May 2014

Hawaii Vacation - Norwegian Pride of America - November/December 2014 - Day 2 – Honolulu

Published Thursday, May 1st 2014

Saturday November 30, 2013


Breakfast on the balcony overlooking the Honolulu city and ocean and then off to our tour of the city, Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona. The city tour was a good over view and we got to drive through the Punch Bowl Cemetery, which was very interesting. We got to Pearl Harbor around 11:30 AM and got right into the movie, but unfortunately it was too windy to get to the USS Arizona memorial. That was a huge let down, but we just walked around and saw the rest of the sites.


After the tour we left for the ship and boarded the Norwegian Pride of America. The embarkation was very quick and easy. They had some buff Hawaiian dancers for entertainment  as you waited to check in. Soon enough we were on-board. The entrance reminded me a very nice hotel and I was very impressed.


We were given an inside cabin on the 4th level. The room is very small, but serves it purposes.  It could have been cleaned just a tad better and the shower had a slight leaking issue, but nothing was worth really complaining about. The location was nice though because it is really easy to get everywhere quickly.



Lunch was at the Aloha café. It is a smaller buffet, but served it purposes. The food was pretty good, especially the sandwiches.  


Next was the fire drill. They check your room, so you can no skip out, not like we would. It was a little long setting up and lasted 30 minutes. They did have it in smaller groups so when it was over it was not a mass mob scene going back to rooms, so that was nice.


We next headed to the wine bar and started our “happy” hours. The bartender was very informative and friendly. We met some Australians, and of course now we want to go there. We ordered the wine package since you get 20% off if you order 6 or more bottles. It is really worth it. There is a soda package, but no alcoholic package.


The first night we went to the complimentary restaurant Skyline late. This was not very impressive. The wait staff seemed more interested in talking then serving us. It just was different because on other lines the servers always became our friends and were very awesome. The food was so so. The French onion soup was beef broth, with a piece of bread with a little cheese on it. We both got spaghetti, which was nothing special either. It just was not a very impressive restaurant overall. The next day we went to see about lunch and it took someone five minutes to get to us and tell us it was closed. I just think the servers are done there.


 

Off to bed!

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Hawaii Vacation - Norwegian Pride of America - November/December 2014 - Day 3 – Maui

Published Tuesday, May 6th 2014

Sunday December 1, 2013

We woke up and did breakfast in the Cadillac diner. This was typical diner food and very good. My only complaint would be that the eggs were slightly too oily, just a tad less and they would have been perfect.
 
This was the perfect start for our awesome visit to Sears in Maui (yes, I am being sarcastic). They have a shuttle outside that is free and goes to a shopping center. One would awesome it was island type shopping, but no it was a mall complete with Sears and everything else. We walked because the wait for the shuttle was taking forever and these people kept savings spaces in line for their group of 20. Yet, walking was a bad idea. It was way too hot and gross out and it was a typical street with strip malls all over. We came immediately back annoyed at the waste of time. 

We walked to this small beach 5 minutes away that was said to have some turtles, but all we found were crabs roasting on the rocks. It was nice for the distance walked and we got some good photos.

We had some time before the laua, so we relaxed and then got ready. Try to go in with people on this trip if you do it because the taxi is very expensive, $75 one way. The driver was nice and pointed out various things and got us there in one piece. Lahaina is also a very cute area so I would suggest going early and doing some shopping there first. It beats Sears.

The Old Lahaina Laua was amazing and worth the trip and price. Our server was Devin and he was very charismatic and friendly. We got some photos, saw some carvers, dancing, coconut openings and then the pig cooked within the ground brought up from the ground.  All food and premium drinks were included. The food was interesting, but not really what I typically like. We tried tuna and octopus poke, which was good, and the poi, which was gross.  Who eats that stuff?
 

 

The dancing was traditional and was a tour through the history of the island. It was exceptional and entertaining. I would only suggest you get a table up front for a better view. Overall, it was an amazing experience and our whole table enjoyed it, who were all couples and very friendly as well. I would definitely suggest it. 

 

 

It was a great experience and end to the day!

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Hawaii Vacation - Norwegian Pride of America - November/December 2014 - Day 4 – Maui - Haleakala Sunrise and Summit

Published Tuesday, May 13th 2014

Monday December 2, 2013


Woke up at 3 AM and off for a hour plus ride to the Haleakala volcano. Our tour driver gave information about the island, yet in this monotone voice, which gentle nulled us all to sleep. Once we got there it was FREEZING! Do take a warm jacket, robe, towel, gloves, and hat. I think I even got some cold wind burn today. Ow! It was really cold and so we tried to wait as long as we could before going to the observation point at 6AM.


The view was impressive. It was a myriad of colors that changed with each minute. The clouds below looked like cotton and only enhanced the experience because it made it realize you were up 9,000 feet. When the sun rose, it lite up the whole sky and everyone was in awe. This is really worth the trip, but I strongly suggest to dress really warm, you can not over do it. We went up to the summit afterwards for more photos and were up above 10,000 feet at that point. It was really cool.  The drive down shows how the foliage goes from barren to full and soon enough the whole bus was out from our monotone driver. It is not a bad thing.


Got back and went to sleep and then up and had some buffet and then relaxed in the lounge for the afternoon and into the evening. The bar staff is very friendly and nice.

For dinner we went to the Cadillac diner and the mozzarella sticks were AMAZING! Get these above all else. The burger and fries were good, but we are finding they are very heavy handed with oil. I think we will try to ask them to tone it down a little. 

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Hawaii Vacation - Norwegian Pride of America - November/December 2014 - Day 5 – Hilo - Volcanoes National Park – Akaka Falls

Published Tuesday, May 20th 2014

Tuesday December 3, 2014


Got an early start with room service and it came exactly on time with everything we needed. I have sailed some other lines where it is a gamble if it would come, so I was very happy with room service.

The excursion we picked was through Norwegian and called the crater hike and Akaka falls through Arnott’s tours and David was our guide. First off he was extremely knowledgable about Hilo and was above and beyond when it came to everything with the tour. I would do any tour he was leading in a heartbeat.

We first drove up the mountain, which took about an hour and learned all about volcanoes and the hike we were going to take. Once at the top we were given rain ponchos and walking sticks, both needed and started our 4 mile hike after hitting up the bathrooms. The hike down was good and they do keep up a rigorous pace, which does not leave much time for photos, but I was able to get a few photos here and there. The area is a tropical rainforest and after about 1.8 miles you hit the crater where you need to go down steep hills and steps.

The crater is covered in jagged molten lava rock so you need to be careful, but our guide was very good and helped everyone along the way. Once on the smooth area it felt like we were on another planet. We could walk up to these steam vents and you could feel the heat as you put your hand near it. The whole area was amazing and this is truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Now for the hard part, we had to walk back up to the summit, which was over a mile away. It was rough and I understand now why this is a difficult trek and not good for people with breathing issues. Even in my most fit body I would have had issues, but I made it and so did everyone else. Once on top we had a bathroom break and a chance to walk through the lava tube. The tube was cool, but more of a “I did this” type of thing. Also, wait for the visitor center for the bathroom because the lines were long.

We got back in the small bus and headed to the visitor center and were served lunch, water, turkey wraps with local produce and chips. It was perfect. We got to go to the observatory edge and watch the lava lake from a distance. Unfortunately, you can not see the lava and were told only at night you can see the red glow.




We left the park and David gave us a nice quick tour of the city, there is not much to it and explained to us the reasoning because of the tsunamis. He also took us to various hidden places where we could see some out of the way things like banyon trees donated by the famous and a coast line drive.

Last was the Akaka falls and this was incredible. I could spend all day in that area hiking those trails and just looking out onto those falls. Everything looked so clean and refreshing.




The tour lasted about 8 hours and was worth it. It just was an amazing experience and I would be thrilled to do it again even.

Got back to the ship around 5pm and took a little nap and then relaxed in the coffee/wine bar till our reservation for Teppanyaki. We did the late seating and were lucky enough to be seated with 3 crew members. It was really nice to get to know them all and we had a great time.



The food, again they were heavy handed with oil, but otherwise it is very similar to any other hibachi. The fried rice was very good. Miso soup could have had more tofu. Seaweed salad was yummy.  Chicken and steak were prepared perfect. It was all very good and the chef had some really cool tricks I have never seen before. Also, they do just have green tea ice cream, but it was not on the menu, so just ask for that. 

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Hawaii Vacation - Norwegian Pride of America - November/December 2014 - Day 6 – Kono – The Magical World of Seahorses

Published Wednesday, May 28th 2014

Wednesday December 4, 2013


Today room service was again very good and on time and then we headed to tender to shore. The tender is the lifeboat and enclosed, so it can make people sick so if you are prone to motion sickness as for a folding seat. And check out the water because it was so clear! I wish we included the sub because it would have been cool to do that as well, but there is always next time.

Once there we were all loaded onto a large bus and brought to the farm, which was very close. We had to wash our hands up to our elbows, so just avoid any lotions or sunscreens till afterwards. The guide explained the whole conservation process of the seahorses and how they were saving the species. It was very interesting and information I was never aware of.  Keep in mind, this is not a zoo, but a working seahorse farm to increase the population of the curly fishes.




We got to see the maternity ward and learn the whole process. The poor males are the ones to carry the babies, give birth and then get knocked up again within minutes by the females. They also mate for life, which is why most domesticated seahorses do not last very long in captivity. We saw more seahorses and then got to meet the 3 sea dragons they were trying to help out with breeding.  Last we got to hold a seahorse in our hands. It is so cool how they wrap their little tail around your fingers. They had a small aquarium area where different species of sea horses and a gift shop. It was really special.




Back on the ship we had some lunch at the buffet and then to the back area to just lounge and relax. They had christmas music playing very low and this lady got up and complained about it. I think the couple were complaining about everything and anything, but we managed to ignore them and enjoy our wine and view of the hawaiin volcanoes.
Eventually, we got so sleepy we thought naps were in order so we went back to the coffin room and took a little cat nap for an hour before heading off to the coffee/wine bar for the night.
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