I’d had a rather relaxing day in Manila, checking out the shopping centre with a couple of cruise friends, while Russ stayed onboard and caught a few movies.

A rainy day in Manila was perfectly fine and all part of the adventure. I even bought a new pair of what we call togs in Australia, although my English friends referred to them as a swimming costume. It made me realise just how many different words we use for the same things.

After all, it was still very warm. We had Guam ahead of us, followed by ten sea days before arriving in Hawaii and then another six sea days before reaching California. Perhaps there would finally be some time to enjoy the pool.

As it turned out, our plans for Guam would change unexpectedly, and those long days at sea would become an important part of the journey itself.

Guam

We were off to Guam… or so we thought.

The first sign that something was wrong came through the public announcements asking for blood donors. Fortunately, some passengers travel well prepared and were able to help.

Further announcements told us that the ship was turning back towards Manila because a passenger required urgent medical attention. We also heard that weather conditions ahead toward Guam were expected to deteriorate.

A few hours later, our map showed that we had once again made a U-turn and were heading back towards Guam. However, it soon became clear that the lost time meant we would no longer be stopping there.

We especially felt for those passengers whose cruise was actually ending in Guam. Their plan had been to disembark there and spend time with family. Instead, they found themselves unexpectedly staying on the ship and sailing all the way to Hawaii and flying back to Guam.

My new swimsuit might end up getting a little more use instead — unless, of course, the weather forecast proved correct.

And it did.

The rough seas arrived, and Guam became one of those places that would remain unseen, at least for this journey. Still, there was always Hawaii ahead.

Fingers crossed.

Sea days

With Guam behind us and Hawaii still many days away, we settled into life at sea.

The weather eventually improved and I managed to enjoy a few sunny days around the pool. Music, sunshine and a drink in hand somehow make you feel like you’re on holiday no matter where you are, even in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

I once again challenged my fear of heights by taking on SkyRide®. It’s a little like riding a bike — except the track is suspended high above the deck, with the ocean stretching out far below. While Russ was happy to tackle the waterslides several times, behaving very much like a kid, I pedalled my way around the ship trying not to look down too often.

We also enjoyed the Deal or No Deal show, which worked much like the television version, with audience members playing along by scratching cards. A small dabble in the casino proved entertaining too. It was surprisingly large for a cruise ship and always seemed busy.

One of the biggest surprises for me was rediscovering the pleasure of reading. For years most of my reading had been work related. After many years working in education and then seven busy years running a café, sitting quietly with a book felt like a luxury I had almost forgotten.

The evening entertainment also exceeded our expectations. The production shows were excellent, and one night we wandered into a silent disco simply to see what all the fuss was about.

If you’ve never tried one, I highly recommend it. Everyone wears headphones and can switch between three different music channels, each playing songs from different eras. From inside your headphones it feels like a proper dance floor, but remove them and all you hear is people quietly singing along to their favourite songs. It was absolutely hilarious and one of the most unexpectedly fun experiences of the cruise.

 

Hawaii

After eleven sea days, we had certainly settled into life onboard. We’d met some lovely people, read a few books, played a few games, watched a few movies, challenged my fear of heights once again, danced like nobody was watching, and eaten, drunk and laughed a lot.

I was especially keen to see Hawaii for the first time, and with two days in port we had plenty to look forward to. We both grew up watching Elvis movies and the Gidget television shows, and Hawaii seemed like a whole world away to us back then. Now, after crossing the Pacific, we were finally about to see it for ourselves.

Choosing shore excursions was difficult. With another four months of our journey still ahead, we needed to keep an eye on the budget. I knew I wanted to swim at Waikiki Beach, while both of us wanted to visit Pearl Harbor and experience a luau — just like Elvis and Gidget.

A taxi took us from the ship to Waikiki Beach, where I was finally able to have my long-awaited Hawaiian swim. It was everything I had imagined. The warm water, the famous beach and the backdrop of Waikiki made it a special moment after so many days at sea.

The luau, held that evening, wasn’t quite as it appeared in the movies, but it was still a lovely experience. There were leis, flowers in our hair, Hawaiian dancing, an imu (underground-cooked) meal and drinks by the beach. Perhaps not quite Elvis and Gidget, but memorable nonetheless.

Pearl Harbor was another emotional experience.

We had again left our excursion booking rather late, so tickets to the USS Arizona Memorial were unavailable. However, Russ was keen to visit the USS Missouri and the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, which proved to be one of the most moving parts of our visit.

The two museum galleries are filled with artefacts, photographs, oral histories and interactive displays that tell the story of the events leading up to World War II and the attack on Pearl Harbor itself. Reading personal accounts and seeing the faces behind the history made the experience far more personal than simply reading dates and facts in a history book.

Outside, the Remembrance Circle honours those who lost their lives and features the original anchor from the USS Arizona. It is a quiet place for reflection and a reminder that behind every statistic are real people, families and stories.

We found ourselves spending much longer there than we had expected.

After leaving the visitor centre, we boarded the USS Missouri. Permanently berthed at Ford Island in 1998 and opened as a museum in 1999, it sits facing the sunken USS Arizona Memorial, together symbolising both the beginning and the end of World War II for the United States.

Located near the entrance to the USS Missouri is the USS Oklahoma Memorial. The memorial honours the crew lost during the attack on Pearl Harbor and features 429 white marble pillars — one for each crew member who died.

Seeing those rows of white markers was quite eerie, knowing that each one represented a life lost. Standing there quietly, it was impossible not to reflect on the events of that day. I can only imagine what we might have felt had we been able to visit the USS Arizona Memorial as well.