October 4, 2018
We had four Sea Days between Los Angeles and Honolulu and an additional five Sea Days on the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to Tahiti. Before the trip, I was a little worried about so many days crossing the largest ocean in the world. I researched Pacific storms, hurricanes, cyclones, and other winds across the seas. Although storms were brewing in the Atlantic, thankfully, our sea days were calm and peaceful. Below is a section of the Promenade Deck:
In case I became bored, I brought along three books to read and loaded my iPhone with two novels and many hours of podcasts. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Princess had many activities, lectures, entertainment, and events all day covering a wide variety of interests. Below is the Skywalkers Nightclub, hot tub, and lawn games:
The Piazza was the three-story atrium and heart of the Golden Princess with scheduled entertainment and activities as well as shops, internet cafe, library, and (our favorite) the 24-hour International Cafe serving coffee and pastries.
Lokielina and Komo performed traditional Hawaiian music and taught hula dancing, ukulele playing, and lei making. They were a charming couple and very popular!
The Polonia Duo played classical music and as well as show tunes and popular music.
The outside pool had good pizza and burgers & fries which were served until 10:00 PM. Movies were also shown here three times a day on a gigantic screen.
Tuesday, October 2nd at about 4:00 PM we crossed the equator! There was a very silly ceremony which involved the King and Queen of the Oceans who presided over the celebration. One of the crew pushed Captain Aldo into the pool. Several “pollywogs” – people who had never crossed the Equator before – had to be slimed and hosed down. The King and Queen read an official proclamation and we all received certificates to celebrate the crossing. It was very silly and funny!
On the first day, Jeff and I joined a Trivia Contest team. There are six of us – Dee and Jean from Chicago, Mel and Louise from Rockhampton, Australia. We meet twice a day to try to out-score the other teams. We haven’t won yet, and we’re not bad; just a point or two away from winning “life changing” prizes. It’s all in fun and we’re keeping our minds active.
Every night there’s lively entertainment in the Princess Theater and the Vista Lounge. We haven’t had the energy to attend all the shows but we enjoyed a magician, acrobats & jugglers, comedians, singers, and a hypnotist.
Half the passengers on the Golden Princess are Australians and New Zealanders, who are very friendly and outgoing, so it’s a lively group. There are a few younger passengers and even a small number of children. The vast majority of us are retired seniors. We have been sharing tables in the dining rooms and there’s always a lot to talk about. The “Sea Days” pass quickly with relaxation, places to go and a lot to do.
