Musings..Hawaii Zaandam

[Winters in NZ]

This is not a formal review, but simply some observations of my recent cruise which began in Vancouver on September 25, terminating in San Diego.

 

We had been aboard the Maasdam in May for 2 weeks, were suitably impressed with the food, entertainment and service, and hoped for the same aboard the Zaandam.

 

Both experiences were identical in terms of our degree of satisfaction. The only exceptions were the 2 excellent concerts given by the Adagio Strings. I was suitably impressed to purchase their $15 CD...so if you are looking for any negative comments here, you will be disappointed.

 

We stayed 2 nights at the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel on Georgia Street and were impressed with its dignified grace, relaxed atmosphere and superb location...within 2 blocks of 2 Skytrain Stations. As a bonus I got to walk Beau, the retired Guide Dog who spends his days in the hotel lobby at the concierge desk. He likes

7 AM. Woof!

 

We met our niece, Chantal,a resident Vancouverite, for dinner and brews at the Steamworks, just a 15 minute walk away from the hotel, just down the street from Canada Place. Their micro-brewery produces Lions Gate Lager..went very well with my fish n' chips. Hopefully the fish was not sourced from the murky waters of the nearby harbor.

 

Honolulu : The folks in this city must be very well toilet-trained.. few places have public restrooms, and those that do have the desired throne, have signs which dissuade you from using their facilities, unless you are making a purchase. Does Starbucks not understand the concept of coffee in, coffee out ? Fortunately, Macy's is located in the centre of things, so I suppose this isn't a major problem in retrospect. By the way...thanks Macy's..for being there.

 

We walked to the State Library to the east of downtown near Punchbowl St., with our aim being internet access. Unless you are a resident you are persona non grata. I have never encountered this problem in Chicago or Boston, or even in tiny New Zealand. Perhaps the Information Age is bypassing this beautiful paradise.

 

Public transit...The Bus, is superb. For $2.50, one can board the 'C' bus, dubbed the Country Express and take a a 4 hour circular tour of the entire island. We decided on Nanakuli Beach, 1 hour east of downtown...we had the entire beach to ourselves. A brand new McDonald's is located not far away for coffee etc... you know what I'm referring to.

 

Ala Moana Mall...well worth the visit, and why not go in to see the fabulous selections of merchandise, including a huge food court. We bought a gigantic bottle of spring water..Hawaii sourced, at The ABC store.

69 cents. Probably the most authentic souvenir that can be purchased in Hawaii...too bad it can't be brought home in our luggage. I would love to give selected relatives a 69 cent souvenir and tell them that they were worth every penny.

 

Rainbow Store. Just steps away from the Aloha Tower on the Fort Street pedestrian mall. It's operated by the University of Hawaii with particular emphasis on their great NCAA football squad. I spent $ 100 here..their team color is a beautful hunter green. Fabulous.

 

Hilo Hattie's. The free shuttle will bring you there. It's huge. It's also a great place to sit in the coffee area, use the wifi, and wait while any other folks in your party, in this case my wife Maureen, amuse themselves to complete distraction while navigating the endless selection of merchandise.

 

Our Lady of Peace Cathedral. Located on the appropriately named Bishop Street. We made it there for 9AM Mass shortly after we docked at the Aloha Tower. A great choir filled the air with awesome reverence during the Mass.

 

San Diego. $5 transit pass which even includes a bus which lets you off at the front door of the airport. We travelled everywhere aboard the LRT. Enjoyable.

We scheduled our plane departure for 10:10 PM and took the flight to Philadelphia, with a connector, also on US Airways to Ottawa.

Pamela, the super-efficient, friendly lady at the San Diego check-in counter...if you read this, please know that Maureen and I really appreciated your helpful and extraordinary work. My only wish is that you be used as a template for all other folks who deal with the public. We were impressed !!! Your son who coaches the prep football team at West Point must be proud to have you as a mom. You are a real caring person.

 

One last little tidbit...we had a 3 hour layover in Philly. Do go to the breakfast places and be entertained by the vendors, particularly at Sbarro and Philly Steak. I could have sat there longer listening to these guys hawking b'fast. A great way to pass an hour or so. Like being on a stage surrounded by actors, playing their parts with such enthusiasm.

 

Now back to reality...spent a couple of hours today raking leaves. The colors are absolutely beautiful this autumn. Hmmm...that means that winter storms are not that far on the horizon. Definitely will be time for another cruise. Peter

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[Himself]

Thanks for the great review. I have been into Our Lady of Peace Cathedral but never for Mass. I did not care for the way it was redone.

[Caribbean Chris]

Enjoyable to hear about your cruise since we're on one of the winter Oosterdam Hawaii cruises. Thanks for the tip about lack of restroom facilities in Honolulu. No one has ever posted that before!

 

Fun to hear about walking Beau the retired dog. Any hotel that has a dog beside the concierge desk is my kind of place. Makes me want to stay there one of these days.

 

Chris

[aliaschief]

Mahalo for taking the time and sharing your cruise experience. Aloha

[eh2zed]

Thanks for the obsevations

[dpump]

Enjoyed your review.

 

Thanks

[nannygoatjunction]

Thanks for those snippets, very interesting to read, espec about conveniences (or not) in Honolulu.

 

We will be there in a few weeks and neither of us are noted for crossing our legs....coffee in coffee out!!! LOL so very true!

[LVSue]

So glad to see the plug for the Ala Moana Mall. I keep telling my SIL that it's the place to go for Hawaiian garb at Sears.

[Assateague Island Princes]

You are so right, Sue! Many, many moons ago (back in 1976), I bought a beautiful silk dress in traditional Hawaiian style at the Sears at the mall. Ah, memories....

[kazu]

Thanks so much for your observations:D Very interesting on facilities - we too enjoy the Adagio Strings - looking forward to hearing them again;)

[boards]

How do you get to the Ala Moana Mall from the pier? We have several hours between tours, would that be enough time to there and back?

[Winters in NZ]

How do you get to the Ala Moana Mall from the pier? We have several hours between tours, would that be enough time to there and back?

 

The # 19 and #20 buses ...both are adjacent to the pier on Nimitz Highway...more of a wide street, than a highway.

 

As you exit the terminal, turn left and in 2 minutes you are at Nimitz. Hop on a bus going to your right in an easterly direction. It's about a 6 minute bus ride.

 

However, I would suggest that you cross Nimitz and continue walking onto the Fort Street pedestrian mall in a northerly direction into downtown. In 5 minutes you will be at the satellite city hall. Plenty of maps/schedules and info.

 

Alternatively go to thebus.org and familiarize yourself with the transit system before you cruise. We also got the bus app for our ipod which also helped.

 

I also went to google street view and familiarized myself with the areas in which I was interested. I became familiar with landmarks, stores etc., pre-cruise. It's a neat way to take a walk through unfamiliar territory...which then becomes less confusing when you arrive at your destination.