Sunny and pleasant - 70F Today, I feel like I'm writing from "an old folk's home". I start with, "We went to breakfast and I had cereal and Karen had fruit." Everyday? Yep. And we had the same again this morning. Oh, I added a few prunes, just because they're so popular here. I got two eggs over medium for the simple reason there was no one in line. Some days there's just not much to write about. Nothing that offers any excitement. No diving with the sharks, no hill climbing on motorcycles, no monster trucks and nothing whatsoever at all to do with parachutes. Here on the ship, we live in a world of eating, movies, singing, reminiscing, sleeping, eating, swimming, walking, eating, bingo, shopping, reading, eating, complaining, sleeping, playing word games and eating. Most ... read more

Again the alarm wakes us at the unbelievable hour of 7:30am. As usual, I give Karen the first opportunity for bathroom privileges while I lay in bed for another 15 minutes. Today is the only port where we will be tendering in. The second-largest of the islands, Maui boasts 32 miles of beaches that are ideal for swimming, snorkeling, sea kayaking and sunning. Most ships call on Kahului, but some dock at Lahaina, which offers splendid views of the island of Lanai. The main attraction here is the Haleakala Crater, the world's largest dormant volcano and helicopter and bicycle tours to the crater are popular. We will be spending two hours aboard a catamaran cruising the open waters offshore. There is no pier to accommodate the Grand Princess in Lahaina so it must anchor offshore and ... read more

Sunny and warm 77°F It's 7am as we dock in Honolulu. We're here until 11pm so we have plenty of time. Our alarm is set for 7:30 and , while Karen gets up, I allow her to get ready before me and stay in bed another 20 minutes. Then it's up for our usual breakfast. It's almost 9am and the ship appears empty. Few people are in the buffet and we relax out by the pool. That is, until Mom decides to call Queenie. "It's just a quick call", she says. I know there is no such thing and fear we're going to be stuck here for some time. I set my phone timer for 5 minutes as she dials but as I predicted, the timer just rings and rings while Karen continues to talk and ... read more

Sunny 73°F Awakening in the morning, I refrain from checking my watch and continue to lie in bed, enjoying the new mattresses just upgraded by Princess a few months ago. They are nice but it's now 9am and breakfast is over at 10. Karen's up first, buying me 20 minutes of time to contemplate the best way to get out of this bed. Staying in an inside cabin or "tomb" as we call it, there is no perception of time or space except for a clock. No light from a window, no open door offering fresh air from a balcony. Nothing. The only way we know what's the weather's like is by turning on the TV and tuning to the ship's camera station for the latest ship stats and a glimpse outside. Here we can view ... read more

Forecast: 68°F & partly cloudy, rain I know it’s Halloween but the candy is wiped out again. Now Karen wants to dip into my private candy stash to feed the masses. That’s not happening. Call me “The Grinch that Stole Halloween” but that candy bucket is done. From now on all it’s getting is my empty candy wrappers. Deep breaths, Al, deep breaths! I’m OK. The alarm wakes us at 7:20am. We ordered room service for this morning between 7:30-8am so we need to be ready. Just coffee and 4 milks. Nothing like Queenie and Jonathan would order. We just wanted the small milk cartons to put in our refrigerator for later on, accompanied by a few oatmeal cookies we’ll get later. I’m all dressed when our meal arrives. What's this? These guys are killing me. ... read more