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BermudaBound2014

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  • Location
    Michigan & Maui
  • Interests
    A retired Generation X actively traveling the world
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    HA! I’m barely loyal to my siblings

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  1. I did! you pick up a ticket in the office right outside the gangway. $25 round trip. Water taxi Comes often. It’s primitive, showers didn’t work and you bring your own toilet paper. Beach was great. Snorkeling from beach was decent at the far end. Lots of locals. I will likely do this again next year. I’d be more than happy to show you where to get the tickets but it’s super easy. You can see the motu from the ship.
  2. Thank you for following along. I agree that boththe memories and friendships I made are going to last a lifetime. I do hope to sail with you as well! My Gratitude continues as Maui greeted me with this amazing sunset from my Lanai last night. I’ve been watching a group of whales with my binoculars all morning just off of Napili bay. As much as I loved the cruise, there is something very special about my time here. Healing. Centering. Hard to explain, but I just resonate differently. I can think of no better explanation mark on a cruise of a lifetime than to spend time reflecting in paradise. My cup is overflowing….
  3. Now you know that had we danced my review may have been way BETTER! 🙂
  4. Just goes to show that all experiences are different. There are two (or three) Ohana boats. Our crew wasn’t ‘great’ and on the other boat a CC member has photos of the crew sitting in the back on their cell phones as passengers helped each other up the ladder. I would also note there was no soap in the bathroom which, for me, was pretty icky (I didn’t see sanitize anywhere either). Since we were still under Noro protocols, I felt that sanitation for distributing the fruit was way below standards too. Apparently not all Ohana boats are created equal. I am glad you had a better experience onboard and it sounds like you went to the same snorkeling spot (inside the reef but certainly no lagoon as we would describe it). For those that want to snorkel, IMO Papeete isn’t the best choice.
  5. Aloha and thank you for following along. I met folks in their 80s who were doing just fine on the excursions, but only you know your physical limitations. Some of my best buds were in their 70’s and running circles around the younger folks. Based on this year’s demographics, you would be in the median age range. Plenty of ports without tenders to explore and the only two that are a bit sketchy are Fakarava and Nuka Hiva. If you do decide to go, I would be more than happy to help you both if you needed it, and if you get hooked up with the amazing CC family I’m sure there are others. I never once felt alone and knew that if something happened where I found myself in need, the community would come thru. While you can always find mean spirited people online, I have found that overwhelmingly people on CC lead with kindness.
  6. I know the question about my disappointment with HAL tours has been asked a few times so let me tackle that question. Of course this is only my experience. Ymmv The HAL Hollywood in Kailua was ok. I paid $179. HAL raised the price to $279 for those on next years cruise. It’s a rip for $279 but they do take you to lots of pretty spots. Our tour guide wasn’t the best but I was on the bus with a great group of friends that made the time go by nicely. It was my favorite of the three Hal tours I did. I can not recommend the next two HAL excursions. The first was Ohana Catamaran from Papette (note, they also have Ohana catamaran from Moorea which will likely be much better because the water in Moorea is much better for snorkeling. The description says you snorkel in a lagoon. Be aware that in FP, a lagoon is everything inside the coral reef. Basically we anchored in a boating lane in water that was about 25-30 feet deep. There was minimal coral and fish. The hygiene standards on the catamaran weren’t great either. People with me on the tour got $25 rebated. I did leave a note in navigator and asked them to call me. They never did. I could have followed up too, but for a measly $25 I didn’t want the negative energy. The tour is not as described. I’d give that one hard pass if you want snorkeling. It’s a nice boat ride. I should also mention that I do not recommend any snorkeling in Papeete for the very same reason (you don’t snorkel in a lagoon, you snorkel in a boating lane). Tahati by boat went to a very similar area. I know people pleased with tahati by boat but there were also those who were not pleased. The waters off Papeete are not in the same league as our other stops. There were turtles, but there are turtles everywhere. There are also dolphins at the entrance way to the lagoon, but you can see these from the ship at sail in. iMo the best thing to do when in Papette is a land tour because the water here just isn’t as nice. I used Eden tours (pdf information file is in this years roll call and I’ll repost when I get home). I do recommend Eden tours for a lovely circle island tour. Next year I hope to skip Papeete entirely and head to Moorea for a few extra nights. More on that in another post. The last tour I did with HaL was the photography tour in Mooraea. I had improper expectations for this tour as I was hoping for info on aperture and focal length. A more in depth class like other photo tours. Instead, the host concentrated solely on composition. She showed a couple cool tricks but it just wasn’t my vibe. All in all I was very disappointed in HAL tours and was reminded why it’s been many years since I purchased a cruise line shore excursion. I do acknowledge that ship tours are much easier and if you don’t make it to an island you are refunded. Given the medical emergency we had that prevented us from Fanning island, and the weather that prevented the cruise before ours from docking in Maui, it’s important to read all terms and conditions of any non-ship tour you may book as port stops just aren’t guaranteed.
  7. Did you mean March 22? I’m part of a group that collects data on the numbers. It’s no longer whale soup as expected but there are plenty left according to my data sources.
  8. I’m currently half way across the pacific on my way to Maui and getting bored so I’ll take a stab at this one now :). Truth be told I don’t snorkel much on the south side since the condo is on the west in Kapalua with some of the best snorkeling on island nearby. however; I do not recommend you cross the Pali to snorkel on the west side. I didn’t recommend that for a one day cruise stop prior to the fires and it’s worse now due to tremendous traffic on the only road into/out of the Lahaina as the clean up efforts commence. That leaves you snorkeling around Kihei. Any of the Kams are popular but my favorite spot on that side is Ulua. Some nice coral last time I was there and it’s an easy beach to enter the water at. Of course you could look up Trilogy from Ma’alaea and see if you can make an excursion to Molokini based on your timeframe. If things work out like this year I’ll be on island in April again since I plan to head to Maui after the 2025 Tahiti cruise too. If I’m on island, and not entertaining that day, I maybe able to come pick you up :). Last year I was seeing whales right up until the last week of April (although not as abundant). Based on reports I’m getting they are still around right now. I’m heading out next week and hope to get to encounter some fun comp pods. End of season comp pods are a blast!
  9. Sadly, smash and grabs are not isolated to California :(. Somehow we have lost our way. I will continue to sail out of San Diego as long as there are itineraries I want to sail on. One day of disorganization was insignificant in the grand scheme of things. San Diego as a city offers a lot. We walked our tails off in the tourist areas the last 4 days and never once felt unsafe.
  10. I just said goodbye to my dear friend as she must make the long trek back to Northern California to report to work in the morning. It’s been a whirlwind few days. Have I mentioned how much I love retirement? Retiring in my early 50s was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Highly recommend. We stayed at the Hyatt Manchester. Literally attached to seaport village. They do an amazing breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the club suite rooms- I highly recommend the upgrade for both the chow and views. Sunday was rainy and downright cold. Monday and today have brought bright blue skies but temps in the mid 60s. Light jacket weather for sure and it’s a good thing the pool is heated. We were going to do the Hop on hop off trolley, but everything in San Diego is pretty close and I really wanted to walk since I’ve been eating so much. 30k steps later we explored little Italy. We also walked to the gas lamp district for drinks and taco Tuesday :). We managed a harbor tour too. Time literally flew by!! I did witness my very first smash and grab. Technically it was just a grab but pretty surreal for this midwesterner. The guy was quite polite explaining that he wasn’t planning to pay (he had a variety of grocery items from the CVS on Broadway and 4th street). The worker just let him pass. Someone asked if she was going to call the police and she explained that they don’t report if the person was non violent. She also explained that it happens daily and that she is instructed not to intervene. At the risk of sounding political, wth is happening to our big cities? San Diego is a lovely town, but I’m afraid visitors maybe quite shocked at the amount of homelessness and general disarray. In spite of that little reality check, I enjoyed my time here very much and think San Diego has much to offer the cruise community. As with all large city’s it is best to always be aware, but I’ll be back next year. Unafraid and absolutely unwilling to let a few jerks dull my sparkle :). With that, just a quick 6 hour flight and I’ll be in my happy place (Kapalua, Maui) tomorrow. All of Maui is nice, but for me Kapalua is home. There is a resounding level of spiritual energy in the Aina’, and I look forward to laying my head down there tomorrow night. I can think of no better way to end this epic adventure than spending another 6 weeks on Maui. I promise that I have not forgotten your questions. Hubby arrives on Saturday so I should have several days to wrap up this review. In the meantime, here are some photos from San Diego…
  11. Good morning from a very sunny (but windy/chilly) San Diego. The club room breakfast here at the Hyatt reminded me of the lido with yummy omelets and chocolate croissants (among other things). I really need to stop eating. The views here are wonderful!! My friend arrives this afternoon. I have no idea what we are going to do but I suspect last nights bottle of wine won’t be the only casualty. For anyone familiar with San Diego, the back entrance to this hotel literally opens into seaport village. Any happy hour suggestions within walking distance? Bonus points for calamari.
  12. I feel pretty confident you will be fine for a noon flight, BUT you will have to be proactive. They put the color tags out 5 days before debarkation. I’d get there early to pick up the earliest self debarkation and then make sure you are in line first for immigration. You can not bring luggage to immigration (side note, i did see three people with carryons in line- this is another place HAL could improve and enforce the rules as these made it very difficult for wheelchairs). Basically like every other cruise, if you have an early flight you need to be proactive but I’d book that flight if I didn’t plan to spend more time in San Diego. There were plenty of taxis inside the gates. Most headed to the airport. Cost I was quoted was $35 plus tip (but that was from my taxi driver that charged me $25 to go three blocks, I just didn’t want to drag my luggage and without the premium charge no cabs wanted the ride). Ubers must pick up outside the gates. Best to walk a bit down toward seaport village to give your Uber a hassle free pick up spot. I just didn’t want to deal with my luggage and i already had a porter who could take me to the taxis (but not Ubers). Lazy I know. I think it should be a bit smoother for you since the Princess ship won’t be debarking luggage or dealing with immigration, but I hope one of the people who work at the port will comment in more detail for you.
  13. @OBX2Maui I still admire that your first cruise was 35 nights!! Love the fearless commitment. I think you will find that the disembarkation process was pretty chaotic when compared to other cruises. You stated you waited 45 minutes to get thru immigration. That’s pretty much unheard of at other ports. Much of this was caused by the lack of physical space at the San Diego terminal, but imo Hal could have handled things better too. I agree that by the time folks got to the disembarkation line it was too late to check colors. IMO that should have been done at the entrance to the immigration line (just past the library). If you got to that point before your color was called, one of the white coats could have easily sent you to the side in a nice chair in RSRR or Billboards to wait your turn. Just my idea, maybe there are others, but I do know that compared to the two ships I disembarked last month (one holding 6,500 passengers and one holding 4,000 passengers), yesterdays process was significantly more disorganized and crowded even though the ship only held 2,500 passengers. The line snaking the entire length of the ship was difficult on those with physical mobilities too, not to mention extremely crowded and prime for passing along the corona virus that was onboard. I avoided lines the entire trip for a reason. hAL can do better. It sounds like we both had decent experiences because you were quite early in the process and I was quite late. My advice to others is to either line up first or wait things out patiently. Also, there is double the luggage to manage on a 35 nights cruise. Double the workers needed and double the space to store it once off the ship. San Diego just isn’t built to handle that. We also agree that the entire experience was EPIC! So epic I’m doing it again in both 2025 and 2026, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t areas where HAL can improve. IMO, yesterdays disembarkation is one of them.
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