Live from Pride of Hawaii

[byucougs]

Merry Christmas!! Hohoho

Pre cruise:

We flew in a day in advance on Hawaiian Air, coach class. It was a nice flight. We left on time from Las Vegas and arrived early to Honolulu at 12:45 pm. Seats were comfortable for coach. There was a choice of meals, 2 hot and one deli sandwich. Cost for earphone rental. Luggage arrived with no incident. Bourne Ultimatum was the movie.

ABC Limo picked us up and had leis, drinks and chocolate waiting for us, great service, highly recommend. He drove us to the Marriott Waikiki Beach hotel. We had ocean view rooms on the 8th floor, overlooking the pool in the tower closest to the beach. Nice beds and had ordered the strawberry plate ahead of time. There were 8 chocolate covered strawberries, yum! Beds were very comfortable and rooms were pleasant. NCL desk there would allow you to pay for transportation and luggage for $20, if needed. There are 4-5 reps in an office across from reception.

After checking in, we wandered the hotel for awhile and bought a few things at the ABC store. There is one of these on every block and they are cheap! Then we wandered down to the beach, taking pictures at the beautiful banyan trees and the statues (including surfer Duke). It’s a short walk to the International Marketplace. Decided to try Dukes for dinner and was afraid of the price, but worth every penny, the food was amazing. We had the Ahi tune with seven seasonings and son had the shrimp scampi. The plates were huge and unlimited salad bar. There was too much food to order dessert. The best part of the salad bar was the pineapple-YUMMO. Oh, please call ahead for reservations, as in days before for this place, if you want to eat between 6-9 pm. Otherwise, expect to wait 1-2 hours. After dinner, jet lag started to set in and we knew we were going to get up for Pearl Harbor, so we re-packed and were in bed by 9 pm.

Woke up at 5 am to get ready for Pearl Harbor, went down about 5:45 am to Seattle Best’s coffee shop (there are two in Marriott Waikiki hotel) and got some juice, fruit , water and assorted breads/pastries. There were many people up and waiting for a tour bus to take them to Pearl Harbor. Again ABC Limo was waiting for us and took us to Pearl Harbor. We were there by 6:20 am and second family in line. By 7:30 the line went around the park area and actually reached the boat ramp. Glad we came early. We were in the first group to get there and it was nice good experience. My 16 year old son was very emotional, and appreciated the sacrifices made by these servicemen. Had time to visit the Bowfin and museum before heading back at to hotel 10 am. Plan a minimum of an additional hour past that to visit the USS Missouri. ABC Limo was there on time.

Traffic going back was heavier and arrived at hotel by 10:30 am. Hubby discovered he left his credit card at Duke’s and ran down there to get it & luckily they had it. Was packed and checked out by 11 am. They will extend the check out past that if you ask. We asked, just in case we got back from PH late, and they said it wasn’t a problem. Again, ABC Limo was waiting to take us to the pier. We were on our way by 11:15-11:20 and arrived at the pier by 11:40.

NOTE: Reason we decided on limo service for both during the precruise portion of our trip was the fact that the one day rental for a car, gas and parking was about the same price as the limo service for our extended family of 5. We thought it well worth the cost. If you can get a car for under $100 for the day and are driving many places then a rental car would be worth it. We will do this on the day we disembark to go to the North shore.

CRUISE – Day 1:

Got out our registration forms and ID and sailed through security and check in and on the boat by 12 noon. Everyone was exceptionally pleasant and no real lines to speak of. There were lots of agents ready to help us board. The assistant concierge was waiting in this area and met us and explained where to go to visit Jeremy, the concierge, in the Star Bar on deck 13. We grabbed a bite to eat in the buffet and then went to meet him. Gave him our dinner reservation requests, note for needed priority tender tickets and was off to explore the ship. Jeremy was very pleasant and we wished him a Merry Christmas. There were already people complaining to him and making demands, poor guy. Glad I don’t have his job.

We loved the chairs in the Spinnaker lounge, the “Barney” chairs (green and purple), very comfy. The ship was decorated for Christmas. The décor will need to be changed during dry dock to minimize the Hawaiian theme. Good excuse to cruise her as the Jade to see the differences of before and after. We bought the weeklong couple Spa passes for our newly married daughter and son in law, who used it right after dinner. The thermal suite, spa and exercise areas are very nice. Lots of great equipment in the gym.

The staff was very friendly and loved to chat. We wished them a Merry Christmas all day long, asked were they were from and how they liked working on a cruise ship. We did not see any of the crew who were unpleasant or un-talkative, but saw many passengers who were not very nice to the crew. Some will be going on with the ship to Europe (seemed like 20%) and many are transferring to the other Pride ships.

Cabins were ready throughout the afternoon. Garden Villas were ready first. Our deck was last, deck 10. We have a Romance suite, aft, port side. Our kids, daughter, son in law and son are in a mini suite on deck 11. Mini suite is a tad on small size for what we are used to as a mini suite on Princess lines, but still quite nice. Nice bathroom and nice balcony. The foam mattress top were there as requested in the mini suite but not our romance suite but a request the room steward Ben got the topper in no time. The Romance suite is amazing. There was a flower arrangement, bowl of fruit, hors d-oeuvres in room as we entered. Very large and spacious and the aft deck easily fit the five of us as we sailed away. There is a large closet and nice bathroom, lots of seating. Both rooms were clean and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

Food:

The buffet food was the normal buffet food and we enjoyed our lunch. The main area filled up fast but the back lanai area was less crowded. The staff was right there to clear our plates as we ate. Drink service was offered, carts came around. We requested dinner reservations for Le Bistro and had dinner at 6 pm. The food was very good and our server Miguel, from Puerto Rico was fun and right on task. The best part of all was it was ½ off for dinner that night. It wasn’t being advertised anywhere that the meal would be discounted, but no complaints from us! Woohoo I realize food is a very subjective area and we are not hard to please; so we enjoyed this first day. The only cruise we avoided the normal buffet area was on the Dream, too small and uninspiring even to us.

Again, by the time dinner was over and we sailed away the early morning to Pearl Harbor had started to take affect, and although we wanted to stay up for the shows, we crashed in our staterooms somewhere between 9-9:30.

Side note for Holiday services: There were two religious services if you wanted to go to any for Christmas Eve, one interdenominational (10:45 pm) and one midnight catholic mass.

[riandei]

Happy Holiday

 

Have you seen any whales ??? This is a very important part of my trip. We live in NJ and doubt we will get back to HI so I am really hoping to see whales.

 

thanks

[tofuyan]

Happy Holiday

 

Have you seen any whales ??? This is a very important part of my trip. We live in NJ and doubt we will get back to HI so I am really hoping to see whales.

 

thanks

 

I just came back from POH and did not see an whales. When I was in Kauai, some people said they saw blowholes from the lighthouse, but I didn't see any.

[sunsetme]

we did see whale spouts at VNP on crater road near the beach.

also we went whale watching in Maui and saw a whale breach in front of our boat.

[byucougs]

Happy Holiday

 

Have you seen any whales ??? This is a very important part of my trip. We live in NJ and doubt we will get back to HI so I am really hoping to see whales.

 

thanks

 

Well, not yet. but some dolphins followed us out of Honolulu harbor. We could see them jump out of the water a couple of times. Will know more about whales in 2 days when doing water activities in Maui.

 

Just got back from awesome heli ride over volcanoes...off to spa to relax...so much to do...so little time..:cool:

 

to be continued.....

[byucougs]

HILO:

 

We arrived in Hilo a little late. There are some minor storms blowing through and the seas were rough. This ship unlike any other we have been on, does not handle the seas well and is very bumpy, irritatingly so. The Dream managed rough seas much better than this ship. Other big ships we have been on have done much better than this as well, not sure why the POH/Jade rides this poorly.

 

They announced Santa was in the atrium awaiting everyone to take pictures with him.

Then they announced all clear by 8:30 and my husband went to pick up the car while I gathered the kin. Then we headed off to VNP to explore the volcano area. It rained most of the time and visibility was poor. Occaissionally the fog would lift to give a better view of the area of size and dimension.

 

Since it was Christmas day, most things were closed, including all the regular helicopter companies like Blue Hawaiian.. So, we had arranged to do the helicopter ride through the ship. Their vendor is Sunshine helicopters. The heli was nice, 6 seater; the narration was good and the visibility by the afternoon was much better. Glad we had scheduled an afternoon ride. There were incredible views of the lava, the only way to see the lava right now.

 

We were back by 2:30 and had a snack and headed off to the spa for awhile. The thermal suite, so far, is hardly ever in use. Some of the family ate and took a nap. Then at 6 we headed for Papa’s for dinner. Our waiters were attentive and the food was good to excellent, depending on the choice. The breads, ceasar salad, swordfish were excellent. The osso bucco(veal dish) and risotto were average. The desserts were were all excellent. Please don’t ask me to spell them, I can hardly pronounce them. Again, the staff throughout the entire evening was attentive and did their jobs well.

 

The piano bar entertainment was good. There are plenty of the typical entertainment venues to be found. The arcade for my 16 year old was a little lacking, and this year he decided not to check out the teen club but to hang with the family.

[byucougs]

Maui- Wednesday/Thursday

 

Side notes:

VIP reception for suite guests was Tuesday (2nd night) at 5 pm and the Latitudes reception is tonight, Thursday (4th night). Funny thing was my 16 year old son staying in the mini suite got the Latitudes invite 1 day before we did.

 

Optional formal night is tonight, Thursday/4th night. Yes, they do serve the

Prime Rib and lobster in the buffet as well.

 

The room service food although limited in scope for non suite guests is much better than the room service food I have had on RCCL or Princess. My son has made a habit of getting the tomato/basil pizza and the chocolate obsession every afternoon. Of course I have to take a bite of the chocolate obseesion to “make sure” it isn’t poison or anything.

 

Arrived ½ hour late to Maui. It was another bumpy night. We all went to buffet as a family for breakfast. We were all packed for the two days. We were sightseeing for the morning. Went to the Iao Valley, the Bishop Museum and tropical plantation. All were very interesting and relaxing. Then headed for out hotel n Kihei to drop off our things before heading to Lahaina for surfing and luau. The Maui Coast hotel was very nice and was inexpensive on hotels.com.

The DH, SIL and DS all went surfing that afternoon with Goofy Foot surfing. The price was great, the instructors nice, and the waves were great for a beginner. It was a little crowded. They all got up several times with success- woohoo! Bought their CD for $15 since I am a terrible picture taker. The women folk went shopping in town. Lots of great stores; some would say this was a tourist trap, but it reminded me a lot of Park City, Utah or Laguna Beach, California.

 

That evening we went to the Old Lahaina Luau and were not disappointed. The staff and dancers were great, the luau fun to watch and the food good. We tried a little of everything. The guy taking the pig out of the ground before serving the food was funny and cracked lots of jokes. He asked who was in Hawaii the first time (welcomed them), the second time (mentioned that these folks all knew at the end of the road to Hana, there wasn’t anything) and the 3rd timers (who now knew how to pronounce the street names and get around). Then drove to the hotel for the night.

 

The next morning we got up early and headed for Maalaea to get on the Trilogy Molokini snorkel adventure. It was a great time. We saw lots of whales, fish and turtles. My husband, who did the dive option, saw eels and a manta ray as well. Crew was helpful and informative, and they fed us constantly from the moment we arrived until we left the boat. We then walked over to the Maui Ocean center/aquarium. We stayed for about an hour but could have stayed an hour longer. This is a very nice center. Even though we dive and have send many species of fish, there were some varieties I had never seen before. The small area for sea horses was wonderful. The shark area was good too.

 

Then headed back to the boat to shower and get ready for the evening, dinner at Cagneys, and shows.

 

…to be continued…..

[tessar]

Did you have reservations for Goofy Foot Surfing?

If so, do you have a contact number?

[pizzalady1]

"Optional formal night is tonight, Thursday/4th night. Yes, they do serve the Prime Rib and lobster in the buffet as well."

 

I have everything else pretty well planned out, so now I can think about the various restaurants and what reservations I want to make. Can you clarify for me from what you experienced and/or heard about: I assume that Cagney's and the main dining rooms in addition to the buffet all have prime rib/lobster on formal night. However, does the quality vary with the best being at Cagney's, followed by the main dining rooms and then finally the Buffet? Or is it all the same quality? Thanks for the info.

[byucougs]

"Optional formal night is tonight, Thursday/4th night. Yes, they do serve the Prime Rib and lobster in the buffet as well."

 

I have everything else pretty well planned out, so now I can think about the various restaurants and what reservations I want to make. Can you clarify for me from what you experienced and/or heard about: I assume that Cagney's and the main dining rooms in addition to the buffet all have prime rib/lobster on formal night. However, does the quality vary with the best being at Cagney's, followed by the main dining rooms and then finally the Buffet? Or is it all the same quality? Thanks for the info.

 

Frankly, we found the food at Cagneys a little disappointing and would not go there again. Le Bistro was great, Papa's very good and Jasmine so-so. Buffet was not bad, IMHO. Main restaurants not bad either, but service spotty from what we heard.

[byucougs]

Thursday night

 

We went to Cagneys for dinner. The service was excellent and the food was good, but frankly, I would not go to this specialty restaurant again. We all gave a thumbs up to the spinach and artichoke dip though as the best we have ever tasted. The food was better at Le Bistro and Papa’s, for our tastes. Maybe we just ordered the right food at these restaurants. Then there was the comedy show at the Stardust.

 

Kona – My husband had a dive trip planned with Fathom Five divers. He needed to be on the first tender out and had no problems getting on. He gave the thumbs up to their dive op. He said it was first class. He saw plenty of fish and eels, but saw more variety on Maui with two kinds of rays and turtles as well as fish.

 

By the time we were left a half hour later all the NCL excursions were getting on and it was good we had the VIP priority tender tickets or else we would have had to wait. Even so, we got to Fairwinds by 8:15. Fairwinds was a much bigger catamaran than Trilogy and the trip down to the bay with the Captain Cook memorial was nice. They had inner tubes, diving platforms and the water slide, as well as the common snorkel equipment. Good breakfast but the lunch was not nearly as good as Trilogy. The bay was very calm and pretty. The water there had various “hot spots” of warm fresh water springs bubbling up through the salt water. Made for an interesting snorkel. Many varieties of fish were seen, but the highlight were the dolphins. First, in the bay itself, was a pod of potter’s dolphins (the small kind). They were moving about all through the bay, through the snorklers, kayakers and boats. They were jumping and spinning out of the water. If that wasn’t enough, on the way back out on the open water, a pod of larger dolphins swam beside us and jumped out of the water and over the wake/waves created by the boat. They were so close we could see them right next to the boat swimming under the water. It is hard to describe, but an unforgettable experience.

 

I think if we were to come again, we would try the Captain Zodiac (smaller “vessels”, of course, faster and went right by the shoreline) or the Hula Kai owned by Fairwinds (it is smaller and much faster as well).

 

I think the Big Island has become my favorite, but Kauai is up next so we will see.

Taxi dropped us off in town and we wandered slowly back to the ship tenders, after shopping and some shave ice, yum. My favorite item in Hawaii, is something the street “vendors” have- these leaf critters, flowers, sculptures (all made out of leaves). We got roses, a walking turtle and grasshopper. All these guys do is ask for a donation for the “work”.

 

Got back to the ship to shower, snack and relax before dinner. Tonight’s dinner was at Jasmines. This would be another I would skip on a future cruise. Food was good, but not as good as say, a PF Changs or Happy Sumo, or name your own favorite Chinese/Japanese restaurant in your hometown.

 

After dinner, the ladies went to the “VIP” fine jewelry sale onboard while the men folk went to the cabin to ooh and aah over my hubbys downloaded pictures from the dive trips- cool pictures of the manta rays, eels and turtles. Bad mistake for me, as I fell in love with a gold necklace with a pink pearl, sigh. Wonder if I run to the ATM tomorrow and pay down the shipboard account, will my hubby even notice the purchase? (she says sheepishly).

 

Came back to the cabin and all watched a movie “Stardust”. Pretty good movie that my college daughter recommended

[jwmcq]

I'm really enjoying your review! Keep them coming - thank you for taking the time to write for those of us back home freezing! It makes me all the more look forward to my upcoming trip. :)

 

I'm glad your husbands dives went well - yours is only the 2nd or so review that included scuba diving. We will be diving at Maui and Kona also. Glad to hear he saw a lot.

 

I hope your family continues to have a great trip!

[fryml]

Great Review!

 

What was your experience with the rental cars? Did you use Thrifty? Does anyone know how it works if you rent a car at the HNL airport and then want to drive to the port or return it at the Wakiki Marriott?

[byucougs]

Hi,

 

oopsie on Kona info, was tired when writing. - the dive op In kona was Kona Honu Divers. Fathom Five is the one my hubby has for here in Kauai for tomorrow. Oh, the dive master will pick you up and bring you back to tender pier for $10 total, if you use Kona Honu Divers.

 

We were booked with Maui Divers in Maui but the Trilogy excursion had a dive optional for the trip and so he decided to go with the rest of the family instead of separately. The divemaster was very nice,equipment was top notch.

 

Speaking of equipment, the snorkel equipment was top rate on Trilogy and a step down on Faiwind. Forget what the snorkel is called that doesnt allow water back in but that is what Trilogy had, but not Fairwind.

 

We had Thrifty in Hilo, Maui and Kauai. On all three the shuttle was right there waiting for the ship. They had him to do self inspection for any damage before driving the car away. They have been great to work with. On Kona we were to have Dollar, since they have an office in the King Kamehameha hotel by the tender pier, but used a taxi instead- just easier for us.

 

We will be using Hertz in Honolulu when we disembark. Hubby is a whatever it's called member for his work with Hertz, so we get upgrades and everything is ready for us upon arrival. The price was just as good as the other companies in Honolulu too.

[sunsetme]

I used (all compacts, we sometimes got an upgrade)

Hilo Thrifty $39

Maui Budget $74--2 days

Kona Dollar at King Kam $52

Kauai--Budget (the only place we had to call and wait to the van to pick up)$64 (2 days)

This was just prior to Xmas so some rates (ie Kauai) were higher than usual.

PS I booked months in advance and kept checking prices and rebooking if they dropped.

[byucougs]

Kauai- day 1

 

We sailed into the harbor around sunrise. It was an amazing view, even being in an aft cabin. I cant wait until we leave port to see it from that view. The harbor is small. Only one large ship could be in here at a time. There is a small boat harbor to the south within but separate from the big one. To the south are mountains and high cliffs and to the north is a golf course, the airport and the Marriott resort. A river runs into the harbor where one of the Indiana Jones movies was shot…. incredible views.

 

Weather in Kauai was overcast, so our air tour called and asked to push back the time from 9 am to 10 to get better visibility. We choose AirVentures plane ride since the helicopter rides were so pricey. They will pick you up at the pier. They were very good. The plane had plenty of visability. It was an Airtran, used internationally for search and rescue operations, and so very reliable. Headsets are used and a microphone is available to ask the pilot questions as you go. Although they did not fly as close to things as the heli’s do, we still got great pictures and views of the island. Since it rained quite a bit the day before, the waterfalls were numerous. The pilot said the waterfalls aren’t much bigger than they were today. The only way to describe this island is to say it looks a lot like pictures of Tahiti, lush, green, jagged mountains.

 

The Waimea Canyon is a lot like the Grand Canyon in basic design, but add red cliffs, green vegetation, rivers and waterfalls to your mental image, if you’ve been to the Grand Canyon. I would much rather hike here than GC, seems more forgiving to me. I get psyched out looking over the edge at the GC. The mountain/crater area was shrouded in cloud cover. We knew it might be that way. Even the helicopters were not going in there this morning. Regardless, the mountains, cliffs and waterfalls were innumerable throughout the island. The longer drive is to Waimea canyon so you should do that on the first day and the Hanalei side on the second, if so inclined. As the Kauai Revealed book indicates, it’s no joke that there are chickens everywhere you go on this island. It’s quite humorous.

 

The canyon drive was followed with the Spouting Horn and Botanical Gardens a little off the beaten path, near Poipu. We did not see any whales or dolphins pulling into port or in the air.

 

Back to the ship by 4:30 pm, in time to head to the spa for some down time. Then we headed off to Paniolo’s for dinner. The food was ok to average. The tortilla soup was good and ceasar salad and beef burritos and fajitas. The nachos had velveeta like cheese- yuck. The desserts were good. Service here was spotty, for the first time on the cruise.

 

Still undecided whether to go to Who wants to be a Bazillionaire or Scene It Movie challenge and then late night comedy.

 

Notes:

Snorkel equipment- the Trilogy operation used top notch snorkel equipment that was self clearing, don’t know the official explanation, but they are much less likely to have you breathe in any water. Fairwind used the less expensive snorkel equipment.

 

Kona Honu dive operation will pick you up at the tender pier and return you for total of $10. Just call them as you get on the tender and they will send the driver.

[riandei]

must say ... I am somewhat dissappointed in the lack of whale siting ... was told january would be FANTASTIC whale season ... I do hope it picks up some by the 16th of January when we head to waikiki

[Tatertot]

BYUCougs -- First, thanks for the great review. Nothing like tellin' it as it happens. Thanks for taking precious vacation time to report.

 

I have a question about ABC Limo. Mine's a family of 4 and I know I definitely want ABC to pick us up at Honolulu airport and take us to Marriott Waikiki. Then, I'm renting a car thru Hertz at the Marriott the next day and driving to Polynesian Cultural Center. I'm undecided as to whether to keep the car for the next day (embarkation day), drive it to Pearl Harbor, then back to Marriott and find other transportation to pier or return rental car and let ABC Limo take to Pearl Harbor, back to Marriott and then to pier.

 

Is there a "tour" involved with ABC limo taking you to Pearl Harbor or is it strictly transportation. And what was the cost, if you don't mind sharing that info?

 

Thanks

[lanord]

Thanks for much for taking the time to do a "live" review. We sail on the POH next Monday (the 7th) and it is fun to hear about what is going on "right now"!

 

I hate to hear that you don't think the POH does well in rough water. I guess I better make sure we have plenty of Bonine! :p

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[Favette]

BYUcougs,

Loving your review, my sister and I sail on Jan. 28th. What kind of spa packages are available? Any tips?

Happy sailing!

[Duffys wife 1957]

Thanks for the detailed report...:D

[byucougs]

BYUCougs --

 

I have a question about ABC Limo. Mine's a family of 4 and I know I definitely want ABC to pick us up at Honolulu airport and take us to Marriott Waikiki. Then, I'm renting a car thru Hertz at the Marriott the next day and driving to Polynesian Cultural Center. I'm undecided as to whether to keep the car for the next day (embarkation day), drive it to Pearl Harbor, then back to Marriott and find other transportation to pier or return rental car and let ABC Limo take to Pearl Harbor, back to Marriott and then to pier.

 

Is there a "tour" involved with ABC limo taking you to Pearl Harbor or is it strictly transportation. And what was the cost, if you don't mind sharing that info?

 

Thanks

 

ABC Limo for the five of us was airport pick up to hotel/hotel to peir (considered a roundtrip) for $130 cash price. Included leis, drinks and chocolates.

 

Roundtrip for hotel to pearl harbor and back was same price. And no, there is no tour of Pearl Harbor. We were picked up at hotel about 6 am and drove straight there arriving about 6:25. We were 2nd family there and on first tour of Pearl Harbor. By 7 am the line was huge and by 7:30 when they handed out tickets all the buses had arrived and the place was a zoo. Cost was about the same.

 

The price of renting a car (we needed a big one for 5 people plus our luggage) from Sunday to Monday, gas prices ($3.50 a gallon currently) and hotel parking made the cost of the rental vs ABC about the same. Plus the luxury about someone else driving us and not getting confused or lost, was worth it to us.

[byucougs]

BYUcougs,

Loving your review, my sister and I sail on Jan. 28th. What kind of spa packages are available? Any tips?

Happy sailing!

 

You and your sister could get the "couples" spa pacakage for $140. It includes full use of the thermal suite. Was really nice to go in every day after excursions to relax and wind down before dinner. It was $20 for a day pass per person.

 

I couldnt say what the "specials" were, because I didnt think there were any that really stood out. But book early if you want something for later in the week. Seemed like everyone procrastinated booking and then were calling to get in and spots were gone.

[byucougs]

Thanks for much for taking the time to do a "live" review. We sail on the POH next Monday (the 7th) and it is fun to hear about what is going on "right now"!

 

I hate to hear that you don't think the POH does well in rough water. I guess I better make sure we have plenty of Bonine! :p

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

 

It was more annoyingly bumpy. There was some rocking involved too, but I didnt think it bad enough for Bonine. However, we have sailed alot and are used to it by now.

 

Sending lots of positive energy for your cruise not to have any storms and therefore less rough water. Enjoy your cruise.

[byucougs]

Kauai Day 2 –last day-- boo hoo :(

 

FYI- we got a parking pass from the Aloha marketplace near the pier to park our car overnight and had no problems last night.

 

Today we got up early, had breakfast and just took in the morning. Then we dressed and headed for a local church. When the services were over they asked the visitors to stand and the locals got up and sang a song for us and passed out hand-crocheted leis. This was one of the highlights of our trip, to feel the “aloha spirit” of the Hawaiian people.

 

Hurried back to the ship to change and get some sightseeing in before sail away and the weather got ugly. We were able to see Wailua Falls and Oopaaka (sp?) Falls when it started to pour. The falls are amazing, as is most of the island. We headed back to town for some shopping, turned in the car and then on to the ship. After a quick bite, went to the spa for a pedicure and relaxation.

 

We reached the Na Pali coast a little before 5 pm. There were clouds hugging the peaks and the afternoon soon gave the area a warm glow. It was breath taking by air and even more so by sea. There seemed to be waterfalls in every valley and we even got a double rainbow.

 

During this time we saw several whales on the port and aft sides. Mostly saw them blowing, then they would breach (arch out of the water), lift their tails and disappear, but still cool!

 

After this excitement we got dressed for our 7 pm dinner in Teppanyaki. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The food and service were excellent. We would do this dining venue again.

 

 

By then it was 9 pm and so most of the party headed for their cabins to pack. I wandered the ship listening/watching the sights and sounds, bought POH t-shirt (soon to be a collector’s item, as POH will be no more) and waited around for airline check in time at the internet café.

 

 

Honolulu- getting kicked off the ship:(

 

Got up early to watch us sail into port about 6 am. The Suppy Ferry was leaving about the same time as we arrived. We had VIP disembarkation, which meant, on this ship, we could leave anytime between 7:45 and 10:30 am.

 

I sent my husband and teen son off to get the car about 8 am and had him call us when he was on the way back to maximize ship time :). Finally the sad call came to go and the rest of us gathered our luggage. We had Hawaiian airlines and so did not qualify for the easy fly program, but Hawaiian has kiosks at the Ohan East and two other hotels nearby to check in luggage early. So we ran the luggage over to the hotel and then were free to enjoy the day.

 

We took our son in law to the Tripler Army hospital in Honolulu to take pictures. He was born there. Cant miss it from the ship while at pier. Look for the big pink building on the hill. Next the family voted to go to the Byodo bhuddist temple in Keneahoe via the Pali highway. The views were incredible, like the Na Pali coast scenery. The Byodo temple was a nice cultural experience for the kids. We headed back towards Honolulu via H3 highway and a glimpse at the Haiku stairs or “Stairway to Heaven”.

 

For more info on these amazing stairs-

 

http://www.pbase.com/avenirex/image/2379640

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku_Stairs

 

We next went to the Dole Plantation and tried some of the treats there. The maze they have there is quite intimidating and we decided we weren’t not interested in being lost in there for hours. This is a tourist trap, so beware. Would not do this again, as there is so much else to see.

 

We then drove to the North shore to look at the waves, which were big, and the surfers. After this we headed to the Polynesian Cultural Center to finish the day. This could easily take 2 days to do it all, but we managed to see most of it in the 8-9 hours we were there. Our guide was friendly and we learned out to make leaf animals (fishes), how to play Polynesian games, hula, etc. We went to the Ali’I luau. It was fun. The family liked the food here better the Old Lahaina Luau (but not me). We then could only stay for a portion of the Horizons show before heading for the airport. I recommend doing this before the cruise, or stay day post cruise in Honolulu, to maximize your visit. It is closed on Sundays. It is rather pricey too.

 

Headed to the airport for our red eye flight back to the mainland.

 

Aloha and Happy New Year!