Cool Breeze Cruiser
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The Museum
The Steam Vent
A VERY hot rock! Just ask Mitch!
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Hilo 8AM-6PM…
We booked a tour with Mary Lou’s Tours for Hilo too. This is the email they sent me about places we could visit…
Here in Hilo some of the sites are:
The Volcano National park:
The steam vents,
The Jaggar museum which overlooks the Kilauea Caldera that has a very active vent going off right now,
The Kilauea Iki Crater,
Thurston Lava tube where you can actually walk through this if you choose,
The Orchid farm where there are hundreds of orchids on display for guests to enjoy,
The Mauna loa macadamia farm this does have a small deli where you can purchase a sandwich, ice-cream etc.,
The Rainbow Falls, Rainbow Trees, Banyan drive, liliuokalani Japanese gardens, Coconut Island, Hilo Bay Front the King Kam Statue, Richardson's Black sand Beach,
The giant green sea turtles when they decide to come up out of the water and bask in the sun on the lava rocks.
The tour was $75 per person & that included admission to Volcano National Park.
Lynn & Mitch and Jacqueline & Barry and J.R. & I met up with Ken right outside the terminal. We got stuck with Kyle again! :D:p:D Just kidding! We all loved Kyle!
He led us off through the rain to his van & we headed to Volcano National Park. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nps.gov%2Fhavo%2F&ei=WlFVVLKCI82GyATJxoLQCQ&usg=AFQjCNFx7pwBuiNXkTKsduo5rvmJsqrr0g
Our first stop was the overlook at the Kilauea Caldera & the Museum. Unfortunately it was raining when we were there so we did not have a very clear view.
From the National Parks website...
"The overlook outside of the museum offers a breath taking panoramic view of Kīlauea Caldera with several interpretive displays about Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes."
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The last tender back to the ship was at 5:15 & they packed it FULL & it was HOT!!!!!!!
The show that night was Marcus Raymond who does a comedy, juggling, & escape artist act. We have seen him before & he is very good.
The guys had to get up & dance with Kristy at dinner that night.
Next up Hilo & another amazing day!
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Kyle did so many things to make our tour special & make sure it was ‘our day’! He made suggestions as to where to go but the six of us determined how long we wanted to stay at each place & he made sure he interacted with each one of us.
Kyle was very contentious of safety. He was a good driver & double checked to make sure all the doors were locked whenever we got out of the van. He either kept the van running at our stops or started it in plenty of time for it to cool off before we got back in.
He also had towels in the van in case we wanted to snorkel. His van was very nice & clean & he sprayed some scented spray to freshen the air in it periodically. He also provided bottled waters.
I thought he was goofing off when he was sometimes ‘scuffling’ along the trails but he was checking for slippery surfaces. I don’t know how we could have asked for a better, more attentive tour guide but he also made it fun & we all loved Kyle’s personality.
We asked Kyle to drop us off at the Farmer’s Market so we could shop a little before making our way back to the ship. It was starting to rain again & Kyle offered us umbrellas to take with us & said we could return them to him the next day. We were so excited that we would be touring with our ‘friends’ Ken, Mary Lou & Kyle the next day too!
We bought a few things at the Farmer's Market but they were about to close when we got there. We stopped in a few of the shops on our walk back to the ship. Everyone we encountered was so friendly. Lynn & I tried on these sunglasses in one of the shops & J.R. took our pic. The shopkeeper was very nice & told the guys to try on a pair too & she would take a pic of all of us.
We should have purchased these sunglasses!
Kyle suggested we try some Scandinavian shaved ice with ice cream in the middle. OMG!!! :):):)
Scaninavian Shaved Ice is right around the corner from where the ships docks. Do not miss this!!! They have more the consistency of snow & you can put ice cream in the middle. They have the most wonderful combinations! We picked two from the favorites list & they were both YUMMY!
Juli
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I agree with JR, that plant is VERY COOL. I think you should submit the pics in post 140 to CCL or the HI tourist bureau or whoever...they are just so great! So very much enjoying this :)
Ha-ha! Don't humor him! :D I think he 'accidentally' took some AMAZING pics on our cruise to Alaska so he has decided he really likes photography especially sunsets & reflection pictures.
He spent a lot of time this cruise taking pics of rocks & trees & flowers, etc. Lynn kept taking pics of J.R. taking pics because he was so funny. I will post one of them from Hilo.
Bless his heart though our 'big kid' camera (Nikon D3000) had some issues this trip :eek: so most of our better pics were taken with our poor little water camera!
Guess what J.R. is getting for Christmas? Photography lessons. Shhh! :p Don't tell him but I think he will love it!
Juli
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J.R. thought this plant was cool!
We were then given a ride back up to the van in their complimentary shuttle.
I have no idea why we did not take more pictures at Mauka Meadows. Maybe because it was raining or we were all to in awe to take pics!
Juli
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At the end of the walk we were offered samples of coffee & honey from a Mauka Meadows employee under a big covered pavillion & the view was SPECTACULAR! Unfortunately it was really hazy even though the rain had stopped so our pictures definitely did not do the view justice.
The Miracle in the background.
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Kyle took us to Mauka Meadows for our last stop. It was a long way but it was so worth the drive!
We got there just as it started to pour down raining. There is a little building in the parking lot with umbrellas that you can borrow so we took a couple & started down the sloping hill.
Mauka Meadows is a coffee farm/botanical garden that spreads out over several acres of land and is covered with every tropical flower, bush and tree you can imagine ending with a beautiful inifiniti pool overlooking the ocean. We had the whole place to ourselves except for the people working there. The grounds are are so well kept & are beyond incredibly beautiful & it is FREE to visit Mauka Meadows!
We all loved it! It was so beautiful & peaceful & I am not a 'gardens' type person. Kyle broke open fresh macadamias for us & used a picker to get some exotic fruit down for us to try.
Really bad picture but here Kyle is cracking open macadamia nuts for us.
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Kyle gave us a few choices for lunch. We decided we did not want to spend a lot of time eating & 'eat' in to our touring time so we stopped at Keoki's Fish & Chips. No 'fishies' for me so I ordered a hamburger. It was good but different as their beef is grass fed instead of grain fed. The onion rings were very good.
They had Donkey Balls (round chocolate gourmet candy) for sale but we waited & bought ours at a store closer to the pier. I did get a Donkey Ball t-shirt though. :D
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Looks like you guys had a really fun cruise. Thanks for the fine photo review and all the smiling faces. :):):):)
It was a great cruise & we definitely made a lot of memories!
Juli
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Love your review so far. Getting us excited for our Dec. Hawaii cruise. Concerning Mary Lou’s Big Island Guided Tours for Kona - Did you suggest or did the driver suggest what sites to see? Also, how long was the tour?
Thanks. Mary Lou's has a plan for the day (& a good one) but will alter it according to what your tour group wants to do as long as all of you agree. We formed our group of six from our roll call that we felt would have similar interests & had Mary Lou's put us together.
We were able to stay as long at each place as we wanted & choose where we wanted to eat, etc. The other tour group went back earlier than we did in Kona to do more shopping but we chose to go to Mauka Meadows (not to be missed) so we had little time left over to shop.
Mary Lou's was waiting on us as soon as the ship docked & we were able to choose when we went back to the ship. I asked Kyle if his wife had dinner waiting for us & if they would put us up if we missed the ship on purpose! :D
Enjoy your cruise!
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Great job, Juli. We didn't get to the painted church so it was awesome to see your pics. I've been feeling terrible because in my earlier message I neglected to mention your leg. Sure hope it's getting much better. Live and learn, eh? I'm pretty adamant about getting up and stretching and moving a bit because on a few flights I got dreadfully swollen ankles. Any more thoughts about October next year?!
Many hugs to both of you.
Jacquie (Don says hi)
Thanks Jacquie. The Painted Church was amazing & so much better than I had even imagined. It really helped to know the history of the church to understand the significance of what Father John was able to accomplish & the view from there was spectacular too.
I think my leg is fine. I am on blood thinners for six months. I just posted about it to warn others. I must be one of the few though that never got the memo that blood clots & long flights go hand in hand! I am usually really wiggly, just ask J.R.!
Still considering the Triumph in October. We have quite a few friends on that cruise but I can not commit to that far out right now. I know it will be a great cruise!
We just booked the Triumph for February 20th but I took out trip insurance in case we have to cancel.
Hugs back, Juli
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Nope, no mechanical issues. It was a GREAT cruise !!! Derrick CruiseFanWithATan
I knew 'our' Miracle wouldn't let us down! :D
We don't go this cruise until next October 2015 but I have already reserved Marylou's. We are only doing Hilo with them due to the fact Ken stated they weren't doing Kona on that day. I am glad to hear you enjoyed your tour with them and I now I am really looking forward to the tour. Keep up the good work with the review. It's great.I can not recommend Mary Lou's Tours highly enough! Good thing you booked them so far in advance!
Kyle told us they do not usually do tours on Sundays but did for us because we booked with them prior to our itinerary change when we were supposed to be in Hilo on Monday & it changed to Sunday.
I just emailed Mary Lou yesterday to see how they are faring with the lava flow but have not heard back from her yet. I received an email from her mid-October & she said the lava flow was about six miles from their home. Praying for their safety & that of everyone on the Big Island.
Thanks & have a great cruise!
Enjoying your review and great photo's.Thanks. Wish I had taken notes like I usually do. You would think with all those sea days I would have had time! :p I am going from memory (which is scary) & drilling J.R. & Lynn & Mitch for details! :D
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From the Painted Church's website...
"Mass is celebrated most days at St. Benedict's, the second Sunday of each month is the Hawaiian Mass, with readings and music in Hawaiian and a breakfast to follow. Many of our parishioners have been here in Honaunau for generations. Everyone is welcome, the spirit of Aloha permeates the parish community."
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The Painted church was next on our agenda.
From the Painted Church website...
"The history of the Church in the District began early in 1842. Father Joachim Marechal was assigned to care for both South Kona and Ka'u Districts. The original chapel, located on the shore of Honaunau Bay Dear the City of Refuge in the National Historical Park, was known as St. Francis Regis Chapel."
"By the mid-1880's most of the Honaunau people had moved away from the beach area to more fertile soil about two miles up the slopes. Father John Berchmans Velge moved what he could of St. Francis Regis Chapel to upper Honaunau. With additional repairs and additions the old church looked like new."
"This present church was erected in 1899 by Father John Velghe. Without any professional training and using house paint on ordinary wood he beautified the church with his paintings. In those days few Hawaiians could read and so he taught with pictures-most successfully.He spent over four years with saw and brush to complete the structure and was then recalled to Belgium where he died in 1939."
We were very fortunate that day because there was a volunteer there giving tours & telling us the story of the Painted Church. He was extremely passionate about the church & the works of Father John Velghe & really brought it to life for us. Inside the church the artwork of Father Velghe brings the stories of the bible to life. It is a beautiful and humbling experience that should not be missed & it is hard to imagine how artistic & innovative Father John was. I will not even try to relate the stories but if you get a chance visit the Painted Church!
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Lynn really wanted to see the sea turtles but they were MIA too!
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These 'critters' were all over the rocks.
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Next we went to Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau National Park - the City of Refuge.
From the Park's website...
"Imagine you had just broken the sacred laws, the kapu, and the only punishment was death. Your only chance of survival is to elude your pursuers and reach the Pu'uhonua, a place of refuge. The Pu'uhonua protected the kapu breaker, defeated warriors, as well as civilians during the time of battle. No harm could come to those who reached the boundaries of the place of refuge."
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We stopped by this bay but the dolphins were hiding from us! Kyle even checked again later but the dolphins were still no shows! :(
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We visited a coffee plantation.
Greenwell Farms provided us with a guide to show us the grounds & tell us about all the steps it takes to make coffee. They also offered free samples of their coffee.
J.R. retired from USDA so I knew he would be very interested in anything to do with farming but I was not so sure I would find it that interesting. I don't even drink coffee but it was really impressive. Dang after seeing how every bean has to be hand picked at the time of ripeness & all the different steps they go through & then how every bean has to be hand sorted according to quality it is no wonder coffee is so expensive!
The beans are ready to be picked when they turn red.
The drying process.
They had some banana plants there too.
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Kona is a tender port so Platinum guests were asked to meet in the Jeeves Lounge at 8AM to wait for the tender. Carnival took us down almost immediately & we got right on a tender! :)
Ken & Mary Lou were easy to find when we got off the tender & they introduced us to Kyle & we took off for an amazing day exploring Kona.
Pet peeve…if you book a tour PLEASE show up or let your tour guides know you will not be coming. Mary Lou’s Tours does not require payment in advance & trust that people will do what they say. Mary Lou waited an hour on people in her group that never showed up & Ken waited most of the day at the pier for the last group of no-shows & there were so many people that wanted to book with them!
Our tour was $60pp & well worth every penny! This is the info Mary Lou emailed me about the tour in Kona.
“On the Kona side of the island you will be tendering in on the little life boats to the Kona Pier. Some of the sites on the Kona side are: the Kona coastline, Magic sands beach, Turtle Bay, Kona Joes Coffee Plantation, the Captain Cook's Monument and beautiful bay where he had his last battle and lost...
The National Park - the City of Refuge, The painted church, The Royal Kona Coffee Museum, The Mauka Meadows (time permitting) this is a botanical gardens that overlooks the ocean, the farmers market then back to your ship...or some guests like to shop there way back from the Farmers market at the end of the tour (this is about 10 minute walk back along the coastline to the tenders).”
We had arranged a tour with our friends Jacqueline & Barry & Lynn & Mitch & it turned out to be a great group!
Our group at one of the scenic overlooks. It was a little hazy that day.
Kyle stayed in contact with Ken & Mary Lou throughout the day via cell phone. They let each other know which stops they were at & shared any info about things going on that would help the other tours. I loved that every conversation they had ended in “I love you”. They are a very close family & made us feel like family too!
Juli
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Kona 8:30AM-6PM…
We originally reserved a rental car in Kona but when our cruise itinerary changed the rental car rate went up to over a $100 picking up at the King Kam Hotel! :eek:
We had a tour booked with Mary Lou’s Big Island Guided Tours for Hilo & they also offer tours in Kona so we booked with them for Kona too. It turned out to be one of the best decisions we made the whole trip! :D
These two pics were actually taken in Hilo.
Ken, Mary Lou & Kyle
I was impressed with their customer service from the very first correspondence we had with them. I called to change our reservations when our itinerary changed & spoke with Ken. He was so friendly & accommodating I knew then that we would feel like we were having close friends show us around the Big Island & my instincts were 100% correct!
Juli
Miracle to Hawaii 9/18/14 to 10/4/14 with pics
in Carnival Cruise Lines
Posted · Edited by Cool Breeze Cruiser
Next stop...Thurston Lava Tube
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCoQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nps.gov%2Fhavo%2Fplanyourvisit%2Fcraterrimtour_tube.htm&ei=XFxVVMzXDoKryASxoIK4Dw&usg=AFQjCNEQWBARcYRcgLmTEX2_IpyKRk5W7A
From the Park services website…” As you walk through the tube consider that several hundred years ago a river of red lava rushed through. And that lava currently travels from Pu'u O'o to the ocean in a labyrinth of lava tubes much like the tube you are walking through.”