Thanks to Everyone!!

[suziehmkr]

I just wanted to pop in here and thank everyone that gave me advise over the last few months about our cruise. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime and now know where we want to return on a land vacation. DH hates flying so the fact that he is willing to take such a long flight to return really does say something about the islands!

 

We enjoyed every port immensely. Unfortunately, we were not able to port in Kona on New Year's Eve... a huge bummer as this day was to be a day of snorkeling & hoping for turtles... so we only got in 4 ports....but what we saw we loved.

 

Thank you to EVERYONE!! uj, I mean Mahalo!!

[charliem]

Please share with us the excursions you took - those of us still planning our cruise would love to learn from your experiences.

 

Thanks,

 

Linda

[suziehmkr]

Well, let's see:

 

Oahu: We walked around downtown near Iolani Palace and then shopping at Aloha Tower until Noon. We then caught the bus for the ships excursion to Polynesian Cultural Center for the day plus luau & show. Truly an amazing place to visit.

 

Kauai: We rented a car and drove up the Waimea Canyon and then back down to Poipu for afternoon snorkeling. I loved Poipu in general and could have spent all day there. The canyon was amazing and well worth the drive.

 

Maui: We shopping Lahaina for a little bit and then caught the shuttle to Ka'anapali for a day of snorkeling.

 

Heads up - not sure if it has been mentioned on the boards or not, but the shuttle from Lahaina to Ka'anapali has been discontinued as of January 1. They will be sorely missed.

 

Hilo: We rented a car and drove to VNP for an amazing day! This is such a treat to see. And then spent a small amount of time at a black sand beach for the kids.

 

Kona: We had to skip this port, but the day was to be filled with snorkeling near Place of Refuge. This was highly recommended on this forum and we are sad we missed the day.

 

Feel free to post any questions if you want more detail. I am glad to help.

 

Tina

[spleen93]

Tina - good to know that the shuttle has been discontinued. That's a big bummer for people that didn't want to rent a car. Glad you had a great time!

 

Spleen

[suziehmkr]

We talked to one of the drivers and it sounded like it was political with the city bus issue & all... but we couldn't get the full story. He said Roberts was still going to do the shuttle from Hilo Hattie to Whaler's Village, but raise the price to $2. It is a bummer because that shuttle was so darned convenient. I am glad we got to use it before it was discontinued.

[Bucky3]

Why were you unable to get into Kona?

[suziehmkr]

When we arrived, the harbor master declined entry. At the time in the morning, surf was heavy (10-15 feet) and tendering would not have been a problem. However, by the time we were to tender back in the afternoon, surf was to be over 20 feet and tendering dangerous. Very very disappointing. Crew members said they had never missed Kona and was surprised. So were we. :( But I have a nice letter of explaination from the captain for my scrapbook, huh?

[charliem]

Thanks for the response on your excursions! I have got to get busy and decide what we are going to do...........too many choices and too little time in each port.

 

Linda

[suziehmkr]

Linda, I know what you mean! That is why we are certainly going back for a land vacation in the next few years!!