Saturday 7/2/2015 Day 33 Sea Days X 5 until Samoa

It takes a day or two to become accustomed to the hour the clocks go back, and today we feel normal again, waking at 6:45 to sunrise coming dazzlingly into the left side of our balcony window. So we must be going in the right direction. Breakfast done, just about to go deck walking.

There will be some more bobbling around in hot water today. At the Aquarius pool there’s music playing all day. Yesterday we listened (and I was compelled to sing along) to Rumours, the whole album. I wondered whether Mick Fleetwood lives in Hawaii? There was a restaurant called Fleetwood’s yesterday with a logo looking like the figure on the Rumours album cover.  Can’t really Google on here but maybe if you’re reading this and can find out for it would be lovely to know.

Dancing is at 11 today and oh heck, it’s the Quickstep……  Hope to have a better experience this time.  My problems are that my feet don’t move quickly enough, my memory struggles and there are a lot of steps in a short space of time.  Thankfully Khachik and I don’t get dance rage.  When we are people watching (in other words when we watch because we have failed!) we are aware of that dance rage between some couples, some storm off, some shout, some just give “the look” – so we seem to have come a long way, as every error just makes us laugh these days.   

Today’s art is at 2:30 and Easa has promised that we will be painting two monkeys “acting the goat” 

Will report on both tomorrow.

We have been invited to a coffee morning with the Captain tomorrow at 10:30. This is for the 500 or so of us going right round. We already feel special, and lucky, and grateful, and surprised to wake up to find its really happening every day, but the ship’s company keep adding to that special feeling by arranging these different events for us.

So bye for now. Back for sea day 2 towards Samoa tomorrow. x

Day 27 Sunday 1st February 2015 Pacific Ocean to Hawaii

Everything went as planned on Sunday, the City highlights was such good fun and our tour pictures are already up on Facebook because we found a Starbucks for hi speed internet just before going back to the ship. Golden Gate Park, Golden Gate Bridge, look out points, Twin Peaks, Union Square, the cable cars, trams and buses  On one of our stops we tried the clam chowder – enough chunky and tasty food for a day in one bowl!

The jobs we had to do all got done too, paying bills and keeping our bank up to date with the countries we are using our account in.  We found a Fedex agent so we could send important documents to the UK, and a hairdresser for me so I could have another “haircut of the world”, and then spent the afternoon walking towards Union Square up Market Street, taking in the feel of a new city.  Lots of pop up craft stalls more street performers, places we recognised from movies. We made it back in time for dinner, and enjoyed the cabaret, and then were off to sleep in no time with very little waking up.  The clocks have stayed the same for 2 nights now.  I imagine they will start to go back again on the way to Hawaii.

On 13^th we are told we “miss a day” to bring us back to reality as we cross the international date line, otherwise we would be going back in time until we got home.

As it’s a sea day we have started our stretching, dance and art together again. In art we painted a penguin with chick, and were very happy.

Dance actually felt comfortable today. You know what, I am beginning to think I might even be able go to one of the dances on board without a “caller”! Steady on.   Today we worked on our rhythm foxtrot, which we are reassured we can resort to for anything in 4:4 time.  Time will tell.  Other sea day activities include sitting on the deck for coffee, doing brain training puzzles and chatting away.

We have attempted not to eat too much today, and we have maintained 9-10 laps of the Promenade Deck every sea day, so efforts are in place not to overdo it (too often ;) )It’s easy to eat very well as there’s so much choice, it’s also just as easy to add a slice of cake, chips, in fact ANYTHING your heart desires 24 hours a day.

Another sea day tomorrow, bye for now.