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Live from the Pride of America January 5-12th

whale-watcher

By whale-watcher,
in Hawaii

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whale-watcher

whale-watcher

Posted
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Well...actually, live from Turtle Bay Resort...where I am finding ways to occupy my time until the sun rises (I did manage to sleep until 4am local time...)

 

The weather gods smiled on us, and the latest winter storm to hit the midwest missed Minnesota entirely, so our flight left on time. We were able to upgrade using miles to first class, which was a really nice way to start the year...we were greeted with Mai Tais, and enjoyed the new La-z-boy style seats immensely. We still have coach for our return flights, however (that will ease the transition back to reality;) )

 

Arranged a Lei greeting for DW and DD through greetersofhawaii.com, and it was a big hit...she was waiting just outside the gate with a sign, and escorted us out to the baggage claim area.

 

We rented a van through thrifty, and was a little worried at first when I did not see a counter in the HNL terminal, but the shuttle driver was right outside, and with our blue chip membership we were on our way within minutes.

 

Our drive to the north shore was uneventful...the new Garmin nuvi I bought at an after-holiday sale guided us to Turtle Bay easily. The resort itself is beautiful...we arrived just at sunset. Weather so far is breezy with off and on showers, but really comfortable. We all went swimming right away to revive, and managed to stay awake enough for dinner, but crashed at 9p

 

Today we are planning surfing lessons for the older kids, horsback riding for all of us at sunset, and a trip to the grocery store so we don't have to do the $30/person breakfast buffet!

 

I hear that there have been whales just offshore, so I plan to be at the point with my binoculars as soon as the sun rises:D

 

I will post again once we board the ship (as long as my jetlag holds out).

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farmgirl63

farmgirl63

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Hi! Thanks for the post! We're from SD and will be leaving in one week from today for a few days pre-cruise in Honolulu. We are hoping that the weather gods will allow our flight out as well. It's cold now, so you're not missing anything!

 

Enjoy your cruise and update often!

 

Tammy

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riandei

riandei

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congrats on arriving safely and in style ... we should be so lucky for the long flight from NJ... cant wait to hear your WHALE update .... as I am very interested ...thanks for taking time out of your vaca to give us updates ....

 

thanks for the garmin info ... I gave my husband a garmin nuvi 650 for xmas ... we were really hoping it would come in handy there ...

 

2 weeks and counting for us.

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whale-watcher

whale-watcher

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The highlight of the day was....sea turtles! We saw them everywhere....swimming just offshore from turtle bay, basking on the beach, and popping up right next to DD as she was surfing today. The kids loved the surfing lessons...older DS made it look easy, and they all were able to stand on the boards very quickly. Snorkeling right by Turtle Bay is not bad...slightly reduced visibility due to the wave action just outside the cove, but lots to see.

 

No whales yet...but tomorrow am three of us are going on a shark encounter with Hawaii Shark Encounters!

 

The fresh pineapple is amazing, and we had some decent fish tacos and mai tais for dinner:)

 

Good luck with your travel, montam92...I will say that states like MN and SD do a good job with snow, and we have always managed to get where we were going, even when the weather was less than perfect!

 

and speaking of weather...Hawaii weather is really amazing...raining one minute, hot sun the next...windy on one beach, but sheltered and calm just around the point. Something for everyone.

 

It is two thumbs up for the Garmin, riandei. I just have the 200, but it works very well and is extremely easy to use.

 

Thanks for checking in, James...we will look for you in a few days when we board the PofAM!

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whale-watcher

whale-watcher

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Thursday January 3rd...the day of the sharks! Three of us did the 7am shark encouter with Hawaii Shark Encounters, and it was amazing. The ride out was very rough, and there was lots of rolling with the swells when we were tied up to the shark cage, but none of us are prone to motion sickness, so we were fine. I do suggest going in the cage with the first group if you are prone to motion sickness; those who waited until the second group were somewhat queasy already when they entered the cage. The sharks themselves (galapagos) were spectacular...I couldn't even tell you how many were surrounding us. The view from the boat was also great, as the sharks lunge out of the water to feed on scraps of fish. And by the way...we saw humpback whales on the way back in:D

 

The water was calm enough for snorkeling around turtle bay in the afternoon, and I spotted a few more humpbacks as well as a laysan albatross from shore.

 

We did pick up some shrimp from Fumi's shrimp truck for dinner...coconut shrimp was excellent (family thought is was the best they ever had), but spicy garlic was a little overcooked and rubbery.

 

the one week I wont be on the ship is this week. Sorry but keep the ship up while im gone!
We'll be sorry to miss you, but hope you enjoy your week off.
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whale-watcher

whale-watcher

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too busy to write much, but suffice it to say...

 

the ship is beautiful and clean, with no sewage odors anywhere...

 

Food so far is fine...buffet on the first night had lots of variety, and quality was good. Cadillac the second night was fun (great onion rings and brownie dessert), and Teppanyaki tonight was a big hit with the family. We have done room service for breakfast.

 

Thrifty is the way to go...no waiting with blue chip membership, and free second driver.

 

Weather is spectacular...even Hilo was sunny....

 

And by the way, there are whales everywhere (we saw breaching, tail lobbing, pectoral fin slaps and a newborn calf on our pacific whale trip today).

 

Wish I was doing a back to back...but I am ready to sign up for another week next winter!!!

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Phoenix cruiser

Phoenix cruiser

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We were supposed to be on this cruise but Mother-in-law got sick 2 weeks out and we had to cancel. Had to substitute 3 days in Philly for a week in Hawaii on the PofAm. Fair trade? I don't think so. Well, maybe next year. Glad that the cruise went so well, we can at least enjoy in abstentia.

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kmsbasket

kmsbasket

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I am scheduled for the Jan 23, 2008 cruise and am scheduled for the Maui Downhill Cycle Adventure excursion. I was told they are no longer doing the bike riding down the Haleakala Crater due to accidents/deaths. Do you know if this excursion is still canceled? Thank you.

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Illinitrvlr

Illinitrvlr

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We are going on Jan. 26 on Pride of Am and have also scheduled the bike ride down Haleakala. We did not go through NCL, but I received an email earlier this week saying that they were still doing it, but it will be modified. They will pick us up at 2:45AM from the ship and take us to the top of Haleakala for the sunrise. They will then take us by van to just outside the park entrance and we will bike from there. I don't know that we will notice much difference, having never done it before from the top. The cost is higher now:eek: as there is a park fee of $29 (I think that is the cost) in addition to the tour fee. We are just excited that we still get to do it, albeit not from the top. Hope this helps you.:D

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farmgirl63

farmgirl63

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Glad you are having a great vacation! We're tempting the weather gods by leaving tomorrow and will think of you as we RUN thru the Minneapolis airport to catch our connection! I hope we see whales also because they were great to witness in Alaska.

 

James, hope we can meet you in the buffet. I've enjoyed following your posts and will look for you on Saturday after we board!

 

Have a great rest of the week.

 

Tammy

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riandei

riandei

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I have been waiting to see whales and to know they are there and flopping about brings me great joy for my adventure next week. we leave Philadelphia airport next wednesday the 16th.

 

thanks so much for posting

 

e

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whale-watcher

whale-watcher

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Another beautiful sunny day...the view from Haleakala was breathtaking (didn't make it in time for sunrise, but had a nice lunch up there;) ). We saw more whale acrobatics from shore today before heading up the mountain, and I can report that YES, the bike tours are running.

 

Parking was tight at the dock last night...we came in at 6p, and only a few spaces by the sea wall were open. Not sure if it opened up later in the evening.

 

Enjoyed room service for dinner tonight (pad thai and grouper) as we are too tired from hiking at high altitude. We are keeping our fingers crossed for more clear weather for our helicopter tour from kona tomorrow.

Glad you are having a great vacation! We're tempting the weather gods by leaving tomorrow and will think of you as we RUN thru the Minneapolis airport to catch our connection! I hope we see whales also because they were great to witness in Alaska.

 

James, hope we can meet you in the buffet. I've enjoyed following your posts and will look for you on Saturday after we board!

 

Have a great rest of the week.

 

Tammy

not to worry...I followed the flight status of all flights to HNL through MSP for weeks before our cruise and they NEVER were cancelled...even in the worst weather!

 

Glad your having a good time! I can't believe even Hilo is really sunny! I can't wait to get back on Sunday.
We are having a great time...and a big part of that is due to the upbeat and friendly crew...we have met a lot of nice young people from all over the country, and we are really enjoying the experience.

 

We were supposed to be on this cruise but Mother-in-law got sick 2 weeks out and we had to cancel. Had to substitute 3 days in Philly for a week in Hawaii on the PofAm. Fair trade? I don't think so. Well, maybe next year. Glad that the cruise went so well, we can at least enjoy in abstentia.

sorry to hear the news...hope you can reschedule for next year.

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beachchick

beachchick

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Glad your having a good time! I can't believe even Hilo is really sunny! I can't wait to get back on Sunday.

 

:D That sounds like my DH on our PoH cruise last December. We went out on the balcony in the morning and I said, "Oh look how beautiful Hilo is today..." and he said, "This can't be Hilo--It's completely sunny!"

 

beachchick

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whale-watcher

whale-watcher

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Would you believe that Hilo was STILL sunny when we flew back over for our Big Island Spectacular helicopter tour on Wednesday!?! We had great views of the lava, and spotted whales on the way back along the Kohala coast. The beautiful weather has continued for Kauai as well...we are just rushing out for our last morning at Poipu beach. I will post a full review when we get back home, but the bottom line...

 

I would take this cruise again in a heartbeat!

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whale-watcher

whale-watcher

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Would you believe that Hilo was STILL sunny when we flew back over for our Big Island Spectacular helicopter tour on Wednesday!?! We had great views of the lava, and spotted whales on the way back along the Kohala coast. The beautiful weather has continued for Kauai as well...we are just rushing out for our last morning at Poipu beach. I will post a full review when we get back home, but the bottom line...

 

I would take this cruise again in a heartbeat!

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Terre Great Review Rare

Terre

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I'm so glad Hilo was sunny for you. It rained on us when we were at the Volcanoes National Park, but as we headed down and went into Akaka Falls it actually warmed up and the sun came out, which helped with the photo opps!

 

Love the updates! Wish I was still there!

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