Day Ten in Hawaii

Our last day in Hawaii. Part of us wanting to stay in the Aloha State for ever while another side of us wanted to be home! We choose to carry our luggage out and not take part in the ship's disembarkment schedule. We were off by 8am and on our Thrifty car rental pretty soon.

Our first stop was Honolulu's famed Chinatown. Teaming with activity and exotic food and fruits this place was a treat. We treated ourselves to some Chinese pastries and Jackfruit smoothies.. yummy! V also got her much wanted floral lei... sweet smelling and really cheap in Chinatown!

We also visited the only royal palace in US. After visiting the pretty and grand ones in India and Europe this was a let down!

The so-called palace

Off we went towards Oahu's North Shore. A quick stop at the over-priced Dole Plantation ended up with a ultra-sized Pineapple Split and a walk through the world's biggest maze! A fun place and more suited for kids in my opinion! But a sure tourist trap! We were lucky to watch a few minutes from the finals of the Billabong surf competition along the pipeline. The pipeline is the hollowest and biggest of its kind in the world and has surfers from all over trying their best to ride it. For people with no knowledge about surfing it was kind of strange to watch it. It was like watching a foreign movie with no sub-titles! Fun though!

The gigantic Pineapple split

We had to stop for shave ice at Haleiwa. Two of the best places for shave ice in Hawaii are right next to each other. Each with a big line! We stopped at Atikos just coz the line was smaller and it was amazing. The ice melts in your mouth, smooth as silk unlike anything else we had on our trip! For a bit of drama/adventure try adding beans at the bottom of your shave ice. It is just plain beans (like black beans) boiled and added. Yes it is strange to imagine boiled beans in shave ice but the contrast is amazing and yummy!

Atiko's Menu

Anyone recognize the surfer? He was one of the finalists

After a pit stop we were back on the road, a bit tired and ready to head back home! We drove along just oohing and aahing at the beauty! It was a nice drive and by 6pm we were back in Honolulu. We headed to the Ward Center Stores just to spend some time! Window shopping, net browsing and a sub later we were ready to return to the airport and catch our flight home.

Delta flight from Honolulu to LA was a breeze. We were asleep before takeoff! But arriving at LA we realized our Houston flight was delayed by over an hour and they were not able to fit us in an earlier flight! We waited in LA and then reached Houston only to realize, one of our suitcases was missing. Well it really just had dirty laundry and some memorabilia. Afterwards we realized our suitcase (just 1 of the 3) went to Salt Lake City from Honolulu! Don't ask me how they did it! We got the baggage the next day. So it was fine!

And thus ended our trip. We nursed a fit of coughing and runny nose for nearly a week after that and slowly got into the Christmas and New Year celebrations!

And as they say, what happens in Hawaii stays with you forever! We'll cherish this trip a lot and have memories and photos to last a lifetime and more!

Day Eight and Nine in Hawaii

Day Eight:

This was our last port of call and we were on the oldest island in the Hawaiian archipelago - Kauai. This island is famed for its waterfalls, the sheer cliffs, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific - Waimea and of course the Jurassic Park locales. Most parts of the island are inaccessible and the best way to take in its beauty is from air, from a helicopter.

And that is what we did. We had booked with Island Helicopters for an hour flight around the island. The weather played a havoc and finally we were in air only by 3pm. And this meant our other plans went haywire. We had to cancel our car rental and be content with taking the helicopter tour and taking it easy in the ship.

The helicopter trip was just amazing. The abundant rains that canceled our tour in the morning made sure that there were waterfalls in every direction we turned around. Rainbows doting the horizon, the cliffs of Napali Coast and the waterfalls were sights that cannot be described. We were glad we took it. A heli ride scares many people off and it is quite expensive and as I said before we were so glad we took it. It was once in a life time trip and it was amazing.






After the ride, we spent the rest of the day taking it easy and hitting a few stores to shop for souvenirs. We had Tex-Mex dinner at Paniolos on board the ship and enjoyed free entertainment on board.

Day Nine:
Almost at the end of our cruise, we started the tough job of packing! We spent the morning at Kauai's Walmart ;) and enjoyed the ship's sailing through the beautiful Napali Coast. Seeing from air and sea made a good contrast.


This is when Baby bro got his revenge with the photographer aka Captain by asking him to pose for a picture, the poor guy was pissed off!



While V headed off for a quick lesson on ribbon lei making, the guys enjoyed a lazy game of table tennis. Dinner at Alizar, finale show at Stardust Theater and the trip was almost over.

Day Seven in Hawaii

Day Seven:

This morning we sailed into Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. We had booked a snorkeling excursion with Sea Quest Excursions. This was the only port on this trip where we had to take a tender boat to reach the shore.

Since we were on the first morning excursion we had to be on the first tender from the ship and we were there in no time. The snorkeling excursion began from the Keauhou Bay and we took a free shuttle in a trolley aka matu vandi (as named by baby bro).

A view of the ship from the shore

We were soon in an inflatable raft slicing through the water. The trip by itself was an adventure. It was like being on a water roller coaster and we were hanging on to our dear lives. The coastline filled with numerous sea caves and amazing beauty. Zipping along the pristine clear waters we were rewarding with sightings of the winter time Hawaii visitors - the humpback whales from the cold Arctic waters. There is a certain amount of awe as we saw these enormous creatures.

We zipped through to the Captain Cook Monument in Kealakekua Bay. The history behind it is intriguing and bloody. It raises more questions than we have answers for. The bay is a marine sanctuary for years and that this is the place where they filmed a scene for "Finding Nemo".

We also had a chance to snorkel along the Honaunau Bay which is another historic site. Under the clear waters it is a different world. Thriving coral reefs, tropical fishes... to feast our eyes on. This is the area known for the green sea turtles - Honu. Unfortunately we did not see any.

The sea caves and lava tubes doting the coast are really fascinating and the lores and legends associated with them make it more interesting. It was a wonderful trip and another highlight of the trip. And just when we thought the trip was over we spotted the Hawaiian spinner dolphins. These were such adorable creatures and they swam just next to our raft. It took all all I can, to control myself and not try to touch these wild creatures!

The Sea Quest raft inside a cave and the blow hole on the Kona Coast

It was a four hour trip and we would recommend Sea Quest for anyone who wants to enjoy the Kona Coast whether you snorkel or not. After a great trip we were back in the ship for lunch and some R&R. We enjoyed a wonderful American diner lunch at the Blue Lagoon on the ship, feasting on burgers, fries, mac n cheese... yummy!

There was always something on the ship to keep us entertained, be it lounging by the pool, taking a dip in the hot tub or playing table tennis or learning some Hawaiian crafts! It was so much fun! We were just too lazy to head back to the land and stayed on ship.

We headed to Papas Italian Kitchen for dinner and enjoyed the family style dining at Papas. Lasagnas, Fettuccines and triamisus later we were too stuffed to move out. But we had late night plans too. A visit to the spa for a Hawaiian style lomi-lomi massage for V and a date with the illusionist for the men. Both were really great and wonderful. Memories we will carry with us forever!

Fettuccine Alfredo at Papa's

Our vacation was coming to an end soon. Our last port of call - Kauai soon up!

Photos from Hawaii

R has been uploading his photos from our Hawaii trip on his blog. Drop by lightpixels and take a look.

Day Six in Hawaii

Day Six:
This was the second day in Maui and we were up at 3.00am! Why were we up at such an ungodly hour? We were off to make another dream come true - Sunrise on top of Haleakala. At an elevation of around 10000 feet above mean sea level this is the highest point in Maui. In just 32 short miles you rise up from 0 feet MSL to 10,200 feet MSL. Quite a ride!

Haleakala is considered active by scientists. It can erupt anytime and its last eruption was supposed to have been in 1790 AD. Haleakala means the house of the suns and its story is as impressive and imaginative as the Indian folk lores we grew up with. The story goes that the demi-god Maui lassoed the sun from the summit of Haleakala and made it promise to go slowly over Maui and that is the reason why Maui to this day gets abundant sunshine!

We had booked with Roberts Hawaii - a well known travel agency to take us to the summit and off we went sleepy in the bus. We were there by 5.30am and the sun was expected to rise around 6.40am. It was freezing cold and wind chills were well below 30. Pre-warned we wore layers and layers of clothing and still kept shivering. The biggest concern was the big band of low-lying clouds. Fingers crossed, eyes closed in sleep we waited and unfortunately for us, the clouds hid the sun and we really could not even see the crater.

We were really disappointed but nothing we can do! Nature's will and we go with it. The park rangers chant to welcome the sun, it was like the Indian surya namaskaram! The Hawaiians say watch the sunrise in the East and then turn West and there you'll see your future! We never saw the sun rise!

Our view of sunrise at Haleakala

We were back in the ship by 9am and a quick shower and breakfast later we were ready to head out to the sunny and dry beaches of Kanapali and Lahaina. The top down on our rental convertible, 35 minutes later we were in the pretty beach behind Whaler's Village in Kanapali.
Pretty as a picture, bluish green clear waters, blue skies, people relaxing.. what a sight! We spent a good 2 hours lying in the sand and water. Covered with sand we were then ready to get back to the ship.

We had our own mini-adventure here. The car's engine heated light turned on and we pulled over and then we could not get the car to start! Stranded near a beach in Kanapali, 30 miles from our cruise ship we were worried. Frantic call to the rental agency assured help will be there in a good 2 hours. After a 15 minute wait we tried starting the engine, it started and off we went non-stop ignoring the blinking engine heated sign! Thrifty gave us a 10% off for the trouble and we were in the ship by 4!


And V headed out to the Spinaker Lounge for a quick hula lesson. The Hawaiian ambassador on the cruise had been conducting regular lessons and this was the only day V had to shake her hips to the Hawaiian music. Hula is such a graceful dance and so pretty! Four songs, a lot of hip shaking later V was done!

Hungry and with long waits in all the restaurants we took the short way out - ate at the buffet!
What a day it was!

Day Five in Hawaii

Day 5:
And this was R's dream day! Our ship docked at Maui for two days and we had a big list of to-see places in the magic isle - Maui. With so many excursions to choose from it was tough deciding what we really wanted to do and during the planning stages of this vacation we had many a struggle deciding. But we were really glad we did what we did.

As with Hilo we had booked a rental car with Thrifty and it was a convertible this time! Yup the dream of zipping across the islands with the wind playing in the hair did come true. Maui Thrifty was not really efficient like the one in Hilo but they did get the job done and soon we were zipping to Hana!

The Road to Hana is one of Maui's famous tourist attractions. The 68-mile long stretch encompassing Hawaiian highways 36 and 360 connecting Kahului and Hana is known for its narrow, winding roads with breathtaking scenery. The route consists of around 56 bridges of which more than 45 are one lane bridges. Driving through lush rainforest is beautiful but adding picturesque blue waters and beaches make it magical. The 60+ miles to Hana normally takes around 2.5 hours to 3 hours with no stops and a typical tourist takes 5 hours to reach Hana. And we took 7 hours to reach Hana!

On our Chrysler Sebring we were off. Our first stop was at wind surfing capital of the world, Hoopika Beach. Pristine blue waters doted by men and women riding the waves , white sands and the trees make this a wonderful spot for people watching and a picnic. We stopped for a few minutes before heading off. Time is precious when you are on a cruise ship and you are heading off to Hana with a photographer-in-tow.

And off we went. All along nature showcased at its best and with the top of in our rental we were able to smell the wet earth and the powerful waves slashing the rocks. It is an experience and an amazing one. The whispering and waving bamboo forests, the cascading waterfalls, the beaches were all spectacular. The black sand beach with the sea arch and blowhole was probably the best part of the trip. The Ke`ane Peninsula with its very powerful waves slashing against the volcanic rocks made it a sight to be remembered.


We stopped along the way enjoying local favorites, sugarcane juice with ginger, hot from the oven moist banana nut bread and shave ice! Yummy! We had some rain along the way and the top came on and off.

And finally we were in Hana, a small town and just beyond it we entered the Haleakala National Park. This is the location of the seven scared pools, this is a series of lovely waterfalls and tranquil pools trails through the O'heo Gulch and into the ocean. Unfortunately due to a heavy inflow of water the pools were closed for swimming. But we did walk along the trails and enjoy the beauty of the place.



It was past 3.30 when we were ready to head out of the National Park and we wanted to get moving and hit the winding roads when there was light. And off we went. Non-stop winding roads and if you are prone to motion sickness this is not the road for you and the driving does tend to get difficult. So caution is recommended.

We were back at the harbor and at the ship by 6pm. We decided to head for a sit-down dinner at one of ship's main restaurants - Alizar. It was decent food in a spectacular but overcrowded dining area. We were lucky to get a table for ourselves and enjoy the meal.

And I need to add this, more a personal joke but for memories sake. This is where we first met " the captain" aka the ship photographer. Well the "captain" made it his job to interupt conversations and private moments to click pictures. Well the one he took of us that day in Alizar was the best. Baby bro KA had a grudge against poor captain and baby bro had his sweet revenge later in the cruise.

And that was day five and we were half done with our vacation!

Day Four in Hawaii

Day Four:

The best thing about this cruise is that every morning we were in a new place, a dream indeed and this morning we were in Hilo, Big Island. After breakfast we were off the ship and ready to explore Hilo.
We had previously reserved a rental car with Thrifty and the shuttle was waiting for us. A quick check-in and a red PT cruiser later we were on the road heading through lush, green, rainforests. Our destination - the Volcanoes National Park. We stopped at the Visitors Center to pick up some maps and watch the 20 minute long film - “Born of Fire…Born of the Sea.” It really opened our eyes into the history of the land we were standing on and the areas we were about to see.

We were back in our car, heading on. Our first stop was the streaming bluffs and sulfur banks. The vegetation here is a stark contrast and between the top and bottom cliffs of Kilauea Caldera we could see volcanic gases seeping through the cracks. And yes the stream was indeed a blessing when winds picked up speed. It was quite windy and cold at the National Park and we wish we had the sense to bring a jacket in addition to to our rain ponchos. Hawaii brings to mind the amazing beaches, white sands and swaying palms and the sun shining but on top of the volcanoes and mountains the air carries a chill to it, the wind speed quite high. Quite a contrast. We enjoyed a mini sauna at the streaming bluffs before heading over to see other sights at the National Park.


As we drove along the area, there were numerous outlooks, where we can see hot gases streaming out, green sulfur deposits along the sides, the air filled with the smell of sulfur, the land uneven with lava flows. We took a short detour from the Crater Rim drive, to go to the very end of Chain of Craters. The views as we drove down to sea level, the views were spectacular and remains of villages covered by lava stood out. And at very end and at sea level the road closed due to lava flows, we spot a whale - magnificent as the sea arch there. This is one place on earth where the power of nature is truly felt.



Tired and exhausted after these long drives we drove on and soon were out of the Volcanoes National Park. With time still left we decided to head out to the famous Akaka Falls. But first a quick stop at the famous Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory.Some samples, chocolate covered macadamia nuts, macadamia nut icecream we were off. The drive to the falls is beautiful. We could see the blue waters, the cruise ship doting the horizon, lush greenery, pretty bridges and an occasional waterfall. The drive took us around 25-30 minutes and with scenic detours and outlooks all around it was well worth the drive.

The small parking lot was filled when we arrived, slight drizzle and we started our walk down to the falls. The trek down is along a well paved concrete trail with handrails and it takes less than 5 minutes to feast our eyes on the 420 feet falls. It was amazing and well worth the drive. And there was one awe-struck kid who asked his mom " who designed this" and that pretty much sums it.



Back at the Hilo airport, we returned out rental car and were back to board our ship. At the pier there were florists selling pretty cabin bouquets and soon there was a $10 bouquet gracing our stateroom. Dinner at the Lanai and the day was almost over!

Day Three - Hawaii

Day 3:
This was the day we were starting our cruise. Our cruise ship was scheduled to sail out of Honolulu by 8pm and we had planned to get onboard around 1pm and that left us the whole morning to explore.

The Bus and google maps were our guides to the famed Diamond Head. The good instructions let us down. We got down a good mile ahead and started our hike much much earlier. We ended up walking more than any other typical tourist hiking the Diamond Head would do. But it was all a part of the fun!

The hike basically starts from the floor of the crater and leads you all the way to the top. Spectacular views are all around but the ocean is visible only from the very top. The trail has handrails all through and uneven. The killer part of the hike is the two flights of very steep and narrow stairs and it is like you are on the stairmaster machines in the gym.


Good walking shoes, water and camera are highly recommended. The hike overall was not really stressful. It was good fun with us stopping very frequently for photographs and teasing each other. We also realized it gets really hot and sweaty very fast. As every tour book advises start early. We started our hike around 7.45~8am and would recommend starting much earlier. Surprisingly we realized it was cooler at the floor of the crater than at the summit.

It was also quite crowded. Many of the hikers that day happened to be marathon runners from Japan making the most of their visit to the US. We would have loved a little more solitude and one-on-one with Mother Nature.


Once up the spiral stairs, there is a tiny crawl space through which one has to pull oneself. It is kind of interesting that nothing much has been done to improve the crawl space. The hike down is quick and fast. We had packed some fresh fruits and wonderful stuffed bread (purchased at the Aloha Swap Meet on Day 2) for a after-hike treat and we were hungry. Feeding the Brazilian cardinals we had a picnic lunch and were ready to head back to the hotel. We were planning to take the Bus again but a taxi driver offered us a ride along with another couple for $2 pp (the same rate the Bus charges) so we took the easy way out. The drive to our hotel was short but we were forced to put up with the FM taxi driver who spoke about everything from tender coconut water to Noni juice to his belief in Christ! Yeah he was ahem....entertaining (also spelt as irritating)!

We had a couple of hours to kill before checkout and we did what any tourist in Hawaii would have done at 10am, hit Waikiki. Waikiki with its gentle warm waves is the perfect spot for our dream vacation but for the crowd. Well we people watched and enjoyed the sun n the sand before heading back to the hotel. Frantic packing, quick checkout and a taxi ride later we were at Pier 2.

Check-in was a breeze at the Latitudes member check-in (past NCL cruisers) and the first impressions of the NCLA Pride of Hawaii - WOW! She was a beauty, in and out. Lavish furnishings with a Hawaiian touch, bright colors with a touch of whimsy. The ship is amazing and if given a chance we'll choose her again without any reservations. From Feb 2008, Pride of Hawaii is renamed as NCL Jade and moves to the Mediterranean seas.

Our deck was not ready and so we headed with all our scary-on to the 12th deck for some lunch. The lunch buffet was open and so were some tables on the lanai on the deck. Grabbing a table and lot of food we did what we do the best - eat, laugh, talk, eat, relax, eat :)

Our room was finally ready and we made way to our interior stateroom. We really went penny pinching on this trip and booked a inside stateroom and it worked out well as the only time we were in our cabins was to sleep or to grab a shower. I am constantly amazed by the way these cabins are designed. In that small less than 100 square feet space, there was room for our enormous bags, scary-ons, three adults, a wonderful and functional bathroom, three beds and a closet. Unpacked and ready to sail!

All cruiselines have a mandatory safety drill and ours was held in the Stardust theater. The theater left us speechless! It was wonderfully and colorfully designed! We left for Hawaii imagining the sights of Hawaii to leave us stunned but the tastefully decorated POH did leave us stunned!

A spa tour, preview show, sailaway party, fitness center we crammed as much as possible into our first day before we hit the sack! What a day! Many more wonderful ones to come!

Day Two in Hawaii

Day 2:

It was the day of the famed Honolulu marathon and hence there were quite some detours and road closures in the Waikiki, Diamond Head area so we decided to head early towards the US Arizona Memorial aka Pearl Harbor. The one thing about Honolulu is that you can spend a couple of days there visiting all the top tourist spots without bothering to rent a car. We took " The Bus" public transit bus to Pearl Harbor. Another tip here, in google maps type your to and from addresses and then if you click on the take public transit button you can find out about bus schedules easily.

All tour books and Honolulu veterans suggest you be at the ticket line for Pearl Harbor the first thing in the morning at around 7.30. So we took the 6.40 am bus from Waikiki and were there by 7.40am. There were no lines and it was a breeze walking in. We also heard that it was the slowest day in Pearl Harbor and was attributed to the weather and marathon. There is no entry fee to visit the memorial but you need to watch 25 minute film before taking a boat to the memorial.

The whole area is maintained by the national park services and the facilities are quite good. The 25 minute black and white movie takes one back to the era of the WW2 and it raises some questions for which there are no answers. It was afterall war and the survival of the strongest. The skies cleared out by the time we were on the boat to the memorial. The memorial, white and stark is a tribute to the 1777 crew members on board the USS Arizona on Dec 7th 1941. It spans the sunken hull of the battleship without touching it.

Our personal views about the memorial are mixed. It is small and built on top of the sunken USS Arizona. Architecturally, at times we feel it is great and there are times we wonder if it is a fitting memorial. So I guess you need to see the film and really feel the spirit before forming your own opinions about the memorial. But it is a sobering experience when you think of all the lives lost.


You can see the oil leaking from the sunken battleship (the survivors call it black tears. Around 2 quarts of oil leaks out daily), bouquets of flowers, a list of the lost lives ( there were 37 sets of siblings on board when the ship was hit) reminds us of the era of bloodshed and history lessons that are never forgotten.

After our visit to the Pearl Harbor we decided to walk to the nearby Aloha Stadium where there is a flea market every Monday, Wednesday and Sunday. It is a 10 minute walk from Pearl Harbor and we walked by the healing field. The healing field is a 2500 flag memorial for those who fell on Dec 7th 1941. It is quite a sight and we were glad to be in Honolulu when the flags were in display.


There is a nominal entry fee for the Aloha Swap Meet at the Aloha Stadium. We had picked up some free entry coupons at one of the coupons books found all around Waikiki. It is a good place to shop local style and enjoy some of the local favorites. The tender coconut juice sweet and refreshing on the hot day brought back childhood memories. The Aloha state's very own shave ice and Portuguese malassadas (kind of like doughnuts) yummy! Here you can pick up cheap gifts, tees and local breads and jam for half the price you can find in Waikiki area. We ended up with tee shirts for everyone in the family, local lilikoi, mango, guava, papaya jams.


The jetlag and heat was catching up on all of us and we caught the local bus and headed back to the hotel for a short nap. And we were ready to luau! Luau - the Hawaiian feast and a tourist staple! We had previously booked with Germaine's Luau - a commercial luau on the ocean's edge, under the palm trees. The tour bus was waiting and off we headed towards their private beach luau location. Our tour bus hostess, Georgie had a set of jokes to keep us all entertained and laughing getting into a relaxed mood.

The luau cost us each around $45 (we used a discount coupon from entertainment.com) and yes it is a bit expensive but it is an evening of the Aloha spirit and fun. So we would highly recommend a luau if you are in Hawaii. A lei greeting, formal portrait and we were with 300+ others at the picnic area. We watched the kalua pig come out of the imu oven. With the sun setting on the yonder, the place lit with tiki lights was magical. The dancers were nimble and graceful. Depicting dances from different Polynesian countries it was like watching a pretty movie. Loved the fire dancer, the drum players and the dancers. The lady hosting the event was kind of irritating (a personal opinion) and asking the bus drivers to dance was dumb (another personal opinion). I also hated the most common and prevalent idea of picking someone from the audience and making the audience laugh at the scrapegoat's expense.


Nothing good to write about the food. It is really not the best or even mediocre. The imu roasted pork, the island coleslaw and island long rice (transparent rice noodles) were the only items remotely edible. Go for the dancers, go for the pretty setting, go to experience the aloha spirit, go for experiencing Hawaii! And yes you get 3 drink coupons with every ticket and a few mai tais and blue islands later, laughter flows more easily! There were a few drunk people on board the bus on our return journey and our magical day drew to an end!

Day 1 in Hawaii

Jumping straight into our trip details

Day 1:
Flight out of Houston to Honolulu. We flew Continental and a practically no-hassles flight. Other than for the 8 hours in the flight, we really did not have any delays or problems. We landed in Honolulu airport at around 3pm. The first views of Honolulu was amazingly blue skies and waters with white puff clouds, lush greenery and mountains on the horizon. The runway in the Aloha International Airport deserves a special mention. It is like landing in the wide ocean, beautiful and I just wish we had clicked some pics then.

We had reservations at the Aqua Waikiki Wave and to get there we took the easy way out with 2 oversize baggages. 2 scary-ons and 3 adults - the taxi. Honolulu airport has a taxi wrangler system and goodness gracious we were put in a limo! An antique limo doubling as a taxi but a limo none the less.

At the hotel and checked in, we got into our beachweat and hit Waikiki beach right in time to see the sun setting. A perfect welcome to Hawaii! If I have one complaint about Waikiki, it is the crowd. Well I guess we need to live with that. Waikiki is a tourist trap, you can see everything from a man handing out pamphlets for excursions to another promising pictures with a giant macaw perched on your shoulder. And for the fashionesta in your group, anything from Macys to Coach and for the foodie, everything imaginable. It is crowded and bustling with activity with a stretch of white sand and unbeatable water. I loved the beach but a crowded beach is not my idea of an ideal vacation.
And like every other tourist trap, everything is expensive in Waikiki. But if you are just spending a couple of days in Honolulu, Waikiki is the place and with their public transportation there is no need to rent a car or worry about parking.

And that was Day 1. The jetlag forced us back to the hotel early!
Some pictures from Day 1 are here and here

Cruise in Hawaii -1

We are off next week to Hawaii. Our plan is to fly into Honolulu, take in the local sights at Honolulu, the usual and famous, Waikiki beach, the Diamond Head hike, the Pearl Harbor. And then board our ship, the NCL Pride of Hawaii for 7 days of touring the islands. Hilo, Kona, Kauai and Maui are all on our list. We have taken the time to choose activities in each of the ports that would showcase the beauty of Hawaii and our love for nature.

We hope to come back with memories and pictures to last a life time. We will not be updating from the ship and will have detailed, day-to-day reviews once we are back!

Aloha!

And yes we are heading off to the Aloha land. To the warm tropical waters, ripe pineapples, the volcanoes and the coral reefs. To Hawaii we go. Our trip is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of deal and we all pulling all stops to have a full adventure.

The Plan:

It was tough making a decision, every island in Hawaii is so unique and special and we wanted it all. Greedy of us and we found the best way to do it. We are cruising in Hawaii. Cruise is a totally different form of travel and it suits some. We have cruised before and loved it. And we are glad we can do it again in Hawaii. Another great thing about this trip is our travel companion, baby bro KA. It sure is going to be merry sailing.

Blogging from the ship is going to be impossible as it is exorbitant. And we have quite a lot of plans for each of the islands but I know we are being ambitious. I sure will have a detailed day to day account once we are back and more about our trip coming up soon.

Oh yes we are off in less than a couple of weeks!