Aloha, Hawaii Series: Kona

On Day 5, we woke up in Kona.  But was what great was we slept in.  The previous night was a late one, so sleeping in was on the menu.  Plus, while planning our activities, we decided to have a down day.  Just exploring the immediate area around the ship, doing a little shopping, but mostly hanging out on the boat.

It was also the day I took advantage of the spa!!!  Oh, I had won a body scrub on the first night of the cruise.  Decided to take full advantage of our down day to get my relaxation on.

After breakfast, we made our way to the shore.  First stop was for Ronnie:

One day, he'll make it here...  and not just to visit.  We walked around town a bit.  Kona felt very beach touristy to us: t-shirt shops, "Hawaii" souvenirs, .  I was glad we didn't have much planned, though I'm sure there were cool things to see outside of the immediate area.  We saw the first Christian church built in Hawaii (it was being repaired -- scaffolding everywhere) and Hulihee Palace.

The girls were in rare form, so we decided to nix the tours and just walk around the grounds.  These girls...  I swear!  

Eventually, we made our way back to the ship.  It was time for my spa appointment and the girls were begging to go to Kids Club.

While I was at my spa appointment, Ronnie decided to go for a swim... an open swim on the Ironman course.  When he made it back to the ship, he said it was hard going straight and he got concerned about boaters seeing him, but he would do it again in a heartbeat.  We spent the rest of the day swimming and lounging by the pool.  A few hours later, we got cleaned up and headed to the Brazilian Steakhouse for dinner (the girls' pick!).  After dinner, the girls begged to go back to the Kids Club.  Poor me, having to spend all this time alone with him ;)

Next up, Kauai.  

Aloha, Hawaii Series: Hilo

By the magic of cruise ship, we woke up right outside the port of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Once again, as soon as we were docked, we were off the boat, off to get our rental car, and getting on the road.  We had a big day planned before the ship left that night.  Yet again, we were driving to see another volcano.

On our way, we found a great little farmers stand on the side of the road.  The countryside is dotted with these stands.  It's something I love about Hawaii -- fresh fruits and veggies!  We picked up some fruits to snack on for our trip and some whole bean coffee for later.  Eventually, we made it to Volcanoes National Park.

We did our normal MO: stopped at the ranger station for the Junior Ranger books and a look around the visitor's center.  The ranger was insistent that we also check out the hike down to the lava tubes -- it was one of the activities the girls could do for their Junior Ranger badge.  Boy was he right!

The Thurston Lava tubes are hidden in a lush green forest.  It was a real treat to hike down to the entrance and then make our way through the tube.  We had a great chat with the girls about how the lava tube was formed, different animals that call the tube home, and just enjoying the cool breeze.

We then made our way to the Kilauea Iki Overview.  It took Ronnie and I everything we had to not drag the girls on a hike -- there is a GREAT trail that goes off and across the caldera.  We just didn't have the time. But it was nice to sit and watch the hikers down below.

The Jaggar Museum and Kilauea Overlook were our next stop...  not a bad view for lunch huh?

We enjoyed our time, watching all the tourists (I know... I know! We are tourists too, but as native Floridians, Ronnie and I can't help ourselves).  The girls finished up their Ranger books while we chatted with the park rangers.

Before we knew it, it was time to get on the road...  We had one more stop before we headed back to the boat.  The island is known for black sand beaches.  How cool is that?  Black sand?   And lucky for us, it was right around the corner from the entrance to Volcanoes National Park.  But this  beach we  is known for something very, very special:

 
The green sea turtle!   They love to sun on the beach here.   As we were walking down the beach, we walked right past this guy -- he blended right into lava rocks.  We also got a little too close to another, as a local "advised" us.  But it was an awesome experience to have.

We made our way back to the boat for our departure and got cleaned up for our real date night.  The cruise had a Chef's Table event: a nine-course gourmet meal with wine (!).

My mouth is watering and I have a smile on my face while sitting here remembering this night.  I have a better photo, but this was the best one that captured our night. The food was absolutely delicious. The wine was amazing! Excellent dining company.  The Executive Chef, Wine Steward were so approachable -- we even had them laughing by the middle of the service.  And the Service!  The service was top notch!!!  Everything was carefully coordinated but seemed effortless.  Seriously, if you ever have an opportunity to attend one of these events, DO IT!   We had such an amazing time!
Before we knew it, it was time to get the girls and head up to the observation deck -- the boat was passing Kilauea.

The glow was too far off... my camera lens just didn't have the distance to really capture it.  But with the lights turned off on the boat, the stars above were breathtaking and the glow in the distance was amazing.

Next up, Kona!

Aloha, Hawaii Series: Cruising to Maui

After our day at the USS Arizona, we made a beeline for the cruise ship.  After checking in and boarding the ship, we headed for our stateroom to drop off our bags and get changed for the pool.

The pool was busy -- but it was the perfect place to grab a cold beverage, read over the day's activities, and soak some sun.  After a few hours, we headed back to our stateroom and changed into dry clothes for dinner.  The girls were rushing us -- they were just itching to go check out the Kid's Club!  We had stopped in there during our tour of the boat and the kids activities started at 7 pm.  Sure, girls, twist our arm to let you play...  Ronnie and I kissed them goodbye and headed back to the deck to enjoy the sunset while the boat sailed away from port.

The next morning, we woke up in Maui!  And we got to sleep through the trip there.  As soon as we were in port, we were off the boat quickly and on the shuttle to pick up our rental car for the day. We had a full day of sight-seeing planned.  And we got all the local details thanks to another friend of ours letting us borrow her Hawaii Revealed book series.

First up, Haleakala National Park.  

The drive across the sugar cane fields of Maui and up the mountain was GORGEOUS!  We stopped at the lower park ranger station to pick up the girls' Junior Ranger books.  The girls worked on their books as we made our way to the upper ranger station.  Soon they were giggling in the back and saying nēnē.  We were like what?  Apparently, nēnēs are geese and the state bird of Hawaii.  

Eventually, we made it to the top.  The upper ranger station is situated on the summit of the volcano and had the most breathtaking views.  Perfect for the girls to finish up their books while we explored.  The ranger told us that the park was home to more endangered species than any other NPS park.  Absolutely amazing!  

 

Our drive back down the mountain was just as rewarding as the drive up.

We eventually made our way back to the ship and to the pool.  Again, the kids swimming, cold drinks, and a book while soaking in the sun...  Nothing more relaxing!

And yet again, the girls were chomping at the bit to go to Kids Club after dinner.  Geez, twist my arm to have my husband all to myself again!  

The next morning, it was time for one of Ronnie's picks.  And he did a lot of research to find a place that would take Sarah...   We were zip-lining!  

 

 

As you can see, Holly took to it like a fish takes to water.  Sarah had to warm up, but by the last run, she was bummed that there weren't any more turns.

We had a few more hours before we need to turn in the car, so we headed to the beach.  It wouldn't be a trip to Maui without a visit to the beaches, right?  We had a great time lounging and watching the kite surfers eat it.  Actually, not all the kite surfers... you could pick the locals out from the tourists.

We headed back for the boat and bid goodbye to Maui.  Instead of heading to the pool, we went back to the room to get cleaned up.  The girls went to Kids Club while we had dinner in the main dining room.  Ronnie and I thought we had a special dinner planned...  yeah, I messed the date up.  But we had a lovely dinner enjoying the Maui coastline and sharing a bottle of wine.  After dinner, we went to one of the ship's shows.  Again, just enjoyed having my husband to myself while the kids played.  

Up next - the big island!

Aloha, Hawaii Series: USS Arizona

We just got back from a whirlwind trip to the Aloha State. Today is the first day of school for the girls and Ronnie went back to work.  I figured I would try to get some of our trip documented in between unpacking and laundry and everything else I need to do to get ready for this move and for my mom to get here.

While Ronnie was deployed, we made a plan to have a family vacation.  You know the kind where we spend lots of uninterrupted family time with each other.  Of course, I had my ideas of where I wanted to go, the kids had theirs, and he had his.  There was only one place that satisfied all of us -- Hawaii.

I shared with my dear friend Britney that we were going to Hawaii and she suggested we look at a cruise.  I quickly told her that Ronnie was not the cruising type and that we preferred to adventure on our own.  She said that she understood but pointed me to Norwegians' Pride of America and reassured me to just look at it as an option.  I did, and boy was she right...  a 7 day cruise, just around the Hawaiian islands, no TSA, no packing/unpacking bags, no moving to different hotels.  Yep, sounded good to me.

Then I had to convince Ronnie of the same.  Luckily for me, and like the Disney races, he just didn't have the heart to tell me no.  At least, he tried, but I had a plan to sell him on it.  No TSA, built in child care, no packing and moving hotels, and we got to travel at night.  He relented/was convinced (?) And I was off making our cruise reservation.

We took off for the island paradise for a last summer hurrah, just as we did Mexico last year.  We landed late and headed straight to our hotel to get a good night's sleep.  The next morning, we got up early to get some sight seeing in before checking into the boat.  We had a date with history

For such a small island, it sure takes a while to get around.  And longer than I had anticipated.  But luck for us, when we finally got there, a tour group had turned in 4 extra tickets right in the window I was requesting.  We walked around the site and completed some of the girls' Junior Ranger program book.

Finally, it was time.  Our turn to go out to the memorial. I don't think there are words that can describe how you feel when you stand at Pearl Harbor and board the boat to head to the memorial.

As we were touring the memorial, we were approached by a Navy Commander who asked Holly if she would help her with the flag.

I stood and watched the two of them with tears in my eyes.  When the Commander came back over, I thanked her for asking Holly to assist and explained that we are a military family, but that Holly is a Girl Scout.  The Commander winked at me and said she could tell.  Guess you can always pick out a military kid from the crowd.

 

We rejoined Ronnie and Sarah and finished our tour time at the memorial explaining what an oil slick is to the kids (the oil was bubbling on that day) and paying our respects to the fallen.

We spent the remainder of our time finishing the Junior Ranger booklet and reading more of the plaques.  Before we knew it, it was time for us to head to the docks for our boat.