JOIN US FOR A HAWAII CRUISE

We haven't traveled in 27 months, when we returned from a two-week trip to Thailand, which at that time was #2 to China in COVID-19 cases, only so labeled by the World Health Organization the day we left Honolulu.  

Thailand is now #24 in cases with 4.4 million and China is #109 with 221,804.  But of course you know that this number is considerably higher.  The USA is #1 with 84 million cases, double that of India with 43 million.  Of course, WHO has indicated that this figure is a whole lot higher.  The World has had 521 million cases, which should at least be doubled.  The World population is approaching 8 billion.

While Omicron is still lurking, and tomorrow I will post on the latest subvariants, it's possible that most cruise ships might be safer today than going out in Hawaii, for our positivity rate is 14.3%.  We might need to avoid island tours, as this rate is 20.3% on Kauai. I've read that the figure for cruises is lower, as Royal Caribbean, for one, mentioned a positivity of 0.02%.  

Earlier this month the Carnival Spirit docked in Seattle with from 100-200 positives.  Took those passengers off and is still cruising around.  Late last month the Ruby Princess (right) arrived in Kahului from San Francisco with 143 cases.  Those so infected remained on the ship, which returned to SFO.  Both the Spirit and Ruby belong to Carnival.

This particular Norwegian cruise ship, the Pride of America, requires all passengers and crew to be fully vaccinated.  Of course there is the matter of younger children who can't yet be vaccinated, so that's somewhat troublesome.   The U.S. average vaccination rate is around 67%. 

• 
  Of course we've both had two booster shots, so that should protect us from serious illness in the remote chance we do get infected.
• When you go to a restaurant or movie theater, how safe are you?  For this particular cruise, you need to show proof of testing negative within 48 hours of boarding.

Ship details:

• Norwegian Pride of America inter-island Hawaii cruise.  Departure from Honolulu on Saturday, May 21, and return on Saturday, May 28.
• Our Balcony Room, with total cost of $3562/person, which includes:

• cabin and meals
• beverage package, which appears to be unlimited
• internet package
• $50 off for each shore excursion
• specialty dining in French and Italian restaurants

I've of course done this before, twice, in fact.  The first one was in 2011.  In those days I tended to travel to places my wife Pearl (who passed away in 2009) desired to go, but we for some reason did not, and I was on a mission to drop her ashes off at 50 places in the world.  This one-week inter-island cruise was one of them.  Somewhere in my postings of those seven days I must have mentioned the cost, and it was expensive because I did the golf tour and played four times. 

My blog also covered the December 2016 journey.  I went because I was called Friday afternoon for travel the next day if I was interested in a balcony for one person at a price of $1200.  Bill doubled when drinks, tours, etc., were added.  Still, $2400 for seven days was a bargain, compared to what we will this time be paying.  To the right is Waimea Canyon, the tour I took on Kauai.

This was another good week for me.  Bought an iPhone Mini.  Took an Apple course on how to use the iPhone, which I should have done when I bought the first one.  Here is my first photo with the Mini:

My prime meals this week, starting last week Sunday for Mother's Day.  Lamb with a bottle of Opolo Mountain Zinfandel from Paso Robles.  The case we bought also arrived.

Soba and sashimi.

Had a personnel luau, with laulau, ahi poke, lomi salmon, squid luau, chicken long rice, poi, hot sake and tea, cold beer and Okolehao over rocks.  This is a local spirit made from ti root.  This bottle is 100 proof.

On this Sunday I'll close with Amazing Grace.  Some think it was Aretha Franklin who made it popular.  

The song goes way back to Ireland in 1772, with a poem by Anglican clergyman John Newton, who came from being in the slave trade business.  The message is that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of sins committed, for he was the inspiration behind Great Britain ending slavery in 1807.  

These lyrics were compiled into the Olney Hymns by Newton and William Cowper, then linked 60 years later to an American folk melody of Scottish or Irish origin called New Britain.  This combination became known as Amazing Grace.  At least this is the best as I can figure out.

The song became our civil rights anthem, here sung by Mahalia Jackson.  It has been recorded more than 6,600 times, perhaps the most of any song, and the best-selling version was probably by Judy Collins.

-