I woke up and realized there was a little bit of light coming in around the curtain. Although the sun was not up yet, by gaining an extra hour last night, my body thought it was time to get out of bed. My brain thought otherwise but I stumbled over and peaked outside. The chairs outside were damp and covered with salt so I grabbed one of the beach towels to sit on and quietly went outside.
I loved sitting out there watching the sun come up and hearing the waves...so peaceful. The sky was overcast, but there were enough breaks in the clouds to allow some of the morning rays to peek through.
After showering and getting dressed, Bob and I put a sticky note on Kent & Laurel's door saying we were going to breakfast at the buffet. We never did make it to the main dining room for breakfast during the cruise...we just didn't want to sacrifice the amount of time that it would have taken. The breakfast offerings at the Aloha Cafe were almost identical from day to day, but the offerings were so numerous that it didn't matter. Pretty much any type of breakfast food you could think of was there. Bob also discovered one section with Asian-type foods, including "congee"...a sort of rice porridge.
There were no trays in the buffet so getting a plate of food and a separate bowl for fruit meant making a second trip back to get something to drink. Silverware was wrapped in cloth napkins and available on the tables. Being a coffee drinker, I thought the coffee from the dispensers was perfectly OK. There were also machines that brewed espresso.
Just as we sat down, Kent and Laurel showed up. We tended to always sit in the same general area at the buffet so it made it easier to find each other.
As they did yesterday, the other three went to the cardio dance class at the pool.
It was too early to go to the morning's craft class so I wandered around the ship checking out what areas were still under construction. The area around the adult-only Oasis pool on Deck 12 had opened up but only one stairway leading up there was available...the other was still roped off. With the chilly temps...and rough seas...we never once got into a pool or hot tub during our four sea days. Once we reached Hawaii there was just no time! That morning in particular, the pool looked like a wave pool at a Disney water park!
At 10:00 I went to the Mardis Gras Lounge for the craft activity...making a tropical photo frame. There was already a large group there and when I sat down in one of the few available chairs I realized I was sitting by the same lady I had sat with the previous day when we had made the lanyards! I only stayed long enough to pick up the craft kit and make sure I knew how to assemble it.
I didn't stick around to finish the frame because I wanted to go down one level to the Hollywood Theater for the senior officer Q & A session. There was a question concerning fresh water production on the ship, but the questions that seemed to be on most every one's mind were...
1. Why is the ship rolling so much more than other ships? Stabilizers are being used but each ship just handles differently...AND we are going through some very rough seas.
2. Will we make it to Hawaii on time? Yes.
Once again I left early...I was trying to make it to too many activities!! I got to the top of the stairs in the theater and had two surprises...1. Bob was standing there waiting for me AND 2. I tripped just as the ship lurched. I sprawled out flat. (Only injuries were to my pride.)
Bob went with me to meet up with a Cruise Critic group in the atrium who were doing a cabin crawl. Several people (with different cabin categories) had offered to do "open house" so we could check out their cabins.
We started with two adjoining obstructed ocean view cabins which were of particular interest to me. These were the exact cabins that we had booked when we initially planned to sail on the POA last November. The windows were blocked by the smaller rescue boat hanging from the side of the ship. (Other obstructed view cabins would have been behind the larger lifeboats.) Even with the obstruction there was a bit of a view so these might be a cheaper alternative to the unobstructed cabins.
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| Cabin #7556 |
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| A non-obstructed ocean view cabin with the floor to ceiling window. |
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| Fancy espresso/coffee maker. |
...and also the even larger Deluxe Owners Suite. They were very nice and all newly refurbished, but I would rather cruise more often in a small cabin than pay what these categories cost. (I felt like a stalker taking these photos!)
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| A little blurry. The bathroom in the Deluxe Owner's Suite had a jetted tub and two sinks and was about the size of our entire cabin! |
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| Their own personal hot tub! |
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| Office area. |
The latter cabins were on an upper deck (Deck 12 I think) and in the forward part of the ship where the ship's movement was much more noticeable. Normally Bob doesn't have problems with motion sickness, but he had been dealing with vertigo recently and he started to feel nauseous. He left to go back to our cabin while I stayed with the group.
When the cabin tour was over, Bob and I went to lunch alone...Kent & Laurel were at the "Fun with Poi Balls" activity. Two very large charcoal grills had been set up by the pool and they were cooking ribs, chicken, burgers and hot dogs. There was also a small table set up with a few salads. We went through the line for the BBQ, but then carried our food inside to eat where it was warmer.
Following a quick nap, we joined up with Kent & Laurel and the four of us attended the kukui nut lei class in the theater. HUNDREDS were in attendance and there was some confusion trying to get the supplies handed out. Making the leis was not difficult and I thought they turned out nice...I even wore mine a couple of times during the cruise.The Hawaiian Ambassador, Kaulana, taught the class and also spoke about the history of the kukui nut and told of its medicinal uses.
Laurel and I took some time to browse the gift shops afterward, looking for the kukui nut oil that had been mentioned in the lei class. (Laurel eventually purchased some at a cheaper price at an ABC Store in Waikiki.) The guys went to the second origami class...this time they made frogs.
Some of the evening activities listed in the Daily Freestyle sounded like fun so we opted to have an earlier dinner at the Cadillac Diner...one of the complimentary restaurants...so we could make it to the early show in the Hollywood Theater. (The main entertainment was performed twice each night in the Hollywood Theater...at 7 pm and 9 pm.) We delayed dessert until later in the evening. (The diner is open 24/7.)
The entertainment for the night was the "Magic & Comedy of Matt Marcy." Magicians are not my favorite type of entertainment, but I had to admit the guy was pretty good. There was enough time after the magic show that we could go back to the Cadillac Diner to have dessert...and still get to the Mardis Gras lounge for the rest of our evening's activities. Bob and Laurel were excited to order warm apple pie...but it didn't live up to their expectations. Kent ordered brownie cheesecake that was OK...and I ordered pound cake with strawberries which I thought was great and the best choice on the menu!
At 9:00 the "Battle of the Sexes" competition was held. Mostly silliness, but still fun. Bob and Kent both volunteered to be on the guys' team. In the end the females won with a slightly unfair advantage. Both teams had to get as many people as possible from the audience and make a human chain connected by articles of clothing. Many of the women were wearing scarves which helped our line stretch over half way through the ship!
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| The "Shoe Game". |
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| Laurel and James...aka PeeWee Herman! |
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| Bob's partner, Michelle, was wearing a shark costume! |
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