Cruisin Rick

We spent 2 weeks in Kona last Nov. We didn't run into any problems with mosquito's. We had deets and were mindful during dusk and dawn periods.

I would go back again and enjoy just be mindful.:)

Dawn Princess (launched in 1997) is actually the next ship to leave the fleet, going to P&O Australia in Summer 2017. And Golden Princess is being permanently re-deployed to the Pacific Rim to replace Dawn. Don't expect Grand to leave anytime soon unless the just announced fourth Royal-class ship cascades several other ships down the pecking order. San Francisco has always been where Princess has stashed the oldest well-worn member of the North American fleet (Sky Princess, the previous Regal Princess, Sea Princess).

I think it's probably because they can sell out each cruise with no problem out of SF so putting their older ships there causes no booking losses for them.

In Kona, most of what you want will be on Ali'i St. It's along the shore and a nice place to stroll. I'm not sure what you want in a swimming beach but at the pier there is a nice little protected beach area. You can also rent kayaks or paddle boards and venture out. There isn't any surf there so if you want to body surf that's not a good spot. The water is clear, warm and nice for swimming there so you won't need to rent a car.

My favorite beach was Kua Bay but you need to have a car to get there and parking is limited so you should arrive before 10am to get a good spot. It's north of town just past the airport. It's not marked but when you see the sign to the Veterans Cemetery to the right, the road to the beach is on the left, turn there. I've heard the water gets rough there in the winter so I have no idea what it is like now.

Volcano National Park on the Big Island is something you probably would want to experience. It's breathtaking to watch the plume of smoke rising out of the volcano and see the steam vents around the park. You'll probably think like I did at the time. Someday this whole mountain is going to explode and I just hope I'm not there when it does...

At any rate, it's a lot of driving so you might not have a lot of time for hiking, still worth going. There is also a beautiful black sand beach on the south road back to Kona. It's a state park and there are signs on the highway. When we were there, about a dozen sea turtles were nesting in the sand. It's another nice place to visit.

Randi passed away a few years ago. Not sure how long ago it was, but she was a great person and is missed by a lot of people.

 

Lety also passed away about five years ago and the restaurant is now operated by her son. He has maintained the quality and service that was Lety's trademark.

I'm sorry to hear about Randi, she was one of a kind. We had the pleasure of meeting her on two different cruises.

RIP Randi.

I'm just curious. The last time we were in Mazatlan we did the horseback ride at Stone Island with Randy's Happy Horses. Is she still around?

It is a short walk from the pier. The highway you have to cross is just a big road basically. There are crosswalks and traffic lights. It should just take you about10 minutes from the pier.

The road to Hana is a remarkable drive through the rain forest with switchbacks and many waterfalls with rainbows. The real reward for me was was just past Hana to "The Seven Sacred Pools". It was an experience I'm glad I didn't miss.

It's a long trip and you need some time to enjoy yourself at the pools and stops along the way. You won't be able to see and do everything important on Maui in one day in port. Pick the most important to you and maybe sometime in the future come back for a week stay.:)

If Kona is one of your ports of call, that is a great place to get some experience. Next to the pier where the tender drops you off is a small protected beach in front of Marriot's King Kamehamaha Hotel. The surf is protected by the pier and Ahu'ena Heiau, an ancient site built into the bay for rituals. It's very calm and safe.

You can rent SUP's, kayaks etc from Kona Boys right there and they can give you instructions. There's no big surf in the small lagoon area and you can venture out as your comfort level allows.

Aloha!:)

I've been to Tracy Arm twice but never to Glacier Bay. Tracy Arm is breathtaking going up the fiord. The first cruise we took there was in very late September. We cruised all the way to Sawyer glacier and stayed there a couple of hours with the ship very slowly rotating so good views were visable from balconies on both sides if you wished to stay at your room. We got about 1/4 mile from the glacier and it was an experience to see and hear the ice calving from the glacier. You could see seal lions on icebergs get tumbled around when it happened. Also, the blue color of the glacier is a remarkable sight.

The next time I cruised there, was in July and we didn't get far enough to even see the glacier from a distance. It was still a great experience going up the fiord, we say mountain goats too. But No glacier.

So if you're not going very late in the season, you likely won't get very close to Sawyer Glacier.

Okay, thanks for the info. It's been a while since I've cruised and I was unsure how technology has changed.

I will be going on a Mexican Riviera cruise early next year. We'll be leaving SF and sailing down the coast. Out of curiosity, will the ship be too far at sea to get reception from Verizon?

My two favorite places to snorkel on Kauai are Poipu and Kee'e. Kee'e is at the very end of the road just past Hanalei. It's on the wet side of the island is very tropical and rains a lot. It's a wonderful beach with a big corral reef that keeps the breakers down and it's great snorkeling.

Poipu is on the other side of the island. It's drier there but also very nice. The beach is wonderful for snorkling with many fish to observe. There is a small surf action and is great for taking your air mattress and body surfing. there is also a bar/rest close by. They have showers on the beach and bathrooms with running water. We liked Poipu a lot.

Try to make reservations to the Alcatraz Tour, it's very good.

Also, try to catch Beach Blanket Babylon in North Beach. It's the funniest play/musical you'll ever see!

It's too bad you'll miss Beach Blanket Babylon. I was going to recommend it also but I see you're in SoCa so maybe you can come again some time and catch it. There is also a neighborhood Italian restaurant and bar on the corner next to the theater called "Cap's Corner." Great place for some good chow and a drink before the show.

We used EZ check in July at Seattle.

It's a great service if you can get it.