It was evident that the second day of our stay in Honolulu began with some showers through the late evening hours. Our balcony and railing was wet, and we knew that no one had been hosing during the night. In fact, we had a notice yesterday, that all of the verandas would be cleaned sometime before noon. That’s nice, since there has been a significant amount of salt deposited on every surface. We think the last time the deck was cleaned was before we left Seattle back on September 29th.
Another notice we got was an invitation to a complimentary cooking class today at 1pm in America’s Test Kitchen. However, we had other plans, and chose not to go again. With five days at sea ahead of us, why have this class on a port day? And to add to this, we had been informed that this class was not “hands on” due to the larger-than-usual 3 to 5 star members onboard this cruise. So we declined.
The same tours were offered today, with the exception of the evening Polynesian Cultural Center. Germaine’s Luau would be tonight only. You may ask what’s for dinner at a luau? The main items include Kalua pork, BBQ chicken, fish, or lomilomi salmon. We read somewhere that if you want some lobster or crab legs, you paid $20 extra. Sides included rice, poi (made from pounded taro root), fresh fruits, and haupia, a coconut dessert. Traditionally, the meal is served buffet-style, and is conducted table by table, as there may be hundreds of diners there.
Leaving the ship around 11am, we made our way to the Ala Moana Hawaii’s Center, or the world’s largest open-air shopping mall. There are over 350 stores and restaurants in this multi-level complex. It has the nickname of the “granddaddy of them all”. Major stores are Nordstrom’s, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, and Target. Besides walking from several nearby hotels or from the ship, like us, buses and trolleys run there too. Most of them cost $2 each way. From the ship, a free shopping shuttle was provided by Maui Divers Jewelry or Hilo Hattie’s, both going to the mall and even Walmart. You are obligated to attend a Maui Divers tour, where they hope you are enticed into buying something expensive. Then you are free to go. Coming back, you are given a sticker to get the free ride back to the pier. The times are about from 10am to 4pm. At the very least, it is an alternate way of getting around without melting in the heat of the day. And it really beats taking a taxi. A great idea is what our friends do while here for a month. They get a senior bus pass, and ride any bus for free. Great idea.
Nordstrom’s was added to this complex a few years ago, so we are not too familiar with the entry point. Right past the parking garage, we located an elevator that took us up to the second level of the store. From there, we found our way into the heart of the complex. Since it was noontime, we headed for the upper level with the full service restaurants. Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Co. is where we had a credit waiting on our Landry’s card. That is always a nice thing. So there was room, and we did not have to wait, which was also a nice thing. Diet Pepsi’s and one burger, and one chicken sandwich were our entrees. Rounding out the meal, we shared a generous slice of key lime pie, piled with whipped cream. Made in-house, it had to be one of the best ones we have eaten in a long time. The tart and tangy filling was smooth and silky, rich and creamy. Not exactly “diet”, it had the least amount of calories compared to their other desserts. How’s that for rational thinking? Oh well, it is a vacation, where you can indulge and worry about it later.
We went back on the inside streets, passing different stores on what is left of Ward’s Center. On the far end of the first strip mall shopping, we used to frequent a place called Cookies, where they sold some unique island clothing at reasonable prices. The entire section of that complex is totally gone now….an empty lot with a parking garage. This property is probably worth a fortune due to its location. So we expect to see something big rise out of the ashes, so to speak. We do believe that Cookies has two more locations on Oahu, but not near this area.
Yesterday, upon returning to the ship, there was no line of guests waiting to board. Today, that was not the case. We must have hit at least two buses coming back from tours, plus people coming back, so the line had to be 100 people long. It was obvious that many crew members had gone shopping to stores like Ross, Target, and Walmart. There were only two xray machines set up, and that slowed the process. Do you know how many people still don’t know that they need a photo ID as well as their key card to get back into the terminal? Coming into any US port requires close scrutiny from the security officers. They take their jobs seriously and for good reason.
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in our room, watching the harbor traffic from the balcony. We lucked out when the Captain docked starboard side, or else we would be looking at an ugly building. A couple of huge ships were escorted into the harbor with tugs, while the Star of Honolulu and the Atlantis Adventure’s Majestic, left for their 2 hour dinner cruises. The larger of the two, The Star of Honolulu, offers a sunset buffet of roast beef and a few beverages for $90 and tax. An all-you-can-eat crab meal runs $107 plus tax. There is a live form of entertainment as well.
On the Majestic, they have an appetizer buffet with drinks from $99 to $129. They also have entertainment, while both vessels have a fireworks show every Friday.
We watched as they departed the harbor around 5:30pm, and then saw them come back around 7:30pm.
One other small yacht advertised a dinner sailing for $50 with a steak and seafood meal. For a 2 hour ride, that might be the better deal.
Earlier in the day, we had seen fit to put some of our positive comments on one of the Let Us Know cards, or whatever they are called now. There are several crew members that have gone out of their way with service, and we always like to single them out. So this evening before dinner, the Head Housekeeper stopped by to say thanks for our praise. Then he offered to do more for us if we requested, especially since we have requested very little in his opinion. Wow, how nice. Now if the chefs could take out the calories from the delicious food, we would be happy campers.
Dinnertime was back in the dining room. Our section was full, so our waiters had to be on the move. In fact, they are so efficient, we are pretty much done by 9pm. Again, we had a visit from the Culinary Manager, who asked what more he could do to make our stay better. Nothing, we said, as everything has been to our satisfaction. Now maybe he is the one to ask about the excess calories.
We tried the little coconut-crusted pork meatballs, soup, salad, and entrees of sweet and sour chicken. The only disappointment had to be the dessert. You would expect a dessert called a torte with walnuts would have walnuts in it. Not one nut anywhere. We truly believe our waiter brought the wrong dessert, but he claimed the cake with the meringue on top was correct. Oh well, we already did dessert in town, and passing this one up was a wise idea.
No show tonight, but they did put on a movie – Pearl Harbor at 8:30pm, one time only. Quite appropriate, but we have seen it more than twice for sure.
All aboard was 10:30pm, with a sail out of Honolulu Harbor by 11pm we assume. Doubt we stay up for the view. Tomorrow we shall be in Maui with a later than usual all aboard time of 10:30pm.
Bill & Mary Ann
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Report #19 Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii October 9, 2018 Tuesday Chance of rain & 82 degrees
