You never know what a day will bring. Take today, for instance. This was Kona day with a tender ride to shore….our very first time using the tenders on this ship. In every Alaska stop, we were docked in a port including Vancouver, so all worked just fine. Today? Not so much.
Breakfast was early as it always is on a port day at 7:30am. It wasn't overly crowded, so we assumed many guests were on ship excursions. A day or so ago, we got a note saying that as their most loyal Mariners, we would have priority tender service. This is normal, but when the note continued saying we had to go to the Wajang Theater to be escorted to the platform, we thought that was odd.
Normally with few exceptions, we wait until the mad rush is over before heading to shore. And more times than not, they announce open tenders. By 11am, we went to the Wajang Theater where a table was set up with a sign for priority tendering. The list read President's Club, 5 and 4 star Mariners, Club Orange members, and finally Pinnacle (suite) and Neptune guests. We were being lumped into one category with possibly hundreds of guests. We were handed tender tickets, and asked to wait in the theater. Oddly enough, we had witnessed a couple of tenders being loaded back onboard before we left the room. Perhaps the majority of folks were already over to the island. Why else pull up the boats?
This is not how tendering works on every other HAL ship we have ever sailed since becoming President's Club members. And that was back in 2015. We simply showed our room keys, and were allowed down the elevator or stairs to the platform. On grand voyages, there may have been upwards of 60 or more President's Club members, and none of us had to get tickets or wait. This is the first ship where we have encountered this method of tendering. So where's the priority?
Seeing our Mariner rep, Vini, at the platform, we questioned him as to their method here. There are only two of us, maybe three, that are in President's Club on this entire cruise. Vini did not have an instant answer for us other than they had to have a head count, and the only way was with tender tickets. On the Zuiderdam, our rep Michelle, radioed the platform people that two more were coming down. How easy was that? We were getting nowhere fast, so we boarded the waiting tender. We will follow up with this later and try to resolve their priority system. As far as we can see it, there is no priority.
And that was another eye-opener. We have never seen such old and small tender boats. This ship must have gotten the leftovers when they sold the four sister ships back in 2020. Lucky for us, we were among the last guests to board the cramped boat. It did not help that it was hot and the boat was rocking with the wave action. A nice 5 star couple sitting next to us said they were waiting in this boat for over 45 minutes. They were incensed at the method being used as much as we were. By the time the boat was about to leave, a couple jumped off saying they could not breathe in the tight quarters. Or they were getting seasick. Thank goodness the ride was fairly short. So much for that.
Kona has always been a fun stop for us. It is much different than the other Hawaiian cities. Located on the dry side of the Big Island of Hawaii, Kona is for the sports-minded nature-loving folks. Tours ranged from Kona highlites for $110 and 3 ½ hours, or a ride in a glass bottom boat for one hour and $90. The Atlantis submarine was a bit more at $240 for 1 ¼ hours. Kona coffee is famous world-wide so a trip to a coffee farm and cloud forest was $220 for 4 hours. Usually there are trips to Volcanoes National Park, but our stay was too short for that. There will be a chance for that while in Hilo. Many years ago, we did a snorkel swim at Captain Cook's Monument where he and some of his men died. A pod of spinner dolphins appeared suddenly. That's when we learned they can be dangerous to people, and we had to exit the water immediately. Pretty exciting to be so close to those dolphins since they are quite large close-up. They probably served us double rum punches once back on the boat.
Today we walked most of the seven miles of Alii Drive, the main drag in town. As soon as you get off of the ender boat, the shops and diners begin for miles. We passed by the seawall where a small sandy beach always has locals swimming. It was so hot we could have joined them clothes and all. The surf was up enough to send some waves pouring over the wall, soaking the sidewalk. Warning signs are long this stretch so people know it can be slippery. Next we walked by Hulihe'e Palace which has been restored to the 1880's Victorian grandeur. This was the summer home of Hawaii's royalty, and is a museum these days. Entrance used to be free, now there is a fee involved. It seems like it is closed every time we stop here. Mondays are not the busiest day of the week here.
Across the street past the gigantic ficus tree, is Mokuaikaua Church, built in1820. It was the first Christian church in all of Hawaii at the time. Recently they observed the 200 year anniversary. This entire area is full of boutiques, eateries, and unique souvenir shops. One of our favorite stores has to be the Donkey Balls Store where gourmet chocolates, macadamia nuts, brittles, honeys, and seasonings are sold. Of course, they do have an amusing line of clothing.
Over the years, we always looked forward to visiting Kona Farmers Market, the craft and veggie market along this street. All we saw today, and the last two times we were here, was the car lot that charges for parking. There was no sign of the tents that were set up in the back end of the lot. Besides the fun Hawaiian jewelry, clothes, and handbags they sold, they also had a fine variety of monkeypod bowls and carvings. Fresh pineapples, coconuts, and mangoes were sold in abundance. Perhaps this venue has moved elsewhere.
The Kona Inn Shopping Village is still there. In the center is a small Hilo Hattie's, surrounded by shops with similar clothing. Many other boutiques have shut their doors here. The Kona Inn is still here, although it is not an inn anymore, but a nice place to dine. There are samples of the deep sea fish caught in these waters. They include a blue marlin which weighed 1376 pounds. There is an ahi tune or yellow fin tuna which can grow to 250 pounds. The average is 150 pounds. The most colorful fish has to be the dorado or mahi mahi, which can weigh up to 87 pounds. Average is 25 pounds in Kona. Ono or wahoo can be caught year round and is one of the fastest fish gaining speeds up to 60mph. Good tasting too.
Continuing on, we passed by the Coconut Grove Marketplace which is surrounded with condos and smaller hotels. Some of the properties are under construction and promise to be opened in the fall of 2024 and sometime in 2025. Most were nowhere near being finished. One if the major restaurants in Coconut Grove was the Outback Steakhouse, which is gone now.
Walking down a side road, we found the Royal Kona Resort built right on the beachfront. This hotel has a nice display of the Kings and Queens of Hawaii dating back centuries. One of their customs was extreme, such as not eating meals with each other. Women were not allowed to eat with husbands, and husbands were not to dine with their wives. And it was punishable by death. Wow. No sharing "pupus" with each other.
This resort has an outdoor bar and restaurant, nice large shops, and accessible restrooms. The busiest spot had to be their swimming pool, which appeared murky, like it was salt water. The surrounding ponds and fountains were filled with 2 foot long fish, but they were not koi. We found a secluded spot to sit and relax while watching the Kailua Bay activity. There were a few parachute flights, some fishing boats, and snorkelers. What we did not see were the noisy jet skis buzzing by. Guess they are not allowed here. Surf boards, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding are as good as it gets.
Time to start heading back, we worked our way up and down the side streets and past all of the small boutiques and ice cream shops along the way. The word "Alii" means a reference to a chief or chiefess of royalty. So it is a fitting name for this stretch of seaside road. On cruise ship Wednesdays, a free walking tour is conducted by the business district starting at 9:30am. The main points of interest are explained by a local who grew up here. Beginning at the huge banyan tree by the pier, the main sites are described for about one mile. Of course, the businesses and what they offer happen to be part of the mix. The history is unique and the best part is that it's complimentary.
Our ultimate destination was Poncho and Lefty's, a very fun restaurant and cantina. The best place to sit is on the top deck where you can watch the street traffic and people below on Alii Drive. Since it was so warm today, the Longboard draft beers never tasted so good and ice cold. Ice water was served without asking. While we were checking out the menu, a bowl of tortilla chips and some salsa arrived to our table. At home, we used to go to a restaurant called Maria Maria's, owned by Carlos Santana. They made fresh warm tortilla chips served with a bowl of tasty salsa. Unfortunately, it closed a few years ago, but we always remembered the complimentary appetizer. So here we are in Kona, enjoying the chips and salsa once again. And like Maria's, it's bottomless. We agreed to share one plate of nachos with carnitas. We forgot what that means, until the nice waiter said it was marinated pork. Perfect. As always, we had a few begging sparrows and small doves that cleaned up the tiny crumbs beneath our feet. We thoroughly enjoyed our hour up here, until it was time to move on. But not before we ended our meal with a Kona coffee ice cream mud pie. Close to the Hula pie, this dessert did not have the macadamia nuts.
The walk back was slow due to heavier street traffic and people roaming around. The souvenir shopping gets pretty busy here closer to the pier. Always good for colorful photos. And if we had not indulged with the mud pie, we may have stopped for a shaved ice treat at the Scandinavian Ice Shop. It had the be the busiest spot here today.
There is a Courtyard Marriott near the pier here with the sacred site of the Ahuena Helau, the place where the great king died. A small beach faces this monument and it appeared to be full of vacationing families. We got on the next tender boat for the ride back.
The rest of the afternoon was for cooling down and working online. All aboard was 5:30pm, but we did not lift the anchor and exit the bay until after 6pm. While watching the surrounding waters, one of us saw a huge stingray come flying out of the water near the aft of the ship. How odd was that? The last time we were here in January, we did see diving and spouting whales close by. We are a few months shy of seeing that migration as it peaks in December we have read.
Dinnertime found us ordering one wonton soup , a crab appetizer (very little crab) and Caesar salads. Mains were a breaded pork chop and deep-fried breaded chicken that we call KFC. The waiters get it as they love KFC. Desserts were a few tiny scoops of rocky road ice cream.
Looking forward to tomorrow's 2 day stay in Honolulu.
Bill & Mary Ann
