Carnival Spirit- Hawaii 2004

Vacation Journal Carnival Spirit 4/18 to 1 may 2004
Ensenada Mexico to Hawaii

Visiting the islands of:
The Big Island of Hawaii- Ports of Hilo and Kona
Maui
Kauai
Oahu



18 April- Day 1 Sunday. On the way to the ship.

We left home at 5:15 am. Jason gave us a ride to the airport. Check in went quick, only slightly longer then the last time we flew. Security was good; they found a small penknife in a guy’s briefcase. We were pleasantly surprised that we were sitting together for both legs of the flight to San Diego. Originally we were split on the Dallas-San Diego part. Patti is guessing my complaint calls to Carnival and American Airlines may have fixed it.

We arrived in San Diego about 12 noon local time and went to pick up our luggage. We had put colored headbands looped through the luggage handles on all our bags. It made it much easier to find our bags. A lesson learned from our last trip. Then we went out the door of the terminal to check on busing to the Ship terminal. Even though our ship was leaving from Mexico we still processed in San Diego.

What a mess. There were about 200 people milling around outside the terminal waiting for the busing to the cruise terminal to start. Eventually we were on a bus. The busing for the last cruise in Miami was better organized. Carnival uses the terminal to process the guests. We checked in and got our sail and sign card. It had the dual function of being our room key and our cruise account card. The actual check in went very quick since we had done a ‘pre check in’ on-line before the trip started.

After check in we had a few hours to kill before the buses to Ensenada Mexico were to start, so we went to Seaside Village a waterfront area about ¼ mile from the terminal. Had a few drinks (Patti said the vacation had started!!) and some tacos. It was a pretty area. We walked back to the ship along the waterfront. We walked past the aircraft carrier Midway which is being turned into a museum.

At 3:30 PM we boarded buses and headed south. Ensenada is about 45 miles south of San Diego, about 2 hours by bus. It was only 15 miles to the boarder. Due to a federal law that protects US registered ships, non-US registered cruise ships have to start, end, or visit a foreign port. At the boarder we were treated to the scenic views of the slums of Tijuana. After going further south the view of the coast actually was scenic. The coastline was pretty, if not somewhat scary. Their roads are not quite up to US standards. We did see some very nice seaside villas (gated of course). A seaside condo was selling for about 50 thousand US, but they have an unreliable water and electrical system.

We got to the ship about 5:30 PM. It was cold and windy. We went to our room and found our bags waiting for us. We changed and went to the dining room for dinner. Since this was the first night it was open seating. We shared a table with a couple from Columbus, Georgia and a lady from Kansas. She was traveling alone. He husband of 35 years had passed away a few years ago but she still gets out and travels. Good for her.

Some things are fairly standard on all Carnival ships like nice size staterooms and lots of storage. This time we had a slightly larger than average balcony. We had a King size bed, sofa, table and small bathroom. I will forgo nightly dinner menus and will just say that the food was very good and you could have what ever and as much as you wanted.

We went back to the room to unpack. It was 9:00 PM local time, but midnight for our Ohio body clocks. Patti and I are in the ‘young’ category for this cruise. The average age is in the 60s it seems. Probably because this cruise is a little longer and a little more expensive than others. Patti is asleep now as I write this. The ship was supposed to pull at 9:00 it is 10:00 now. I am not waiting, I’m tired, lights out.

19 April day 2—At Sea. Monday.

Today is still a bit cool. We have heard that after day 2 at sea we will be in warmer ‘tropical’ waters. We woke up at about 6:30 am. It was 9:30 am back in Ohio so we felt like we had slept in. Patti and I went to the breakfast buffet on Lido deck and shared a table with a couple from Tampa Florida. They were nice and we swapped travel stories. We went back to the room and just lounged around till lunch. I brought lunch back to the room. I had picked up a plate of Chinese including Sushi. But… I just could not try the Sushi.

We had a few of the tropical drink specials of the day- ‘The Yellow Bird’. It had banana, orange juice, and rum. The drinks were not included in the trip package, but the cost was not bad. The daily tropical drink specials were only $2.95. We tried our luck in the casino. At one point Patti was up about 75 dollars but gave it all back. It killed a few hours. We went to the photo gallery and looked at the picture of us boarding the ship in Ensenada. It was a good pic so we bought it. Changed, and went to one of the Hot Tubs. We chatted with a couple from San Diego.

Again on this cruise we had the late dinner seating (8:15 PM). We liked it better than the early 5:45 seating because you have more time during the day for doing important stuff like sightseeing on shore and taking naps. Our table was for 3 couples but one couple did not show up. The other couple who did show was Mike and Jacqui who were from Ypsilanti Michigan. They were our tablemates for about 3 nights but then stopped coming. I think Jackie was more of a buffet person.

We went to the after dinner shows. Both were comedy acts. We got some desert at the midnight buffet then off to bed.

20 April Day 3- At Sea. Tuesday.
We woke up and had coffee on our balcony. The sky was clear and baby blue. The sea was totally calm and a deep cobalt blue. It was gorgeous. After coffee, we ate breakfast in the room. Later we went to the Lido deck and listened to some Hawaiian music. The singer who was playing and singing the Hawaiian music had an assistant who did some hula dances to a few of the songs. Went through the grill line for some lunch.

We went back to the room to plan our shore trips for when we got to Hawaii. We were able to book them right on our room TV with the remote control and they were charged to our account. It was pretty easy and convenient. Tonight was formal night so we got ‘fancied up’ for dinner. The dining room is very elegant. It reminded me of what the old cruise ships probably looked like back in the 20s and 30s. It had a curved staircase, murals on the ceilings and crystal (or glass) chandeliers. We had a small orchestra playing while we dined. Patti had Prime Rib and I had a Lobster Tail. OK, I had 2 Lobster tails. Lesson learned from the last cruise—your waiter staff will give you what ever you want. Our Headwaiter was Carlos from Brazil and his assistant was from Croatia. They were outstanding in every way. Carlos was watching for us every night to have the chairs pulled out and always had a smile. He told us often that we were an easy table.
After diner we went to the casino lounge to listen to some country music. The guy’s name was Ed. Most of the night not to many people were paying to much attention to him, but we clapped after every song. I guess a casino is probably not the best place to keep an audience’s attention. At his break, he came over and talked to us. He had been working on Carnival cruise ships for the past 7 years. Patti left for the ladies room and asked for directions. A member of the crew told her there was one just around the corner but it was flooding. Patti said, “Probably not the best choice of words to use on a cruise ship.”

We decided to pass on the Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis tribute in the Pharos’s Theater. About 5 Margaritas and Coronas later- hey we weren’t driving ship, it was about midnight. We went to the Midnight comedy show. It was ok, but nothing spectacular even though our alcohol content was well over the legal limit.

21 April day 4- At Sea. Wed.
We had ordered room service for breakfast and lounged around the room. We went up to the grill on lido deck and had Mexican food for lunch. Very good tortilla soup and tacos. Then we went up to the sun deck and soaked up some rays for about 30 minutes. Next we went to review pictures again in the picture gallery. They constantly are taking pictures of you hoping you will buy them all. We were very selective.

We played cards in the room. At about 5pm the decks start to clear out due to some leaving for the early dinner seating. Although it was never really crowded we did like having a hot tub to ourselves if we could. We dressed for dinner. We met Jim and Goldie an older couple from Utah who live near Lake Powell. He is a retired schoolteacher. They had been at a table all-alone for the cruise and wanted to meet some new people so they were seated with us. They were very nice and we enjoyed spending time with them. At dinner I asked Carlos if the Australian Lamb was good. He said it was, but he wanted me to try the center cut fillet mignon- so he brought me both. They remember how you like your beef cooked and after the first night never asked again.
The 10:30 PM comedy show was Norm Crosby. I have seen him on TV. He mainly played well with the over 60 crowd. (No offense if you read this MOM!!!). We turned the clock back another hour as we continued to head west to Hawaii.



22 April day 5-at Sea. Thurs.
We woke up at 6:45 AM due to the time change. Got dressed and went up to Lido deck for the breakfast buffet. Afterwards we put on our swimsuits and went to the pool area and did some hot tubbing and got in the pool. We had got into warmer seas and the air was warmer too. We had the pool to ourselves most of the passengers probably still thought it was cool. The water for the pools was pumped right from the ocean each morning. The bar opened at 10. Not wanting them to stand around with nothing to do, we kept our account active.

The ships Captain was Italian. Every day at noon he would make an announcement over the intercom giving us the weather and ship’s position. He came on today and said, “Well here we are…our fourth day at sea and we are still out in the middle of nowhere.” We went to the buffet for lunch and sat and enjoyed the view. It was something we never tired of doing. At the Buffet we stood in line. The lines were usually short, only about 6-7 people. A lady pushed her way right to the front and told Patti, “I am from Reno, we don’t do lines.” I told Patti later you should have told her. “I’m from Ohio, we’ll kick your ass for line jumping.” Oh well, it was a thought.
We watched the ships version of the TV game show ‘Survivor’ with contestants from the ship. One of the assistant Cruise Directors was the emcee. We actually got regular TV in the stateroom via satellite from all the major networks. We played some cards in the room then dressed for dinner.

Tonight we had dinner reservations in the Nuevo Supper club. It was an extra charge to our account of $25 each. I guess it would be like dining at a 5 star dinner club in New York or something like that. So for 50 bucks we were big time for one night.

The dining salon was very elegant and I had reserved a window seat with a view of the ocean. The place settings were fine china on an embroidered linen tablecloth. We got to choose what kind of bottled water we wanted with our meal (we declined the wine list). The bottled water was chilled like Champaign in a bucket tableside. For appetizers I had an excellent Shrimp cocktail and Patti had French Onion Soup. The next course was a complimentary appetizer from the chef. It was chilled asparagus soup and a black olive hor derve. I liked the soup. Next came the salads and a bread tray with a choice of 3 butters Garlic, truffle, or Paprika. In between courses they came and brushed up any crumbs with a little brush/scrapper.

The hostess presented the entrée choices to us. She brought a cart to the table and showed all the cuts of meat and how they were prepared. Patti and I both ordered the Porterhouse. It was 24 ounces and melted in your mouth. The presentation of the food on the plates was very impressive. For desert Patti had a flourless chocolate cake which was very good and I had “trio of crème brulee”. We thought we were finally done but next we had round 2 of dessert. The Hostess brought us a tray of chocolates courtesy of the dining staff. Chocolate covered strawberries and little hand made treats. We were so stuffed already. I made a token gesture of trying a few pieces. It was good, wish we could have asked for a doggy bag!

Stuffed to the gills we waddled to the magic comedy show at 10:30. Then to bed to sleep off that dinner. Our room steward had made a hanging monkey from towels and washcloths that were hanging in the room. It was cute and we left it up till the end of the cruise.


23 April day 6. Last day at Sea. Friday.
We slept in till about 9:00 AM. We went to the breakfast buffet then to a presentation in the Pharos’s lounge about shopping opportunities in the different islands. We played a bingo game for a free cruise and lost-Damn! Did some shopping in the one of the gift shops on board. Had lunch at the New York deli. The sandwiches were outstanding. Patti had a turkey roll and I had a Ruben. Here is the irony-- 3 guys who were actually from India staffed the New York deli. Shouldn’t it have been the New Delhi deli?

An afternoon of hot tubbing and relaxing. We watched the sun set from the bow of the ship. At dinner our original tablemates from Michigan had quit coming to the dinning room for dinner. But Jim and Goldie were tablemates still, and were so till the end of the cruise. After dinner Patti asked if I wanted to go to the 10:30 show or do something else. I chose something else.

24 April day 7. Hilo Hawaii, the Big island of Hawaii.
An early rise, we got up at 6:00. We had to clear customs. We stood in line for about 40 minutes and finally got down to the pier. There was a group of older Hawaiian Ladies dancing Hula in the terminal. After a short wait we boarded our tour bus. We were on the Volcano’s National Park tour. As we headed out of town we could see Mt. Mona Loa to our right it is over 13,000 feet high and had snow on it.

We stopped at a Macadamia nut farm for some samples and Kona coffee. We drove to the Kiluea Caldera volcano crater rim and drove around the park. It was like being on the surface of the moon. In the past they have actually trained astronauts and tested equipment there. Just after entering the park we stopped at the Thurston Lava tube. It is like walking through a cave. It was made by flowing lave that had the outside layers cool. The insides then flowed out leaving a long tunnel.

We did see an actual erupting Volcano. We were 26 miles from it and could see the smoke coming up. Out Tour guide and driver was a Hawaiian lady-she was a riot. She kept saying that they got more ‘bonus points’ for running over Japanese Tourists than statesiders. She Said the Japanese were smaller and faster. She also warned us not to remove any rocks from the volcano because it will anger Madam Pele the goddess of fire who lives in the volcano. She did not relate this to us a folklore-- but as fact. The story goes that if you take a rock you will suffer bad luck. I guess every year lots of rocks are mailed back to the park. That was good enough for us. No rocks from the volcano in our baggage.

We went to the Jaeger museum at the park. There was a warning sign that
said, “ Warning fumes may be fatal.” Not every day you see a sign like that. On the way back to the ship she drove us through her town to show us were she lives. The Hawaiians are very proud of their Islands.

That night Patti and I sat on our balcony (with the tropical drink special of the day). And enjoyed the view as we pulled out of port. We were docked next to a Holland America Cruise Ship. The view leaving port was very pretty





25 April day 8. Kona, the Big Island of Hawaii.

Over night the ship had sailed to Kona, which is on the other side of the big island. Patti and I did not book any tours for this port. Our plan was to just do some shopping. Kona is a small town and their pier is not large enough for cruise ships. We had to be ‘tendered’ to shore. The cruise ship lowers some of its big motorized lifeboats down and uses them as shuttles. These boats carry about 150 people at a time. It did take a while to get to shore.

Our tender number was called around 11:00 am. The tender was pulled up against the ship, but there were swells. It took timing and a big step to board the tender. Once we got to the pier there were free shuttle buses to the stores. Kmart had a shuttle bus so we decided to go there. We did some souvenir shopping and used a pay phone to call the kids. I put the calls on my credit card.

W next took the shuttle to an outlet store. When we went to pay our credit card was declined. That was scary. She had called the credit card number and I had to talk to the people. After I answered questions they told me my card had showed unusual phone charge activity and they froze the account. It had been used 4 times from Hawaii in a short period. I explained the charges were ok! I guess it is good that they watch for stuff like that.

We made it back to the ship for a late lunch and a few drinks in the Artist’s lounge. Lots of artwork on display. We had the lounge to ourselves. On a ship of almost 3,000 people it is not hard to find a place to have to yourselves. Back to the room, Patti took a nap and I read my book on the balcony.

Tonight at dinner Carlos sat with us for a few minutes afterwards. He mentioned his Mom getting on him for not calling. He said he is the ‘baby’ in the family and gets spoiled when he goes home. Mom makes him his favorite- pasta with fried eggs on top. His dream is to open his own restaurant some day in Brazil. We decided to get Carlos and his assistant phone cards as an extra thank you along with the tipping we added to our account.

We went to the 10:30 show with Jim and Goldie. It was a ‘Salute to the Temptations.” They are a group from Las Vegas and were pretty good. Went back to the room and sat on the balcony. A full was moon reflecting off the water. A nice way to end the day.

26 April day 7. Maui.

On to the next island. The ship traveled over night and again we woke at the pier. We took a taxi to Thrifty rent a car by the airport. It was only about a 10 minute trip. We had reserved a Dodge Neon but we got an inexpensive upgrade to a Jeep Wrangler convertible top. We left with the jeep and drove over to the heliport on the other side of the airport for our helicopter flight with Air Maui. We had booked this ourselves in advance over the Internet and phone. It was rained out!! Rainsqualls were moving our way. We drove over to the resort town of Laihna on the SW part of the island and spent the day doing some souvenir shopping and sight seeing. The drive along the beach was nice. It did start to rain so we were not able to put the top down.

After shopping and lunch at Burger King we drove pack to the ship. We found a spot for the rental car next to the pier. We ran into Jim and Goldie who said the Luau was cancelled for the evening due to rain. We rescheduled for a different luau in a few days in Honolulu. We found out later that Carnival was fibbing; they actually cancelled because they did not reserve buses to get us there. Hummmm! This was the only day of the vacation that was impacted by rain, but we were disappointed.

We went to bed a little early this night because we were getting up at 2:30 AM to drive up the volcano to see the sun rise.

27 April day 8. Maui—2nd day
2:30 AM, we got dressed and grabbed blankets and a robe from the room. We were told it would be cold at the top of Mt. Haleakala an extinct volcano. The summit we were driving to was at 10,000 feet. We stopped at a gas station for coffee and donuts then headed out. The base of the volcano was about 12 miles from the ship. Then we started up the mountain. It is switchbacks and hairpin turns taking 29 miles of roads to go up. The Mountain is a national park. It took almost 2 hours to go the 29 miles. Our average speed was only about 15-20 mph.

About half way up I looked up and saw a bright light. I said to Patti, “Look, a plane.” She said, “No--look, a car.” She was right. It was a car a few miles ahead of us on a switchback. It was so high up it almost looked like a plane. We got to the summit about 4:30 AM. There was no moon. We saw one of the most awesome things I have ever seen in my life. The night sky was like a painting--so clear and bright. We felt like we could reach out and touch the stars… the Milky Way… the big dipper.

Words simply cannot describe it. It was an unforgettable life experience. Mark Twain had made the same visit to Haleakala in 1866 and wrote, “ The sublimest spectacle I ever witnessed…and the memory of it will remain with me always.” I agree with Mr. Twain.

It was cold! About 32 degrees with wind gusts to about 35. It was so dark that when we got to the parking lot and turned off the headlights we could not see anything but the stars. Not even our hands in front of our face. Gradually our eyes got use to it and we could see a walkway. I went to check it out straining to see the steps. It led to an enclosed observation room with glass all around. I was so out of breath. I realized it was probably due to low oxygen levels. Later we were able to see a warning sign for actually that.

We were the 2nd car to show up. Over the next hour the lot slowly filled. The sky slowly turned to a dark gray and the stars were harder to see. The late arrivals really missed the stars. Bit by bit we were able to see better and noticed the sun staring to rise above the clouds. It is an odd sight to watch the sun rise and look down on it as it comes up from the clouds. The sun rose at 5:56 AM.

Once the sun was up we noticed a small weather station and observatory. This area was used as a radio center during WW2. The drive down the mountain went a bit faster. But it was also a little scary. We could see how high we were. We saw a Hawaiian Goose called a Nene (nay-nay). It is unusual to see one since they are now rare.

Down off the mountain we drove to the airport. Our helicopter flight was rescheduled for 8:30…. But it was still rainy down below the clouds. We rescheduled again for 2:00 PM. This would be our last chance because the ship was leaving port at 6:00 PM. We got back to the ship and took a long nap.

Sunshine! We woke up grabbed some lunch and headed back to the heliport. It was a go! The itinerary of the flight was changed with our ok due to part of the island still being rainy. We were supposed to fly the north coast and the volcano crater. Instead we flew the South coast and crossed the channel to the island of Molokai. Molokai was an extra island we would now be able to see- at least from the air. We were given little life vests to make us feel better if we crashed into the ocean. About all they would do would be to make it easier to find the bodies!! The helicopter held a pilot and 3 couples. When the ground crew lady was seating us she asked if Patti and I were newlyweds. She said, “ No, we have been married for 27 years!” All views were good. Patti and I were seated in the right rear side, Patti had a window seat. We were on headsets so we could hear the pilot’s commentary. The flight was being video taped and had Hawaiian music playing when the pilot was not talking.

Airborne, we cleared the airport traffic and headed down the coast. It was a smooth ride. The pilot was good and talked about what we were seeing. We crossed the channel to Molokai and started across that island. It was only 12 miles over. He pointed out a big cattle ranch to Patti and told her those brown blobs were cattle-“Pee Pees” in Hawaiian. The Hawaiian word for hor derve is “PooPoo”. So… before dinner you can ask your Hawaiian waiter for a “PeePee PooPoo”.
As we got close to the west coast of Molokai the pilot –Capt Kirk, said, “As we cross over the top --what ever you do… don’t look down.” So of course we all look down.

We were seeing the cliffs of Molokai. A 1500-foot sheer drop-off covered with waterfalls cascading down to the ocean. Lush and green. The recent rains had made the waterfalls very full. For the second time in one day I saw something I will never forget. The only way to see this is by air. There are no roads and from the see you do not get the view. We then flew up a valley and saw another waterfall of about the same height.

Back across the Channel to Maui Capt Kirk said he was going to fly us through some valleys that are not usually free of clouds. The “Valleys of the Gods” were named because Hawaiian priests were buried there in the ancient days. When a priest died the flesh was removed from the bones and were wrapped in cloth. Then a “deserving” villager was chosen. His job was to be lowered into the valley to bury the bones in a cave as a secret. He pulled on the rope to be lifted back up. Almost to the top, the rope was cut and he fell to his death protecting the burial location.
What a flight!! After landing we could not get the smiles off our face. It was amazing! Even the video did not come close what it was actually like. I would recommend a helicopter flight in Hawaii to anybody who visits

28 April day 9. Kauai.
Another new island to visit. We had booked an island tour- the ‘Hanalei adventure’. Hanalei made famous in the song Puff the Magic Dragon. The beach was also the setting for ‘South Pacific” and John Wayne’s ‘Donavan’s reef”. Our first stop was at a Guava plantation. Free samples to try. Patti had jam and I tried a guava salsa. Both were good and we purchased a bottle of the jam to take home. I got a Guava Sherbet ice cream cone, which I though was pretty darn good until I tried Patti’s vanilla Macadamia nut. No fair!! I wanted hers. Man, that was good. She got tired of my pitiful look and shared some.

We drove through the countryside, which was typical Hawaii-lush green. Patti liked the Umbrella or “Monkey Pod” trees. Went past the Princeville PGA golf course. Where were my clubs? I have seen worse places to lose golf balls.

We got to Hanalei and went to the beach and the drive pulled in for about 40 seconds then pulled out. We were thinking, “What the hell? This beach was supposed to be one of the highlights. He pulled into a little shopping center about 5 minutes away for a 30 minute break. We were all asking the driver why we did not stop at the beach. He said he would take us back after break. It turned out his favorite ukulele shop was there and he wanted to hang out. After finally getting our pictures of the beach we continued our sightseeing. We stopped at a valley overlooking some taro fields. Taro is what the famous poi is made from. Hawaiian legend says that the Hawaiian people themselves were made from poi. Thick poi is better than watery poi. Our tour guide explained poi etiquette, “Really good poi is thick and you use one finger to eat it. Average poi takes 2 fingers. If it takes 3 fingers- you are a cheapskate!”

We drove along the mountains on the way back to town. We stopped at a waterfall that was next to the road The water fall was mostly hidden and going by at 50 miles an hour you would only see it for a split second. Since we had no cars behind us our driver slowed and stopped. Which surprised a young lady who was posing naked in the waterfall for her boyfriend. She was all bent hover covering herself up-- surprise!!

We stopped for a picture of Gorilla Mountain. It looks like the head of a gorilla and is seen in the opening of the first Indiana Jones movie. (True, we checked when we got home.) Next, we drove pass the sleeping giant mountain. Hawaiian legend says he was an actual giant who fell asleep on top of the mountain. When local warriors saw invading canoes coming to the island they threw rocks on him to wake him up. It startled him and he shook the rocks high into the sky, which landed in the harbor scaring away the invaders. Unfortunately he also choked on the rocks turning him into part of the mountain. The mountain looks like a giant lying on his back. Our tour guide liked pointing out that the silhouette of the male giant was anatomically correct…he just wasn’t ‘giant’ in all areas. The tour guide also said, “If islanders were to feed him enough poi he will return to life,” then adding, “I guess he will stay a mountain… Poi is expensive.”
We drove to the Wailua River and saw Opelaka Falls. It is not one of the tallest, but it is one of the widest and made a nice back drop for some pictures.

Back to the ship and had some German food for lunch. Then nap-nap time. Naps are wasted on the young I think. When we woke up we sat on the balcony with a few drinks as the ship left port. We were sad because this is the last time we would see the ship leave port. In the morning the ship will be in Honolulu and we will end up there.

Tonight we had our last dinner in the dinning room. We said goodbye to Carlos. It was our last dinner because in Honolulu we will be going to a luau for the last night. We went to the 10:30 show with Jim and Goldie. It was a hypnotist show. I volunteered to be one of the folks on stage. I would describe it as being in a very relaxed state. You do know all that is going around you. I was ‘surfing’ on stage and danced with another guy. Patti said it all was hysterical. After the show we said our goodbyes to Jim and Goldie in case we did not see them again.

29 April day 9. Honolulu day 1.
We booked the “Natural Highlights” tour of the island of Oahu. We drove along Waikiki beach to Diamond Head. The inside of the crater is a state park. We walked around and took some pictures. During WW2 it was used as an observation and artillery battery by the Army.
Next we went to Hanauma Bay. The water was so clear you could see the coral reef and the floor of the bay. Continuing along the south coast, we went to Blow Hole. If the tides are coming in just right the water goes through a hole in the coral and shoots up like a geyser. We happened to get lucky and got a picture of it. It only did it once while we were there.

We stopped at another beach and walked out to the surf. Patti took a picture of me; and the colors- shades of blue with the sky and water and the white sand made a nice picture. The next stop was at an ancient archeological site. It was a former war temple. These sites are called haneaus. They were also safety refuges. If you committed a crime and made it to one of these spots and stayed there for 3 days you were purified and free to go.

Our tour guide-Kinoa, was actually a travel ambassador for the state of Hawaii. Carnival had hired him to work our cruise. He was very good and explained the sites, culture, plants and animals. He also made a very cool bird from a coconut frond. He learned how to make it from his Grandfather when he left for college. His Grandfather said that it symbolized that ‘no matter where ever he went in life… Hawaii would always be his home.’

Our last stop was at Kooluai Mountains. The pass connected the leeward (south) And windward (north) sides of the island. Back to the ship for lunch and to rest up for the luau.
The Paradise Cove luau was on a 12 acre beachfront estate. An old Hawaiian family had owned it. The luau lasted about 6 hours. Our escort to the luau was on the bus with us. A popular expression in Hawaii is ‘cousins’. The locals call everybody cousin. When we got on the bus Lahani introduced herself to us. She said there are only 2 kinds of cousins: the good-looking sexy cousins and the ugly cousins. She said since we were the only bus of good looking sexy cousins, all those on the other buses must be the ugly cousins. So, of course she told us to make faces at them of as the luau buses would pass each other. Being a busload of older mature adults we of course did what she asked. Well, she was right; we were the sexy good-looking cousins.

When we got there we had very nice Hawaiian red and white flower leis placed on our necks. We had our picture taken with a male and female Hawaiian dancer. The half dressed young guy seemed to standing awful close to Patti!! There was a village of huts and crafts to resemble samples of life in the Polynesian islands including Hawaii, Tahiti and Samoa. Our Luau package also included unlimited mai ties. We watched craft displays, had a mai tie, played some games, had more mai ties, and took a very short ride in an outrigger canoe, had more mia ties.

We went to the “Imao” which is the ceremonial unearthing of the roast pig. They had 4 of the dancers showing us displays of the food we would be served. They asked for a volunteer taste tester. I was sitting front row, and yes I raised my hand. They picked me, the chubby white guy. I guess they though I would make a good food taster. I tried some of the poi- It was the ‘2 finger’ thickness. It was ok. but does not have much of a taste.

At dinner we had a salad plate with garden salad, macaroni salad (big in Hawaii) and Salmon salad, which is raw salmon, onions and tomatoes. I tried it and it was ok. The entrée plate had roast pork, fried chicken and baked fish. For desert we had coconut Jell-O, fresh pineapple and coconut cake.

While we were eating there were dancers on stage doing hula and fire dances. The asked for volunteers from the audience who wanted to learn to hula. Being that the unlimited mai ties had not gone to waste, I again volunteered. I am not bad-- 2 steps left…2 steps right, turn… raise arms… circle hips.

They played the Hawaiian wedding song and Patti and I slow danced to it. We had a good time and got back to the ship around 10:30 PM. We went out onto our balcony and tossed our leis into to the ocean. Hawaiian folklore states that if someone gives you lei and you toss it into the sea and it floats to the beach you will return to Hawaii someday. We want to return!!

Well, the bags are packed and in the hall. The journal is updated. Our last night! In the morning we disembark and have some sightseeing ending up at the Airport.


30 May. Honolulu day 12.
We left the ship about 8:30 am. Our first stop was at the Arizona Memorial. We got our group number and waited. It was about an hour and 20 minutes before we were called. They do groups of 150 at a time. Our group was called and we went to the theater for a 20 documentary on the Pearl Harbor attack.

The ride out to the Memorial took about 5 minutes. It was a very solemn experience. Part of Gun turret number 3 was sticking out above the water. And as everyone always comments on, oil still floats to the surface. After visiting the Memorial we boarded the bus for a visit to Punch Bowl Crater, which is a US Military cemetery mostly for veterans of WW2. We were not allowed to get out of the bus due to past vandalism and abuse of some of the grave markers, which is very sad. Next was a city tour of some of the main highlights of Honolulu.

Then the vacation was over! The tour driver drove us to the airport for drop off at the American Airlines terminal. The flight to Chicago took about 8 hours. We landed in Chicago at about 5:50 AM local. Connected to Dayton and got in there about 10:00 AM. Jason, Jamie, and Angel we waiting for us at the Airport. When Angel saw Patti coming up the walkway she ran like a shot to get to ‘Memaw’. Home sweet home.

But… we are ready to take off again!