We left home in the fall prepared to do a cruise (suitcases,
good clothes), so we found a good deal to Hawaii leaving from Long Beach,
California and off we went! We figured being able to drive to the port was
easier (& cheaper) than flying and the price was right. Princess cruises,
15 nights, to Hawaii and return, balcony stateroom, Baja deck, 11th
floor, #202 (first cabin forward on that deck), Emerald Princess.
We drove to Long Beach, left the car at the hotel, did a bit
of sightseeing close by (Queen Mary, a beach) and departed on Feb. 24. We were
worried about being seasick so we wore seabands for a few days but were OK –
despite having “rough seas’ 7.5-12 ft waves and windy for the 4 days crossing
to Hawaii.
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| Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach, now a hotel |
Every evening a guide to the day’s activities was left in
our mail slot outside the door – everything from art auctions, bingo, musical
entertainment, enrichment lectures, Spanish lessons, trivia games, Hula &
ukulele lessons, shopping information, spa promotions, Movies Under the Stars,
Theatre production shows and lots more! Definitely overwhelming – impossible to
do it all, plus relaxation needed to be included, oh and don’t forget eating!
We certainly did our fair share of eating, buffet style and formal dining room
– they say that the average cruise guest gains ½ to 1 lb. per day – we were
thankfully less than that! Our room was on deck 11 at the front, buffet on deck
15 at the back, dining room on deck 5 – we took the stairs always, despite
thinking that it was going to kill us.
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| the port of Long Beach |
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| our room, green dot |
We often walked as if we were drunk – just the swaying of
the ship - we even felt movement when we were on shore. We went through 2 time
changes going and 3 changes coming back – not so bad for us but I felt very
sorry for the crew as they had to work every day. The staff was amazing, we are
feeling hard done by now as no one is leaving chocolates on our pillows or
changing towels twice a day! The food was excellent, lobster twice on formal
dress nights –we each had 2 tails and the desserts were heavenly!
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| one of the production shows |
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| our very long hallway! |
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| champagne fountain on formal night |
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| an example of a menu |
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| the promenade deck |
We took in several new movies, fun to sit in a lounger on
deck and watch, complete with blankets & popcorn. The weather was a bit
cool; Robin watched 2 movies while sitting in the hot tub.
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| Movies Under the Stars |
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| waves in the pool on rough sea days! |
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| a few desserts |
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| more Movies |
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| Robin on a lounger |
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| and watching from the hot tub! |
After 4 days at sea we came to our first stop – the Big
Island, Hawaii at Hilo. On the approach to the harbor we spotted the first of
many humpback whales! We did an
excursion that took in several sights including the Mauna Loa macadamia nut
factory and Volcanoes National Park – overcast and showers when we got up to
the summit but still interesting. Kilauea volcano has erupted nonstop for 35
years but it quit in Sept. 2018 – go figure, just before we decide to visit!
But we saw and felt lots of steam.
Keck observatory on Maunakea
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| Richardson black sand beach |
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| green turtle |
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| Emerald Princess |
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| Japanese garden, Hilo |
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| Rainbow Falls |
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| Kilauea volcano |
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| steam vents, Kilauea |
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| lava field |
Next day, next island – Oahu at Honolulu. Here we did a
scenic drive along the coast, thru Waikiki Beach, along the shore with gorgeous
green mountains along the way. After wandering around Honolulu for a couple
hours we were off to a luau – Germaines Luau where we were very well fed; pig
cooked in a pit as well as poi (purple goo made from taro, not particularly
good) and all the trimmings and then entertained by hula dancers and singers.
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| Aloha Tower, Honolulu |
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| Hanauma Bay |
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| red crested cardinal |
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| Germaine's Luau |
Next day, next island – Kauai, port of Nawiliwili. The
mountains still very green but not quite as lush – this is the oldest of the
Hawaiian Islands. Here we did the Wailua River cruise and fern grotto, a
peaceful trip down the river, stopping at a cave covered in ferns and dripping
water – where they sang the Hawaiian wedding song. Along the way we were
entertained hearing about all the movies that have been filmed on Kauai and on
the river.
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| Fern Grotto |
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| river cruise |
All the Hawaiian Islands have a unique wild bird species –
chickens! Many years ago during a hurricane all the chicken coops were
destroyed, the chickens got loose and they roam free to this day! On Kauai
there are no mongooses (they are on the other islands) so more chickens as well
as chicks.
On Kauai I had my first experience with Hawaiian shave ice –
it was delicious!! And then there is
Spam – it has become a staple in the diet of many Hawaiians’, comes in many
flavors, plus they flavor macadamia nuts with it! This we passed on.
Next day, fourth port – Lahaina, Maui; requiring a ride from
the ship to the pier in tenders (the ship’s lifeboats). Here we were
entertained by a whale doing rolls & “waving” at us. This was the port that
I was eager to get to – I was going snorkelling! Robin came on the boat ride and helped out the
snorkelers as they boarded the boat – fairly rough water and lots of waves
which bothered a lot of folks but not me! I had an incredible experience –
swimming with green turtles, bright colorful fish, sea urchins and pretty
corals. Unfortunately no photos but great memories! We were lucky to see a
large pod of spinner dolphins and several whales on the trip back. We had time
for a leisurely wander around the shops, another shave ice, some Hawaiian beer
and a beach stop for sand & seaglass for our collection.
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| tender |
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| humpback whale "waving" |
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| spinner dolphins alongside our boat |
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| me, waving, snorkeling |
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| Maui |
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| a monstrous banyan tree in Nawiliwili |
Back at sea, five sea days before seeing land again! No
birds or sea life along the way – just wide open ocean, thankfully a bit less
rough on the return trip. We got back to our daily Spanish lesson, more
enrichment lectures; especially enjoyed the one explaining the differences
between the Hawaii volcanoes & ones like Mt. St. Helen's, catching up on
movies and more eating!! A delightful feature of cruising is that every meal is
spent chatting with different folks from all over.
Our last port, Ensenada, Mexico – we have driven through and
spent time there many times on our RV trips down the Baja so it was familiar
and we knew just where to go for great fish tacos! We were greeted by a
Mariachi band then a short walk along the boardwalk, past the dancing fountains
(set to music) and along the marina. Time to eat twice, drink a few cervesas,
buy a belt and enjoy watching all the locals out for a Sunday stroll. Back to
reality tomorrow.
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| Mariachi band |
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| Princess ship on the left, our cabin at the red dot, Carnival ship on the right |
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| Ensenada fish market |
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| shrimp ceviche with our tacos |
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| shark heads & jaws! |
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| dancing fountains |
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| sea lions near the bow of the ship |
Our last night on the ship was busy with packing and one
last buffet, followed by watching a helicopter evacuation for medical reasons
as we sailed along. The helicopter matched our speed, hovered over an upper
deck and hoisted the person up in a basket. The captain ordered 4 decks to be
evacuated in the area below the “action”, we were forward of that and were able
to watch most of the goings on from our balcony. I saw online later that it was
a suspected heart issue but the person is stable.
Unfortunately our little “vacation” came to an end the
morning of March 11 - we left the ship by 8:00AM, got our car and did a little
drive south along the coast as far as Newport Beach. Too chilly for much beach
walking so we headed home to Quartzsite. Now we have about a month before we
start our journey north to our summer home.
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| surfer |
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| along the California coast |
Still Living the Dream!
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