Our first Hawaiian Cruise. 15 Day Round trip from Los Angeles, December, 2013 on the Star Princess. The Three Musketeers, however, being 15 days and feeling a bit cramped in a Mini Suite on the Island Princess, Cuz got his own stateroom. We were on Lido 214 and Jerry, right next door in Lido 210. We enjoyed this Stateroom so much, we book it whenever it’s available.
I’ve always admired this class of the Princess line with Skywalker’s Lounge over the stern with the angled walkway.
We were all prepared for our next 5 days at sea.
We always choose traditional late seating. Reasons? More time in port and we like to build relationships with the staff, especially the ones that feed you…
We ate in the Amafi Dining Room, located on Deck 6 Aft. I would not recommend Amalfi for mobility-challenged passengers for two reasons. There are no restrooms in or near the dining room. You must go upstairs. For those with challenges, there are only two elevators that service Deck 6.
Being this cruise was in early December and heading towards Hawaii, there were a lot of WWII Vets on board. Unfortunately, there were 4 less passengers by the end of the cruise. Very sad but I guess if it’s your time, no better place than during a cruise.
First Port was Honolulu, Oahu. Never having been to Hawaii, Pearl Harbor was a must, especially at this time of year, December 10th. Jerry had been several times so opted to grab a cab and go into Waikiki Beach. Suzi and I booked the USS Arizona Memorial and City Drive excursion. You can’t not get choked up going to the USS Arizona.
After getting back to the port, we went to the top of the Aloha tower and grabbed this shot of the ship.
Next port was Nawiliwili, Kauai. All three of us booked the tour for Wiamea Canyon with a stop at Spouting Horn. Suzi and I grabbed a seat on the bus together while Jerry found a seat next to a single gentleman. By the time we reached our first stop at Spouting Horn, the two were best friends (Jerry could start a conversation with anyone…) Jerry introduced us to “Paul”. Paul was on the cruise with his wife, “Jody” but she opted to stay on the ship.
It turns out Paul and Jody live 5 miles away from us. Since this cruise, we have remained close and get together for dinner once a month. We have also been on 3 additional cruises with them. Small world. Here is a short clip from Spouting Horn.
Next stop was Waimea Canyon. When they said it’s the Grand Canyon of Hawaii, they weren’t kidding. Not as breathtaking but much more lush. Kauai ended up being our favorite island.
Next stop, Lahaina, Maui, which was a tender port. The three of us booked a whale watching excursion. On the plus side, the tour boat picked us up from the tender pontoon of the ship. On the minus side, it’s really early for whale watching, so we saw one younger whale that was way out in the distance. Even with a 300mm telephoto, nothing. Here is a shot near the harbor
Next Port was Hilo on the big island. We all went on the excursion to Volcano National Park. (Photos still not processed. Will update soon!)
Time for another 5 day journey, this time to Ensenada (Thank you Jones Act). Along the way we had a pretty good deck party.
We arrived in Ensenada. I booked all three of us on a tour to “The oldest Winery in Ensenada”. Princess mis-advertised. The tour went to the retail outlet downtown for “The oldest Winery in Ensenada”… I made sure to let Princess know about this and they have since corrected the information.
And…. Time to book the next cruise and take advantage of a Future Cruise Deposit.
The Veranda Life 