Follow Bill & Mary Ann on The Tales of the South Pacific - 47days - Fall 2015

[tommui987]

Bill and Mary Ann:

 

Glad you enjoyed your (brief) stay in Hilo. And have enjoyed reading about your trips in CC.

 

Aloha nui loa,

Tom

[kazu]

It sounds like the seas gave some issues to some.

 

How bad were the swells if you don't mind me asking.

 

It's a good thing that Dh doesn't read this thread ;)

[wdw1972]

Thank you for sharing your trip - it's such a pleasure to read your latest installment each morning!

 

Sue/WDW1972

[WCB]

Report # 11 Lahaina, Hawaii October 9, 2015 Friday Mostly sunny & 87 degrees

 

Today’s port of call was Lahaina, on the island of Maui, in the state of Hawaii. The population of Maui is around 144,000. There is no dock for us to land, so we were at anchor today, using the tenderboats to get ashore. Yesterday, we all received letters describing the procedures for getting on shore. This is the first time we have read such detailed directions on safety and etiquette during the transfer. Guess there have been many problems that have occurred in regards to passenger safety and polite behavior.

 

We had received a personal invitation as President’s Club members to go to the front desk, and ask for an escort to bring us to the front of the line to board first. Since we were in no hurry to go to town too early, we were willing to wait in the line that was forming on deck one and the elevator lobby. But we found that it was annoying to have one fellow elbowing his way to get in front of others. He was blocked when he reached us, but still tried to end around us. Just as we reached the bottom of deck A, we ran into Henk, the Hotel Director. No he would not take “no thanks” from one of us to jump the line to board first. It is one of our perks, so he led us both to the opposite kiosk, and scanned our cards. You should have seen the look from the rude man and his wife, as we got the special treatment. Perhaps if it wasn’t for his behavior, we would have stood firm, and stayed in the line. Yeah…..we’re bad.

 

The ride was smooth and quick. The good news is that the Ruby Princess must have gone to another island today. This town could not handle two or three thousand more people. Since we have taken every tour here, we chose to explore the beach and the town today. Many other folks we know did the same thing. The beach here is very close to the tender landing, along with dozens of restaurants and shops. If you prefer high end resorts, then it is a short distance to Ka anapali.

 

We ended up at the Hard Rock Café, and shared a salad with beers. While on our way there, we had seen Presti and Tom G, the Maitre’d sitting upstairs at a local pizza place. Tom had yelled our names, and gave the thumbs up for the pizza there. Like us, he is always on the lookout for good pizza all over the world. Trusting his judgment, we decided to backtrack, and stopped to try the pizza.

 

First, we wanted to check out the Outlet Shops near the HRC. We were quite surprised to find that Hilo Hatties had cut their store in half space-wise. They were still giving out their shell necklaces, but the clothing was minimal. Back in the 70’s and 80’s, wearing matching Hawaiian clothing was the “bees knees”, so to speak. Now you rarely see couples donning the matching dresses and shirts. There must have been some really good deals at these outlet stores, because we saw Shiv, the Head Housekeeper, with several bags full of good buys.

 

Our best deal was sharing a margarita pizza in the upstairs restaurant. Expecting a medium-sized pie, we were shocked to see a fairly large pizza in a deep dish pan. And boy, was it good. Although we could only eat half of it, we had the waitress box it up, and we took it back to the ship. Since we have a refrigerator, we can snack on the pizza in the afternoon.

 

It was getting late, so we headed back to the pier. A line was forming to go back, and we hoped we made the cutoff. The security check was set up right on the pier. No xray machines, but our bags were manually checked and everyone got the wand job. One of the lady guards claimed she smelled the aroma of tacos. We laughed and told her she was close, but it was pizza. Think we left her drooling. Anyway, we were among the last few to get on the next tender. Good thing, because it was still hot in the sun with little breeze.

 

The ride back was not long, but something had gone wrong with a tenderboat at the ship’s landing. They were tied onto the ship’s railing, and could not get the rope off. It was several minutes before they figured it out. Lucky for us, it was not rough.

 

The last boat back at 6pm was lifted and stored, and we were off and running towards Kauai tomorrow.

 

Dinner was fun again. Our group has worked out well, and everyone shares what they did in the port. A surprise was that around 1:30pm, the transfer to shore had been stopped, due to some deep swells in the bay. Holly and Jim had waited to go ashore, and were disappointed to be turned away. However, by 2pm, they began service once again, so they did get over to town.

 

Our dinner meal was good, because they served green pea soup and tortilla soup. Most of us ordered the turkey scaloppini, and it was quite good. A different dessert was offered…….red cactus ice cream. Of course we all wanted to taste it, so our waiter brought a bowlful. We all came to the same conclusion that it reminded us of bubblegum.

 

Looking forward to Nawiliwili, Kauai tomorrow. It’s been a few years since we have visited there.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[boards]

Thank you so much for this great review of the cruise so far. We are considering the Nov. 2016 Hawaii and you are making it sound too good to miss. We are also considering an aft cabin on the Navigation deck. Do you the motion would be too much? We have done three Pacific cruises, but have been midship on them and have been managed not to be get too upset a stomach.

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update. Seems to me I tasted that cactus ice cream on my last cruise. I thought it was quite good.

[Copper10-8]

........................ While on our way there, we had seen Presti and Tom G, the Maitre’d sitting upstairs at a local pizza place. Tom had yelled our names, and gave the thumbs up for the pizza there. Like us, he is always on the lookout for good pizza all over the world. Trusting his judgment, we decided to backtrack, and stopped to try the pizza.

 

............................

 

 

Enjoying your review! Just a heads up; DRM Tom G. is writing a book on pizzas restaurants around the world ;) He's been, and tasted, pizzas literally from Italy, to Japan, to Israel, To Peru. Should be an interesting book!

[tjcox9]

Thx for the update. Seems to me I tasted that cactus ice cream on my last cruise. I thought it was quite good.

 

Had the red cactus pear ice cream this summer on the Zuiderdam several times. We are not desert or ice cream eaters, but this caught our eye and every time it was on the menu after that, we had to have it. Boarding the Zuidy again this week and looking forward to enjoying it again (we hope).

 

Bubble gum......hmmmm, don't know that I'd describe it that way, but then, I've not had any bubble gum in I don't know how many years. :eek:

 

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Enjoying your review! Just a heads up; DRM Tom G. is writing a book on pizzas restaurants around the world ;) He's been, and tasted, pizzas literally from Italy, to Japan, to Israel, To Peru. Should be an interesting book!

 

How interesting that Tom G is a worldwide pizza connoisseur He was our Boat Commander on our Alaska cruise in September.

 

Copper 10-8,if you see this, thank you for helping us during the medical incident in Sitka last month.

[Copper10-8]

How interesting that Tom G is a worldwide pizza connoisseur He was our Boat Commander on our Alaska cruise in September.

 

Copper 10-8,if you see this, thank you for helping us during the medical incident in Sitka last month.

 

Any time Ma'am! Glad your husband was OK!

[cruz chic]

Had the red cactus pear ice cream this summer on the Zuiderdam several times. We are not desert or ice cream eaters, but this caught our eye and every time it was on the menu after that, we had to have it. Boarding the Zuidy again this week and looking forward to enjoying it again (we hope).

 

Bubble gum......hmmmm, don't know that I'd describe it that way, but then, I've not had any bubble gum in I don't know how many years. :eek:

 

 

I agree. I don't think it tasted like bubble gum either. It's was very good. I hope they have it on the eurodam in 8 days time.

[regnig]

Report # 11 Lahaina, Hawaii October 9, 2015 Friday Mostly sunny & 87 degrees

.......

A different dessert was offered…….red cactus ice cream. Of course we all wanted to taste it, so our waiter brought a bowlful. We all came to the same conclusion that it reminded us of bubblegum.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Ewwww :eek:, sounds like something my grandkids would like. Kudos to you for having tried it! :D

[WCB]

Report # 12 Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii October 10, 2015 Saturday Partly cloudy & 83 degrees

 

Well, another warm and sunny day in paradise. Today’s port was Nawiliwili, on the island of Kauai, the northern most and the fourth largest of the 8 main islands. About 64,000 people live here. With 549 square miles, Kauai is nicknamed the garden island. It is known to be the wettest place on earth, with some areas of the island getting over 35 feet of rain a year. Incredible.

 

And we were not alone again today, as the Ruby Princess was docked in the harbor. Boy, this place will be busy today.

 

On past cruises, we visited Waimea Canyon twice…..the first time was the best, but the next time it was fogged in. We’ve hiked Princeville Ranch another time, traversing hillsides and rappelling down waterfalls. So we chose to stick around town, and do the lunch and beach tour on our own.

 

But first, we took the complimentary shuttle to a major department store at the Kukui Grove Center with a bunch of other folks. Guess what the biggest item that was sought after in the stores? Halloween candy. How funny is that? Not really needing anything, we walked to the nearby mall, and across the street to another major discount warehouse. We found it interesting that many food items are here in Hawaii, that we cannot get at our store in California. Our big purchase was a box of crackers.

 

There were two shuttles for Princess and one for the Amsterdam. Well, we guess that it was only fair, since they have a lot more passengers. Except their shuttles came for drop off and pick up four times to our one. So we had quite a wait to get back to the ship. It was hot and many folks were getting rather cranky. Speaking of cranky, we heard some stories about one of the tenderboats that broke down in Maui, stranding passengers for up to 2 hours waiting to debark.

 

After downing several gallons of ice water in our room, we headed back out again, but walking this time. We had noticed a trolley and a shuttle for the beach nearby, but they sure were not coming to our ship.

 

The walk was not that far, and we found ourselves at the same restaurant we ate at last time we were here. Forgot there was a nicer place on Kalapaki Beach. The food was good, but not quite as spicy as we like Mexican at home.

 

The walk around the Marriott complex was nice. We even ran into another wedding party. The lovely bride was being photographed on the beach. Walking in the surf all the way back was wonderful. Ended up back at the ship around 4pm.

 

The sail away party was on the aft deck again. There were few people there, because dinner had started in the dining room and Lido. The Princess ship left ahead of us once again around 6pm. The Amsterdam left just as the sun was setting behind the mountains. It was the best one yet.

 

Dinner time arrived all too soon. Everyone had a super day, as we all had done something different. Dave, our single traveler, related a story about his drive he took yesterday while in Maui. He and a friend had rented a car to drive around the island. When they were at one vista point, a car had been broken into, and the person’s things stolen. That got them nervous at the next turn out, because they spotted some suspicious fellows hanging around. So for the rest of the day, they never strayed far from the car. When we were strolling in Lahaina yesterday, we also noticed many surveillance cameras at every house on the beach. Signs were posted for a neighborhood watch to report crimes in the area. So there must be a problem on that island.

 

Tomorrow, we will be in Honolulu, and spend two full days there. Should be fun.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update.

[Copper10-8]

Just a heads up; Amsterdam just (today - Honolulu, Oahu, Hi) scored a 99 on her unannounced USPH inspection; 3rd 99 in a row

[snookymom]

I agree. I don't think it tasted like bubble gum either. It's was very good. I hope they have it on the eurodam in 8 days time.

 

I hope they have it on the Westerdam at Thanksgiving :D

[WCB]

Report # 13 Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii October 11, 2015 Sunday Partly cloudy & 86 degrees

 

The first order of the day is to wish our sweet granddaughter, Melanie, a very Happy 5th Birthday!!

 

The Amsterdam slipped quietly into Pier # 2 in the harbor of Honolulu around 8am this morning. Looked like it was going to be a cloudy day, but warm and humid. No rain. Perfect.

 

At breakfast in the dining room this morning, we found out that 17 newbies got onboard today, and 2 passengers plus their spouses went home for medical reasons. We never knew that this was a segment, but apparently it was. That brought up a conversation about why, for instance, have some folks who wanted to begin their 2017 world cruise in California and not Florida were denied booking it that way. These folks, we understand, were willing to pay for the cruise which will begin in Ft. Lauderdale, but board in San Diego on the west coast instead. We came to the conclusion that having their names on a roster, but not being onboard was not acceptable with customs and immigrations. It has nothing to do with the Jones Act. Made sense to us, but it is just a guess.

 

Of course, we have been to this island many times, and have been on just about every tour. This is a great place for walking, and walking is what we did. Leaving around 10am, we took our time strolling to downtown and the beach. To say it was hot is an understatement. There was a slight breeze blowing, but not enough to cool us off.

 

Our destination was Waikiki and the beach. Going through the Hilton complex, we found the beach to be full of folks baking in the unrelenting sun. The smart ones were under umbrellas, rented out by a local vendor. And being that today was Sunday, there was a church service in session right on the sand……..Hawaiian-style. It was pretty neat.

 

We were in need of something ice cold and wet, so we veered off of the beach towards one of our favorite restaurants. You know, the one with the guitars on the walls and ceiling. It was sure nice to be served glasses of ice water without having to ask for it, like we do at home. There is no water shortage here. We ordered chicken tenders with honey mustard and BBQ dips. They are about the best you can find anywhere. The bottomless sodas really helped revive us too.

 

On the way back, we explored Ala Moana, reportedly, the world’s largest “outdoor” shopping mall. Being that today was Sunday, it was very crowded. With all the families out and about with kids, we doubt we could have gotten into a restaurant at the mall this afternoon without a long wait. We plan on coming back tomorrow, and hope Mondays will not be too busy.

 

This shopping center is under construction with a new addition on one end. It seemed to be at the same point a year ago, so not a lot of progress has occurred since then.

 

An older strip mall, the Ward Center, was on the way back towards the ship. It’s a good way to stay in some air-conditioning, instead of walking the sunny street. This complex has increased its number of stores over the last few years, giving the locals an alternate to the mall with lots of high-end shops. For us, it was another great place to relax with large ice cold sodas.

 

There was an operational note in the daily newsletter that warned everyone that between the hours of 3 to 4pm, the ship would be re-positioned, turned around, for an unknown reason. So we planned our return close to 4pm, but still had to wait a few minutes. It appeared that the terminal was full of folks who did not read the notice today. Yep, there were a few grumpy people who had waited for an hour or so. At least this terminal building was well air-conditioned, and the staff did provide refreshments, seating, and cold washcloths.

 

For the following hour, we cooled off in our room while down-loading photos. The best part of the day was coming, with meeting friends, Bill & Leta, at the Aloha Tower for dinner. They are fellow cruisers who we met several years ago while on the 2005 world cruise, and many other DAM trips ever since. Joining them at a popular beer restaurant, we spent the next 3 plus hours catching up with news since we sailed last on the 2014 world cruise. They come to Honolulu almost every October for 30 days to celebrate their anniversary. We were happy to share an evening with them, just like we did two years ago. We will have lots of time to visit on next year’s world cruise, even though they said it may be their last one. Hope not……..

 

With all of the walking today in the heat, we hope to sleep like babies. It is nice to be staying overnight in port for a change.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[tommui987]

Our big purchase was a box of crackers.

 

 

I would recommend the soda crackers made by Diamond Head! The bakery really is in Hilo but available everywhere!

[WCB]

Report # 14 Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii October 12, 2015 Monday Partly cloudy & 85 degrees Day # 2 10 Pictures

 

We woke up to a very overcast day, and even though our daily newsletter predicted a cloudy day, we sure felt rain was coming. We were right, but it would not start until the afternoon. Before we left for the day, we considered bringing the umbrellas. We do know that if we did lug them along, it would not have drizzled.

 

Thinking that the Ala Moana Mall would be less crowded, we forgot that today happened to be a holiday….actually, a double holiday with Columbus Day and Canadian Thanksgiving. Entering La Fontaine dining room, we were surprised to see red and white decorations and the maple leaf flags of Canada hanging from the railings and ceiling. Nice touch, but then, the Dining Room Manager, Tom, is Canadian, as are several passengers we suspect. The best thing about this holiday will be tonight’s dinner which includes the full turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Wonder if they will have pumpkin pie as well? Hope so….

 

Leaving the ship, we walked slowly to the mall. It was still warm and muggy, but not quite as bad as yesterday. We could have taken a free shuttle from the terminal to Maui Divers jewelry store, which is located at the mall. But we really needed the exercise, and we had plenty of time to do it. There was also a complimentary bus to Hilo Hattie’s, but we learned from Leta yesterday, that this store has also down-sized, and was liquidating all of their inventory. Bet they will be closing down like the store in Hilo. There is just too much competition for island clothing, and since the location of the store is near to the airport, it is off of the beaten track. You would think that an island with a population of over 900,000 would have kept this institution alive. Guess that’s not always the case.

 

There was a 10 minute wait to get a table for two at Bubba Gumps. But it was worth the wait, because we got a table in the breeze with an overhead fan. All of the other restaurants were full too, with lines gathering outside. And it was only high noon. One of our favorite places here is Ruby Tuesday, but it was gone. They had a really good burger, equal to that of Bubbas. The nice thing was that we had a reward at Bubbas, so lunch was almost “on the house”.

 

On our way out, we ran into the final few minutes of the local show put on by a group of Hawaiian dancers. Actually, there was a Hawaiian show onboard the ship last night, but we came back too late to catch it. Although we have seen these dance and drum performances several times, they are always entertaining. Well, there is still Tahiti, and we are certain there will be another show onboard there.

 

We made one last stop at Longs to buy a few more Command hooks for the room, and some Halloween candy. We seldom indulge with the candy, but since everyone else is buying it, we don’t want to miss out.

 

Yesterday, one of us had spotted a white and black silk kimono at the Ward Center. Since it was on sale, and it goes with almost anything, we bought it. By now, it was sprinkling good, and we did get damp. Truthfully, it felt good. We met up once again with Frisco, the Staff Captain, who was on his bike. He told us that the ship had to be turned around at the pier yesterday, because they hired divers to check out the stabilizers. Also, the US inspectors, the CDC, came onboard and graded the ship. We heard through the grapevine that we got a 99, which is super good.

 

Spent some time cooling off in our room and catching up on news, before heading to the aft deck to secure a good spot on the railing for the sail out of the harbor. The rain had stopped, and the party was ready to start. There has been a good-size crowd at these sail aways, despite the fact that it has been during the first dinner seating and the early open seaters. While waiting to leave, a huge car container was positioning to dock alongside the pier behind us. Two powerful tugboats were pushing it. Just then, one of our tenderboats drifted right behind the cargo ship, making their captain blow the horn several times. What were these guys thinking? If there was a collision, the big ship would win.

 

The sun set was the best one yet, as the rain clouds had lifted. Scattered clouds were still on the horizon, but that’s what you need for the color. By 6:15pm, the sun slipped behind the last of the clouds, turning the water red.

 

We had a surprise while at the sail away……….George Geary was one of the new passengers to board the ship yesterday. He is the guest chef on this trip for the next couple of weeks. He brought us up to date with all of his travels with HAL since we last saw him on the 2015 world cruise. Since he is a popular guy in the cooking department, he keeps coming back often. One of these days, we will take advantage of our complimentary cooking class with him.

 

Another surprise was running into our room steward from the world cruise. He has been on this ship since January, and will leave when we do in San Diego next month. We knew he was one of the best, because he is back on deck seven and servicing the suite people. Lucky them.

 

Dinner was fun as we all shared our experiences last couple of days in Honolulu. Except for one couple taking a tour, the rest of us did our own thing. This group is well-traveled, and have been to all of the major sites in Oahu like us. In fact today, most of them stayed on the ship and relaxed. Sounds like a good plan after tomorrow’s port, which is Kona, Hawaii. We’re all ready for a couple of sea days to do little else but kick back.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

PS Copper John – we’ve been looking for you, but finally realized you got off in San Diego. Looking forward to seeing you on the 2016 world cruise.

[Copper10-8]

...............................PS Copper John – we’ve been looking for you, but finally realized you got off in San Diego. Looking forward to seeing you on the 2016 world cruise.

Likewise! Looking forward to it! ;)

[WCB]

Report # 15 Kona, Hawaii October 13, 2015 Tuesday Partly cloudy & 84 degrees 76 pictures

 

Our final port of call in the Hawaiian Islands was Kona, actually called Kailua-Kona. Once again, it was going to be a very hot and sticky day. The population of this area is around 12,000 lucky people. Normally, it is the drier side of the big island, but we noticed that the hillside slopes were lush and green.

 

For those folks who missed the opportunity in Hilo to visit Volcanoes National Park and Kilauea, they could do another tour from here. Other excursions included boating, swimming, snorkeling, sailing or a progressive lunch at three local houses.

 

This was a tender port, and even though the seas were calm, we were anchored quite a long way from the shoreline. It took between 20 to 30 minutes for the entire transfer over. We were in no big rush, since we had planned to walk the town with lunch as the final destination.

We arrived onshore about 10:30am, and hiked uphill to some of the major strip malls. There was a Longs Drugs, Walmart, and Lowe’s among dozens of other small businesses. Our biggest deal of the day was finding Hawaiian 2016 calendars for sale. Wanting to see if Hilo Hattie’s was opened, we found it had closed up long ago, and the property was for lease. Chapter 11 we were told.

 

Going back to Ali’I Road, we discovered that the Ironman World Championship had taken place and just ended here yesterday. This race involves a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run. The current record time is 11 hours, 46 minutes, and 58 seconds. That’s incredible. Guess we were lucky to miss the action, because this small town must have been over-whelmed with people.

 

We walked the main drag, going in and out of shops, mostly to cool off. Of course, it is touristy, but then again, that’s what we are. Among the many souveniers to purchase, some of the popular items are coffee, of course, and items made from koa wood. Koa is a medium gold and brown hard wood and a relative of the acacia. These trees are called monarhs of the forest and can grow to heights of 100 feet. Once only available to royalty, the logs were made into images of gods, pottery, and even canoes. These days the wood is used for furniture or staircases. But more practical , are items made into jewelry and watch bands. A very sought after souvenier is the ukulele made from koa wood.

 

Another fun place to stroll through is the local veggie and craft market. We found some nice limes to buy for room drinks. Island shell jewelry and sarongs were much more affordable at this market also.

 

It was getting warmer by the minute, so we headed straight to Bubba Gumps on the water’s edge. Seated at a great table facing the waves and rocky shoreline, we enjoyed our lunch of salad and a burger. We especially appreciated the several sodas and ice water. The time to leave all too soon.

 

We did save some room for a shared shave ice, which we found at Scandinavian Shave Ice Co. We ordered a medium-size Tahitian vanilla and root beer ice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center. Part of the fun of getting one, is watching the girl create it. It was sticky and sweet, and oh so good…….and our last chance to get one in Hawaii.

 

If we had remembered there was a little beach near the tender landing, we could have worn our swim suits under our clothes. Many passengers, including staff, were taking advantage of this beach and the facilities nearby. Truthfully, it was so warm with barely a breeze, that we decided to head back to the air-conditioned ship. There was quite a long line of folks going through the security check, but we made the cutoff and squeezed on. There was not one of us in that boat that wasn’t dripping wet by the time we got back to the ship. With all of the times we have visited here, this has got to be the hottest all of the islands have ever been. Wonder if it will get worse the further south we travel? Hope not…….

 

The sail away was earlier today, since the last tender came back after 4:30pm. Once loaded, we were heading southwesterly, avoiding a rain shower that threatened the island. We were right on time for another impressive sunset right after 6pm. We waited for a possible “green” flash, and even though the horizon was clear of clouds, there was none.

 

It had been another great day in paradise, but all of our tablemates agreed that after almost of week of ports every day, we were all ready for some days at sea. There was a new group on stage this evening called the Doo-Wop group, singing tunes from the 50’s and 60’s. Will report on the show tomorrow.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Copper10-8]

Hilo Hattie's, an institution, no more!

 

Enjoy Fanning Island/Tabuaran and the choir on the tender dock

[Ashdale]

Report # 14 Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii October 12, 2015 Monday Partly cloudy & 85 degrees Day # 2 10 Pictures

 

We woke up to a very overcast day, and even though our daily newsletter predicted a cloudy day, we sure felt rain was coming. We were right, but it would not start until the afternoon. Before we left for the day, we considered bringing the umbrellas. We do know that if we did lug them along, it would not have drizzled.

 

Thinking that the Ala Moana Mall would be less crowded, we forgot that today happened to be a holiday….actually, a double holiday with Columbus Day and Canadian Thanksgiving. Entering La Fontaine dining room, we were surprised to see red and white decorations and the maple leaf flags of Canada hanging from the railings and ceiling. Nice touch, but then, the Dining Room Manager, Tom, is Canadian, as are several passengers we suspect. The best thing about this holiday will be tonight’s dinner which includes the full turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Wonder if they will have pumpkin pie as well? Hope so….

 

Leaving the ship, we walked slowly to the mall. It was still warm and muggy, but not quite as bad as yesterday. We could have taken a free shuttle from the terminal to Maui Divers jewelry store, which is located at the mall. But we really needed the exercise, and we had plenty of time to do it. There was also a complimentary bus to Hilo Hattie’s, but we learned from Leta yesterday, that this store has also down-sized, and was liquidating all of their inventory. Bet they will be closing down like the store in Hilo. There is just too much competition for island clothing, and since the location of the store is near to the airport, it is off of the beaten track. You would think that an island with a population of over 900,000 would have kept this institution alive. Guess that’s not always the case.

 

There was a 10 minute wait to get a table for two at Bubba Gumps. But it was worth the wait, because we got a table in the breeze with an overhead fan. All of the other restaurants were full too, with lines gathering outside. And it was only high noon. One of our favorite places here is Ruby Tuesday, but it was gone. They had a really good burger, equal to that of Bubbas. The nice thing was that we had a reward at Bubbas, so lunch was almost “on the house”.

 

On our way out, we ran into the final few minutes of the local show put on by a group of Hawaiian dancers. Actually, there was a Hawaiian show onboard the ship last night, but we came back too late to catch it. Although we have seen these dance and drum performances several times, they are always entertaining. Well, there is still Tahiti, and we are certain there will be another show onboard there.

 

We made one last stop at Longs to buy a few more Command hooks for the room, and some Halloween candy. We seldom indulge with the candy, but since everyone else is buying it, we don’t want to miss out.

 

Yesterday, one of us had spotted a white and black silk kimono at the Ward Center. Since it was on sale, and it goes with almost anything, we bought it. By now, it was sprinkling good, and we did get damp. Truthfully, it felt good. We met up once again with Frisco, the Staff Captain, who was on his bike. He told us that the ship had to be turned around at the pier yesterday, because they hired divers to check out the stabilizers. Also, the US inspectors, the CDC, came onboard and graded the ship. We heard through the grapevine that we got a 99, which is super good.

 

Spent some time cooling off in our room and catching up on news, before heading to the aft deck to secure a good spot on the railing for the sail out of the harbor. The rain had stopped, and the party was ready to start. There has been a good-size crowd at these sail aways, despite the fact that it has been during the first dinner seating and the early open seaters. While waiting to leave, a huge car container was positioning to dock alongside the pier behind us. Two powerful tugboats were pushing it. Just then, one of our tenderboats drifted right behind the cargo ship, making their captain blow the horn several times. What were these guys thinking? If there was a collision, the big ship would win.

 

The sun set was the best one yet, as the rain clouds had lifted. Scattered clouds were still on the horizon, but that’s what you need for the color. By 6:15pm, the sun slipped behind the last of the clouds, turning the water red.

 

We had a surprise while at the sail away……….George Geary was one of the new passengers to board the ship yesterday. He is the guest chef on this trip for the next couple of weeks. He brought us up to date with all of his travels with HAL since we last saw him on the 2015 world cruise. Since he is a popular guy in the cooking department, he keeps coming back often. One of these days, we will take advantage of our complimentary cooking class with him.

 

Another surprise was running into our room steward from the world cruise. He has been on this ship since January, and will leave when we do in San Diego next month. We knew he was one of the best, because he is back on deck seven and servicing the suite people. Lucky them.

 

Dinner was fun as we all shared our experiences last couple of days in Honolulu. Except for one couple taking a tour, the rest of us did our own thing. This group is well-traveled, and have been to all of the major sites in Oahu like us. In fact today, most of them stayed on the ship and relaxed. Sounds like a good plan after tomorrow’s port, which is Kona, Hawaii. We’re all ready for a couple of sea days to do little else but kick back.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

PS Copper John – we’ve been looking for you, but finally realized you got off in San Diego. Looking forward to seeing you on the 2016 world cruise.

 

Having read your blogs over the years, I have given in to the urge to reply! Only to say that, thanks to you, I started cruising with HAL 3 years ago and hope to perhaps meet you in February 2016. Only doing 3 weeks from Sydney but so looking forward to it. Cheers from Scotland!

[alsas]

Loving your blog. Have a great two days at sea

[Zeno]

Great blog!