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!