Trip Report: Oahu and Pride of America Cruise Nov. 2-9

[Beachiekeen]

We just returned from 3 nights on Oahu and the cruise of all the islands on the POA.   Spoiler alert:  We had an absolutely amazing time!   Since I didn't see too many recent reviews when I was doing my planning, I thought I would do a trip report detailing our trip.

 

Here is the cliff notes version of what we did.  Everything I planned came off without a hitch.

 

Oahu:  Arrival and dinner at House Without a Key, Pearl Harbor with tour of USS Bowfin, Na Hoku sunset sail,  DIY driving tour of north shore, sunrise at Diamond Head 

 

Maui:  Day 1:  rented car and drove to Kapalua Bay, Kapalua coastal trail, lunch at Burger Shack at the Ritz Carlton, drink at Merriman’s
Day 2:  Drove to Haleakala National Park, lunch at Mill House at the Maui Tropical Plantation.

 

Hilo:  Volcano tour with Mauka Makai.  Stops:  Richardson beach, Rainbow Falls, Lili’uokanlani Gardens, lunch at Eagles Lighthouse Café, Volcanoes National Park:  Kilauea Crater and Kilauea iki trail, Volcano Winery (tasting that we did not included), Big Island Candies

 

Kona:  Historic tour with Mauka Makai.  Stops:  Lekeleke Burial Grounds, Greenwell Farms tour and tasting (included), Kealakekua State Park, Pu’uhonua O Honaunau State Park, St. Benedict’s painted church, lunch at Kona Brewing, walked around Kona pier, shave ice at Ululani’s

 

Kauai:  Day 1: rented car and drove to Waimea Canyon as far as the Kalalau Lookout, lunch in Waimea, shave ice at JoJo’s, Poipu Beach, dinner at Rumfire at the Sheraton
Day 2:  Tour with Wings Over Kauai, walked around Kalapaki Marriott and beach, lunch at Duke’s.

 

This trip consisted of myself, my husband, my in-inlaws, my brother in-law and his longtime friend.  This trip was a gift from my in-laws for our 10-year wedding anniversary.  Hubby and I had originally planned to go to Kauai and Maui, then decided to try Tahiti instead (I had even planned the whole thing), then we ended up planning this trip as my in-laws wanted to see Hawaii but they did not want to plan the trip themselves.  

 

We had had such a good time with my in-laws on our Alaskan cruise two years ago that I suggested they do the cruise instead of a land vacation as they are not really tropical vacation people, and this way they could be one and done and if they decided they liked Hawaii, they could always go back for a longer vacation.

 

When I offered to plan it for them, my in-laws offered to make it a family vacation if we would plan it and play tour guide.  Since that offer was too good to pass up, we took them up on it. So in case anyone is wondering why we went on trip with my in-laws for our wedding anniversary, now you know!

 

Hubby and I both love cruising and we love Hawaii (we’ve been to Maui five times and are visiting Kauai in May), and I love researching and planning, so I knew I could plan a trip that would maximize the time that we had.   With research and planning, you can definitely make the most of it.  My goal was to spend as little time on the ship as possible and I wasn't concerned with the ship’s condition, the food, the shows, etc.  We used it as transportation around all the islands and that is pretty much it.

   

The POA is going into drydock in April so it may be a different ship next year than the one we sailed on.  It is ready for a refresh for sure.  It’s old.  The food is average at best.  Our room’s AC was noisy.  Our cabin was smaller than other lines.  Deck 6 smelled like a sewer whenever the ship was in port.

 

Yet I did still find a certain charm to it.  The staff was great.  My family was in three suites and we were treated like royalty.  Every staff member we encountered was great.  The drinks were great.  It has lots of nice outdoor seating.  The gym was really nice with high quality machines.  The ship is small and easy to navigate.  It also has the biggest pool I have ever seen on a cruise ship.  So it definitely has some strong points and the dry dock can only make it better.

 

I hope my report helps someone or simply gets someone excited about their own upcoming cruise!

 

[Beachiekeen]

Day 1:  We arrived on the Wednesday before Halloween.  I had arranged for Hawaii 23 to pick us up at the airport since it was a private shuttle and I wanted someone there waiting for us when we arrived.  The price was reasonable also (I think it was $37 for 4 people).

 

Once we arrived, we did have some confusion meeting up with our driver and he arrived in a nondescript white van.  (Upon getting in the van, it occurred to me that we could be getting in anyone’s van, and realized we probably should have asked more questions.)  It looked more like a personal vehicle than belonging to a company.  

 

But once we were on our way, our driver Mark started narrating everything we were seeing and we relaxed and enjoyed our ride. He was really great and even though we got off to a rocky start, all was well.

 

We chose the Royal Hawaiian for our pre-cruise stay.  I wanted a hotel on Waikiki beach so that it would be easy to walk to places, hoping to make it easy on my in-laws.  I also wanted a hotel that said "Hawaii" so that my in-laws would feel like they were in Hawaii right from the start.  The Royal Hawaiian is very iconic and also comes highly recommended on Trip Advisor.  We stayed in the Historic Rooms which are the cheapest but the hotel also has a newer, more modern tower.  But the historic rooms were fine, they had a certain charm to them.  The bathrooms were a little small but I knew that when we booked it.  It ended up exceeding our expectations, we really liked it and the staff was great.

 

We had also considered the cheaper Outrigger Waikiki next door but now having seen it, I am glad we went with Royal Hawaiian.  I'm sure it would be fine for three nights, but our hotel was much nicer.

 

I had made a 5:15 reservation at House Without a Key at the nearby Halekulani (the most expensive hotel in Waikiki in case anyone is interested!) for dinner and even though our flight from Dallas landed around 2:40, we barely made it since I did not anticipate the Honolulu traffic and the length of time it would take to check in 3 rooms at Royal Hawaiian.  But we did make it and got a great table.  The restaurant has live music and hula and once again, I wanted my family to feel like they were in Hawaii. The drinks delicious—I got the Halekulani sunset!  I got the mahi mahi and hubby the steamed onaga and the rolls they serve there are scrumptious!   We were given free dessert for our anniversary.  The sunset was really beautiful.

 

In hindsight, we were probably too tired to enjoy it properly but it was still a great evening.   We were all in bed by 8:30 pm.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

Day 2:  We were all up early and luckily Surf Lanai at the RH opens at 6:30 am so we met there for breakfast.  I got the famous Pink Palace Pancakes and OMG they were delicious!  Hubby got loco moco. I loved sitting outside by the beach for breakfast.

 

Today was our day to see Pearl Harbor.  I had reserved tickets on the national park service website for the Arizona memorial 60 days prior for 11:00 am.  We picked up our minivan that we had pre-reserved at Avis at the Sheraton next door to Royal Hawaiian and drove ourselves.   I told hubby he had to put in the exact address the website suggested, but we still got lost and ended up in a huge traffic jam.  Driving on Oahu is no joke.  

 

We finally made our way out of it and got to Pearl Harbor around 9:20, just in time to exchange our tickets for the 9:45 am tour. After we returned from the memorial, we toured the USS Bowfin.  I don’t know if I will ever get to step foot inside a submarine again and it was really interesting and a neat experience.  We walked around some but it was hot and the ILs were ready to head back.  Our family from Boston had not made it to Oahu until very late Wednesday night, so we met them back at the hotel and had lunch at Rumfire at the Sheraton.

 

That night was our sunset sail.  My first choice was Maita’ i Catamaran but when we went to book, our date wasn’t available. So I went with Na Hoku instead on recommendation from the Oahu board on Trip Advisor.  It describes itself as a “party cruise” which worried me some but I thought it would also mean mostly adults and fewer kids so we booked it.

 

The sunset was stunning and it’s always fun to be out on the water.  However, I don’t know if it was because it was Halloween or what, but when the music started, it was not the melodious Hawaiian music I was hoping for but was instead rap music (and not the clean versions either) which then progressed to hard rock—selections like AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells”, Ozzy’s “Crazy Train,” Alice Cooper, etc.  I was pretty mortified for my poor in-laws and wondered if my family was beginning to doubt my planning abilities.  If so, they had good reason. 

 

The thing is, no one was into it, so everyone was just sitting around waiting for the ride to be over.  It couldn’t come soon enough.  On the bright side, the sunset was stunning.  

 

I did not plan dinner for this night since I wasn’t sure how tired people would be.  Everyone but me wanted dinner but with no res on Halloween night, the pickings were slim.  We were able to get an 8:00 reservation at Azure, which is the priciest restaurant at the Royal Hawaiian.  Hubby and I tried to have a drink at the hotel's famous Mai Tai bar before our reservation but no one would wait on us so that was a bust.  That place was packed every time we walked by there.

 

We got a beautiful table at Azure and everyone enjoyed their meal.  I was super tired and not hungry so I just got shrimp and had trouble staying awake through the meal but everyone else enjoyed it.  

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

Pearl Harbor:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

Sunset sail:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took that last picture with my 10 year-old Canon P&S, completely unedited.

Edited November 14, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

Day 3:  We all had breakfast at Surf Lanai again.  I had several famous Waikiki breakfast choices like Lulu’s and Cinnamon’s on the itinerary, but this was just easier and it was good too.  

 

Today the plan was to drive the north shore using the Shaka Guide app.  The guide only works on Oahu if you drive the route counter clockwise from Waikiki but that was the way I wanted to go anyway so it was fine. We got on the road at 9:30 and we dropped off the car around 6:00 pm.  We enjoyed using the Shaka app.  It was very easy to follow for the most part and provided interesting narration, although it was slightly cheesy in parts. 

 

The reason I chose Shaka over Gypsy is because the website lists the stops that will be on the tour ahead of time, so I was able to research the stops ahead of time, craft our route, include bathroom breaks, find lunch places along the route, take out places we wanted to skip, etc.  It was helpful to me to know exactly where we would be going ahead of time.

 

The first stop was the Byodo In Temple which everyone loved.  We stopped at Lai’e Point, Pounders Beach, Sunset Beach, Pu’u O Mahuka Heiau, and Laniakea Beach.  I had planned on stopping at Turtle Bay for lunch but everyone was still full from breakfast so we just drove by it.

 

By the time we made it to the big surfing beaches, there was no parking, which I was kind of worried might be the situation.  But the last thing I wanted was a stressed out husband driving a minivan full of people so I just said don't worry, just keep going.  So that was kind of disappointing but we still saw a lot.

 

We had lunch in the charming town of Haleiwa at a place called Fat Boys.  It was ok.  Then we rewarded hubby with a shave ice at the famous Matsumoto’s which was yummy.  The line wasn't even that long.  We did miss the famous shrimp trucks and skipped the Dole Plantation but we were tired by then anyway.  We dropped off the car and then walked the beach walk at the Sheraton and saw a beautiful sunset.

 

Back at the hotel, I was done for so hubby and his brother got some bad pizza somewhere for dinner and tried to watch the Hilton Hawaiian Village fireworks but they weren’t in the right place to see it.  I went back to the room and got us packed since we would be boarding the ship the next day.  
 

[Beachiekeen]

Oahu's north shore:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

Saturday:  Embarkation day.  Woo hoo, today's the day!!

 

I really wanted to hike Diamond Head and decided we could do it the morning before boarding the ship.  Hubby and I and his brother and friend got up early and took a Lyft at 5:30 am to Diamond Head to be there when they opened at 6:00.  It was really crowded with a line of cars was already lined up.  I was surprised to see so many people there already.  As we started walking, people were literally running by us.  I was like, wow, people are aggressive!

 

It wasn’t long before I realized that everyone was racing to get to the top for sunrise which was a little after 6:30.  I had not even taken that into account when I planned this.  But wow, what a happy surprise.  The four of us made it to the top in less than 40 minutes and were able to see the sunrise over the ocean.  We waited for people to come down from the top lookout and then walked up to see the view of Waikiki and were able to see the Pride of America coming in.  It was really cool and I took some great pictures with hubby’s iPhone.  He has the newest 11 pro max so I played with all the cool zooming features and got some great shots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

We were back at Royal Hawaiian at 8:00 and went to their bakery for breakfast which was yummy.  We checked out and had Hawaii 23 meet us at the hotel to take us to the pier.  Our driver dropped us off as close as you could get.

 

We dropped off our luggage and made our way to the ship.  We entered the main area and were greeted with leis and told to fill out the health questionnaire.  Then, as suite guests, we were led to our own private check-in area.  The process was so nice--no standing in line, we were seated immediately, checked in and our picture taken, then we were free to just wait in the lounge until we were escorted on to the ship and taken straight to Cagney's for lunch.  The whole process was a joy and I've never experienced such a great check-in (not even the one other time we cruised in a suite on Princess).

 

We were on board by 11:40 am and to Cagney's immediately--I remember thinking I wasn't even ready for lunch yet.  As suite guests, we could have both breakfast and lunch at Cagney's (but embarkation day is the only day we went for lunch).  I got a salad which was ok and the pan seared scallops and shrimp.  We all thought lunch was just ok, but possibly it was too early for us to appreciate it.  We liked breakfast better.

 

My MIL got a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream and it looked so good, I tried a bite and it was phenomenal!  I had it for dessert when we had dinner there but sadly that was the only time I got to have it.  I am still dreaming about it!

 

By the time lunch was over, they called Deck 12 and our rooms were ready and our luggage was already there too, which was awesome.  We all had suites on Deck 12, me and hubby and the BIL had adjoining suites on the port side, MILs were starboard.  We normally only cruise in balconies, but this was a special occasion.  Also, my in-laws had only cruised one other time and they were in a suite then since it was their 50th wedding anniversary, and having cruised in a suite the first time, it was easy to convince them to get a suite this time also.  Hubby and I said several times that it will be hard to go back to a balcony after this cruise.  It's not just the cabin that is better, but the level of service also.

 

We also had the beverage package and specialty dining package as our perks when booking.  I was really glad we had the dining package because none of us really cared for the main dining room or the buffet--once again, they were just ok.  But I would not have wanted to eat there every night.  I did love the fresh juice station in the Aloha Cafe though, and wished I had found it earlier in the cruise.

 

We explored the ship, unpacked, went to muster and all met for dinner at La Cucina that evening.  It was ok, it was our least favorite restaurant of the three.  The mushroom fettuccine, the bread and the salad were good, the entrees (I got the branzino, hubby the filet), we thought were just ok.  

 

Then we sailed away from Oahu and were off to my favorite place, Maui!

 

[Beachiekeen]

Pics of our suite.  It was definitely smaller than our suite on Princess and the bathroom was not as nice, but there was really nothing to complain about!  I thought it had ample storage and I easily found a place for everything.  I had my own makeup area with a hairdryer AND an extra outlet which was great, that meant hubby could have the outlet at the desk.  It was a wonderful home for a week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

Ship pics.  I didn't take a ton sadly.  We used the hot tub once, sat at the Waikiki bar once, hubby used the gym once and we went to Pink's champagne bar once and had some drinks at the other bars here and there.  We saw one show, the Vegas show the last night.  Otherwise, we were off the ship or on our balcony.  

 

The ship did have lots of really nice places to sit outside which was nice.  And even though the Waikiki bar allows smoking, I found it didn't bother me much at all and that is a nice area back there.

 

All the drinks we had were really good--good pina coladas, Bahama Mamas, etc.  The drink package was probably a waste but I am a huge water drinker and got it mainly so that I could have all the bottled water I wanted and it was also great to have water to take on excursions.  It's also just nice to have so that when you do want a drink, you can just have what you want and not worry about it.  But if you're on the fence about it, I would probably say don't bother.  We drink a fair amount on most cruises, and we hardly used it at all this cruise, mostly we were getting water.

 

Speaking of water, my MIL carried on several bottles from our hotel and no one said a word (even though I had told her she wouldn't be able to bring them on).  Also, as long as we were taking off/bringing on the Norwegian water bottles, no one said a thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

Sunday:  Maui.

 

I watched sunrise on the balcony as the ship came into port.  Maui is an island hubby and I know well so we were just going to drive our family to all our favorite places.  

 

We had breakfast at Cagney's and then met outside our rooms at 8:30 to get off the ship.

 

We rented all our cars (minivans since we had 6 people) in advance from Avis because my father in-law is Avis Preferred.  I had also read that Avis was the only company to still have a shuttle on Maui.  The bus does say Avis/Budget however, but I have read conflicting things about whether Budget has a shuttle or not.  But I can for sure say Avis does.

 

The process was this:  Walk out to the shuttle area, wait for the shuttle.  Now I am not sure where the shuttle drops you off at the airport because both mornings on Maui, we didn't wait for the shuttle but took a cab instead because we were in a hurry to get moving.  But the cab dropped us off a short walk from where the rental cars are.   The Avis shuttle stops running at 8:00 pm but cabs on Maui were plentiful (not so much on Kauai but that's a story for later).

 

Sunday night, we parked at the airport public parking which was well marked and easy to find.  It was $15.  My in-laws were not able to make the walk from the Maui Beach Hotel where many people park and anyway, we had the shuttle to take us back so parking at the airport was better for us.  We walked back to the tram area from the parking lot and took a tram to the terminal, but you can also walk.  The Avis shuttle picks up right past United Airlines--there is a side parking area and there are vending machines and that is where Avis picks up.  Every driver on every island asked to see our Avis receipt before boarding the shuttle and we did see people get turned away.

 

We were on the road by 9:15 and headed straight to Kapalua Bay which is our favorite area of Maui and where we spent our honeymoon in 2009.  The beach parking was full so we parked at the Kapalua tennis court and paid the $10 to park and walked to the beach.  We rented chairs and umbrellas from the beach shack in front of the Montage resort so the ILs would have shade.  (3 chairs and an umbrella was $80).  We all got in the water and I felt like I could finally relax for the first time all trip.  Kapalua is definitely my happy place!

 

I really wanted everyone to see the beautiful Kapalua coastal trail even though I knew the ILs could not walk too much of it. So after the beach, we walked to the Montage for an AC break and FIL decided to just stay there while we did a little walk.  So he sat in the lobby overlooking the pool while the rest of us walked to just the first lookout.  Happy with that, we collected FIL and drove to the Ritz Carlton to eat at the Burger Shack.  The Burger Shack is a place we always have lunch on Maui.  The food is great and it's fun to eat right there on DT Fleming Beach.  We had a great lunch and everyone shared different milkshakes which are delicious.  

 

We then went to Merriman’s for their famous happy hour at the Point Bar.  This is another of our Maui favorites.  Happy hour is from 3-5 and it's a great place to have a drink and watch the sunset.  At 3:40, the sun was too high for everyone to sit outside, but that was ok, we just wanted them to see it.  I got a mai tai but poor hubby had to get a mocktail since he was driving!  But the one he ordered was delicious!  I would get it next time and put rum in it, heh.  

 

We headed back to the airport after and parked in the overnight public parking for $15, took the tram back to the terminal, and then took the Avis shuttle back to port from there.  Back on the ship, hubby and I had a drink in the hot tub, then went and got a healthy snack of wings and cheese fries at Cadillac Diner.  It was a wonderful day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[LisaLisa87]

I’m enjoying your review! We were on POA in June and are considering going again next year. We ate breakfast at the Royal Hawaiian on embarkation day. I had the pink pancakes too and LOVED them. By far the best pancakes I’ve ever had! We also booked a room there after the cruise since our flight wasn’t until 9:30pm. I loved their bath soap and bought 3 bars to bring home. Looking forward to reading more about your trip!

[Cindy]

I’m really enjoying your review. It’s getting me even more excited for our POA cruise in April.

 

What cabin were you in? We also have a port-side suite on Deck 12.

[Beachiekeen]

11 minutes ago, Cindy said:

I’m really enjoying your review. It’s getting me even more excited for our POA cruise in April.

 

What cabin were you in? We also have a port-side suite on Deck 12.

We were in 12510. I have a video of it—if you’d like to see it I can try and figure out how to get it to you.

[Cindy]

1 hour ago, Beachiekeen said:

We were in 12510. I have a video of it—if you’d like to see it I can try and figure out how to get it to you.

 

Thanks for the offer, but don’t go to any trouble. My question was mostly curiosity. We have 12512 for our cruise.😁

[Beachiekeen]

31 minutes ago, Cindy said:

 

Thanks for the offer, but don’t go to any trouble. My question was mostly curiosity. We have 12512 for our cruise.😁

That was my BIL's suite, you'll love it.  There is actually a video on Youtube of it if you Google, it looks the same.

[Beachiekeen]

Monday: Maui

 

After breakfast at Cagney's we left the ship at 8:30 and took a cab to the airport parking, once again not waiting for the shuttle. This was not a trip where we wanted to be waiting in line, and we don’t mind paying $15 for a cab if it gets us going quicker.

 

We drove to Haleakala National Park and got to the visitor's center around 10:15, so the drive took almost an hour and a half.  We have made this drive several times so it is one we felt comfortable doing, and we were never too far from the ship.  The weather was beautiful and I had never seen Haleakala so clear.  We all got out, took a few pictures and used the restroom, then we did the .20 Pa Ka’oa trail to an overlook.  Even my ILs were able to make it to the top, slowly but surely.  

 

By now, we needed to get going to make our 1:00 reservation at the Mill House at the Maui Tropical Plantation.  We made it with about 5 minutes to spare. We were excited for everyone to get to eat there as this is always our favorite meal when we visit Maui.  Hubby got a curry shrimp, BIL got fish, FIL got a burger and MIL and I got the fish sandwich.  Everyone loved it.  We dropped off the car at the airport, took the Avis shuttle, and were back on the ship well before 5:30 all aboard.    

 

(Incidentally, we did not fill up any of our cars before returning them on this trip.  We just paid for it at Avis and in every instance, it was cheaper than gassing it up ourselves and we didn’t have to worry about finding a gas station, etc.)

 

Hubby and I watched a little of the Monday Night football game in our room  and then went and had a drink before sailaway.  We went out on deck 11 for sailaway and I said goodbye to Maui!

 

The dining room could not accommodate our party of 6 with no reservation so some of us went to the buffet for dinner.  I had a slice of pizza and a salad and a dessert crepe, and it was all edible.  We are not buffet people, but I've certainly seen worse.  We went and watched a little of the Aloha Polynesian show but we were tired so we left before it was over.  We were back in our room by about 8:30.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

Tuesday:  Hilo 

 

I woke up at 6:00 and watched sunrise on the balcony.  We all met at 8:15 to disembark.

 

I chose two tours for the Big Island to give hubby a break from driving which he desperately needed.  I knew we wouldn't see as much this way, but I wanted my husband to be able to relax for two days and let someone else do the driving.  I had wanted to use Mary Lou’s Big Island Tours for Hilo and Island Wide Family Tours for Kona which is owned by Mary Lou’s son.

 

Unfortunately, the patriarch of the family, Ken, died suddenly while I was planning the trip.  When it came time to book the tours, Island Wide’s website was still up so we called and talked to Kyle who informed us what we suspected--that his business was for sale and the family was still not doing tours.  My heart goes out to this family and wish them all the best.

 

Kyle recommended Mauka Makai who was my second choice anyway.  We had the same driver, Josh, both days.  We loved Josh and this tour and we had a great group of 10 people (including the six of us) both days.  I highly recommend Mauka Makai.

 

I was not sure what to expect on the BI but I loved it.  I listed the stops we made in my first post.  It was so lush and beautiful with interesting vegetation I had never seen before.  I did lament that we saw so little of the park after researching it, but driving it would have been risky and I didn’t want everyone stressing out about missing the ship.   So we got a little taste of both Hilo and VNP and that’s ok.  It was still really amazing.  Lunch was sandwiches from a little place called Eagles Lighthouse Cafe and were yummy.  

 

My BIL who has been to the BI before asked about going to Volcano Winery so Josh said as long as everyone was ok with it we could go.  So we went and some of us did a wine tasting which was really fun. I don't believe we would have stopped here without my BIL mentioning it, but I'm glad we did.  After that, we went to Big Island Candies which was a huge cluster of people but the samples were delicious and I bought chocolate covered macadamia nuts for gifts.

 

Throughout our cruise, I saw the big green Roberts van at every port.  Everyone on Facebook recommends them and I cringe every time.  It’s a huge gigantic bus with dozens of people to herd in and out.  While we had 10 people and were able to do some things on the fly and customize our tour as we went along.  Which is a much better choice in my opinion.

 

I would have liked to maybe seen more of the park and maybe omitted a stop or two but generally these tours are meant to please everyone and to give you a little tour of the whole area.  Mauka Makai also offers a tour of the coast in Hilo and if we go back, I would love to do that one next time.

 

We were all back on board about 3:45.  We had chocolate covered strawberries in our room so we had those with one of our complimentary bottles of sparkling wine.  About 5:45, hubby and I went down to the Napa wine bar and got glasses of champagne to take with us to our 6:00 dinner at Cagney's.

 

This meal was delicious, by far the best on the cruise.  I got the crab cake, filet and macaroni and cheese and the delicious macadamia nut ice cream for dessert!  Everything was great. 

 

After dinner, hubby and I went to Pink's for a cocktail.  Hubby got the Rum Cake martini, which I had had on the Dawn and loved, but this one was really strong so hubby had to drink it.  We listened to the music for awhile and then went back to the room.  On the way, we got our pictures taken since we were all dressed up.  Back at the room, we sat on the balcony for awhile listening to the waves as we cruised to Kona.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Cindy]

“Throughout our cruise, I saw the big green Roberts van at every port.  Everyone on Facebook recommends them and I cringe every time.  It’s a huge gigantic bus with dozens of people to herd in and out.  While we had 10 people and were able to do some things on the fly and customize our tour as we went along.  Which is a much better choice in my opinion.”

 

When I started researching I hought Roberts was worth considering. They have great reviews, so I e-mailed them about the size of their vehicles. They got eliminated immediately! I will happily pay more to not be stuck on a big bus!

[Beachiekeen]

Wednesday:  Kona

 

Our tour was at 8:00 today so I was up at 6:00 on the balcony.  I was tired.  I was wishing we could just sleep late and enjoy the morning, maybe walk around the pier for a while and then spend the day at the pool.  But instead, we had to be up the earliest yet for our tour.  If you want a day to just chill, Kona is a good day for that.

 

I told everyone to meet at 7:30 to we could take an early tender.  The tenders start running at 7:15 and from 7:15-7:45 you can walk off the ship without needing a tender ticket.  So that was perfect for us.  We didn't make the one at 7:30, but the one just after it and we got to the meeting place right at 8:00.  Luckily we had Josh again and he knew we were coming.

 

Our tour was of all the places listed in my first post.  The Greewell Coffee Farm was neat.  I think farm tours are always fun and interesting.  Everyone got to drink all the coffee they wanted.  I don't drink coffee but I still enjoyed it.  At the end, Josh asked everyone if we wanted the "optional" stop of the Painted Church and I yelled "Yes!" since that was the stop I wanted to see the most.  I would have been disappointed not to see it.

 

In the end, I was glad we took the tour and didn't just walk around the pier.  The tour was shorter so it left us time to do both, so it was the perfect day really.

 

After the tour, we asked Josh how to get to Kona Brewery and he just drove us there himself.  Google makes it look like it's really far to walk from the port area but it isn't, there is a cut through.  Hubby loves to try new local beers on vacation and since he wasn't driving, he was finally able to have a drink.  We can get some Kona Brewing beers in Dallas, but there are always local ones that they don't distribute that are fun for him to try.

 

We had a bit of a wait for a table so hubby got a beer and we got some T-shirts.  I had wanted to get some T-shirts at the gift shop on the boat since we had a ton of OBC but I had not found anything.  We got a nice table at the back where it was quiet.  I got a pork sandwich and hubby got fish tacos and we shared them.  The food was ok, and hubby got a beer flight and said the beers were ok, not his favorite.  He likes Maui Brewing better I think.

 

After lunch, the ILs went back to the ship and the rest of us walked around the pier.  There is quite a bit to see at the pier, a small beach and a bigger beach a little more of a walk (but we didn't go there).  We could see these beaches from our balcony.  There is a famous palace you can tour for $10, a historical landmark, places to eat, souvenir shop, and Ululani's shave ice.  It's a really nice little area.

 

We took the 4:00 tender, went and got some pina coladas at the Key West bar; then went back to our balcony for sailaway and had our wine, canapes and the chocolate covered strawberries the in-laws never ate.  We had made reservations for the Skyline dining room.  It was ok, not great, not terrible.  I don't even remember what I had but I think I got all appetizers because I wasn't that hungry from all our snacks!  That night, we slept with our balcony door open for awhile so we could hear the waves as we cruised towards our last port, Kauai.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

Thursday:  Kauai

 

The Thursday on Kauai was our 10-year wedding anniversary.  We had a big day planned.  I loved that we could stay out as long as we wanted with no rushing to the ship to worry about.

 

I was out on the balcony at 6:00 to watch the ship come in to port.  I started taking pictures and texting them to my mom who is coming with us on our land vacation to Kauai in May.  She is so excited already.

 

I told everyone to meet at 8:00 by the elevator.  Hubby and I had breakfast in the cafe.  The buffet situation was not bad on POA, there was always ample seating and it seemed to be laid out nicely.  Usually the buffet is a complete madhouse and you can never find a place to sit.  I discovered the fresh juice station and got a carrot-pineapple-orange juice and it was heaven.  I was sad I had only just now discovered it.  You can also get bottled water there so I got our water to take off the ship. 

 

(By the way, the Cagney's breakfast menu lists fresh juice but whenever I tried to order it, it was met with complete confusion.  I finally realized they have to go get it from the buffet juice station.  Which is annoying because it was clear they didn't want to do it and of course it took forever.  They should really just remove it from the menu altogether.  If you tell me I can have fresh squeezed juice for breakfast, I am going to order it.)

 

We all met at 8:00 am to disembark.  We wanted to take a cab to the airport to pick up our car as the shuttle line was long and we missed the first one.  But no cabs would take us and they weren't being let into the port area until the tour buses had left. So we waited for the second shuttle and got our third minivan of the trip at Avis and were on our way to Waimea Canyon by 9:15.

 

We used the Shaka Guide app again for our drive up the canyon.  The weather was gorgeous once again, but I was nervously watching the sky as I didn’t know when the clouds might come in.  When we got to the first lookout, we all got out and took pictures so that if the clouds did come in, at least we got to see something.  

 

We continued up the mountain with each lookout more beautiful than the last.  We did a hike called the Iliau nature loop which was an easy hike for my ILs.  We stopped at the big Waimea Canyon Lookout which was full of people, but everyone was glad to take turns viewing at the top.  We stopped at the Kokee Museum for a break and souvenir stop.  

 

We made it to the Kalalau Lookout around 12:40 and the clouds were just rolling in—I felt like we missed it by maybe just a few minutes.  This is the lookout where you can see the Napali coast.  Alot of people drive straight to this lookout and then work their way down.  But  I felt like everyone seeing the canyon was more important and I am glad we did it the way we did. 

 

I had planned for us to drive straight to Poipu for lunch on the beach but by the time we were back in Waimea, everyone was hungry so we stopped there for some lunch at a little Thai place and got JoJo’s shave ice.   I told everyone to get the ice cream on the bottom!  I had a bite of my MIL’s (but she got a coffee flavored one and I don’t like coffee). Everyone really liked it though.

 

After lunch, we drove towards Poipu and stopped at the Spouting Horn blowhole which was cool to see (and hear) before getting to beautiful Poipu beach.  We got the ILs settled under the shady covered pavilion and the rest of us spent time at the beach.  This beach reminded me a little of Kapalua Bay on Maui.

 

We were able to wash off at the beach and I threw a pretty cover up over my bathing suit and we went to our dinner at Rumfire at the Sheraton.  I had given hubby the choices of the Beach House restaurant and Rumfire for dinner and he chose Rumfire. We got there at 5:00 for Aloha Hour and all had $6 mai tais which were delicious—I think I liked this one as much or more than my favorite one at Merriman’s on Kapalua.

 

Dinner was pretty good but our server seemed overwhelmed.  Rumfire allows you to mix two entrees so I got the filet and butterfish, hubby got ahi and one of the featured fishes, Ono, which I was excited to try.  It was good but his ahi was a bad cut and he couldn’t finish it.  MIL’s steak was overcooked but they took it off the bill.  So it was hit and miss but the good was really good.  

 

For dessert, hubby and I got a dessert called the Baked Kauai for two which was a pineapple cake, coconut ice cream, and meringue that they bruleed at the table.  It was divine, I am still dreaming about that dessert!  The sunset was beautiful also. All in all, it was a wonderful anniversary dinner.

 

MIL’s overcooked steak meant we missed the Avis shuttle that stops running at 8:00.  So we had to use the “need a taxi” phone at the airport to call a cab after we dropped off the car.  A surly cab driver arrived and didn’t speak one word to us as he drove us back to the port but at least we got there!  I don't recommend relying on cabs on Kauai.  

 

Back on the ship, hubby and I wanted to use our onboard credit for a bottle of good champagne.  We had $500 in OBC when the cruise started and had hardly made a dent in it.  We went to the Napa Wine Bar and saw we could get a bottle of Dom Perignon for $284, a price you rarely see outside of a liquor store.  So we figured, why not, there was nothing else to use it on and the cruise was almost over.  We looked up the vintage the bar had (2008) and it was ranked very highly, Wine Spectator gave it a 96.

 

So we used our onboard credit to get a bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate our anniversary. It was delicious, I don't know how I will go back to regular champagne after this!   An anniversary to remember for sure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by Beachiekeen

[Beachiekeen]

I took so many pictures on Kauai, it's hard to pick only a few!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by Beachiekeen