Day 3 - Nawiliwili, Kauai
Kauai greeted us with cloudy skies and a fine rain. After a quick pancake breakfast in the Ocean Grill Cafe, we hurried to meet our tour bus for a visit to Waimea Canyon, the 'Grand Canyon of the Pacific'.
We were warmly greeted by our native Kauaian tour guide Juan and who proceeded to give us a thorough and informative tour of his beloved 'magic' island. The first order of business was learning a brief Hawaiian chant to ward off the rain. We must have been apt students, as the sun greeted us by the time we reached Waimea Canyon after a scenic drive around the southwestern coast of Kauai.
Kauai is called "The Garden Isle" because of its lush green landscapes, valleys and waterfalls. It is also the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands. As we headed to the Waimea Canyon lookout, we learned of the history and culture of this beautiful paradise. Juan continued his interesting and lighthearted narrative as we passed through many small towns, past the only remaining sugar cane operation on the island and by the Kauai Coffee Plantation. We made a brief rest stop at a souvenir shop before heading to the Canyon Lookout.
Waimea Canyon is breathtaking, with its cascading colours and lush green valleys. The Lookout provides the perfect vantage point for photographing the magnificent vista, and Ian and I snapped pictures to our hearts' content. Leaving the Canyon, our last stop on the way back to Nawiliwili was at the "Spouting Horn", a rocky point where the ocean sprays up from several large blowholes as the waves crash onto the beach. Juan entertained us on the way there with a story of the mythical origins of the site, involving the fire goddess Pele, her sisters and brother.
We were back at the ship by 1 o'clock for some lunch and 'downtime' before it was time to get ready for the 1st Formal Night .
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Hawaii '09 -Day 2
Day 2 - Diamond Head Crater, Honolulu
After a fairly decent night's sleep and a room service breakfast on the balcony, Ian and I left the Millenium to meet our tour to Diamond Head Crater. Once we had arrived at the National Park, our group of 24 was split in two, with those wishing to do a more strenuous hike setting off with one guide and those wanting a milder hike staying with the other. Ian and I went with the more strenuous hike, a decision I came to question at a couple of points in the excursion!
I had hiked to the summit of Diamond Head in October of 2004 and new that the views from the top were the reward for the exertion of getting there. We set out with our group and made it to the summit in roughly half an hour with a couple of breaks for water and local information from our guide. The views from the summit are truly magnificent and all agreed it had been worth the struggle up the 500 foot elevation on the rocky meandering path, with its 2 sets of steps ( 74 and 99 if you wish to count them). We stayed for a bit to take photos and enjoy the scenery, then started the much faster descent, to wait at the bottom for the other group.
After we were delivered back to the ship, we decided to walk to the Aloha Tower Marketplace for sunglasses and souvenirs before heading back to the Millenium for lunch and a rest.
Muster drill was to be held at 5:30 , and we decided to relax in the stateroom until then. We were to meet some Cruise Critic friends in a Penthouse Suite for drinks at 7:30 , and then off to dinner at 8:30, with sailaway from Honolulu at 11 p.m.
Tomorrow : Nawiliwili, Kauai
After a fairly decent night's sleep and a room service breakfast on the balcony, Ian and I left the Millenium to meet our tour to Diamond Head Crater. Once we had arrived at the National Park, our group of 24 was split in two, with those wishing to do a more strenuous hike setting off with one guide and those wanting a milder hike staying with the other. Ian and I went with the more strenuous hike, a decision I came to question at a couple of points in the excursion!
I had hiked to the summit of Diamond Head in October of 2004 and new that the views from the top were the reward for the exertion of getting there. We set out with our group and made it to the summit in roughly half an hour with a couple of breaks for water and local information from our guide. The views from the summit are truly magnificent and all agreed it had been worth the struggle up the 500 foot elevation on the rocky meandering path, with its 2 sets of steps ( 74 and 99 if you wish to count them). We stayed for a bit to take photos and enjoy the scenery, then started the much faster descent, to wait at the bottom for the other group.
After we were delivered back to the ship, we decided to walk to the Aloha Tower Marketplace for sunglasses and souvenirs before heading back to the Millenium for lunch and a rest.
Muster drill was to be held at 5:30 , and we decided to relax in the stateroom until then. We were to meet some Cruise Critic friends in a Penthouse Suite for drinks at 7:30 , and then off to dinner at 8:30, with sailaway from Honolulu at 11 p.m.
Tomorrow : Nawiliwili, Kauai
Hawaii '09 - Day 1
Day 1 - Embarkation
After a restless night and a room service breakfast at the Wyland, I arranged to have our bags stored at the hotel while we enjoyed a tour of the North Shore of Oahu. We were picked up at 9:00 by DiscoverHiddenHawaii Tours and delivered to our tour guide for the day, 'Cowboy'. What followed was an entertaining and informative 6-hour tour of the 'windy' side of Oahu, with stops at several beaches to watch the waves and check out the surfers. We were taken past the 'Valley of the Dinosaurs' from the movie Jurassic Park, shown the point over which the planes came in to 'Fantasy Island' (de plane, boss, de plane!!) and got out to sink our toes in the sand at Sunset Bay Beach, site of 'Baywatch'. We stopped for delicious samples of machadamia nuts and Kona coffee at Tropical Farms (and bought 2 flavours of nuts and 2 bags of coffee to bring home), and for some souvenir shopping at the Dole Pineapple Plantation. Our tour wrapped up with a lunch of local cuisine at Honey's, a restaurant founded by Honey Ho, mother of Hawaiian singing legend Don Ho.
Arriving back at the Wyland, we gathered our bags and called a cab to take us to the ship. Check-in was quick and easy, with no lineups since it was 4:30 in the afternoon. As we boarded the Millenium, we were met with a fresh flower lei for me and a shell lei for Ian, and handed a Mimosa as we entered the foyer. We were personally escorted to our cabin, a very nice service that Celebrity provides, and after meeting our stateroom attendant Leo, we set out to explore and
take photos of the ship.
Just a note for those interested, Celebrity allows passengers to bring 2 bottles of wine per stateroom on to the ship at embarkation, so Ian and I had made a quick stop at an ABC store for a Reisling and a Sauvignon Blanc, which we brought onboard in my backpack. The security guards were much more interested in the coffee and nuts in my carryon than the 2 bottles of wine, and had to ensure that the packaged food had not been opened before we were allowed to proceed.
The Millenium itself is a pleasent surprise.While not sleek and glass-encased on the exterior, like the ships of Royal Caribbean, the inside decor of the ship is absolutely beautiful! It truly made me think of a luxury hotel with its flowers, sofas, intimate clubs and spacious seating areas. The cabin is not huge but comfortable with a good-sized balcony for room service breakfasts. Robes and toiletries are provided, and the shower is nearly full-sized. Plenty of storage, and the mini-bar actually has mini bottles of alcohol in it, something unheard of with Royal Caribbean.
Our first dinner aboard the Millenium was enjoyable, with good tablemates from Vancouver, Texas and Sydney, Australia. The food is a little upscale , small portions and exotic appetizers as well as standard cruise ship fare. We stayed and chatted for 2 hours with our new friends, then went back to the cabin as the time difference once again caught up with us.
Tomorrow : Diamond Head Crater Adventure and Sailaway from Honolulu.
After a restless night and a room service breakfast at the Wyland, I arranged to have our bags stored at the hotel while we enjoyed a tour of the North Shore of Oahu. We were picked up at 9:00 by DiscoverHiddenHawaii Tours and delivered to our tour guide for the day, 'Cowboy'. What followed was an entertaining and informative 6-hour tour of the 'windy' side of Oahu, with stops at several beaches to watch the waves and check out the surfers. We were taken past the 'Valley of the Dinosaurs' from the movie Jurassic Park, shown the point over which the planes came in to 'Fantasy Island' (de plane, boss, de plane!!) and got out to sink our toes in the sand at Sunset Bay Beach, site of 'Baywatch'. We stopped for delicious samples of machadamia nuts and Kona coffee at Tropical Farms (and bought 2 flavours of nuts and 2 bags of coffee to bring home), and for some souvenir shopping at the Dole Pineapple Plantation. Our tour wrapped up with a lunch of local cuisine at Honey's, a restaurant founded by Honey Ho, mother of Hawaiian singing legend Don Ho.
Arriving back at the Wyland, we gathered our bags and called a cab to take us to the ship. Check-in was quick and easy, with no lineups since it was 4:30 in the afternoon. As we boarded the Millenium, we were met with a fresh flower lei for me and a shell lei for Ian, and handed a Mimosa as we entered the foyer. We were personally escorted to our cabin, a very nice service that Celebrity provides, and after meeting our stateroom attendant Leo, we set out to explore and
take photos of the ship.
Just a note for those interested, Celebrity allows passengers to bring 2 bottles of wine per stateroom on to the ship at embarkation, so Ian and I had made a quick stop at an ABC store for a Reisling and a Sauvignon Blanc, which we brought onboard in my backpack. The security guards were much more interested in the coffee and nuts in my carryon than the 2 bottles of wine, and had to ensure that the packaged food had not been opened before we were allowed to proceed.
The Millenium itself is a pleasent surprise.While not sleek and glass-encased on the exterior, like the ships of Royal Caribbean, the inside decor of the ship is absolutely beautiful! It truly made me think of a luxury hotel with its flowers, sofas, intimate clubs and spacious seating areas. The cabin is not huge but comfortable with a good-sized balcony for room service breakfasts. Robes and toiletries are provided, and the shower is nearly full-sized. Plenty of storage, and the mini-bar actually has mini bottles of alcohol in it, something unheard of with Royal Caribbean.
Our first dinner aboard the Millenium was enjoyable, with good tablemates from Vancouver, Texas and Sydney, Australia. The food is a little upscale , small portions and exotic appetizers as well as standard cruise ship fare. We stayed and chatted for 2 hours with our new friends, then went back to the cabin as the time difference once again caught up with us.
Tomorrow : Diamond Head Crater Adventure and Sailaway from Honolulu.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Hawaii '09
April 25th - A Loooong Day's Travel
We were up at 'dark o'clock' on Saturday morning in order to make our 6:00 a.m. flight to Montreal and then Los Angeles. While Chico, our feline tenant, fretted and paced, we hurried to get ready for the taxi pickup at 4:30. I was surprised with a 4:15 'wakeup call' from a friend in Orlando (thanks Freddie, my love) and with a last few treats for Chico we were off. We arrived at our quaint local airport in plenty of time for a muffin and some juice, and a chance to wake up before the flight to Montreal.
An hour and a half later we touched down in 'la belle province' at the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport, with the softest landing I have ever experienced. With an hour and a half between flights, we had sufficient time to collect our luggage, present ourselves at U.S. Customs, and clear security for the flight to Los Angeles.
Flying time to Los Angeles was 6 hours, plenty of time to have an onboard meal (purchased of course - the days of free meals in Air Canada coach class are long gone). We also had time to watch 2 full-length movies on the on-demand entertainment system, choosing 'Yes Man' starring Jim Carrey, and 'Quantum of Solace' with Daniel Craig. The comedy was excellent, and the James Bond movie was equally good. We passed the rest of the flight by listening to the XM radio selections.
Landing in sunny but slightly cool weather in Los Angeles, (actually colder in LA than back home in Fredericton!) we collected our bags and called for the Travelodge Motel shuttle. I had reserved a day room as a place to store our bags and grab a quick nap before our 6 p.m. flight to Hawaii. After checking in and depositing the luggage, we headed to Denny's for lunch, then went back to the room to chill out and watch a baseball game. We caught the 3:30 shuttle to the airport, grabbed a white chocolate mocha at Starbucks, and boarded the Hawaiian Airlines plane for the 5 and 1/2 hour flight to Honolulu.
A word about Hawaiian Airlines - very nice plane with an equally nice crew. The flight attendants wear casual Hawaiian shirts rather than the smart but stuffy business suits of most airlines. The inflight safety announcements were broadcast over the tv screens , and the entire flight was done with a minimum of interruptions for those of us who were trying to grab a quick nap. A small Mediterranean salad and chocolate brownie were served complimentary, but access to the inflight movie/music was $5. Since the only movie choice was 'Marley and Me", we declined, and passed our time reading, writing this blog and trying to get some much-needed sleep.
We arrived at 8:20 and after a 15 minute wait for bags we were in a cab (with a friendly cab driver who chatted and welcomed us to Hawaii) headed for the Wyland Waikiki, a boutique hotel with a great location decorated throughout with the Wyland marine life art. After a step out on the balcony to enjoy the view of the lighted pool area and the fresh night air, we headed out for a bite to eat. Bedtime came much too late, after having been up for over 26 hours.
Tomorrow: A tour of Oahu's North Shore, and embarkation.
We were up at 'dark o'clock' on Saturday morning in order to make our 6:00 a.m. flight to Montreal and then Los Angeles. While Chico, our feline tenant, fretted and paced, we hurried to get ready for the taxi pickup at 4:30. I was surprised with a 4:15 'wakeup call' from a friend in Orlando (thanks Freddie, my love) and with a last few treats for Chico we were off. We arrived at our quaint local airport in plenty of time for a muffin and some juice, and a chance to wake up before the flight to Montreal.
An hour and a half later we touched down in 'la belle province' at the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport, with the softest landing I have ever experienced. With an hour and a half between flights, we had sufficient time to collect our luggage, present ourselves at U.S. Customs, and clear security for the flight to Los Angeles.
Flying time to Los Angeles was 6 hours, plenty of time to have an onboard meal (purchased of course - the days of free meals in Air Canada coach class are long gone). We also had time to watch 2 full-length movies on the on-demand entertainment system, choosing 'Yes Man' starring Jim Carrey, and 'Quantum of Solace' with Daniel Craig. The comedy was excellent, and the James Bond movie was equally good. We passed the rest of the flight by listening to the XM radio selections.
Landing in sunny but slightly cool weather in Los Angeles, (actually colder in LA than back home in Fredericton!) we collected our bags and called for the Travelodge Motel shuttle. I had reserved a day room as a place to store our bags and grab a quick nap before our 6 p.m. flight to Hawaii. After checking in and depositing the luggage, we headed to Denny's for lunch, then went back to the room to chill out and watch a baseball game. We caught the 3:30 shuttle to the airport, grabbed a white chocolate mocha at Starbucks, and boarded the Hawaiian Airlines plane for the 5 and 1/2 hour flight to Honolulu.
A word about Hawaiian Airlines - very nice plane with an equally nice crew. The flight attendants wear casual Hawaiian shirts rather than the smart but stuffy business suits of most airlines. The inflight safety announcements were broadcast over the tv screens , and the entire flight was done with a minimum of interruptions for those of us who were trying to grab a quick nap. A small Mediterranean salad and chocolate brownie were served complimentary, but access to the inflight movie/music was $5. Since the only movie choice was 'Marley and Me", we declined, and passed our time reading, writing this blog and trying to get some much-needed sleep.
We arrived at 8:20 and after a 15 minute wait for bags we were in a cab (with a friendly cab driver who chatted and welcomed us to Hawaii) headed for the Wyland Waikiki, a boutique hotel with a great location decorated throughout with the Wyland marine life art. After a step out on the balcony to enjoy the view of the lighted pool area and the fresh night air, we headed out for a bite to eat. Bedtime came much too late, after having been up for over 26 hours.
Tomorrow: A tour of Oahu's North Shore, and embarkation.
Hawaii "09
Hi Folks!
I was surprised and pleased to find out just how many of my friends and co-workers were following my adventures aboard the Mariner of the Sea in her journey around South America and Cape Horn.
Several of you have asked if I would continue to write about my seafaring vacations, and although this blog was created primarily for the 46-night Mariner cruise, I have decided to continue to bring you all along on my future holidays (in spirit anyway).
Up next is a trip that I had promised to my son Ian to celebrate the completion of his degree in Civil Engineering from the University of New Brunswick. We will fly to Honolulu to board the Celebrity ship Millenium for a 12-night cruise around the Hawaiian islands and across the Pacific to Vancouver. We leave on April 25th and will return on May 10th, just in time for Ian to begin his full-time job with the New Brunswick Department of Transportation. This is a return trip for me, as I cruised much the same itinerary on the Serenade of the Seas in 2004 with his late Dad for our 25th wedding anniversary. This will be our first cruise on the Celebrity line, and we are looking forward to a slightly more upscale experience.
Join us as we begin our journey :-)
I was surprised and pleased to find out just how many of my friends and co-workers were following my adventures aboard the Mariner of the Sea in her journey around South America and Cape Horn.
Several of you have asked if I would continue to write about my seafaring vacations, and although this blog was created primarily for the 46-night Mariner cruise, I have decided to continue to bring you all along on my future holidays (in spirit anyway).
Up next is a trip that I had promised to my son Ian to celebrate the completion of his degree in Civil Engineering from the University of New Brunswick. We will fly to Honolulu to board the Celebrity ship Millenium for a 12-night cruise around the Hawaiian islands and across the Pacific to Vancouver. We leave on April 25th and will return on May 10th, just in time for Ian to begin his full-time job with the New Brunswick Department of Transportation. This is a return trip for me, as I cruised much the same itinerary on the Serenade of the Seas in 2004 with his late Dad for our 25th wedding anniversary. This will be our first cruise on the Celebrity line, and we are looking forward to a slightly more upscale experience.
Join us as we begin our journey :-)
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