Come sail with me on a virtual cruise to Hawaii on Ruby Princess

[cr8tiv1]

4 hours ago, Yehootu said:

I was Class of 76 from Iolani, one of my best friends lived on Hickam and I went to many of the Radford/Hickam parties at Ke'ehi lagoon park.

 

See...it is a small world.  You are "much" younger than I am, but all of my friends went to Iolani.  Daughter graduated from there and I taught summer school.  

 

[memoak]

My mother was a Maui High Silversword

[TeaBag]

On 12/10/2020 at 4:16 PM, Loucat said:

Tea Bag- I need to comment on your post about McD's  wondering what happened to  you etc. It follows right after Ellie's which has brought me to tears.

I have difficulty understanding a  post on Mc D's to follow a dramatic description of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I would expect more. Maybe you missed the tattered flag and statement on the resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. Need I say more?

No, I missed nothing, Diane, when I read Ellie's post LATER.  It was YOU who missed the point!  if you had waited even a few seconds before you started your diatribe, you would have realized my post was a response to a post 18 posts before Ellie's.  It was on the previous page, I clicked "quote", posted and submitted and didn't have any time to read the later posts.  Surely after 15 years on CC you would know that we have no control over the sequential placing of posts.

"Need you say more?"  No, you've already said too much, but an apology would be nice.

 

Thank you Papa Yoda and Ellie for coming to my defence.  This is much appreciated.

 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2020 by TeaBag

[Yehootu]

On 12/12/2020 at 3:00 PM, memoak said:

My mother was a Maui High Silversword

My Dad was in the Class of 32 from Maui High.

[Roger88]

What are these virtual cruises anyway? I mean is it like posting photos of someone on board the ship? If its a world cruise there needs to be like a separate thread about it. I expect this thread to be full of nice photos and stories =D 

[AF-1]

On 12/12/2020 at 12:41 PM, JF - retired RRT said:

Small world! DH was there on & off from 75-77. He was in the navy, so he was in & out between HI & Vietnam. His service was on an ocean-going tug. He says where they docked was nice & quiet.😉

 I spent a lot of time on Pearl Harbor.  When Family and Friends visited me; we would take island tour and the Arizona tour.  Have been to Arizona Memorial 15-20 times.  Back in the 70's you could just walk down to the dock and take the navy shuttle over to Memorial.  Now it is a lot more detailed trying to get out to visit the Memorial. 

[mustgo]

Having visited the war memorial a couple of times, I did the $5 Island tour the last time I was there and may do it again in March of 22.  I am not sure it was exactly $5 but close.  It was an all day senior ticket to ride the public bus.  I walked a couple of short blocks from the ship to catch the public bus.  About half way around the island, I did need to change buses to complete the circle but the second bus was either there or arrived within just a few minutes.  There were some stunning views from the bus.  I think it took about 4 or 5 hours and returned me to a few blocks from the ship.  I caught another bus there to return to the port but had I known how close it was, I would have walked.  My husband was not feeling well that day so I deserted him and had an adventure.  In retrospect we think he was having his first dose ever of sea sickness.  He will now accept my offer of bonine which I need from time to time.  I might have gotten off the bus to explore a couple of pretty sites had I not been alone.

[Yehootu]

1 hour ago, mustgo said:

Having visited the war memorial a couple of times, I did the $5 Island tour the last time I was there and may do it again in March of 22.  I am not sure it was exactly $5 but close.  It was an all day senior ticket to ride the public bus.  I walked a couple of short blocks from the ship to catch the public bus.  About half way around the island, I did need to change buses to complete the circle but the second bus was either there or arrived within just a few minutes.  There were some stunning views from the bus.  I think it took about 4 or 5 hours and returned me to a few blocks from the ship.  I caught another bus there to return to the port but had I known how close it was, I would have walked.  My husband was not feeling well that day so I deserted him and had an adventure.  In retrospect we think he was having his first dose ever of sea sickness.  He will now accept my offer of bonine which I need from time to time.  I might have gotten off the bus to explore a couple of pretty sites had I not been alone.

One of the best deals around. The day pass rate has gone up to $5.50.

[azbirdmom]

Sure hope you are well Ellie!  You've been away since Friday - worried about you!

[JF - retired RRT]

2 hours ago, mustgo said:

It was an all day senior ticket to ride the public bus.  I walked a couple of short blocks from the ship to catch the public bus.

As @Yehootunoted, the price has changed a little bit.

Seniors are $2.00 and adult fare is $5.50.

Still a great bargain.

http://www.thebus.org/Fare/onedayfare.asp?l=eng

Edited December 14, 2020 by JF - retired RRT

[CruzinNoony]

52 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

Sure hope you are well Ellie!  You've been away since Friday - worried about you!

 

Yes, Ellie.  We miss you.  Hope all is well.

[ceilie1]

Ellie ,are you doing ok?.Miss you .Hope you are well!

[ellie1145]

Hello, dear Cruising Adventurers!

 

So sorry to have been AWOL for so long. I’m afraid I’ve been really busy as we looked after our grandson at the weekend as his mum and dad had to work (front line workers) so it was non-stop. 

 

But I’m glad you’ve all been talking amongst yourselves. Seems like Hawaii is a small world...

 

But I’m back! And I’ll try to do better this week, although I have to start wrapping presents, and writing Christmas cards and baking my second cake, and a thousand other things...

 

Thanks for all your kind enquiries. It’s good to know I’m not talking to myself...😉

[ellie1145]

The Final Piece of the Puzzle...Pearl Harbour

 

We have a very personal reason for wanting to visit Pearl Harbour. As those who have read my virtual cruise to Fiji will already know, my Father-In-Law was captured by the Japanese during the fall of Singapore. He was a member of the Royal Air Force, and survived many atrocities meted out by the Japanese, and by his Korean guards, both in Changi Prison and on the infamous Burma Railway.

 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2753611-come-sail-with-me-on-a-virtual-cruise-on-majestic-princess-to-fiji/page/3/

 

He was away from home for 5 years, and survived 3 years at the hands of his Japanese captors. He was a brave but very humble man, who rarely spoke of his experiences, but always said how grateful he was to the Americans for coming into the war, and eventually dropping the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Without that, the Japanese would never have given in and surrendered, and he and thousands of men would have perished. And without my F-I-L I would not have my DH

 

 

Indeed, he had a very personal reason for being grateful to the American forces as, had it not been for the dropping of anti-biotics at the end of the war he would not have survived the most dangerous cerebral malaria that he was suffering from, after repeated bouts of malaria during his imprisonment. In fact he had malaria over 20 times, but this final bout was the most serious. He lived into his 90s which was pretty amazing.

 

 

We have visited the Changi Museum in Singapore twice which was very emotional for us. On our last visit we also visited the Battle Box Museum, and saw where the surrender of Singapore was finalised, but visiting Pearl Harbour was the final piece of the puzzle. Being able to walk on the very deck where the Japanese surrender took place was a pilgrimage for us, and one which we found very moving. It is certainly something we will never forget.

 

[ellie1145]

On 12/11/2020 at 4:48 PM, AF-1 said:

TeaBag;   Ama was to be our first river cruise.  So we had disappointment; but we do plan on trying again in 2022.  

 

I do hope that 2022 will be the year that you finally enjoy that river cruise. Fingers crossed! 🤞

[ellie1145]

7 hours ago, AF-1 said:

 I spent a lot of time on Pearl Harbor.  When Family and Friends visited me; we would take island tour and the Arizona tour.  Have been to Arizona Memorial 15-20 times.  Back in the 70's you could just walk down to the dock and take the navy shuttle over to Memorial.  Now it is a lot more detailed trying to get out to visit the Memorial. 

 

It is, indeed, AF-1. When we visited Pearl Harbour the dock had been damaged so nobody was allowed to land, and we just did a sail past. It was disappointing but maybe one day we will return. 

[ellie1145]

5 hours ago, mustgo said:

Having visited the war memorial a couple of times, I did the $5 Island tour the last time I was there and may do it again in March of 22.  I am not sure it was exactly $5 but close.  It was an all day senior ticket to ride the public bus.  I walked a couple of short blocks from the ship to catch the public bus.  About half way around the island, I did need to change buses to complete the circle but the second bus was either there or arrived within just a few minutes.  There were some stunning views from the bus.  I think it took about 4 or 5 hours and returned me to a few blocks from the ship.  I caught another bus there to return to the port but had I known how close it was, I would have walked.  My husband was not feeling well that day so I deserted him and had an adventure.  In retrospect we think he was having his first dose ever of sea sickness.  He will now accept my offer of bonine which I need from time to time.  I might have gotten off the bus to explore a couple of pretty sites had I not been alone.

 

What a brilliant idea, mustgo. I would love to do that bus tour. Thanks for the information. 👍

[ellie1145]

4 hours ago, Yehootu said:

One of the best deals around. The day pass rate has gone up to $5.50.

 

What an absolute bargain, Yehootu! 

[ellie1145]

4 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

Sure hope you are well Ellie!  You've been away since Friday - worried about you!

 

Thank you, azbirdmom. I’m fit and well but just exhausted by my little grandson. 

 

Glad to say, I haven’t gone down with the ‘dreaded lurgy.’ 🤣

[ellie1145]

3 hours ago, CruzinNoony said:

 

Yes, Ellie.  We miss you.  Hope all is well.

 

Thank you, CruzinNoony. I’m fine, just tired after my busy weekend looking after grandson. 😉

[ellie1145]

2 hours ago, ceilie1 said:

Ellie ,are you doing ok?.Miss you .Hope you are well!

 

Thank you, ceiling 1. Yes, I’m fine and ready to start the adventure again. Kind of you to ask. 

[ellie1145]

🎶  I know just how it looks

       From all the pretty picture books.

       Oh, please don’t disappoint me, Honolulu,

       My Honolulu by the coral beach. 🎶

             Gracie Allen

 

Today is an exciting day for us, and one we never dreamt we’d see. Ruby Princess has travelled a distance of 199 miles overnight, and she enters the Honolulu harbour channel at 6.36 am, docking starboard side alongside.

 

 

By 7.30 pm the gangways are secured and passengers begin to disembark.

 

We set the alarm for 6.00 am as we have an early start, and as I peer out of the window to my surprise I see something we haven’t seen for days - sunshine! Hooray! It’s going to be a lovely day.

 

 

 

We gather our belongings together - few though they are - and dash up to the buffet to grab a quick breakfast. We have been given a sheet with strict instructions for our tour of Pearl Harbour, the Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri. We must meet in the Terminal Building at 8.05 am and we don’t want to be late.

 

 

Security will, of course, be tight, so we are not allowed to bring any handbags, purses, fanny packs (please excuse this term, dear Brits), or camera bags. Indeed, we are not allowed to bring in anything that could be used for concealment. Everything else must fit in pockets.

 

We just have time to take a quick look at Honolulu from the deck of Ruby Princess. The sun is shining and it is a beautiful sight. 

 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2020 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

 

 

We see a tall building, the Aloha Tower, which dominates the skyline, and is a historic landmark. It was once a lighthouse with a beacon visible to ships at sea for many miles. It was opened in 1926, at a cost of $160,000, a huge sum of money at the time. It houses what was at one time, the largest clock in the USA. Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbour it was painted green and brown,  to camouflage it, and prevent it from being attacked. The light was extinguished, too.

 

 

The tower is 10 storeys high and reaches a height of 184 ft. On top of the building is a 40ft high flag mast, and for 40 years the building was the tallest in Hawaii. There is an observation deck on  level 10 which offers amazing views of the harbour and the city.

 

 

The Aloha Tower is to Hawaii what the Statue of Liberty is to New York, and it, too, greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants to Honolulu. It must have been an impressive and welcoming sight as these immigrants made landfall. 
 
Today the area has been transformed, and now offers student accommodation for the Hawaii Pacific University, plus a variety of restaurants, shops and live music.

Sadly, we don’t have time to climb to the 10th floor observation deck but it’s on our bucket list for next time. 

 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2020 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

1 hour ago, ellie1145 said:

 

Thank you, ceiling 1. Yes, I’m fine and ready to start the adventure again. Kind of you to ask. 

 

 

Oops, so sorry, ceilie 1, I didn't see that the blooming predictive text had changed your name to ceiling 1. 🙈

Edited December 14, 2020 by ellie1145

[cr8tiv1]

So happy to see that you are well and absent with cause.  We are entering a very busy couple of weeks.  I am sure everyone will understand if your posts slow down.  Christmas is a lovely time in Hawaii.  There will be no snow in the city and many events have been cancelled due to the Pandemic.  But food and merriment are still available.