Day 32: Nuku’alofa, Tonga
We slept through docking…but it didn’t feel like we were docked. We were perched parallel to the shore and not in the (shallow) bay. Ocean waves are hitting the side of the boat and “shattering” it pretty hard. It was honestly rougher than the previous few days of passage.
He made it to the briefing the day before and learned that there is just no AC anywhere, even in their cars. They also practically double the prices if you don’t convert to their currency, which is a pretty hefty price to pay. The two main points of interest (a blow hole and a cave) are each a 30-minute car ride away in opposite directions. Even the little market is half a mile away. It’s a 50/50 chance of rain, but looks heavier on the rainy side. So, he chose to venture out, and I chose to stay back. He was back in less than an hour and quite overheated from the humidity. Oh, and it’s a mostly converted Christian island, so nearly everything is closed from December 23rd through Epiphany.
R&N went on an island tour and said the blow holes were great to see. But most people we heard from didn’t care for the lunch and thought the cave was a giant waste. The themes we kept hearing over and over was how very poor the country is and how women aren’t allowed to own property. (And now I think there should be a version of cruising that provides some humanitarian aid. What if your cruise took you to nice places, but also helped the places with the greatest need?)
We took advantage of everyone being off the ship to upload some of our videos and fill in a few of the gaps to our blog. We could easily tell when people started coming back; the Wifi slowed waaay down, especially for uploads.
We had a great visit with R&N in the Observation Bar before heading back to change for formal night. He tried the duck a l’orange and I had turbot. Instead of a dessert, he got a second portion of pasta, while I tried another flavor of soufflé.
We made sure to be early-ish for the ship’s holiday show. I was looking forward to the “variety” of it all, but was not excited about more xmas songs. I was wrong. The Christmas Show was a whole production. Apologies for the awful pics and vids. Between the waves, the giant cast, and the massive audience, I didn’t have much to work with.
After it, a guy stopped me to ask “what kind of camera is that?” and I once again got to show off my One+ Hasselblad tech.
Day 33: Holiday Sea Day
Per our morning “routine”, we had breakfast, where we saw a tiny xmas elf parade led by two Santas and a reindeer.
We then hung out in the Observation Bar, attempted and failed a crossword, and headed to an early lunch before the trivia torrent.
We then did some trip planning work for Australia. Mostly, we were making sure we wanted to keep all of our excursions…and cancelled one. After enough “work” for the day, we took naps. The rocking boat invokes a nap the way Purrrrrl used to “make” us take naps.
At The Club, we met up with friends for a drink. And then the six of us headed to the formal xmas dinner. With 6 courses, we fully missed the show.
After dinner, we went back to The Club for some dancing.
Day 34: Sea Day
Rinse and repeat our routine. After lunch, we went to the Patio Bar. It was finally cool enough to be out there, but it was quite windy. We did give it a valiant effort, but the wind was insane so we came back in until the build-a-boat races. Yes, people built boats. Early in the cruise, guests were given the challenge to build a boat from trash and recycling that could float from one end of the pool down and back carrying a 4-pound tin of caviar. The Captain and some other officers would judge them all and declare a winner. It was a very windy day with a lot of waves. The races were a hoot! (There were also adjusted to be just one pass down the pool since no boat would go the other way in that wind.) Our friends E and I entered the most elaborate boat of the whole set.
After the antics, we chatted with L at the Patio Bar.
We made it to dinner and The Club, but I had zero energy to sit through a show, so he went without me. He recorded a blip of one song he knew I’d like.
Day 35: Sea Day
After breakfast, our morning routine was disrupted by his need to go back to bed. I watched some of my YouTubes.
Then, at noon, we went to the Market Lunch. The Galley is all set up with appetizers, pastas, seafoods, fruits, meats, salads, and so much more. Everyone washes their hands on the way in, loads a plate or two, and has lunch in The Restaurant. It was a fun way for the kitchen staff to show off and for us all to have a much wider variety for lunch.
And then we napped again. Our next vacation may need to be to a sleep clinic!
We did the usual evening of dinner in The Restaurant, drinks at The Club, going to the show (Seabourn Six) and then back to The Club where we had a drink with L.
