Donna and John’s Travel Blog Dec 26-30, 2011

Donna and John’s Travel Blog

Dec 26-30, 2011

Monday, Dec 26

Lat 19.44 N Long 155 .03 W

Hilo, Hawaii

We made landfall for the first time today at Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii.  We were off the ship by 8:30 to a wet and windy morning.  We could not see the mountaintops of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa in the distance, due to the low clouds, but the warm weather is nice.

We had some difficulties with our Alamo rental car agency, who informed us that our car was not reserved until noon, which was totally unacceptable for us, as we had to return by 3:30 and we had prepaid for a whole day, starting at 9:00.  They finally gave us a pickup truck, which would do, but were unwilling to work with us for the next two days.

After a frustrating half hour of phone calls, we decided to take a drive around Mauna Kea, a route we had never experienced before.

Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are separated by a mountain highway known locally as the Saddle Road.  Older maps advised rental car owners not to take this route, but we are experienced mountain drivers and ignored it.  The route from Hilo takes you up into a lava desert.  We passed up the side trip to the observatory, since there was snow at the top and it was fogged in. 

We drove to the small town of Waimea and the Parker Ranch. This Parker Ranch is largest cattle ranch in a single location in the country and it appears to also include much of the town. Donna needed a haircut so we drove into the Parker village and got the cut along with a few things at the super market. We laughed at the stop signs here as they were the same shape and color of a normal stop sign but since it was on the ranch they all said “whoa”.

We continued our drive around the NE side of Hawaii back to Hilo hoping to find an internet café but the only one we encountered was closed due to the holiday.

The evening was another lovely semi-formal one. There are 4 formal nights and 5 semi-formal dress nights during the 14 days so we are getting the opportunity to see lots of lovely evening outfits. That is definitely different than our normal attire, on the island at home, so it is fun to “play dress-up” so many times.

The show in the evening was presented by the ships’ singers and dancers and was very elaborate. We have seen lots of stage shows on ships but none as good as these. They could easily bring these shows to Broadway. The dancing, singing, costumes and sets are above anything else we have seen on board any ship. And the ambiance of this formal theater, with its box seats, dark woods and velvet seating simply adds to the beauty of the shows. It is nice to see everyone all dressed up for the theater every night.

Tuesday we will dock at Nawiliwili on the garden island of Kauai.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Lat 21 57 N Long 157 21 W

Nawiliwili, Kauai

This is our second port of call and we are visiting the island for the second time. After a fair amount of time on the phone with Alamo’s national phone number, we finally just went to the local office and picked up our car without any difficulty.

Since we had not seen the east and north sides of the island before, we decided to spend our day driving through those areas.  This was a wise choice.  What spectacular vistas!  The crashing waves and majestic mountains transfixed us.  We drove to the lighthouse at Kilauea on the north shore,  one of the last homes of the nene, the Hawaiian flightless goose.  This animal has no fear of humans, since it has no predators.  We also spotted countless seabirds, including albatross and shearwaters.

We pulled our car over to the side of the road, picnicked at a lovely beach and took a dip in the ocean.  An offshore reef protected us from the crashing surf.  After the swim, John could not find his watch.

We now understand why so many movies are made on this side of The Garden Isle.   The backdrops are truly spectacular toward the land and the sea.  The north shore town of Hanalei is a funky tourist town, complete with surfers, kayakers and a variety of independent tourist types.  It, of course has more than its quota of pizza places, tee shirt shops and tattoo parlors, no of which attracts us. 

Reaching the end of the highway, we turned around and headed the 30 miles or so back to Lihue, where John purchased a replacement watch (waterproof) and we returned our rental car and reboarded the ship.

The evening’s entertainment was first class, as we had come to expect from the Queen Victoria.  An excellent Nat King Cole impersonator nearly made us believe that Nat, himself, was still alive!  We had forgotten that Cole had only lived to age 46.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

At anchor

20 52 N, 156 41 W

Lahaina, Maui

We landed in Maui at the very busy port of Lahaina. Every time that we arrive in this port we are surprised to see just how much it has grown and how crowded it has become. When we first visited this town many years ago, in 1979 (half a life ago), it was a sleepy little village but now it is a bustling town with traffic and tourists everywhere.

We picked up our rental car and decided that we wanted to drive to the Iao Needle so we headed up to the mountains. As the elevation increased, so did the rain and winds and by the time we got up to that area, it was clouded in, windy and the rain was heavy so we decided that the hike into the Needle would have to wait for a future trip and we headed back down to the clear and warm ocean. We drove out to Kihei, a place that has also become very touristy, but we had no luck in finding a parking spot at the beach parks so we proceeded up to the Kanaapali resort area to find a place to park and play in the waves. We found a nice beach and got the chance to get some nice beach and water time.

We are enjoying the relaxation that it usually so rare for us on board ship. Usually we have so many lecture shows scheduled that we don’t find a lot of time to kick back but with four different lecturers on this ship, we don’t have many days of work so we feel like we are actually on a vacation. Our last two lectures are not until Monday and Tuesday so we still have the weekend to relax on this lovely ship. We are looking forward to an elegant New Year’s Eve celebration and more nights to “play dress-up”. We are actually enjoying the opportunity to “dress to the nines” as we don’t get to do that much in our normal lives.

The musical show in the evening included both of the ship’s orchestras and the production vocalists and was again wonderfully presented. The evening shows in the main theater each night have been the best productions that we have ever experienced on ship board and we have thoroughly enjoyed each one. They add to the classiness of this elegant Queen Victoria.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

21 18 N, 157 52 W

Honolulu, Oahu

And so, we are going ashore this morning.   Our ship will be heading back to North America tonight.

After several days of driving, we decided to walk from the ship to Waikiki, a distance we thought would be fairly short.  Two hours later, we discovered that we had walked a total of five miles.  We were proud of our accomplishments and soon arrived at the International Marketplace, across from the Surfrider Moana. 

John was a bit hungry and stopped for some at the marketplace for Chinese food, which he later found was nearly indigestible. 

The beach at Waikiki was packed with holiday visitors from Japan and around the world and we decided to stay off the sand to avoid stepping on someone.  We were looking for an internet café, but due to the smart phones and other devices has caused these businesses to disappear, especially in developed countries.

We took the city bus back to the ship in mid-afternoon and enjoyed the beautiful weather relaxing on the Promenade Deck.  The evening program was put on by a Hawaiian children’s dance program, which all enjoyed. The ship stayed late and departed about midnight.

Friday, December 30, 2011

22 39 N, 152 22 W

at sea, 316 miles NE of Honolulu

This has been a sea day for us.  The weather has been pleasant and we have had some time to relax and take in all of the other ship’s activities, including Sabbath services and the wonderful evening programs, a production show about the late 1800’s called “Victoriana.”  Cunard does an excellent job preserving the British traditions.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

24 46 N, 144 19 W

at sea, 777 miles NE of Honolulu

New Year’s Eve was a day of celebration on board the elegant Queen Victoria. The ship was decorated with hundreds of balloons in the dining room and in huge nets hanging over the atrium and in the Queen’s Ballroom. They were ready for the big balloon drop at midnight.

During the day, we walked the decks as we usually do when we are at sea. We try to walk at least a mile or two each day on the promenade deck when the weather is good. If it is too windy, we walk inside. Today we were able to walk outside as the weather was windy by warm.

We had not been to high tea but once since we departed so we decided to participate in that daily activity today. This is a very nice formal event that many of the guests enjoy. It is very nice to see the white gloved waiters and waitresses and we feel very “British” as we are served tea, little sandwiches, cakes and scones.

This was another formal night and we enjoyed “dressing to the nines” again and seeing all of the gorgeous dresses, tuxedos and kilts worn by all of the guests. Definitely not something that we can do in our normal life.

Dinner included hats, tiaras and noise makers for the holiday so it was fun. Everyone got these and wore them throughout the night.

Dec 25-26 Hawaii

Dec 25-26 2011

0630 Hawaiian time

(one hour time change today)
Travel Blog

We will be docking in Hilo this morning.

Christmas onboard the Queen Victoria was as close to perfect as could be.  The weather was sunny, with no wind across the decks and we go to soak up that wonderful tropical sun on deck 10 with no responsibilities.  In fact, later in the afternoon, we retreated to the shade of the starboard promenade deck for our relaxing.

There was a minister and priest on board so they held both midnight services on Christmas Eve and morning services. There is also a rabbi on the ship for the Hanukkah celebration each of the eight evening.

John spent an hour attending a class on Microsoft Excel while Donna attended the arrival of Santa, who made to ship a bit later than most places on earth, 11:30 am Christmas Day. After Santa arrived at the ship, he then “came down the funnel” and made his way to the Queen’s Room (ballroom) and spoke to each of the 100 or so children on board. He also presented each child with a nice wrapped gift such as a board game, etc. He was a great Father Christmas and all of 1000+ adults enjoyed his jokes and asides.

Dinner was formal attire.  Donna wore her new green dress and John wore his tux, complete with a red bow tie to mark the season.  Everyone looked so nice.

The evening program was nice Christmas music put on by the ship’s orchestras and dancers.  We then went dancing in the Queen’s Room and turned in relatively early.

We are looking forward to getting our lands legs after five days on board. We rented a car for 3 of the 4 ports so it will be fun to drive around the islands for the day and maybe find some nice beaches.

Travel Blog Dec 21-24 At Sea

Travel Blog

Dec 21-24, 2011

At Sea, North Pacific,  aboard MV Queen Victoria

Saturday Dec 24

Lat. N 25 28, Long W 140 11

Speed 19 kts,  heading SW

We are now less than two days from Hilo, our first port of call on this voyage.

We drove from Desert Hot Springs to the Port of Los Angeles cruise terminal at San Pedro in just over two hours, a distance of 120 miles.  The freeways were not crowded and moving smoothly so we had no trouble with our trip. 

We had to wait for boarding for nearly two hours, due some earlier problems with customs that the ship had to deal with on the voyage that disembarked prior to our embarkation.

Cunard’s Queen Victoria is a modern ship with most of the traditional features of the typical cruise ship as well as much of the elegance of the great historic ocean liners.  We were warmly received and were introduced to some of the expected Cunard vocabulary.  Our ship is a liner and not a cruise ship.  We are on a voyage and not a cruise.  We have a stateroom and not a cabin.  We are guests, not passengers. Our stateroom on deck one is larger than we are used to and has a nice window overlooking the ocean.

We were impressed with the many traditions that Cunard is preserving.  Most of the senior staff is British.  The décor is fascinating.  Emphasis is on comfort, classiness and elegance.  The line features “White Star Service,” a tradition maintained since the line’s merger with the White Star Line in 1934. There are also three levels of service and dining rooms reserved only for the top paying guests. We haven’t been invited up to the Queen or Princess level which requires a different type of key card. It would be interesting to see how the other guests are living. We have seen video of these accommodations and most are larger than our 2000 sq ft home! But we don’t expect to be invited to see these decks.

The guests onboard are from a variety of countries.  We have only about 700 Americans from the total of 2000.  There are nearly that many Brits, with many from other countries.  We were pleased with the friendliness and courtesy from guests and staff alike.

The weather has been overcast with some sun breaks.  Until today, we have not had much deck chair weather, but as we approach the tropics things are improving.  A following wind means that there is very little wind across the decks and walking is comfortable.

We have early seating for dinner, at 6:30.  Thursday and Friday were formal nights.  John wore his tux one night and a new blue suit the second.  Donna wore a beautiful purple dress the first night and long black skirt and a brocade jacket on the 23^rd.  We were amazed at the number of tuxedoes present. Our tablemates are Californians, originally from Northern Ireland and are pleasant company. 

Wednesday was the second night of Hanukkah and we attended the candle lighting and services the first two evenings.  There was a turnout of about 50.  We will continue to go this event until Hanukkah ends.

We enjoyed attending the functions held in the Queen’s Room the last two evenings.  A black-and-white ball was held Thursday and a Masquerade Ball last night. There are other formal balls planned on the various formal evenings.  They also present high tea every afternoon with white gloved waiters serving finger sandwiches and tiny pastries. With all of the guests from the UK, tea time is very important and attracts many of the guests each afternoon.

We were well-received at our lectures in the 820 seat Royal Court Theatre, which is fashioned after a West-end London theatre, complete with box seats.  There are three other lecturers onboard, each of whom covers different subjects. We have never had so many other lecturers on board the same cruise so it is interesting to listen to these other men present their shows. Donna is the only female lecturer and we are the only lecturers that are not selling their book. Maybe we should write another book so we can sell it on future cruises!

Our first presentation, Wonders of Hawaii, at 10:00 am on Thursday had an attendance of about 600.  Friday, during the noon hour, we did our second program, Wayfinders of the Pacific, with a slightly smaller attendance. Our lectures are televised and shown on cabin television the next day, for those who missed the live program.  We have received many nice comments from guests. We are not scheduled to present again until after we have visited the four scheduled ports on different islands in Hawaii. We will be presenting two additional shows on the voyage home.

There is classical entertainment throughout the ship  all day long with string quartets, harp players and lots of grand pianos all being used. The evening shows have been quite good. There is lots of gorgeous costuming and dancing from different countries of the world. There is a casino on this ship but we have never seen more than a dozen guests in there gambling. 

Today there was a gingerbread house building contest judged by the captain and tonight there will be caroling and midnight mass. The ship is tastefully decorated with dozen of Christmas trees and poinsettias and garlands on every table, banister and railing.

We are looking forward to the four days in the Hawaiian Islands as we have reserved a rental car and will explore areas of each island that we have not seen on previous trips.

Travel Blog, Dec 19 2011

You Tube video of winning house

We just got back from seeing the holiday light displays in Cathedral City.  We can understand how the house on Estio Rd won the award for the best holiday lights on the CBS Early Show. The whole neighborhood called Candy Cane Lane nearby there was also spectacular. It is a great way to enjoy the beauty of the season.

The saga Continues

The Saga Continues

We are now in the holiday season, which includes Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years (Chinese and others), Winter Solstice, the ancient Jul, the Return of the Sun Festival, Kwanzaa and a bunch of others that I probably forgot.

Like literal snow geese, we decided to flee the storms and dark, foggy days of the Puget Sound winter and loaded our Hyundai Santa Fe headed south on December 12.  Our trio consisting of Donna, John and Ocho, our Persian cat, had 1200 miles to travel to our winter home in Desert Hot Springs, California.  To our immense relief, we experienced clear weather across Washington, Oregon and California.  The dreaded mountain snow on the Oregon-California border did not appear.  We had light traffic all the way, even in metro Los Angeles!  We stopped for only one night in Corning, California, averaging 600 miles per day.  None of us had any complaints.  In fact, Ocho is a great traveler.  He loves the closeness and attention he gets in the car.

“Why not Arizona?” you might wonder.  Although Arizona is dry and has similar weather to our Palm Springs area, we are especially fond of the many cultural and recreational opportunities here in the Coachella Valley. This is a unique area which celebrates diversity which has an active artistic, intellectual and environmental consciousness, with less of the insular attitude of the Mountain States.

We arrived at the Sands Golf Resort, where our home is located, by 4:00 pm on the 13^th and immediately were invited to a birthday party-potluck, where we were warmly received by old friends from previous years. 

We had anticipated purchasing a new refrigerator for our park model this year, but, to our relief, discovered that our old Whirlpool was operating fine, with just a bit of noise. Getting set up, unpacking and cleaning is a challenge after 8 months of inactivity.  A few challenges included purchasing a new time for our golf cart and spending over $250 restocking our food supply. 

We had anticipated transferring our DirecTV account to this location would be simple.  No such luck!  After running up at least four hours of precious cell phone time getting transferred from one frustrating automated telephone system to another, we were finally resigned to having a professional installer come out Sunday morning to do the final install.

We have spent much time getting together with old friends and meeting new ones.  John played the banjo on Saturday in one of the Sands’ monthly jam sessions and we invited by our friends, Kitty and Donna for a wonderful dinner later that night.

The weather here the first week was not warm. We even had a few days with rain and the more common wind, but we were able to wear shorts and sandals much of the time during the day.

We are now in the final process of packing our formal and casual wear for another cruise job.  John purchased two nice suits Saturday at a “vintage” clothing store and Donna will looki her best in a lovely new dress.  Wednesday, we will be boarding Cunard’s Queen Victoria, at the Port of Los Angeles for a two week round-trip cruise to Hawaii.  We will be delivering a series of lectures on the cruise.  This is a new cruise line for us on this luxury ship and we want to do our very best.

Donna is now off to her daily water aerobics. 

Look for further posts on our blog at Http://donnamollan.blogspot.com .