Lessons learned, love shared: Golden Princess to Hawaii 3/27/13

[terrific_surprise]

While I had been ordering and waiting for the food, Terri had noticed a nearby ABC Store, seeing some clearance items she thought we should bring home as gifts. After we finished eating, she wanted to go back to the ABC Store, expressing interest in so many products there that I began to become overwhelmed, wondering if we would ever make it to the beach.

 

Of course I anticipated all along that shopping would be an important part of our Hawaii experience, and I had even planned for us to shop at an ABC Store sometime in Hawaii. (From what I had read, I had thought that we would have encountered ABC Stores many times in Hawaii, but somehow this was the only ABC Store we noticed in our entire four days on the islands.) But I was already beginning to feel our final hours in Hawaii slipping away, like sand through my fingers.

 

Eventually I stopped being so impatient and figured that I might as well make the best of the situation, beginning to allow myself to be tempted to buy some of the products on sale. One item that caught my eye was a Hawaiian plumeria cutting (which really looked like a thick green stick, about 6 inches long and perhaps three-fourths of an inch in diameter).

 

 

Even though I loved the thought of growing a Hawaiian plant back in California, I assumed at first that it was simply out of the question. I had read many posts from CC members strenuously insisting that no plant material could be brought back (even, as CC reviewer hermajestylanie hilariously recounted, just a stick). Knowing that Terri's ID problem still put us in a touchy situation, I didn't want to risk getting in more trouble either getting on or off the ship.

 

But then I noticed that on the back of the label, it specifically claimed that bringing it back to California was permissible.

 

 

Even after I realized that we might be able to get away with taking the plumeria plant on and off the ship, I still hesitated to buy it. I wanted to find a way to buy it secretly, so that I could surprise Terri with it later. (Perhaps you have noticed that I enjoy surprising her.)

 

Meanwhile we found an ukulele on sale for only $21.99. We wondered whether it would be of such poor quality that it wouldn't be worth buying, but when I saw that it actually had tuning gears, I thought it might be worth the money. Dave Soreff of Elua had told us not to buy an ukulele without gears, but had he been there, I'm sure he would have quickly clarified that he didn't mean to suggest that every ukulele with gears is good.

 

(When we came home from the cruise, we gave the ABC ukulele and the ukulele we had bought in Hilo to two of our sons, soon seeing the dramatic difference in quality between the two instruments, even though they were both inexpensive. The ABC ukulele was, for all practical purposes, just a toy.)

 

I was relieved when I finally heard my wife say that she was ready to check out. Our total purchase came to about $93, just $7 or so short of the $100 we needed to spend to receive a free gift.

 

Somehow I was able to slip away from the cashier, quickly grab the plumeria package, and ask the cashier to ring it up, all without Terri realizing what it was. Terri let me pick out our free gift, so I chose a nice mug which displays a map of Hawaii.

 

At a little after 11 am, we finally got back on the southbound Piilani Highway. We didn't even realize that the highway we were on was part of the "road to Hana" (even though this section of the Piilani Highway hits a dead end and you can't actually drive from there to the section of Highway 31 which leads toward Hana, I would have enjoyed knowing the significance of the name of the road we were traveling).

 

Before the morning was over (barely!) we would be walking hand in hand on a white sandy beach of Hawaii as the sound of the ocean soothed our restless souls. But we wouldn't be having quite as much fun as we had anticipated.

Edited November 23, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[luv2cruisekc]

You are on Maui, my favorite island. Too bad you didn't go to Kaanapoli, it's the best.

[terrific_surprise]

Driving into the parking lot at Makena State Park, I knew that this would not fulfill my dreams for our Hawaiian beach experience. Thinking that this beach was somewhat off the beaten path, I had hoped that there wouldn't be too many people there on a Thursday. But the parking lot was almost full.

 

 

Although just before we reached the park entrance we had passed through miles of beautifully landscaped resorts and homes, Makena State Park had a rustic appearance. If not for the parking lot, all the cars, and the many people, we could have almost imagined that we were miles from civilization (which was why I thought we would enjoy being there).

 

A wide path from the parking lot leads to the beach.

 

 

We finally stepped onto the sand at about 11:45, seeing the wide beach filled with people (and on the horizon, we could see Molokini Island).

 

 

Walking down far enough to find a stretch of sand we could call our own, we tried to imagine that it was just the two of us on the beach.

 

 

Then I setup our beach shelter above the high tide area and tested the water, which had a comfortable temperature. I blew up the flotation device I had brought, but when Terri tried it out, it was immediately obvious that the concept of using the flotation device there was ridiculous.

 

 

 

Don't blame Terri. It was my bright idea.

 

The waves were extremely strong, churning up sand as they crashed on the shore. After almost being knocked over several times, it wasn't long before we gave up on trying to go into the water.

 

Before the cruise I had bought Terri some tanning lotion made in Maui, so it was appropriate that Maui was where she first had the chance to use it. About half the time we were there it was sunny, but it was also sometimes overcast.

 

By about 1:30, less than two hours after our arrival, we decided to move on, packing up our things to go back to the car. Just then the lifeguard made an announcement, telling the crowd that the waves were too strong, as he warned that those who were not experienced in dealing with strong currents should stay out of the water!

 

Although our experience at Makena Beach had not been what we had hoped for, I was setting my sights on another beach, if I could find it.

Edited November 24, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Instead of turning left to go back toward Lahaina after our visit to Makena State Park, I turned right, hoping to find a picturesque little hidden beach I had written some information about in the notes I prepared before the cruise.

 

 

When I saw a rock wall on the right just a mile or so down the road, I started looking for a break in the wall. It was surprisingly easy to find.

 

 

Walking down a short pathway between the walls, we soon came to "Secret Cove" (Pa'ako Beach), reportedly a popular location for weddings.

 

 

We could still see the little island of Molokini from here, along with a faint view of Kaho‘olawe to its left.

 

 

The tiny beach was occupied with a few other people sunning themselves (even though it was overcast), so we didn't spend much time there. (I hadn't intended to stay there long anyway.)

 

After less than ten minutes, we got back in the car. There was one more place I wanted us to see before driving back, but the most dramatic view we would experience would be something I had not anticipated.

Edited November 24, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[Smokeyham]

Thanks continuing the wonderful story! I'm really enjoying following your adventures.

 

If anyone is looking for a fun little place to have breakfast in Lahaina, I recommend Sunrise Cafe, located at 693 Front St, Lahaina, HI ‎

 

(808) 661-8558. It felt like a place the locals go to hang out and enjoy their morning get together. Food was good too! :)

[terrific_surprise]

Thanks continuing the wonderful story! I'm really enjoying following your adventures.

 

If anyone is looking for a fun little place to have breakfast in Lahaina, I recommend Sunrise Cafe, located at 693 Front St, Lahaina, HI ‎

 

(808) 661-8558. It felt like a place the locals go to hang out and enjoy their morning get together. Food was good too! :)

 

Thanks, Smokeyham! That advice about the Sunrise Cafe would have saved me some stress!

 

Tim

[terrific_surprise]

As we left Secret Cove, I knew that we were just a few miles from the end of the road. But I had no idea how drastically the scenery would change in such a short distance.

 

Meandering through a parklike neighborhood of immaculate residences and manicured gardens, the narrowing road felt like an extremely long driveway as I carefully observed the posted speed limit of 10 mph.

 

Eventually we came to a series of craggy coves on the right side of the road, with signs soon indicating that we had entered the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve.

 

I was tempted to stop (without even realizing at the time that this is reportedly a wonderful place to view species such as honu, spinner dolphins, and many varieties of fish, for those who can brave the lava rocks), but my goal was to get to the end of the road before our time ran out.

 

The blues and greens which dominated the visually appealing landscape along the waterfront abruptly changed to shades of black and red, as we found ourselves in the middle of a desolate lava field. We had traveled only one mile from Secret Cove (taking a few minutes to do so at our slow speed), but it seemed like we had reached a different world.

 

Although this lava flow is apparently hundreds of years old, it felt like something very recent, as if we could still feel the heat rising.

 

 

The road through the lava field was only one lane wide, so we had to often pull over to the side to let other cars pass by.

 

(These photos were actually taken on our way back through after we came to the end of the road, in case anyone notices that the car is heading the wrong direction.)

 

 

 

After about a mile of slowly driving through this stark landscape, more tropical vegetation began to reappear.

 

Just before the end of the road, we encountered another surprise of much more interest to Terri than the lava field had been.

 

 

Horseback riding is one of Terri's favorite activities, but she is rarely blessed with such an opportunity. Had I learned about Makena Stables in my pre-cruise planning, I probably would have tried to find time for a trail ride in this unique setting (although it seems that the scheduling of their rides might not work well with most cruises).

 

Having only 90 minutes until the car rental return deadline, there was simply no time for us to even consider a trail ride.

 

After discovering the lava field and the stables, the reason I had decided to drive to the end of the road seemed somewhat anticlimactic.

Edited November 25, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Reaching the end of the road, I parked the car in a small lot just past the stables. I didn't bother to put up the top, because I assumed that we wouldn't stay for long.

 

 

We walked out on a lava rock outcropping, not far from where the car was parked, to experience the full 180 degree view.

 

 

A few people had found small plots of sand where they stretched out to sun themselves, but the waterline was overwhelmingly dominated with rough lava rocks, unfriendly to sunbathers. A beach at the north end of the bay seemed to belong to a large house.

 

 

The water didn't seem to match the bright turquoise color I had seen online when looking through photos of La Perouse Bay.

 

 

We saw far fewer people than vehicles there, so I suspect that several people were underwater, experiencing the marine life.

 

 

Perhaps my perception of La Perouse Bay was tainted by my growing realization that our time in Hawaii was drawing to a close. Whatever the case, we only stayed there for about 10 minutes, long enough to take a few photos before making our way back through the lava field toward Makena, Kihei, and Lahaina.

[terrific_surprise]

Driving north back through the lava field, I had to stop again whenever we encountered cars going the other way. The other drivers always seemed to think that they had the right of way (or perhaps I was being too nice).

 

Along the South Maui roads, frequent warning signs bearing the message "no sight distance" puzzled us.

 

 

Eventually I figured out that these signs must mean something like "be careful, you may not be able to see an object in the road ahead in time to stop."

 

When we passed back by the entrance to Makena State Park about 20 minutes after leaving La Perouse Bay, we noticed a food truck parked alongside the road.

 

 

Seeing shave ice on the menu, I offered to buy one for Terri, and she liked my idea, having enjoyed the shave ice we had shared the previous day. A family was waiting there to receive what they had ordered, but after over five minutes of waiting, the attendant never said a word to me. With our precious minutes ticking away, I finally left out of frustration, emptyhanded, knowing that I needed to focus on the 35 mile drive back to the car rental agency.

 

It was about 3 when I found my way back to Highway 31 (having wasted a few minutes due to a wrong turn I made in Wailea, to my embarrassment). I informed Terri of the obvious news that we wouldn't have time to visit the Maui Tropical Plantation. She didn't seem to mind, entertaining herself by taking pictures of her "convertible hair."

 

 

Traffic was very busy on all of the highways on our drive back, so I had to go slower than I had expected. At about 3:25, Terri thought that she saw another whale as we passed back by the whale watching area along Highway 30. About 20 people were standing at the railing, apparently watching something in the water.

 

With just 20 minutes remaining before the return deadline, traffic nearly came to a standstill south of Lahaina.

 

 

Thankfully it soon started moving again. A few minutes later, looking to our left across the water, we welcomed the sight of our Golden Princess in the distance, looking forward to being back on board.

 

 

But it was starting to become evident that we could experience some difficulties before getting back to the ship.

 

Arriving back in Lahaina, I stopped at the first gas station I could find. I'm sure that the price was high, but frankly the price didn't matter (and apparently I didn't keep a record of how much I paid that day, although I know that we had traveled some 80 miles). The only thing that mattered at that point was time -- we had less than ten minutes to make it back to the Kaanapali Alamo agency!

 

When we finally returned the car, it was 4:02 pm, and the attendant informed us that we were too late: the last shuttle to the ship had already departed.

Edited November 26, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[cvpends]

Loving your review and your photos. I'm hoping that this...

When we finally returned the car, it was 4:02 pm, and the attendant informed us that we were too late: the last shuttle to the ship had already departed.

...means you got to stay in Hawai'i? :p

[terrific_surprise]

Loving your review and your photos. I'm hoping that this...

 

...means you got to stay in Hawai'i? :p

 

Haha! Don't we wish! :p

 

If you've read this far, you know that I like giving you little cliffhangers. (These may have been just moments of uncertainty in reality, but here on CC they sometimes have taken a day or more to resolve.) I'll tie up the loose ends on this one momentarily.

 

Glad you're enjoying the review. It's fun reliving it (even the stressful moments like this one).

 

Tim

[terrific_surprise]

We were only two minutes late returning our Maui rental car. Nevertheless, there was no way to deny that we had indeed missed the deadline.

 

But we were about to learn a practical lesson about grace (which, as we have often heard in sermons over the years, means "unmerited favor").

 

Our situation was likely improved because of the fact that we were not the only ones facing this predicament. In fact, about 15 others were waiting for a shuttle back to the ship. Several of them said that they returned their cars at 3:45, a full 15 minutes before the deadline (but the Alamo attendant claimed that the last shuttle left at 3:50).

 

Some of the others indignantly raged "so this is how you treat us?" as they emphasized that they have achieved the highest level of the car rental agency's loyalty program.

 

The attendant acted like he didn't realize that so many people would need to return to the ship, but certainly the agency had some way of knowing how many cruise passengers they rented to that day.

 

As for us, we didn't have a leg to stand on, of course. Nevertheless, as I settled our bill in cash with the Alamo agent, he offered to take off $15 to cover a cab ride back to the ship. (I didn't notice whether or not he was demonstrating the same grace to the others.) I suppose I could have rejected his offer, insisting that I didn't deserve it, but I gratefully accepted it.

 

The first cab came at about 4:15, and another cab arrived at about 4:20. The others (who had been waiting longer than us) graciously allowed us to get in the first taxi. We crowded into our cab with several of the others.

 

On the way back to the harbor, the taxi drove along Front Street in Lahaina. Looking out the window at all of the quaint shops and museums, I immediately regretted the way I had bypassed Lahaina as I planned the cruise. Early in the cruise planning process, I had become obsessed with South Maui, to the point where Lahaina had been relegated to just a footnote (although I had thought that we might briefly shop there).

 

A few minutes after 4:30, the cab dropped us off at the harbor. I split the $20 fare with one of the other passengers.

 

The line to board the tenders was about 400 feet long, extending almost to the restrooms by the courthouse, so we took a few minutes to take pictures under the nearby banyan tree and fort ruins (and to use the conveniently located facilities) before beginning our long wait. I don't think that the prospect of waiting in the long line actually caused us any stress. We were just relieved that we made it to the line.

 

Just 10 minutes before the final tender deadline (5 pm), hundreds of people were still waiting in line.

 

 

The line soon became much longer when a tour bus returned. We were glad to see the tour bus passengers get in line behind us, knowing that the tenders wouldn't leave anyone behind if they were on a Princess excursion.

 

If what we considered to be our final moments in Hawaii were to be spent standing in a long line, we intended to enjoy this time anyway.

 

 

We didn't realize yet that one of our most beautiful Hawaiian memories would occur after we were back onboard the ship.

 

For about 20 minutes, the line somehow moved quite quickly, as the Princess tender crews seemed to be making a valiant effort to stay on schedule. But then for about 15 minutes, the line stopped moving altogether, as we watched the tenders waiting in the harbor.

 

 

During this time the Maui Princess docked, with a group boarding the boat for a sunset dinner cruise. When that boat left, the Lahaina Princess arrived, boarding more people. These boats were docking in the same area where the tenders docked. Apparently there is only one place for boats like this to board in Lahaina, so the tenders just had to wait until these boats had left the dock.

 

At about 5:10 we reached the security checkpoint, with Terri feeling the same knot in her stomach that she had felt at previous security checkpoints (although she had successfully re-boarded the ship on the three previous days in spite of her missing driver's license).

 

 

The line behind us seemed to be longer than ever.

 

 

When Terri showed the security officer her Six Flags photo ID and confessed that her government ID was lost, the officer said that he needed to call his supervisor, as our tension mounted.

Edited November 27, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Holding our breath as the security supervisor scowled at Terri's non-government ID, our minds imagined the worst possibilities of what might happen next. But after a brief dispute between themselves, the security officers waved Terri on, their faces frozen in expressions of disapproval.

 

After another 15 minutes of waiting, we finally stepped onto the tender, struggling to load the bulky luggage we had brought into port, along with the items we had purchased. A fraying rope was wrapped around an ancient-looking dock tiedown to hold the tender in place. It took about 10 minutes for our tender to finish loading, with passengers being packed together like sardines. Gurgling and sputtering as it prepared to leave the dock at 5:35, the tender sounded like it was having engine trouble.

 

Guiding the tender across the harbor, the tender captain made an announcement to the passengers. We couldn't understand what he said, so we asked another passenger, who rolled her eyes as she reported that the captain was telling us that we were behind schedule. (No kidding!) We estimated that about 150 people were still waiting in line to load tenders.

 

 

We were puzzled by the presence of quite a few people forming a line in the water about 500 feet from the shore, as if they were standing upon a submerged breakwater (but apparently there is no need for a breakwater in the gentle waters of Lahaina). The waves broke far from the shore, presumably due to an unseen reef.

 

The tender traveled briskly across the water, arriving at the Golden Princess in less than 10 minutes. After we stepped back onto the ship, we went straight to our stateroom to lighten our load.

 

Looking tenderly toward Lahaina from our balcony, we watched as the final passengers returned, with the tenders being lifted back into place a mere 10 minutes after the scheduled sailaway time.

 

 

I was amazed by this crew's well-honed ability to load a crowd of passengers so quickly.

 

 

While we were enjoying the view from our balcony, we realized that we were missing Elua's sailaway music, their set having begun while we were still waiting for our tender in Lahaina. Given the choice between our balcony view and Elua's sailaway music, Elua won.

 

Hurrying to the Lido Deck, we arrived just in time for the sounds of Over the Rainbow. We had witnessed no rainbow over Maui, but the deepening hues of the island in the light of the setting sun provided a suitable substitute.

 

 

As the ship slowly turned toward the north, we were lured away from our last views of Maui by the radiance emanating from the other side.

 

Walking across to the railing on the port side of Deck 15, we lingered in the glow of the Hawaiian sunset over the island of Lanai.

 

 

We could also see the island of Molokai ahead of the ship (though it does not appear in the photo above). As the sunset peaked, the romantic sounds of Elua still filled the air. They closed their sailaway set with a Jimmy Buffett song, which Leialoha lovingly introduced by describing how the song reminded her of why she fell in love with Dave, wistfully recalling how she met him when he was singing Jimmy Buffett songs in South Florida.

 

Captivated by the evanescent moment, we remained in the same same spot until the colors began to fade to gray, drinking in every last drop of color. What a lovely way to say goodbye.

 

 

Candidly, it was a bittersweet experience. As the glorious colors faded, a deep sadness set in.

 

It felt like our cruise of a lifetime was over.

Edited November 27, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Picking up speed, the Golden Princess began sailing through the "Lahaina Roads" between Molokai and Maui toward the open ocean, as the darkening sky contributed to my gloomy attitude. But no matter how we felt, about 40% of our cruise was still ahead of us, and we have long known that a life of faith is inconsistent with letting fluctuating feelings dominate. The schedule of onboard activities would not allow us to sulk for long, especially with our hungry stomachs reminding us that it had been about 9 hours since our breakfast at Maui Tacos.

 

With dinner less than an hour away, we went back down to the Baja deck to change out of our port clothes. Upon our arrival in the dining room, greetings from our cheerful tablemates and waiter Ram helped to lift our spirits.

 

Ram promptly presented me with my menu, but I didn't take a picture, having left my camera in our stateroom. When Terri noticed that I wasn't continuing my usual practice of taking pictures, she chided me for surrendering to my feelings, encouraging me to snap out of it.

 

For an appetizer, I ordered "Cold Smoked Salmon and Soused Crayfish Tails" (bloody mary marinated crayfish served with dilled cucumber salad). When the appetizer arrived, I tried momentarily to consider how to delicately get the meat out of the crawdad placed on top. Then I realized that it was just there for decoration, and that the meat on the plate already included prepared crawfish along with the salmon. I was glad that I didn't need to get my fingers messy!

 

Terri selected "Chilled Creamed Coconut Soup," which acoording to the menu was "sweet, cool and smooth, garnished with lychees"; but it reminded Terri of buttermilk.

 

For the main entree, I ordered "Tandoori Fire-Roasted Tiger Prawns," served with yogurt salsa, saffron-scented basmati rice and crisp poppadums. A garnish of thinly-sliced vegetables was also included (but was not mentioned on the menu). The prawns were wonderfully spicy, with the cucumber sauce providing a perfect complement to cool down each bite.

 

Yorkshire pudding (which looked to us like bread) accompanied the roast beef some of our British tablemates selected, later providing an opportunity for an interesting discussion on the definition of "pudding."

 

As was often her tendency, Terri gravitated toward the "home-style cuisine" option, ordering a "Classic Turkey Pot Pie" with "white meat and vegetables bound in creamy wine sauce baked in flaky pastry." Our tablemate, sitting to Terri's right, was very interested in the ceramic dish which contained the pot pie. Being a ceramic engineer by trade, he examined the dish carefully before proclaiming definitively "that will keep the heat!" I can attest that he was right, because Terri eventually let me finish it for her, with even the very last bite maintaining its warmth.

 

For dessert, Terri indulged in a cheesecake slice while I selected some kind of pecan dessert (my ambiguity here is a result of my incomplete notes and lack of photographs).

 

One of our tablemates was celebrating a birthday that night, generously offering to cut the little cake in slices for each of us to share. After dinner, all six of us decided to continue the birthday celebration in the casino, with $20 being put into the one dollar 777 machine. The first spin produced a win of $5, but the remaining spins produced no further wins, and soon all of the money was gone. It seemed to me like kind of a depressing way to top off a birthday. None of us were interested in staying in the casino after that.

 

At that point, we said goodnight to our tablemates and returned to the comfort of our stateroom. After four long days in the ports, we were ready to get right to sleep.

 

Photos of our entire Maui day can be seen at:

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjENVtDV

 

(A hat tip goes to the CC thread "Food, Food, and More Food," which provided the information I lacked due to my missing menu photographs. Post #51 provided the appetizer details and post #52 provided the information on the soup and entrees.)

Edited November 29, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[Shadavi]

Just book-marking so I can find to read later

[terrific_surprise]

We slept well on our first night after sailing away from Hawaii, waking up much later than we had expected. The first task of the day was to determine what time it really was. A time change wasn't mentioned in the Patter or on the Wake Show, and we hadn't received the usual little note about the time change. Eventually I figured out that I could determine the current ship's time by looking at the little display on the phone, confirming that we had indeed lost an hour.

 

After getting dressed, we hurried down to Vine's Bar in the Piazza, where tickets for the woven ribbon lei making class were being distributed. We missed the 9 am start of the ticket distribution, but it didn't matter. By the time we arrived, there was no line and stacks of tickets for the class were still available. Apparently people had been lined up at first, and all 50 tickets for that afternoon's first class had been given out, but plenty of tickets remained for the three remaining days.

 

The Donatello Dining Room (one floor up) was where we had hoped to have breakfast, but we were too late. Their breakfast hours were posted as 7 am to 9 am, and their lunch hours were posted as 12 noon to 1:30 pm.

 

Although I usually preferred taking the stairs, we decided to take the elevator up to the Horizon Court for breakfast. For some reason, the elevators were acting very strange. One elevator looked like it was working, but suddenly instead of displaying its current floor, it displayed XX. Then we watched as the XX changed back to the floor number. Soon the elevator arrived on our floor, so we got in and pressed 14 for the Lido Deck. Then the doors closed, but nothing else happened.

 

Finally another passenger pressed the button to open the door, and we could see that we were still on deck 6. Eventually we tickled the right buttons to convince the elevator to go down to deck 5, and then to go back up to deck 14 from there. (Something about this experience tempted me to refer to the elevator as "she," but I held my tongue.)

 

Our Horizon Court buffet was relatively uninspiring, consisting of items like cold quiche, "Spanish" omelettes which seemed like just plain eggs, and cream of wheat that we couldn't find honey for until we requested it. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the various items which seemed to always be available, such as the assorted cheeses, smoked salmon, and thick hash brown patties.

 

Although the Patter was as full as always, somehow it seemed to us that there were less activities planned for the day. Not that we minded -- the thoughts of a nice relaxing day after four busy port days appealed to us. The weather was a little cooler (although 77 degrees was the forecast printed in the Patter, the actual high was just 68). The sea was not too rough, but there was just a touch of rain.

 

After breakfast, we returned to our cabin so that Terri could shower and shampoo, fully returning her hair to its characteristic curliness. Then we took the time to finally read all of the instructions on Terri's seabands, being surprised to learn that she should have been wearing a seaband on both wrists! The other seaband had been misplaced, but eventually we found it and Terri put both on.

 

Heading out the door to the ukulele class, we brought along the ukulele we had purchased in Hilo (leaving the cheap ABC ukulele in the room). Although we arrived at the class at 11:15, right on time, we couldn't find a place to sit! With no ukulele classes being held during the four port days, I think that everybody who had purchased a new ukulele in Hawaii was now yearning more than ever to learn from ukulele master Dave Soreff. Usually, according to Dave, about 20 people drop out of the class after visiting the islands, so he was pleasantly surprised by the packed room of eager ukulele students.

 

During the previous classes, the practice ukuleles provided by the ship usually ran out. But now that so many people had purchased their own ukuleles, there were plenty of practice ukuleles left over.

 

Ukulele students now knew that the class was not just a fun activity. We had a clear goal to work toward: preparing for the Aloha 'Oe performance at the end of the cruise. Nevertheless, Dave maintained his balanced approach to teaching the class, helping us not to become discouraged or frustrated but also saying "if it's not hard, it's not worth doing" as he encouraged us to take seriously the challenge of learning proper ukulele-playing techniques.

 

Although we had to stand during this class, we didn't even consider missing out on it. Besides, standing is supposed to be the preferred posture for playing ukulele anyway.

 

In actuality, these classes were not just about teaching us to play certain songs, but about giving us a musical taste of the Hawaiian culture.

 

As we practiced the Aloha 'Oe song, Dave took the time to explain how the song was written by Queen Liliuokalani during a sad time in Hawaiian history, when the Hawaiian kingdom was overthrown and she was eventually imprisoned in the palace. Members of Hawaii's royal family were all good musicians, with their musical craftmanship extending beyond the notes as they often infused the lyrics of their songs with double meanings (a practice to which I could relate). Dave also often explained that many Hawaiian words, such as ukulele itself, are commonly mispronounced ("ukulele" should actually be pronounced more like "ookoolele").

 

As usual, the ukulele classes lasted a full hour, ending at 12:15. Terri was interested in the Creativity@Sea clay tiki carving class, scheduled to begin next door at Sabatini's at 12:30, so I went back up to our stateroom to return the ukulele.

 

Then I went all the way up to the Lido Deck to glance at the special fruit buffet. I didn't go through the fruit buffet line, assuming that I would have a chance to do so later with Terri, because I knew that the Patter promoted the buffet as being open until 1:30.

 

Before going back down to Sabatini's, I couldn't resist the opportunity to use my UKP drink sticker for a chocobanana and a chocolate shake. (Yes, both! Hey, don't criticize me, I'm on a cruise here!) I was surprised how much I enjoyed both of them, because I'm not usually fond of chocolate shakes (I actually only ordered them because I like to sample everything once).

 

By the time I returned to Sabatini's, the clay tiki carving class had already been underway for about 20 minutes.

 

 

Everybody was provided with a cylindrical lump of white clay and a small wooden carving stick. I think the class began with an explanation of the cultural significance of tikis, but I missed that part.

 

 

Terri had already come up with a basic concept for her tiki before I arrived, but I playfully suggested that she add something.

 

 

The stuck-out tongue? That was my idea (but Terri was more than willing to play along).

 

On the back of the tiki, Terri carved "Hawaii 2013."

 

 

After the class, we put the tiki on the top shelf in our cabin so that the soft clay would be undisturbed while it dried.

 

Although by this time Hawaii was already hundreds of miles behind us, it felt like we were still there.

Edited November 30, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

It was almost 1:30 when Terri and I made it back to the Lido Deck, looking forward to the fruit buffet. But everything was already taken down, with the carved watermelons about to be rolled away on a rack.

 

 

Although we were disappointed to see that the fruit buffet was taken down early, we were right next to the Horizon Court buffet, so satisfying our appetites was not a problem. One interesting item I chose from the buffet was "chicken, cream cheese Wellington with orange sauce."

 

 

The breaded broccoli was another new option I enjoyed trying.

 

 

(Obviously, my buffet photos are not the best. Due to our typical schedule of activities, we usually arrived at the buffet when it was well picked-over, and I never wanted to cause any delays to the people in line behind me just so that I could get a good picture.)

 

We rushed through our buffet lunch, because Terri wanted to hurry down to the Vista Lounge by 2 pm for "a day at the races: shipboard horseracing with a few surprises."

 

While I might cynically say that this event was just an excuse for Princess to take our money, the CD staff did make it an entertaining experience, calling some participants up on stage and having them dress in horse-riding costumes, with a large pair of dice being tossed on the stage to determine which horse would move next.

 

 

We didn't win anything, but the three races at $4 each didn't cost us enough to matter much.

 

When the "horse races" ended, it was almost time for Leialoha's hula class, which was moved this time to the Explorers Lounge. On our way to the class, Terri shopped for some keychains in the photo department, while I searched through the sea of photographs trying to find photos of us which had been taken on the port days.

 

At the hula class, Leialoha explained that hula is very important to Hawaiian history, because it was the way that ancient stories were passed from generation to generation before Hawaii had a written language. "It is my responsibility to teach authentic Hawaiian culture," Leialoha seriously declared. "I don't want to teach the Waikiki type of hula. I want you to have fun, but not to make fun."

 

Our Princess Pop Choir rehearsal was set to begin at 3:15, just 15 minutes after the hula class began. Usually our various rehearsals didn't conflict with each other, but this time Terri had to make a choice.

 

Feeling that she needed more hula practice, she stayed at Leialoha's class until it ended, coming late to the Hearts and Minds Chapel to join the rest of us in preparing for our upcoming Princess Pop Choir show.

 

Our little choir had gone four days away without practice, so we needed to focus our time on going back over all of the songs and choreography we had already learned, and didn't have time to learn another song yet like we should have.

 

When the rehearsal ended, we were glad for the opportunity to go down the stairs three floors to our stateroom. In spite of the relaxing day we had originally anticipated, we had been going non-stop from one activity to another for about five hours (due primarily to the schedule of rehearsals to which we had committed ourselves during the first half of the cruise).

 

I had received an important voicemail message that morning (with Google Voice converting the message to text and my non-smart phone configured to receive free incoming text messages), so I connected my laptop to the ship's Internet, focusing on following up on the situation by email. Meanwhile, Terri took the opportunity to nap, hoping to be well-rested for the evening's formal dinner.

Edited December 1, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Terri had a nice long nap, at least two hours, providing me with an opportunity to catch up on various details (including the notes which became this review).

 

When it was time to get ready for our formal dinner, I started by taking a shower. It might seem mundane to comment upon the details of our cabin's bathroom facilities, but knowing that such details likely contribute significantly to the comfort level of a cruise, I will proceed. While necessarily small, the bathroom seemed to me to be surprisingly comfortable. The shelves next to the sink seemed quite adequate, providing plenty of room for all of the items we needed to store there.

 

The water pressure in the shower was excellent, with ample adjustments (which I hadn't noticed previously) which would likely accommodate anyone's preferences. The temperature was also easy to adjust. I experienced no problems with the shower curtains (in spite of what others have reported on CC).

 

In previous days I had encountered some problems adjusting the faucet temperature, but I no longer was experiencing such problems, so perhaps I had been doing something wrong.

 

After Terri woke up from her nap, she tried on various dresses in an effort to decide which one would be best for the occasion. Eventually she settled upon a sparkly white dress, complementing it with the necklace and bracelet I had given her for our February BVE on the Sapphire Princess (which was the big surprise which served to reveal this Golden Princess cruise to her).

 

Terri naturally enjoys having formal pictures taken as many times as possible, but the photographers provided an extra incentive by giving away a raffle ticket after each photo session.

 

The lines for the photographers in the Piazza were too long, but we found photographers near the Explorers Lounge who weren't as busy. The band Crimson was performing in the lounge, providing (as it were) a suitable soundtrack for our photo session.

 

We did eventually decide to buy one of the photos.

 

 

Two of our tablemates had previously informed us that they would not be present for dinner that night. They intentionally chose to skip formal nights, preferring instead to travel light. Even when our other tablemates offered to lend them some formal wear, they declined the offer, insisting that for them it was a matter of principle. But times like this provided us with a better opportunity to get to know the other couple.

 

When one of our tablemates complimented Terri on her hair, asking if she had been to the salon, Terri seemed embarrassed to admit that her hair had simply reverted to its natural state. I for one welcomed the return of her natural hairstyle.

 

To begin my meal, I selected an unusual appetizer from the menu: grilled calamari steak and poached baby squid, on a bed of citrus-marinated fennel shavings.

 

 

I followed up with something much less adventurous: a hearty bowl of black bean chowder.

 

 

My main dish was roast rack of pork with glazed artichokes, pan jus extract, green asparagus and mascotte potatoes.

 

 

The photo of the dessert I ordered appears to show a pastry with some ice cream -- but I forgot what it was called.

 

 

Terri started her meal with a soup called a "rustic beef and vegetable hot pie," served with a crisp baked miniature empanada. She followed that with pan-fried tilapia with orange hollandaise (sharing some with me of course), finishing up with a Love Boat dream.

 

 

After dinner, Terri was still in the mood for photos, so we went to several of the photographers we had previously missed. In one case, the photographer told us to lay on a large sheet of white paper spread across the floor (we didn't buy any of those photos).

 

At 9:45, we walked all the way forward to the Princess Theater, anticipating a piano concert from Ryan Ahern. When the concert began, it was immediately obvious that Ahern is not just a pianist, but an energetic performer. A large screen provided a larger-than-life close-up display of his dazzling keyboard stylings, while a full band added depth to his music. In some cases, such as a rock-and-roll medley featuring Splish Splash, Ahern added vocals and even harmonica to his fancy fingerwork.

 

The finale of Ahern's performance was a piece which seemed to me to be inspired by Flight of the Bumblebee.

 

After Ahern's concert, on our way back toward our cabin, we passed the Explorers Lounge again, where the Princess Pop Star competition was now being held. (Princess Pop Star is a karaoke competition, not to be confused with the Princess Pop Choir in which Terri and I participated.) We decided to stay to watch the competition, sipping on a virgin pina colada I ordered using my UKP sticker.

 

After the Princess Pop Star competition was over, Crimson returned to the stage (as they did most nights). Hearing the first notes of Shania Twain's "Still the One," Terri took my hand and we got up to "dance" (well, at least we swayed to the music).

 

It was midnight by the time we made it back to our stateroom. As pleased as I was with Terri's radiance throughout the evening, she seemed to sense that it might be time for a change, asking if I might wish to recommend something else she could wear. I gladly provided some suggestions, to which she readily complied, ending the first day of our return trip from Hawaii with yet another delightful memory.

 

Photos and videos from this day can be viewed at:

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjENVDdK

Edited December 1, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[catergirl]

was waiting for the 'finale' !!

[melody hounddog]

Less than 2 weeks for our Hawaii cruise! Your review has me very excited. Thanks again for sharing.

[terrific_surprise]

Sorry about the interruption in the review. It happened for a very happy reason (which I will explain later). It's good to know that some of you are still following along. More soon.

 

Tim

Edited December 7, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Less than 2 weeks for our Hawaii cruise! Your review has me very excited. Thanks again for sharing.

 

We enjoyed a short BVE on the Star a few weeks ago, and from everything I saw, I think that your Star Princess experience should be very similar to our Golden Princess experience (with some minor changes like names of dining rooms). Of course as you know, the best part is that Elua will be there!

 

Tim

[skiladyldp]

Hi Tim I have been following since the beginning. Although I did not cruise to Hawaii because I was living there at the time, I followed just to hear the story. At the time you started this I was planning my very first cruise but we were going to the Mediterranean on Oceania's Riviera. I have loved this story so very much!

[terrific_surprise]

Hi Tim I have been following since the beginning. Although I did not cruise to Hawaii because I was living there at the time, I followed just to hear the story. At the time you started this I was planning my very first cruise but we were going to the Mediterranean on Oceania's Riviera. I have loved this story so very much!

 

Thanks, skiladyldp! Your cruise reminds me of a trip we might take someday.

 

Long before Terri and I were engaged, I promised her that if we ever had kids and if any of the kids were shorter than her by the time they were 14 years old, I would take her on a trip to Europe. (Having frequently kidded her about being "short," while she insists that she is "average," I used this little contest to reinforce my characterization of her height.) I visited Europe once in college, but she has never been there.

 

With 11 kids, Terri has had quite a few opportunities to win this prize, but so far all of our 14 year olds have been significantly taller than her. However, three of our children are still under 14 (two being girls), so the contest isn't quite over yet.

 

Even if she officially loses in the end, I wouldn't doubt that I will decide to take her to Europe anyway. If so, I anticipate our visit to Europe involving a Mediterranean cruise (even though my favorite European city by far was Salzburg, too far out of reach for a cruise visit). In our minds, the association between vacations and cruising is something from which I don't think we can ever escape now.

 

Tim

Edited December 7, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[letteanne]

Try a river cruise on the Danube!