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Published: January 15th 2008
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The four day Pacific crossing was a good time for everyone to settle into the shipboard routine. The ocean was quite unsettled due to the winter storms originating in Alaska. So that meant no swimming pool or paddle tennis. It was a good time to tend to our new passengers and set up dinners and parties for this segment of the cruise. We gave our group the Cruise Specialists’ gifts which proved to be very useful. The fleece jackets were just the thing for the cool weather crossing and the tote bags are very handsome. The office put together a full color calendar which shows our itinerary and a representative picture of each port of call. I can tell at a glance when we will be crossing the Equator and the International Dateline.
We met our new neighbors at the block party and were introduced to some new staff at the Captain’s welcome aboard. We worked on our travel blog and learned more about photo developing. The resident lecturer on board is Sandra Bowern. Her comprehensive talk on Hawaii was really informative and gave us a better appreciation of the Polynesian culture and history.
We steamed up the
Molokai Channel at sunrise and were promptly surrounded by pods of humpback whales breaching and spouting. The whales migrate here every winter from the cold waters of Alaska. They are the original snowbirds. The warm tropical waters are perfect for mating and birthing.
There was one other ship anchored off Lahaina. It was the Diamond Princess. This is the ship on which we sailed for my family reunion three years ago. Thirty of us joined my father and his new wife for a one week cruise of the Inside Passage in Alaska. Just seeing the ship anchored brought back many happy memories of that family get together. We were able to use our cell phones while in Hawaii, so we took advantage of that and made numerous calls to the mainland. Because of the wonderful technology of cell phones, we were also able to contact our friend, Tama who was vacationing in Maui, and arrange a rendezvous in town. With two ships in port, the town was flooded with tourists. Next to the port is probably one of the largest banyan trees we have ever seen. It seems to cover a city block and is the local hangout for
artists, street vendors and visitors. We made a quick stop at the Lahaina Yacht Club and then took Tama back by tender for a tour of our ship. The tour included a hot tub and swim. Tama met some of our shipboard friends and really enjoyed her brief visit to our floating home.
We cruised into rainy Hilo on Saturday morning where the main shore-side activity appeared to be shopping at Wal-Mart. Even the ship’s staff was there stocking up on replacement items and guest requested bits and pieces. Later the food and beverage manager told us that he spent $10,000 during our short visit to Hawaii. We bought a new color printer as ours was acting up. Since this was more or less the last chance to buy “American stuff” the free shuttles to the shopping center were packed with world cruisers.
We went to the farmer’s market which was filled with local arts and crafts, and flowers and produce. We found the best Satsuma tangerines and bought a whole bag for $1. Kevin had a 20 minute foot massage for $17. Hilo is a real town with real shops, not just tourist kitsch. Hilo boasts the
fact that it rains there every day. Thus most of the visitors stay on the Kona side of the Big Island. Passenger ships call on Hilo because it has a dock and is close to Kilauea Volcano. This is an active eruption which has been adding new land to Hawaii continuously for the past twenty five years. We saw banyan trees that were planted by Douglas McArthur, Amelia Earhart and FDR.
The cruise into Honolulu is always spectacular with Diamond Head looming off in the distance, the jagged peaks hanging over the city and the long sandy stretch of Waikiki Beach ringing the shoreline.
Our company is offering private car tours for our clientele. Honolulu was the first port where we had guests taking advantage of this very nice perk. There were three Lincoln Towncars waiting with driver/guides to take the passengers wherever they wished for four hours. So we were on the gangway to assist in their departure. Reports back at the end of the day were glowing. The guests loved having their private tour of Oahu.
Our friends and fellow cruisers, Captain John and Laura, picked us up at the pier and took on us
on a driving tour through Waikiki, past Diamond Head and Hawaii Kai to their favorite Chinese restaurant. Laura was born in Hawaii and they have lived here for many years. So they were great tour guides as we drove past Hanauma Bay, Halona Blowhole and across the dramatic Pali Highway back to Honolulu. We stopped at the National Memorial Cemetery at Punchbowl. There are many monuments and plaques to honor those lost in WWII and the Korean and Viet Nam wars. The lookout from there is spectacular with views of Pearl Harbor, Chinatown, Waikiki, Diamond Head and even our ship.
John and Laura dropped us at the ship where we raced up the gangway to get dressed up for our party at the Governor’s mansion. The cruise line hosted the event at Washington Place and what a job they did. We were greeted at the island/colonial style building by honor guards and given the most beautiful leis we have ever seen. Each one was made up of hundreds of orchids press closely together into this colorful island necklace. We toured the mansion and then were treated to canapés, cocktails and the most wonderful Hawaiian music. Three Hawaiian women called
Puamana, sang all of the traditional songs that we associate with the romance and beauty of Hawaii, which included two of our favorites: “Hawaiian Wedding Song” and “I’ll Remember You.” I could almost feel Don Ho’s presence.
We got back to the ship in time to make a few more phone calls and then to go up on deck for a farewell party. We danced and sang as we made our way out of the harbor and bid Aloha to the enchanted islands of Hawaii.
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Terry Allen
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Kevin and Susan -- the Enchanted
Your life reminds me of the recent movie, The Enchanted, because you two live in a fairy tale If you haven't seen the movie, you should. Thanks for letting me know about your blog.