February 9, 2018 – Suva, Fiji

After some juggling of schedules over the past few days, due to cloudy, rainy, windy, weather being caused by two developing tropical cyclones in the South Pacific, we seem to be back on track by docking on time this morning in Suva, Fiji.

Our visit to Apia, Samoa on Feb 6 was cancelled because of port construction. Crystal made alternative arrangements for us to visit Yasawa-I-Rara, Fiji yesterday, but seas were far too rough to attempt using tender boats to transport passengers to and from our anchorage point on the island. Captain Vorland brought us in close enough to see the island (through the rain) but elected to be safe and cancel the visit. We will have another chance to visit Yasawa-I-Rara after we leave New Zealand in early March, as part of Crystal Symphony’s schedule.

We arrived in the rain to Suva, and Crystal Serenity was tied up at the dock by 7:00 a.m. Suva is the capital and largest city in Fiji -- located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, largest of the hundreds of islands and atolls which comprise the Republic of Fiji. We are now about 1,000 nautical miles northeast of New Zealand's North Island. Suva looks to be a bustling, cosmopolitan metropolis. It probably goes without saying, Suva is the commercial and political center of Suva.

We departed the ship at 8:45 this morning, in a driving rainstorm for a shore excursion called "The Flavors of Fiji." Our transportation was in a modern, comfortable, air-conditioned motor coach, and we had an excellent tour guide named Sai. He was outgoing, knowledgeable, experienced as a tour guide, and very proud of his Fijian heritage.

Here are some of the many things Sai told us:

• There are 333 islands in the Republic of Fiji, with 123 of them populated. Total number of people living in Fiji is now a little over 800,000.

• Similar to what we heard in Samoa, Fijian villages share and care for each other, under the authority and leadership of a village chief. The largest building in a village is the church. There is freedom of religion in Fiji, but all native people are Christians.

• It rains almost every day during the rainy season -- November through April.

• Unemployment is very high (above 30%, leading to a high crime rate.

• The population of Fiji is mostly made up of native Fijians, who are Melanesian, although many also have Polynesian ancestry. 

• Indian contract laborers were brought to the islands by the British colonial powers in the 19th century. Their descendants (called Indo-Fijians) now make up about 30% of the population, and most of them practice Hindu religion.

• Fiji gained their independence from Great Britain in 1970, but they are still a member of the Commonwealth.

After about a 30-minute drive through the countryside, we reached the Wainadoi Spice Farm and were warmly greeted by local Fijian villagers. Luckily for us, the rain stopped, and Jim joined the group that went on a guided walking tour of the spice gardens. The land was green, lush, and beautifully maintained. The local guide pointed out various spices being grown, including nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, cardamom and vanilla, along with some that we would probably call "medicinal herbs," being studied for possible treatments for cancer and diabetes.

Ginny remained behind with a group that looked at displays that were set up, and they watched traditional food being prepared and cooked in a pit of hot stones.

We were then entertained with music, singing and chanting, followed by tasting of the local cooking (taro roots, purple sweet potatoes, chicken, and coconut wrapped in palm fronds). Packaged organic spices were available for purchase onsite, but we didn’t buy any.

Driving back to the ship, Sai took us on a whirlwind tour of Suva, which included an area of nice homes and foreign embassies, a viewing spot overlooking the harbor, and the attractive Parliament House and President’s Home, both from the colonial architecture era.

It was a very good tour, that we greatly enjoyed, and we learned a lot about Fiji.

Onboard Serenity, we had two more sea days, filled with activities, between Pago Pago and Suva. Bob Arno (pickpocket expert) gave a second presentation, as did organist Hector Olivera (just as amazing as his first concert). One stage show, “Curtain Call,” was postponed due to rough seas early this week, as it was deemed too dangerous for the dancers to perform under the conditions we were experiencing. It was finally performed last night (Feb 8th) and was great, as usual. Crystal has been performing the show onboard Serenity for many years, but it still draws thundering standing ovations. It really is a great show; we agree.

We crossed the International Date Line, so Tuesday, February 6th never existed for us. We went to bed Monday night and woke up on Wednesday morning. We’ll get that day back later in the cruise, when we cross the date line heading back eastbound.

After another sea day, we will be visiting Mystery Island, in the Republic of Vanuatu, on Sunday (Feb 11th).

Jim & Ginny

February 5, 2018 – Pago Pago, American Samoa

We arrived in Pago Pago (pronounced Pango Pango), on Tutuila, the largest of the five islands and two atolls which make up American Samoa -- an overseas territory of the United States. In case you’re looking for us on a map, we’re in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Honolulu, Hawaii and Sydney, Australia.

Here’s a map of our itinerary for the next seven weeks that will give you an idea of how many ports we will be visiting in the South Pacific. Pago Pago is south-southwest of Honolulu.

While looking at the map, remember that we will be island-hopping west-bound from Pago Pago to Sydney on Crystal Serenity and then switching ships to Crystal Symphony for the remainder of the trip, cruising first to New Zealand, and then island-hopping again in a mostly east-bound direction.

Pago Pago is the territorial capital of American Samoa, and home to one of the deepest and most picturesque natural harbors in the South Pacific.

The Samoan Islands are a grouping of at least 15 islands covering more than 1,000 square miles in the central South Pacific. People living on these islands all share a common Samoan language, but there are two separate political jurisdictions -- the independent country of Samoa and the Territory of American Samoa. This division resulted from a treaty that was signed in 1899, splitting control of the Samoan Islands between Germany (the Western group of Islands) and the United States (the eastern group of islands). During the 20th century's world wars, New Zealand occupied the German Samoa Islands and administered them as a trust territory, until granting them their independence in 1962. The new country was then named Western Samoa, but "Western" was dropped from the name in 1997. The United States still retains the eastern islands as a territory with the name American Samoa. It is the only inhabited US territory south of the equator.

We were scheduled to visit Apia, capital of the independent nation  of Samoa tomorrow, but that had to be cancelled due to construction in their port area. Crystal is working on a replacement port stop in a few days, to take the place of Apia. We have heard that it will most likely be Yasawa-I-Rara in Fiji.

Pago Pago is somewhat "off the beaten track" with only a limited number of tourist services. Jim already was aware of that, as he served here on temporary military duty for a short time nearly 50 years ago, but he has talked about the beauty of this island paradise ever since and was hoping that someday he would be able to return. 

It was a beautiful sail-in this morning, with the towering, lush green volcanic peaks welcoming us after five full days at sea.

 

We docked next to a busy container port, but within easy walking distance to town. Pago Pago itself has a population of about 3,000, but 95% of all people in American Samoa live on Tutuila, home to Pago Pago. Latest population estimate for American Samoa is 57,600.

 

We were worried about rain here today, as Pago Pago receives, on average, 123 inches (312 cm) of rain per year, and this is the rainy season. One source states that "Pago Pago has the highest annual rainfall of any harbor in the world." This morning, as we arrived at 8:00 am, it was 88 degrees F (31 degrees C), and the humidity had to have been close to 100%. But there was no rain falling (yet).

We went on a shore excursion titled "Ocean Center & Tutuila Crafts." We did the two topics shown in the tour title and much more on our 3-hour tour. Transportation was via a typical Samoan bus, consisting of a hand-made wooden body on a truck chassis, brightly painted, wooden bench seats, and permanently open windows. The bus was comfortable enough, and the only problem occurred when the driver backed the bus into another bus that was following us. It didn't seem to be a big problem. Our tour guide was a young man who explained what we were seeing and answered questions along the way, to explain the Samoan culture and lifestyle.

Our first stop was at the Tauese P. F. Sunia Ocean Center, which is a visitor center for the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, a U.S. funded program co-managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the government of American Samoa. One of the main exhibits at the Ocean Center is a room-sized display system that uses computers and video projectors to display data (photographs and films) onto a 6-foot diameter sphere. We watched a 20-minute program on the importance of the oceanic ecosystem surrounding Samoa. The program was well done, and we enjoyed the experience.

Next, we drove along the shoreline, admiring the scenery, with the next stop at a spot where we could admire Flowerpot Rock, a large offshore rock that rises from the water rather attractively.

 

We made a short stop at a quiet golf course and clubhouse, primarily to use the restrooms and walk around a little bit in the warm sunshine. Then we traveled to the village of Leone, on the southwest coast of the island. Leone was the ancient capital of of Tutuila island and also where the first missionary arrived in 1832. We stopped at a memorial/healing garden that was created here, dedicated to the memory of the 11 local victims of a 2009 tsunami (flash flood).

Last stop on the tour was to a craft display and short demonstration of basket weaving using palm fronds. 

Of equal interest to the beautiful scenery we saw today was the description of life in Samoa by our young tour guide. Samoans have preserved their centuries-old culture called "fa'a samoa" (the Samoan Way), where family and religion are most important, respect of elders is strictly adhered to, and being of service to family is a person's duty. Their traditional communal lifestyle revolves around the extended family, headed by a matai (chief), who manages the communal economy and family lands. The guide stated that almost all Samoan villages still enforce a period of 20 to 30 minutes for prayer in the early evening, signified by ringing a bell or by blowing a conch shell. All other activities stop during that period of prayer. Christianity is, by far, the dominant religion. We have read that 98% of people in American Samoa are Christians (14% of that number are Mormons). We saw lots of churches dominating villages all around the island where we rode. 

In answer to a question, the guide stated that cricket and American football are their favorite sports, and he seemed quite proud that there are so many American Samoan players in the NFL.

After being gone for 50 years, Jim recognized American Samoa as still astonishingly beautiful, only with a lot more cars and other "improvements." We even saw McDonalds and Carl Jr's fast-food restaurants. But we also observed that it is not a booming, modern tourist mecca with resort hotels and other attractions. In fact, based on what we've read, matters could be getting worse. One of the biggest employers over the years in American Samoa has been canning of tuna fish. At one time, Pago Pago was one of the world's largest tuna processors, with two of the largest companies in the world -- Chicken of the Sea and StarKist. Unfortunately, some of these cannery operations have been closing down. We wish the best for the wonderful people of American Samoa.

Life aboard  Crystal Serenity continues busy. A highlight was the Super Bowl viewing party yesterday (Sunday, January 4th), during early afternoon in the Stardust Club, or on stateroom televisions. There was plenty of food and drink available, and a big crowd was on hand. Interestingly, most were rooting for the Eagles.

Ginny has been taking art lessons, mostly watercolor, and continues to enjoy it. There's normally a good-size crowd attending -- all with varying levels of experience.

 

Here is a view of where Jim spends time early every morning walking for three miles -- the outdoor walking track on Promenade Deck 7. He's tried walking on many cruise ships, and this one is the best. 

We had a pleasant dinner at the Tastes Restaurant on Deck 12 with Frank, our Shell Point friend and fellow world traveler, one evening recently. Another evening we dined at Silk Road (Deck 7) with our "Signature Collection" travel hosts Sharna and Stewart, from Las Vegas. Taking nothing away from the Main Dining Room, which has been great, but we sometimes enjoy varying the routine to meet with friends, socialize, and talk about their experiences so far on the world cruise.

Enrichment lecturers and entertainers continue at a high level of interest for all of us on board. Last Sunday (Feb 4) we attended the Juke Box Musical, "A Love Story -- 6/8 Cafe" featuring the Crystal Serenity's lead vocalists, singers, dancers, and the show band.

Jim & Ginny

 

February 3, 2018 – At Sea

Since leaving Honolulu, we have been heading almost due south (actually on a heading of 190°). We crossed the equator last night while we slept, and by the time we reach our next port stop at Pago Pago, American Samoa, we will be located at 14° South. Those of us doing World Cruise 4 on Crystal Symphony will remain in the Southern Hemisphere exclusively, until mid-April.

We are very happy to report that weather has been beautiful – relatively calm seas and warm temperatures, 85°F (29°C) today.

The past four days we have been “at sea,” which means there have been a lot of activities taking place onboard the ship. We try to attend as many of the enrichment lectures and entertainers as we can. Here are some of them that we attended and enjoyed in the past three days:

Hector Olivera – organist/keyboard artist with the remarkable ability to play the organ in a way that it sounds like an entire orchestra – many instruments and a chorus – all playing at the same time. There were no computer attachments or pre-recorded parts. He did a full concert (45 minutes) solo this way playing many styles of music.

Bob Arno – an interactive comedy act on a serious topic. The show title explains it all – “The Art of the Steal.” He demonstrates the tricks-of-the-trade for pickpockets and was unbelievably effective with picking pockets undetected by fellow passengers he selected from the audience.

Wyomia Tyus – four-time Olympic medalist. Holder of multiple world records. The first person to win two consecutive gold medals in the 100-meter dash in 1964 and 1968. A founding member of the Women’s Sports Federation.

Steve Friedman – enthusiastic Broadway aficionado. His presentation was titled “The End of the Broadway Musical Golden Age: 1960-1970.”

Jo Little – A very talented female comedienne and singer. She was very funny – comedy was the highlight of her performance -- but her singing talent was also great.

Several of these people left the ship in Honolulu and were replaced with new entertainers and speakers. We assume this latest crew will be with us until Sydney.

In addition to the beauty of the ship, the combination of competent and friendly crew members, and excellent food choices, the entertainment and enrichment programs with Crystal Cruises are why we enjoy cruising with this company.

Others of our highlights for the past three days at sea include Mark Farris performing at the piano in the Avenue Saloon venue, the high energy “Rock & Pop-A-Mania” show performed by the Crystal Singers, dancers, and show band in the Stardust Club one night, and the Mozart Tea in the Palm Court (see the photos below).

There are six alternative restaurants on Crystal Serenity, to supplement the Main Dining Room, which is open three meals a day. We often eat breakfast or lunch on the Lido Deck buffet line. We stop by The Bistro occasionally for breakfast, lunch, a snack, or specialty coffee. We’ve also eaten at Prego (fantastic Italian food) and Tastes (international tapas). Tomorrow night we will be at Silk Road (Japanese specialties). For lunch, there’s also the Trident Grill for hot dogs, hamburgers, soup, and other small servings. Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream stand is always busy.

This past Thursday (Feb 1st), Jim participated in the “Mixed Relay Walking” event for the World Cruise Games. There were about 30 people signed up, and they were randomly assigned to 2-person teams (one male and one female on each team). The competition was how fast the team could walk around the Promenade Deck of the ship four times (2 for each person) - a total of 1.2 miles. There were four more women than men signed up, so Jim (and three other men) had to compete twice on different teams. Speed walking can be very tiring in a competition, as everyone found out. Jim survived and did well, but he didn’t win with either partner. The winning teams were clearly much younger in age.

Today was the Equator crossing ceremony, including a visit by King Neptune and His Mermaid Queen, along with appearances by lead singers Tom Lowe, Sarah Combs and dancers Curtis & Beverly. It was great fun –

We have one more sea day before reaching Pago Pago on Monday, February 5^th

Jim & Ginny 

January 30, 2018 – Honolulu, Oahu

It was a short, overnight trip from Maui to Oahu. We arrived at Pier 2, near Aloha Tower in Honolulu, a little before 8:00 this morning, and it was a very busy day.

We signed up for an excursion titled, “The Natural Wonders of Oahu.” That was a very good decision, as our tour guide Monique was excellent -- enthusiastic and very informed about Hawaii and its natural wonders, even though she had lived here only 3½ years.

There are eight major islands in Hawaii, with a total population a little over 1.4 million people. About 70% of them (approaching 1 million) live on the island of Oahu. In addition to the permanent residents, there are 5.5 million tourists who visit Oahu every year. The goal of this tour was to visit the natural beauty of Oahu without being overwhelmed with people.

We departed from the port on a motor coach at about 8:45 and road toward Waikiki, seeing the big Ala Moana shopping center, the Ilikai and Hilton Hawaiian Village hotels, Fort DeRussy, and then straight through Waikiki Beach on Kalakaua Avenue. There have been a lot of changes since we lived here thirty years ago. Unfortunately, we couldn’t even see much of Waikiki Beach from our bus, due to all the new buildings. For example, the old International Market Place, a wonderful open green space for small businesses in the heart of Waikiki, is no longer there and seems to have been replaced by a modern, three-story Saks Fifth Avenue store. But, this must be what people want, as there’s a steady stream of traffic on Kalakaua Ave, along with throngs of people crowding the sidewalks.

After passing through Waikiki and the community of Kahala, we drove to Diamond Head, the world-renowned symbol of Hawaii. We passed through a tunnel and inside of what is now a state monument. Monique explained that it was not a true volcanic crater, but more accurately, a “tuff cone” of volcanic lava from other volcanoes on the island. Despite her excellent presentation, it still looked to us like a crater on the inside. 

Historically, she explained that the Diamond Head crater used to be the site of Fort Ruger -- the first US military reservation on the islands. We didn’t have time to walk the trail to the summit of the crater, which is a 1.5-mile steep uphill climb. Monique said it would probably take us two hours or more to complete the roundtrip walk. Jim and our two children climbed to the top when we lived here in the 1980s, and he remembers that the view was magnificent.

The motor coach route then went up the southeast coast of Oahu. We drove by some familiar places that brought back great memories – Koko Head, Hanauma Bay, Bellows Beach (great boogie boarding spot), and one of our family’s personal favorites, Dave’s Ice Cream in Waimanalo. We made stops along the way at several picturesque sites -- Halona Blow Hole, Sandy Beach, and Makapu’u Point (the easternmost point on the island of Oahu). 

From Kailua, we turned inland, climbing upward into the mountains, to cross the island and return to Honolulu. Along the way we stopped at the Nu’uanu Pali Lookout, a scenic and historic spot (a thousand feet above the coastline) with panoramic views of sheer mountain cliffs, as well Kaneohe and Kailua, the two largest residential communities on the windward side of the island. 

Upon returning to the ship, we contacted our friends Dave and Suzanne, who were expecting our call. They live in Kaneohe and were our table mates during the 2016 Crystal World Cruise. They drove over, picked us up at the terminal, and we went to their Honolulu Downtown Athletic Club for a few hours of reminiscing. We greatly enjoyed seeing them and hearing about their future travel plans. They are especially interested in Crystal’s plans for “re-imagining” (refurbishment) of Serenity later this year, as they’re considering the 2019 World Cruise. Unfortunately, we had to go back to the ship and get ready for the night-time World Cruise Special Event. 

The special event for full world cruisers was held at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. They had a very large tent set up behind the main building of the museum (in case of rain), served lots of Hawaiian pupu snacks, and there was a Polynesian stage show that was very well done. We also wandered around the excellent museum. Bishop Museum was founded in 1889, and is the largest museum in Hawaii, with the largest collection of Polynesian artifacts and natural history specimens. It was, indeed, a special event, which we really enjoyed.

In all, we had a wonderful and full two days in Hawaii.

Jim & Ginny

January 29, 2018 – Lahaina, Maui

Almost as if by magic, the cloudy and dreary weather we’d been experiencing since we left Los Angeles disappeared overnight, giving way to beautiful blue skies and warm, sunny weather. We’re so happy to be back in Hawaii. As some of you know, we spent part of our honeymoon here 43 years ago and then lived on Oahu for two years from 1986 - 1988.

Captain Vorland anchored Crystal Serenity offshore at Lahaina, Maui at 8:00 a.m. We decided to wander around this small town on our own and headed in at about 9:30. Boarding the tender boat to take us to shore was a little tricky, as seas were rough, but we made it round-trip without injury. The tender boats on this ship are actually the life boats we would use in an emergency. They’re not plush, but they do the job of getting us ashore when there’s no docking space for large ships at a port. The ships’ officers like to use the life boats to take us to shore, as the boats’ motors and other equipment need to be tested periodically.

Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian Islands and definitely is an attractive destination for travelers. Lahaina is a historic, small town on the Western shore of the island. It was once the capital of Kamehameha the Great’s Hawaiian kingdom. Then it again served as capital of the Kingdom from 1820 – 1845, before the capital was permanently moved to Honolulu. In the 19^th century Lahaina was a very busy center for the whaling industry, with hundreds of whaling ships anchoring at the waterfront.

Today, Lahaina is a small town of about 11,900 people, although it’s a very popular location for tourists (about 2 million tourists per year, we understand), being very close to the world-famous Ka'anapali and Kapalua beach areas. Humpback whales are still seen here in the winter months, as they return to Maui from the Arctic and Alaska to mate and calve their young. One of our ship’s crew members told us that a whale was spotted this morning as we approached Lahaina, but we apparently slept through the whole event.

We walked along historic Front Street in Lahaina, where the old wooden buildings still retain the look and atmosphere of a mid-19th century seaport. Of special interest was a large Banyan tree near the harbor where we got off the tender boat. This tree was planted in 1873 and is now the largest tree in the Hawaiian Islands. We read that it shades more than ⅔ of an acre and measures ¼ of a mile in circumference.

Jim set off on a search for dry eraser marker pens for the calendar we always install in our stateroom on long cruises, as we forgot to pack them with us this time. He finally found them in a Longs Drugstore after a lengthy (2-mile) walk. This was on top of the 3-mile walk he just finished around the Promenade Deck of the Serenity earlier in the morning. Luckily, he actually enjoyed seeing the sights on his expedition. In addition to t-shirt shops and art galleries, there were lots of historic buildings. 

Ginny also enjoyed her stay in the town center, sitting outside and reading, while listening to Hawaiian music coming from the Baldwin House (a home used by early missionaries on Maui).

It is a short cruise between Maui and Oahu, so Serenity is not scheduled to leave Lahaina until 11:00 p.m. this evening, giving passengers time to remain in port a little later than usual and enjoy their time on this beautiful island a little longer.

We attended the evening entertainment last evening in the Galaxy Theater -- what was announced as the last performance of the long-running Crystal show "My Life: The Music of Billy Joel," starring James Fox, the Crystal Show Band, and the Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers. They covered many of Billy Joel's hit songs, and the performances were loud, lively, and fun. James Fox starred on Broadway singing these same songs, so his show is always great. From what we understand, Mr. Fox has a near full-time commitment in London and can no longer take time off from that to fly out to meet Crystal Serenity and perform, as he has been doing the past three years. 

Tomorrow we will visit Honolulu.

Jim & Ginny