Day 8—Honolulu, Oahu
Tried to sleep in a little since I knew I was booked for the luau that night and wouldn’t get back to the ship till around 10:30 pm. No such luck—oh well. Followed my usual routine: took a shower, got dressed, and headed for the Lido Deck for coffee. Sat outside at the Sea View Bar and watched the sunrise; had eggs benedict for breakfast this time. Only a week and I’m already in a routine. But apparently I’m not the only one, since the same people come up at around the same time.
Hadn’t seen either Sharon (the widow I met in the terminal who lost her husband just a month ago) or Jill (the widow who lost her husband in March and lives a few blocks from me) in a few days, but then again, there are over 1,400 people on this ship.
The ship docked in Honolulu at Pier 10, right next to the Aloha Tower. Only thing I had planned to do was go shopping that day and attend the luau dinner show that evening. Janet was up on the Lido Deck when the ship docked and she had decided she was going to go shopping with me. We left the ship and wandered around in the shops around Aloha Tower. Then I told Janet that I was taking the shuttle to go to the mall and eat lunch at the Japanese Department store. She said she really didn’t like Japanese food and preferred Chinese food, so we parted ways. I’ve found out that on benefit of cruising alone is that I can be selfish and do whatever I want to do.
Got on the shuttle for the Ala Moana mall, but turns out that all shuttles take you to Hilo Hatties (the chain tourist souvenir shop that is on every island and that that all the cruise ships have shuttles to). Once at Hilo Hatties, I found out the shuttle for Ala Moana wouldn’t leave for another 30 minutes, so I broke down and did some shopping.
(Alissa and Tina: Yes I’m bringing chocolate back to the office—macadamia nut Hershey kisses.)
Finally got to the mall and found out it was the day after Christmas (OK, so I sorta knew that, but didn’t REALLY realize what that meant). I think every person on the island, with only a few exceptions, was at the mall! It was wall-to-wall people. I did manage to find the Japanese department store, had lunch there, and bought a couple of books, then took a taxi back to the ship to meet the excursion folks and get on the bus for the luau dinner and show.
At 4:30, met the tour guide for the excursion who told everyone the tour had been cancelled. They were expecting a big storm to hit sometime around 7:30 or 8:00 pm and, since the luau is an outdoor event, they were cancelling. We were told that our costs had been credited to our shipboard account. Several people complained (there always seem to be a few people who seem to complain about everything), but I really wasn’t that disappointed. I had been to a luau at the Hale Koa (way back when) when my husband and I visited Honolulu with some friends from the old 92nd squadron. And to tell you the truth, I was tired, and didn’t want to stay out that late (must not be getting my vitamins, since it can’t be because I’m getting older!).
Went up to the Sea View and met a very nice lady from Germany. Inge is from Frankfurt and is travelling with her brother, who had moved to California back in the 60s. She speaks very good English and I got to practice my German (which is very rusty, especially since I haven’t used it much since we left Germany in 1997). I did enjoy taking with her about all the places we knew in Germany as well as talk about some of the German food (what is it about cruise ships and food?).
Speaking about food—the ship was having a bar-b-que out on the Lido pool deck which is in the center of ship and is the covered pool area that evening. Actually, the Lido pool is covered when it’s cold or cloudy, and the roof opens up when it’s sunny, or warm—on this trip, it’s only been open a few times. I haven’t spent any time in this area. I usually go through the Lido buffet to the Sea View pool/bar area—there are more people and more kids/teenagers at the Lido pool deck versus very few people and no children/teenagers at the Sea View. Children/teens are allowed in the Sea View pool/bar area, but they just don’t seem to like it there—it’s much quieter, there isn’t music blaring from the loudspeakers and there is no food there except what you bring from the buffet. The Lido pool area has hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries, a taco bar, and pizza available all day long and that is what a lot of people (particularly children/teens) want.
Anyway, since the ship was hosting a bar-b-que on the Lido deck, I went over there. They had chicken, ribs, and steaks they were actually grilling, along with baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and salads. Since my table mates and waiter weren’t expecting me in the dining room, and since I was really tired and didn’t want to wait till 8:00 that night for dinner, I had a salad, ribs, small steak, and a half of a baked potato at the bar-b-que.
I was back in my room by 8:00—all the crowds really wore me out (and the humidity didn’t help either). Once again, I wasn’t sure what the towel animal of the day was. Oh, I did find out what the animal was from Day 6—the creature that was lying on its stomach and had legs stretch out behind as well as front legs. It was a dog and as soon as someone told me that, I recognized that it really had been a dog. But I really have no clue what Day 8’s towel animal was at all! (I’ll post all the pictures of the towel animals sometime after I get home—just takes too long to do it from the ship.)
I set my alarm for 5:30 since I had to be ready by 8:00 for the excursion (and wanted time to eat breakfast first—which I don’t do at home).
Just before I fell asleep, Sharon called on my room phone. She told me she had been off the ship since it arrive in Hilo, Hawaii. She has another son who is living on Oahu; she had originally planned to just meet up with him while the ship was in dock in Honolulu, but then decided at the last minute to get off the ship and fly from Hilo to Honolulu to spend Christmas with him. She got back on the ship here in Honolulu. I was glad she had called since I hadn’t seen her in a while and was a little worried about her since she had just lost her husband. I was glad to hear that she hadn’t been holed up in her cabin and that she had enjoyed her time with her son. I told her I was on an excursion the next day and hoped to run into her somewhere on the ship.
I was asleep by a little after 9:00 and never noticed when the ship left Honolulu at midnight heading for Maui—our last island.
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