Sea Days

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Days 10-15 – At Sea



This is a combined blog for all the days we spent at sea from our sailing on January 20^th & 21^st to our making landfall on the 26^th.



Day 10, Embarkation day, Jan. 20th:



Embarkation day is best described as ‘a hurry up and wait day’, where you move through a specific set of procedures and then pause before the next set. We got up at a reasonable time, had our complimentary breakfast and even found some time to do some computer work until it was time to leave. Before our final zipping up of the luggage I took a number of items out to the car and returned to the room with a luggage cart so we could move everything to the front desk in one operation. While Brooke checked us out I moved the cart into the garage and waited for the hotel’s shuttle driver to arrive for our pre-arranged pick-up at 11:20.



We and two other couples were promptly transported down to the Pier B where our bags were collected by the helpful shore team and moved to the transport bins, while we entered the terminal building. There we immediately had to pass through several levels of the mandatory security screening: first a security person checked our passports and boarding passes; then our carryon bags and ourselves were subjected to airport type electronic scans.



After successfully completing that exercise we went into the processing hall where we had to fill in the medical forms, this time with a strong message about Ebola. HAL was not taking any chances and if you had been in Africa in the last 21 days, especially those areas affected by the disease, you WOULD NOT be allowed to sail. After filling in the document we proceeded directly to the check-in counters reserved for 4 & 5 Star Mariners.



Things had once again changed with the process, most notably with regards to the electronic shipboard photo attached to your key card. HAL is now storing your photo image from previous cruises and will call up your previous one and use it if there is no major change in your appearance. My photo from last year was just fine, even to the fact that I was wearing exactly the same shirt. In Brooke’s case the clerk retook her picture to provide a better image.



As 4 Star Mariners we did not have to wait in the departure lounge to be called to board the ship and were allowed to proceed immediately to the gangway. Once on board we immediately went to our stateroom, 790, dumped our carry-on luggage, put our valuables in the safe and headed off to the main dining room for the Mariner’s lunch. In all, from the time we left the hotel at 11:20 to the time we entered our cabin just over 30 minutes had elapsed.



At lunch we met two couples one from Vancouver, BC and the other from Vancouver, WA. We had a lively and most interesting conversation. On our way back to the cabin we: 1/ made a reservation for dinner, 2/stopped in the Library to set up our internet account, and 3/ select several books to read, before they were all taken. The Library, in my professional opinion, was a mess. The books were poorly arranged, not even in alphabetical order by the authors’ names.



On our return to the cabin we found that both bags had been delivered, so we spent the next hour putting things away. While we were in that process our cabin stewards, Andi and Nur, came by and introduced themselves. Brooke then went off to hear a lecture on sights to see in Hawaii while I did a circuit or two of the Lower Promenade to take some shots of the harbour. On my return I found Brooke in the cabin reading, the lecture had been very brief and she missed a majority of it.



The mandatory lifeboat drill occurred at 4:15, forty-five minutes before the scheduled departure. Everything must have been in order because the Captain had us away from the pier at 4:50 backing us into the harbour. I went on deck to capture some leaving the harbour shots. The sun set quickly and the evening light faded making photography challenging. In addition there was a strong wind blowing off the ocean and it was quite cold.



I went back to the Lido pool area where Brooke said she was going to take part in the Sail Away party and to enjoy the drink of the day. We returned to the cabin to read and to get ready for dinner. Even though we had indicated that we were willing to share a table we were seated alone in an area of the lower restaurant that had a fair number of empty seats.

We were confused by this as we while were waiting to be seated we heard the maître d’ continually tell other guests that there were no seats and that they would have to wait.



Following dinner we went back to the cabin to await the evening performance “Listen to the Music” where the Cruise Director Mario Vines presented his Entertainment Team to the passengers.



At 9:25 as we were sitting in the Showroom waiting for the evening’s entertainment the Captain came on the PA system to announce that a fellow passenger was in serious need of medical treatment. As a result he was in the process of turning the ship around and heading back to San Diego. At that point in time we were already 4.5 hours into the cruise and about 80 nautical miles SW of the port. He could not provide us with any further information but assured us that he would address us over the PA tomorrow on the situation.



After the performance I went up on deck around 10:30 for a walk and found that dress shoes slipped too much on the deck surface so I returned to the room to change my shoes. I returned to the deck and went for a two-mile walk, all the time watching the city lights grow brighter on the horizon.



When we went to bed at midnight the island outside San Diego harbour was silhouetted by the city lights behind it so I knew we were close.







Day 11- Jan. 21, 2015 – First day at sea – Weather forecast: partly cloudy, temperature 61°F/16°C – that was the temperature when I got up at 7:00 am –and stayed the same all day – wind was 24 knots (6 Beaufort) with a heavy swell causing us to pitch very noticeably – 85%!o(MISSING)f the yaw was dampened by the stabilizers



As we headed to the Front Desk to pick up a copy of the Canadian newspaper the Captain came on the PA system at10:00 am to give us all an update on the events of last evening. He reported that after consulting with the US Coast Guard he turned the ship around at 9:30 pm last evening and heading back to San Diego where he had the ship at Pier B by 1:00 am this morning. The passenger who was in the state of medical emergency was successfully transferred to a waiting ambulance and transported to a local San Diego Hospital. The Captain reported that the patient is now resting comfortably and is out of danger. He then told us that at 1:15 am he had the ship once again away from the pier heading back out to sea. The Captain went on to praise the crew, especially the medical personnel, for their quick action in this matter. For clarity he repeated the message for a second time. This explains why many of us onboard consider that we had two departure dates – January 20nd and 21st.



On Sea Days the Cruise Director and his staff provide a variety of activities to keep the guest entertained. Today Brooke headed off to the On Location seminar, which was to feature “Hawaiian Highlights”, to be followed by the Hawaiian Port Shopping Talk while I attended the cooking demonstration, which featured two dishes: butternut squash soup with huckleberry compote followed by Napoleon with vanilla mousseline, fresh berries and sorbet and prepared by the Pinnacle Grill’s Chef Ragu.



In afternoon, as Four Star Mariners, we were treated to a complimentary Navigator Wine Tasting session with the Cellar Master Alvin Pormicelle. Four wines were presented, two from the Admiral’s package: Grace Lane Riesling and Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc and two from the Navigator’s package: Deakin Estate Pinot Noir and Toro de Piedra Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a good wine tasting!



At dinner this evening when it came time for dessert the ship surprised me with a birthday cake, which I shared with Brooke and our other table companion. Brooke insists that she had nothing to do with arranging it, meaning Big Brother HAL is watching!



We decided to take in this evening entertainment, which turned out to be a comedian from Hawaii named Kermet Apio, a very funny man. He thanked his parents for naming him after a certain famous frog and wove that into his act.



Day 12 – Jan. 22, 2015 – At sea – Weather forecast: partly cloudy – temperature 68°F/20°C – actual readings at 10:30 am 70°F/21°C – wind 16 kts - sea state: slight swell



By the second full day at sea my shipboard set of routines is firmly in place: get up fairly early, go for a mile walk before heading to the Lido for a light breakfast; proceed to the Front Desk and pick up a copy of the Canadian and the Times newssheets before returning to the cabin with a coffee for Brooke.



This morning the ship alarms sounded for an ‘all crew’ emergency drill; the Officer of the Watch came on the PA prior to the alarm sounded to assure all the passengers that it was only a drill. During the drill all passenger services were suspended allowing all crew to participate in the exercise. The drill also pushed all scheduled events on by half an hour or more.



Later in the afternoon the Hawaiian talent, a guitarist and two hula dancers, presented a show in the Crow’s Nest entitled “Blue Hawaiian Melodies”.



Day 13 – Jan. 23, 2015 – At sea – Weather forecast: partly cloudy – temperature 68°F/20°C - actual readings at noon 73°F/23°C – winds 17 kts –strong 3.5 m swell cutting across our starboard bow – distance travelled 1,193 nm



Brooke headed off to the Crow’s Nest to join the Knitters and Stitchers session. She had brought along a cross stich pattern she started several years ago but never completed. I went off to the Lower Promenade to read.



Today we attended the Future Cruise presentation. Annette who is the HAL Future Cruise consultant informed us that HAL was transferring two ships the Ryndam and the Statendam to their sister company the P&O line at the end of this year. Early in 2016 the newest ship of the HAL line, the ms Koningsdam, will be launched and has a capacity of 2600+ is equaling to the two ships they are retiring.



Around 1:00 pm I took a picture of the large electronic display map on Deck 8 indicating our position, which at that time was approximately half way between San Diego and Hawaii.



Day 14 – Jan. 24, 2015 – At sea – Weather forecast: partly cloudy temperature 73°F/23°C – actual reading at noon 73°F/23°C – winds 15 kts – moderate sea swell of 2.5 to 3 m



Today started off on the wrong foot as when I turned on the shower I was confronted with BROWN water and the same happened when I turned on the sink taps. It cleared after running them for several minutes but it was disturbing. It reappeared during Brooke’s shower.



After my shower I tried to make a reservation in the Dining Room for 6:00 pm only to be told that they only had 5:15, 7:00, or 7:45 available. That corked it for me and I went down to the Front Office to register a complaint. First off for not informing guests that during their maintenance we might experience brown water and secondly for their inability to accommodate passengers with appropriate seating times for dinner, especially since we had opted for the “open seating” category.



During the day we attending cooking demonstrations, shore excursion talks, read and Brooke attended another meeting of the knitters and stitchers.



At 6 we headed off to the main dining room to try our luck at getting a table as “walk ins” as all our previous attempts at reserving a time suitable to us seemed to fail. Surprise, surprise it worked and we were seated with two ladies, both named Nancy within 5 minutes of our speaking to the maître d’.



Since we had achieved an early diner seating we actually made the 8:00 pm show which was billed as: An evening of magic, music and sophisticated fun, all performed by magician J. Neal & Liane. After the performance we went back to the cabin and posted the blog, captioned the pictures then settled down for an evening of reading, a green apple for me and a pear for Brooke then to bed. Tonight we move back another hour.



Day 15 – Jan. 25, 2015 – At sea - Weather forecast: partly cloudy – chance of rain – temperature 72°F/22°C – actual: bright sun from noon on – temperature 73°F/23°C – winds 31 kts



This morning Brooke and I along with several hundred other guests went to a presentation by J. Neal, the magician who performed last evening. His talk and demonstration dealt with the psychology of deception and how and why magic fools us. He also demonstrated, and had us participate in, a simple Sleight of Hand trick.



At 4:34 pm an announcement came on the PA that the ship would be slowing down to assist the US Coast Guard in a rescue operation. They asked us all to clear the decks and to return to our cabins or stay where you were all in the name of safety. The crew didn’t want anyone to fall due to the ship’s sitting lower in the water which would then adversely affect us with heavy waves, which at that point were around 3 meters high. On the forward cam we could see a US Coast Guard plane circling the ship. As we slowed down a parachute became visible just over the water and it passed down our port side. It appears to be a small plane with an emergency parachute device attached. The ship lowered one of the tenders to retrieve the occupant, who had bailed out and was separated from the plane and the Cruise Director just came on at 5:20 to report that the individual was on the tender and returning to the ship. The Captain had the navigation team circle the downed pilot to help the tender crew get near him quickly. The ship had slowed down to launch and retrieve the tender and at this point we are sitting at 1.8 kts. The Captain reported later that the pilot was in good shape and he profusely thanked his crew for their superb efforts.



We found out later that the pilot was taking the plane to Australia or New Zealand and that the reserve fuel system aboard failed (he did not “run out” of fuel). The US Coast Guard determined that we were the closest ship that could assist and directed us to his location. The pilot was still a little far from Maui for a helicopter rescue to be feasible. We heard that the whole exercise was reported on the TV news channels – however, the media report was not totally accurate.



After all that excitement we went off to dinner at 6:00 and were seated with two other Canadian couples, one from Alberta and the other from Kingston. The international component of the passenger list is strongly represented by Canadians. Following dinner we stopped by the Showroom at Sea to catch the Variety show that featured Kermet Apio, the comedian, and Count Dimas, the pianist.



Tomorrow we make landfall in Lahaina, Maui the first of six very busy, excursion-filled days in Hawaii.

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