Saturday, August 20th
Five years ago, for our 25th wedding anniversary, we'd planned to celebrate by taking a trip to Hawaii. Then the bottom fell out of the economy and Larry lost his job. Undeterred, we promised ourselves that we would go for our 30th, come hell or high water. And that we did! Having never been to Hawaii before, we decided to take a cruise that circled the islands, making several stops along the way, and spend a few days in Oahu at the end. We took the girls along with us, of course - they would have never forgiven us if we'd left them behind!
Our last cruise was 30 years ago for our honeymoon. Things have changed a lot since then. The first thing we noticed was how strict security was. Even though we never left the US (as opposed to visiting three Caribbean countries before), we and our bags were thoroughly scanned every time we left and re-entered the ship. Secondly, our honeymoon cruise was the then-typical "dress for dinner" affair, and much of our packed clothing was more formal in nature in order to have appropriate attire. This was a "Freestyle" cruise, and was much more casual. The strictest dress code denied shorts and flip flops and required close-toed shoes for men. Certainly a more comfortable approach with two teenagers along.
After an uneventful flight across the Pacific Ocean, we arrived in Honolulu, boarded NCL's Pride of America and found our stateroom.
Unlike the inside cabin of our honeymoon cruise, this one had not only a window, but a balcony accessed by a sliding glass door. Considering the cramped size of our room (especially once the beds were all extended at night!), we were delighted to have the balcony to add to our living space, and afford us with ever-changing views. A rainbow greeted us as we readied to leave port.
We had purchased the Anniversary Package, but were still surprised to find our room decorated with anchor streamers, balloons, and signs congratulating us on our anniversary, as well as chocolate-dipped strawberries and a bottle of champagne.
Sarah and Emily took off to explore the ship and swim, while Larry and I enjoyed a glass of champagne on the balcony as we left port. After dinner later that night, we sipped more bubbly and enjoyed the warm breeze as we watched the sea birds follow the ship-produced waves across the ocean toward Maui.
Sunday, August 21st
Our first port of call was Kahului, Maui. We started the day with a volcano tour. This bus excursion took us to the top of Haleakala. The day was rainy with nothing but clouds, the remnants of a hurricane accompanying us the whole way. The result: zero visibility from 3000' up, and absolutely no view from the top . At the 10,000' mark, we were lucky to see a few yards ahead of us. Disappointing, but you can't control Mother Nature!
Our bus driver/tour guide narrated the sights we passed on the way. She showed us sugar cane fields and the sugar mill, as well as identifying much of the flora and fauna we encountered.
The highlight of the trip for me was visiting with my seatmate. Because we happened to be the last four people on the bus, our family was split up. I sat in an empty seat next to a woman from Boston, traveling with three generations of her family. She was very social and liked to talk - we were well-paired and had some lovely conversation the entire way. Nothing to see, so we just made the best of it!
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