September/October 1997 - Hawaii Cruise

This isn't another one of our dive trips to Kona. This is a 10-day cruise on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas from Honolulu to Ensenada with stops on Kauai, Maui (2-days), The Big Island (2-days), then 5 days at sea. We'll be joined by Jonathan's parents celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary, Jonathan's sister Jennifer celebrating her 30th birthday, and Nancy's sister Jo Ann celebrating being on a cruise instead of at work!

We start out with a few days in Honolulu since this will be everyone's first visit to Hawaii except for Nancy and Me. Nancy and I plan to dive on Oahu while the others catch the sites that we've already seen.

Click on the day/date link to see pictures from that day. Warning: most of the pictures are kind of big so we could keep some resolution. We also tend to switch back and forth who's writing, so I hope it's not too confusing.

Saturday, September 27, 1997 Mother and Dad arrived from Ft. Myers, FL on Wednesday afternoon in an effort to spread out the time zone acclimation process (3 hours from FL to CA, 3 more to HI). I was back on the East Coast this week on business, returning to SFO on Thursday. By Sunday I will have been on airplanes 5 of the 7 previous days.

We're up at 5:15 AM and off to SFO promptly at 6:15, arriving right at 7:00. By 8:00 we're all checked in, just waiting for boarding to start at 8:25. I rented a mini-van to get from home to SFO, this avoided getting one of our friends up so early for a ride, plus it gave us the extra cargo space required for all of the luggage! When we checked in at SFO a UA agent asked if we were ever coming back!

I expect this to be another edition of "Geeks on Vacation" since we'll be updating the web page as we go, plus we have some new toys! Nancy and I picked up a new Sony digital camera last week, it's the Mavica FD7 that takes picture directly to a floppy disk in JPEG format; no more need to constantly download the camera, just carry a few thin disks. Dad has brought along his Magellan 3000XL GPS receiver along with NavTrek Solo navigation software, plus ocean navigation charts on CD-ROM. We'll be able to do real-time course plotting as we cruise! I guess we'll be ready to jump in if the Captain has any question about where we are :-)

It's 11:10 AM PDT and we're almost two hours out of SFO, 2:45 remaining to HNL, and lunch is coming down the aisle. We're on cruise tickets, so no upgrades were possible :-( but we're all in the same row.

Hey we made it! You should have seen the guys at the taxi stand trying to get all of our luggage into the back of the station wagon, it took two tries and there was barely room left for the people!

Sunday, September 28, 1997 We're Here! Enjoyed a nice buffet of fresh pineapple, mango & papayas with orange mac-nut muffins and banana bread overlooking Waikiki Beach. Jonathan & Nancy flew off to Kona for the day to look at some real estate and grab a MaiTai at the Kona Inn. Bea, Chalmers, & Jo took a trolley for a city tour and shopping. After buying T-shirts and more, we gathered for drinks and dinner at Duke's Canoe Club. Jet-lag caught up with us, though and our eyes were at half-mast before dinner was over. Jonathan got some great shots from the airplane (Aloha Airlines) on the way to Kona. Check them out.

Monday, September 29, 1997 We're not at work! On the beach and playing in the Waikiki surf in the morning. Jonathan headed off with Captain Bruce's for a day of diving. Jo and Nancy took a half day island tour to Diamond Head, Pali Lookout, Makapuu, Hanauma Bay and the Blow Hole, plus a couple other beautiful photo opportunities. Bea and Chalmers went shopping and met Jennifer at Honolulu airport - and brought along a lei to greet her. It doesn't take long to pick up the customs here. We re-grouped and went next door to the Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel (the grand lady of Waikiki Beach) for drinks and live Hawaiian music, then a lovely buffet and piano serenade. Got a great shot of the sunset from the lanai of our room.

Tuesday, September 30, 1997 Scuba! Nancy & Jonathan did a 2-tank scuba trip with Captain Bruce's. The first site was a wreck called the Mahi. Depth was 65-90 feet. The wreck is upright and intact. We saw several pufferfish, lots of millet-seed butterflies, humbug damsels and a purple nudibranch. The second dive was to Fantasy Reef. This was a shallow dive with lots more fish. The sun sparkled through the water. With big Super 80 aluminum tanks, we got sent up long before our air ran out. It was a little surgy, so we were getting tired of sloshing around anyway. It's weird to ascend with over 1400 PSI left. Jo, Jennifer, Beatrice & Chalmers took a tour to see Pearl Harbor, the Arizona Memorial, Punch Bowl and King Kamehameha's statue, as well as few other sights made famous by Hawaii Five-O and Magnum PI. We finished the day with drinks at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider's Banyan Beach Bar, then dessert and appetizers at Duke's.

Wednesday, October 1, 1997 Ship Day! Jonathan is up at 5:30 AM, just in time to see the Legend of the Seas entering the harbor. It's quite a site in the dark before dawn. We spent the morning on the beach playing in the surf. We wanted to take an outrigger canoe ride, but there wasn't time. Once we checked out of the hotel, we headed over to the harbor near Aloha Tower to board the ship. It took both a station wagon AND a limo to fit us all in with our luggage! Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas leaves at midnight headed for Maui. Check-in was a breeze and we were greeted with orchid leis and Champagne in our rooms (Thanks, Ray!) We spent the afternoon and evening getting to know our way around and began the eating frenzy.

Our entertainment this evening was a troop of little girls aged 5-12 who danced the traditional hula. The music, singers and dancing were just terrific. Best entertainment of the cruise.

Thursday, October 2, 1997 We arrived in Lahaina on Maui. We will be here for two days. The harbor is too small for this big ship, so we use tenders to get to shore. Jonathan, Nancy, & Jo took a snorkel trip to Molokini Crater and Turtle Arches. Jo took a whole roll of pictures with a water-proof camera. Hope some of them come out so you'll see just how neat it was. The rest of the gang took a tour on the "Road to Hana". Sounds like it was a bit harrowing and not something you should do if you get carsick. But the scenery was to-die-for. Most of the folks on the ship went to a luau so it was quiet onboard for our casual dinner. We all saw the entertainment that evening.. The Pendragon's are a husband and wife magic act that Beatrice had seen on TV. They were very theatrical!

Friday, October 3, 1997 Today we all went our separate ways. Nancy and Jonathan were off the ship before six AM for scuba diving. Went to Lana'i and swam through lava tubes. The diving was much better than on O'ahu - better visibility and lots more interesting creatures. The boat ride back was an hour and half of what the locals call the "Washing Machine" where several channels meet and keep things rocky. Beatrice had her "treatment" in the shipboard spa - a total body massage and a facial. Chalmers went 100 feet below the water on the Atlantis submarine. Jennifer road a bike down from the top of Haleakala (a mere 10000 foot slope). Jo shopped Maui and had a "Cheeseburger in Paradise". Jonathan stayed in town to shop and came back wearing a Magnum PI Aloha shirt. We were all pretty tuckered out. Tonight was the first formal evening. We clean up rather nicely and had our portrait taken by the ship's photographer. Our table in the dining room is the ship doctor's table. She is from Sweden and we had an interesting conversation. After dinner, Jo was the only one with enough stamina to stay up for the entertainment - a comedian named Ross Shafer.

Saturday, October 4, 1997 Today we are on Kauai at Nawiliwili Harbor near Lihue. The weather is very wet. Jonathan found a dive operator willing to leave late enough for him to make it. Chalmers and Beatrice took a bus tour to Hanalei and Bali Ha'i. Jo, Jennifer and Nancy tried to get a helicopter excursion but it was sold out. So we got off and walked to the Marriot right there on the beach. We found a phone and were able to arrange a helicopter privately. We had a sandwich at Duke's Kauai overlooking Kalapaki Beach as it poured rain. The weather cleared just in time for our helicopter flight. We lucked out - got the helicopter to ourselves for a one hour flight over the whole island. The canyons, waterfalls, cliffs, mansions and beaches really are as beautiful as the travel brochures say. I think our mouths were hanging open the whole flight. Ran out of film at the wettest spot on earth (Mount Waialeale) and still had more of the flight to go. We met up with Jonathan when we got back to the ship so walked over to Duke's for MaiTai's, sashimi and nachos. Some of the more picturesque crew members (male & shirtless) were playing volleyball. Jo liked that part.

Sunday, October 5, 1997 Off to Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Jonathan and Nancy have been here before so we just went shopping. Do you believe it? Jonathan bought some more Aloha shirts! Nancy got some chocolate covered Kona coffee beans to share at work - get us all wired. Jo, Jennifer, Beatrice and Chalmers went to Volcano National Park to see the Kilauea Caldera and walk through Thurston Lava Tube. All of the tour guides, bus drivers, have been very good. But this guy, Malu, was the one of the best. He gave us all kinds of information and insights into the sights and people of the Big Island. He took us on a side trip through Hilo and to take pictures at a waterfall.

Monday, October 6, 1997 Ah, Kailua-Kona. We took a snorkel/dive boat called Fairwind II. What great service. Jo and Jennifer had a great time snorkeling while Jonathan & Nancy went on an hour-long guided dive. We were at one of our favorite places on earth - Kealakekua Bay. This is where the explorer Captain James Cook lost his life and there is a monument erected here. The bay is a marine preserve so there are lots of rare and beautiful fish here - especially butterflies and angel fish. The boat provides continental breakfast (like we really need more food :-) as well as a barbeque lunch, plus snorkel gear. The SCUBA instructor, Jodi, was great. Jonathan says they did everything but swim for us - set up everything, guided us underwater, video, washed our stuff and hung it to dry while we chowed down on burgers.

While Beatrice and Chalmers took a Kona Highlights tour (Place of Refuge, Kona coffee plantation, etc), the weary snorkelers stopped at the Kona Inn for appetizers and MaiTai's/Pina Coladas. Then we split up for shopping $. We were on the first tender to shore in the morning and the second to last one coming back. I overheard several folks commenting that they would have liked more time in Kona.

Volcano! About 11 pm, we passed the area on the southeast part of the Big Island where the lava from Kilauea pours into the ocean. Captain Wildung is an adventurous soul. He got very close - about 1100 feet away. Check it out.

Tuesday, October 7, 1997 We're at sea now for the rest of the cruise 'til we get to Ensenada. After all those ports, we are a bit tired so it's nice to kick back and relax. The weather is on the windy side -50 knot head winds straight on the bow. The seas are 4-8 ft, so there aren't too many people on deck. The drained and netted the swimming pools. Jo and Nancy actually walked 4 laps around deck 10. It was exciting - it I'd have had a kite, I might have gone overboard. This evening is semi-formal and tonight we have the Crown and Anchor Society (repeaters) cocktail party. I've been very pleased that the captain has remembered us several times and stopped by to chat. We've sailed with him twice before.

Wednesday, October 8, 1997 The Cruise Compass (that's the little newspaper that tells you what's going on) says that they are giving out a limited number of passes to have a tour of the bridge. Jo got up and managed to gets us tickets. Beatrice and Chalmers will have their bridge tour in the afternoon as part of their Crowning Touches package (their anniversary present). The rest of us are there at 10 am.

Thursday, October 9, 1997 I can't believe how fast 4.5 days at sea are going by. Today we spent almost the entire day in the Solarium, reading and dozing. We didn't see much on the lunch menu that looks interesting, so we tried the burgers here in the Solarium. Tonight is the second formal night so we had more portraits taken. Jo and Nancy both got their hair done and Beatrice had a massage. The doctor joined us again for dinner along with one of the ship's nurses.

Tonight is the big show! Frankie Avalon sang us almost every song you could think of from the late 50's and early 60's. He interacted with the audience and didn't mind all the photos. It was bittersweet when he ended with M-I-C-K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E, in tribute to his ailing friend, Annette Funicello.

Friday, October 10, 1997 We keep losing an hour each night so it's hard to get up. But today we have our champagne breakfast in bed, Thanks to our great travel agent, Ray Goldenburg! The day seems to be going so fast. I don't know how we will pack all we came with plus all the stuff we bought. We managed to get it all in somehow and got the bags outside the door before midnight. Chalmers had his massage today. We also took several pictures of our waiter (Esmael), assistant waiter (Cevdet), head waiter (Juan), sommelier (Eduardo), and diningroom bar waiter (Daniel). These guys did a great job of keeping us fat, happy and a little tipsy.

Saturday, October 11, 1997 Bummer. Reality again. We're off the ship bright and early thanks to the Jones Act. We have to disembark in a foreign port since we've been traveling on a foreign-flagged ship. So we get off in Ensenada and board buses to San Diego. The Legend is already in San Diego long before we get through customs in Tijuana. Talk about bursting your bubble. Oh, well. We all made it home safely, and without too much hassle. (You wouldn't have thought so from all the griping we overheard from a bunch of impatient, older affluent Americans.) As with everything, there were some snafus and minor annoyances. But we went with a good attitude and some patience, so we had a great time!

Time to join Weight Watchers and AA (just kidding). We hope you liked our travelogue if you read this far. See you on another cruise as soon as we can!