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The ship departed Hilo that evening at 6:00pm.  About time for dinner anyway. Later that evening the ship passed  the part of Island of Hawaii where the lave streams hit the ocean.  I tried to get some pictures, but digital cameras have there limitations. Fortunately we had met some new friends from down under who had the proper equipment. Thanks for the pictures Mario & Veronica.  Hope we can cruise together again some time. http://www.imageworksphotographers.com.au/ Tomorrow Kona

N The ship arrived at Kahului, Maui at 8:00am on Sunday morning. This would be an over night stop; and we would be leaving at 6:00pm on Monday. Part of the reason for the extended stay is the Road to Hana shore excursion which takes 8 - 1/2 hours. It is a super excursion, and runs about $140 per person. On the bus ride you can sit back and enjoy the sights along the famed Hana Highway without having to navigate the twisting, curving road yourself. An expert driver takes the wheel, while you take in the incredible scenery: lava cliffs, tumbling waterfalls, the rugged northern coastline, and tropical hillsides. You'll visit various sites along the way to 'heavenly Hana,' the wonderfully isolated, unspoiled region between the eastern slopes of Haleakala and the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy lunch on your own at Hana Ranch before heading to the Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park. There you'll have the chance to photograph the glistening pools formed by several ...

Finally the land portion of this vacation comes to an end and the cruise portion begins. Pride of America leaved Honolulu. Aloha to the Honolulu Skyline.  Our next port is Kahului on the Island of Maui.  An unusual shot; usually the photographer is not in the pictures. View  on Deck. Another unusual shot, an empty pool.  When folks first come on board they usually hit the buffet, then the bar, and finally when they are ready, their stateroom. Until tomorrow, aloha.

The Marriott's  Ko Olina Beach Club is a top rate resort. A very lush tropical setting. A Very Nice pool. Including a beach like area for the kids. Great place to Relax. They also have several lagoons for those that prefer salt water. The ground are wonderful. ( to be continued)

In Late 2007 we had received an offer in the mail to stay at the Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club on Oahu.  I had lived on Oahu twice; but there were a couple of places that I had never seen.  So we took the offer for 6 days and 5 nights for about $500.  We did not have to make our actual reservation immediately and decided to look around for a cruise we could take in combination with our stay on Oahu.   We wanted to go there the following September; that would be September of 2008. We ended up finding a 7 day cruise on NCL ( Norwegian Cruise Lines ) Pride of Aloha in late December of 2007 and made our reservation.  We also found a great rate on Hawaiian Airlines for our flight and booked our flight.  The plan was that we would spend 5 nights at the Marriott, take our cruise through the islands and then immediately fly home. We did not think much more about it until we returned from another cruise in February of 2008.  There was a message from...