Live From The Grand - 3/5/14 - Mexico, CA and HI

[cr8tiv1]

We do not plan to go to Wal Mart. Or Kmart. Or Hilo Hatties. We are going to walk, slowly, up to Duke’s to get some shaved ice for lunch. We’ve never wandered around that area of Kauai before. Been all over the island and in town, but not in the port area. Docking is 0800 with all aboard at 1630. I wish they would arrange overnights in Hawaii. Overnights, or at least late sailings, would be wonderful to be able to enjoy the islands more. Especially the luaus.

 

For tonight MUTS has Jobs on the screen. Crescenzo is in vista with a lounge act. Tony Pace is on in the theater. I gather he is an impressionist. Rhapsody is in wheelhouse, retrospect is in Explorers. Mikey is hosting a magical movie moments trivia in Explorers. Another visual trivia.

 

I guess that’s about it from Nawilliwilli…E’ya all later!

 

Just a few trivia bits of information:

 

It is "shave" ice (without the d).

 

From my niece, who is well versed in the Hawaiian Language through her Halau...When ever a word has multiple segments (like Na wili wili) it means that it is doubly emphasized (as in King Kamehameha). Can't tell you the history, origin, or meaning for the word.

 

Yes, the Walmart in Honolulu is huge, but I would have saved the walking and taken the Walmart bus in Kauai. But then again, I am not a walker!

 

Kauai is a short port visit because the ship needs to navigate the harbor during daylight hours only. I am always amazed how the captain and harbor pilot are able to move this huge ship in and out of this tiny harbor.

 

Hope the weather is treating you well.

 

Did you get your poke? There is a Foodland across the street from Hilo Hatties in Lahaina. I was told that Foodland has descent poke. It doesn't matter to me...I eat it any chance I get. I think Costco has a pretty good variety.

 

Thanks for keeping up with your post. It is always interesting to hear from those who have been there and done that often that they seek out new adventures.

[LETS PARTY]

Thanks for the live report.....

We're back on Maui now....

Enjoyed our time on the Grand 3/5-22.......

Here's a pic taken at the Tuscan Inn SF 3/23..the Scot's were on the coastal

We gave one of them a hair hat we had some good fun and lots of wine.....

[ccrain]

April Fool’s Day. Gee I hope the letter from the Captain last night wasn’t an April Fool’s joke! A couple of days ago, in Hilo and the night before, we, and a bunch of us in the same plumbing tree, had issues with the toilet flushing. As in would not flush. Not a big deal. Unusual for it to be out as long as it was. Apparently someone flushed a washrag down the toilet and plugged up the tree. Stuff happens. It does no good for anyone to rush down to the Purser’s desk and complain about it. We called them, they worked on it, it took them a while and they fixed it. No harm, no fowl.

 

Those of you following this travelog know that the Captain bought everyone a drink after the Long Beach immigration fiasco. Well, the letter last night was for a $50 per person credit for a plugged up toilet. We didn’t expect it and appreciate the gesture.

 

Some of you might ask, why didn’t I mention the plugged up toilet? For us it was only an inconvenience and they were working hard to fix a problem caused by a passenger. Can you imagine trying to pinpoint the location of a washrag in a vacuum piping system in order to disassemble the piping to get the rag out? That’s not easy. You can’t just roto rooter a vacuum system, you have to disassemble the pipe and physically remove the blockage. Now, if they were ignoring the problem, or if they couldn’t get it fixed in a week or two, then that would have been a major issue. It can happen at any time, on any cruise, on any ship. It isn’t a systemic problem or a service related problem, so there really was no need to mention it.

 

Kauai is still our favorite port. We’ve previously traveled all over the island, been to Wal Mart, the Sandstone caves, the north shore, etc. We’ve never been to Anchor Cove and the Marriot. This is a really great place. No amount of research on line could have prepared me for this area and all that it has to offer. So I want to spend a little bit of time going over all the options we found so that future cruisers to this port can be better prepared.

 

First thing we noticed is that the three major car rental companies pick up renters right at the terminal and transport them to the car rental lot. Hertz, Enterprise and Budget all had shuttles waiting at the terminal. We also talked to a few couples who rented cars and drove all over the island and had a blast. Something to think about for the next time here.

 

The walk to Anchor Cove is all sidewalk, flat and easy. Anchor Cove has an ABC store with everything you might need, but a little more expensive than Wal Mart. There is a great gelato shop, a sushi place, a BBQ place and a hamburger stand type place. Duke’s is over at the Marriot complex. Anchor Cove also has beach rental equipment (surfboards, paddleboards, boogie boards), a car and scooter rental. The beach and park behind Anchor Cove is public and a great place to enjoy a Hawaiian beach. People were surfing, swimming, paddle boarding, boogie boarding and sailing in the little cove formed by the port. The marriot complex is very pretty. One of the best situated beach hotels I’ve seen with complete facilities and services. The grounds are great to walk around. It looked like you could snorkel around the far edge of the cove where the beach ends and the rocks begin, but we didn’t get that far. As the ship left, the point that juts out to the port lighthouse has several small beaches and rocks, but the surf looked pretty high to be able to snorkel around the rocks.

 

Safari helicopters has an office in Anchor Cove and they were running one heck of a special. 50 to 60 minute tour for two for $269. I almost signed up, but we didn’t bring all the “stuff” we would need for a helicopter tour. These things are normally very expensive.

 

This is a great DIY port. From beach lover’s to car renters, it is a great little port.

 

We did take it easy yesterday, but was unsuccessful in finding shave ice as they were closed. I enjoyed sending pictures back to the office of the beach, the blue water and the green hills in the background.

 

We hit the elite lounge for some beef tartar and Rob Roys last night. Judy likes the Rob Roy. Mine was fine after adding some Sprite Zero. We’ve been passing out little ziplock bags of assorted Easter candys to various bar staff teams. The girls in the elite lounge are always glad to see us coming as they know they will get their chocolate fix.

 

Last night we went to see Tony Pace. He is a singer/impressionist and does a pretty good job, but his best is Cher. Yes, Cher. So good it is scary. But they wig he wears makes him look like Howard Stern, not Cher.

 

Last night was a perfect night for dancing as the ship was moving a bit allowing me to screw up with a good excuse. Judy and I had a blast during about an hour set with Retrospect. We were grooving. Course we paid for it this morning when we tried to get out of bed – oh my aching feet!

 

We did try to stay through the movie trivia, but couldn’t keep our eyes open and headed for bed. We wanted to make it to the wheelhouse and dance with Rhapsody a bit. It’s great that we have two really good dance bands, but it was not to be.

 

Maui is a bit cloudy this morning. The tenders were running 10 minutes early this morning. Not sure what we are doing this morning. Its pretty hot and muggy, but the sea state looks good. No whales so far this morning. Tonight is the first of 3 hours ahead. Last tender is at 1700. Motor city is in Vista tonight. Now You See Me is on MUTS. Ventriloquist Mark Merchant is on in the theater. Its 70’s night with retrospect.

 

We did sign up for the Crab Shack tomorrow night. Hopefully the sea will be calm.

 

That’s it from Maui this morning. Maui today, 4 days at sea, then back to work. But it was a beautiful day in Kauai. This is a great little island to visit…

[cr8tiv1]

Hope you don't mind me sharing a photo from the Marriott.

 

[san diego sue]

You were very lucky that the Captain was generous and gave you the $50.00 credits each. When we were on board the Grand right after the retrofit, toilet issues happened for us often. One day no flush all day into the evening. Really horrible running around the ship looking for a public restroom. I know this could occur on any cruise ship and probably does.

 

[cr8tiv1]

I am sure you are in the capable hands of an experienced captain. Safe travels as you leave the islands and cross the Pacific. Hawaii is under a Tsunami advisory as of 7 PM Hawaii time. If a wave should come ashore, it will be around 3 AM on Wednesday. The "wave" will travel under the ocean surface and should not affect your voyage.

 

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/25134851/experts-evaluating-tsunami-threat-to-hawaii-after-80-earthquake-in-chile

 

Happy you encountered fair weather and had a nice time visiting the four islands. Now for the most relaxing part of the cruise. Enjoy.

Edited April 2, 2014 by cr8tiv1

[ccrain]

A little on the rough side last night and this morning. Judy will definitely be in bed and we may have to cancel our crab shack reservation (need to do that by noon). Deck 10 was definitely rocking and rolling this morning and Deck 14 will be even worse if this keeps up. I may have to go on the marine weather site and see what’s happening this morning. The wind is out of the NNW, as is the swell, so the effective wind speed is about 50 knots over the deck. No rain, but a lot of clouds. Still warm though, but that will change very soon.

 

Lahaina was good yesterday. The hottest port by far. Very muggy as well. We didn’t see any whales close to the ship. All were far away, but the whale watch fleet was out in force and according to people, they saw a lot of whales close up and personal. We just wanted to wander around Lahaina. Get some lunch and shave ice. We found both at a little mall. I don’t have my phone with me, but it’s a little mall on the shoreward side. LahainaLuna is the café and the shave ice place is right next door and the highest rated on Google maps. Uku something or other. The shave ice, small with passion fruit and mango, plus ice cream on the bottom, of course, was fantastic. Very popular place as the line stayed several people deep the entire time we were there.

 

LahainaLuna’s Café was a stand type café with outdoor patio furniture seating. We tried the fries, fantastic, the Korean BBQ beef, good, and the mahi-mahi tacos , ok. A very inexpensive lunch compared to the traditional sit down restaurants everywhere, but we wanted to try something non-chain or big name and local. The shave ice place, definitely recommended. The café? So-so. We didn’t try the other dishes that other people there were raving about. The price is right though for sure and it beats Burger King, McDonalds and Subway and talking to Laura, the girl running the front of the house, was great.

 

On the way back to the tenders we ran into a couple stocking up supplies for another island nearby. They were planning a trip to Singapore in the next few months, so we chatted for quite a while about what to do and see in Singapore as it is one of our favorite destinations.

 

We did not make it to the dining room for Italian night. This will be the first set of cruises where we don’t make it to Italian night at least once. But the IC had a great soup, red bean, and some really good cold salads – a shrimp curry one and a zucchini and mushroom salad. It is so nice not to go to bed stuffed to the gills. Light dinners and lots of dancing.

 

We did get a chance to see Mark Merchant last night. Pretty good. Interestingly enough, his jokes went outside the typical cruise line jokes to the political arena. Those were pretty funny. He’s a good ventriloquist when you start automatically thinking about his puppet as another person on the stage. Not only that by he sang harmony with one of his puppets. That’s not easy.

 

After the show we sat through the 70’s trivia. I think we only answered one question right. The 70’s party was not well attended. I think everyone crashed after getting back from Maui. Things should pick up tonight a bit, but if the weather keeps up, Judy will remain down.

 

So let’s hit the patter for the first day at sea back to reality.

 

Zumba with Lexi this morning. Yeah! And we lost an hour last hour (yeah?). There is flower lei making classes starting this morning. Line dancing is this morning as well. Ship building and egg drop sign ups. Fruit carving. Bingo. Waltz class.

 

For lectures we have, besides the spa feel better - look better - act better lectures, ‘Crossing the Pacific’ by Gary Shahan. Note that there is a bridge lecturer on board. And we have a smartphone photo taking lecture.

Morning and afternoon trivia only as it is a formal night with the Captain’s Circle get together. Hula and Ukulele class. The “Modern Masters” art auction.

 

Tonight has Steve Moris in Vista. Craig Richard in the theater. Liars club. The new year’s piazza party with balloon drop.

 

So that’s it from here. Now off to Zumba and Lexi…

[cr8tiv1]

Yes, you found the shave ice place recommended by ELUA (Dave and Leialoha/Star). It is called Ululani's. Good job! The syrup they use is more natural and not so sugar syrupy.

 

Sorry your night was so rocky. Were you traveling through the Moloka'i Channel (Kaiwi Channel between Moloka'i and Oahu) on your way out? Or you could have turned West and gone between Maui and Moloka'i. Moloka'i, Maui, and Lana'i were once one island a very, very, very long time ago. Therefore, the passage between these 3 islands is very shallow. Combine that with the strong currents from the Chilean earthquake and you will have some exciting movements. Hope today is smoother.

 

You are one of the smart tourists who tries the local places verses the mainland chains. Thanks for supporting the local economy.

[Ahhh]

I read somewhere that there are no showers in the locker rooms. Is this true?

 

CCRAIN, very much enjoying your travelog! Were you able to assertain if there is a shower in the men's locker room. I did not see one when I was on board and was wondering if I just missed it? Thanks.

[ccrain]

Yes, you found the shave ice place recommended by ELUA (Dave and Leialoha/Star). It is called Ululani's. Good job! The syrup they use is more natural and not so sugar syrupy.

 

Sorry your night was so rocky. Were you traveling through the Moloka'i Channel (Kaiwi Channel between Moloka'i and Oahu) on your way out? Or you could have turned West and gone between Maui and Moloka'i. Moloka'i, Maui, and Lana'i were once one island a very, very, very long time ago. Therefore, the passage between these 3 islands is very shallow. Combine that with the strong currents from the Chilean earthquake and you will have some exciting movements. Hope today is smoother.

 

You are one of the smart tourists who tries the local places verses the mainland chains. Thanks for supporting the local economy.

 

The shave ice was so smooth it reminded me of one step above slurpee, but very, very smooth. And the small size was plenty to share..

 

We went out between Maui and Molokai and out into the open sea. The biggest issue was the wind blowing the ship around. 60 knot equivalent over the deck is never fun.

[ccrain]

CCRAIN, very much enjoying your travelog! Were you able to assertain if there is a shower in the men's locker room. I did not see one when I was on board and was wondering if I just missed it? Thanks.

 

...I haven't actually found the locker room yet. I do know there are showers beside the spa pool and the sauna and steam rooms. I will make it a point to check that out today..

[Colo Cruiser]

Looks like a beautiful day at sea.....

 

[ccrain]

A lot less rocky this morning. Still partly cloudy. Temperature starting to drop significantly as we will be below 70 for the highs by tomorrow. Ahh, that chocolate-caramel latte tastes really good!

 

Yesterday was all about keeping Judy from getting motion sick. So she basically stayed in the Piazza or in bed the entire day. We cancelled our Crab Shack dinner. Deck 14 was no place to be at 1900. So we had lunch at the IC and then dinner in Alfredo’s. Lexi’s cabin is apparently on Deck 2 forward, so she spent the night being awakened by the boom boom boom of the ship’s bow hitting the sea.

 

The Crab Shack is very popular. No space available. Our reservation last night was at 1900, the earliest they had space available. There are no reservations available tonight. We might try to get into Crown Grill one more time, but it’s not a necessity.

 

Last night was dancing and Liar’s Club. Later on, the Explorer’s dance floor was not moving that much, so we skipped Steve Moris’ second show and went dancing instead. Erin, lead singer for Retrospect, has a great voice and doesn’t use a lot of reverb in the electronics, and, most importantly, she doesn’t change the tempo or the words of the songs she sings. That certainly helps dancing, and she chooses quite a variety of songs. In the set we danced last night we had a foxtrot, rhumba, couple of night clubs, single step swing, triple step swing, couple of cha chas and a waltz. Most of the Rock and Roll bands stick with songs that are either single step or hustle. We even had two country and western line dances. Love the variety.

 

Liar’s club was a hoot with Veronica hosting, Lexi – Tobi – Mikey paneling. Some of the words – geez. I didn’t think there was that many weird words out there. (I have to send “booping” in to Bill O’Reilly.) We did not go to the balloon drop or dancing in the Piazza. We made the mistake of doing that once before and our shins and knees hurt for a couple of days afterwards.

 

So this morning we have Lexi and zumba, of course; a South American future cruise presentation (but it says for 2014 which is old news); Line Dance; a California gold rush lecture; bingo; Ukulele and Hula; the third officer’s talk on Navigation; the cheaper wine tasting; and a couple of trivias.

 

MUTS has “The Seven Year Itch”, a James Taylor concert, “Pirates of Caribbean” part 3, and “Thor: The Dark World” tonight. The headliner show tonight is a bit different. Jesse Kazemak’s Tribute to the Beatles. The moonlight strings quartet is in Vista for a concert. Tonight is also Country Western night.

 

Got to go wake up…later…

[ccrain]

CCRAIN, very much enjoying your travelog! Were you able to assertain if there is a shower in the men's locker room. I did not see one when I was on board and was wondering if I just missed it? Thanks.

 

Checked out the locker room this morning. No shower..

[Colo Cruiser]

Better to see James Taylor then Tina. :D

[Ahhh]

Checked out the locker room this morning. No shower..

 

Thank you for checking! I did not remember seeing one in there, so I appreciate that you double checked for me. Just love CC for these types of Q&A's! :D It's not a good design for those that like to shower after a workout or being in the sauna, steam room, or hot tub, as you have to brave the elements in inclement weather to go back to the locker room to change clothes, and then go back to your cabin to have a proper shower (with soap, and without wearing clothes!) :confused: :rolleyes: :(

 

Enjoy the rest of your sea days! David

[ccrain]

Yesterday was a much calmer day at sea. Judy was able to venture out above deck 7 with no issues. She got to Zumba late and watched, but then went to line dancing while I went to the gym, and even made it to Hula late in the afternoon.

 

Went to the grill for lunch. Funny. The grill guy on this ship pretty much browns every hotdog on the flattop before serving it. He will also score it and cut it in half to grill it even more. Just the way it should be. On the Ruby, the grill guy had never heard of grilling an already boiled hotdog or braut. Go figure. I also had to try the upstairs pizza and compare to Alfredo’s. Even though they use the same dough, the crust tastes different in Alfredo’s versus the pizza shack upstairs. Probably just all in my head.

 

Last night was dancing and country western night. None of the shows interested us. That was fine for us. Some chips and salsa with drinks in the Elite lounge. A nice pot of ginger twist tea in the IC and some Frangelico shots in Explorer’s. Country Western night was very well attended with SRO. Probably about 50 people on the dance floor. Since we won a bottle of Champoo at the last bang bang game we opted out and watched. They concluded the night with the tush push challenge, to which we actually kept up with. Overall, not a bad night – except for the losing an hour.

 

Today will be a busy day with the boat building finals, the hula and ukulele recitals, grand finale art auction, the captains farewell party and the marriage match game. Busy, busy day with tomorrow being the dreaded packing day.

 

So Zumba again this morning. Gary Shahan has a Route 66 lecture. (BTW, his lectures are interesting and fun. I’ve been watching the replays on tv and NOT falling asleep. That’s a good sign.) We also have dicey wooden horse racing, pop choir rehearsal, line dancing, lei making, bingo, a technical talk on the ship. (Maybe I should ask about all the leaks.) A lecture on using your IPAD on the job and a couple of trivias.

 

Tonight is the farewell cocktail party in the Piazza. The show is British invasion. MUTS is Enough Said. Craig Richard is in Vista.

 

Going to finish this latte and hit Zumba…later…

[Cruisin Sal]

Safe journey home.

[senior lady]

have enjoyed your updates............. safe journey home

[mina]

Love the updates as we will be sailing this route in dec. can you tell me what time the last tender was in Maui? Will not be back from a whale watch till 4pm and want to make sure we have enough time to get to the tenders. The whale watch docks in lahiana.

[carqueen1]

ccraine,

 

Thanks for all the info!! Enjoyed your updates! Leaving now for one nite in SF then we will be boarding the ship tomorrow!!

[ccrain]

Love the updates as we will be sailing this route in dec. can you tell me what time the last tender was in Maui? Will not be back from a whale watch till 4pm and want to make sure we have enough time to get to the tenders. The whale watch docks in lahiana.

 

Pretty sure it was around 1730, but you should have plenty of time. I will double check the times and get back to this if it is different.

[ccrain]

Oh I hate this day. Its usually the worst day of the cruise. Reality and the upcoming re-entry into real life begins to intrude on your every thought. No more little fun decisions like ‘what to eat’, ‘where to eat’, ‘what dance to use with this song’; now it’s ‘who to send to the meeting next week’, ‘taxes’, ‘bills’, Christmas planning, landscaping plans, etc., etc., etc. And it’s the day you have to say goodbye to a lot of new friends. No more saying ‘good morning’ to the lovely and smiling Tatiana, no more passing out chocolate to the crew and seeing their smiling faces, no more seeing the bright and enthusiastic Chelsea bounding from event to event and showing off her dress purchases (name brand of course) from Ross (at up to 75% off!). No more Zumba with Lexi or Miranda in the morning. No more picking on Gavin for him to get his rear end down to Zumba. All the little encounters and experiences that make cruising special for us – no more.

 

That’s a real bummer…

 

Tonight a lot of hugs, kisses and not a few tears will be shed. These longer cruises are great in many ways, but they do make it hard to part with people who have become a cherished part of your memories. In the end, for us, yes, we do remember the sites, the piles of ancient rocks, the buildings, but what really sticks with us are the people and our experiences with them. Ancient Greece would not have been the same without Constantina, Rome would not have been the same Rome without Valentina, Dalian would have been just a cheap version of LA without Winter and Allyson. The Diamond would have been just another ship without Kelvin and Kim. The Caribbean just another cruise without Michael, Paul, Elizabeth and Mom. The Ruby, a long trip without Dan, Colin, Eve, Catalina and the gang.

 

Likewise, on this cruise, our interactions with the staff and crew have made this cruise memorable. Chelsea for her bright eyed enthusiasm, sense of wonderment at all this new stuff and determination to do it all. Veronica, whom it was great to see again after 5 years! Lexi - glistening of course (horses sweat, men perspire, women glisten), Geof, Kez and Miranda. Gavin, Kelly and Mikey. Tatiana and Israel in the IC. Alvin who always had a cheery greeting for us. Ronie, who always came over to say hello when he saw us. Jeremy, who always had time to stop and talk to us. Doug Funk – one sharp and funny dude – both on-stage and off-stage. Taj, who we sailed with on the Diamond. The girls in One5, who just loved chocolate. Erin and the gang of Retrospect, who we just had a blast with. Kimo and Lokelina, who we could sit down and talk cruising with for hours on end.

 

All of them, and so many more, that made this trip memorable.

 

So enough maudlin musing. Yesterday was a very busy day only interrupted by a quick 10 minute snooze. After Zumba we caught the boat regatta. All the boats got across the pool and back without losing the 4 cans of beer. (Most of the others we’ve seen had to carry a six pack.) All but one used empty water bottles for main flotation, the other used Styrofoam, and two supplemented with balloons.

 

After lunch we went to see the Hula and Ukulele recital in the Princess Theater. Both Kimo and Lokelina had groups 3x the size Elua had on the 2011 Golden cruise – they would not have fit in the Vista. They were great and seemed to have so much fun together. The Ukuleles lost the sound tracks in the first song right away, but actually sounded great without the tracks. That’s pretty good! The important thing is that everyone in the classes and the audience had a great time. Judy decided she wanted to watch this time instead of participate. Me, I don’t do hula or Ukulele – period.

 

Judy ordered one of Lokelina’s leis. She hand sows them from ribbon, but they are not the simple ribbon leis. They look like flower leis, but are fabric. Very beautiful. Kimo and Lokelina came over and delivered it, so we spent and absolutely wonderful couple of hours talking about cruising. They are headed to the Sun Princess next for her Japan sailings for the next 5 months. Elua is headed for the Diamond and her Japan sailings.

 

We went to the Captain’s farewell in the Piazza and snagged a few drinks before having dinner in the HC just to try it out at dinner time more than once. Retrospect did a set in Explorers before the Marriage Match Game and then we settled in to watch a pretty good show. Its always funny, especially with a 2 week married newlywed couple and one that has been married for 50 years.

 

It was time to hit the hay after that…

 

This morning the sea is much calmer, with hardly no swell whatsoever. Its partly cloudy rather than partly sunny and the temp was a cool 60F this morning. Highs below 70F from now on for sure.

 

Packing will consume most of the day after zumba this morning. The bingo jackpot is over $3k today. Gary Shahan is lecturing on route 66 this morning. The egg drop challenge is on this afternoon. There is a passenger talent show this afternoon in vista. The enrichment lecture is on IOS 7 for the IPAD and Iphone. Kimo and Lokelina have a couple of Hawaiian music vignettes in the Piazza today. Pop choir gives their performance.

 

Tonight has a lot going on. Jesse and Colleen Kazemak have a variety act in Vista, The Way, Way Back is on MUTS, “Are You Smarter than a Crew Member” game show is on, and the International Crew show is back late. It really looks like a late night tonight, so a nap is going to be a necessity today.

 

That’s it for now. Off to Lexi and Zumba!

[snookymom]

I have thoroughly enjoyed your vacation. Thanks for taking me:D

Edited April 6, 2014 by snookymom

[fairsky1984]

I have thoroughly enjoyed your vacation. Thanks for taking me:D

 

 

Ditto! And we waved to you while anchored off Lahaina :)