Honolulu: Pearl Harbour Day

Our 10 day cruise has finally come to an end. We had an amazing time getting to know Rony’s family and Frony’s friends. We will definitely miss getting our room cleaned twice a day, going to Windjammer/Park Café/Cascade for food, playing games with everybody, enjoying new experiences with my family, and overall just travelling with a big group of friends and family. On the other hand, Norm and I are really looking forward to doing our own thing J

Everybody woke up around 7-8am to pack up their suitcases, grab a quick breakfast and make it off the ship. My parents had a flight out of Honolulu back to Toronto that night at 10pm so Norm and I spent one more day with them. We got off the ship and walked to the nearby Enterprise where we made a car rental reservation. Since a lot of people made reservations at that Enterprise, it took over an hour to pick up our car. Luckily we told my parents to wait at the cruise terminal and Frony, Irene, and Jeff were with them for most of the time. For some reason, the rental policy in Honolulu is that you bring the car back at the same gas level you got it with. Our car had almost 0 gas so we had to visit the gas station before picking up my parents. (How strange!)

The first stop after picking up my parents was to drop off our luggage at our Airbnb. I read online that there’s free parking on the street so we parked our car and nobody seemed to have paid the parking meter and there were no signs. (We later got a parking ticket and I realized we parked on the wrong street L) We rested for a few minutes and we went to Marukame Udon for lunch. It was sweltering hot outside and it wasn’t that comfortable eating hot noodle soup but the udon was delicious!! We went before the lunch rush so we got our food with the quickness and slurped it all down. My parents really liked it too since it was tasty and affordable. After lunch we went back to our Airbnb (saw our parking ticket) and drove to pearl harbour for a history lesson.

The fried chicken was def the best side

Niku is the bomb

Happy parents :)

Niku udon with shrimp tempura

Curry udon + spam mutsubi for Norm

 The Pearl Harbour memorial site commemorates the 1941 Pearl Harbor Attack with a free 20-minute video recap of what happened that day and a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial which is built on top of the sunken USS Arizona ship. Similar to other memorial sites all over the world, Pearl Harbour was very quaint and calm. We aren’t allowed to bring any bags or purses onto the site but just a camera and whatever we can fit in our pocket. I pre-booked tickets online with a $1.50 admin fee and we were supposed to meet with May to give her the ticket. However, she was running late and I only got to see her for a second before I ran back in line to watch the scheduled video. We also ran into Susan and Ben with Rony’s parents there.

Rare venture into the sun (it was hot!)

Facing the USS Arizona stern (back of the ship)

Memorial

The view from the USS Arizona Memorial

Beautiful day

After spending a few hours at the memorial site, sweating like crazy, we went to the Ala Moana Centre for some air conditioning! Ala Moana is the largest mall in Hawaii but we realized that it’s an open mall shopping centre which means it wasn’t as cool as we would like it to be. My parents grabbed some food from the foodcourt which was just as expensive as Marukame but definitely not as good. At the mall we bumped into May, Jen, Chi, and Freeman. Most people were flying out that night so we were bound to see them at all the touristy spots. Before we left the mall, Norm and I found a Japanese food court which looked 1000 times better than the food court my parents ate at L We didn’t end up buy anything other than these green tea bread cubes. We picked up my parents luggage from our Airbnb and off to the airport we went. Finally we’re freeeee! =P We stopped by a Walmart on our way back to buy some macadamia nuts as souvenirs and some KFC for a quick late night dinner. Tomorrow we’re off to the North Shore for a different side of Honolulu!

Land Day 3: Maui Maui

Unfortunately today was our most uneventful day on land L We were originally planning to join the Irene tour – renting a scooter and riding it around town but the rental places didn’t have 32 scooters for us =P Instead we decided to walk around town but there wasn’t much to see. We took a trolley into a nearby “mall” which was had maybe 5 stores open and nothing worth seeing. We quickly took the trolley back to our ship and waited for next bus into another strip mall. This one was better but still nothing really worth seeing/doing. We had a quick lunch at McDonald’s, checked out the Costco, had some more poke and went back onto the ship. Some others took a taxi to a beach, we kind of wanted to go but also didn’t mind going back on the boat since we still had almost another week in Hawaii. We kind of regretted not going to the beach but we got to spend some time in the main outdoor pool and sauna with Fannie.

Trolley ride

The parents

Follow the tour guide!

We take over spaces everywhere we go

After that we had a light snack at Windjammer and off to Cascade for our last dinner!! Yesterday the food for dinner at Windjammer included a yummy yummy oxtail dish which we ate so much that the kitchen staff had to make another batch immediately (oops!). Since we ate so much at Windjammer we didn’t order too much at Cascade and our waiters were a bit surprised (maybe even offended?). We made sure we didn’t eat as much as last night because tonight’s dinner is our last meal with everyone!

Usually after dinner we all do our own thing but a group of us hang out and play games at Windjammer.  I joined a couple of nights (I would’ve joined more if Norm wasn’t falling asleep every day at 11pm =P) and we made sure we stayed up late on our last night. Even Norm stayed up! Everyone was awake so we played the werewolf game and 2 rooms and a boom. Around 2-3am we all headed to bed. A couple of the groomsmen tried having an after party in our room but we managed to kick them out J The cruise has been a fun, but long, 10 days and Norm and I are definitely looking forward to spending some alone time together.

Land Day #2: Kailua Kona, Big Island

We started the day off early, especially Norm and Irene who woke up early to get tender tickets for everybody. The port at Kailua Kona is too shallow for our cruise ship to dock so we need to take small tender boats that can take up to 100 passengers to shore. Tender days are definitely not ideal but at least the tender boat takes us to a port to an area with lots of shops and restaurants! Poke round 2 here we come!

May trying to survive the tender ride

We decided to join the Irene tour again with my parents and a bunch of other people. The plan was to take it easy, walk around old town, grab some food, and then relax on a beach. Kailua Kona, or Kona for short, is on the west side of the Big Island. Because of the large mountains on Big Island, the weather in Kona is mostly sunny and very little rain while in Hilo, which is on the east side of Big Island, it is mostly rainy. We definitely felt the difference; when we were walking in town, we kept looking for shade or air conditioning. Luckily, we realized ABC convenience stores are all over Hawaii and the air conditioning is always blasting J We wandered to a farmers market and was able to buy some fresh fruit. We really wanted to try Maui pineapple but we had to wait until Maui for that.

So hottttt

Our cruise ship

Rambutan

Bananas in pajamas.....

Our next stop was a local poke shop just 5 minutes away from the farmers market. (So glad some of us are American and have data to use Yelp!) The line-up was quite long for the restaurant but it was definitely worth it! Even though the poke was very delicious, most of us thought the poke we ate the day before was even more delicious. Might be because we were starving when we ate it yesterday but either way, yesterday’s was definitely more bang for our buck.

Kombucha (not bad)

Poke from Umekes Ali'i Plaza

Hungry and hot

The fish for the next batch of poke

After lunch the parents decided to slowly head back to the ship and we grabbed taxis to check out a beach. The beach was not particularly beautiful compared to the other beaches we’ve been to but the water was nice to snorkel in. I always had a little bit of trouble snorkeling for a long time because I feel claustrophobic and fear that I’m going to drown but on this vacation I got over the fear! I think because I was using Irene’s fancy snorkel gear which makes a world of a difference. We were able to see small and big sea turtles while snorkeling but they were really close to shore and the current knocked us into the rocks and we got cut up pretty bad L Remember to wear water shoes kids!

Who's that cutie

Heyyyy

My first Hawaiian shaved ice

While waiting four our taxi van to get to the beach, I tried my first Hawaiian shaved ice. For a shaved ice from a truck, it was really refreshing and delicious. Our taxi finally arrived and we were on our way back to old town. On our way back, we saw Will T. playing beach volleyball and then when we were walking around old town, we saw him again on an electric bike! I guess when a 2000+ cruise ship goes to a small town, you’re bound to bump into friends. Our last stop was another ABC store to buy some famous Kona coffee to bring back home.

Hey Will!

Bye Kona!

That night we went to Cascade for dinner and either played games, went to the casino or chilled in our stateroom until bed. It’s tiring to have so many land days back to back.... 

Yay for Land - Hilo, Big Island

After six long days at sea, everyone was super happy to touch down on solid land. Though the floor was no longer rocking, as soon as we got off, we were in for a rude awakening regarding how hot Hawaii is. Rather than following an excursion from the cruise (most of which were overpriced), we decided to piggy back Rony’s sister’s (Irene's) car rental. We rented a van and visited the Hilo volcano, which is located in a national park. It was cool to see an active volcano and all the strange terrain that comes along with it.

Landdddddd

When we first arrived, we checked out the sulfur plains, which were tinged yellow from the sulfur escaping underneath cracks in the floor. There was a wooden bridge/trail for us to walk on and we followed it closely, knowing that if you ventured off the path, there was a chance that you could fall through the floor and be scalded by the steam escaping. From then, we drove out to a lookout to get a vantage point of the volcano. It was a large crater, with steam escaping in the middle – quite a sight to see. From then, we checked out some underground caves that were created from the volcano. It was dark and quite wet in those caves, but overall, nothing super special to see. We also continually bumped into Fannie, Rony and their family as their tour group remained right on our tails behind us.

The weather in Hilo was cold and then hot....

Did somebody fart?! =P

The crew minus 1

Reunited for 5 minutes

Hilo known for its active volcanoes

Cave hiking

From then,  we initially planned on seeing the black sand beach at the edge of the plain, but while we were stopping by, we drove through Devastation Plains, a valley of black, scorched volcano earth with little else to see. It was really unique to see that kind of terrain, and we got out of our car to see. The rock was sharp, jagged, and black, the colour of molten lava after it has cooled. However, the heat and pressure create several uniquely colour rocks and cool, folded patterns in the ground. We saw lava formations after they have covered trees (‘lava trees’). However, even in this wasteland, we saw plants growing out of the ground. Life has a way of existing, it looks like.

Look at all the black stuff...

...and more black stuff!

Afterwards, we continued our drive to the edge of the island. We had to stop, as the road was closed and our plans to check out the black sand beach was cut short, as we were informed that it would be a 11 mile hike to and from to check out the beach. However, we were not disappointed, as the drive and landscapes to the beach were breathtaking. Blue skies, clear water, rolling hills of black volcano rock interspersed with green Hawaiian vegetation, it was beautiful. But rather than describing it, here are some photos:

Hilo is so scenic

"Is it worth it??"

Lastly, we got back into the car and realized we haven’t eaten since breakfast on the boat. Eager to try some Hawaiian dishes, we quickly yelped a hole-in-the-wall poke shop. Though the interior was quite poor, many locals were coming in to order food. Maybe because we were so hungry, but that poke was delicious and was a good introduction to Hawaiian cuisine.

Our first poke bowl

So hungryyyyy

We spent our last hour on land checking out another nearby black sand beach, where sea turtles are known to frolic. We were really short on time, and the rocks were extremely jagged. Mandy and I snorkeled for about 10 minutes before we were ushered to get back to the car. I had cut the heel of my foot, which would end up annoying me for the following several days of walking. We made it back to the boat and enjoy the rest of the day just chillaxing. Pre-diner, then regular dinner, then sleep for me!

Black sand beach

The last of the black stuff

Frony 2015

Today is the fourth day at sea and it is also the day where Fannie and Rony are getting married. We have been early anticipating this day, and it was a hectic one. Fannie and her bridesmaids (including Mandy) started off with a spa day. I spent the morning playing video games on my phone but then helped with the preparations at the restaurant, including making a photo wall, putting up the decorations and setting up a photo booth where people can take pictures and hang them up. I was also designated backup-to-the-backup photographer in case the two photographers ahead of me took bad pictures. It was a good way to work on my photography skills and I actually ended up with quite a few good shots. After the girls finished at the spa, they started getting ready and I was busy taking pictures of them getting ready for the big moment. I then took some pictures of the groom and his groomsmen as we headed off to the helipad of the boat. I must say, it was a beautiful sunny day and it is very easy to take good pictures when you have such amazing light.

Getting ready for the big day the night before

The personal notes for everyone

The excited bride to be

Breakfast with the bridesmaids

Bride + MOH :)

More prepping

Getting our hair done

Boys being silly

So prettyyy

The wedding ceremony began at the 13^th floor of the boat at Starquest. There, the nuptials were performed and the ceremony took place. Fannie and Rony traded vows and a lot of people in the room were holding back tears. From then, we headed out to the helipad again for yet more photos. After literally thousands of pictures later between the three photographers, it was time for dinner.

Happily married couple <3 td="">

Small but excited crowd

Perfect weather

Rather than eating at the typical Cascades restaurant, we booked out Giovanni’s restaurant on the boat. There, the food and wine flowed non-stop. Antipasti, pasta, gnocchi, lamb chops, shrimp came out in large quantities. People were already full after appetizers! However, the most popular food item was the bread, in anticipation for all the drinking that was to take place that evening. Rony made this silly vow that the groom has to vomit at every wedding, and now that vow has caught up to him. He had his groomsmen to  help to take drinks on his behalf and even enlisted me to take on one of his family members, who was intent on getting Rony super drunk. To do that, I chugged nearly a bottle of wine against his Ben, who is Rony’s cousin’s husband. We also played a lot of funny games, where Rony would have to feel volunteers’ hands while blindfolded to see whether he could identify Fannie’s hand. Fannie did the same game, but instead of feeling and identifying hands, she had to correctly identify Rony’s butt while blindfolded. The maid-of-honour (Mandy) and the best man (Mendy) also gave out riveting wedding speeches.

First dance

After all the food came to a close, we headed up to the 13^th floor for a night of open bar and dancing. There were many dance moves made immortal (pew pew pew), servers that wouldn’t serve us 30 shots at once, many people getting sick and just overall a good time. But most importantly, Rony and Fannie are now married! Congrats to the married couple!