Day 17 Thursday 07 March in Kahului, Maui

This ship docked at 7.30am on her maiden port of call into Kahului. Because we had already done the Customs clearance for the USA yesterday we could disembark at our leisure, which for us was 9.00am.  As seems to be the norm with Cunard complimentary shuttles were available to take us to the Queen Kaahumanu Mall which was only about a 10 minute ride away. There were sales everywhere so needless to say it didn’t take long before my wallet was open. J I think half the ship came back with something from Macys from their current sales. After walking every inch of the mall we came back to the ship and had a drink in the Golden Lion Pub mid afternoon where the chat was who had bought what and how much they had paid it for, including the crew who also joined in with what they had purchased.

We were a little late leaving as a crew member was the last to board 30 minutes after the final boarding time.  I wouldn’t like to be in his shoes in the Captain’s office this evening.  We also heard today that a passenger was left behind in Bora Bora. I remember the Captain paging for one passenger for quite some time but once we were on the move we presumed that passenger to be on board. Wonder what he’s doing now? Probably married a local and sitting in a deck chair overlooking the sparkling waters of Bora Bora with a Pina Colada in his hand.. J

Once again we were farewelled by several whales as we sailed out of the bay of Kahului.

Cunard offer a very good ‘Future Cruise deposit’ offer to passengers currently on board. For only US$75.00 per person this payment gives us the option of US$300.00 per person on board credit for a balcony or US$200.00 per person for an ocean view or inside cabin.  If you book a Queens or Princess Grill cabin you receive US$400.00 per person on board credit. This is for voyages booked of 10+ nights. The offer is valid for four years and should we decide not to use it we can receive a full refund of our US$75.00 per person ‘Future cruise deposit’…. A good deal we think so we’ve got ours.  There is also an option of a little less on board credit for voyages of 6 to 9 nights.

Well I had better get ready to go for drinks and dinner. Afterward the show tonight is a magician then the later at 10.30 the crew are doing a show which should be fun.

We’ve just returned from the crew show which was excellent and very funny.  They  certainly do have some great talent on board this ship, probably the best we’ve ever seen.  To our surprise our Waiter Ana sang, she didn’t tell us she could sing, so might have to get her to serenade us at dinner tomorrow tonight. J

I forgot to mention you may have noticed that the two Hawaiian ports were swapped around from the original itinerary.  Captain Wells decided it was a good idea to change them around.  Don’t know why though.

Day 16 Wednesday 06 March in Hilo

Our ship docked at 7.00am, Hilo is also a maiden port of call for Queen Elizabeth.  There were a few showers here and there and a temperature of 21C.  Later in the morning the weather cleared to nice blue skies.

Before disembarking the ship everyone had to complete U.S. Customs clearance which I must say was carried out very efficiently.

We were all given a plastic poncho in a pack as we walked off the gangway, fortunately we didn’t need them but what a nice idea, never had that before on a ship.

There were complimentary coaches transporting everyone to the shopping plaza, only a 10 minute ride with a commentary on the local area by the driver. Hilo has been wiped out twice by tsunami’s once in the 1940’s the other in 1960. They have warning sirens everywhere on standby. It’s the only island of the Hawaiian Islands that has a mountain high enough that it snows at the top, and it did yesterday.

I’m sure those on the ship, like us who weren’t taking a tour were in Wal-Mart, Sears or Macy’s. A good day for them today with 1900 plus people buying left right and centre.  You should have seen everyone on the bus on our return they were all loaded up with their purchases.  There were some great sales to be had and also the sales tax here is only 4%, much less than elsewhere in the USA.

We sailed at 6.00pm and immediately came across about 6 whales frolicking just out of the bay from Hilo.  The Captain slowed the ship to almost stop so we could take photos but I tell you whales don’t like having their photo taken as they don’t warn you when they’re going to appear and when they do we’re not ready so I’ve got a lot of blurry photos….lol. Then while we were all looking in one direction one appeared right next to the ship but again we were all looking further away and missed a great photo opportunity.

After a most enjoyable day it was a quiet evening for us, enjoyed a couple of Budweiser’s on the balcony then off to dinner and an early night.  More shopping tomorrow…. Anyone would think I liked shopping?

Tomorrow, Kahului on the island of Maui.

Bora Bora

Deck 3

 

Our view

 

 

Yum

 

Bora Bora

French wine in Bora Bora for our balcony drinks

 

Anchored at Bora Bora

Locals surfing with the Tender at Bora Bora

 

Papeete, Tahiti

Coming through the reef at Bora Bora

 

Papeete locals

 

Roy's favourite - Duck

 

Juiscy tender Steak for me

 

Papeete

Tahitian Dance

 

 

Day 15 Tuesday 05 March at Sea, Hilo tomorrow

Another leisurely start to the morning.  We never miss the Trivia at 10:00am in the Pub and there’s always a good crowd there.  I must say having a lot of British crew there’s a lot of good British humour and banter; they never fail to give everyone a laugh. 

We decided it time we took up Croquet so off we went to have a go.  It’s actually not as easy as it looks.  We had a couple of games and didn’t win either so will need more practice. It’s quite a challenge but a lot of fun.  Also thought it time we had some good exercise and we got blown around the deck with the very strong breeze. I love the fact that you can walk right around this ship, many ships don’t have that. It’s exactly .9 of a mile or 1.4kms. I think it’s another tradition of Cunard to have a Promenade deck. After all that exercise we had worked up a thirst and hunger so it was off to the Pub for lunch……another habit forming. J

We were given an invitation to  a complimentary wine tasting this afternoon.  All good quality wines, two whites and two reds. Two were from France, one from Chile and one from Australia. We were both feeling ‘hery vappy and bull of feans’ afterward….lol.  So it was time for scones with Strawberry jam with lashings of cream, a cup of tea and a lie down.

Tonight the theme is the Roaring 20’s. How on earth are Roy and I going to do the Charleston, what a sight that will be….lol.  Many people will dress up and we will have a go with what we’ve got with us.

The show is a variety show tonight which is on before dinner for us tonight then after dinner it’s straight into the Roaring 20’s.  I bet some will be dressed to perfection in their 20’s gear.

Well that was a great night, so much dancing I bet we’ll both have aching legs tomorrow while we’re trying to have a wander around Hilo.

Day 14 at Sea Monday 04 March en-route to Hilo, Hawaii

 

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to our lovely daughter-in-law Donna. Sending lots of love and hoping you had a very special day. J xx

It’s also the birthday of Joe our Trivia team mate today and we will join them for dinner tonight to celebrate so we’ll all have a toast to you as well Donna. J

The sky is a little overcast this morning with the sun peeping out now and again.  The temperature is still pleasantly warm and the seas calm but with a bit of a breeze across the deck.

The artwork on Queen Elizabeth is really quite nice. They don’t have those pushy sales pitches like some companies do, but they do have a nice Gallery to browse through.  The pictures are changed frequently so there’s always something new to view. I particularly love the old photographs around the ship of people on board voyages in the past on various ships. There’s even one of Elizabeth Taylor on board the QE11 with her dog.

The Captain mentioned in his midday report today that he had received a note from someone on board who is not happy. Their complaint to the Captain was that there is a continuous rumble and movement in their cabin which they notice particularly at night.  The Captain reported that the note had no name or cabin number attached but he wanted to respond so thought he would broadcast his answer.  He simply put it that the rumble is the Engines which he doesn’t really want to turn off as that could delay our arrival into Hilo and secondly the movement was the ocean and unfortunately even though he is the Captain of the ship he doesn’t quite have enough status to control the movement of the ocean…yet……. true story. J

We enjoyed a light lunch in the Britannia Dining room today, the reason it was only ‘light’ was because we had to save room for the afternoon tea this afternoon. As soon as Roy heard there were Eccles cakes he decided he needed to go today.   Anyway, back to the dining room. The menu selection in the Britannia Dining room is always varied and there is always a large choice on the daily menu. We sat with two ladies today who have completed more than 300 days in each in total on board Cunard ships over the years. They do fit in other cruise lines in between their Cunard cruises they were saying.

We all know there’s nothing like sitting somewhere enjoying a drink or eating and people watching which we’ve been doing quite a lot of.

Here is the look a likes on board Queen Elizabeth:

We’ve got John Howard, Fred Flintstone, King George V, Bob Hawke, Katy Perry, Shrek, Joan Collins and Tinkerbelle, and that’s so far. J  I would love to snap a photo of these people to show you. J

We enjoyed a lovely dinner with Joe and Lynda our Trivia mates to celebrate Joe’s birthday which included a nice bottle of French champagne.  Even our table Waiters and Sommelier popped in to say hello to us and wish him a Happy Birthday.  After dinner it was off to the Royal Court Theatre to enjoy the Flautist, a young lady who would have been only in her twenties. She was excellent, playing modern and classical pieces. She even played Irish pieces on a Penny whistle. When she’s not playing on a cruise ship she plays with the Manchester Symphony Orchestra.

We had intended on going up to the Disco for a late night dance but after all the lovely food and champagne we decided to give it a miss tonight, there’s always tomorrow.

 

 

Day 13 at Sea Sunday 03 March 2013 en-route to Hilo, Hawaii

We have smooth seas again, high temperatures, perfect day to enjoy a sea day. Yesterday the temperature reached 31C. We are maintaining a speed of 21 knots and this evening at 5.30pm we will be crossing the Equator. We sailed north of Kiribati then passing quite a few islands I’ve never heard of like the Malden Islands and Kirmati Atoll.  *Newsflash* as I type this we have just crossed the Equator and the ships log which we can view on TV is showing the ships position at Latitude 0.00.00s…. and we didn’t even feel the bump…lol. We are now sailing in the Northern Hemisphere.

Well we learnt something today at Trivia….. question….. Who wrote the book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? do you know the answer without looking it up on Google?  We had no idea this person had written this book and were surprised at the answer.  I’ll tell you tomorrow but I bet you won’t wait until I give you the answer to find out….lol. Needless to say we didn’t do well at all today; they expected us to be Authors, Scientists and Astrologists today, not our forte for us four. J Tonight’s after dinner Trivia is ‘Name that TV theme tune’ so we’re hoping we’ll do better tonight. Then it’s off to tonight’s  show which so far have all been excellent, tonight it’s Valerie Peri who is a Broadway performer from many popular shows.

Enjoyed a light lunch at the Golden Lion Pub today and finally made it to the traditional Cunard afternoon tea in the Queens Room.  Roy didn’t join me for afternoon tea as he was too busy wallowing around in the swimming pool keeping cool.  Yes it is quite refreshing as it is filled with fresh sea water which is changed daily. My afternoon tea was lovely with white gloved waiters bringing me cucumber sandwiches, ham sandwiches, Eccles cakes, Carrot cake and various other delights. There was also of course fresh scones with strawberry jam and cream with fresh coffee or English Tea and all accompanied by gentle music from a young lady who played the Harp beautifully.

I won some Bingo cards the other day so went off to play that as well this afternoon. I won US$20, it would have been more but had to share it with two others who called the same number as me for just one line.  If I had won the full house I would have won US$1000.00, and that would have been handy.

More Queen Elizabeth sights:

When we boarded in Auckland we had to attend the ships Emergency Drill which involves going to our Muster Station complete with our lifejackets in hand. Our Muster station was in the Royal Court Theatre. The Muster was only for those who boarded in Auckland.  There were 360 of us gathered in the Royal Court Theatre when in walks a lady wearing only her white waffle weave bathrobe complete with white slippers as provided in all our staterooms on Queen Elizabeth, and not carrying her lifejacket. This caused a bit of a giggle in the theatre to which she seemed oblivious and she sat down in all seriousness listening to the Emergency Drill instructions which was being conducted by the Captain. We’re sure the Captain noticed but he was very diplomatic. J Haven’t seen her since, or maybe it’s just that we don’t recognise her with clothes on…lol.

Oh and then there’s the man whose wife has just given his hair a bit of a trim whilst on board…. Oh my goodness it looks like he’s been attacked by a bird who was desperate to find something to build his nest with whilst flying by…J There is a very good hairdresser on board, if I was him I’d use them next time…

Believe me these are only a handful of the 1900 plus guests on board. We’ve found everyone very friendly and pleasant and everyone chats to everyone.  We’ve met some very interesting people from all walks of life so far.

Do hope you’re not getting bored reading this without having photos to accompany my gabble. I’ll put more photos up once we’re in Hilo, promise, but it’s too slow and expensive from on board. Those with more loyalty to Cunard than us do have free internet time, we’ll have to wait for our next cruise on Cunard to get that.

Day 12 at sea en-route to Hilo, Hawaii

The seas continue to be smooth and the sun hot when we opened the balcony door this morning.  I think we’re going from being relaxed to being a little lazy as we had breakfast brought to our cabin once again but it’s so nice to sit out on the balcony overlooking the ocean eating breakfast.

We found ourselves playing bowls of all things this morning.  We were on a walk around the ship up on the sports deck forward on deck 10.  There’s tennis, golf, table tennis, quoits, shuffleboard, croquet and bowls. Mrs Bouquet called out ‘I say….would you fancy a game with us’? So we did.  Actually she’s very nice but just so much like Hyacinth, and her husband didn’t say a thing….lol.  She’s been playing bowls since 1989….. Roy and I won.  I wonder if she’ll invite us to play next time she sees us.

Now it’s time for Queen Elizabeth sights:

The lady that wears two sun hats, one on top of the other. Roy thinks maybe she’s prepared just in case one blows off out on deck. J

Then there’s the lady that wears a different wig at dinner, she can be blonde, brunette, silver or dark brown, and all wigs have more hair on them than three people put together would have on their head.  Then the occasions she doesn’t wear a wig nobody recognises her and her own hair is actually quite nice.

Then there’s the lady who has had such a facelift that you feel like going up to her and stroking her head to see if she starts purring.  J

In the male department there’s been nothing outstanding except for several men who love to sit at the lunch table, which is a free sitting situation, and talk and talk about themselves and their achievements and the other 5 of us at the table just have to sit and yawn. Then when they get up to leave after lunch say..’ bye folks, it was great hearing where ya’ll from’….huh.

Oh and then there’s the couple who love to dance and dance and dance.  Even during the day they can be seen practising around the Queens room.  The trouble is she’s got two left feet that are size 10, so has he but his feet are size 12. Even the professional dancers have been giving them lessons and they still can’t pick it up. Must say at least they’re enjoying themselves and do have a laugh at themselves.

I’ve taken up Pimms again. J It’s been I don’t know how long since I enjoyed a refreshing Pimms. They serve it in a tall glass with ice and orange wedges and are delicious and are very popular. This ship has a wonderful selection of drinks and cocktails. Actually one of the Trivia questions this morning was ‘what is the base of a Pimms’… answer… Gin. Our team got it wrong, we thought it was Vodka.  I haven’t mentioned our scores in the Trivia to you of late…. Now you know why…lol. Our team mates from New York and us have a laugh at our scores each day now.  He’s retired from the NYPD and has a great sense of humour and we spend more time having a laugh than getting the question correct. 

As I type this Roy is doing the Laundry.  Strange but it appears on ships it’s the men’s job to do the laundry as very seldom do you see women in there. The trouble is the men don’t come back with all the gossip like the women do in that situation….lol.  I should take a photo; you’ll see two men standing talking whilst waiting for their washing to finish and one talking whilst ironing…. Quite an amusing site.  I might have mentioned previously but I do like the self-service Laundry on this ship, it works well and is very convenient.

Our Maître‘d looked after us well today by giving us a lovely table for two by the window at lunch time. It's nice not sitting down at a table for six looking at each other wondering if the man that just sat down is going to tell us his life story.  Must say there’s only a handful like that.  Now, back to what I was saying…lol.  We’re on rations now and only had a bowl of soup, they make delicious soups on here, and a dessert of Banana bread pudding with custard and a scoop of delicious ice-cream that is made on board. We did that today as we’re hoping to get down to the Afternoon Tea at 3.30 this afternoon. We keep missing it because we’ve always been too full from lunch to even contemplate afternoon tea.

Formal night again tonight and I must say people do dress beautifully on board, that includes the men, some have matching coloured waistcoats and bowties, and others even wear cummerbunds. Those that prefer not to dress formally can dress more casually and dine at the Buffet instead of the main dining room on Formal nights. The dress code is strict in the dining room every night which we think is a good thing.

An update on our bird that was following us, he hasn’t been seen since we sailed from Papeete so we think he’s decided to stay in there as a refugee and has enrolled in French lessons. J