Come sail with me on a virtual cruise to Hawaii on Ruby Princess

[AF-1]

Master Chief of the Navy has three stars;  all other Master Chief's have two stars.  Same for Master Chief of Coast Guard.  

[ellie1145]

On 2/8/2021 at 8:36 PM, trbarton said:

Here’s another photo for you. Something I was not aware of as a Navy Veteran. Chief Petty Officer one star,  Senior Chief Petty Officer 2 stars & Master Chief Petty Officer 3 stars. Thanks again for your excellent information. 

 

 
 

Tom😀

 

Thank you Tom. Glad you are enjoying it.

 

That is an impressive badge. Thank you for sharing. 

[ellie1145]

We continue exploring the Mighty Mo, and see where crew slept, and various areas such as the ‘ops’ room, workshop, communications room and Captain’s cabin.

 

 

Crew sleep in tiers of three bunk beds. At least they have a curtain for some privacy, but there is little room for personal belongings. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

A Little Update!

 

Well, yesterday was ‘V’ Day! Both DH and I had our vaccinations. It was brilliantly organised at a local Festival Hall. In fact our own GP was there vaccinating and we got to be ‘jabbed’ by him.

 

I’ve been fine, just a bit of a sore arm, nothing to worry about, but DH has been shivery and achey and nauseous. It could be because he probably had Covid back in February, but it was never diagnosed, although his numerous symptoms were definitely consistent with the virus. We had also just come off a cruise ship, with a number of Chinese onboard, and we also had a transatlantic flight. We will never know. 

 

I would definitely not be put off. Not only is it good for us, to offer us some protection, but I feel that it is doing my bit to prevent others getting Covid. 

 

Keep safe, everyone! 😷🙂

[ellie1145]

Things go a little wrong.....

 

We move though the ship, exploring every area, with me taking photos, but it’s at this stage that things go a little wrong.

 

Now, DH is a stickler for time. Me? Well, if there is time to do 3 things, I will try to do 6. I always underestimate how much time I have, and try to cram as much as possible into the day. DH realises that we are running out of time as we have to meet our group for our bus ride back to the Visitors’ Centre, so he has to forcibly drag me away and, sadly, we have to miss seeing quite a lot of the rest of the ship.

 

He drags me off kicking and screaming and taking photos all the way (well not really screaming or kicking ...).

 

 

 

 

We make our way hastily back to where we boarded and down the gangway, arriving at the designated spot where we are to meet the rest of the group. We are only a couple of minutes late but to our horror, there is nobody there.

 

OMG we think! We’ve missed the bus.

 

We search up and down and ask people if they are from our bus, but to no avail. We appear to be the only ones there.

 

Not wanting to miss our transport back to the ship we decide that we really must try to get back to the Visitors Area, and at that point a bus arrives and disgorges its occupants. By this time, DH is getting a little anxious.

 

We ask the driver what to do and he says we can hop onboard as he is going back that way. We board with several other people who have arrived, and the bus sets off.

 

 

 

 

 

He drops us in a big car park where he says our bus will be, but although we can see several buses parked there, none of them is ours. We ask each driver if they know where our bus is but they have no idea. Then one of the drivers offers to call the company and to our embarrassment we discover that we are actually an hour too early.....🤭

 

We both have no idea how that happened, as both of us distinctly remember asking our guide what time we needed to be back at the meeting point, and we both thought she’d said the same time. So red faces all round as, at last, our bus arrives and we board. In fact they have been searching for us, and we’ve actually kept THEM waiting, so it’s a bit embarrassing, to say the least.

 

We slope off into a corner of the bus and are reminded of those people who run along the dockside just in time to catch the ship. To add insult to injury it’s beginning to rain.

 

The journey back to the ship is quick and interesting, and on the plus side we are just in time for afternoon tea, so after a lovely cup of our favourite beverage, and a few sandwiches and scones, we are rejuvenated.

 

We’ve had an amazing time, and are so pleased to have had the opportunity to visit Pearl Harbour. We would love to do it again one day, but on our own and with more time to see what we want to see. 

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

A treat for the evening....

 

 

So, Cruising Adventurers, it’s time to relax, get some food, have a quick shower and get ready for tonight’s little adventure....Germaine’s Luau!

 

Get your glad rags on, hula hula skirts, Hawaiian shirts, and be ready to meet us on the dockside at 4.20 pm.

 

See you there! 🙂

[cnd crsr]

Hi Ellie,

I had to take a bit of a break, had to head home to deal with a few things.And how I have missed my cruising "fix", so glad I made it back before the cruise ends!

 

I managed to catch up today and thank goodness I made it before the luau!  Even moving quickly through the battleships I enjoyed your detailed descriptions, photos and the historical background.  

 

Sorry to hear your DH was been unwell but relieved to know he is improving plus I am so happy to know you have both been vaccinated. Our deliveries have slowed down in Canada so we are waiting patiently.

 

Meet you at 4:20 PM dockside,

 

Gail

[CruzinNoony]

Looking forward to hearing about the luau.  

[margord]

Still with you and enjoying every minute of your trip.  We love Hawaii so going back with you has made our day, week, month....

 

Marilee

[ellie1145]

On 2/10/2021 at 8:53 PM, cnd crsr said:

Hi Ellie,

I had to take a bit of a break, had to head home to deal with a few things.And how I have missed my cruising "fix", so glad I made it back before the cruise ends!

 

I managed to catch up today and thank goodness I made it before the luau!  Even moving quickly through the battleships I enjoyed your detailed descriptions, photos and the historical background.  

 

Sorry to hear your DH was been unwell but relieved to know he is improving plus I am so happy to know you have both been vaccinated. Our deliveries have slowed down in Canada so we are waiting patiently.

 

Meet you at 4:20 PM dockside,

 

Gail

 

Hi Gail

 

Glad you have got back from your travels, and hope you managed to sort everything. 

 

Hope you get your vaccination soon. 

 

See you at 4.20! 🙂

[ellie1145]

On 2/13/2021 at 6:28 PM, CruzinNoony said:

Looking forward to hearing about the luau.  

 

Hope you enjoy it! It certainly was an experience...😉

[ellie1145]

Germaine’s Luau

 

A luau - a traditional Hawaiian party or feast that is usually accompanied by entertainment. It may feature food such as Kailua pig, as well as entertainment such as traditional Hawaiian music and hula. 

 

 

After a quick shower and afternoon tea we make our way off the ship and into the terminal, a huge long warehouse of a building. It is packed already and we make our way through the crowds to find our tour queue. We have never experienced a luau, so we are pretty excited, and have no idea what to expect. 

 

We see the sign for our group and there are already lots of people standing in line so we join them.

 

Now, I am sure you know that the British have a reputation for queueing. We will queue anywhere, even if it’s not necessary. If someone stands still long enough we will queue behind them, it often seems. But for us, there are rules, no pushing, no shoving, and definitely no jumping the line.

 

So you can imagine our surprise and chagrin, when, after quite a long time waiting patiently in line and going nowhere, we see a second line being prepared to be taken out to their bus, and a large group of oriental looking people jumps from our queue and joins the one already moving. How naughty we think!

 

Naturally, we Brits abhor such behaviour, and continue to stand patiently in our line, and eventually a lady beckons our group forward and escorts us out of the building and towards a bus parked outside.  🤣

 

It’s quite a long ride, over 40 minutes, and traffic is heavy, but it’s nice to see a bit of Honolulu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apologies for the  reflection of the windows.

 

 

It’s pretty industrial along the way and we wonder what the place will be like. We get glimpses of the sea in the distance.

 

 

Edited February 14, 2021 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

7 hours ago, margord said:

Still with you and enjoying every minute of your trip.  We love Hawaii so going back with you has made our day, week, month....

 

Marilee

 

Hi Marilee

 

So great to have you along with me. I am sorry that it's been a bit hit and miss recently but DH has had a difficult time with his health recently, two steps forward and one step back, so I haven''t been as diligent as I had hoped about posting. 

[cr8tiv1]

Hawaii folk (not necessarily the true "Hawaiians" will party at the drop of a hat.  Luaus are for baby first year, Thanksgiving, Christmas, just because....

 

There's tourist fare and local fare.  Locals will have poke, opihi (limpets that run over $200 a gallon), squid luau, and other "tastee delights".  Family will gather for a "kanikapila" where all the ukuleles come out and random people come up to dance the hula.  You will enjoy your luau.  Hope you gave everything at least a taste.  I love my poi.

[AF-1]

Ellie,  I'm surprised Princess didn't have your Luau a little closer to the ship.  Almost all the large hotels in Waikiki have Luau's two or three times a week.  I guess Germaine's which is a large company, contracts with all the cruise ships for the Luau's.  

[JF - retired RRT]

14 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 Hope you gave everything at least a taste.  I love my poi.

2 different luaus, 2 tastes of poi. 

Guess it's something you have to grow up eating to enjoy...like haggis or blood pudding. 🤭

[AF-1]

poi tastes like wallpaper paste.

[azbirdmom]

We've been to several of the tourist variety on Maui and have enjoyed them all.

[cr8tiv1]

Germaines is one of the top rated luaus on Oahu (Paradise Cove is the other).  It is out in West Oahu because they have the land/property to spread out.  The Smith Family luau on Kauai is also very good.

 

With that said, I would not attempt to do anything that far away on my own.  Traffic can be a nightmare and you may miss your ship.  That includes Polynesian Cultural Center.  One accident on either highway will create quite a stall and you may miss the ship.  Luckily, you are a short plane trip to Kauai plus an overnight hotel expense.

 

FYI:  There is no sail away party from Oahu.  One enthusiastic Cruise Director had a very loud sail away while in downtown Honolulu at 11 PM.  The residents complained.  No more sail aways.  

[ellie1145]

On 2/14/2021 at 11:23 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

Hawaii folk (not necessarily the true "Hawaiians" will party at the drop of a hat.  Luaus are for baby first year, Thanksgiving, Christmas, just because....

 

There's tourist fare and local fare.  Locals will have poke, opihi (limpets that run over $200 a gallon), squid luau, and other "tastee delights".  Family will gather for a "kanikapila" where all the ukuleles come out and random people come up to dance the hula.  You will enjoy your luau.  Hope you gave everything at least a taste.  I love my poi.

 

Sounds like a great idea to celebrate with a luau. 

 

I’d love to see a ‘real’ luau not a ‘touristy’ one. It was fun and very relaxing, though I don’t think I actually saw ‘poi.’ Looks like something I need to try if we are lucky enough to visit Hawaii again. 

[ellie1145]

On 2/15/2021 at 1:19 PM, AF-1 said:

Ellie,  I'm surprised Princess didn't have your Luau a little closer to the ship.  Almost all the large hotels in Waikiki have Luau's two or three times a week.  I guess Germaine's which is a large company, contracts with all the cruise ships for the Luau's.  

 That’s interesting, AF-1, as this seemed to be the only one on offer. 

 

I wonder if it would be possible to book one of the hotel luaus if we ever return. Would be nice to experience something different. 

[ellie1145]

On 2/15/2021 at 1:54 PM, JF - retired RRT said:

2 different luaus, 2 tastes of poi. 

Guess it's something you have to grow up eating to enjoy...like haggis or blood pudding. 🤭

 

Week, I have to admit to not liking either haggis or black pudding, though both are popular in certain parts of the UK. 🤢🤮

[ellie1145]

On 2/15/2021 at 5:21 PM, azbirdmom said:

We've been to several of the tourist variety on Maui and have enjoyed them all.

 

Do you have a favourite?

[ellie1145]

On 2/15/2021 at 6:54 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

Germaines is one of the top rated luaus on Oahu (Paradise Cove is the other).  It is out in West Oahu because they have the land/property to spread out.  The Smith Family luau on Kauai is also very good.

 

With that said, I would not attempt to do anything that far away on my own.  Traffic can be a nightmare and you may miss your ship.  That includes Polynesian Cultural Center.  One accident on either highway will create quite a stall and you may miss the ship.  Luckily, you are a short plane trip to Kauai plus an overnight hotel expense.

 

FYI:  There is no sail away party from Oahu.  One enthusiastic Cruise Director had a very loud sail away while in downtown Honolulu at 11 PM.  The residents complained.  No more sail aways.  

 

The traffic does seem to be quite heavy. I would not want to risk going that far unless we were with a ship’s tour. 

 

Pity about the sail-away party, but understandable. 

[cr8tiv1]

If you are military, The Halekoa Hotel puts on a good Luau.  Interestingly, the principal of a local high school is also the headline entertainer.  (He used to entertain with Frank DeLima, went on to education, and has his doctorate.). 

 

It all depends when the ship docks in Honolulu.

 

Poi has become very expensive.  Maybe that is why they stopped serving it.  It is quite labor intensive to grow, harvest, and prepare.  I hope you enjoyed all the other tasty delights.