Aloha Everyone,
J.J. had to download, save and print 14 pages of documents required by the Hawaii state government and Princess Cruise. It took us an hour this morning to accomplish this at Staples.
From where we garage Honu, the Uber driver took 20 minutes to get us to the cruise terminal. Grand Princess Cruise was one of the most efficient check in process two of us have experienced. The reason is very few passengers.
We were among the last group of passengers to board. 1250 passengers, 750 crew members for our cruise. Regular cruise number would be between 3,000 - 4,000. We were told that until yesterday 2,000 passengers were expected. However, due to wintry weather, especially flying in from the East Coast, there were a large number of cancellations.
Our room attendant’s name is Minguel Fernandez. He is from Goa, the only province in India that is a Portuguese colony. Minguel speaks Portuguese, Hindi, English and another language only spoken in his province.
Quick lunch at the Lido deck. Everything on the surface appears to be same. However there are more eyes monitoring passengers who are required to wear N-95, KN-95 or triple layered surgical masks. I am wearing surgical mask beneath KN-95.
Aloha -- Cathi
Aloha Everyone,
Walmart had run out of face masks. CVS Pharmacy was closed and the posted note directed customers to go to another CVS.
Fortunately, there was Korean Supermarket in the same shopping complex. We purchased 20 pieces of KN-95 and paid 99 cents each.
The two of us now have a sufficient number of KN-95 and 3-layered surgical masks for our cruise and beyond.
Aloha -- Cathi
Aloha Everyone,
There were roughly 70 people in line for a Covid test. Everyone was hopeful, determined to be patient and wait.
An hour passed then another. By the time our turn came, we had waited for 3 hours.
The two of us met a woman who was accompanying her mother. The older lady was returning to Nicaragua after spending the holidays with her family. Nohelia and I had a lively conversation standing 6 feet away with our masks on. We learned so much about her homeland including the Spanish colonial town of Granada.
This testing site were offering two types: PCR and Antigen. They also had RT-PCR as required for Japan. For our requirements, a simple antigen was all we needed. We each paid $100. The verbal result was given in 15 minutes, but the official form required by the cruise company was promised to be emailed to us the following morning.
Aloha -- Cathi
Aloha Everyone,
One must remain flexible during the time of Covid-19. With Omicron surging, pre boarding requirements also are being modified. On a daily basis, we receive conflicting and confusing emails from the Hawaii government website. J.J. spent two hours trying to obtain our QR code.
Taking advantage of the bright sunny sky, this was a wonderful morning.
Aloha -- Cathi
Aloha Everyone,
Stormy weather, which began in the Pacific Northwest and moved to Southern California, drenched the land. It brought much needed rain but also caused havoc including mudslides and falling trees.
Snowfalls as low as 2,500 ft elevation caused some mountain communities to suffer while it delighted others to enjoy winter activities.
Our condolences and sympathies to everyone who have been affected by stormy weather.
Aloha -- Cathi
