A couple of Australians in Hawaii – our trip report

[Raison]

Tuesday 29 March 2011

 

Our arrival in Hilo was wet and it just kept getting wetter as we had breakfast on the outside deck of the Aloha Cafe. Hilo was certainly living up to it's reputation as the wettest city in America.

 

We left the ship and were picked up by Ricky of Ricky's Tours about 8.15 am. There were 4 other couples in our van today - all who heard about Ricky from CC.

 

We drove along Banyan Tree Drive, looking at the trees planted by various celebrities. We stopped at the Liliuokalani Gardens, thankfully the rain had stopped and we had a bit of a look here and took some photos.

 

Rainbow Falls was our next stop - there was heaps of water flowing over the falls - gotta have rain to have waterfalls.

 

We headed out to Volcano National Park with Ricky chatting away telling us about Hilo and the places we were passing.

 

We stopped at the Akatsuka Orchid Garden along the way. Orchids are one of my favourite plants so I enjoyed the stop here.

 

In VNP we visited the steam vents, Jaggar Museum, Hale'mauma'u Crater, Devil's Throat and Thurston Lava tube. We drove part way down Chain of Craters Road and stopped at some of the old lava flows.

 

VNP is a unique place and we were pleased to have been able to see some of it today.

 

On our way back to Hilo we stopped at the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm. This was a bit of a waste for us - we have a mac nut tree in our backyard at home.

 

Back in Hilo, Ricky pointed out various places as we drove to the black sand beach at Richardson Ocean Beach park. We were lucky enough to see a couple of turtles feeding around the rocks here.

 

We thought Ricky's Tour was a good day, enjoyable, informative and reasonably priced. Ricky certainly enjoys showing people around and has heaps of info to share.

 

There were a couple of places that we would have liked to stop at but we didn't, however if we had asked I am sure Ricky would have stopped. We didn't ask though !! I would have liked to drive to the end of Chain of Craters Road, but I am not sure if that would have been worth the extra time it would have taken.

 

We were back on board around 2.45 pm. DH headed to the doctor on board and I relaxed on our balcony.

 

The Captain announced that there would not be any lava to see at the sail -by, a big disappointment! We were both hoping that the lava would have been a bit active but it was not to be.

 

We had dinner in the Aloha and had an early night. I think we may have watched a movie in our cabin.

 

 

 

 

 

[TSUmom]

I can't wait for your next review - keep it coming!!!! I am also happy to see you gave a great review of Valley Isle excursions as we plan on using them too. I would rather relax and enjoy the sites on the Road to Hana then drive and my DH feels the same way. Maybe we can have Debra as our driver too....:D Reading your review makes the 500 plus days a little more tolerable!!!:p Thank you for taking the time to re-live your wonderful vacation for our enjoyment.

[Raison]

I can't wait for your next review - keep it coming!!!! I am also happy to see you gave a great review of Valley Isle excursions as we plan on using them too. I would rather relax and enjoy the sites on the Road to Hana then drive and my DH feels the same way. Maybe we can have Debra as our driver too....:D Reading your review makes the 500 plus days a little more tolerable!!!:p Thank you for taking the time to re-live your wonderful vacation for our enjoyment.

 

You're welcome!! I am enjoying re-living our trip by writing this report too!

[margord]

Well we have to stop reading and leave for Hawaii but we will pick back up again when we return. Thanks again for the great review.

[Raison]

Well we have to stop reading and leave for Hawaii but we will pick back up again when we return. Thanks again for the great review.

 

 

Enjoy your trip! Look forward to hearing about it when you return.

[FloatYourBoatSince2003]

I'm enjoying your review so far. I'd like to go back to Maui one day and do the Road to Hana - sounds like the 12-pax tour is the way to go!

 

Also, your comment about MacDonalds made me smile. I'm not a big fan of Mickey D's either but I ALMOST went in to try the local taro pie!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Question - On your tour with Ricky, what did you do about lunch? I was wondering if we should pack a couple of sandwiches.

 

Thanks!:)

[Raison]

Wednesday March 30 2011

 

We were greeted with a stunning morning as we arrived in Kona, sunny and bright and quite a contrast from yesterday in Hilo. These 2 places have lived up to their reputations as far as the weather goes this week.

 

DH had an early start for his golf trip to Kona Country Club Mountain course and I was heading out on the water with Body Glove for a snorkel trip. Both these excursions were booked through NCL.

 

The golf trip was good - a lovely course and a nice group of people to play with. The course is picturesque and the views often interrupted the golfer's concentration!

 

I would like to have done one of the zodiac snorkel tours but due to an unpredictable back problem, I thought it safest to go with Body Glove.

I did not regret this decision at all as I had a great morning on Body Glove.

 

As we left the harbour area, there was a pod of spinner dolphins that we stopped to watch for several minutes. They were quite active and one even jumped and spun in the air. What fun it was!

 

The trip to the bay where we would snorkel took around 45 minutes and it was a relaxing trip. On board there was coffee, tea and pastries and fruit if you wanted it. The boat is comfortable and I found it easy to walk around on it.

 

The snorkel spot had very clear water, and the views of the fish and coral were great even though the water was quite deep. It was a nice refreshing temperature as well - not too cold at all.

 

Lots of fish of all sizes and colours too. The equipment was good and the crew were very helpful in making sure everyone had the gear they needed and felt comfortable using it. Flotation devices were available as well and many people used them.

 

The crew were very safety conscious. There were lookouts on board and one in the water looking for people showing signs of needing help.

 

There is a slide on board that some people were using, I didn't even try it. I could just imagine myself getting stuck on it, how embarrassing!

 

We had a lot of snorkel time here, which was great.

 

Lunch was provided and whilst simple, it was adequate for hungry snorkellers.

 

On our way back to Kona harbour, we watched the scenery and there were several para-sailers being towed behind boats that were fun to watch as well.

 

One of the passengers had a kite that the crew flew off the back of the boat. They attached it to a long fishing line on a pole and let it go.

 

as we neared the harbour, the dolphins appeared again - almost like a welcoming committee! We slowed down and watched them frolic around again.

 

I had a terrific morning and I thought the snorkelling was better than Hanauma Bay.

 

Kona shops was my next stop and I walked around there browsing for a while. I had originally planned to return to the ship and shower after snorkelling, but I didn't really need to as there were fresh water showers on Body Glove. I used them and changed into my clothes on board (well in the rest rooms, not actually on the deck:D).

 

After I had browsed to my heart content, I tendered back to the ship and relaxed till DH arrived home happy and content from his golf excursion.

 

We had late afternoon drinks in the Napa Wine Bar with another Aussie lady travelling on her own. Then we had dinner in Skyline Restaurant. It was Lobster night, which we remembered after we had sat down. We did have to wait to get a table - but only about 10 minutes.

 

I didn't have lobster but DH did. Our meals were very nice and I found the service to be prompt and efficient. Loved the apple pie for dessert. So did our table sharers, although the gentleman did comment that the piece of pie was much smaller than we would have had if we were dining in Louisiana!

 

We were happy to share our table with a couple from Louisiana. Always nice to chat with other people and hear about different lifestyles.

 

Cynthia was the restaurant hostess that night (and many other nights too!). She was being kept busy by the crowd of people wanting to dine. I thought she was doing a good job of multi tasking - talking to passengers, answering the phone and coordinating with other restaurant staff on the walkie-talkie.

 

Kona is a beautiful place to visit and it is easy to see why so many people have land vacations here. It is definitely a place we would consider coming back to. Oh wait, we will be back - next week!!:D

 

A few shots from todays adventures...

 

 

 

 

 

[Raison]

Question - On your tour with Ricky, what did you do about lunch? I was wondering if we should pack a couple of sandwiches.

 

Thanks!:)

 

We had a decent breakfast and took some snacks with us. But we didn't eat the snacks. We were hungry when we got back on board!

 

You could certainly pack sandwiches if you want and take them along.

 

You also get samples at the Mac Nut farm! Try the Maui Onion ones and the Chocolate Coconut ones if you can. You can buy food at the Mac farm if you want, but we didn't as we were heading back and we decided to wait till we were back on the ship.

[Raison]

Thursday March 31 2011

 

Our cabin was on the port side of the shipand we were greeted with a beautiful vista pulling into Nawiliwili Harbour. Our side of the ship has lovely views while docked here.

 

 

We were at the rental car office at 8.20 am and on the road (the right hand side) by 8.35 am. That was pretty good service! If we had not been stuck in the back of the shuttle, we would have been even quicker! Our car today was a Ford Focus that still had the new car smell in it.

 

This morning we were driving to Waimea Canyon and the Kokee State Park. Following previous advice, we headed to the furthest point first. There were still people at each stop, but certainly not huge numbers.

 

I was worried about the weather today, I had read reviews from people who had driven all the way here only to not see anything due to the fog etc. Well I needn't have worried because today was stunning! The sun was shining, the sky was the bluest blue and there were hardly any clouds. We couldn't have wanted a better day! And we felt really blessed to see the wonderful views on Kauai on such a pretty day.

 

We headed up on Koke'e Road (552) and our first stop was at Po'u o Kila Lookout. The road up is very good in sections and then all of a sudden it deteriorates into a huge mess of potholes.

Wow! when you see the Na Pali coast from this lookout, it really brings home how big the cliffs are. We could see helicopters out on the distance and they added perspective to the view!

 

 

We hiked down the Pihea Trail, remembering that we would have to climb back up again! I don't know how far we went, but a little way. To do the full hike (or any hike in this area) is not for the faint-hearted. Maybe one day we will return and have more time to do more of the hike than we did today.

 

 

We also stopped at the Kalalau Lookout , again, the view is breathtaking.

 

 

Heading back down Waimea Canyon Road we stopped at several of the lookouts and pull out places to enjoy the Canyon views. This is also quite magnificent. The colours in the canyon are lovely and we also saw a couple of waterfalls at a distance.

 

 

I also enjoyed the views coming down the road from the car of Waimea and the river running out to the sea.

 

We drove back to Hanapepe, not sure about what to expect here as we had read that it would probably be a bit of a ghost town. The town centre area seems to be reviving itself a bit, there are numerous craft and art shops here that re worth having a look at if you like that sort of thing.

 

We had lunch at the Hanapepe Bakery and Cafe and it was great! They had amazing looking pies here - apple, mango, pineapple cream, macadamia - but we were too full after our sandwiches to have any. Also there was a carrot cake that looked really yummy. Note to self - eat dessert first!

 

We called into Port Allen and had a look around, not much to see here. It seems to be a popular place for water activity tours to leave from.

 

We drove through different roads on the way back and ended up in Poipu. This looks like a lovely place for a beachside holiday. The water was sparkling today. We only drove around here and DH was getting tired of driving, which never happens in Australia. I think the extra concentration required to drive the opposite to usual was wearing him out!

 

DH drooled over the Poipu Golf Course and then we decided to head back to Lihue.

 

We found a McDonalds and had an ice-cream while we checked emails and altered a couple of reservations for the following week. Thank you Ronald McDonald for the free wi-fi:D.

 

We gassed up the car (quite a long wait at the gas station near the airport that we could find), returned it and grabbed the shuttle back to the ship. No wait at all for the shuttle today, the driver was only to happy to jump in and drive the 2 of us back on our own.

 

I think we were back on board by 4.30, 2 happy and contented tourists with our heads full of wonderful views from our day.

 

The people we have met today in Kauai have been very friendly and helpful, we both noticed that at different times during the day.

 

A most enjoyable day. We had dinner in Skyline Restaurant again today, and yep you guessed it, another early night!

[Raison]

Friday April 1 2011

 

Today was a day I have been anticipating for months - ever since I booked our helicopter flight ages ago.

 

I opened our curtains this morning to find rain and heavy cloud outside. The rain absolutely poured down a few times while we had breakfast in Skyline. There were little bits of lighter sky around so we were hopeful that we would be ok.

 

We walked over to the Blue Hawaiian office at the Harbour Mall, luckily during a break in the rain. The walk took about 10 minutes from the ship.

 

We checked in and had the dreaded weigh-in and waited. Our flight was scheduled for 9 am. The 8 am flight was canceled and we sat and waited and then the 9 am flight was also canceled. I fully understand them canceling the flights on this day. There is little point going up if you can't see anything as would have been the case. Still, I was very disappointed. Did I say very disappointed, very very very disappointed!

 

However, every cloud has a silver lining and we were able to reschedule our flight for the following Thursday afternoon. Many whose flights were canceled today didn't have the same opportunity to do that.

 

I was able to mentally rearrange our day next Thursday and we decided on a 3.30 pm flight, this would give us time to do the other things planned for that day, although we would not have as much time doing them.

 

Having done that we felt a bit lost about what to do today. Neither of us felt like doing a whole lot although we did discuss getting to the airport and renting a car for a few hours.

 

In the end we settled for a walk along Kalapaki Beach. This is a lovely area and there were a few people out and about despite the rain that continued to threaten. We played around in the sand for a bit and had a bit if fun! Luckily, the heavier rain seemed to have stopped.

 

 

 

We saw Dukes near the beach and if it had been open, we would have probably had Hula Pie. Instead we enjoyed walking on the beach and then we looked around the shops at Anchor Cove Mall. Then we decided to head back to the ship and relax on board. I was feeling a bit low after missing our flight!

 

There were still heavy clouds around even if the rain had stopped. Later in the day we did hear choppers flying around and assume that some flights were able to get up that day.

 

Back on board we wandered around the decks and snoozed and relaxed until the Na Pali coast sail by.

 

I ordered a drink in a coconut to enjoy on our balcony while watching the sail by. We watched the first half from our balcony and then went up on deck to watch it all again from the other side of the ship.

 

What an amazing coastline! Huge cliffs - we kept trying to see where we had been the previous day but couldn't pick it! We also had a wonderful rainbow to finish off the sail by with. Really very pretty.

 

I am not sure that I have words to describe the coast - green, lush, remote, red dirt, beaches, whales are a few. It was a wonderful experience.

 

 

When it was finally too dark to see any more coast, we had dinner and an early night.

[Raison]

Saturday April 2 2011

 

The end of one cruise and the beginning of another. We would be staying in the same cabin, so did not have to pack and move.

 

We had a relaxing breakfast and left the ship around 9.00 am. We walked over to the Aloha Tower Marketplace and had a look around and hooked up to Hooters free wi-fi to check email and adjust car rental reservations.

 

Walked to the Iolani Palace for a final look around this area.

 

We caught a bus into Waikiki and made our way to Dukes. We enjoyed a pleasant time watching the beach and activities happening there during the day.

 

We tried the famous Hula Pie and were very pleased we did. Yummy!!

 

the before shot

 

and the after shot

 

We spent the next few hours shopping around Waikiki and Ala Moana Shopping centre and then we walked back to the ship.

 

Reboarding was easy as we already had our new cruise cards, so we just had to go through security - we went through the one set up for crew and this was very quick.

 

Relaxed around the pool until we had another muster drill, which we had asked if we needed to attend and had been told that it would be a good idea to go. However, our names were not on the list to be checked off so we obviously didn't need to be there at all! The nice crew on our muster station didn't make us stay.

 

We had a get together with fellow Cruise Critic roll call members in the Napa Wine Bar after the muster drill. So nice to meet all the people who came along! Hi everyone:).

 

We had booked dinner tonight at the Lazy J's Steakhouse as there is a special on embarkation day for this restaurant and the Jefferson Bistro. Also, dress regulations for the specialty restaurants are relaxed on the first and last nights of the cruise as people may not have their luggage yet.

 

Lazy J's was a very nice meal - although we ate too much and had to have a walk around the deck afterwards!

 

Nice relaxing day today.

[Raison]

Sunday April 3 2011

 

We were off the ship and on the first shuttle to Thrifty / Dollar car rental at Kahului airport this morning. The shuttle was packed and I thought we would have to wait ages to get our car. But everyone except us and the driver got off at the Thrifty office and we had no wait at all at Dollar. Very happy about that!

 

We used Dollar for all our car rentals and we joined Dollar Express so we got quicker service at each place. Our rental cars were all very nice and clean and went well, so we were happy with our choice.

 

Today we were driving up to the summit of Haleakala. It was a stunning morning and the top of Haleakala was visible all morning. THis was a great drive, very pretty and we enjoyed it heaps.

 

We stopped at the Visitor centre and saw the silver swords, and again we were interested to note how similar parts of the bush areas are to the Australian bush.

 

On our way up we passed many cyclists tackling the ride up to the top - what a task to set yourself on a Sunday morning! I would never be able to ride a push bike up a mountain! Good on them! Lovely scenery and views on the way up.

 

We also passed a group of 4 teenagers riding their skateboards DOWN the mountain, by golly I hope they had brakes!

 

It was windy at the summit and certainly colder than down the bottom, but not freezing and we loved the starkness of the landscape up here. Really very different to the lush greenness that we have seen in many other places in Hawaii. Highly recommend the drive up here. We were also lucky to have such a clear morning for our viewing, although clouds were coming in when we were at the summit.

 

Our drive back down was uneventful and we were at the bottom before we knew it! We visited Makawao and had a look around the shops and lovely old buildings that were open today. Unfortunately the Komodo Bakery was closed, so no famous cream puffs for us:(. This is a really cute place to visit.

 

Headed further down to Paia and had a look around there as well - also a lovely place and very busy on a sunny Sunday.

 

From here we ventured through Kahului and headed to Iao Valley. This is also an interesting and beautiful place. It started to rain while we were here, just showers, but it highlighted the diversity of the climate on different areas of the island.

 

We dropped our car back at Dollar and caught the shuttle back to the ship around 3 and spent some relaxing time watching the whales off the port side form our balcony. We were lucky enough to see many breaches and several big tail slaps this afternoon. It was great!

 

Tonight, we went to the Aloha Polynesia show. We enjoyed this, nice light entertainment. Then we ordered room service for dinner. Another great day in Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

[Molokai-Chuck]

No cream puffs!!!!!!! I must say..... you missed something really good for sure. That place is a must stop for us always. Now a reason for you to go back!

 

Chuck

[Raison]

Monday April 4 2011

 

Separate excursions planned for each of us today. DH was heading out to golf again, this time an an NCL excursion to Wailea Gold course. He had an early start so left the ship before I did.

 

DH enjoyed his day and met some nice fellow golfers to play with . It sure sounds like they had a lot of fun. Another lovely course too.

 

I was heading to Maalaea Harbour to go on a snorkelling tour with Trilogy. I had pre-arranged a taxi the previous afternoon on our way back onto the ship. He was waiting for me at the pre-arranged pick up place. He had suggested that we leave at 7 am to get to the harbour. The actual trip only took about 15 minutes. I had read that it would take longer than this, more like 25 minutes, so maybe we had a good morning in regards to traffic.

 

He took me to the meeting pint for Trilogy and there was a crew member there directing people to the correct dock and also to parking if necessary.

 

The taxi driver offered to come back and collect me after the trip and we checked the return time with the crew member on the dock. This was very helpful and I didn't have to think about getting back to the ship after the tour.

 

I waited for a bit as the boat was not ready to get on yet. It was a lovely morning and there were a couple of whales frolicking in the distance that I watched.

 

Check in and boarding of the boat was quick and easy, although I did find out that the crew member had told my taxi driver the wrong time for our return. The captain suggested I talk to one of the crew and get them to contact him and tell him the correct time, this was done once all passengers were on board and we had gotten under way.

 

The boat is a sailing catamaran and the crew were very helpful and friendly.

 

Drinks were offered as soon as we were on board and when we were sailing out we had yummy cinnamon rolls and fruit brought around by the crew.

 

We went part of the way under sail and part by motor, I suppose it just depends on the wind. Lots of whales to see and lovely views of Maui behind us and to the side.

 

We arrived at Molokini and had the usual safety chat and were warned against going near the "current of death". I think the name says it all!

 

Snorkelling here was great. The water so clear and there were lots of fish. I uses a flotation device today - the crew insist all passengers wear one due to their insurance requirements. I thought it would be cumbersome and get in my way, but surprisingly it was ok and I didn't find it a nuisance at all.

 

Even though there were quite a few boats here, the water didn't feel crowded at all. Trilogy moors near the right hand edge of Molokini (as you look at it from Maui).

 

Access in and out of the boat was easy - wide steps with hand rails. The crew are around on deck and in the water to help or answer questions if you have them.

 

After some time at Molokini, we headed off to Turtle Town for some more snorkelling. I thought the water here was not as clear as it was at Molokini. But it was still good snorkelling.

 

I had given up hope of seeing a turtle after I had been in the water a while. I decided to get back on board and as I was nearing the boat a turtle swims in front of me about 5 feet away. How exciting!! I watched the beautiful Honu glide through the water around where I was. I had really wanted to see one while snorkelling and now I had so I was pretty happy about that!

 

Back on board, we set sail back to Maui. The crew served us lunch of salad and chicken and rolls and icecreams too.

 

We arrived back in Maui about 2.15 pm. My taxi was waiting right where the boat moored and he zoomed me back to the ship.

 

I thought Trilogy was a terrific trip, the crew were friendly and helpful and the boat beautiful to sail on. It wasn't overly crowded either. A couple of the other boats we saw at Molokini and Turtle Town seemed to have many more passengers than we did.

 

After the golfer arrived back, we went to visit one of his playing partners in the Owners Suite, 10502. It was good to have a look in the suite and see how it compared to our cabin. Hot tub on the deck, large bathroom and wardrobe. Separate lounge area, guest bathroom and a butler! Oh what a life! Nice to meet the Australian couple staying there as well.

 

We both enjoyed our days today! Farewell beautiful Maui, perhaps we will return one day.

 

 

 

 

 

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you for the Trilogy review. We are booked on Trilogy in a couple of weeks. Of course, since I just had emergency surgery and am still in the hospital I am not sure I will allowed to snorkel. However, I will just enjoy the ride if I have to.

[Raison]

Thank you for the Trilogy review. We are booked on Trilogy in a couple of weeks. Of course, since I just had emergency surgery and am still in the hospital I am not sure I will allowed to snorkel. However, I will just enjoy the ride if I have to.

 

I hope you are recovering well!! and quickly!

 

There was a couple on our trip that didn't snorkel. The wife had been badly sunburnt on her feet and legs the previous day and she didn't want to get in the water. They enjoyed their day even without snorkelling. But of course, it will be great if you can.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I hope you are recovering well!! and quickly!

 

There was a couple on our trip that didn't snorkel. The wife had been badly sunburnt on her feet and legs the previous day and she didn't want to get in the water. They enjoyed their day even without snorkelling. But of course, it will be great if you can.

Thanks! A post-op infection has put me in the hospital for a stay much longer than anticipated, but the doc still thinks it will be ok to go. I am getting major IV antibiotics now. I don't want to push things, though. I will follow my docs advice as far as snorkeling, etc is concerned. I plan to give DH the underwater camera and tell him to take very good pictures with it!

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

You will still enjoy it Ginny. We didn't do Trilogy but another Molokini/Turtle town snorkel and we saw a lot of turtles from the boat. You didn't need to be in the water to see them. And the crew is terrific in pointing them out.

[Raison]

Tuesday April 5 2011

 

Nearly at the end of this!

 

Today was totally different to the itinerary that I had planned out before we left home. As the surface lava flow had stopped just prior to us leaving home, we had booked a helicoptor flight with Blue Hawaiian as we thought that would be our best chance to see any lava if it was around.

 

We still had a car booked as we had originally planned to drive north to Waipo Valley. With the chopper flight in the mix, we didn't think we would have time to do that. So we decided to still keep the car but just drive a bit north prior to our flight.

 

When we were on the cruise, we changed our minds again and ended up cancelling our car. So this is what we did do....

 

At the end of the building that you exit through when you get off the ship is a room called the Aloha Room. This has lovely volunteers in there who can help you with any questions you have about what to do or where to go. I talked with a lady who suggested a trip to down town Hilo.

 

We caught a local shuttle to the down town Hilo area and had a look around at the Farmer's Markets and the interesting shops and scenery in the area. Then we caught the shuttle back to the ship. The shuttle driver was very informative and told us lots about the area and the tsunamis that have devastated Hilo in the past.

 

Spent some time relaxing reading around the pool until it was time to catch a taxi to the airport.

 

Our chopper flight was the "Circle of Fire and Waterfalls". We flew on an A-Star chopper for this flight. There was no active surface lava flow to see, we knew there probably wouldn't be, but had hoped there might be.:p

 

Anyway, the flight was still great. We flew over the Puu Oo vent which was really clear and we could see right down inside it. That was pretty awesome.

 

It was also great to see the extent of the lava flows over the years from the air. Sad to see the areas of houses that have been taken by the lava flow and interesting to see how some houses managed to survive. The lava seemed to part and surround but not cover them.

 

Also seeing the coast where the ocean entry has been and to see the new ground made from the lava flows was really interesting.

 

The waterfalls were beautiful to fly over and also great to see Hilo and POA from the air.

 

Back at the ship, we enjoyed a quite afternoon and evening. We enjoyed some of the music in Pink's Champagne bar as well.

 

The Captain announced that there would be no lava to see at the sail - by again this week. However I decided I was going up on deck to see the stars when the light of the ship were turned out.

 

I went to the 'Legends of Pele and Kilauea' talk by one of the Hawaiian ambassadors, which was interesting.

 

Up on deck at the scheduled sail-by time, there was no lava to be seen of course. But the stars were lovely and over in the distance on land there were large flashes of light - I don't know if it was lightening or the volcano!

 

 

 

 

 

[Raison]

A couple more pics from our chopper flight on Hilo...

 

 

 

 

[Raison]

I did forget to mention that our day in Hilo yesterday was sunny all day. Quite different to the previous week. And the crew were remarking on how unusual it was to have such a bright day!

Wednesday April 6 2011

 

Today we ventured ashore on the tender at about 7.45 am. We were meeting our guide at 8.30 and figured this would give us plenty of time and we could wander around if we were early. The tender process was uncomplicated and we arrived in plenty of time. Our guide was already at the pier so as soon as the other couple on our tour arrived we were able to head off early.

 

We used Marylou's Tours today and were driven by Marylou herself. This was a low key sightseeing day that we enjoyed. Marylou is knowledgeable and very pleasant.

 

We went to many places including:

 

 

• the Farmers market where we tried apple bananas and white pineapple
  

 

• Kona Joes Coffee plantation - great views from up here and nice coffee tasting too
  

 

• Kealakekua Bay
  
• the painted church
  
• the beaches on the way south
  
• Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park where we joined a tour led by one of the rangers of the park. It is a pretty place and the tour was interesting
  
• the Kona Coffee museum where there is another lava tube that you can walk through.
  

Marylou dropped us back at the pier about 2 pm and we enjoyed the day with her.

 

We had a wander around the shops and then returned to the ship as a big storm was brewing.

 

I sat on our balcony watching dolphins just off the ship and watching the storm come in over Kona. DH had a nap.

 

So this week, we had sun in Hilo and rain in Kona, just for something different.

 

We went to see the "Oh What a Night" tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. This was fun and brought back a few memories!

 

 

 

 

 

[lv2bgoofy]

Will be putting MaryLou's on my list to check out....we don't have any plans at this point for Kona so thanks so much for your review.....Looking forward to hearing more.....

[FunCruiser56]

I am very much enjoying your reviews! Even though we are not sailing Hawaii for 2 years I am trying to keep lists of the various tour groups cruisers have used. Any possibility of sharing the links to the ones you used? So many of them sound like just what we would want to do while we are in HI! Keep posting and know I appreciate all the time it takes to post them.

 

Bev

[lv2bgoofy]

I am very much enjoying your reviews! Even though we are not sailing Hawaii for 2 years I am trying to keep lists of the various tour groups cruisers have used. Any possibility of sharing the links to the ones you used? So many of them sound like just what we would want to do while we are in HI! Keep posting and know I appreciate all the time it takes to post them.

 

Bev

 

Hi Bev

 

I have been locating all the places that everyone is talking about and putting them in a file on My Favorites - here is what I have

 

http://www.tourmaui.com/

http://www.robertshawaii.com/activities-attractions.php

http://www.temptationtours.com/c-9-hana-picnic.aspx

http://www.marylousbigislandguidedtours.com/destinationslist.html

http://www.kauaiedentours.com/EKomoMai_Welcome_to_Eden.php

http://www.rickystours.com/index.html

 

These are just a few that I have saved....HTH:D I love these boards...I have gotten so much information from everyone on here