Day 15 - Final Day and Flight Home

Today started earlier than I had wanted it to; awake before 6:00 and up by 7.  Didn't sleep overly well, but enough to get over being tired.  After showering, we sat around in the room, working on our journals, watching the morning news, and generally doing nothing.  We finally decided we should finish our packing, and evening out the weight in our suitcases.  We had to check out by noon, but we were ready to go by 10.  There wasn't really anything we wanted to do, so we continued to sit around and stay cool in the air conditioned room.

About 11:15, I went down to get the trolley for our suitcases.  It took a while to get the elevator to stop at our floor, but the trolley was just outside the doors when I reached the lobby.  So, back up to the room, load things up, do a final check for anything we may have left, and then back down to the lobby to check out.

That process went pretty smoothly.  They didn't charge us for one of the day's parking, even though I corrected him on the number of days we had parked.  

Oahu Oasis

Our Hotel - 5th Floor Room

The lobby was interesting.  It was open air, with only a roof to keep any rain off.  There were no outside walls, although it was quite private from the street due to a high wall at the street, a high wall/fence at the back, and the building walls around the lobby.  This was the first time we had seen this sort of lobby, and with the temperatures and humidity, it must have been tough working there.  Good thing the wind was blowing a bit to keep things a little cooler.  Perhaps they get used to it, but we found it hot and humid.

Diamondhead Beach

Once they brought our car around, we loaded the suitcases into the trunk, and left.  We didn't know where to go, so we took a drive out to Diamondhead again.  This time, there were some empty parking spaces, so we were able to stop and view the waves crashing in on the beach, and watch some of the surfers riding the big waves in as far as they could.

Diamondhead Surf

We continued on, following the coastline as best we could.  After leaving the hill above Diamondhead, we got down to sea level again and continued following the shoreline in an easterly direction.  We first drove through a very expensive looking area with huge houses on the beach.  This area clearly looked like the more affluent folks in Honolulu/Waikiki lived there.

We came to a community that was called Hawaii Kai (at least that was the name on a number of signs we saw).  We hadn't eaten yet so decided to stop in at a restaurant for lunch.  The place was called Zippys, and it seemed to be a regular sort of place.  Both of us had the clubhouse sandwich which was very good.

Then off we went.  We wanted to continue heading east, but we couldn't get back onto the highway going that direction because there was construction which closed off a lane and they wouldn't let us turn left.  So, after driving around, trying to find a way to get to somewhere we could turn to go the other direction, we decided to just head towards the airport.  I seems that rush hour starts fairly early on that freeway, and we got into some slow-going, bumper-to-bumper traffic.

It was still quite early (about 2:30), so we turned off the GPS and just drove the freeway for a while, before turning off and looking for a gas station. Well,... that was and adventure.  We had no idea where we were (it was a residential area)and we just followed the road, looking for a turn that looked like it may take us to a gas station area.

Rainbow but no Rain

About 45 minutes into this adventure, we decided to go back the way we had come, and try a different direction.  It turns out we should have made the first turn to the left when we got to a light, rather than go straight ahead.  We went down that road for a short while and things started looking more commercial.  We rounded a corner and there was a gas station right there.  Unfortunately, we were in the wrong lane, and could not turn in.  I figured we would find another, but no such luck, so we pulled over and used the GPS to locate something.  She led us to a place where one must have been, but now it is under construction for a new freeway entrance, it appears.  We turned back, and within 10 minutes found a station and filled up.

Even though we had lots of time, we were tired of just driving around wasting time, so we decided to head to the airport to turn the car in.  We got there about 5:00, turned the car in, and caught their shuttle over to the Westjet terminal.  Because they don't open for check-in until 3 hours before flight time, we had to sit outside (the airport is open air, too) in the shade and wait - reading and talking.

Others on our flight were in the same boat, so they started arriving early, too.  It appeared that a number of them were on the same ship as we had been, and they had decided to spend a further 4 days on Oahu, the same as us.

They opened the check-in a bit early, and we got checked in.  We figured it would be cooler, once inside and through security.  Nay, Nay.  It was open air, too, and still hot.  We continued to sweat.

Then, we moved on to look for our gate.  As we got close, I could see that this area was enclosed, and hoped for air conditioning.  This area was air conditioned, so it was quite a relief.  However, they had it turned down quite low, and because we were hot and sweaty, with damp clothes, we got cold, so had to pull out our sweatshirts.  Strange, being too hot one minute, and then getting too cold a short while later.

We couldn't go into our boarding lounge because there was an Air Canada flight getting ready to leave from the same gate, so we went and had a Stone Cold Creamery ice cream, while we waited.  The Air Canada jet left, but we still weren't allowed to go into the lounge until the attendants came and checked our passports and boarding passes to let us in.

Then it was a wait (about an hour) for our plane to get in.  It arrived at about 9:15 (don't know where from) and I assume people got off (we didn't see them).  We were allowed to start boarding at 9:45, and were finally ready to take off, and were in the air by 10:20, expecting to arrive in Vancouver at 7:10.

It is uncomfortable flying at that time, but we had upgraded our seats to ones with more leg room, so at least we had enough room.  I had selected the first row, but the arms didn't raise so we asked if we could move to row 2 (nobody was there).  They let us do that, and we were considerable more comfortable than we would have been in the regular seats.

Going to stay in Abbotsford tonight, and drive home tomorrow, so this is the last installment in the blog for this trip.  We had a great time, the time went by quickly, but we are ready to be home where things are a little bit cooler, and we can sleep in our own bed.

Well, didn't get the blog update done as I had indicated above.  We are now home (got here yesterday afternoon), have unpacked, and are trying to get ourselves adjusted to this "cold temperature".  It actually feels quite good.  I think this should be our last trip for a while, but who knows.

Day 14 - Flea Market and Bubba Gump's

Aloha Stadium

We're getting tired so don't want to do a lot of walking today, but Dawn had seen advertisements for the Flea Market at the Aloha Stadium, so we felt we had to go there. We had driven by the stadium each of the other trips, so likely could have found it without the GPS, but I dutifully punched it in. Strangely, she took us to the same place, but used a different route. We came from the other side, but drove right past the gate where we entered the Pearl Harbor site yesterday.

Flea Market

It cost us $1 each to get in, but the parking was free. It took a while to find a parking spot, but all the way around the stadium was the row of vendors. Lots of the stalls looked alike, and had similar things, but there were a few things that looked pretty interesting.

More Flea Market

One of the shops sold huge cinnamon buns, so I had to make sure we came back to that location before we left. We walked much of the way around the stadium, looking for things of interest, and then on the way back, we purchased some of the things that had caught our eye. After that, it was time to depart.

Corner View of Palace

Our next stop was to look for the Royal Palace. We did find it, but initially couldn't find a place to park. So, around we went until suddenly there were 2 open parking spaces, just outside the gates. We got out, took a few photos, walked around the outside of the palace, but weren't prepared to spend a lot of time walking on a tour. We likely should have, but my foot and legs were bothering me, and Dawn was very hot, so we decided to move on.

Royal Palace

We hadn't eaten today, and not much yesterday, so decided we would eat at a restaurant for lunch. When I asked the GPS for restaurants, we didn't know anything about them, so instead, looked for a shopping center. We found one that was not too far away and went there. It appeared to be in a fairly well-off part of town, and when we walked in, we decided to give Bubba Gump Shrimp Company a try. I had a BLT-Shrimp salad, and Dawn had Fish Tacos. They were both pretty good, but they should have been for the price we paid. Actually, it was fun to go there.

King Kamehameha

Then we decided to head back to our room to watch the Wild Card game between San Francisco and Pittsburgh. It was pretty much a whitewash for San Francisco (8-0), so wasn't much to watch. Not nearly as exciting as last night's game

After the game, we decided to listen to the Blazers game on the internet. Now isn't that lovely. The boys won 3-1 and we heard it all. Now we have listened to games from Waikiki and from Fort Lauderdale. I wonder which one is farther away from Kamloops?

Royal Judiciary Building

We were going to go out and eat at the Irish Pub, but after the cinnamon bun, we weren't hungry, so decided to just get some munchies from the store down the street. Then it was back to the room and kick back for the evening.

Day 13 - Pearl Harbor and Diamondhead

We were up about 7:30 and got showered.  We weren't in any hurry to leave, so sat around until after 10:00.  We worked on our journals, watched the news, drank coffee, and generally stayed cool.  Part of what we were doing was planning our day.  Finally, we decided to visit the Pearl Harbor monument.

Pearl Harbor Entrance

When we left the hotel, we punched in Pearl Harbor Memorial, and off we went. Well, once we got there, the GPS took us to the entrance to the Military Base.  There was a very nice young woman who called me Sir, and seemed quite friendly.  However, she wouldn't let us in.  Apparently, GPS's indicate that people are to go there, but that is not really the place.  She said she got this all the time, and directed us to turn around and go to the next light before turning.  It worked, and we finally got there.

The entrance was much like the Kennedy Space Center, with large parking lots, clean grounds, and lots of directions.  We had to do some thinking and figuring out where to go, and then went to ask an employee about how to do things there.  She sent us to get tickets to the Arizona Memorial first, because that one is free, but there are limited tickets available, and when you get the tickets, you are given a time to go.

Walking to the Missouri

Looking Toward the Stern

Our time was 1:45, so the next stop was to the ticket booth for visiting the Missouri battleship.  This one required a shuttle to get to it, and we had to go back to the Military Base to get there.  Once there, we could board the ship (was it ever huge) and get guided tours.  There were quite a few stairs to get onto the ship, which was a bit of a problem for Dawn (she always worries about holding up those who are behind us).

Looking Toward the Bow

The first stop on the tour was towards the bow of the ship.  We stopped under the huge 16 inch guns so she could tell us about the history of this amazing vessel.  She also spoke about the strength of the guns on this ship.  It was re-fitted to add more modern equipment for "Desert Storm" - tomahawk missles and air conditioning were two of them.  Apparently the first shots fired in that war were from this ship, as a decoy as to where the actual attack was going to take place.

Then it was on to the deck where the Japanese surrender took place, and we learned about this ceremony.  It was quite interesting, and the politics of it were something else.  We were given a few minutes to look around, and view the quarters of the Admiral - very fancy and much bigger than our cabin aboard our cruise ship.

Then it was time to climb some more steps.  Dawn declined to continue, but told me to go ahead.  We moved to the "fantail", towards the stern of the ship, where she talked about a few other things about this ship.  While she was talking, off in the mountains behind her there was a big lightning bolt and a long roll of thunder.  She said this was very rare in Hawaii.  We heard later that there were monumental rains in the mountains that day, but nothing where we were.  Then, she pointed out where we could go down into the interior of the ship.  We were on our own for that, so I took a few photos from the stern area, and then went inside.

Baking Donuts

It was really interesting to see the mess and galley, walk down the hallways, and see various offices.  I was able to see some of the sleeping racks of the enlisted men.  They were small bunks, in crowded corridors.  It must have been very hot and smelly most of the time.

Dental Chairs

The farther I moved towards the bow of the ship, there were tons of these sleeping areas.  Then, the rooms started to get larger, with single beds and desks inside.  I assumed these were for some of the officers.  There were classrooms, places to watch TV, a dentist's office (two dental chairs in there) where they took care of the teeth of the men on board, and a machine shop.

Officers Mess

Then we came to a sign that said "Officer Country" and if the men wanted to go there, they had to have an appointment or a good reason.  These were much better rooms.  They had their own galley (smaller, but well equipped), and then into the mess.  Here the tables had tablecloths, the chairs were individual and looked to be far more comfortable than the enlisted men's chairs, and it was a fairly large room.  I think I would have wanted to be a Senior Officer, rather than an enlisted Seaman.

After that, it was back out to the deck to find Dawn.  She had gone up another level, and when I came out on deck, she was right above me.  We had a laugh and I joined her.  By this time, it was getting close to when we had to board the shuttle to go back for our tour of the Arizona Monument.  I had wanted to go up onto the bridge to have a look, but didn't think I had enough time, so we left.

It turns out that there would have been enough time.  I had the wrong time that we needed to be back on the shuttle.  However, we were hungry (no breakfast) and thirsty, so went to the snack bar.  Things didn't look too great there (mostly pre-made sandwiches, bagged snacks, and drinks), so we just got an ice cream bar and some water.

After we finished those, we moved toward where we had to board the boat to get to the Arizona memorial.  There was a museum on the way, so we went in.  It was more an exhibit of photos and maps than a museum, but we walked through much of it.  One part was the American side, another part was the Japanese side, so it was interesting to read how the Americans were prepared, and how the Japanese got around those preparations.

Then, we went across to wait for the Arizona Memorial tour.  First, there was a 15 minute movie to give the background and history of the Pearl Harbor attack.  There were lots of photos showing the carnage, and it was quite a solemn beginning to this trip across the bay to the memorial.

Arizona Memorial

Arizona Gun Turret and Oil Slick

Then, we boarded the ferry (along with 200 or so other folks) and went across to the memorial (a 5 minute trip).  Once there, we went inside.  It was very plain and very well done, built across the sunken hull of the Battleship Arizona.  Through the openings, we could see some of the outline of the ship, where the turret of one of the big guns was sticking up through the water, and an oil slick which was still leaking from the ship.  There was also a listing of the men who were lost in the ship that day, but it must have been having some updating work done, as half of it was behind tarps.  An interesting practice is that members of the Arizona who were not killed that day, had their ashes interred inside the ship, after their death, if they wished.

After that, it was back to shore, into our car, and we decided to drive to Diamondhead.  That was an interesting drive, but easy for the GPS.  There were lots of different places we could have gone to, none of them looking like they were beaches, so we punched in a Memorial Park.  Well, she got us there, although we thought she was off because it looked like we were in a residential area.  Then, as we rounded a corner, there was a turn to go into the park, which we took.

Looking Down from Diamondhead

It was a narrow winding road that went up the hill.  Then we went through a tunnel, and there was another park that didn't look to exciting, although we could have gotten out and climber another 1000 feet to a viewing area up there.  Nope, we decided not to go, so turned around and headed back down.  Just after we exited the tunnel, there was a viewing area, so we pulled in to look down on the breakers coming in to the beach.  It was quite spectacular to see, but it was hot so we just took a couple photos and moved on.

Lifeguard Station

We decided to continue on the way we were going when we arrived, and got into some very expensive looking places (the cars parked outside the fences were Mercedes type cars).  When we could see between the houses, the view was amazing.  Huge breakers coming in on the beach.  The farther we went, the closer we got to the water, and the waves looked pretty big.  We came to a park where we finally found a place to park, and we walked over to the beach area.  There were certainly lots of people lying in the sun, but it was too hot for us, so we took a few photos and then continued on.  

It appeared that we were close to the beach at Waikiki and when we punched in our hotel, we were pretty close.  Amazing.

Middle School

By then, we were beat, so we went back to the hotel and took the rest of the evening off.  We watched the wildcard game between Oakland and Kansas City.  When we turned it on, Oakland was up 7-3, 

but the Royals kept coming back.  In extra innings, they finally won.  It was a pretty exciting game, and a real downer for Oakland.

eal downer for Oakland.

Day 12 - Honolulu and Disembark the Ship

Didn't sleep very well at all.  I felt like I was awake for most of the night.  Perhaps it was because I knew we had to be awake early to get out of our room by 8:00, perhaps it was because the ship was rocking and rolling around on our trip to Honolulu, or perhaps I was excited.  Regardless, I was tired in the morning, and grew more tired as the day advanced.

The alarm went off at 6:15, and we were showered and ready to leave by 7:20.  Pretty quick for us, after the past 10 days.Up to the buffet for our final breakfast - no waffles for me today - just something light - fruit and a couple pastries.

Then we exercised our rights as Platinum card holders to go upstairs to the Pacific Lounge to wait for our call to get off the boat.  That came at 8:20, and we went down to deck 4 to get checked out and leave.  We had booked a shuttle bus to the airport so we could pick up a car there, so we collected our luggage, boarded the bus, and were finished with Princess.

At the airport, the test is to get to the car rental locations.  The bus driver gave us directions, but never having been here before, it is difficult to understand what someone is telling you.  Finally, we got to the location where we then had to call for a shuttle to take us to the rental location.  Everything worked out - our car was ready, we upgraded to a larger car so our bags would fit, and then had to figure out how to get out of the parking lot - another test of wills because event though we had our GPS, there was quite a bit of construction and the roads didn't necessarily run where GPS Jill wanted us to drive.

Finally we got out of the parking lot and onto the freeway.  We headed toward our hotel to see how to access it.  It took about 20 minutes to get there, and as we drove past, we now knew where to go (well the GPS did).  Then we found a place to stop and looked for something interesting to do.  I punched in Waikiki Beach, and had her take us there.  We went through a very expensive shopping area (Gucci, Louis Vutton, Victoria's Secret, etc) which is very close to our hotel, and then went to the beach, just a few blocks away.  It was beautiful to see, but there wasn't any place for us to park.

The Dole Plantation

So, on to plan B.  We punched in the Dole Pineapple Plantation, and went there to see it and to taste fresh pineapple.  That was about a 40 minute drive, towards the mountains and the rain that was clearly falling there.  When we arrived, it had stopped raining, and the sun was coming out.  There wasn't an admission charge, but it was pretty commercial inside the store.  We walked around, looking at the things that were for sale, and ended up by a booth where they were giving away free pineapple samples.  Boy was it delicious.

Growing Pineapples

Train Ride

Then we went outside and paid for a ride on the small train that took a short, 20 minute tour around the plantation.  It was quite interesting and took us through areas marked as sugar cane fields, pineapple fields, banana fields, and various parts of the gardens around the site.  It was interesting to learn about the red soil (decomposed volcanic ash that had lots of iron in it), how pineapples were planted, the growing process, and the harvesting process.

Our purchase to eat

Young Pineapples

At the end of the ride, we walked through a small garden area with various types of pineapple.  We were able to see some pineapples growing, and how they fall over when too heavy, and are ready for harvest.  Then we went back into the shop and purchased some pineapple to eat.  It was cold, and very sweet.  What a treat.

Garden in the Plantation

After that, it was back to the city.  We again tried to visit Waikiki beach, but it was just as busy, so we couldn't go. I was really tired, and needed to get back to the hotel for a rest.  Our hotel is only a few blocks from the beach so it didn't take long.  We went in, and rested for a while.  It was nice to get my shoes off and cool off my feet.  So we sat there and watched the rest of Sunday Night Football.  Boy, Dallas really hammered New Orleans.

Neither of us had eaten since breakfast and were starting to get a bit hungry.  We didn't know where any restaurants were near us, so I went down to look around the hotel to see if there was something.  The hotel itself has a Japanese restaurant, but I wasn't overly excited about the menu.  There is a Korean restaurant, around the corner and down the alley, but it looked pretty seedy to me.  There was a bar a half a block away, and it looked like it had some decent choices on the menu.  Across the street was another bar, this one Irish.  It also looked pretty good.

We decided to go to the bar on our side of the street.  The food was pretty good, and it was certainly much more than we needed, despite how hungry we were.

After that, it was back to the room to work on the computer before going to bed.  Got some emails read, wrote some of the blog for the day, and then couldn't take it any longer.  Sleep was calling and off I went.

Day 11 - Nawiliwili, Kauai

The night was very rough.  I woke up a number of times, and it felt like we were bouncing around a lot.  Finally things calmed down, and we were in port.  I wish I had been awake to see how he brought the ship in, because we we are in a very small area, and got there through a very tiny channel with lots of tight turns.  I will sure be watching to see how he takes us out.  This is an interesting port.

Out on our deck, it was already quite warm.  When the captain came on the PA at about 8:30, it was already 30 degrees C, and there were showers happening.  While sitting out on the deck, it started to rain, and just poured for about 10 minutes.  I'm sure happy that we were here, and not out walking somewhere.  Once it stopped raining, we got ready for breakfast, and went up to the buffet.

I had waffles again, this time with strawberries and whipping cream.  I am getting tired of them, so will likely have something else tomorrow morning, for our last breakfast on board.  Once we were finished, we decided to go up to the Pacific Lounge on the 10th level.  We hadn't been there before, and were pleasantly surprised.  It was a large lounge at the bow of the ship, with views of where we had come from and the ocean waves - still blowing and very wavy out there.

Surfers Waiting for their Wave

Beautiful Beach

Beach Hotel

After about 20 minutes just sitting in those comfortable chairs, we went back to our cabin to get ready to go into town.  We caught a shuttle to a nearby shopping centre, and spent some time walking around, looking in shops and sitting by the beach.  Wow, it was beautiful.  There were some young kids near us, working with their wave boards, and out farther, there was a much larger group of older people, riding surfboards, paddleboards, and outrigger canoes.  They were waiting for many of the larger waves to ride, and it looked like a lot of fun.  This beach was right in front of the Marriott Hotel, so this would certainly be a nice place to visit.

We did some more walking around, looking in some more shops.  Then, we did our bit to help the economy, and after that, it was back to the ship.  We were back before lunch.  We had to start packing today, so that is likely what we will be spending the afternoon doing.

After we were packed, we hung around the room, waiting for dinner time to arrive.  For our last dinner, we had a really nice time.  Our whole table group showed up, and we spent some time chatting about what we had done.  It was Donna's birthday, and the bottle of champagne that Princess had given us, was broken open for everyone to sip.  She received a couple birthday cards and a small gift of a seahorse pendant (she really likes seahorses).  For dinner, many of us ordered the roast turkey with all the trimmings.  It was pretty good, and Ernesto, our head waiter, kept talking about it being Thanksgiving.  After dinner, the desert was special.  The chef and his staff had made Baked Alaska for everyone, and there was a parade with them showing off their wares to all of us.

Donna and Marlene

Steve and Margaret

We had never tried it before, and it was good.  The meringue was too sweet for me, but the cake and the ice cream were fantastic.  The pieces were pretty big, despite our plate having to feed 3 tables (18 people).

Scott and Kathy

After that, it was time for goodbyes and hugs all around.  Then back to our room.  We weren't interested in going to the final show, so we stayed in our room to watch TV, and try to use up our internet minutes (wasn't able to).  Then off to bed.

Kristina and Ernesto - Baked Alaska

Day 10 - Kahului, Maui

Awoke this morning after a fairly rough night.  the waves were pushing our ship around quite a bit, but when we woke up, we were pierside at Kaului.  One thing about the ports is that they aren't great places for tourists to sight-see.  We were beside a big barge that was being unloaded and then re-loaded with shipping containers.  It was interesting to watch that process over the day.  They use big forklifts to lift the containers, and it is amazing to watch those guys drive them.

Stern of our Ship

Starbucks in Kahulia

We went for breakfast at about 8:30.  Waffles again.  By the time we were finished, I was very full (and starting to get tired of waffles).  Back to our cabin to clean up (have to wash that syrup off my hands), and then down to deck 3 to disembark (a nautical term meaning "get off the boat" ;-)).We found a free shuttle to a shopping center, so took it.  It was about 5 miles from the ship, so it would have been a fairly long walk.

This place had a Sears and a Macys, but we weren't looking for stores like that.  We walked around the mall for a while, not seeing any stores that were of interest to us.  Within half an hour, we were ready to head back to the ship, so we waited for the shuttle outside a Starbucks.

Back at the ship, there wasn't much going on.  We were facing away from the pier so couldn't see much there, but that barge was still there, still being loaded.  Just as we arrived back at the ship, a barge that had been being loaded in front of our ship was just leaving.  This one had a big crane on it, which they used to load the containers.  It would have been interesting to watch that one.

I didn't feel much like doing anything, so went out on our deck to read.  The wind was blowing fairly hard, and there was now shade for our chairs, so it was quite pleasant.  Dawn went up to the pool deck to read and work on some crossword puzzles, so we had some "apart" time for much of the afternoon.  I was very sleepy, but in spite of that, I don't think I fell asleep.

Pushing on our Ship

About 4:30, we heard the big tug starting up, so went out on the deck to watch.  Turns out it was a woman who was driving that boat.  We were supposed to sail at 5:00, so I assume the purpose of the tug was to ensure that when they started throwing off the ropes, the ship wouldn't blow away.  She stayed very close, until almost 5:00, and then moved to just under our deck,, put her nose on our ship, and powered up.  It sure sounded like they were very powerful engines.

Guarding us From the wind 

She stayed that way for about 10 minutes, then backed off a bit, and then we were moving.  The tug moved with us as we moved out into the channel.  The wind was still blowing strong, and she stayed with us until we had cleared the channel, and then back to her dock she went.  We started bouncing along.  It was very rough, and we were starting to get some of the spray from the bow hitting into the waves.  

Rough Seas

Then it was time for supper, so down we went to the dining room.  We both had port roast.  It was the meal that we least liked, of all those we had this trip.  There was nothing wrong with it.  It just wasn't spectacular.

After dinner, we headed back down to the Cabaret room to watch the evening show.  This was another musical/dance show with the young singers and dancers.  The music was Motown, and the show was called Motor City.  They did a great job, showing lots of energy and excitement.  We very much enjoyed this show.

Kahalui Coast

After 45 minutes (which went by very quickly), it was over and we returned to our room.  I read some more (I'm really enjoying the book), and then it was time for bed.  With the ship rocking and rolling, it was likely going to be a rough night.  We'll see.

Day 9 - Kona, Hawaii

We arrived early again.  About 6:15, there was quite a bit of noise as the tenders were lowered.  Didn't feel much like getting out of bed, but we finally did, about 7:00.

Breakfast as usual.  No waffles today - I thought I would change things up a bit.  We spent about an hour eating and having coffee, and then returned to our room to get ready to go ashore.  When we were ready, it was down to deck 3 to board the tender.  Then off to shore and some more shopping.

View From the Ship

A Shop in Kona

Beautiful Flower

Hotel on the Beach

It was mostly overcast, but still hot - the temperature was forecast to be 28 today, and it felt like it.  It was also very humid.  We caught the shuttle to Hilo Hatties, walked around the store for a while, and then left to walk back toward the ship, and look at other stores that were around.  We looked at a few other stores, and found one we liked, closer to the dock.  Once again, we added to the local economy a bit, and then walked back to the tender, to return to the ship.

Excursion Boat

Once aboard, we got out our laundry to give it a washing.  It was fairly easy to do because the laundry was about 3 doors down the hallway.  We could use our ship card to purchase tokens for the washer and dryer, so we got enough to do a couple loads.  That took about an hour and a half, and we were done.

We lay around the ship for much of the rest of the afternoon, mostly reading and perhaps getting some sleep, too.  We are getting more and more lazy, and it is hard to keep our eyes open.  It is warm and humid outside, so we pretty much stick to the cabin, although I do enjoy sitting on our deck to read, if the sun isn't beating down on me.

Dinner was great again.  It is going to be tough to get home and have to do all the cooking and serving ourselves.  Of course, I always will cook and serve my queen, but she does get somewhat picky and sometimes won't let me in the kitchen (alright, my nose is getting longer, so I have to take some of that sentence back).

There wasn't a show in the lounge this night.  Instead, they were showing some movies.  We weren't interested in going, so went back to our cabin.  We were both very tired, and went to bed to watch TV and read.  Well, I couldn't keep my eyes open so closed my book and thought I would listen to the TV - not even a great show.  Dawn was a little testy the next morning because she had to turn the TV off herself.  I was sound asleep.

Day 8 - Lahaina, Maui

View from Ship

Our day began fairly early with the noise of the tenders being launched.  We were already in the Lahaina Harbour, and they were preparing for the guests to go ashore.  We didn't have any tours, so we weren't in any hurry.  We showered and went to the buffet for breakfast.  Waffles again, but this time with syrup rather than strawberries and whipping cream.

Downtown Lahaina

Once we were finished, it was back to our cabin to pick up our things to go ashore.  Any rush was over, so there was a brief wait to board the tender, and off we went for a 15 minute ride.  About 10 minutes in, I realized I had forgotten my wallet, so Dawn waited ashore while I returned on the same tender to get my wallet.  Then, back onto the same tender for the ride back to shore.  The crew thought it pretty funny that I was riding back and forth.

Once ashore, we didn't really want to go anywhere, so we just walked around the block and a bit, looking in various shops.  Of course, we had to purchase some things, just to help the economy.  Then we walked around a bit more, but it was quite hot, so back to the ship we went

Pacific Princess from shore

Park

Once on board, there was a bit of shade on our balcony, so we sat our there for a while, watching the boats, para-sailors, and other activities.  As the ship shifted in the wind, we kept turning so that the sun was shining on the deck. Finally we went inside to get cool.

I decided to go to a lecture/lesson on the Internet.  I wanted to see how they do this on the ship.  I figure, maybe I can get a cruise or two by applying to give demonstrations.  He showed how to set up webmail (Gmail), Facebook and Twitter, and a Blog.  All things that I already do, even though I don't use them much.  Pretty simple, and not necessarily good teaching practices.  The fellow giving it is the Internet guy, so he was quite knowledgeable about this topic.  Tomorrow, he is doing another presentation, this time on smartphones.  I'll have to wait until the Patter comes out to see if it is of interest.

Then it was back to the room and wait until dinner.  Dawn was watching a movie (Philomena and then a Jack Ryan movie - pretty much through her eyelids), and I worked on my blog and sort of watched the movie.

Flower Dawn got when arriving

Then dinner time arrived and we went to the restaurant.   It was Italian night, so the menu was full of Italian fare.  I had spaghetti and meatballs, while Dawn had Veal something or other.  Very tasty.  Desert for her was tiramasu. and I had a selection of 3 flavours of gelatto.  Wow, was it good.

Then we went back to our room to collect our warm sweaters, and proceeded to the cabaret lounge for the comedian performance.  We had enjoyed him the last time, and thought it would be fun to go again.  His show was different, and even though we were tired, we did a lot of laughing.

After that, it was back to the room to get ready for bed.  For some reason, we are pretty tired.

Parasailing

Tender arriving