Cruise to Hawaii (January, 2013)

Our latest cruise took us round trip on the Diamond Princess from Los Angeles to Hawaii.  It was our tenth cruise overall, though our first on Princess.  At 14 days, it was also our longest cruise. And I think we can say it was our favorite cruise to date.  We left Wednesday, January 15.  We had 4+ days at sea followed by stops on the islands of Hawaii, Oahu, Kauai and Maui.  Then, it was another 4+ days at sea and a brief stop in Ensenada, Mexico, before returning to the mainland.

Our first port of call was Hilo, Hawaii, also known as The Big Island.  We took an excursion to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The park is the home of the Kilauea Volcano.  One of the most active volcanoes on earth, Kilauea is called "the world's only drive-in volcano."

Another interesting place to visit at the park was the Thurston Lava Tube, which was formed by flowing lava 500 years ago.  A little dark and a little wet, but a fairly easy walk.

Our next stop was in Honolulu.  We had been to Hawaii a couple of years earlier, so we had seen much of Oahu on that trip.  But one attraction we missed was the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the punchbowl since it's located in the crater of an extinct volcano.  Rather than taking one of the ship's excursions, we grabbed a taxi to get us there.

The cemetery is the final resting place for many who fought in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. Some who are buried here died in the line of duty; others died long after the wars were over.  There apparently was a service taking place as we walked around as we could hear "Taps" playing faintly in the distance.

One of those most famous individuals buried here is Ernie Pyle, the famed reporter known for his coverage of World War II.

From the top of the crater, you can see the Diamond Princess off in the distance. From the cemetery, we took a cab to Waikiki and spent some time there before walking back to the ship.

After Oahu, it was on to Kauai, the oldest of the Hawaiian islands and the least populous of the islands we visited.  For our excursion on Kauai, we boarded a tour bus for a winding road trip to Waimea Canyon.  Mark Twain called it the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."  Not the kind of scenery I was expecting in Hawaii.

Same canyon. Different angle.

Our final port of call was Maui, an island we visited in 1976.  We took an excursion that took us to several locations.  Our first stop was Kepaniwai Park and Heritage Gardens, which was created in 1952 to celebrate the diversity of Hawaii's immigrants.  For example, this is a memorial to Korean immigrants who arrived in Hawaii in 1903.

Nearby is the Iao Needle, one of Maui's most recognizable landmarks.

Our ride back to the ship included a stop at the Maui Tropical Plantation. OK, it wasn't the most exciting part of the trip, but watching this guy open a coconut was actually kind of interesting.

But the majority of the trip was spent on the ship.  And we had a great time.  A lot of that had to do with the folks with whom we shared a dinner table each night. And a few trivia contests, as well.  In front are Reggie and Sharon from Texas.   Behind us are Karen and Gloria from Alberta.  And on the far right right are Colin and Annette from England.  We couldn't have asked for better cruise companions.  We're planning to see Colin and Annette again when we go to London in late April.

We also enjoyed our dinner crew. That's Julius (Assistant Waiter) on the left and Rafael (Waiter) on the right. Julius, in particular, cracked us up with his nightly antics. Witness this video of Julius and another member of the dinner crew serenading Reggie and Sharon on their anniversary (sorry for the bad video at the beginning...I was learning a new camera).

And then, there's this.  A photo that few of you could have predicted. Ships on this route generally offer ukelele lessons. They're offered on sea days only, so we had eight lessons.  Enough to prepare us for a performance in the ship's main theater.  This was taken on the day of the performance. The shirt was borrowed from Reggie, the ukelele was borrowed from the ship and the lei was made by Steph in a class she took.  The performance by the "Ukelele Masters" included three songs, two of them with hula dancers (another class offered on the ship).  We opened with Little Grass Shack, performed Tiny Bubbles sans dancers, and then rejoined the dancers to conclude with Aloha Oe.  About the only time I'm visible is on Tiny Bubbles, when there are no dancers in the way. I'm right behind our lead singer, Dave.  Dinner mates Sharon and Reggie are to the left of me.

That's it for now.  As I already mentioned, next up is a trip to London in late April.  We'll be on the brand new Norwegian Breakaway to get us back to the US.