The first inkling that our marvelous suite on the Disney Wonder was not going to be all that was when we set sail. Prior to that, we had milled around our stateroom, relishing the comfortable furnishings, the fabulous two bathrooms, the two flat-screen TVs, and the great view from our verandah. Then came the requisite tour of the boat to get our bearings.
Wait. I’m lying there. The boat tour is for my husband to get his bearings. I never actually get my bearings on a ship. I just blithely follow him around like a lost puppy. I invariably turn the wrong way getting off the elevator, have no idea where our restaurant is located and, once when I went back to the stateroom on another cruise to get something, I probably never would have found the pool where he was waiting if I hadn’t asked for help. At any event, then there was the lifeboat drill and, finally, we set sail. After watching L.A. fade in the distance, we went back to our stateroom to get ready for dinner.
It was at this point that we noticed a little creaking and groaning in our stateroom. Apparently, all that wood veneer was rubbing together as the boat moved and it was complaining. Loudly. It was a little disconcerting but we assumed it was just because we were getting away and, once we got to calm seas, the noise would stop.
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In the middle of the little town of Lahaina on the island of Maui, there is an ancient banyan tree that is massively huge. It has spreading, winding branches that fill the little park where it’s located. It’s quite impressive and was the largest tree we had ever seen.
