Hawaii POA Review from 5/26

[LilLeebird]

deburn - just remember if the clouds roll in, make sure to go up to the summit - you may miss sunrise from the actual ideal viewing place overlooking the crater, but going up to the top will give you an extraordinary view of the sun coming up over the clouds. So amazing!

[deburn]

LilLeebird, the one we are taking is the exclusive one which takes you up in a 8 passenger limo van on the way down we stop for breakfast then go on a tour of the lower part of the island. I will remember about the summit view and try to stay awake,thanks

[LilLeebird]

Hello Hilo on the big island. We had car rentals scheduled for both stops on the big island. In Hilo we rented from Budget. Let me say again, renting in advance online and checking all the rental companies in each city for the best pricing can save you a lot of money. The big island was not where we expected to have any of what we would have considered our favorite experiences. Boy were we wrong! We visited with Thomas again at breakfast and told him our plan was to drive up to Volcanoes National Park, see the Orchid Farm and stop at Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm. He recommended a minor change to our plan. He said all 2000 guests from the ship will head to the Orchid Farm, which is very nice to see and if we have time to go ahead and stop there. But he said the secret gem on the island was the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden in the opposite direction. So we rerouted our plans and headed there first. It was extremely hard to find with no signage anywhere on the road pointing the way. We finally stopped at a post office that was supposedly in the general vicinity. The clerk gave us printed directions with pictures to guide our way. It appears a lot of people stop there and ask for directions. After finding it (and passing a hole in the wall shave ice place on the way), we paid a small fee to get in, including purchasing some mosquito wipes. The garden winds its way down to sea level. Along the way you are in an absolute, mind-blowing topical paradise. Flora such as you’ve never imagined can be found here. We stumbled upon a beautiful waterfall, a big 7 or 8 foot tiki, and just so much more that I cannot begin to describe. We never imagined finding such an untouched tropical paradise on what we assumed was just a rocky, volcanic island. Oh and we did not notice any mosquitos.

From there we headed to Volcanoes National Park (of course with a stop at that hole in the wall Shave Ice place we passed near the garden). When we got to the top of the park we headed over to a viewing and visitor center with gift shop and restaurant. We walked through to the back of the building and straight out to see the view of the volcano. And here it happened again – our mouths just dropped wide open. We are standing there looking eye level with a smoking volcano. And it is RIGHT THERE! This was not a stop we had given much thought to, so quite honestly hadn’t mentally even considered what we would be looking at. Thus the mind-blowing experience we had. From there we went to the Thurston Lava Tube and walked through it with a few hundred other people. It was dripping and wet because of recent rain. We then drove to where we could walk up and stand next to steam vents, which was interesting as well. There are a lot of them in that area. There is so much to see and we had so little time left! After driving a bit down the Chain of Craters Road we decided to turn back. The clock was ticking so we headed back down the mountain to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm. I think we both bought and ate every macadamia nut on the island while there! They also had a snack bar where we grabbed a hot dog, not that you need it because they keep giving you free samples of the macadamia nuts!

Dropped the car back off and headed back on the ship. Nice treat/snack left for us in our cabin by our butler - chocolate covered strawberries. We had the lava sail by that evening around 10 pm. My body clock was still really screwed up and also the 2:30 am excursion the day before we still messing with me. So I took a cat nap and the family woke me up at 10 pm for the sail by. Fortunately we were on the right side of the ship so I only had to walk out to our balcony. It just blows your mind to see the lava streaks and then the flows hitting the water. Take good binoculars and a camera with a decent zoom for pics!

[LilLeebird]

Just a couple more pics from Hilo. FYI - my son has created a Flickr account and is uploading pics. So once he is done with that process, if anyone is interested in seeing better images I can give you a link to it.

[greatlakesgirl]

Loving your review!

[TxStacey]

Just a couple more pics from Hilo. FYI - my son has created a Flickr account and is uploading pics. So once he is done with that process, if anyone is interested in seeing better images I can give you a link to it.

 

 

I would love the link! I think we might check out the Botanical Garden..thanks for your suggestion!

[cruzin Phillis]

Great review. I cant wait to read the rest!!!

[LilLeebird]

Kona, HI. Another car rental day. This one through Enterprise. We had to call for a pick up. We had our plan for the day and shared it again with Thomas the Concierge. We were going to go to Pu’uhonua Honaunau National Historical Park (The City of Refuge) and then to a highly rated snorkel site next to the park. We were also going to Kona Joe’s Coffee Plant. Thomas told us about a beach that was in the opposite direction. So when we picked up the rental car we had decided to start there for the day instead. However, the rental car agent told us of another beach a little closer by, in the Kekaha Kai State Park. So we opted for that one since it was closer and headed down the highway. When we exited the road, we were in for quite a shock. A treacherous drive through lava rock at about 5mph to keep from destroying our rental car. It was quite a long drive in there at that speed and quite humorous to say the least. About ¾ of the way in we encountered a sign that said Unimproved Road Ahead, which gave us another good laugh – what the heck were we on if not an unimproved road!! LOL. We parked where we saw some other cars and started trekking through lava rock towards where we thought we’d find the beach. And holy cow, did we ever find an outstanding white sand beach! We laid on the beach, snorkeled and enjoyed a couple of hours until we forced to leave if we wanted to have time to see anything else before having to get back on the ship.

From there we headed to Kona Joe’s Coffee Plant. We were the only ones there at that time and enjoyed the beautiful view and vineyard-like grounds. Evidently earlier in the day the tour busses pour in, so my advice is to go later to avoid the crowds. So beautiful there.

We continued on in the direction of the City of Refuge, however we knew at that point time was running out and we’d probably have to skip it. After a stop at the Original Donkey Balls store for treats in Kainaliu, we turned the car around and headed back towards the car rental place. After turning in the car, they dropped us in the shopping area near the cruise ship. It was there that we found what became our #1 favorite shave ice place in Hawaii. Scandinavian Shave Ice is incredible! Referred to as Scandi’s by the locals, it has been around for 18 years and they have their shave ice mastered.

Important note: If you are a suite guest, the concierge will walk you down to the tender and get you VIP boarded. But on the return trip, there is no VIP boarding for suite guests. Just thought I’d mention it in case someone was wondering how that worked.

So after getting back on the ship, I believe this is the day we went to a second lei-making class. Again a large group of people, both men and women participating. This day they were making the ribbon leis, which are a little more difficult and time-consuming, but the outcome is wonderful. Both that lei and the one I made a few days prior turned into wonderful gifts to a couple of good friends when we returned home.

[LilLeebird]

More Kona pics.

[LilLeebird]

Okay, so next up is Kauai. Will post info tomorrow, but if you are curious about the info to come, we did the Waimea Canyon Tour through Roberts. Then the Smith Luau through Roberts. On the last day hit the beach at the Hilton and then experienced the Na'apali coast sail by. We stayed additional days in Honolulu and spent time on Waikiki Beach, did Pearl Harbor Tour and then rented a car and drove the island. Really, really cool experiences on the north side of the island, including Shark Tank, Dole Pineapple, Matsumoto Shave Ice, Fumi's Shrimp truck, etc. Again, details to come if anyone is interested.

 

For much better pics on Flickr of all, go here:

[js4rq]

Enjoying your review and photos so far. :D Looking forward to reading the rest of your review, especially of the Smith's luau. Cheers!

[TxStacey]

Okay, so next up is Kauai. Will post info tomorrow, but if you are curious about the info to come, we did the Waimea Canyon Tour through Roberts. Then the Smith Luau through Roberts. On the last day hit the beach at the Hilton and then experienced the Na'apali coast sail by. We stayed additional days in Honolulu and spent time on Waikiki Beach, did Pearl Harbor Tour and then rented a car and drove the island. Really, really cool experiences on the north side of the island, including Shark Tank, Dole Pineapple, Matsumoto Shave Ice, Fumi's Shrimp truck, etc. Again, details to come if anyone is interested.

 

For much better pics on Flickr of all, go here:

 

 

Your pictures are amazing!! Cant wait for the next installment!

[LilLeebird]

Kauai, our last port. We had booked a couple of excursions through Roberts for our first day on Kauai. The times looked like they would work well for our schedule and in fact it did. The first one was the Waimea Canyon tour. This tour stopped at several places along the way up to the top of the canyon. One stop included a scenic outlook overlooking the ocean where we could see a blow hole. Lots of other busses had stopped there but it was still beautiful to see. This particular stop had an overabundance of chickens and roosters running around.

We also stopped at the Kauai Coffee Factory and had the opportunity to do some taste-testing. We ended up purchasing a couple of bags of their Toasty Banana Nut Cream flavored coffee. Again a lot of people and other tour busses there but we still thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t recall if we stopped anywhere else as we wound our way up to the top of the canyon. Upon arrival we got off the bus and walked up to the viewing station. Again, a lot of people, but still had the opportunity to enjoy the scenery. There was a local Hawaiian man there in terrific Hawaiian dress. He would have his picture snapped with you for a small donation. He has lived on the island his entire life and was available to answer any questions. There are restrooms available and a local vendor set up selling fresh and dried fruits. We headed back down in our tour bus and arrived back at the ship in time for a late lunch (1:30). The only negative for us was again we had an extremely talkative tour bus driver. He simply wore us out droning on and on with information about the island. We are fine with hearing and learning the history and facts of the island, but do like a little quiet time on the ride to take in the scenery.

We were picked up by Roberts again at 4:30 for shuttling to The Smith Family Garden Luau. This is the only luau we’ve ever been to so we have nothing to compare to from a cultural perspective. However, we did really enjoy it. The grounds there are beautiful and upon arriving you are put on a tram where you can ride through and enjoy the flora and other scenic areas. There were peacocks everywhere and many other birds roaming freely. The peacocks were very actively fanning their feathers, as it was evidently mating season. We watched them unearth the pig as it started to rain. However the rain disappeared as quickly as it began. Dinner was buffet style and the food was very good. You are seated at long tables in an open-air pavilion. One reason why I picked this particular luau was because of the table seating option. I preferred that option over some of the others where you sit on the ground. Also, there was reserved seating for larger groups, which is a nice option for reunions or other groups attending. There are some performances on a small stage – singing, recognition of birthdays, hula performance, musicians, etc. It is open bar and you can return to the buffet as many times as you desire. After dinner we made a short walk over to their outdoor theatre. There we enjoyed many traditional luau performances, including the fire guy. We really enjoyed this luau, the food, the beautiful grounds, and the performances. However, we did feel like the show part of the experience was about 15 minutes too long. Still good though and no one else seemed antsy for it to be over.

[LilLeebird]

Final day on Kauai was spent at the beach in front of the Hilton right next to the ship. It was a 10 minute walk over and there were lots of shops to peruse in that area as well. The beach was very nice and even offered rental equipment such as surf boards, paddle boards, etc. As we were leaving we found a shave ice option, which equated to Hawaii shave ice experience number 4 for us. There is also a Duke's restaurant right on the beach by the Hilton as well.

 

We had a 2:00 departure time that day so had to be back on the ship fairly early. We got word at that point from family back home that another round of horrific storms were in the OKC area. We turned on the tv in our cabin and found one of the national news stations to be reporting live from Oklahoma City. We sat in our cabin and watched the news and paced the limited space we had, worrying about our loved ones and our home in OKC. As the ship left Kauai and headed for the Na'apali coast we were still able to get cell phone service. It did come and go some, but overall we were still able to get communications in and out to our family members. Fortunately all our loved ones made it through what turned into another horrible tornado situation for OKC. Our home was undamaged as well.

 

Our cabin was on the opposite side of the ship for the close up Na'apali sail by. We went up on the deck to watch and listen to the live narration. It was extremely picturesque. We even saw a dolphin in the water right next to the ship! However, it disapeared too fast for us to snap a picture of it. To check out some pretty incredible photos that we took, go to our Flickr photo page that I shared in an earlier post in my review. We then went back to our cabin to watch the second sail by. We enjoyed that one just as much and didn't feel that we were that much farther away from the coast than the first sail by.

 

Our last evening on the ship we decided to eat dinner in the Cadillac Diner. Service was not the best and our order was really screwed up. They seemed to be very short-handed. The food was good though and the decor of the restaurant was fun and a change of pace.

 

We opted to pack and put our bags out for disembarkation. Since we were in a suite we were able to get the VIP escort off the ship by our concierge. That was so convenient! We quickly found our luggage and made it outside. Our taxi driver was there as scheduled - love that guy! - and shuttled us back to the Embassy Suites hotel.

[TxStacey]

So glad that your family and home were OK. That tornado was absolutely horrific!

Do you have any pictures of the beach in front of the Hlton? That sounds like a good option since we have to be on the ship so early and it's close.

[greatlakesgirl]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write up your review! :)

[LilLeebird]

So glad that your family and home were OK. That tornado was absolutely horrific!

Do you have any pictures of the beach in front of the Hlton? That sounds like a good option since we have to be on the ship so early and it's close.

 

Yes, it was a great option. Here is a pic of the beach.

[LilLeebird]

Back on Oahu. We stayed a couple of extra days in Honolulu. We went back to the Embassy Suites Hotel, and as before it did not disapoint. Saturday we spent the afternoon on the beach by Duke's enjoying the surf and the sand. There were board rentals on the beach and a catamaran there for rides as well. I think it may have been $20 an hour for the catamaran. We had a late lunch at Duke's that day as well.

 

Sunday we were up early as we had to be at North Shore Shark Adventures by 7:30 that morning for our shark tank excursion. We walked down to the Hilton at 5:30 am to pick up our car rental with Hertz. The location next to us in the Outrigger did not open early enough for us to get our car and make it to the North Shore so we had to pick up at the Hertz counter at the Hilton, which opened at 6 am. The first car they gave us had some issues, like a missing seat belt for one, so they gave us another car. We enjoyed the early morning drive and made it on time at the harbor.

 

Loved the North Shore Shark Adventure crew! They warned us that the water was rough that day and we may be get out there but not be able to get in the water. They weren't kidding. It was very rough, however we were still able to get in the tank. What an amazing experience for my two kids! I stayed on the boat and took pictures of them in the water. They were swarmed with sharks! My husband kept his eyes on the horizon trying to keep the motion sickness at bay. Several others were sick and having to keep their heads over the side of the boat.

 

Back on shore we headed to the famous Matsumoto Shave Ice. Our final shave ice on Hawaii. We walked right in - no line at all. This was probably around 9:30 am. From there we headed to the Dole Plantation. Had a pineapple ice cream and some roasted corn. There are options there to do a maze - which looked really cool - and ride a train for a tour. We shopped the visitor center and took pics of the pineapples on the grounds.

 

Our next destination was the banzai pipeline. We drove past Matsumoto's to get there and there was a line out the door! So glad we got there early that day. We found a place to park at the beach and headed to the water. It was wild! My husband spoke with a life guard who said this was the calm season for this side of the island. We did not see massive surfer waves but we did get beat to a pulp by some rough water. Really enjoyed the experience!

 

We continued around the north side of the island. Found the shrimp trucks we had read about and so stopped for some Fumi's garlic shrimp. It was quite tasty! It was raining now though. From there we headed to Chinaman's hat. The rain cleared off and we were able to walk down to the beach and take pics and enjoy the scenery. Back in the car we headed for the Pali Lookout. On our way there we glanced back at the mountside and were amazed to see a waterfall coming down the side of the mountain. The Pali Lookout was extremely windy and we were quite cold. It was still a rainy overcast day. Wish we could have seen the picturesque view on a sunny day!

 

We drove back towards Honolulu with the intent of driving the tunnel through Diamond Head. Found a tunnel and drove through it - not sure if there was another one but this one did not do a lot to impress. Back in Waikiki we went in search of a puka dog. This was a type of local hot dog that some friends insisted we must try. Finally found it. It was quite different and the sauce mixture I selected was a bit rich for my taste.

 

Final day on Oahu consisted of a Pearl Harbor Tour. Then a flight home that evening. Our tour guide was again another talker. He kept calling us his Oklahoma People and insisted on hugs goodbye at the end of the tour.

[armorcav98]

Great review! I was wondering if the hulu and lei classes were freebies or if you had to pay a fee? Thanks.

[LilLeebird]

Sorry for the late reply. This thread kinda stopped a few weeks ago. The lei and hula classes were all free.