Epilogue to our Hawaii Cruise

Epilogue

I apologize. My blog posts from our Hawaiian cruise ended quite abruptly with our port day in Ensenada so I want to go back in time and finish the story. 

Back to Saturday, February 17...

Our disembarkation of the Koningsdam went smoothly. When we got off of the ship, our luggage was right where it was supposed to be. Going through customs took literally seconds as all we were required to do was a quick biometrics check. And after not seeing our ship friends, Ron and Jean, for the last half of the cruise, we ran into them in the terminal. Quick hugs and we were able to say "goodbye." I feel bad we didn't take time to exchange email addresses but they will go into my "souvenir memories" as a special part of our trip. 

Traffic was just a mess around the terminal so I suggested we go out to the street and walk a little ways before calling an Uber. This proved to be a smart plan. When we reached the front of the Wyndham Bayfront Hotel, I used the Uber app to request a pickup and the driver arrived within five minutes!

The ride to the airport was quick and uneventful but when we arrived, our flight was showing that it was delayed. Our connection in Salt Lake City had already been shortened thanks to flight changes made by Delta and as we waited, the first leg of our flight continued to get delayed even more. I knew the chances of us making the connection were slim and I was concerned.

Once our flight did take off, I talked to one of the all male flight crew as he was serving drinks and told him I was afraid we weren't going to make our next flight. He asked where we were going and when I said "MSP" he just smiled. The same flight crew was also assigned to our next flight as well. He said "I promise we won't leave you!" 

Since I knew I was going to struggle to get from one gate to the other with my bad knee, I had requested airport assistance via the Delta app. Once we landed, a sweet gal was waiting in SLC with a wheel chair and gave me a ride. She even stopped by our gate and checked to make sure she had enough time to get me to the restroom before the boarding began (a much needed stop!) 

The middle seat between Bob and I was empty on the last leg which made the flight a little more pleasant. Our gate at MSP was just about as far as possible from baggage claim and this time the gate agent was upset because the wheel chair that I (and several others) had requested had not arrived. I knew it would be painful but I figured I could walk if we went slow. Instead he suggested we flag down one of the electric carts which we did. I felt like a celebrity whizzing through the airport with our chauffeur. 

One last little piece of drama happened when we were waiting at baggage claim at MSP. A kid's giant hockey bag was the first to come out on the carousel and somehow it got tangled up in the conveyor belt blocking all of the other bags. Airport workers were pulling and tugging and it wouldn't budge. Eventually they had to get a knife and just cut the bag into pieces. As a hockey mom of three boys, I know how expensive hockey equipment is so I know the owners were not going to be happy when they discovered what had happened.

I would like to end this post by saying "and everyone lived happily ever after", but that wasn't the case. What I didn't mention previously was that all during the cruise I had been trying to keep in touch with my sister. (My real reason for splurging on the ship Wi-Fi.) She had been admitted to the hospital a couple of days after our cruise began and had continued to get worse. "J" is single and my only sibling so I was extra concerned about her condition.

T-Mobile provides Wi-Fi on Delta flights and on the way home I was getting texts from her friend that she wasn't doing well at all. She has lived with various health issues but during her frequent hospital stays she has always managed to improve and be discharged. I assumed that would be the case this time. She lived in St. Louis so I offered to drive down when we got home but she insisted she would be OK. After we were home for a few days I knew that wasn't the case. Bob and I packed up again and against J's protests, drove the 700 miles to St. Louis.

I knew she was going to need extra help at home when she was released from the hospital and I was glad we would be there to help. But...her hospital stay just kept getting extended. There were multiple issues going on and trying to deal with any one problem would just make the others get worse. The doctors were at a loss as to what to do.

My sister was a nurse...a hospice nurse. When she knew there were no good options for treatment, she called the head of the hospice program for the large St. Louis hospital system and said she wanted to make a referral...herself. He personally came to her room and J laid out how she wanted things to go during her last days including what nurses she wanted to care for her and what drugs she would like to receive for comfort. He made sure everything was taken care of as she requested.

Plans were made for a hospital bed and oxygen to be delivered to her house and J came home by ambulance at 4:00 pm on a Friday afternoon. The hospice nurses that cared for J treated her like royalty. All had worked with her for many years and it was easy to see how hard it was for them to care for "one of their own."

Bob and I assured J that we would be there to help for as long as she needed. Part of me was holding out hope that somehow she would slowly get better. We assumed we would be staying for a few weeks but by 4:00 pm on Sunday, just 48 hours later, she was gone.

I felt like God had given us a gift because on her first evening at home, J was lucid and in good spirits. We laughed and told stories of our growing up years and she even made Facetime calls to each of our three sons. By the next morning she was fading and by that afternoon she had quit responding. What a blessing that the last memories our three boys will have of their favorite aunt would be so special.

I am so grateful that we were home and able to be with my sister for the last couple of weeks of her life. Had we taken the 35-day cruise that I had originally booked we would have been in the middle of the South Pacific at that time. I believe that the "uneasy feeling" that caused me to cancel that cruise was a nudging from God.

Taking care of needed details after J's passing meant by the time we returned to Minnesota it was only a few weeks until our next travels were scheduled to begin. During that time my emotions were all over the place. It was hard to focus on travel plans but at the same time I knew getting away would be a much needed break from the sadness and grief.

As I am writing this, our next trip (another cruise) has already taken place. My goal is to get daily blog posts published for this trip because I do want to record our memories. If you are interested and don't mind that the posts are a little delayed, sign up to get email notifications when I post anything new. Thanks also to those that have emailed or taken time to comment on these posts. My main goal with this blog is to preserve our memories, but it is fun to know that others are reading as well!

Ensenada

Friday, February 16, 2024

The ship docked at Ensenada as we were having breakfast in the buffet and we had a nice view from the window. After eating, we went back to our cabin and had an even better view from our balcony including the enormous Mexican flag that Ensenada is know for. 

At 9:30 the ship was cleared for passengers to disembark and Bob decided he would take a walk through town. My knee might have been slightly better, but not much. And maybe that was just wishful thinking. I knew I would be smart to stay off of it as much as possible before our long travel day tomorrow. I even went on the Delta Airlines website and requested assistance getting to the gate at the airport.

After Bob left, the crew went through lifeboat drills. With a cabin right above the boats I had a bird's eye view from our balcony...but oh those loud, shrill alarms!! Yikes.

Lifeboat supervisor.

I watched as Bob made his way onto shore. He texted me when he got to the big flag. 

See Bob in his bright green shirt?

Can you still see Bob? He is standing next to the shoreline. 

After Bob left I remembered that we had never gotten the ceramic tiles that HAL gives to its Mariners. On our cruise a year ago, the Nieuw Statendam had been out of tiles so I also had a card telling us we could request those tiles on a future cruise. At Guest Services the staff member said tiles had been given out several nights ago and we should have received them. She did some calling and said it would be taken care of. She also gave me two of the 150th anniversary tiles for the ones we missed getting on the Nieuw Statendam cruise. While I was on Deck 3 I realized that all of the gift shops were closed since we were in port. I asked and found out they were not going to be open at all tonight (or tomorrow) so it was a good thing we spent our onboard credit yesterday. Unfortunately Bob still planned to pick up a water bottle which now wasn't going to happen.

Bob texted me that he was having fish tacos at Tacos Lily in town. Prior to our cruise I had done some research on places to go in Ensenada and Lily's came up because it was featured on Anthony Bourdain's TV show. Bob even got to meet Lily, the owner, while he was there!

Ensenada is known as the birthplace of the fish taco.

I was ready for lunch myself and since I hadn't made it to the Dive In yet, I decided I would have a hotdog. I went expecting the lido pool area to be empty since I assumed most passengers would be in port. I was wrong. The pool area was packed. After putting in my order and getting a pager, I sat down at a small table next to the hot tubs. A bar tender walked by just as the pager was going off and I ordered a Diet Coke. I realized when I got up from my chair that whomever had sat in the chair last had just gotten out of the pool and now I had a very wet bottom. 😒

I ate my hotdog but brought the Coke back to the room to enjoy on the balcony. Bob joined me when he returned and gave me the report on his venture into Ensenada.

He wanted to get a salad and some dessert so I went with him to the buffet. (Side note: my iPhone fitness app has been showing that even with my sore knee I have been walking about 2 miles a day just walking the length of the ship multiple times.) When we got to the buffet we saw the "Cake Me Away" extravaganza was taking place. All looked very yummy. Bob got a piece of the carrot cake. 

We tried to sit on the balcony some more, but the wind was blowing and the temps had dropped. It just wasn't comfortable. I was so cold I crawled into bed. Bob, on the other hand, went down to the promenade deck to walk since his long walk into town wasn't enough. He returned 45 minutes later and said he had only done two laps. He had spent time visiting with some people he knew and also watched as a passenger was taken away in an ambulance. He decided he would make one more trip into town to see if he could find the seals (sea lions?) that he had heard barking earlier.

I showered and worked on the last of the packing while he was gone and then he did likewise when he returned. 

At dinner it was unusual to look out the window by our table in the main dining room and see a soccer game instead of water! There was still about $30 left of our onboard credit so on a whim I ordered the steak and lobster from the menu that has an $18 surcharge. Bob ordered the sweet and sour shrimp off the main menu and I think he got the better meal. My steak was pretty good, but I've eaten better lobster. My sides consisted of two tiny asparagus spears, a baby carrot and half of a small baked potato. Oh and I almost forgot...one HALF of a cherry tomato.

Husni loved parking scooters in the dining room! 

Our dinnertime view.

My $18 steak & lobster dinner.

Bob's sweet & shower shrimp meal. He said it was the best he had on the cruise!

The evening entertainment at the main stage was Kirsti Manna performing a tribute to Carole King. I felt bad I had missed her first show on Monday when I wasn't feeling well, but I wasn't that impressed with her show. Bob said some of the songs were repeats. The audience was pretty sparse. I'm sure many people were busy doing their last minute packing.

Singer Kirsti Manna accompanied by her husband on guitar.

We ended our evening with the last 15 minutes of Clara and James' set in Billboard Onboard. The bags were set in the hallway before we crawled into bed. The cruise had come to the end.

Good night, Ensenada.

Thursday at Sea...Day 5 of 5 Back Across the Pacific

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Our last sea day! Out of 18 days, 10 days on this cruise were spent at sea and I loved it! Normally with so many sea days I would have attended more activities, but with my sore knee I was perfectly content to just take it easy. And I can't tell you how thankful I was to not plan meals or do any cooking!

The first watercolor class of the day was scheduled for 9:30 am which meant not much else happened before that other than breakfast. Bob and I had both planned ahead with some ideas to paint. In our very short watercolor careers we have learned that drying time is important so knowing that an afternoon class was also on the schedule made it easier to work on our projects. Projects that were begun in the morning session could be finished in the afternoon.

At 11:00 am the Hawaiian ambassador, Kainoa, was speaking about the 2010 documentary, "Under a Jarvis Moon" which tells the story of the U.S. sending military personnel and young Hawaiian men to colonize three islands in the South Pacific in the 1930's. Earlier in the week one of Kainoa's lectures was streamed onto the TV monitors in Billboard Onboard so I went there hoping to watch. The talk itself was fine, but once the video started to play the sound was messed up to the point that it was impossible to watch. I gave up and slipped into the side door of the theater to watch.

Just as I suspected, the theater was almost full so I knew when the presentation was over the elevators would be overwhelmed. My knee was particularly sore and I knew there was no way I could navigate the stairs so I ducked out a little early so I didn't have to wait on the elevator. 

The pain was bad enough that I asked Bob to have lunch in the main dining room rather than the buffet. We still had to walk the length of the ship to get to the dining room but I didn't have to go through the buffet line to get my food. Also I just enjoyed having a more quiet and peaceful lunch experience compared to the busyness of the buffet.

Cobb Salad.

We were still discussing what we were going to do about the large amount of non-refundable onboard credit still on our account. (What a problem to have!!) We walked through the gift shops for the umpteenth time and after considering a smart watch or even five $12 bags of Jelly Belly jelly beans for the grandkids, I spotted a sweatshirt I liked. I'm not crazy about logo clothing, but I knew I could use the Koningsdam sweatshirt for an upcoming cruise to Alaska. Bob picked through some t-shirts, mostly size Small or XXXL, and finally found a couple in size large that he could use. I asked about trying on the sweatshirt but was told there were no dressing rooms. The gal working in the shop suggest I just take the 2 sizes I was considering back to my cabin and try them on there. (She made out a sales slip for both in case I didn't return.)

One did fit well enough that I went back to the shop and purchased it for $60 and the two t-shirts for Bob at $40 which would "almost" use up our credit. I forgot that as 3-Star Mariners we get a discount so we still have a little chunk of credit left.

I did a some packing, trying to take little bites out of a task that I dread, until it was time for the afternoon watercolor class. I have enjoyed having art classes on the schedule (except for the Dam(n) Dots!) but I think the teacher could provide more instruction. During the morning class she just passed out supplies and then sat and read a book. 

It was too chilly to think about sitting by the pool so I ended my afternoon by attending "Cocktails with Kristen". This was the afternoon version of her morning coffee chat. I sat by one woman who showed up thinking they were giving out free cocktails like they do coffee in the morning. No chance!

Kristen was interviewing Elliot Finkel, the pianist. She barely had to ask him any questions because Elliot loves to tell stories. He had many fascinating tales of famous people he had worked with in New York and Hollywood.

Kristen talking with pianist, Elliot Finkel

Bob and gone to play pickleball and I was worried he was going to make us late for dinner. When he returned his first words were "pickleball didn't make me late." Turns out he was coming down the hallway and our new actress friend was struggling to get her scooter into her cabin so he stopped to help. He put his paramedic skills to use and helped her not only get into the room but transferred into a chair and comfortable before he left.

I took this photo while waiting on Bob to get ready.
With all the varied shades of blue, I thought it would make a beautiful watercolor painting. 

Our dinner service was the quickest ever. Our assistant waiter, Husni, was doing "escort service" for open seating downstairs and our head waiter, Taupik, only had two tables to serve. Within just a couple of minutes of him taking our order he was back with our food. We both ordered two appetizers, a main course and dessert (Bob ordered 2 desserts!) and we were completely finished eating in 45 minutes.

I was really hobbling by that point in the day so we went back to the room so I could put my feet up. Bob used the time to do some packing. We went to the theater a half hour early to get a good seat for the dance show, Humanity. I believe that was the 4th time we have seen that particular show but I know there are other Step One Dance productions that we have never seen. The shows are definitely more impressive on the Pinnacle Class ships with the video screens that surround the theater. I used one of our coupons for a free Mariner's cocktail.

Mariner's Cocktail. Unfortunately the glass did NOT fit in the cupholders so I had to just hold it. 

The "Chocolate Surprise" was held in BB Kings, but we didn't attend. Sugar and chocolate was not something I needed right before going to bed! Tomorrow will be the last day of the cruise and the last port, Ensenada. I prefer ending cruises with a sea day but if my knee continues to be so painful it may just be a sea day for me.

Wednesday at Sea...Day 4 of 5 Back Across the Pacific

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Our route through the lido pool to the buffet brought a big surprise today! Every single chair was taken...by animals! The room stewards had been busy doing their magic. Such a lot of work, but it brought smiles to everyone!

My morning was spent doing a little packing in the room while listening to my audio book. (I don't think I could ever get through an audio book at home...my brain is always engaged on "something" and I could never focus on the book.) I also attended the "Doodle Art" class with Bob. 

My Doodle Art project for Valentine's Day. 

Right before lunch I decided to check out the "Dam Dots Challenge" in the art studio while Bob was playing pickleball. I didn't know what to expect but was a little surprised when the instructor handed out sheets of numbered dot to dot pages. I'm pretty sure the picture was supposed to end up as a HAL ship, but the numbers went up to nearly 300 and were written so tiny I couldn't read them. I worked for a short while and then decided my sea days were far too precious to waste on an activity like that! The name of the class was more fitting than I realized. I'm sure most people leave saying "I can't even see the damn dots!"

Each day the buffet had one corner devoted to a theme at lunch. Today was Mediterranean day. I checked out the offerings and saw lots of cheese, olives and some sort of shellfish stew. I went to the homestead section instead where I had small portions of two kinds of fish, artichokes, spicy sausage with mangoes and a small quesadilla. I try and limit my carbs so it is fun to have so many protein choices.

Valentine's Day Cake

I usually chose the sugar free dessert option. Always a very tiny serving of some sort of "fluff". 😄

We ate by the aft pool and afterwards spent some time visiting with some friends from Vancouver that Bob had met playing pickleball. 

The temps were slightly cool, but it felt warm enough in the sun that I decided this would probably be my last time to enjoy some sunbathing. I changed into my swimsuit and went back to the aft pool. Bob hung out with me until it was time for the 2:30 watercolor class. I would have like to have done both, but the time in the sun won out.

I left the pool in just enough time to get changed and get to BB Kings to hear CD Kristen's port talk on Ensenada, Mexico. Unfortunately the screen she was using was only visible to about half of he people in the room (not including me 😠) so I didn't stay for the full presentation. The talk would have been so much more helpful if it had been held in the main theater with the large video screens that everyone could easily see. The captain announced today that we were making such good time that rather than docking at 2:00 pm in Ensenada as scheduled tomorrow, we would be there by 9:30 am. All aboard isn't until 9:30 pm so it will be a nice long day in port.

It was dressy night in the main dining room which made it feel a little more special for Valentine's Day. I wore a sparkly top with black pants. The blouse doesn't wrinkle and packs well but tiny pieces of glitter rain down every time I wear it. It is like having shiny dandruff. My guess is that even after several vacuuming's, the carpet in cabin #5048 will still sparkle.

What a surprise to see the "Yum-Yum Man" as we left the dining room.
The candied ginger is back!

The Company Men performed for a 2nd time in the theater with a show theme of "Motown, Mash Ups and More." The clocks got moved forward an hour again putting us back on west coast time zone. Knowing we were losing an hour we opted to go back to the room and make it an early night. (Also Billboard Onboard had the night off.)

What fitting towel art for Valentine's Day!

Only one more sea day and one more port...and then the cruise is over. 

Tuesday at Sea...Day 3 of 5 Back Across the Pacific

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

I was surprised, but after sleeping the day away I managed to sleep well overnight and woke up feeling quite normal. I was thankful that it must have been a 24 hour bug and not the dreaded norovirus.

Bob sat with me at the buffet while I ate breakfast but didn't eat anything himself since he was going to play pickleball.

Walking through the lido pool area after breakfast.

Tai Chi class.

Around 9 am I went to the lido pool area to check out the "Koningsdam Bazaar". It was mainly t-shirts, water bottles, magnets, etc. that I didn't need or want. I did see a cellphone gimbal from the camera department that looked interesting and would be a way to use up the $100+ dollars of onboard credit we still had in our account.

Debating...is this something I need?

I got back to the cabin shortly after Bob. He had picked up a bowl of oatmeal and was eating before heading back to the sports court for more pickleball. I could tell my knee was feeling a little better after being off of it all day yesterday so I decided to take it easy again today. I sat on the balcony and listened to my audiobook until Bob returned for lunch. He was excited because he had won the pickleball tournament...again.

I suggested getting pizza for lunch but Bob wanted a chicken sandwich from the Dive-In. The Lido was busy on both Decks 9 and 10 but we lucked out when a table for 2 opened up as we were walking by the NY Pizza & Deli. I knew I couldn't finish a whole pizza by myself so I grabbed a couple slices of the premade pizza and a salad. My lunch was just OK...the made to order pizzas are MUCH better. Bob went down to the Dive-In and ordered his chicken sandwich. When we finished part 1 of our lunch 😁 we walked through the buffet and got dessert which we enjoyed on one of the comfy couches by the aft pool.

With our new cabin right by the forward elevators we have learned it is more interesting to walk the length of the ship on the Lido Deck and then go down to Deck 5 rather than going down and walking the long hallway forward past guest cabins. An ice cream social had just begun at the Gelato Bar and the line of people stretched the whole length of the pool. We didn't partake but it looked like every topping imaginable was available.

The looonnnggg line for ice cream.

Bob has enjoyed attending the watercolor classes so when we saw two women painting at a table by the pool we stopped to admire their work. Then as we were trying to get through the throng of ice cream people we saw another lady with her watercolor supplies spread out working on a painting. Bob stopped to ask her some questions and we ended up chatting for a long time and even getting an impromptu watercolor lesson. I predict it won't be long before Bob is ordering art supplies.

A nap attack hit both of us when we got back to the cabin and we gave in. After our short rest, we spent some time on the balcony. Everything was wet from sea spray so we clipped the beach towels to the chairs. The sports director had asked Bob to play pickleball with him at 4 pm so when he left I showered and got ready for dinner. When Bob returned he took about 10 minutes and was fully showered and dressed. Oh...and he also had beaten the sports director in their game!

Flowers outside the entrance to the dining room.

Do you think the dining room looks like it was built inside of a whale skeleton? 

Following dinner I stopped at the camera department and asked about the gimbal I had seen earlier in the day. The guy never could get it to work so I figured it was a sign that I didn't really need it. We will just have to figure out some other way to use up our onboard credit.

Our evening entertainment began with the 7:30 all request set at Billboard Onboard. Bob and I have decided that even though it was fun to see Clara Vee again we both have come to like Scottish James more. I love his accent and could be entertained just by him talking! The two really are good together and since we don't care for the other venues it is our go-to spot in the evening.

Clara Vee

James from Scotland

When the piano set was over, we snuck into the theater for Elliot Finkel's third show in a week. We hadn't cared much for the first show, skipped the second one and ended up really enjoying this one...mostly just a different choice of music. The man is incredibly talented and plays everything from memory.

Elliot Finkel.

A Mardis Gras party started immediately after the show in BB Kings Blues Club so we walked down to check it out. We stayed for approximately half of the first number just to see how many people were out dancing and then left knowing the bass notes and drums would not be vibrating through our cabin for the next two hours!

Koningsdam Mardis Gras Party