BermudaBound2014

That is correct. Premium did not allow videos to be posted to cruise critic (although I could post them to my social media pages). I think it’s mostly a cruise critic problem. I’m going to set up my own YouTube channel like Jim because I think links load better. I loved the sharks too! I swam with them 5 times. The first was the deep sea cage dive on the North shore of Honolulu. Totally different than those tame little blacktips in Moorea and Reatea - FullSizeRender.MOV I’m thrilled I did this (even though I heaved my cookies along with half the boat as it was super rough). We were completely surrounded by a couple dozen 15-18 footers! Perfect for this adrenaline junkie FullSizeRender.MOV Ps this was my first attempt with my new GoPro and the waves were HuGe making it even more challenging. Sorry, I’m just not a videographer. But if you want to swim with sharks I can hook you up!! FullSizeRender.MOV

There are lots of Hawaii experts here, but if you have never been this is my recommendation. Hilo- volcano national park Kahalui in Jan- head to Ma’alea bay for a whale watch Honolulu- Polynesia cultural center Kauai- Waimea canyon Kona- this is a hard one. Before covid Kona was a cool little town to just stroll thru. Now many of the shops have gone out of business. I read Kona brewery is now doing tours, that place is ok. If you are a golfer the Kona country club would be my choice for how To spend that day.

Ha! Golf league starts tomorrow in Michigan. High 48. There’s a reason I miss the first 3 weeks of the season (although my neighbor just sent me a pic of my magnolia tree in bloom which is lovely). Meanwhile my current situation includes watching this whale from my Lanai. Apparently some of the whales are refusing to head back before May also :). GMTA Excited to share those beers! Give Pam my best 🙂 FullSizeRender.MOV

You are my people 🙂

Well, Rolling Stones band needs to be ‘good’ too. On my last cruise, I thought they were just ‘ok’. Not enough to keep me hanging on all night (and I love that genre). I could sing the words to nearly every single song, but some I even didn’t recognize until the chorus. They also had a terrible habit of playing a couple of dance numbers (get the floor jamming), and then jump into Hendrix. Now, I like cowbell just as much as the next girl, but not for dancing. In their defense, the band in Rolling Stones isn’t really a ‘band’. It’s a group of musicians that are put together by an outside company. Sometimes it works, sometimes it’s a work in progress. Like you, I’m not too into production shows, but if they are high quality they are entertaining for me. NCL used to pay big money for their entertainment and even though I am not one to go see Rock Of Ages on Broadway, I loved it at sea. NCL offers some top rate caliber production shows (but it costs $$$). We saw Choir of Men in January and that show was terrific!! It was the exact same cast as is played around the world, not substitutes. My point being, the only venue I would personally consider “high quality’ on my last HAL cruise was BBKings. That band was excellent. The classical artists were also good. Neither are my first choice in music, but I ended up spending most of my time in BBKIngs for the energy. Entertainment has to be high quality and quality costs. Of course, quality is also subjective so there’s that :).

Those videos look blank on my phone- can someone please let me know if you can view them? Also let me know if you just want me to stop. I feel like this is now a groundhogs day review. 🤣

I know I promised to answer all questions and post more videos. To be honest, I’ve been super busy on Maui but everyone has now went back home and I’m done entertaining (as you can imagine I’m everyone favorite aunt when I’m on island lol). I have the next three weeks to actually take time to reflect on this whirlwind of a winter before I head “home”. (I really haven’t been to Michigan since January). It’s a bit of a blur and I want to take some time in meditation to cement the experiences into memory. I am still overwhelmed with gratitude. I’m afraid that everything i have to say now is totally outdated and irrelevant but I will do my best to answer any remaining questions, post the videos I couldn’t post onboard and give one final summation. Here are the Fakarava videos I took. Let me know if you can see them. Blue and green lagoon. The snorkeling wasn’t as great here but the water colors (which don’t show up well) were exceptional. I had zero expectations for this stop and it turned out to blow me away. I’m booked on the same tour next year but may do something different. I had friends that just walked down to a hotel beach and the photos were out of this world! Welcoming committee (we had this in several stops)…. IMG_3700.MOV FullSizeRender.MOV IMG_3709.MOV

Jim,I finally got some time to watch every single video (Maui is still keeping me busy, whale season ended last week but several whales didn’t get the memo). These videos are exceptional and a wonderful reminder of the trip. Thank you so much. I was fun to spot me in so many. I shared a few with DH so he could see what he missed. We really did do a lot of excursions together! Goes without saying that I will hold you and Toni’s friendship near and dear for life :).

Smooches, but I have no idea how that pic showed up and it’s too late to edit. I must have had extra coffee that day and got to clicking 🙂

Production shows returning is good news ONLY if the shows are high caliber. You get what you pay for.

Groups are starting to come back post covid. There is a huge group at the Kapalua ritz Carlton right now. Last night they took over the entire beach bar area. I’d be ticked paying 2k a night and having the hotel amenities reduced. Unfortunately hAl isn’t the only line doing this. NCL reserved their observation lounge (same concept as crows nest) for the entire voyage of an Alaskan scenic cruise, and I believe the room was reserved 24 hours a day. Not saying it’s right, just saying that this is happening across the industry (land and sea). I always check for big groups before booking and avoid if possible. Sorry the OP had this experience. Just because it’s fairly common doesn’t make it pleasant.

That’s my girl!! You are tops in my book! 🙂 🙂

The key to San Diego isn’t your priority status but if there is another ship in port that day. If so, expect a clustered immigration and possibly delayed departure. If you are the only ship in port it seems to be much smoother.

What is this nonsense you speak of? ;). Sending you much positive aloha energy in the hopes that your trip will be exceptional:)

I hesitated to bring up the subject of trip insurance on this thread because it’s a rabbit hole. Obviously, the largest discount on aarp gift cards comes when you pay off a big ticket cruise fare, but that does involve understanding their T&C, particularly how gift cards relate to insurance coverage. I use the insurance provided by chase sapphire preferred, and if I recall correctly the policy itself was nearly 100 pages of technical language. It was no fun to read but I learned a lot. The actual policy directly contradicted information I received from a chase sapphire insurance specialist, so never trust the phone rep. AARP Gift cards can offer substantial savings, but they come with zero consumer protection. Buyer be informed.