Day Eight January 13

This is the fourth of five days cruising the Pacific Ocean. Another day where we turned the clocks back. Since we left San Diego we have changed our clocks by two hours.

With some strict guidelines to enter the state, Hawaii required all passengers and crew to download their vaccination records. Oceania had sent out an email in late December with a link to enter this information. The state requires everyone to have a QR code printed or shown on their phones as well as identification when going ashore. I provided the information then and received QR codes. On Wednesday we received a letter stating we required to download the information again. You can imagine how slow the internet was when many passengers are in the same situation. I was able to download my vaccine results successfully but a problem existed with Janice where the authorities had Janice's last name as Woods rather than Ricken. It took several hours before someone was able to change her name to Ricken and I was able to download her documents.

We had been informed prior to leaving Los Angeles that all passengers would need to take another Antigen test before entering Hawaii. This was changed as everyone is fully vaccinated.

Our cruise director informed us of this and mentioned Hawaii received its first ship earlier in the week, a Princess ship where everyone was required to have an Antigen test. Princess is allowing individuals to travel on their ships who are not fully vaccinated. They must however, provide negative covid tests.

Generally the second or third day at sea, cruise lines have a Captain NIght where you can meet the Captain and the other officers from your ship. With covid guidelines still in place there was no Captain Night however all the bars and lounges were open from 17:00-19:00 and complimentary drinks provided to the passengers.

Sandy beaches, blue-sky waters, palm tree-lined shores, amazing volcaneos, and glorious sunsets are some of the things that probably come to mind when you think of Hawaii. The Hawaiian Islands are also home to people with a rich a diverse culture. Some of these people can trace their ancestrial roots back to the Polynesian Islands of today.