we berthed we were about 45 minutes late, so although we had a printed time of 10:30 for our face to face,  that would make it 11:15, it was nearer 12 noon by the time we managed to get ashore.  Once again, the immigration staff were extremely friendly.  No rush though, as we strolled into the warm sunshine from the rather spartan and cool dock shed, to the main road.  We turned right, as the centres of attraction are Piers 39 and 45.

We elected to buy a HoHo ticket from the first bus company we came cross – and there are several.  They had a double decker parked at the kerbside and they were taking the money. It was a bit confusing as to prices, but we paid $35 each for the basic pass but although it was advertised as a one day pass, it was valid for 48 hours, covering 2 routes.  There was another option that included various add-ons at $45.  We waited on the bus until the ‘real’ one came along.  We started off inside downstairs, but it was a bus with graphics all over the windows, so you could hardly see out.  The commentary was live and LOUD.  At the first opportunity, one stop further along, we shot upstairs and managed to bag a front seat.  We waited there for about ten minutes in the by now, rather warm sun.  My knees got burned.  When the same LOUD driver (Chris) returned to his seat, to our dismay, we found that the speaker for upstairs was right in front of us.  Not only was the sound very loud, but he was also a total shouty motor-mouth.  Not good.  I sat with my finger in my ear right up to the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, where he told everyone that the only way to save a seat was to sit on it.  As soon as there was a spare seat towards the rear, we grabbed it.  There was a repeater speaker half way down the bus, but it was nowhere near as loud as up front.

We had to change buses at Union Square and thankfully, the driver (Constantine) spoke more normally.  Several of their fleet had the windows covered with graphics and the most prolific bus company around was the dark brown and cream liveried ‘Big Bus Company’.  They had clear windows and a very modern fleet.  There was also the Gray Line red bus company and a free trolley from Fisherman’s Wharf (pier 45) to Union Square.

The famed San Francisco Trolley car system which a lot of people wanted to ride, apparently had a very long queue.

The local trams were another option and I believe you could get a day ticket for about $14.95.

We hopped off the HoHo(!) back at our starting point, near pier 39.  This is probably the tourist hub of the wharf area of SF and it was very, very busy.  Paula was feeling OK so we headed for our favourite eatery – French crepes. A bunch of 4 Australians had grabbed our favourite table.  We ordered crepes and a portion of fries.  Last time (four years ago) we noted the fries as being excellent. They were just as good today and we shared them with our Australian friends.  

They wandered off before us and we then wandered around the pier area for a while, then up the street to the equally famous pier 45, Fisherman’s Wharf, past various street entertainers.  There are several stalls and eateries selling seafood, but most are selling crab or the local speciality - chowder in a sour dough loaf. The amount of crab debris around has to be seen to be believed.  Just about every establishment claims that theirs is ‘The best in San Francisco’.  I suppose you’d hardly put up a sign saying ‘Second Best’, or ‘Worst’.  What is interesting is that in NZ, each eatery has to prominently display a current, graded, hygiene certificate.  The letter ‘A’, is normally about 15cm tall, so unmistakeable.  I’m not sure what the US system is, so one can only hope that they do have one, despite Gordon Ramsey uncovering some frighteningly bad establishments.  The health inspections on the ship are extremely thorough.

On the way back to the ship, Paula bought a long, polar fleece, zip top for $12.99.  Pretty cheap.

We were back at the ship around 5pm and as it was open dining, to the buffet rather than the dining room.  Paula was still OK, thank goodness, but a light meal only, then later in the evening, we went back up for a cuppa and met most of our table mates, so sat with them for a while.

Bed was just after 11pm.  Fairly tired and sunburned, but a good day – or half day.

A whole relaxing day in SF tomorrow with nothing much planned - other than the ritual visit to ‘Ross, Dress for Less’.

Day 50 - At sea and another ukulele on show!

Paula was OK after another light breakfast, so all is looking good at the moment. At our Shed meet, we bid farewell to three stalwarts, Mike, Chuck and Ray.  They didn’t bring any farewell doughnuts.

There was no morning trivia as the Vista was the venue for the church service.  We were back in the cabin when we heard a PA announcement in the corridor.  I should mention here that for non-cruisers, the only messages that come through to the state rooms are important announcements from the Captain or occasionally, the Purser (better known as the Customer Services Director these days).

Opening the door, we caught the gist of the message, calling the experienced and middle ukulele groups together for a practice, before the 2pm concert.   All a little disorganised as we were still debating what tunes to play at this late stage.  We knew that the beginners would be playing a couple of long running favourites and we needed to confirm what we were playing.  We also needed an encore number!

Once settled and a quick run through, we realised that the advanced group’s ‘Delilah’, was beyond us…

Just time afterwards, for a quick bite and a change into the Hawaiian shirts, then back to the Vista, where the ballroom class were doing the rumba.

As before, a full house audience.  We all played the beginner’s tunes, then they moved to the back and we played our two, then the advanced played theirs – with us chiming in where we could cope!  Of course we had an encore – ‘Doh, Ray, Me’.  We didn’t sign any autographs or have CDs for sale, but all in all, a successful concert.  Mike (from Mexico – not!) resented Salomon with a card we’d all signed, just to say thank you for his patience and good humour.  The very fact that when we started this cruise, about 8 people had their own instruments and that number rose to about 16, says it all really.

Later, afternoon trivia and blog catch up time.

The early show was mentalist, Wayne Hoffman.  Once again we’d seen him on a previous cruise, so I can only assume it was back in 2011 before I started my list.  Like most mentalists, a combination of trickery, body language and presentation.

“Good evening, this is your Captain speaking”…  Here we go again…  This time, it was just a farewell message from the very popular Captain Lorentzen as he hands over command in SF - and an advisory that we’d be about 30 minutes late into San Francisco.  The doomsayers were also forecasting a late departure, due to the electrical maintenance work probably not being completed on time.  No worries, as we had a message in the cabin to say that our power would be out between 1pm and 3pm tomorrow – and they left us a torch.  As we have a balcony cabin anyway, no bathroom light at a time when we’d probably be ashore anyway is fair enough.  So, a bonus.

Late dinner was good with prawns or a delicious, thick, pork rack.  Or both… Paula managed 2 prawns with some rice and veg, so some progress, there.  It also meant that I had plenty as I opted for both..

The theatre once again had the cast’s new show, ‘Bravo’.  Musically excellent and the sound quality was also good. Worth a second look and a good turnout by passengers with an almost full theatre for the 9:45pm show.  Salomon had to concentrate on the keyboard as there was no mucking about, slotting in the ‘Chicken Dance’, ‘Waltzing Matilda’ or ‘You Are My Sunshine’.

Tomorrow, with US immigration again, plus a delayed arrival, we don’t really expect to get off the ship before about midday, even though our deck is supposed to be processed first.  We have our allocated time, but there is rarely any check to see whether or not people are queuing too early.  Two days in SF we are happy with, though cancelling San Diego is a disappointment.  Par for the course on any long cruise and anyone who expects every single day to go exactly as per schedule, is going to be very, very disappointed.

We also heard that the passenger left at Victoria, might well have been a 91 year old.   If that is the case, rather sad that no-one was keeping an eye on him, especially as we believe he was part of a tour and may not have fully understood the rendezvous instructions.  It may well also be that one or two elderly passengers have been dropped off at the cruise terminal, in Sydney, by their families, hoping that Princess would babysit them for 75 days!  Julie, if you are reading this, just be warned that we will know what you are up to, if you are the one initiating our future cruises.