Hawaiian 12 Day Cruise on Carnival Spirit—April 2011

     Escaping the winter on a Hawaiian cruise was a perfect way to take the chill out of my bones. It felt so wonderful to be warm having left Elko with snow on the ground and later coming home to more snow. I was thankful for the reprieve and wondered why I didn’t just stay in Hawaii where it is sunny all of the time. The islands were beautiful beyond words with the richest Flora I have ever seen on any of my adventures. No wonder it is rated the #1 vacation destination.

     We flew into San Diego and were shuttled down to Ensenada where we boarded the ship. Entering our room, we were greeted by a little critter made of towels and our Carnival paper detailing tomorrow’s ship entertainment. Part of the fun was wondering what critter would be in our room each evening after dinner. So much fun!

Our pet rabbit.

     We played and relaxed on the ship for five days. They had great shows, food and a plethora of other entertaining things to do. We even did some sun tanning; it was so nice and warm. On the sixth day we arrived at Hilo, Hawaii! It was exciting to see it come into view, and we were ready to explore it.

Hilo

     In Hilo we enjoyed breathtaking waterfalls, a fun trip to the Pana`ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens, and a spectacular walking tour of the Kalapana Lava Site.

     Breaking out of the rainforest, we gave a low whistle at the view before us. Lava rock stretched out across the coastline like a rumpled black blanket. Kalapana was once a treasured fishing village, rich in history, but was completely destroyed in 1990 as lava flowed from a Kilauea volcano vent. As we walked on the black lava rock, our tour guide pointed out a several points of interest. Plants grew in sporadic places in the rich soil. It was amazing to see the striking contrast between the black soil and the green plants. And if you listened carefully you could hear the lava rocks move against each other as the tide came in and went out.

Pana`ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens was so beautiful and fun. This parrot was hilarious!

Kona

     Kona didn’t have a big enough port for a cruise ship to anchor at so we loaded into tenders (boats) to go into port. 

Tender

     The port was so quaint, and we loved it here. The Captain Zodiac Snorkel Adventure was very exciting. We got on a Zodiac boat (holding about 16 people) and sat on the sides of the boat. Holding on for dear life, we got ready to have a bucking fast ride. Wow! What fun!! We stopped at the Captain Cook’s monument to snorkel in the bay. The reef was beautiful with lots of colorful fish and crystal clear water. We loved it!!! We also saw a whole pod of pilot whales, like 30 of them, and we were right in the middle of them! It was so awesome. The tour guide said it was very rare to see pilot whales from the zodiac tour.

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/-CuFSx5cmtR7AcuQwPMyPQ?select=yH8vrdPIKLckPUzsmDJpDA

Kauai 

     Kauai is called the Garden Island, and it lives up to that name. 

     We had a full day of exploration and fun. The Fascination Kauai and Wailua River tour took us on a several mile boat ride to beautiful lava cavern, Fern Grotto. We saw blow holes, the Poipu Beach, big waterfalls up the canyon, and the natives dressed up in traditional clothing. The Fern Grotto had perfect acoustics. It is tradition to sing the wedding song at the Grotto. We also saw the alter where the women had their babies. The tour guild knew so much about the history here. It was really fun!

Maui (2 days)

     On the first day, we embarked on a snorkel adventure with Sail Trilogy. 

www.sailtrilogy.com

     Surf was high this day and we got into some big swells. We couldn’t get in close enough to see the fish very well but enjoyed the snorkel time anyway. We did see a green turtle, and on the way back in, we got the rare experience of seeing a mother humpback and her calf right in front of our boat. We could have reached out and touched them. We could even see the hair nodule bumps on their faces. They played around the boat for a few minutes, and we saw the male join them. The male will wait until the calf and mom are ready to travel before escorting them to Alaska. It was a real treat!!!

     On the Second day, we got our adrenaline fix as we zipped over Maui’s countryside on an eight line course. Flyin Hawaiian Zipline is Maui’s newest and Hawaii’s longest zipline, stretching from Waikapu to Ma’alaea! The last line was 2/3 of a mile long! We couldn’t even see the end! The canyon below was around 650ft deep! Wow, it was so fun! I rated this adventure my #1.

Honolulu (2days)

     We spent the first day in Honolulu at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Wow, what a cultural experience and so different. They have seven villages with different shows and cultural information to enjoy. Our guide took us around to the best events at each village. We had the Ali’i’ Lu’au buffet dinner with talented dancers to entertain us. Then we went to the award winning night show “Ha Breath of Life.” It was spectacular with authentic costumes and original native dancing. The night was full of life and energy! Booking early we had front row seats and enjoyed every minute of it!! I recommend you get the Ambassador Lu’au ticket and plan on spending the whole day. We got back to the ship around 10:30pm.

      The next day was again wonderfully hot. We couldn’t resist putting on our swimming suits and enjoy a walk on Waikiki beach. We relished the experience of sinking our toes deep into the pristine sand and watching the wave roll onto the beach. We will be back to see Pearl Harbor next time. We just plain ran out of time. There was so much to do and see!

Home

     With the sun still warm on our skin, we flew from the Honolulu airport back home. The rich color of the flora, the roar of the waterfalls, and the entertainment still bloomed in our mind’s eye. Did we just have an out of body moment or had it really happened? Yes, it was a vacation unmatched, one that stirs the heart by its beauty, customs, and the people. It makes you dream of coming back again soon and maybe someday even to stay.

     Aloha means hello, goodbye and I love you. So until the next adventure Aloha!