Hello readers! Cameron and I have been very busy getting ready for the holidays. So I haven't been able to post anything about our cruise in Hawaii last month until now. What a blast it was! Hawaii is a very special place. We will be going back as soon as we possibly can. I wrote a review for a message board on the second day after we returned. It is geared for those who will be cruising on the exact same cruise we took. It is very long, but tells the story very well. I will post it below. Also, I will post some pics. Enjoy!

Mike’s Hawaii Review (posted on 11/29/2005)

So I just got back Sunday from my 7 day Pride of America cruise. What a blast! It is hard to even know where to begin. I guess I will start with the ship. The Pride of America is a beautiful ship. It is HUGE! I heard some complaints about the food on the ship, and it made me worried before we left. However, we did not have many problems at all. The two main dining halls are the Skyline and the Liberty. The Skyline is on the 5th floor and the Liberty is right above it. You can access both of them via one flight of stairs. We ate breakfast once in the Skyline and dinner once at the Liberty. The breakfast at the Skyline was good. We were early so we did not have to wait long. The dinner at the Liberty was EXCELLENT. We sat right next to the piano player on lobster night. Our waitress was so nice. She informed us that my wife and I could each place a double order of lobster. We got quite a healthy serving! It was delicious. The only complaint I had about the Liberty was about the wait to get in. We had reservations and STILL had to wait in line for awhile. It wasn't very organized at the door. But once we were seated, it was VERY nice. I didn't eat at any of the specialty restaurants. If you want to eat at a specialty restaurant, you better make your reservations the FIRST NIGHT on the boat. If you are anything like we were, you will be too busy to sit around eating every night anyway. The Aloha Cafe on the 11th floor serves a buffet for breakfast lunch and dinner. We found ourselves in that cafe most of the time grabbing a bite to eat at our own leisure. You will find that it has very convenient hours.

As far as nightlife on the boat, there are several bars to choose from. We relaxed at the Pink Champagne & Cigar Bar one night. They have a very talented piano player there that sings. He made us laugh a few times because he kept changing the words to fit the situations happening on the cruise. We also went to the Mardi Gras Club a couple nights. That is the place that stays open late. Lots of dancing there and themed events are scheduled each night. We were there for 70's disco night and for 90's night. DJ Chris will play anything you request as long as he has it available. We sipped drinks Thanksgiving night at the Lanai Bar on the 13th floor. Not many people know about that place. It is usually less crowded than some of the other bars on Deck 5. They have a talented acoustic guitar player there. He plays mostly modern music and has a nice voice.

If you want to watch performances, you will go to the Hollywood Theatre. We watched two different Broadway shows here. The first was on Sunday night and it was called the "The Dance of Life". We found it very entertaining. One of our cousins was in the show, and he did an excellent job. I highly recommend that show, if you have the time available. The second was a show about American History. Once again, it was entertaining. At the end of the show, they had the Pride of America staff come up on the stage and sing a song. There were performers, stewards, receptionists, crew officers, cooks, and even the ship's captain was on stage. It was really cool. They kept coming into the theatre until the stage was completely full.

So I guess that about does it for the ship. Here are a few more tips though. If you plan to leave the ship without an excursion through the ship, GET UP EARLY. If you are there right when disembarkation starts, you will get off very quickly without any delay. Next, make sure you go to the reception desk on Deck 5 to check your stateroom balance at least once during your cruise. They will give you a printout showing all the charges made to your room. All charges are done with a swipe card that bills your room. If you want to pay for you ship expenses with cash, you add money to your account on the first day at the reception desk, and then you can add more as needed later during your cruise. But there is a delay when you try to add to your account, so deposit the money the day before you plan to use it.

Ok, on to the excursions now.

In Hilo, we went to Punalu'u Black Sand Beach and to the Volcano National Park. This can be done in one day. We were off the boat at 8am, and were due back at 5:30pm. We made it back at 5pm with no problems. You pass the Volcano Park on the way to the black sand beach. The Punalu'u Beach is worth the drive! It was gorgeous. It was the first time we had ever seen a black sand beach. If you get there early, there will only be a few people there. Eventually, the tour buses start showing up and it gets crowded. I think we were there before 10am. It is about 30 minutes from the Volcano National Park. So allow for an extra hour of driving if you choose to go there (30 minutes there and 30 minutes back to the park). After the beach, we entered the VNP. We decided to only do some of Crater Rim Drive. We drove up to the Volcano House first. You have to go there and check out the view from behind the Volcano House. It is gorgeous, and very easy to access! Next, we went to the steam vents. They were kicking out steam everywhere. The steam was very warm. It left us amazed. There is a great view from the steam vent pulloff. It is a short walk to get there. Many people missed it because they did not take the time to find the path. After the steam vents, we turned around and went the other way on Crater Rim Drive back passed the Volcano House. We stopped at Kilauea IKI Crater, and took in the view. That is a cool stop. The landscape is incredible. You can see where the lava burst right out of the side of the crater. After Iki, we decided to skip the lava tube and catch it on the way out. Instead, we headed down Chain of Craters Road. If you have time, GO DOWN THIS ROAD! It is incredible. One minute you are driving through lush green rainforest, and the next minute you are driving past volcanic lava fields that make you feel like you just landed on the moon. There is a lookout right before you start the BIG descent down to the coastline. Stop there if you see it. The view is incredible! I forget the name of it. Most of the descent happens after that lookout. Slow down and drive carefully. We made it down to the end of the road, and hiked about a 1/2 mile to the lava field. It was awesome. The lava there is only a few years old. You can hike on it a short ways right up to the coastline. It is a long drop down to the waterline. Be careful. Waves were crashing into the lava wall. If you fell off, it would be your end. But anyway, you can see steam billowing into the sky right off the coast a couple miles away. That is where the lava is entering the ocean. It is a sight to see! Don't worry about hiking across the lava field to see it up close. That would take all day, and it would be hard on your body. The lava field is extremely unforgiving to knees and ankles. After we rested on the rocks for awhile, we headed back up Chain of Craters Road making a quick stop to see the Sea Arch. It is located right at the ranger’s station. It is a very short walk to the coast to see it. Pretty cool. After getting back up to Crater Rim Drive, we walked through the lava tube with two of our cousins up until the point where the lights go out. You can walk further, but you would need a flashlight. And at this point we would have needed more time. We quickly exited the park and cruised back to the rental car drop-off (Thrifty). We were back on the boat around 5pm. We were completely exhausted, but what a day.

In Maui (Day One), we were off the ship again around 8am. We picked up the rental car from Thrifty and went directly to the Iao Valley. Beautiful! What a special place. Take your time here. It is a VERY short drive from the port. Get there early before the crowds arrive because THEY WILL - and in great numbers. Thankfully, we beat the crowd. After that, we went to the other side of the island to Ka'anapali Beach. This is a MAJOR resort area. Lots of money is being spent there. There is some pretty good shopping at the Whaler's Village. You can eat there too. Parking is free for 3 hours there if you by something over $10 at a store and get them to validate. We did just that - parked, shopped, got validated and then headed for Black Rock. We brought our snorkeling gear with us and paddled out into the crowd. It is very easy to snorkel, even in crowds. People tend to be less hostile in water. We saw quite a few fish. The highlight for me was being investigated by a puffer fish. They seem to have no fear of human beings. When they get close, check out there eyes. They are the size of our eyes and they use them to scan you. I felt like it was checking me out or something.  After the snorkel, we sat on the beach and watched a couple people jump off the rock. After that, we got lunch in Whaler's Village and headed over to Lahaina. In Lahaina, we hung out around the GIANT Banyan Tree and did some shopping. That tree was remarkable. The roots come straight down off the limbs and start new trunks everywhere. Incredible. After a short stay in Lahaina, we headed over to the Old Lahaina Luau. What a great show! When you get there, they give you a guide that covers the evening’s events along with a lei. Drinks are free and they serve quite a bit of food. You get to watch them prepare the poi and unearth the pig. It was very interesting, especially the pig. They have a couple short dances for guests to watch during dinner. Then, after dinner is finished, the big show begins. The drumming is extremely LOUD! It is one of the most incredible events to witness. The drumming tempos change without a moments notice! The dancers are extremely talented. They move so fast! You can’t take your eyes off them. The show tells about the history of Hawaii. If you have the time, go to this luau. You will not regret it.

In Maui (Day Two), we decided to do a ship excursion. We did the Haleakala Zipline Adventure. The Zipline, Horseback riding and ATV rides are in the same location. You will ride the same bus together. Our zipline was at 10:15am. It was great! You get suited with a harness and helmet. Then, you take a short walk into the forest. There are 5 ziplines and an Indiana Jones Bridge. The first zipline is easy. It sure doesn't seem that way when you are first starting out though. If it is your first time, your heart will be pumping. Mine was. But in retrospect, the first zipline was very easy. After the first couple zips, you get the hang of it. There is some minor steering involved. The guides show you how to do it. The third zip is tricky because you have to get a running start. It was very cool though. However, noting could compare to the last zipline. HOLY COW! That sucker is 750 feet long. The drop is 125 feet down, and you go around 40 miles per hour over treetops. It is ridiculous! I loved every second of it. It was the best zip by far. You DO NOT steer on that one. You just hang on for dear life. LOL! This excursion was very safe, and the guides were great. They provided narration and did several checks before letting anyone zip. After the zipline, we were dropped off back at the port. We had parked in the lot near the ship the night before (which was murder by the way). If you don't get back early the first night in Maui, parking can be tricky. We did find a spot though. After getting to the car, we headed for Paia. Right upon entering the town, we stopped at Pizza Paia and got a BBQ Chicken Pizza to go. We took it down to Ho'okipa Beach Park to watch the surfers. This was very cool. The waves were kicking! There were lots of surfers out. No windsurfers though. We really enjoyed eating there. They have tables and restrooms there. After that, we headed over to Thrifty and dropped the car off. We made it back to the ship with time to spare before departure.

Have to go for now. To be continued...

On with the rest.

In Kona, we decided to do another ship excursion. Kona is the only port in which you will tender from the ship. The tender boat is rather small, but it does hold quite a few people. If you do not have an excursion through the ship this day, it will most likely take awhile to tender from the ship. The good thing is that the tenders run about every 15 minutes. There were two boats running constantly. Since you are unable to meet with your ship excursion group right outside the ship in the port (like the other days), you will meet in the Hollywood Theatre on Deck 5 (this is only if you have an excursion through the ship that day). They escort you to the exit and on to the tender boat. We were off on the second boat that morning. Our excursion of choice was the Kona Beach Snuba. The great thing about this excursion was that it took place right off the pier in Kona. It was a very short walk right to the beach. We were lucky to be the only two people doing the snuba excursion at that time. Our instructor was very nice. He met us at the pier and walked with us to the shoreline. We were fitted with the breathing apparatus and fins. We brought our own masks. After a quick 10 minute safety briefing, we were walking into the water. It was freezing! The water at that beach is fed buy a natural spring. The water is ice cold! I was trembling. My wife and I were hiding it well though. We were just doing our best to remember the hand signals we had gone over earlier. After a short paddle out past the rocks (and past King Kamehameha's personal temple), we were at the reef. The water was warmer, and the underwater view was clear. This was our first time underwater for a prolonged period of time. I believe we were underwater for at least 30 minutes without coming up. We dove deep enough that you had to pop your ears several times to equalize. We went the full extent of the tube, which is 25 feet deep (or so I was told). It was amazing! Popping your ears can be a very uncomfortable experience though. My ears have never been the same since this dive. And I mean that in a good way. Your ears will be put to the test. That's for sure. Swimming with the marine life was like being on a different planet. We saw lots of tropical fish. But the coolest part was the reef itself. There were hundreds of sea urchins everywhere! Our instructor picked one up from the bottom and allowed us to hold it. They have suction cups all over them, so they stick to your hands. It was remarkable. Everything moves at a crawl underwater that deep. We loved every slow second of it! Just before our O2 ran out, we calmly made our way back to surface. We couldn't stop talking about the experience. If you are even remotely interested in scuba diving, try this out! It gives you a nibble of what scuba diving can be like. We are highly considering becoming scuba certified.

After the snuba, we walked awhile down Alii Drive. We stopped to see the Mokuaikaua Church. Go inside this church if you have the chance. We signed the book they have inside for travelers to leave their name in. We saw the Hulihe'e Palace from the outside because they want $7 per person to get inside. We eventually worked our way down to the Kona Shopping Village. This is where we rented our bicycles from. They were only $15 a piece for 5 hours. They offer you a lock and helmet for no extra charge. After we got the bikes, we took off through the shopping area. I hadn't ridden a bike in years so I managed to moderately crash into the window of a corner store.  It was good for a quick laugh. We quickly found our stride, and weaved through the shoppers until we finally exited the shopping area. It was about 5 miles to Kahalu'u Beach, and that was our destination. It was quite a leg workout to get there, but it was one of the most adventurous, and dangerous, parts of the entire vacation. The traffic was only inches away from us at times. When we finally pulled in to Kahalu'u Beach, we were thrilled. Go to this beach! If you don't want to ride a bike, take the shuttle or a cab. This beach was incredible! They have restrooms, showers, picnic tables and even a snack truck. You can also rent snorkeling gear and bodyboards there. It has everything! One side of the beach has a moderately rough current with decent waves to surf. We stayed to the opposite side where the snorkeling was. Oh my God! The snorkeling here will blow you away! Seriously, it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The reef has so many fish living on it that you will be engulfed by them at some point. One time, we were actually surrounded by a school of large, purple fish. And once again, I had a puffer fish checking me out all day!  But the real highlight of this beach is the turtles. They are everywhere! We counted about 6 of them feeding in the tide pools. There was a HUGE one feeding underwater. I spent a lot of time with it. At one point, I was actually following it around searching for a place to feed on the reef. Reef algae is not my thing though, so I mostly watched.  After hours of snorkeling and swimming, we decided to get hot dogs and some shave ice. The hot dogs hit the spot, but SKIP THE SHAVE ICE THERE. Ugh. It was garbage. We eventually ran out of time. I could have stayed there forever. But it was time to go. We hopped back on the bikes and headed back to the pier area. Traffic was worse on the way back (about the time everyone was getting off work). My wife had a close call with a truck. It was more of a miscommunication. She ended up stubbing her toe between the pedal and the pavement. Ouch! Thankfully, it wasn't serious. We made it back to the bike rental shop, dropped off the bikes and did a little shopping. By this time, it was getting extremely late. We only had about 30 minutes before we had to catch the last tender at 5PM. But for some reason, I was dying to give the shave ice another try. So we stopped at this place right near the pier called Scandinavian Shave Ice. Oh... My... God. That shave ice was amazing! It really is a special treat. They even offer shave ice with ice cream in the middle. GET IT! You will not regret it. The place was a bit eccentric. The staff was playing heavy metal softly in the background. They were definitely unique, and they knew how to make shave ice. It was almost like an art form or something. So we got the shave ice and moved on towards the pier. And that is when it hit us. The line to get on the tender boats was HUGE!! Do not wait until the last tender unless you are willing to wait a long time to get back to the ship. However, they will not leave you stranded, so do not panic. Some people where starting to get irritated because they kept thinking the ship was going to leave us. The ship said the last tender was at 5pm, but it ended up being at about 6pm. We set sail around 6:30 instead of 6pm. What an amazing day that was! My wife and I both agreed that Kona was a very special place.

In Kauai, we only had one day because the ship was going to be at sea all day on Friday. So we decided that we needed to stay active while we had the chance. Our day in Kauai also happened to be on Thanksgiving Day. What a Thanksgiving Day it was! We decided to rent a car again (Thrifty). The shuttle picked us up right outside the port. The Thrifty sight in Kauai is not at the airport. But then again, the only Thrifty that was right at an airport was in Hilo. That doesn't really matter though because you can catch the shuttle to and from the port with no problem. If you don't want to wait, take a cab. After we got the car, we headed straight for Wailua Falls. The falls were really nice, and it was our first encounter with the chickens. An entire row of them ran out in front of our rental car! They are everywhere on Kauai. It is tricky getting up to the falls. Drive slowly! After a certain point, the road narrows and there are potholes everywhere. But if you have the time, it is worth the drive. The falls were beautiful. We were lucky enough to beat the crowd again. Go early. The parking is narrow at the falls. I can only imagine has stressful the driving would have been later in the day. After Wailua, we headed south for Hanapepe. We had reservations with Inter-island Helicopters. Before we checked in with Inter-island, we stopped at the Salt Pond Beach Park. It is right next to the heliport. If you have the time, stop here. It is a great place to sit on the beach and relax. Also, more chickens and a rooster. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to relax. We only had about 20 minutes to kill. After a short stay at Salt Pond Beach Park, we headed over to Inter-island. Check-in was easy, and the receptionist was nice. We watched a short safety film and were directed to wait outside until our flight time at 11:30am. We were both very nervous. This was going to be our first helicopter flight. The helicopters are loud! The special thing about Inter-island is that their helicopters have NO DOORS! Holy Moses! It was intimidating at first. But we were both very excited and ready to see Kauai from the air. If you take a doorless helicopter flight, dress warmly. We wore wind breakers and they did just fine. Also, WEAR SUNGLASSES. The wind is pretty strong without the doors. But do not be afraid of the idea of flying in a helicopter with no doors. The seatbelts keep you securely in the helicopter. The danger is minimal. You would have to do something extremely dumb to get hurt or die. After we boarded the helicopter, we were securely fastened in by a staff member. Then, the flight began. Amazing. We started from Hanapepe and were quickly inside Waimea Canyon. I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful the view was. It was unnatural to see the island that way. It was heavenly. It made you feel like you were in a dream. Soon, we were heading directly for the Na Pali Coastline. You could see the ocean, and a steep drop. And then it hit us. Heavenly. The view is stunning. It will leave your mouth open and your heart racing. The pilot took us in and out of valleys in the mountains. Before we knew it, we were passing Ke'e Beach. We were at the north shore. It was extremely overcast there. The temperature quickly dropped. Water was beading up on the helicopters windshield. I still couldn't believe what I was seeing. The pilot was very nice and decided to go ahead, despite the weather, and take up into an amazing place. We went into the wettest place on Earth - the Wai'ale'ale Crater. The "Revealed" Hawaii book calls this place a "spiritual splendor". I think that description hits the nail on the head. We passed a 3000 FOOT WATERFALL in there! Unbelievable! 3000 feet! There were waterfalls everywhere. Oh, it was incredible. The pilot said they can't always get in there, and you can't hike up in there. We were very lucky to have witnessed it. After that, we headed across the Wailua Valley. There were many waterfalls to be seen. It was gorgeous. At this point, we had snapped just about all the pictures we could take. If you bring a camera, have it on a neck or wrist strap. The pictures come out great, due to the fact that the doors are missing. Before we knew it, we were descending into Hanapepe. What a flight. It pretty much drained the both of us. After disembarking the helicopter, my wife began to feel a bit woozy. We just sat in the rental car for awhile with the windows down until we could catch our breath (and footing). What an experience. If you can afford a helicopter flight over Kauai, DO IT! If you want an adventure, do it with no doors. There were times when I was looking straight down at the ground. The pilot would bend and twist the helicopter so that everyone had their chance to see the sites.

At this point, we decided we need to get some fresh air. So we headed for the beach. We chose to go to the Poipu area. Instead of Poipu Beach, we decided to try out Shipwreck Beach. Good choice. The beach is gorgeous, and right nearby are the lithified cliffs. You can take a short hike to a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean crashing against the rocks. Nobody was up there. It gave us plenty of time to rest with only the sound of the ocean nearby. Check this beach out, if you have the time. It was soon lunchtime, so we headed to the Poipu Village. It was very similar to the Whaler's Village in Maui. There are plenty of places to shop and eat. We did a bit of both. We decided to make a quick stop at Spouting Horn after lunch. It was not gushing very high into the air, but the sound it made was very odd sound and shook the ground. Also, more chickens.

Our last stop of the day was at Kipu Falls. This is a place I learned of through the "Revealed" books. Buy those books. The falls are easy to find. You just follow Kipu road until you get to a bridge. Stop before the bridge! You can park on the side of the road. You will then have a short hike through what looked like sugar cane. And before long, you are at Kipu Falls. What a neat little place. It is truly like something out of a movie. Our entire family was there waiting on us. Quite a few of our family members jumped off the falls into the water (including my wife). I managed to find a way to climb down some roots to get some spectacular shots of the falls and the activities from the shoreline. There is a rope swing there as well. Many people were trying that out too. It looked like a blast. The thing to note about Kipu Falls is two things. First, bring bug spray. You will most likely need it. Second, watch out for the red dirt. Your shoes will get muddy. Your rear-end may even get muddy if you slip on the trail. Mine did.  But oddly enough, no chickens.

Well, that about sums up the excursions. We had a blast on every island! There is SO MUCH TO DO in Hawaii! Get out and see some things. Those chickens in Kauai are everywhere. I truly got the meaning of the red dirt shirt that shows the chicken and says "Road Warrior". If you are out and about in Kauai, you will come across them.


Here are a few tips about each island:

Hilo - Go see the VNP (roll the windows down), driving in Hilo is easy, you can get fresh leis right off the ship (buy one here because they get harder to find).

Maui - Ka'anapali Beach is nothing spectacular, Lahaina is interesting (great shopping), try the zipline!, take the Road to Hana (I would have done with more time).

Kona - GREAT SNORKELING AT KAHALU'U BEACH, do your snorkeling during your stop in Kona, get the shave ice, Captain Zodiac's Adventure is popular here (heard it was a chance to see dolphins and do some great snorkeling).

Kauai - Do your helicopter tour here, get out and see this island, red dirt will stain clothes & shoes.


A few more tips about the boat:

1. Tip your steward. Our steward's name was Eli. He kept our room looking great.
2. Have your swipe/key card and ID/Driver's License easily accessible. They are checked, or used, quite frequently during your cruise.
3. On the last night, you will need to pack everything inside your luggage and leave it outside your stateroom door. You will pick up your bags right outside the ship the following morning.


One final note:

We used two backpacks the entire trip. They were our carry-on bags for the airplane, and they were used to carry everything we needed on the islands during our excursions. Make sure to carry plenty of water when you are out and about! It also helps to have snacks with you (i.e. trail mix). ENJOY YOUR CRUISE!!

Here we are at the end of CHAIN OF CRATERS RD. This is where lava flowed over the road in 2003. You can see where lava is currently entering the ocean from this spot.

I'm that dot on the bridge. That is the Iao Needle behind me. It is located on the island of Maui.

This is a picture of Cameron and I after a luau on Maui. There was dancing, drumming and chanting! It was incredible!

The pictures above are of Cameron and I ziplining in Maui. It was lots of fun!

This is a nice shot of the Na Pali coastline from our helicopter tour. What a ride that was! Spectacular!

Here we are after the helicopter ride over Kauai. We loved that island!

This is all the pictures I am going to post. We had about 900 pictures from the trip!  Aloha!