Nothing but the bluest Sea we’ve ever seen

Well, what happens at sea when nothing is happening? Hmmm, not much! We took the last opportunity to hit the gym. Starting tomorrow, we have 'shore leave' and then the gym will be a secondary concern for a while. Last instructions for the tendering process tomorrow afternoon when we reach Bora Bora. I have to say, I’m really excited to finally be going there tomorrow after so many years of dreaming about being on this island…

We are mentally preparing everything we need for our snorkeling safari. How to get cash that we will need on the second day in Bora Bora to start our own tour with a rental car.

We’re glad we have a tour booked through NCL for tomorrow in Bora Bora. This way, we can disembark on time and learn how the tendering process works generally, where the tender will take us, and how long it takes to tender to the island. All questions that can't be answered at the counter on the ship.

From fellow travelers, we learn how carelessly NCL handles Internet bookings. Shortly after we left Hilo, there was no more Internet connection available. It’s stated that there could be 'position-related, temporary satellite outages.' However, the disruptions are not temporary but continuous. We spoke with business people who thought they could stay in touch with their companies during the sea days and are initially 'disconnected.' Another couple from Braunschweig, who have an apartment in Rio, already learned in Kauai that there was water damage in their building, with water having already seeped from their apartment into two units below them. They have no idea how the situation is in their apartment right now and what, if anything, is being done… The two are quite anxious and are desperately waiting for Internet reception in Bora Bora. Travelers have spent significant amounts for unlimited Internet access, which is not provided.

Michael, Petra's partner with whom we daily meet and chat on the deck at the stern, is also anxious. He booked a tour in Bora Bora before leaving Kauai and must be at the pier at a specific time to start the tour. Since he booked online, he has no printout from the provider and cannot contact them because the lack of Internet prevents it. If he isn’t at the agreed place on time, the provider will leave, and his already paid booking will be lost.

How NCL will ultimately handle this, we have no idea… We do 'miss' the Internet too, as it’s almost impossible to go without it on such a trip, but at least we didn’t book an expensive Internet package that is now unusable…