Pago Pago Today (Monday, February 1st) - Gone Tomorrow

I say that because tomorrow we cross the International Date Line and Tuesday disappears forever.  We go directly to Wednesday at some point tomorrow.  Very strange.  

Today, we are in Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa.  It is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and New Zealand.  We didn’t arrange for an excursion in this port, but opted to explore a little on our own.  

It is in the mid-80s and humid today, but, we were told that the weather was much worse yesterday because there was no breeze.  I’m sweating so I know that I’m healthy (that’s the silver lining for the day). 

We took a walk today and looked around the indoor and outdoor shops and farmer’s market.  There is a district court and high court nearby as well as a Post Office.  The Jean P. Haydon Museum has a beautiful mural on the outside wall and a tree designed in a totem-like fashion.  

We were able to pick up our first (of many) magnets of a “fale” which is a building or home.  Etiquette requires you to remove your shoes or slippers when entering a fale and one should never stand inside a fale when elders are seated.  The people of American Samoa are very religious and it is disrespectful to walk around in short shorts or revealing clothing and one should never wear bathing suits when not on a beach.

Photographs should only be taken of people if you ask and are given permission.  A man was sitting at a bus stop where I stopped for a break from the heat.  He was obviously a Samoan with beautiful cultural tattoos on both arms, hands and legs.  (I’m sure most of you know what I think of tattoos.)  Anyway, I asked him if I could take photos of his arms and legs and discovered he was actually a singer from Western Samoa who was here to record a video.  I thought I was pushy enough by asking and taking the photos so I didn’t press for his name.  I also asked 19-year old Miss American Samoa if I could take a photo with her and she was very gracious and obliged.  

Michael also found his “naked ladies” postcards for our friend who collects postcards.  Because the people are so religious now, these photos are not modern but are from a collection dating back to the 19^th Century through the 1920s. 

 

Michael’s thoughts:  A casual look at the inhabitants did not reveal any relatives that might have been left during my father’s stay in this area during WWII.  Oh well, I’ll keep looking.  Very friendly people and fun to visit here. 

Life on the Pacific Princess - January 31st

We’ve been on the ship 11 days and have stopped at only one port – Honolulu.  I happen to love sea days but I’m sure there are plenty of people who can’t wait to get off tomorrow at Pago Pago (American Samoa).  

All is well here in the South Pacific where the ocean is about 85 degrees.  A far cry from the waters of the Puget Sound even in the summer.  It’s pretty warm and humid and I’m really trying to channel the wonderful book I recently read, The Gratitude Diaries, and really trying to find the silver lining when it comes to this hot weather.  I’m not coming up with much so far other than to be grateful that I don’t need to use moisturizer on my skin.  (That’s the best I can do today.)  

Our cabin is just about perfect right now.   The removable hangars for my costume jewelry didn’t do very well on the vinyl-type wall coverings so they’ve been moved to the wooden strips framing the large mirrors and they’re holding up very nicely in their new locations.  A squeaky closet door and a drawer that was too difficult to pull out have been fixed and the air flow of the air conditioning unit has been adjusted as well.  

The gym is very nice.  It has just about everything we need.  We’ve been doing our own strength training programs, using the CD tracks we bought for treadmill workouts (fantastic by the way), taken a cycling class (with more scheduled) and I’ve been going to Zumba classes as well.  Dancing is a nightly event.  

The entertainment has been wonderful.  Aside from the professional singers and piano players we’ve enjoyed so far, our fellow passengers will be performing hula dancing and ukulele playing taught to them by our Hawaiian ambassadors, who leave the ship tomorrow.  Two gals we met from Arkansas will be performing this afternoon and Michael will video them and send them the DVD when we get home.  I’ll be joining the book club during this segment of the cruise. 

We have the most wonderful wait staff on the ship.  Our waiter, Andreii from Ukraine, and head waiter, Nelson from Portugal, couldn’t be better.  Each night, Nelson gives me the next evening’s menu so I can make my selections and he can have them prepared gluten-free; he always makes sure I get extra vegetables on my plate, and arranges to have rice milk at the coffee bar for my afternoon iced coffee, and gluten free dough for pizza when I’m in the mood.  More importantly, he’s been supportive in my efforts to wean myself off soda.  It isn’t as if I’m addicted and experience withdrawal symptoms when I don’t drink soda, it’s just that I really love the taste of diet coke (and, of course, my Dr. Thunder at home).  I also know that soda isn’t good for me and I consider it to be my only real vice.  My nutritionist, Alexa, has been trying for years to get me off the stuff.  I have six cans of diet coke in our fridge in our cabin and have only one a week now, although I know it will be far more difficult to not drink soda once I get home.  

One thing I always ask our waiter is how many lobster tails they’ve served to one person.  Andreii told me that the most he’s ever served is 18 lobster tails to one person.  Two tails on a plate with shrimp, rice and vegetables.  He served this person at least 7 complete plates (14 tails) and 2 plates with just 4 tails.  I can’t even imagine.  

We’ve also discovered that some people have taken this world cruise more than once.  I considered our trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience and there are some people that have taken it 4-5 times.  Wow!  

As I mentioned, our next port is Pago Pago tomorrow.  We don’t have a planned excursion but we will be visiting the village on our own. 

FIRST PORT OF CALL: HONOLULU

After six days of pretty rocky seas, we arrived in our first Port of Call, Honolulu.  We've been here a few times and the location is very familiar.  

The days on the ship have been wonderful and I'm so relaxed that on Thursday night I said to Michael, "did we just get on the ship yesterday (Wednesday)?"  He said, "yes."  I said "I feel like I've been on the ship for a week."  I really am quite comfortable.  

We didn't have any excursions planned for today in Hawaii, but we took a walk this morning, including a stop at Walmart for a few things - including another two 6-pair of pants hangars for me and a shoe shine kit for Michael.  Michael's heading out again for another walk somewhere.  I hope he gets back to the ship by 7:30.  Fortunately, he has GPS on his cell phone. 

The ship is pretty empty (no lines at the buffet for lunch) today.  

Michael fixed the issue with the blog so I shouldn't have any 
problem posting from now on and sending out an email.  

We've had some very good entertainment so far, including Live Wire, a Celtic duo, and Peter Byrne, who does a great Neil Diamond Tribute.  

We'll be on the high seas after tonight heading towards Pago Pago in American Samoa arriving on February 1, and then crossing the International Date Line and arriving in Nuku'Alofa in Tonga on February 4.   

ROCKIN' AND ROLLIN' ACROSS THE PACIFIC

The caption of today’s posting has two meanings.  We are quite literally rockin’ and rollin’ across the Pacific Ocean, both in the cabin and on the dance floor.  The ocean has been very choppy throughout our travels, except for a few hours here and there, and we’re fortunate that neither of us suffers from seasickness.   While we’re rockin’ and rollin’ to Elvis on the dance floor, the choppiness is definitely challenging our dancing abilities. 

   

But, let’s go back a few days.  Our flight from Seattle to Los Angeles was uneventful and I let out a great sigh of relief when I saw our three checked bags arrive safe and sound.  We spent the night with my in-laws, James and Chica, who took us and our five suitcases (Michael brought two of them down to LA in December), four boxes (three boxes of “mass quantities” and a box containing 24 cans of coconut milk, something I have every morning), two carry-ons (mine filled with dance shoes; Michael’s filled with electronics), and a backpack to San Pedro to embark the Pacific Princess.  

This is a beautiful class of ship in the Princess fleet and I had forgotten how wonderfully convenient its designed.  We’re on Deck 7 and everything is either two decks down or two/three decks up which makes it very easy to walk up or down a couple of flights of stairs and avoid the elevators.

Because only about 200 people embarked the ship in San Pedro (many started the cruise in Ft. Lauderdale), the check-in process was easy peasy.  No lines to get our cruise cards or through security.  Our luggage/boxes arrived without any problems.

Michael immediately took care of my MOST important issue – getting us assigned a two-person table.  We were assigned Table #1 in the dining room and the table is in a great location, our waiter Andrea from Ukraine, junior waiter Edmund from Philippines, head waiter Nelson from Portugal, and maître d Oscar from Italy, have treated us like royalty. 

We also had all our Princess gift cards put on our account.  An interesting note for anyone who has or will receive gifts cards from Princess – be sure to keep the plastic card stuck on the paper card on which it comes because that’s the only way the reception people know the amount on the card.  (The amount is printed on the paper card.)  I received two cards in gift boxes, without the paper cards, but I kept detailed notes so I knew how much each card contained.  (I still don’t know how the PIN on the back of the card doesn’t provide the amount of the card but that’s what I was told.) 

Our cabin with balcony is very nice and Michael has done wonders putting up little hangars all around for additional space for “stuff” like my costume jewelry.  Our shoe bag doesn’t fit in the closet so it’s hanging on the bathroom door.  We have a full size map of world also hanging so we can easily see where we’re going and where we’ve been.  I expect to win all Jeopardy geography questions after this cruise. 

The closet, however, is very small and Michael’s two tuxedos and three suits take up “his half” of the closet alone.  Another cabinet in the room had a small refrigerator sitting on top of four drawers and I said to Michael, “what’s that bar above the refrigerator for?”  He immediately removed the refrigerator, put it next to his nightstand, and hung his shirts on that bar.  Problem solved.  Our cabin steward said some people actually ask to have the refrigerator removed.  

I brought hangers that hang six skirts/pants which help with my space but I’m still pretty cramped.  But everything has been put away and it really isn’t a problem.   

All my healthy snacks for excursions, pumpkin seeds, mints, gum, coffees, etc. have their own cubicle and my Stevia packets and non-dairy creamers, as well as my freeze-dried blueberries, are tucked away and out of sight.

Michael has also accessed the HDMI on the television so he can play his 200+ movies he has stored on his phone.  

I asked Michael for his thoughts for this first posting and all he could do was recollect the many months of preparation.   

We are absolutely amazed to find out that many people have taken this world cruise more than once.   We also heard that one lady retired exactly 72 hours before she embarked the ship.

With everything neatly put away, I’m missing only my lid for my coconut milk (which I still believe will be found in a pair of shoes I haven’t worn yet) and Michael is missing his shoe shine kit. 

Also of extreme importance to us is the availability of dancing.  No problem there.  The cruise director has music playing from 4:45 to well past midnight in the Pacific Lounge.  We have two wonderful duos providing great dance music.  There’s also the Pacific Princess Orchestra.  The two venues for dancing are definitely dancer-friendly – comfortable, spacious, wooden floors.  Lots of music but very few dancers and there aren’t many people at all in the Lounges past 10 p.m.  We were told this is very typical on a world cruise – people wake up at 5 a.m. and go to bed around 9 p.m.  We are definitely not included in this group of passengers.  

It’s Sunday and we just enjoyed the first brunch offered on the ship and we’re two days away from Honolulu.  Lots to say in this first blog but we want to take a few more minutes to thank some people for their kindness/expertise while we prepared for our “trip of a lifetime” (and who are listed in no particular order):

Carolyn Orf, for being a wonderful travel agent, and who selected the fantastic location of our room and helping with all the other details that go into a cruise like this one.

Cheryl, who we met on our previous cruise and who told us we could buy water during happy hour – large bottles are $3.50 and, during happy hour, you can get another bottle for just $1.00 (I hate paying retail for anything).

Sharon and Paolo, for the lovely roses that continue to adorn our cabin.

Lyn, Christine, David, Carolyn, Mike, Jas’, Candace, Sharon, Paolo, and James and Chica for all the very generous gift cards. 

Clay, Kris, Ron, Mary, Miss Sherri, Ben and Wendy for keeping an eye on the house while we’re gone. 

Sheila, who prepared us for the 100+ nights of dancing we’re going to enjoy.

Alexa, for caring about me and teaching me good eating habits so I don’t end up “gaining 7 lbs. a week” like the average cruiser.  

Loretta, for also caring about me and Michael and giving us a reasonable workout program to keep us healthy and strong.  

James and Chica, for storing our suitcases and driving us and our 200+ lbs. of “stuff” to San Pedro, and to their children, Andres’ and Alicia, for spending our last evening before the cruise with us. 

43 days to go....but who's counting?

When we booked the Princess World Cruise back in May 2014, January 20, 2016, seemed like a lifetime away.  But the weeks, months and almost two years have gone by and we're now down to 43 days to go....

I don't like traveling to a city the day of embarkation, so we're booked at the LAX Hilton for the evening of January 19th.  If any luggage is lost, at least there's an extra day to find it.  

We've never been to the Far East and we're really looking forward to some of the ports we'll be visiting, e.g., Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore.  

We're also making one stop in Mangalore, India.  This has been my only pet peeve of the entire preparations so far.  We had to get a Visa for Australia - easy peasy - a few clicks on the website, payment of $28 US for the two of us and we've got our Visas.  No such luck with India.  We don't live in San Francisco, which is the closest city with an Indian Embassy, so we had to use Capitol Visa (1-800-727-8472).  Very nice helpful people who answered numerous questions during numerous telephone calls.  We had to fill out a 2-page application form, a disclaimer form, provide new Visa photos ($17 pp), copy of our driver's licenses, birth certificates and marriage certificate and pay $240 for the Visas, $14.00 for a money order for the consulate fee, $239.00 for Capitol Visa's fee, $38 for Fedex to ship back our passports and $21.24 in miscellaneous fees for a total of $552.24 for a 10-hour stay in India.  Granted, the Visa is good for ten years but we have no plans to return to India.

I wish India would adopt Russia's Visa requirements.  If you're on a Princess excursion, there's no need for a Visa.  If you're planning to visit Russia on your own, then you have to go through Russia's entire process (which, by the way, I started a couple of years back when we were on another cruise) until I figured out the exclusion if we stay with a Princess excursion.  So much easier.  

Aside from being sure we have all the Visas (Princess will acquire the other Visas necessary during our cruise and charge our onboard account), the really big job has been to determine what I have called "mass quantities" we will need during our 111-day voyage.  Mass quantities are toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, dental floss, make-up, body wash, soaps, hair gel, etc., etc.  I'm fine with Princess's soaps and shampoos for a couple of weeks, but I must have my creature comforts.  

So, earlier in the year, I started marking our various "mass quantities" with the date to see how long each will last.  I then made a list of those "mass quantities" and determined how many of each item I will need.  This was also very important when it came to medications and vitamins.  For example, Michael and I take two Vitamin C capsules a day which means we will need 444 capsules over the course of the cruise.  This helps to determine how many bottles I'm going to need.  

We've been putting aside all the "mass quantities" and will ship about three boxes down to Michael's brother, who lives in Los Angeles, who will be bringing us to the Pacific Princess on January 20th.  Three boxes delivered by UPS is less than the cost of additional luggage and I won't need to worry about "lost luggage" the day of our sailing.   

Michael also brought down two suitcases with all our evening clothes to Los Angeles last week and left them at his brother's so I don't have to worry about our "fancy" stuff getting lost the day before we leave.   We expect to have one additional large suitcase with daytime and exercise clothing and swimwear and a carry on which will contain my evening and day shoes and dance shoes and some undergarments.  Michael suggested many years that my carry-on luggage should contain those items not easily replaced.  I've followed his advice for over twenty years.