Introduction

This is a blog of the Jazzbeaux cruise in Hawaii from October 8 to 15, 2016. We flew to Los Angeles, spent a few days there sightseeing LA and Santa Barbara [and adjusting to the time difference], then flew to Honolulu and spent a few days there before boarding Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America for a 7-day cruise to Maui, Hawai’I [the Big Island], and Kaua’i. After the cruise we spent a few days enjoying the area south of LA, especially San Diego, before flying home.

During the trip, Jazzbelle kept detailed notes and I [Jazzbeau] took lots of pictures. After returning home, I revised the notes to remove names [to protect the guilty, as they say…] and put it in my voice to avoid confusion. Jazzbelle became ‘DW’ in internet parlance [‘Dear Wife’]. Our Son [DS] drove us to the airport, and we were blessed to have our Daughter [DD] join us in Honolulu for the cruise.

My planning resources for this trip were:

Hawaii By Cruise Ship, by Anne Vipond. I have the latest edition, but it is from 2014 and is clearly out of date. It covers all the islands in a lot of detail, so it’s a great way to decide your priorities – but I would then double-check details before heading out.

Fodor’s Southern California – inclusive, up to date, and reliable.

and of course Cruise Critic, which has first-hand reports from travelers in all parts of the world.

This blog is three pages long, with the posts arranged from earliest to latest.  When you get to the bottom of a page, click “older posts” to see the newer ones.

Saturday October 1, 2016 – On the Road Again

Thanks to our DS, we had transportation to JFK where we checked in easily and headed for the Delta Sky Lounge to wait for our flight to L.A. We sat by the window and were fascinated by the unloading of cargo from the plane we were about to take. It’s no wonder they limit our luggage! We grabbed a bite to eat as we were uncertain about being served any food on a domestic trip. We did board on time, had a smooth flight and a quick descent [no ear pain] and a great landing. And they served us wraps for lunch.

We arrived in L.A. before 7 pm, got our baggage, waited for a shuttle to Dollar, checked in and were told all the ‘full-size’ cars [note to fellow Baby Boomers: this means a ‘compact’ car or less ;)] were in the back left corner of the lot. We hiked across the asphalt only to be greeted by a pleasant young man who informed us that full-size cars were not ready and we needed to wait behind other clients. We finally got our car and headed off to the Doubletree hotel in Culver City [where we had stayed on a previous trip] and had late dinner in their Share restaurant. It was pretty good—salmon for DW and filet mignon for me.

Sunday October 2, 2016 – You Oughta Be in Pictures

Sunny day in the mid 70s! We drove up, around and down Mulholland Drive stopping at all the scenic overlooks. We could see the movie studios like Disney, Universal and Warner, the Hollywood sign, the Hollywood Bowl, the skyline of downtown L.A. Our jaws dropped at the multi-million-dollar homes built on the edge of steep hills that are subject to earthquakes, landslides, etc… Some were extended on stilts! Unfortunately, we got a ‘steep’ parking ticket in an area that wasn’t properly posted—the agent told us to contest it, but we decided to take it out on the Internet. So:

WARNING: Los Angeles is not friendly to tourists, no matter that the Mayor says in the interminable recording in the baggage claim area. Take your business to Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, or San Diego instead – they are much more tourist-friendly and just as interesting to visit. [Unless you are fans of dead movie stars, because the live ones aren’t there any more. OK, maybe Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy – but he died at the end of that movie, so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t him.]

The six-year drought has taken its toll. Even the cactus and ivy look sad! But bushes of bougainvillea in oranges and magentas flourish and bring vibrant color to the brown landscape.

We attempted every possible way to climb the hills [by car] to the big ‘Hollywood’ sign, but all the local roads leading there are closed to non-residents on the weekend. [If I lived there, I would be glad about this – but it is another anti-tourist tactic. Levy special taxes on hotels, but don’t put that into services for tourists. Fah!]

So [having paid our dues for the day] we headed into the heart of Hollywood, parked in a $10 flat rate lot and strolled around for a couple of hours. We stayed mostly on Hollywood Blvd and covered the entire stretch of the Hollywood Walk of Fame—bronze stars embedded in the sidewalk with names of celebrities. There are several categories, so some stars are represented several times—for movies, TV, recordings, e.g., Gene Autry and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. [and some where we knew the person but never thought of them for that category]

Of course, we went to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and placed our feet into footprints of the famous. Well, actually DW couldn’t fit her tootsies into any of the ones from actresses of the early screen. Her feet aren’t big, but they had tiny feet! There were imprints as recent as a few months ago, but the actors nowadays aren’t as ‘big’ as they were back in the day…

At the Hollywood and Highland Center we saw the famous Elephant statues, and another view of the Hollywood sign. We passed Madame Toussaud’s, Ripley’s, L. Ron Hubbard, the Scientology center, the Pantages Theatre, and the Hollywood Museum. [We were parked at the Hollywood High School, which has a huge mural of Hollywood royalty.]

Even though there were not that many homeless in sight, the smell of urine and the aroma of pot tugged at our nostrils constantly. Hollywood isn’t what it was.

We shook the dust of Los Angeles from our feet and left town.

We returned to the Doubletree and freshened up before going to 5:30 Mass at St. Monica’s in Santa Monica. What a fabulous parish! A church the size of a cathedral, two schools, parish centers and other buildings—occupying an entire city block. And now they even have an underground multi-level garage, so parking is easy. [Of course, exiting up the one ramp is time consuming – but hey, free parking in the L.A. area is a Blessing!]

We met up with our DD [coming from tutoring] and her BF [from his one day off] at Santa Monica Seafood Market & Café which is also a full-service fish market. We enjoyed a variety of dishes among us: oysters, calamari, crab bisque, rock fish, cod, trout, cioppino. [It’s funny to hear your words coming out of the mouth of your child, as when DD admonished BF for ordering hot coffee and cold soup because the temperature shock would crack his teeth! She learned that from me …]

We closed the place before 9 pm. BF headed back to L.A. and we drove to get dessert at Dolce Nero Gelateria Artigianale before we gathered at our hotel to discuss our plans for Hawaii.

Monday October 3, 2016 – North on the PCH

Again sunny and 70s. Left L.A. and drove north on ‘the 405’ to ‘the 10’ [I can’t get used to the way Southern Californians refer to Interstates …] to Route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway [‘the PCH’]. We were now at the coast and occasionally caught glimpses of the beautiful blue and appropriately named Pacific Ocean. As it was a weekday, there were few enjoying the beach. We headed toward Malibu and the Getty Villa, one of the two free-admission collections of art open to the public due to J. Paul Getty’s philanthropy. [They do charge $15 to park, but you can use the ticket the same day at the other location] The Villa is a work of art in itself but the artifacts on display are ancient, some dating back to the Neolithic era 6,000 BC. And the quality of the specimens of Roman, Greek, Etruscan vessels, jewelry, statues … is prime. Few show mends or cracks. [As a fan of Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily series of mystery novels, I particularly enjoyed the chance to compare black- and red-figure Greek vases] One can’t begin to guess the value of this collection. We found it so interesting that we were there for two and a half hours, blowing my agenda apart [in the best way!]

We continued north on the PCH towards Santa Barbara and cut inland toward the hills where we visited the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden—78 acres of wooded paths. And we walked just about all of them! Again the sign of drought was everywhere. There wasn’t a damp spot in the river, which has several dams designed to feed water to the old Mission. Bushes were dead. However, in a new area across the road was a conservation center where they were trying different methods to cope with the dry SoCal climate – and newly planted flowering shrubs were surviving. The paths over here also afforded a view of the ocean and the Channel Islands with fog closing in. We walked back to the ticket booth to thank the man for pointing out the paths to take and lookouts to seek. I made a couple of suggestions about signage, and he recognized them all as items they were currently addressing.

As it was almost closing time, we drove back down and found our lodging, the Franciscan Inn. Clean and well located, our room was small and cramped with massive furniture. Very nice bathroom. However, our door was right on the public sidewalk and we heard the street noise. It didn’t bother me, but DW is a light sleeper [luckily it was only for one night] After getting settled DW noticed an old, big Chevy convertible [a really ‘full-size’ car] with a tarp over it parked across the street. She went to investigate and couldn’t find the model name. The tarp was partway off so she decided to look at the steering wheel to see if the model was on it and as she stooped down she saw a man in the passenger seat eating. The car was full of stuff and she wondered if he lived in it. She greeted him and asked what kind of Chevy and he replied, “Impala.” She said, “Great car” and beat it back to the Inn. He and the car were gone in the early evening.

We walked toward the pier for dinner but got very lost [this is one way to keep your fitness mileage up ;)] Eventually we found our way to Toma, a recommended Italian restaurant nearby, but the wait was an hour so we headed to Brophy Bros near the marina. We wound up waiting an hour there anyway! We ended up sitting at the bar, as a table for two just didn’t seem possible, but once we were seated our food came quickly. The food was good and abundant. I had clam chowder and seafood pasta [linguine, scallops and shrimp, and lots of tomatoes] DW had a huge green salad, shrimp scampi, a ton of cole slaw and very good French fries. We returned to the Inn much more quickly than we found the eateries. But it was freezing! The Santa Ana winds were blowing and cut right through our fleeces. We walked almost 6.5 miles today.

Tuesday October 4, 2016 – Santa Barbara

After a disappointing continental breakfast, we checked out and packed the car but left it [with permission] in the lot while we walked into downtown Santa Barbara. First stop was the Apple store, because my iPhone 6 had started to distort in shape. Verdict was the battery was expanding [not exploding, as the Apple tech pointedly pointed out] and since there is a 2-year warranty on iPhone batteries I was entitled to a new phone—but they didn’t have one in stock. The very helpful tech contacted their store in Thousand Oaks [which we had worked out would be on our way back] and arranged for a replacement iPhone to be held for me there.

On we went to see the old Santa Barbara County Courthouse and rode the elevator up the tower to view the city and environs from one of the highest buildings. Then we went down to see the mural room for which the courthouse is famous. [The murals are interesting, but it’s surprising that they haven’t been censored as their depiction of California history is no longer ‘politically correct.’ 😉 ]

We walked back towards the ocean and out onto Stearn’s Wharf. We were two of many on the pier enjoying the sunny 70s.   A local artist had made a life-size mermaid in the sand, but very loudly demanded payment from anyone who tried to take a picture – luckily we had some change to placate him.

Back to our car and off to see Mission Santa Barbara founded in the 1770s by Franciscan Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuén, who succeeded Junipero Serra. [It was very fitting, as today is the feast of St. Francis] We had a friendly escapade with one of the docents who had come to know New York while serving in the U.S. Navy in the 1970s.

We went to a local Subway for lunch and shared a foot-long roasted chicken sub.

Then we were off to Thousand Oaks to the Apple Store. No wait. They knew we were coming and we left within a half hour or so with a new iPhone, which set itself up automatically from iCloud [I love Apple!]

The drive back to L.A. was pretty good until we got past the Getty Center [J. Paul’s other museum, which we had visited the last time we were in L.A.] where it started to slow significantly. Even our being in the HOV lane did not help significantly—but that’s L.A. traffic!

We arrived at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport hotel and were given a lovely room, only to realize that it faced the runway—it sounded and felt as if every plane taking off was in the room with us! We returned to the Honors concierge who eventually found us a room on the ‘quiet side’ of the hotel, where we could only hear the planes and not feel the vibration. [We later learned that there is also a wing called the ‘quietest’ side, which you need to know to ask for! Seems like dirty pool to me, but now we know.]

We returned the car to Dollar and walked back to the hotel. That pushed it over 6 miles for the day. [DD said ‘You walked!? You can always tell New Yorkers…”]

We had dinner downstairs in Andiamo. I had beet salad, sea bass and limoncello tart; I enjoyed the salad and fish but wasn’t thrilled with dessert. DW had mussels with risotto with sun dried tomatoes, and an arugula/pear salad; she wasn’t thrilled with her main course. But at least the restaurant is convenient.

Wednesday October 5, 2016 – Waikiki Beach, Oahu

Up early for breakfast and on the 8:30 hotel shuttle to LAX. Full A330 left on time. Good bit of turbulence—enough to seat the cabin attendants and suspend service for awhile. Free movies and drinks [Delta Comfort+] but we had to pay for sandwiches. All around us, people were sniffling and coughing their heads off, so we took Zicam upon disembarkation. VIP Trans met us at baggage claim and took us to a shuttle to our hotel, the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. It was great to be met so quickly, but then there was a delay before they found us a van going to Waikiki. [This was our first introduction to ‘Island time’]

As this is our first trip to Hawai’i, we are malahini [newcomers]. [After getting used to calling freeways “the …” in LA, we now had to cope with a language that only has 12 letters in its alphabet and uses glottal stops to signal pronunciation when vowels get stacked together. Oy’Oy!]

We were able to upgrade our room to the deluxe Ali’i Tower [there’s that glottal stop business ;)] It was 88 and humid. We unpacked and headed out to walk along Waikiki Beach [this is the best beach in all of Hawai’i, but only because they continually import sand from California] and Kalakaua Street [lined with expensive stores like Fendi, Cartier, Harry Winston, Ferragamo, Chanel, LV…] all the way down to the statue of Duke Kahanamoku [the Father of surfing] We toured the history exhibits at the Moana Surfrider Hotel and saw its huge banyan tree. We could also see the peak Diamond Head in the distance.

We waited near the beach and saw lots of surfers out in the water waiting for a good wave. The sun had already set [it was stunning!] but their patience paid off.

We were actually hanging around because our guidebook said there would be a free hula dance show at the Kuhio Beach Hula Mound, but there was no sign of it – then as we walked back along the beach we saw a woman doing an impromptu hula to some Hawaiian music from one of the outdoor bars, so it worked out!

We strolled back to the Hilton and had dinner at Tropics. I had Miso Butterfish [aka Pacific black cod] with wasabi mashed potatoes, and DW enjoyed Hawaiian ribs with lots of yummy, different cole slaw and tasty fries. There was very good, live music outside the restaurant.

I returned to the room and DW walked all over the huge Hawaiian Village campus. She did almost 6 miles today. [As you will see, this was a pattern …]

Thursday October 6, 2016 – Pearl Harbor, Oahu

We took an excursion from Pearl Harbor Tours [pearlharboroahu.com] to the National Monument. You start by watching a 25 minute movie before boarding a boat that takes you out to the USS Arizona Memorial. What an awesome experience! One cannot leave untouched. Tears flowed, words choked in one’s throat.

The ride back included a tour of the city. We passed the famous Aloha Tower [once the tallest structure in Honolulu] and saw trees a blossom with plumeria, bushes of bougainvillea, yellow hibiscus [the State flower] We went through the Punchbowl [aka the National Memorial Cemetery], where only military and their families are buried. It is called the Punchbowl as it is the crater of an extinct volcano. There were banyan and monkey pod trees and a large statue of Lady Columbia.

Our driver pointed out the many homeless, some of whom had set up makeshift housing at the edge of public parks. He told us that a lot were employed but could not afford the expensive rents.

He also told us very little sugar cane is still grown on the island because it isn’t cost effective.

A word about Pearl Harbor Tours. Our morning turned out OK, but I hesitate to recommend this company. First, the time from our hotel pick-up to the arrival at Pearl Harbor ran at least 30 minutes longer than their schedule, and as a result we were unable to visit the museum. Then we waited at the parking lot for 15-20 minutes, because they had apparently forgotten to arrange a van to take us back to our hotel. In the end they had us join the group that had booked the optional tour to the Punchbowl —so we got a more extensive tour, but it felt very disorganized and we had booked the shorter tour because we wanted to be back at the hotel when our DD arrived from her flight [she had to fly out a day later than we because of work commitments]

We returned to the Hilton and a half hour later our DD arrived. She was upgraded to the Rainbow Tower with a room on the 26th floor that faced the beach and Diamondhead. Great view! [Hilton really treats their Gold Honors members very well :)]

We took it easy and then DD and DW went for a walk along the beach before dinner. We all went to Noi Thai Cuisine for dinner. I ordered Cock a Doodle Doo [curried fried chicken pieces served in 6 egg shells] as an appetizer for the table. Yummy! For entrees, I had Tamarind Duck, DW had Red Curry Duck, and DD had Drunken Noodles with Chicken. All were delicious!

Friday October 7, 2016 – North Shore, Oahu

By 9 am the three of us were walking to Ena Road Laundromat to drop off our wash before picking up our Enterprise rental car, a Nissan Altima [much nicer than the Hyundai]. DW drove and we were on our way to explore the Oahu coast. First stop was Leonard’s Bakery for his famous hot Malasadas [~donuts]. I had custard-filled [which I enjoyed] and DD had plain with sugar; DW took two bites of her cinnamon-dusted one and asked what all the fuss was about.

We headed north on the east side of the island to Nu’uanu Pali Lookout for a great view. We could have used some bricks in our pockets to anchor us from the severe wind up there. We went back downhill and passed quite a few beaches, including the lovely Kaneohe Bay with the odd-shaped volcanic island called Chinaman’s Hat. On our left were massive, chiseled peaks covered with greenery [we were now on the windward side of the island, which gets 300” of rain annually] and on our right was the aquamarine, seemingly pacific ocean which is known to be treacherous with its rogue waves and riptides. We pulled into the Mormons’ Polynesian Cultural Center which was just opening for the day. I checked out the admission fees—which started at a basic rate of $60/person—and we drove on.

Opposite Pupukea Beach was a food court filled with food trucks. We went with North Shore Tacos since they claimed to have Hawaii’s Best Fish Tacos, and I had been told ‘you have to try fish tacos.’ DW & DD had shrimp tacos and black beans, while I had a fish taco. As DD had predicted, it was all right but nothing to write home about. [Still, now I’ve tried the best, so I don’t have to keep up a fruitless quest…]

A few hundred feet past their driveway was the winding road up to Pu’u O Mahuka Heiau State Monument. We saw the remaining footprint of the temple but opted not to try walking the trails as we were warned they were overgrown.

Our last stop was the Dole Plantation where we all sampled the popular and tasty Dole Whip [pineapple frozen dessert]. We then poked around the public pineapple patch and discovered that pineapples grow on the ground and after five years are destroyed as they are no longer productive.

Despite some traffic [but nothing like the logjam heading the other way], we made it back with enough time to pick up the laundry [Ena’s did a great job] and drop DD off with it at the Hilton while we returned the car to Enterprise.

After walking back to the hotel, DW took a short stroll around the lagoon and then she and I watched the Hilton Hawaiian Rainbow Revue below us around the pool. Nice to have that balcony! [The show was interesting—for free—but we were glad we hadn’t paid admission sit on the folding chairs around the pool] Then we watched a short but really impressive display of fireworks that closes the show. We saw the fireworks from the 2d floor Ali’i Tower pool deck, which has the best view.

We regrouped for dinner at Tropics. Even though there was an hour-plus wait, when I mentioned that we were staying in the Ali’i Tower we were shown to a table on the spot. We all opted for smaller plates tonight. I had a burger and fries, DD lobster mac ‘n cheese, and DW had chili. We all got the cole slaw that DW had loved so much before – but Yowza it was much zingier this time!

I returned to the room to start editing photos. DD & DW headed for an ABC Store [this is not an Alcohol Beverages Commission liquor store, as I had mistakenly thought from New England parlance, but a private chain of convenience stores that also happens to carry wine and liquor] for some necessities and DW wound up buying a Hawaiian print dress to go with the one DD had bought the day before. Then DW walked the beach and listened to the live music.

It was a full day, topped off by the sight of the left side of a large rainbow.

Saturday October 8, 2016 – Pride of America

Time to leave Honolulu! The three of us met at the Hilton Great Lawn to catch our VIP Trans shuttle to the Pride of America. The van was on time, and we had a quick drive and were there by noon. We checked our large bags and tried to consume all liquids and unwrapped food in our possession before passing through security [worse than the airports!]. We were able to give a bottle of water and two bananas to a very appreciative female guard. As Suite guests we were escorted to the Napa Wine Bar for champagne and then into Cagney’s for lunch. DW & I got scallops—a bad first impression for NCL as they were tough and tasteless! DD got a brie burger and fries, which were fine. Our Suite was not ready—even though we had been promised by the shoreside concierge that it would be available at 12:30. Finally at 2:30 we were allowed in, and found that the Suite is much tighter than the pictures show—but the wrap-around veranda is fabulous. We explored the ship on our own and found out where the important things were.

We went to the fitness center for a free raffle but won nothing. It did give us a chance to explore the gym which was recently renovated and is the largest, best equipped I have seen on a ship. [Not that we ever take advantage!]

We met our butler, Chelsea, and discussed restaurant reservations, pillows, robes… [This is the second time we have had a suite with a butler, and I am sorry to say that NCL doesn’t come close to Celebrity]

I got some nice pictures of sunset from our balcony at sailaway.

For dinner we went to the Skyline dining room, and DW and I had lamb tikki [curried stew]. Excellent! DW started with butternut squash salad and I with a crab & cheese soufflé [it was more like a mini crab cake] DD had a salad with avocado, then eggplant [sort of Parm but a small portion] DW and I had pistachio crème brûlée for dessert, which despite my purist attitude toward crème brûlée [no flavor adulterations please!] was very good. DD had cheesecake, which was meh [New Yorkers – even expat NYers – should never order cheesecake outside New York!]

DW walked. Three laps around the ship in our corridor is a mile.

Sunday October 9, 2016 – The Road to Hana, Maui

We were up early, but room service got all fouled up. DD’s late order came early but our orders had been lost. By the time we got something [not quite what we had ordered], we had to wolf it down in order to meet our van at 8:05.

Barry of Valley Isle Excursions drove a dozen of us on the Road to Hana. Thank God we hadn’t rented a car or I would have had to pry DW’s fingers off the steering wheel after a nerve-wracking drive. It was fine from a passenger’s viewpoint, but what a twisty, narrow road [Long and Winding Road? Long, Strange Journey?—your choice] We passed over 54 bridges on our nine hour excursion.

Barry’s continuous narration was informative, entertaining and personal. He stopped often for photo ops. He pointed out surfers, mongoose, rainbow eucalyptus [also called the Mindanao gum tree], bamboo [green, yellow, black and red], acacia [flat top] trees, African tulip trees [with beautiful red flowers showing up against the lush greens], Kukui nuts…

Everything is lush because of the 300” of rain that falls annually. They recently had 22” in 18 hours, causing mud and rock slides and road surface collapses. This made driving this always-challenging road even more so. We passed deep valleys and lovely waterfalls.

Our first major stop was at Ke’anae Peninsula where DW made a video of the rough surf smashing against the lava rock pile at the shore. Then more waterfalls, including Waikani Falls.

We continued on to Wai’anapanapa State Park where we had time to explore the black sand beach and the 30’ long lava tube. DD and I went into the tube.

Finally reaching Hana, we saw how small this village is. If you blink, you miss it. The bank is only open around 10 hours a week.

Shortly after, we stopped for lunch at Tropical Flowers & Bouquets of Hawaii. Each lady was presented with a ginger flower and we had a short talk extolling the quality and bargain pricing of their floral arrangements. After a quick tour of their tiny gift shop we were called by Barry to a picnic lunch he had set up for us: BBQed chicken breast, macaroni salad, green salad and roll/butter. We all ate heartily and were back in the van once Barry tidied up.

Our big stop was the coastal Kipahulu region of Haleakala National Park with the Pools of Ohe’o. DD opted to swim in the pools, but DW & I headed for the Pipiwai hiking trail up to the Makahiku Falls overlook. A hot, airless walk but it was rewarding with a beautiful view. We got down in time to take a peek at the swimming holes.

Then we were on the move again. This time we went to Palapala Ho’omau. We visited the Congregational Church and the site of Charles Lindbergh’s grave. He is buried shoeless with his feet facing the ocean and wearing his favorite straw hat. He requested to be interred in this manner in case a tsunami should strike: then he wouldn’t have to look for his shoes. There are six additional graves nearby—five for his pet monkeys and one for his dog. [His wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, didn’t fancy Hawaii and died in Vermont, but her ashes were scattered over various places in Hawaii after all…] Our driver had brought some apples which he gave us to feed the local horses.

We then continued around the Backside of Haleakala, which involves driving on an unpaved stretch of the road. It had recently been re-graded, but portions still provided the promised ‘deep tissue massage’…

Our last point of interest was a honey bee farm overlooking the Nu’u Lava Flow. This is a recent lava flow that has added acres to the island, which erosion will strip away over the next millions of years. We didn’t get to see bee hives or how honey was made, but the lavender honey we tasted was delicious and they had the last rest rooms before the final leg which returned us to our ship at 5 pm.

A long day, but very enjoyable!

We had just enough time to freshen up and catch a cab to take us to Christ the King Church for 6 pm Mass. We were among the few haoles [Hawaiian for gringo] present. A new pastor, Fr. Gus, was very dynamic and very welcoming. He called forward those with birthdays and anniversaries. And he asked visitors to identify where they were from before they were presented with hand knit leis and prayed over. [Fr. Gus was also given a lei, as this was his first Mass at the church] Another couple from the ship approached afterwards and we shared a cab back, their treat. [They refused our contribution]

I went to the special cocktail party for Suite guests and DD explored some more on her own and then found me at the party. DW joined us at 7:45 at Jefferson’s Bistro for dinner. DW & I both ordered warm goat cheese and frisée salad. Tasty and generous. DD got a puff pastry with mussels, scallops and shrimp in a cream sauce. Very nice. DW & I had ‘five-peppercorn’ filet mignon [cooked perfectly and nicely spiced]. For dessert, DD had warm apple tarte tatin, I crème brûlée [classic style, but not as good as the pistachio one in Skyline] and DW the chocolate Napoleon [lovely!]

We looked in on the Polynesian Show, but we had enough Hawaiian music at the Hilton so I went back to the cabin to edit photos, and DD & DW found a photo kiosk to have more pictures taken.

DD and I both conked out early. DW walked and stayed up a bit but slept well.