Last day - Oahu

It's our last few hours in Hawaii. We're sorry to see our holiday end, but glad to be going home. We miss the dogs and are looking forward to sleeping in our own bed!

We were a little slower than usual to get off the ship this morning. The pier Carnival uses in Honolulu is smaller than the other piers we've disembarked in. To help things from becoming too crowded and chaotic, they only let small groups of passengers off at a time (approximately 100 or less). We were in about the 13th or 14th group to get off the ship, so we had a leisurely breakfast in the dining room around 7:30 am and then relaxed on our balcony until our group was called about 9:45 am.

Next it was time to stagger to the rental car company shuttle under the weight of all our luggage. We really need to learn to be more streamlined packers! There was no overnight parking available at this pier, like there was in Maui, so we had to return our rental car yesterday and get another today. Our car today was a Lincoln Town Car - not what we had reserved, but it was what they had available. It was very different in size and ride from the Jeep Wranglers we've had the whole trip. It was sort of like being back on the ship! The upside was that the massive trunk held all our luggage and was smooth as can be on the road. The downside was that most people drive smaller cars here so parking spaces are tight.

Our first stop after getting the car was Pearl Harbor; Andrew was very much wanting to go there. We wandered around there and then took a tour of the Missouri ship, which Andrew found fascinating.

After Pearl Harbor it was time to head over to Waikiki. We booked a hotel room near the beach for the day so that we would have a place to have a shower and relax for a few minutes before we embarked on our 9+ hour plane ride. The drive over reminded me why I don't love Honolulu - it's a big city with big city traffic! It took us well over an hour to drive the 15 miles to the hotel. It was the road to Hana all over again, minus the hairpin turns!

Finally, we arrived at our hotel and, with the assistance of air traffic control, managed to get our car wedged in to the ramp. By this point we were very hungry and a bit cranky from the drive (refer to the Hana post, if needed), so we dumped our things in the room and then walked a mile down the beach to a restaurant that was recommended in our guide book. All signs of crankiness dissipated as soon as the first bite of Thai lettuce wraps hit my lips - delicious!! See photo above.

In a better mood, we walked back to the hotel along Waikiki beach. It is beautiful here but crowded, and we both agree that we would not come back to Oahu again. We would more likely return to Maui, which we loved.

Now we're in the room for a couple of hours before we launch our giant car back toward the airport. We'll leave here at 10 pm Hawaii time, and get home tomorrow at 2 pm CST. We've had a great time and are already looking forward to our next trip in November. That will consist of back-to-back cruises totaling 12 days: a 4-day cruise to Key West & Cozumel, then an 8-day cruise to Aruba, Curacao, Dominican Republic and Grand Turk. I'm sure there are still cabins available for both if any of you want to join us!

Sixth port day - Oahu

Today we docked in Oahu; our last port for this adventure. We'll be here today and overnight, disembarking first thing tomorrow morning. Our flight out of Honolulu is not until 9 pm, so we'll have the whole day tomorrow, too!

This morning we picked up another rental car and headed off to drive the island. Started out going west to a snorkel spot that Andrew wanted to try. It was really nice there - small sandy beach and a nice reef (see photo). There were two large sea turtles grazing about 20 feet from the shore that hung around the whole 90 minutes we were there! The only downside to this stop was when we thought we had lost the car keys. After several frantic minutes of searching, we located them with Andrew's cell phone. The guy next to us on the beach said that things always worked out so that the blame could be pinned on the man. I told him that, in this case, there was no question!

Once we recover the keys, we get back in to the car and head north up the center of the island. We drive the north shore and see the surfers and the waves. They are reported to be "small" this time of year but they still looked pretty dangerous to us. We stop at another snorkel beach on the norther tip of the island near the Turtle Bay Resort. We stayed there until it started to rain - oh well we were pretty hungry by then anyway.

Next stop is a place recommended in our guide book - Pinky's Pupu Bar and Grill. I know what you're thinking however, in Hawaiian, pupu means "appetizer". We had delicious crab nachos there!

Finally, back in the car to head back to the port. By the time we return the rental car and get back to the ship it is nearly 6 pm. We packed up all our suitcases in preparation for the morning, and are now relaxing and enjoying our last few hours on board. Tomorrow we're planning to do Pearl Harbor and probably Waikiki Beach or Diamond Head - just because Andrew hasn't been to any of those places and you should do them at least once. We'll try and post more photos tomorrow!

Fifth port day - more Maui

We were up bright and early this morning for a 7 am scuba lesson. We spent about an hour getting our gear fitted (putting on a wetsuit is no small feat!) and doing the lecture & test portion of the event. Afterward, we strapped on what seemed like a hundred pounds of tanks, vests and weights and waddled the 50 long yards to the beach.

It was just the two of us with the instructor, Rachel. Rachel also had Michael assisting her. Michael is a candidate for his Dive Master certification so was apprenticing as part of that process. They were both very friendly and extremely patient! We started out slow as Andrew has had a hard time getting his ears equalized the past two times we have tried this activity. In no time, however, we were down past 20 feet and in the midst of a beautiful coral reef. We saw eels, scallops, puffer fish, box fish, an angel fish as big as our heads, urchins, an octopus, and many other fish we didn't know the names of. We got to touch a sea cucumber, which was soft and a bit slimy.

Certainly one of the highlights was when a 300+ pound sea turtle swim right over to us. Sea turtles are protected animals, so you're not permitted to touch them (fines can be as much as $25,000). You're actually not supposed to be within 150 feet of them, but this turtle either didn't know about that rule or didn't care. He was completely unafraid of us and was in no hurry to pass. He meandered by and, if we would have reached out our arm, we could have easily touched him. We managed to refrain, but it was not easy!

The other highlight was being able to hear the whales singing for much of the dive. We couldn't see them, of course, but we could hear them just as clear as could be. It was extraordinary, to say the least!

In the span of two hours (which seemed to pass in the blink of an eye) we made it to a depth of just a little over 40 feet, which is the maximum depth allowed for non-certified divers. We both had a great time and Andrew had no trouble with his ears, even in the deepest areas. Thanks to Rachel and Michael for being such great instructors! Looks like we'll be getting certified so that we can dive again on our November trip!

Sadly for you readers, there are no photos from this amazing experience. Because we were supposed to be learning, the camera stayed in the car.

Fourt port day - Road to Hana

We took on the challenge of the Road to Hana today. We were in the rental car and on our way by 8:30 am. The sun was finally shining so we put down the top and hit the road!

Mile 1 is breathtaking - the curves and narrowness of the road seemed manageable; traffic is light. We are laughing and joking with each other, giddy with the potential of the day and the beauty of the nature we see!

Miles 2 through 18 or so are also extremely enjoyable, aside from the stress of the driving part. Andrew is a good sport about letting me drive, even though he is clearly terrified most of the time. The top is still down and the sun is warm, but traffic is picking up. We make frequent, but short, stops for photos of one gorgeous view after another. The pictures don't do it justice, I'm sorry to say. At the end of mile 15 it's about 11 am - we stopped for about an hour tops, including a 30 minute hike, and we are still speaking nicely to each other.

Refreshed by our hike and with the promise of being close to Hana, miles 19 through 41 are also fairly pleasant. We see more beautiful waterfalls and a black sand beach. Our energy, however, is starting to fade and we are both thinking about the options for returning to the cruise ship - both less than ideal. At mile 34 we reach Hana and stop for some hot banana bread and a pineapple/banana smoothie made from fruit straight from the tree!

Mile 42 we reach the end of the Road to Hana and the Oheo National Park. Here we trudge a mile to see the freshwater pools fed by waterfalls, and take a few more photos. The beauty of our surroundings are starting to become second place to the fact that we're hot, sweaty and dusty. Humor has been replaced by short, snide comments. We stop to ask the ranger which way back is our best option. Option one is to go back the way we came - narrow roads, lots of traffic and hundreds of hair-pin turns. Option two is to continue south which will eventually take us through the center of the island and back to the cruise ship. Because we have guide books and have researched our journey, we know that the road ahead has a reputation for being "treacherous", and is actually a "forbidden zone" in our rental car contract. The ranger tells us that we are at the precise mid-point either way, and assures us that continuing on is absolutely the better way back - so we glumly forge ahead. It is now 3 pm. At this point we've stopped for a total of approximately 90 minutes with a couple of short detours down side roads (one of which ended up as a dead end).

Miles 42 to 65 are basically hell. We have moved past a road on to what more closely resembles a wagon trail. It is barely wide enough for one car, yet is purposed for two; and to call it unpaved and rutted would be a compliment. In addition to this, there are cattle everywhere that need to be avoided. We are sun burnt and wind blown, with frazzled nerves. All communication has ceased, for the safety of all involved. It's 4:30 pm when we come to the end of this section of road.

Miles 65 to 90 are a bit better. The road is blacktop again and we are back up to two (narrow, but two) lanes. We are buoyed by the hopes that we will be back in our cabin in the next 60 minutes! We have to make one brief stop on the side of the road to secure the top of our Jeep - which is threatening to blow completely off in the gale-force wind that has come up. Despite this, we make it back to the cruise ship in time for a quick shower and dinner!

We've now both had a cocktail and a good meal, and the beautiful sites of the day are again outweighing the miserable patches. If we were to recommend this particular road trip to someone, we would suggest that you plan to overnight in Hana and drive back the second day. Your spouse and other passengers in the car will, no doubt, thank you for it!

P.S. As a lovely ending to our day, we found a parking spot about 100 yards from the cruise ship! The ship stays overnight in Maui tonight and heads on to Honolulu at 6 pm tomorrow.

Third port day - Kauai

Today we were in Kauai. We realized shortly after we left the ship that we’d forgotten to put the memory card back in to the camera, so words will have to suffice for today.

We picked up another rental car at the airport. We’ve had Jeep Wranglers in every port. Hopefully one day before we leave for home the weather will be nice enough to take the top down! We’ve had very little sun, and today was no exception. This morning we went ditch tubing through an outfitter company. The island has a series of irrigation ditches that were dug to water the sugar cane fields during the 1800’s and they now provide entertainment for the tourists. Our trip was approximately 3 miles of tubing, more than 2 miles of which was through caves. We wore helmets with lights on them and the water ran quite slowly in most areas so it was a nice leisurely trip. After we finished tubing the guides gave us lunch and a tour of the area. The guides were great and there were only about 20 other people on the tour, so we had a really great time!

In the afternoon, we took our own road trip and headed over to Waimea, where we caught our first glimpse of the sun in over a week! We walked for a while along the beach until it was time to get in the car and head back for the ship.

Tonight was the second formal night on the ship; however everyone dresses less fancy than the first formal night. Andrew had escargot and grilled tiger prawns; I had tuna tartare and chateaubriand. Now we’re back in the cabin to relax for a couple of hours before bed. It’s the big singing/dancing show tonight, but we’ll skip that as they are generally not our cup of tea.

Tomorrow we’re on to the island of Maui…

Second port day - Kona

Today we were in Kona. It was a tendered port so it took us about an hour to get off the ship and pick up our car. Then on to Kona Boys Surf Shop to pick up a rental kayak. Once we found the place (we were off with our directions), they loaded up our kayak, gave us a tutorial on the area we were going to, and pointed us in the right direction. The weather here today was overcast and mid-70's, but warm enough to be in the ocean and not so hot that you can't stand to walk around.

We put in Napo'opo'o Beach Park (thanks to the great guys working at the pier who did all the work for us) and set off on the 1-mile paddle across Kealakekua Bay. This is the scared spot where Captain Cook was first mistakenly worshiped as Lono, the Hawaiian god, and then later killed. The area is difficult to get to but offers beautiful snorkeling. We spent about 2 hours there and then headed the mile back to the beach. We're pleased to report that we did not capsize, although our route across the bay was less than direct!

After our work out, we sampled some Kona coffee and then strolled along the street fair that was set up near the pier. We shared a Hawaiian shaved ice and then headed back to the ship. Now it's time to shower and head up for dinner - we're hungry after our big paddle!

First port day - Hilo

First port day today - a much welcomed change after so many days at sea. We docked in Hilo about 7 am and, after clearing immigration/customs and getting a cab to the airport, we were in our rental car and on the road by 9 am. We headed straight to Volcano National Park and hiked around there for almost 4 hours. The lava flows are quite amazing to see! Most interesting was the lava tube/tunnel that you could walk through. It was sunny and about 70 degrees, albeit very windy on that side of the island.

Had lunch at a little restaurant along side the highway - great pizza! Finally, we stopped at the Mauna Loa plant to buy some macadamia nuts and a delicious coconut-macadamia nut ice cream cone! After that it was time to return the rental car and head back to the ship. Tomorrow - Kona (can't wait for the coffee)!

Hawaii trip - final sea day

Today is our last sea day and, while we’re looking forward to getting to Hawaii and seeing the sights, it’s sad to know that the truly relaxing part of the trip is almost over. We did make it to the passenger talent show last night, and even went to watch karaoke before- hand. Andrew was horrified that I knew all the words to every song the over-60 crowd got up to sing; including a three-song tribute to Loretta Lynn. “It’ll be over my dead body, so get out while you can. ‘Cause you ain’t woman enough to take my man.”

After the show ended we did what seemed completely rational at the time – headed up to the Lido deck for a cheeseburger at 11:30 at night. That was likely a mistake in many regards. Not only did I sleep terribly, but I continued the punishment by doing an extra two miles on the elliptical this morning!

We did a couple of loads of laundry first thing this morning. Laundry seemed to be on the agenda of every other passenger on the ship so I would recommend to others that you not wait until the last sea day before a long string of ports. The laundry room is just outside of our cabin and there was a line of at least 2 people pretty much all day long.

There was a period of a few hours today that were finally warm enough to sit out on the balcony in shorts and a t-shirt – hooray! However, as the day progressed the sky darkened and the wind reappeared; gusting to over 30 knots by late afternoon. As I type this, the waves are probably 15 feet plus. They must have put out the stabilizers though, as there is not as much rocking as the first few days when the waves were closer to 12 feet.

Just before dinner we had a visit from a lovely couple that Andrew has been talking about on Cruise Critic. They were celebrating their 50th anniversary and were interested to see our suite and aft-wrap balcony so Andrew invited them down for a tour. They were very sweet and brought us a “Happy 40th” sign for our cabin door, as well as a little bag of treats. Andrew has become quite the celebrity on Cruise Critic – known by “Gar” for his user name “Gargoyle”. He spends a lot of time researching cruises and reading the cruise boards so is able to answer a lot of questions and others have begun to look to him as a fledgling “expert”.

Ok, off to dinner. More tomorrow after our first port day in Hilo!

Hawaii trip - third and fourth sea days

We obviously missed posting anything yesterday. Yesterday and today were pretty much the same as the first and second sea days – a lot of reading and relaxing interspersed by a nap or two, trips to the gym and meals. We did go to a show last night – a trumpet player who played covers of big band songs with a 10-piece orchestra.

Unfortunately, the weather has been less than ideal up to this point. The top temperature has been 74 Fahrenheit and we’ve had a lot of clouds and strong winds. Despite this, there are still many die-hard folks huddled under beach towels on the main decks. We have not spent as much time out as we would have liked. It did finally warm up a bit this afternoon so was warm enough to sit out – although we had to be in hoodies to do it!

Tonight is the past-guest reception - a little cocktail party for people who have sailed Carnival before with free drinks and canapés. We went on our last cruise and had a nice time so will go again tonight after dinner. Then we’ll head off to my favorite show of the whole cruise – the passenger talent (or often, lack thereof) show! Tonight we gain an extra hour of sleep (that will make 5 hours we’ve gained since we left home…a definite bonus) and tomorrow will be our last sea day. It will be nice to get to Hawaii and see the sights, but it’s also been enjoyable to just relax on the ship!

Second sea day

Another early start to the day. Because of the large waves (still 10+ feet today) my 2 mile run on the treadmill was more like 1.5 miles forward and ½ mile to either side to keep from falling off! This morning we had scheduled a behind the scenes tour of the ship, which took us to the bridge, the galley, the laundry and the crew areas. It was interesting to see how everything comes together to work so smoothly for the passengers. According to the captain, we are about 700 nautical miles from the Mexican coast and still have about 1200 left before we hit our first port of Hilo on Saturday.

Tonight was our first “Elegant Night”, which means dressing for dinner. Andrew had lobster tail and I had Spaghetti Carbonara – all delicious, as usual. Nothing else to report tonight and we didn’t take one photos. Cameras were not allowed on the behind the scenes tour due to “security reasons”. Once again we’re looking forward to warmer weather tomorrow so we can finally enjoy the balcony!

First sea day

Our first do-nothing day on the ship. Despite that, we were up our usual 5:30 am! I headed to the gym and Andrew lounged in the cabin. Afterwards, we showered and headed up for breakfast in the dining room. Tried to spend some time on our beautiful balcony, but it’s only about 60 Fahrenheit today with fairly strong winds and 10 foot waves. Even with coats it was too chilly with the wind to stay out long. Spent much of the morning and early afternoon wandering around the ship and reading. Planned to go to a Hawaii naturalist presentation in the afternoon, but I was quite sea sick due to the rough seas so stayed in the cabin instead.

After some medication and a little nap, I was feeling much better so we went to the on-board steakhouse for dinner. The steakhouse is an “alternative” dining venue, and you pay a per-person surcharge to go there. The meal is well worth it! Their lobster bisque is one of the most delicious things I have ever had in my life, and the rest of the food is just as good. Andrew had lobster tail and I had a prime rib chop. Photos show some of the courses; as well as our beautiful aft-wrap balcony.

Now, back in the room to digest and unwind from our hard day of relaxing. Let’s hope for warmer weather and calmer seas tomorrow!

Hawaii Trip - Day 3

Another leisurely morning at the hotel on Coronado. I went for a walk down the beach and watched the triathalon swimmers start. They had some big waves to get through at the start but relatively smooth water after the first 50 yards or so. The announcer said that the water temperature was about 65 degrees, so they were all suited up in thick wetsuits – better them than me in the cold ocean at 7 am on a Sunday morning!

We packed up and headed out about 10 am to return the rental car and were at the cruise port by 11:30 am. There are laws about foreign-flagged ships (the Spirit is a Panama vessel) hitting at least one non-US port, so we need to start our cruise in Ensenada, Mexico. We checked in and then wandered down the boardwalk to Sea Port Village to eat lunch (lovely fresh fish and seafood!) and kill a couple of hours watching the street performers’ fair that was going on. The shuttle buses to Ensenada started leaving San Diego about 4 pm; there were a few small glitches so we got to Ensenada a little later than was expected. Because Carnival only does this particular route once a year, I guess that leaves room for little problems to creep up! One consolation is that we are booked in a suite so have VIP status – translates in to preferential boarding privileges.

Once we were on board we were able to go straight to our cabin, drop off our carry-on bags and head right to dinner. Andrew had duck and I had steak – both were really good! Now we’re back in the cabin and pooped! Attached are a few photos of our suite. Photos of the balcony tomorrow!

Hawaii Trip - Day 2

We started off day 2 of our trip with a 4.4 magnitude earthquake about 2 am – translated for us in to about 15 seconds of bed shaking. Neither one of us have ever experienced an earthquake before – so this baby one was a nice way to lose our earthquake virginity.

We opted for a leisurely morning, and breakfast in the room consisting of fruit and croissant that we bought at a local grocery store last night. Our hotel is really lovely. Our balcony looks out over the bay and the water is less than 50 yards away. The main feature on Coronado is the Hotel del Coronado, which was built in 1888. It is reported to be haunted but rooms start at about $400/night so we opted to wander around the public areas and take a photo of the famous red spired roof.

Headed out after breakfast to the Wild Animal Park – about a 40-mile drive from our hotel. The park is gorgeous with very natural exhibits for the animals. We saw lions, giraffes, gorillas, elephants, and birds. Andrew’s favorite was feeding the deer and the lorikeets; my favorite was the baby elephant who was so tiny next to his mother.

We had dinner tonight in Old Town San Diego at a fantastic Mexican restaurant. Andrew had a lobster burrito that was really great. They also had wonderful fresh-made tortillas! Now we’re back at the hotel for the evening. Tomorrow around noon we check in for our cruise!

Hawaii Trip - Day 1

Today was our first day of a 2-week trip. We flew to San Diego and met Rob, DeAnn and the kids at the zoo. Spent about 6 hours there - we were all pooped by the end! Back to our lovely hotel on Coronado Island to relax. Tomorrow it's off to the Wild Animal Park!