Just Back from Pride of Hawaii June 5th

Shiraz · June 24, 2006

CREW: Nearly everyone we encountered was cheerful, helpful and genuine. I’ve waitressed in my time and I’ve worked for a hotel. I’ve been on their side of the fence and know it can be a challenge to put on a game face when you’re having ‘one of those days.’ I think the most difficult and variable thing was the fellow passengers. Some of them were a lot to handle. Granted some might have had very real concerns and issues that need to be dealt with but I think some of the other travelers were rather crabby and difficult. There is a wide range in crew age from the teenaged-looking attendants in the buffet & on deck to the more mature waiters in some of the fancy restaurants with their seasoned experience.

SHORE EXCURSIONS – YES SOME OF THEM MIGHT LOOK LIKE THEY BELONG UNDER THE “HAWAII” HEADING BUT THESE WERE ALL NCL-BOOKED ONES:

#1 – Rainbow Falls, Nani Mau Botanical Gardens and Volcanoes National Park. Met in Stardust theater, not rushed, we took our time as a group and meandered out to the buses (50+ capacity with bathroom). The Stardust crew was in contact with the pier crew, so we were able to get a heads-up when the earlier tours had cleared out and we could come down to get aboard the buses. Our driver/guide, Shirley, was quite a stitch. She was a fountain of knowledge about Hilo-town and the surrounds, and I enjoyed her constant travelogue. Rainbow Falls is gorgeous and lush (rainbows only present earlier in the morning than we had arrived). We walked up to the pool at the top of the falls and saw a huge banyan tree. Apparently, there was something to see across the street from the Falls parking area, like maybe a little shop because it looked like some folks had bought water bottles there.

I guess I was expecting the grounds of Versailles when we went to the botanical garden but it wasn’t quite like that. The trees were labeled but the flowers were only sporadically labeled. There was enough time to take in the whole place as far as I could tell (guess there could have been more than met the eye – didn’t see any maps). There are refreshing waterfalls and shady trees, a bamboo grove, lots of beautiful flowers and an elevated gazebo. There was a tram tour but seriously, the place wasn’t THAT big.

VNP – what’s not to love here??? Cool volcanoes – ooh. Shirley told us that she would eyeball the buffet line when we went by Volcano House Restaurant and if it was too crowded we’d do the Crater Rim Drive first. We’d have passed out from hunger if we’d had to wait. The food was good (salad, bread, chewy meat not from Parker Ranch – I had to ask!!) BUT the view was superb. We were able to get a table by the window overlooking Kilauea Caldera with distant Mauna Loa in the background. Wow! It’s just mind-boggling to realize the fire show that once took place on the very ground we were on, yet all that’s left is desolation. And what an expansive view!! It was easy to forget the food wasn’t gourmet fare. Mother Nature definitely took up the slack. Refill H20 bottle here.

Crater Rim Drive – we hopped out to look at a fenced steam vent – powerful. Sulphur Banks – strong irritating smell, windy, couldn’t get away from it except in the bus. It was hot and the walk was sandy and rocky. People with sandals on were wishing they had their tennies. Jagger Museum – the stopover was a bit too short to take it all in. There’s a video playing with eruption footage, etc. Has a restroom & gift shop. Thurston Lava Tube – very lush with much vegetation. Most notable is the contrast between the rain forest here and the utter barrenness at the volcano above. The tube is damp and muddy but roomy. They have electric lights. It’s nice and cool, slippery.

Mauna Loa Factory The first thing you notice on the way into the macadamia nut factory is acres upon acres of papayas (?). Hmm. In the store there, you can taste free samples of the different flavors of mac nuts and if you ask the lady nicely she might give you a taste of the cookie (shortbread dipped). You can also look into the factory building and watch different steps to processing the nuts, which were pretty much closed down by the time we got there but we did see the candy part at the end. I can’t vouch much for the prices there, but the drugstore (ABC) and Walmart probably are the best deals. I saw the same Mauna Loa candy bars for anywhere from .69 (Walmart) to .99 (Hilo Hattie).

#2 Molokini Snorkel – Neither of us have snorkeled before and this was an extremely cool trip!!! We wore swimsuits & got towels from the checkout station (very quick & efficient). We took the bus to Ma’aeala Bay at the south end of the isthmus. We were on a Pacific Whale Foundation catamaran style vessel called Ocean Spirit with a “bar” and 2 bathrooms (p-u alert). They served us muffins, fruit & POG (papaya, orange, guava) juice when we started out. We sat on the first floor to keep out of the sun, but you can sit up on the front or on the top deck if you want that sea breeze through your hair. We were issued snorkels, masks & fins – I went upstairs and got an Rx mask because I’m nearsighted. I couldn’t get the snorkel thing to work the entire hour we were at Molokini so I just “free dived” (i.e., skip snorkel). We had brought our own Fuji underwater cameras but you can impuse-buy one for $17 on board).

Happily at the second stop (Turtle town) I got snorkeling down. Even with the difficulties I had, being in the water with the fish and sharing their environment was so great! The fish looked like they were on one of those 3-D movies, and you want to reach out and touch them and they react and swim away!!! We didn’t have anything to look at to ID the fish, so to us they were just yellow ones, angel-fish looking ones and ones with a pointy thing sticking out of their forehead. Bring your fish guidebook if you would like more fish info. They had a sandwich bar set up for lunch -- the food was average. It wasn’t very crowded at Molokini, which had been a concern – apparently most of the excursions arrive earlier than we did and many of them had already departed. Oh, they had flotation belts and “noodles.” We just put the noodles under our arms and stayed afloat that way. After lunch, they took us to Turtle Town, which the day we were snorkeling, happened to be off the coast of the Wailea area and we could see the nice resorts, etc. I mastered the snorkel finally and one of our guides took us as a group to find turtles and give us some ID on the sea life below. After I got the snorkel to work you couldn’t get me out of the water. We had to leave all too soon!!! On the way back to the bay, we were excited that one of the guides found some spinner dolphins. They swam alongside the boat for a while. THEN the guides found us a couple of bottlenose dolphins to boat with. It was time to return to the dock so we weren’t able to get out by the dolphins and swim, but it was a really nice extra to end the trip! (No stop at shopping, we were too late).

#3 Luau - This is a fantastic starter luau. It has it all – beautiful grounds, varied dances and costumes, free alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks, Hawaiian specialties to eat (poi looks like lavender baby food but it is apparently very healthy and vitamin-mineral-nutrient rich), tiki torches, Samoan fire dancer, etc. The area is gorgeous with manicured gardens and surrounded by many ritzy hotels. This luau was held at the Maui Prince Hotel in Makena, at the southern end of Wailea. I had a great time, and was very happy with the choice to attend.

We sat near the back but we could see just fine. I checked out a towel on the way out from the pier in case we couldn’t see and wanted to go sit up front but didn’t need it. Since we were in the back it was okay to stand to take photos etc. Our table mates’ reactions varied from one lady who complained about the luau and compared it to one she had previously attended to others, who were just taking it all in and enjoying! I suppose you could take binoculars – many of the things I saw from the back just fine were through the telephoto lens on the camera!

While waiting for the luau to begin, I wandered around the grounds, which were very nice; the restroom in the courtyard area was spacious, and the courtyard has a stream, waterfall, & lots of vegetation. I would like to learn more about Maui Prince, because it was such a beautiful location. We could see hotel guests out on their balcony taking pictures of the show (which was probably kind of loud). Of course as part of the show, there’s the gratuitous “drag people from the audience up to the stage numbers,” all in good fun.

The food was okay – nothing to get all excited about! Salad, pork, rice, above-mentioned poi, something with purple sweet potatoes, etc. and dessert table. I’m not sure if the drinks were actually Mai Tais, having looked up the recipe when I got home and noticed that they’re supposedly almost 100% alcohol – these were fruit juice topped with a couple ounces of rum. Hey, they tasted great!! Who cares if they’re not the real deal? They also had pre-mixed Blue Hawaiians, I think they even had some of the ingredients listed on a placard.

Shiraz · June 24, 2006

#4 Road to Hana – I picked an NCL excursion here because switchbacks make DH drowsy and I want to gawk, not look at the road. Besides it sounded really treacherous in the guidebooks and I wanted someone who knew what they were doing to handle the wheel, also we were scheduled to go all the way around through Kipahulu etc. and I wanted to see what was on the other side of Hana. Rumors were that it was desolate and if your rental car breaks down you’re in deep pu-pu. Here’s another manifest function of taking the group tour – your buddies on the bus are fun!! It was nice to have all the people around to meet and gasp with when we were half hanging over the edge of the road in some gut-clenching spots. Okay here’s a real gem of information – sit on the left side of the bus behind the driver if you want to see most of the stuff. You’re going clockwise on the island and the ocean is on the left. You can see Haleakala from most of the less-vegetated spots so you get many views off to the right. Another treat was our stop to partake of the legendary Maui banana bread at Kenae Landing Fruit Stand -- it was really yummy and warm too!

I never once regretted taking the bus here!! Our driver/guide, Jeff, was extremely knowledgeable about the islands in general, and most importantly, he knew his driving. He knew the tough spots and how to shoehorn that 21-passenger van into the little pullouts so we could troop out and take pictures. The constant stream of tidbits of info while we looked out the window was FAR preferable to trying to read the Revealed book as we went along. I guess if I had a car I would have gotten the audio tour so I would have had half a clue what we were passing. The toughest challenge bathroom-wise is the stretch is after lunch until you reach Oheo Gulch, so be mindful of your liquid intake at lunch!

Re Lunch: I think it was called Hana House – we ate out on the patio. I’m pretty enthusiastic about this lunch – the view was so pretty out “al fresco” with the ocean in the distance! We were allowed to choose from a special tour menu – I had chicken breast sandwich and DH had teri burger – both were better than ship’s fare. The passion fruit iced tea was the best tea I’ve had in a long time. I wish I could have taken some in a thermos for later. Reminder: There is a long ride to the next biffy after all that tea!!!

So what’s all the fuss about Hana Highway, and why is this beauty better than something you see anywhere else?? The topography is fantastic – sheer cliffs with vegetation above and below you. You can see the treetops below you as you curve along. There are tons of waterfalls you drive right by on the road as well as their accompanying streams. We also stopped quickly at Wai’anapanapa State Park and went down to the Black Sand Beach, which is a little hike downward. The sand is actually coarse, black pebbles. There’s a small lava tube adjacent to the beach you can go into and watch the water crash up into the open end. Cool!! There are expansive, dramatic views of the coastline. The Oheo Gulch (Sacred Pools) is really as beautiful as “all that.” There were a lot of people in the water and there is a hike from the parking lot out to the water but it’s worth it. We didn’t get in the water, only photo’d it because we didn’t have much time at the stop.

After Hana – To answer the question of “why does everyone say the road is terrible???” Okay it’s gravel for a looong time then it’s washboard-y pavement. It reminded me of when we were kids, riding across the playground grass on our bikes. That kind of bumpy, not 4WD river bottom kind. This goes on for miles and miles and miles . . . get a nice car with good shocks or a nice bus. We could feel the vibration in our seats.

This area has its own style of beauty – mostly the vastness of the rolling hills and windswept grassland. We saw some goats on cliffs towards inland. There are some REALLY barren cinder cones in some parts, then we gained some elevation (back into the greenery) and wound up at the Tedeschi Winery (is it pronounced “Tedeski?”). The program didn’t say we were going there so that was actually a wonderful bonus since I had been curious about the place. I thought the pineapple wine tasted pretty darn good but didn’t want to put it in bond on the ship so I’ll have to figure out another way to get some here. Our final leg was “upcountry,” above Wailea through Kula, with great views of the isthsmus below and the Kihei area. I was extremely happy with this choice of excursion – everything delivered as promised. I daresay it was my favorite part of the entire week.

One day I'll have to figure out how to put the picture out the bus window straight down to the ocean on here!

Shiraz · June 24, 2006

#5 Grand Finale Tour – We had a car reserved but decided to do the bus tour because 1) We were tired & didn’t want to drive; 2) didn’t know if we could get to PH early enough to get tickets and for sure didn’t want to miss it; 3) Thought having luggage under bus was more secure than car trunk which is all in the perception probably; 4) Had good experiences with other tours thus far; 5) Wanted the commentary that accompanies the tours; 6) Previous rental on Kauai was okay but it was a hassle; 7) The cost differential figuring in meals, gas, etc., etc., was less than $80 for both of us and that was a small price to pay for knowing we had stuff pretty much all planned out; 8) We weren’t sure if we needed PCC reservation (entertainment book said so) and we had no idea how to figure out an arrival time; and 9) If for some reason we missed the plane maybe NCL would help us get home.

Debarkation Itinerary for Tour: In the morning, we were slated to meet @ Stardust theater at 7:45 for the 8:00 excursion. We were a bit late but saw that there were lots of people in the theater and a speaker on the stage. We DIDN'T realize that several tours were meeting @ Stardust that day and we should have gotten moving toward the gangway instead of sitting there listening to the speaker since our group had already left unbeknownst to us!! We finally piped up and asked where we were supposed to be and the speaker said our group had already headed out (oops!). That could have been handled differently. Happily, or sadly, as you choose to look at it, we weren't the last ones because another couple was having a lost luggage issue so we wound up waiting for their golf stuff. They were quite relieved, to say the least. Another couple who missed our bus had to hitch a ride with the next bus going to Pearl Harbor and were extremely furious. They had missed the entire group because apparently they were told to stand in the wrong line for the wrong tour. They were hopping mad and the last seat on the bus was the back one with not much of a view. I didn't look @ watch, but I bet we left around 8:30ish and got to PH around 9-ish. The line outside PH looks impossibly long but it moves fast -- they issue 150 tickets at a time for the transports. WEAR SUNBLOCK -- you'll be outside quite a bit.

You can't take purse/fanny pack etc into PH but we had credit cards & cash in pockets. Water bottle (we have a Lexan wide-mouth one on a lanyard) was okay, camera out of its case and cell phone were okay. We bought a snack at PH -- there is a little snack stand with croissant sandwiches, ice cream bars, soda, water, cookies, etc. just inside the first building. There was plenty of time to consume things since our ticket for the film/boat transport to memorial was about 1.25 hours away. We rented a headset ($5, supposedly lasts 30 min.) to enhance the tour. (There's also a restroom by the snack stand).

We snacked and wandered around in the museum (models of the ships, maps, artifacts recovered, also a souvenir store) and tried to stay cool in the breezeway. Our ticket # was 13 and we lined up at 10:30 for 10:45 entry to film. If you want to go see Bowfin, there is time (they said it would take 45' -- we opted out). It's just across a lawn in a different area. If you want to see inside Missouri you're out of luck because this tour doesn't go inside -- you can see it from the memorial because it's docked nearby.

There is a "food court" over by Bowfin if you want to head over that way while waiting for your tour. (We didn’t go over there until after the tour because our guide told us he would give us time then to get lunch @ food court). So, we just had something from the nearby snack stand: If you’re interested it was a croissant sandwich (reasonably good for a cello-pack sandwich), Maui chips, ice cream & soda; also bought cookies and ate them later at the airport while waiting for 10:30 flt. After the tour we got a shave ice at the food court area. That sure hit the spot. (There are more restrooms over in that area.)

You won't be sorry if you go visit Pearl Harbor. It was quite educational and I felt the most poignancy during the film, finding it hard to fight back tears. The film even contains footage provided by the Japanese.

I think PCC is one of those things that will haunt you until you go because everyone says it’s a “must see.” It rounded out the whole experience by giving us more insight into some of the separate cultures found on the islands. Our guide (Ben) got us into the Center and shepherded us right to the canoe dock for a quick gondola-style ride in the river; then over to the area for the pageant of the long canoes (colorful and lively) which starts @ 2:30. Afterwards, he had other stuff he wanted us to see, but we wandered off a little then rejoined the group @ the appointed meeting place @ 4 p.m. We met in the Samoa area for a demonstration, which was quite entertaining -- we laughed and learned so much. At the luau, there was entertainment – musicians, a few dancers, a very quick imu ceremony). The food was wonderful!! They had "Island fish" whatever that is – it was good, teriyaki chicken, shredded pork, green salad, rice, purple potato rolls, desserts, etc. Drinks are included -- they even had Powerade and of course POG (papaya-orange-guava). Even though we had known we were getting dinner there, it was a nice surprise to find out it was the luau.

Our schedule did not permit us to stay for the nightly PCC Grand Finale performance, Horizons, but there is a tape or DVD you can buy. We had to leave by 6:30 to get to airport by 7:30.

Shiraz · June 24, 2006