Hawaii by Land & Sea – POA Cruise 5-14-2011

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Touring the Kona Coast

 

Our day in Kona was going to be one of exploration on our own. Once again we were not under pressure to get off the ship in a hurry, but we did have a rental car reserved at the King Kamehameha Hotel across from the cruise ship tender pier at 8:00 AM. We decided to get room service for breakfast. It is a way for us to be able to eat and get ready at the same time, giving us a few extra precious minutes of sleep. We ordered sandwiches along with our room service breakfast, placed them in zip lock bags and packed a lunch in the collapsible cooler we had brought along. We had used the cooler previously for beverages and were so glad we had it. While Steve & Bob were finishing getting ready Cindy & I ran up to the Aloha Cafe and filled several quart sized zip lock bags with ice. We met all met outside our cabins right around 8 AM. When we arrived at the deck where we were to get on the tender we were amazed to find no line at all. A tender was waiting for more passengers. I had forgotten to pick up tender tickets, but the crew member who was directing operations said we didn’t need them now as the main crush of crowds had already left. We were assisted easily onto the tender and motored to the shores of Kona.

 

We found the King Kam Hotel easily and the car pick up went smoothly. I was not sure what condition the hotel would be in as it was heavily damaged by the tsunami that hit Kona two months before. The newly remodeled lobby had been filled with mud at that time, but was in beautiful condition now.

 

Indeed, except for what appeared to be a few construction and landscaping projects going on near the shoreline there was no sign of damage anywhere. As we drove south out of Hilo we were able to see the ship anchored in the bay.

 

I had made up an itinerary for the day as a guide with a few optional stops programmed into the plan. I had my Google maps and GPS points already entered so we were ready to go when we got into our rented Ford Fusion. We were going to drive south all the way to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, also known as the Place of Refuge first. There we would tour the historic park, then go next door to Two-Step and snorkel, depending on conditions. From there we planned to visit the Painted Church and head on to a coffee plantation. I had chosen the Greenwell Farms for a tour. From there I had an alternative swimming and snorkel spot chosen in case the conditions were not good at Two-Step. This beach was Kahaluu Beach Park and had been recommended on this board. In addition a crew member we met raved about the park. It was also guarded, unlike Two-Step.

 

On the road south of Kailu-Kona I had my eyes peeled for a roadside store. I had inquired on Cruise Critic before we left of a good place to purchase authentic 100% Kona Coffee at a good price. One poster responded and mentioned a place he liked called “Bong Brothers”. Hey, the name intrigued me, so I was determined to find it. I had looked them up on the internet. They did have a website, but only gave a vague description of their location and no address so I could not put them into the GPS. I spotted their rustic shop, partially hidden by a large boat as we whizzed by. We quickly turned around and found that their name was now “Bong Brothers & Sistahs”. They were just opening when we arrived. We had a sample of the delicious coffee and decided to purchase a couple of pounds of the Estate Blend. The prices were good and the atmosphere was fun. Happy to have had a successful stop we forged ahead, sipping on some really good coffee.

 

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We arrived at the Place of Refuge as planned. We paid the $5 entrance fee per vehicle and entered the grounds. It is truly a lovely place, very peaceful and serene. The tsunami had also inflicted severe damage to this area, but it was completely repaired by our visit. This was a place to which the ancient Hawaiians would flee when they had broken one of the laws of their society. Their only chance of survival was to reach these shores where they would be saved.

 

 

 

We could see Two-Step from the historic park. We left our car in the lot that was attended, so we felt safe leaving our extra things in the trunk. We also parked near the attended gate as an extra precaution.

 

It was an easy walk to Two-Step. I had promised my doctor and my husband that I would not enter any water that was not completely calm and be careful around rocks. A local had told my brother that Two-Step was the best snorkeling in the world and he was anxious to try it out. I looked at the conditions and knew I could not enter. It may be considered easy entry by many, but the rocks to get to the water’s edge was insurmountable to me. In addition there was a bit of a chop on the water, so the chance of getting thrown into the rocks was there. I opted to stay out of the water. While Bob & Cindy are strong swimmers, Steve is not. He loves to snorkel, but uses a snorkel vest (he has his own) and stays closer to shore. Since Two-Step was not guarded and I knew Bob & Cindy would head out to deeper water and Steve would be snorkeling alone he also decided to stay on shore. He found a sandy entryway that would have possibly worked well, but to get back over to the snorkel area we would have had to go outside of the reef and come back in. Ever respectful of unknown currents we opted not to go this route either.

 

 

 

My family had expressed a desire to have some time to just relax on a nice sand beach for several hours, so I thought that it would be best to spend our time at our alternative snorkel stop, Kahaluu Beach Park. Bob and Cindy did spend about a half hour snorkeling at this location and they said it was the most amazing snorkeling they have ever done. Bob said it was even better than any scuba diving he has done. They are anxious to return someday. Perhaps we will be able to join them at that time.

 

As we were leaving I spotted an area to the far right as you faced the water that may have made an easier entry, but by this time we were all packed up and ready to continue on our way.

[Quilting Queen]

Ginny you are Great.

 

Some of your tour reminded me of what we have done on the Big Island in the past. We took a small private tour and got to walk out on the cold, black lave flow to where it is black sand at waters edge. There were only 4 passengers on our van tour and we did not go to Valcano Park, did that before. We saw things that most ship tours do not cover.

 

Hope to see you soon with your albums in hand.

 

Norine

[Sunny AZ Girl]

The Painted Church & Kahaluu Beach Park

 

The Painted Church on the top of the hill looked just like many of the other little churches we had passed along the road. Painted white and unassuming it belied the beauty inside. As we left the parking lot we were first greeted by an old cemetery nestled into a colorful tropical paradise.

 

Inside the church the artwork of Father Velghe brings the stories of the bible to life. It is a beautiful and humbling experience that should not be missed. We lingered for a while in the gardens before moving on to our next stop.

 

 

About this time I started to become concerned about our plans. I wanted to make sure my family was able to have plenty of beach and snorkeling time. I suggested that we skip the coffee plantation and head directly to Kahaluu Beach Park. I do not know if that is what they really wanted to do or just let me take the lead, but they agreed to the change of direction.

 

Once we arrived at the park we decide to break out our picnic lunches. There was a snack truck there, but we were happy with our sandwiches and chips provided by the ship.

 

The beach was nice, but not the sandy retreat I expected. It also had a rocky entry, but not as wide of an area as Two-Step to cross. A much larger number of people at this location also meant the coral would not be as pristine. The water was murkier than Two-Step, also and I regretted pulling Bob & Cindy away from their ideal location. However, this spot was lifeguarded and I was able to find to find an area to the left of the life guard stand as you face the water to enter. Steve and I worked our way past the rocks quickly and into the deeper water where I was less likely to have an unwanted encounter with a piece of volcanic rock or coral. As we ventured out away from the crowds we did find some very nice snorkeling.

 

(This picture was taken with my snorkel camera mask)

 

(This picture was taken with Steve's Canon D-10)

 

After a while we decided to head back into shore and found several of our turtle friends had decided to join us. Despite the number of people who ran over to see them as they came close to the shore they did not seem to be the least bit perturbed and stayed by the shore quite a while.

 

Soon after we left the water it began to rain and the park began to clear out. The shower only lasted a short time, but we were getting cold and it was time to get ready to leave. Once we got back into Kona we dropped Bob & Cindy off downtown so they could do some shopping and we found a gas station and returned the rental car. We headed to the tender pier and back to the ship.

 

I would like to return to Kona some day. I am very glad we did the coastal tour as we would have missed the Place of Refuge & the Painted Church, both places worthy of time spent. I do regret not trying the Two-Step snorkeling and staying there longer. I also wish we had gone to the coffee plantation as originally planned as the Beach Park was nice, but we could have spent a little less time there. The Kona Coast has that rustic look that appealed to us so much on the North Shore of Oahu and that alone could draw us back some day. However, if we return for just one day at another time I would choose a snorkel tour off a boat on one of Kona’s pristine reefs. Assuming I am able to make another good choice with a boat with a good snorkel ladder it would be the best way to avoid the rocky entries and still be able to be immersed in the pristine world underneath the Kona waves.

 

Back on board we decide to put on nicer clothes (the guys had to wear big boy pants instead of shorts) and go to the Liberty Dining room for dinner. This was lobster night and we love lobster! We arrived at 7 PM & only waited a few minutes to be seated. While we waited we had a nice chat with the Hotel Manager whom we had met at the Cruise Critic party back on Saturday. Our wait team was excellent and we had a nice dinner. The lobster was small, but not just the crayfish size I had been expecting. Our waiter brought us extra lobster. The Seafood Plate consisted of lobster and salmon and I don’t eat salmon, so he brought me an extra tail to compensate.

 

That night the show was “Oh What a Night” with Toby Beau. We loved the Four Seasons when we were younger and still love their music today. Toby Beau does a great job with the music of our era, so it was another enjoyable evening. Tonight was the “White Hot Dance Party” and I was tempted to go look for a few minutes, but exhaustion won out and I ended up going to bed instead. After all, I had missed my balcony nap today.

 

See the rest of our photos from Kona here.

 

Tomorrow we learn the hula in Kauai!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Today’s “Front Page”Events:

 

Hula & Tahitian Class – 3:30 PM

Lauhala Ribbon Weave Lei class – 4:15 PM

Family Fun Challenges – 4:30 PM

Disembarkation Talk – 5:15 PM

Second City Scriptless – 8:00 PM

Karaoke Stars Competition – 9:30 PM

Oh What a Night; Tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM

White Hot Dance Party – 10:00 PM

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Ginny you are Great.

 

Some of your tour reminded me of what we have done on the Big Island in the past. We took a small private tour and got to walk out on the cold, black lave flow to where it is black sand at waters edge. There were only 4 passengers on our van tour and we did not go to Valcano Park, did that before. We saw things that most ship tours do not cover.

 

Hope to see you soon with your albums in hand.

 

Norine

As soon as I am done with this I will start my album. I will have it for the next AZ Cruiser's party I am sure. :)

[smrtypnts]

Just loving your review!!

[Havin'fun]

What a wonderful review! Thank you for taking the time to post it along with the pictures. My DH and I are going in January and you have given us many great ideas. I can't wait for the next installment. :)

[Kylie]

Loving your review! We just got back from our POA cruise later this afternoon so we are still on Hawaii time. We did or saw many of the things you are writing about and I'm enjoying the pictures since mine are still in my camera.

We had no complaints about the cruise - food was great and service was exceptional. I hope people go and enjoy this cruise as much as we did. It's a great way to see lots of the islands of beautiful Hawaii!

Can't wait for the rest of our review.

 

BTW - we did "Home of the Brave" tour in Honolulu - it was a highlight of the trip for my BIL - very well done.

[sue402001]

Love your review Ginny!

[lv2bgoofy]

Another amazing review....the church was awesome...going to try and fit that into our schedule for Kona.....I am working on booking a snorkeling trip in Kona...haven't decided if I want to book from NCL or on my own...the tender issue is having me question which way to go.

 

I am also looking into getting one of those Canon D10's...your underwater pictures are wonderful.....I have a Canon SLR so I will use that for my land portion.

 

Thank you so much for doing such a indepth review!

[Az's Cruising Nana]

Well done Ginny! I can't wait to see the rest. Thanks for taking us along on your cruise.

 

Sue

[andianna]

Great review Ginny. We just returned and I am enjoying your pics as well as they are reminding me of our wonderful vacation. Thanks

[Quilting Queen]

Ginny once again an exceptional report of the port of Kona. When we did the cruise several years ago we got the ship tour of Kona. We did not go snorkeling but went to the coffee plantation, then we had lunch on the open deck of the dockside restaurant. I would have to find my pics to know the name. Then we went shopping and returned to our ship via tender.

 

I would love to go to Kona and spend 3-4 days there but I would not know when to fit in another trip to Hawaii.

 

Norine

[Sunny AZ Girl]

First Day in Kauai

 

Our "Day at Sea" on Land

 

 

Aaaaaahhhh.... Today was to be our most relaxing day to date. We had no plans until 2:30 PM, when we would be picked up at the ship by Robert’s Tours for a Wailua River & Fern Grotto Tour followed by the Smith Family Luau. We arranged to meet Bob & Cindy at 2:15, other than that we were free to do what we pleased. It was the closest thing to a sea day we had all week.

 

We slept in past 7:30. When we awoke the ship was just pulling into Nawiliwili Harbor. We watched our arrival in our pajamas, sipping coffee from the in-cabin coffee maker on our balcony. We just had to be sure not to step out to the edge of the balcony as our neighbors from above would be able to see us at our not-so-finest! Once we arrived we got cleaned up and headed to the cafe around 9:00 AM, enjoying the uncrowded atmosphere as many of our fellow passengers had already disembarked.

 

After a while we decided to head over to Kalapaki Beach near the ship and see what it was like. We didn’t wear our swimming suits as neither of us felt like going in the water today. If there had been good snorkeling we may have, but my prior research indicated that snorkeling was not a draw in this location. We could see the beach from the ship and I assumed it would be over run by cruise ship passengers.

 

At the terminal we caught a trolley over to the shopping center across from Anchor Cove Mall. While browsing the shops I found a Christmas ornament and Steve looked at Hawaiian shirts, but refrained from buying any more. I was proud of him.

 

Across the street and through a few more shops lay the beach. The Kalapaki Beach is actually a part of the Marriott Resort. However, since all beaches are accessible to the public this beach can be enjoyed by everyone. Surprisingly the beach did not appear to be at all crowded, despite the ship in port. It is a beautiful beach and has natural shade under trees on a manicured lawn and clean white sand leading to the water.

 

Be aware, I was told by Cindy later that she was sitting under a tree on one of the lawn areas when a resort employee came and told her that the grass areas were for hotel guests only. Hawaii law does specify beach only for public access, so they do have that right.

 

The resort didn’t look much different from so many other beach resorts on the beach side, but we had been told they had a large Koi Pond and Japanese garden on the grounds and I wanted to see for myself the treasures hidden within.

 

Inside, the resort grounds were stunning. We took our time, visited the shops and relaxed in the garden & lobby. It was a very peaceful environment and we put it on our list of possible places to come back to visit in the future. I would love to spend some time just relaxing under a tree at this nice beach. It met all of our requirements of a clean, white sand beach with natural shade. There was food & beverage readily available as Duke’s Canoe Club was attached to the resort and open to the beach along with a variety of small snack shops. If it had good snorkeling it would be perfect, but it was close enough to warrant another look.

 

 

Before we returned to the ship we saw a little stand selling shaved ice. We shared a large 3 flavor shaved ice with ice cream. It was good, but not as good as Annie’s in Maui. That would be our lunch. Since we had a late breakfast and were anticipating a large dinner at the luau we were satisfied.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Robert’s Wailua River & Fern Grotto Tour

 

Meeting up with Bob & Cindy at 2:15 as scheduled we went back down to the bus and shuttle pick up area near the ship to meet our tour. We booked the Wailua River & Fern Grotto Tour as an add-on to the Smith Family Luau. Two large tour buses arrived right on schedule. We were surprised by the large number of people waiting with us for the bus. They separated us according to who was doing the tour only and who was doing the tour/luau combination. It turned out there would only be 21 of us continuing on to do the luau after the tour.

 

The first stop on the tour was the Wailua Falls & River. This was a lovely falls easily seen from the road. It is also the falls featured on the old series “Fantasy Island”. We had time to leave the bus and view the waterfall and the Wailua River across the road.

 

 

After loading back into the bus we proceeded to the Smith Family Landing, where this family business runs flat bottom river boats up the wide river to the Fern Grotto, a 2 mile ride. During the boat ride we were entertained by music and hula dancing, portraying the history of the island. They even had us all standing up as we all did a little hula!

 

Arriving at our destination we walked a short distance through the rainforest to the Fern Grotto. According to our guide this area was discovered by Grandpa Smith in 1946. The family first started taking visitors in rowboats to the Fern Grotto by rowboats and later added the flat bottom river boats they have today. At the time of the discovery the Fern Grotto was very lush and beautiful, so named because of the many fern that covered the rocky cliff walls. This romantic area became a draw for couples to exchange wedding vows. Unfortunately, Hurricane Iniki in 1992 devastated this part of Kauai, leaving the Fern Grotto devoid of its namesake ferns and most vegetation. Nature has a way of healing itself, though and now, almost 20 years later it is coming back. Although still far from its original splendor the Fern Grotto remains a secluded and mystical place.

 

 

Walking back on the trail, we marveled at the natural beauty of the rich Hawaiian plant life. The walk was an easy one, with only a few steps to navigate. The path was even. By now I was feeling much stronger and had left my cane back in the cabin.

 

Riding back to Smith’s Landing on the boat we relaxed and enjoyed the landscape while our host explained the history of the area. As the only navigable river in all of Hawaii other people were also drawn to the serene waters fed by the rainfall on Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale, one of the wettest places on earth.

 

Back on dry land we all went back to the buses. Those of us who had also booked the Smith Family Luau were dropped off at the entrance gates which were very close to the boat landing, while those who booked the Fern Grotto tour only were returned to the ship.

 

As a tour the Wailua River & Fern Grotto Tour through Robert’s Tours was pleasant and a nice add on to the luau. Would I have booked it alone, without the luau? Probably not. It wasn’t bad, I just feel there would have been other choices that would have given us a better feel for the island. However, as an add-on to the luau it was very nice and I do not regret having done it.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

The Smith Family Luau

 

When I think of Hawaii, I think luau. The sight of grass skirts swaying in front of a coconut palm as the sun dips into the evening sky is what has been pictured in countless movies, books and magazines as long as I can remember. I could not imagine my first trip to the islands without a luau. While whether or not to do a luau had already been decided the moment we booked this cruise, which luau to choose was another story. I began to research luaus right away, even before we knew how long we would be in the islands. Bob & Cindy booked the cruise several weeks after we booked so it was important we find one we could do together.

 

There are luaus all over Hawaii. However, since I have never been led wrong by the wonderful group of people at Cruise Critic that is the first place I turned in my research. Even on Cruise Critic there were choices. The ones that stood out were the Polynesian Cultural Center, Germaine’s and Paradise Cove in Oahu, the Old Lahaina Luau in Maui and the Smith Family Luau in Kauai. Of course, the ship’s Luau Kalamaku in Kauai is heavily promoted by NCL. As our other plans began to form it soon became apparent that a luau in Oahu would be difficult as Bob & Cindy would not be staying in Oahu as long as us. In Maui we knew that we would be having dinner during our overnight stay with my cousin and his wife, so that eliminated the Old Lahaina Luau. That left Kauai as the only other possible place for our luau. Looking at the number of people attending the Luau Kalamaku versus the Smith Family Luau made the decision easy for me. Plus, I liked the family atmosphere that was emphasized in so many of the reviews of Smith’s, so our choice was made. We would be going to the Smith Family Luau.

 

Next I had to decide how we would get there. We had two options, a tour or on our own. Knowing that Robert’s Tours went to Smith’s and doing some quick math I discovered that it was better to book the tour, especially since a car was not required for our other Kauai plans. Once our cruise date was available on Robert’s website I saw the combo option and we decided to do that as well.

 

Arriving at Smith’s Tropical Paradise we were greeted by the friendly family members with shell leis and had our photos taken with a couple of attractive dancers. The Luau and Show are run by four generations of Smith family members, with a fifth generation still too young to participate in the business. This really does give the whole experience a more intimate feel and you are treated like honored guests at a very special family event.

 

After photos we had a choice of either strolling the gardens on our own or riding the complimentary tram. We hopped on the tram and enjoyed a tour of their magnificent grounds. Once the tram ride was completed we had plenty of time to retrace the route on our own to get better pictures. In addition to the always present chickens and roosters a multitude of peacocks were strutting their stuff, much better than the uncooperative peacock we had run into earlier in Oahu.

 

Smith’s Tropical Paradise lives up to its name in every way. Time spent exploring the gardens is easy. I could easily spend an entire day here absorbing the sights and sounds of the garden into my soul.

 

Soon the song of the conch shells called us to the unearthing of the pig at the imu ceremony.

 

It was time for the luau feast. This luau is smaller than many on the islands, but there were still several hundred people in attendance. We did not know that we could have found and saved seats in advance and by the time we arrived at the table area we had difficulty finding a space for four people together. If there are 6 or more in your party you will have a reserved space. Otherwise it is open seating. However, the friendly hostesses managed to get us all seated together. The buffet was abundant and I liked the food very much. The pork was amazing, smoky and succulent. All you can drink Mai Tais and an open bar are another good reason to leave the driving to someone else, whether on a tour or having a designated driver if you are inclined to indulge.

 

There was entertainment throughout the meal with singing and dancing by the family members, but the real entertainment we were all looking forward to was the luau show.

The show was dramatic, entertaining and educational as the Smith Family told the history of the islands, including dances from many of the cultures that comprise the islands of Hawaii.

 

 

The show lasted about an hour. All too soon it ended and our bus returned us to the ship. We went to bed tired but happy with another early morning ahead of us.

 

See all of our photos from our first day in Kauai here.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Front Page Activities” from the Freestyle Daily

 

Kauai Port Talk – 7:30 AM

Hula & Tahitian Class – 3:30 PM

DJ Dynasty at Waikiki – 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM – Close

Majority Rules – 8:00 PM

Karaoke - 9:15 PM

Barry Manilow Tribute with Chuck Perry at the Piano – 9:30 PM

Joker’s Wild with Tim Kaminski – 10:30 PM

Showtime Tonight – Magic of John Shryock – 7:30 PM & 9:30 PM

Hotel California with Toby Beau – 8:30 PM

 

Next installment on Wednesday – Kauai Day 2 (AirVentures Hawaii and the Napali Coast Sailby)

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Just loving your review!!

 

 

What a wonderful review! Thank you for taking the time to post it along with the pictures. My DH and I are going in January and you have given us many great ideas. I can't wait for the next installment. :)

Mahalo to both of you!

 

Loving your review! We just got back from our POA cruise later this afternoon so we are still on Hawaii time. We did or saw many of the things you are writing about and I'm enjoying the pictures since mine are still in my camera.

We had no complaints about the cruise - food was great and service was exceptional. I hope people go and enjoy this cruise as much as we did. It's a great way to see lots of the islands of beautiful Hawaii!

Can't wait for the rest of our review.

 

BTW - we did "Home of the Brave" tour in Honolulu - it was a highlight of the trip for my BIL - very well done.

Kylie - it seems as if you just left. Here you are back again and I'm still writing my review. Wouldn't it be great if we stretch our vacations out that long?;)

 

I am glad you enjoyed the ship. We also enjoyed it. There have been some great improvements in the last few years.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Love your review Ginny!

Mahalo.:)

 

Another amazing review....the church was awesome...going to try and fit that into our schedule for Kona.....I am working on booking a snorkeling trip in Kona...haven't decided if I want to book from NCL or on my own...the tender issue is having me question which way to go.

 

I am also looking into getting one of those Canon D10's...your underwater pictures are wonderful.....I have a Canon SLR so I will use that for my land portion.

 

Thank you so much for doing such a indepth review!

We enjoyed the church and I am glad we took the time to see it. I was so impressed by the artwork of the priest. He told the story of the bible in pictures to a mostly illiterate population at the time. In addition there there are stations of the cross behind the church leading to a monument at the top. You can see it in my Webshots Album. Cindy walked up to the top. It was very pretty.

 

Well done Ginny! I can't wait to see the rest. Thanks for taking us along on your cruise.

 

Sue

Mahalo, Sue!:)

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Great review Ginny. We just returned and I am enjoying your pics as well as they are reminding me of our wonderful vacation. Thanks

I am glad you returned safely. It sounds as if you had a wonderful time?

 

Ginny once again an exceptional report of the port of Kona. When we did the cruise several years ago we got the ship tour of Kona. We did not go snorkeling but went to the coffee plantation, then we had lunch on the open deck of the dockside restaurant. I would have to find my pics to know the name. Then we went shopping and returned to our ship via tender.

 

I would love to go to Kona and spend 3-4 days there but I would not know when to fit in another trip to Hawaii.

 

Norine

Norine - I have been working out in my mind as I write this where I would like to go and what I would like to do on our next rip to Hawaii. There will have to be another trip! But you are right, too little time and too little money to do all we would like to do in our lifetime.

[vbmom87]

Ginny,

 

I didn't catch mention of the lava sail-by. Was the lava not flowing when you were there, or did I miss it in your review?

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Ginny,

 

I didn't catch mention of the lava sail-by. Was the lava not flowing when you were there, or did I miss it in your review?

Sorry I forgot to mention it since it was a non-event for us. No lava, no sail-by.:(

[Quilting Queen]

Volcano Eruptions! I saw on the news this morning about 2 different volcanic eruptions. i think they were Hawaii and Chili. Someone may correct me.

 

I agree about the volcano sail-by. On our cruises it was the middle of the night and we could not see anything. That was several years ago.

 

I will be out of town for about a week so may not get to finish reading your review until I return next Tuesday.

 

Norine

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Volcano Eruptions! I saw on the news this morning about 2 different volcanic eruptions. i think they were Hawaii and Chili. Someone may correct me.

 

I agree about the volcano sail-by. On our cruises it was the middle of the night and we could not see anything. That was several years ago.

 

I will be out of town for about a week so may not get to finish reading your review until I return next Tuesday.

 

Norine

I saw something on MSN about it, but no real details. I checked the VNP website and as of now they have posted no new updates. Perhaps the volcano is waking up. I hope so for the sake of the people who are still planning their cruises. Maybe I'll have to go back!:D

 

Have a nice trip and stay safe.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

AirVentures Hawaii

 

From the beginning I resisted the thought of an air tour in Hawaii. I know they are the number one attraction in Kauai since more than half of the island can only be viewed by air, but several things kept me from even considering one of these unique sightseeing tours. First, the cost was very expensive. I knew this was going to be an expensive vacation in the first place, and then an air tour would add hundreds of dollars to that number. Second, I had been in a small plane once and I was convinced the thing would not stay in the air. The thought of a helicopter terrified me. They have the glide path of a rock. Third, there was that weight limitation thing. I had lost some weight in the few months before our trip, but I still did not want to be embarrassed by the scale or the possibility of having to pay double the fare after a week of eating cruise ship fare. That was all before I discovered AirVentures Hawaii.

 

I am not sure where I read it, but someone on Cruise Critic mentioned airplane tours instead of the helicopter tours. They were about half the price of the helicopters, did not have a weight limit and had a great glide path. My curiosity piqued I looked up the company mentioned, AirVentures Hawaii. I discovered that the planes were designed for sightseeing, having a slower flight speed and a separate bubble type window for each passenger. They also had an excellent safety record. I presented this option to the rest of my family and we were soon booked for our air tour.

 

Our flight time was 8:30 AM with a 7:30 pick up from the Anchor Cove Mall near the ship. AirVentures had told me to take the Anchor Cove Shuttle to the mall and they would pick us up. Unfortunately, the shuttle does not begin to run until 8:00, so we had to walk. I am glad it was at the end of the cruise, because I would have never made the distance at the beginning. But by now I was feeling stronger. Instead of a 10 minute walk as I was told it was at least a 20 minute walk for me, but we were there on time. Our ride to the airport was a few minutes late and so we called to make sure we were in the right spot. We were and she pulled up a few minutes later. Once we checked in at the airport where we still had to be weighed for proper weight distribution (no one sees it but the lady at the desk and possibly the pilot) we approached the plane. It was smaller than I had envisioned, but I was here, so we had our photo taken in front of the plane and climbed in.

 

Different seats had different amounts of room. I was in a very small seat and was unable to turn to face completely forward due to a lack of knee room. I was seated behind Bob who was in the front with the pilot. Cindy was across from me, Steve was behind me and a 5th passenger was in the back. He was a very tall man and that seat gave him room to spread his legs out. He would have never fit in my seat. Soon our barefoot pilot had us up and soaring above the shores of Kauai. We could see the ship below.

 

Soon we were soaring over the Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. As we flew over different places the pilot explained what we were seeing below. We could see waterfalls and forests clearly. Although we could not get as close as a helicopter to the waterfalls I do not feel as if we missed a thing. The views were wonderful.

 

The Napali Coast came into view. We would see the same cliffs later that day when we did the Napali Sailby. However, they took on a different personality from each perspective.

 

We flew over the North shore of Kauai..........

 

And across the inner part of the island.

 

I recognized the Wailua Waterfall we had seen the day before.

 

The hour passed by quickly and I can honestly say I lost my fear of small planes. I never felt the least bit concerned for our safety. However, I was ready to land as I was feeling a bit queasy a half hour into the flight. I have never had motion sickness and this was not horrible, but if I ever do another tour like this I will take a Bonine the night before the flight.

 

AirVentures returned us to the Anchor Cove Mall. We stayed and shopped for awhile and tried another shaved ice from a different vendor. We declared Annie’s in Maui as the winner in our Shaved Ice Taste Testing Competition. I am sure we will continue to search for the best Hawaiian Shaved Ice when we someday return to the islands.

[herdingdogmom]

Ginny, Thanks so much for your detailed review of Kauai by air. I thought we would take the helicopter tour for our trip in December, but after reading and seeing your review, I think the small plane is better - safety and cost wise. Thanks again for your great review of POA and your excursions.