Jim_Iain

I bought a relatively inexpensive set at Walmart's. I plan on leaving it in the trunk of the rental. May be you will get a big surprise.

We loved it so much I have a feeling we may be back again today. Not much planned. I looked up a couple candidates for hiking today and thought we may just go back for lunch again today.

I'm going a bit off topic myself - Many of you that have a problem sleeping due to noise, snoring or just a busy head know that I have used Bose Sleep Buds. About 2 years ago they dropped to product and discontinued production. I personally love the device - They use a process of noise masking vs noise cancellation of many products. Bose sold the technology to a group of employees and they started to design a totally new replacement -- using the same footprint of the Bose Sleepbud. The new Company OZLO Sleepbuds are finally here. https://ozlosleep.com/ About a year ago I signed up for Crowd Funding to bring the product to market. Iain' been telling my for months I was scammed... They are finally released to funders and pre-orders. I just got a notification mine were delivered to my home - Will give a review when I get home. These look identical to the Bose Product but unlike Bose as a Stand Alone bud these can play anything - music, books etc in addition to sounds.

I shake my head in regret. Why do they cut costs for such a standard product that is enjoyed by so many.

We had looked at it but conflicts with our Oct-November Cunard NY-Southampton, Oceania Vista Istanbul - Barcelona and Celebrity Lisbon to Buenos Aires. I'm having to keep a spreadsheet to keep track of my cruises. Was much easier with just Celebrity as they were all in one place..... but....

Knowing where we were and close by The Coffee Hut. Off we went for a late lunch. All of the recommendations paled in contrast to the beauty, food and service we experienced. We had the Special - but decided to split it. No Problem - they actually brought it out on two plates filled with chips and separate bowls of Au Jus. I love an Extra Dry Cappuccino and they delivered. It was the most delirious Kona Coffee and the foam was so thick I had to use a spoon to finish it off. Perfection. Anyone for fresh avocado. The sandwich was HUGE and we were happy we only had 1/2. It left room for the best Coconut Cream Pie I've ever had. We even made a friend with a Kama’aina

Lover our time there.

I had plans to try out snorkeling today and found a good location. Two Step Beach - An incredible turquoise bay along the Big Island’s western side, Honaunau Bay (or Two Step Beach / Pae’a) is among the best places in all of Hawaii to enjoy world-class snorkeling among impressive coral reefs and lava rock pathways. Two Step is also a renowned scuba diving location for beginners and experts. There is a sandy area on the north side of the bay where the local dive shops teach new divers and you often see groups of divers setting out on adventures into the deeper waters of the bay from the two-step entry. As we got closer we said ... hmmm.. this looks familiar. It ended up right at the entrance to the Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park. How I could have missed it two days earlier is beyond me.

I think I mentioned today we rented a car again. This time we used Enterprise and they were very impressive. When we got off tender we went to the Big Banyon Tree and called them. They were quickly down to pick us up. Extremely efficient and we were on our way within minutes.

A small extract from my Video of the Day on my YouTube Channel "Travel with Jim_Iain" I finally got to try out my GoPro underwater.

Iain sums up the day. lol. Actually he enjoyed but was getting fed of me saying. Give me an Iain pose. Luckily it was his index fingers.

No trip to Hawaii is complete without a Waterfall. Akaka Falls about 10 minutes away was next. I wanted to avoid where everyone else goes. Definitely not for those with mobility issues. My Fitbit recorded 36 flights of steps.

Kamauna Cave was next on list. About 20 miles away really interesting. Starts with a really steep ladder Iain decided to stay at the mouth as he isn’t a monkey like me. incredibly immersive experience. Cool temperature with droplets of water dripping. There are no lights but the iPhone 15 pro max is incredible in low light.

First up was Onehakakaha Beach park. Being low tide didn’t work out for snorkeling. Oh well Kona here we come today.

Yesterday was my day and off I went. For those renting cars finding a parking place is difficult as it is in an industrial area. I spotted a place when we left the port. From port turn right. Pass the Chinese restaurant. One the crowd wasn’t to eat but to be picked up for a tour. about a 1/4 mile down the street from an area with about 10 cars parked. Trhere aren’t any no parking signs.

Thanks Kevin..... I have to tell you that we LOVED CHARLOTTETOWN. I have a feeling that the New England Cruise may again be on the agenda. Maybe not on Celebrity but would love to do on a small ship where you can get into ports that you can't on the larger ships.

With all the votes I think Donkey Balls and Coffee Shack are on the list. It is fun to return to old haunts .... they bring back such wonderful memories. We often say ... do you remember ... and it could be a place, a person or just a memorable moment.

I think it is back on our list for tuesday. Today I am finally going to get to snorkel ..... I hope. I had to stop at Walmart to buy some Petroleum Jelly. With a mustache the only way to avoid water leak is to make a seal of Petroleum Jelly .... Ugh... sounds disgusting.

We looked at the Blu menu, Main Dining room and Luminae ---- the Pot Pie was the only thing that interested us. One thing we noticed is that on the Blu menu the deserts were identical to the MDR deserts. hmm... not good. Also they had the same French French Pie as MDR

That night some friends of ours ordered off the Children's Menu --all the way.. They had Grilled Cheese Sandwich with a 4 Oz NY Steak and for desert had the Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream Sunday. It came out with a cone on top to look like a clown. They really enjoyed the full meal

In Kona I rented from Thrifty. I got a call from them yesterday to confirm my reservation. I think I rented from the in-town office. They said once off tender to go to the big Banyon Tree and call a number they gave me and they will be down quickly to pick me up. Actually Thrifty at Hilo only had 3 people on line. I know because I was mixed up from the call and first stopped by Thrifty - when she couldn't find reservation I discovered it was Enterprise with the huge line ......

Last night was our least favorite Luminae. Menu 3 we ended ordering from MDR - it was a French Mushroom Pot Pie. It was actually quite nice. For desert I had the new Orange desert on Luminae.

One thing we have noted on this cruise -- maybe just this ship. The ice cream in Luminae is not up to it's usual standard. I'm not talking exotics I'm talking Vanilla Ice Cream. Our waiter said it was a different Vanilla they were using. Iain said it has an icy texture and not creamy at all. That is really disappointing as it is our go to desert at Luminae. I had vanilla at both the Gellato and regular Ice Cream Place and it is pretty much the same... Come on Celebrity... what does it take to have a decent vanilla ice cream. Many have also pointed out that the new menus are Chocolate on the overload and topped of with the terrible Chef B's Chocolate Turd. Another failure. Maybe we should box up some and send to Kelly.

Sorry for the huge photo dump. There was so much beauty I couldn't resit. I put them into a slide show movie on my Travel with Jim_Iain group. On the way home it started raining and ended up raining pretty hard all night. Luckily it cleared just after sunrise. --- Iain was up by 9:00 AM and we went for breakfast with Lucy... We met a Katherine and Linda from our Cruise Critic Fan. She was happy to learn of the breakfast items that are not advertised in Michael's Club. It's the secret menu.... LOL

Kaliko-Honokohahau at last. A very magical place taking you back in time. Gentle winds were blowing fragrant scents of flowere, the gentle crashing of waves and the sounds of wild birds enhanced the natural serenity.