Travel Rewards

The ship arrived on the Kona side of the Island of Hawaii at 7:00am on Wednesday.  This was a tendered port. We had not signed up for any of the tours; so we had a leisurely breakfast while we waited to the the tour guests to be tendered to shore. We finally went ashore and browsed the stores along the street where we had come ashore. Found a bar and had a Bloody Mary.  Had a chat with a couple of the crew that were on liberty. We did not get a chance to see as much as we would have liked of Kona; guess that means we have to come back. The ship left Kona that evening at 6:00pm; starting out on the longest leg of the journey to Kaui.

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 ...

I had looked online to see what my options were. There was the Pride of America that left the day before the Pride of Aloha had been scheduled to leave. The difference was in availability and price.  There did not appear to be any ocean view staterooms available. There were some staterooms with a balcony available; but they were about double what we had booked out ocean view for on the Pride of Aloha. That following Monday after a short game of phone tag we reached the travel agent.  She explained that NCL has decided to remove the Pride of Aloha from cruise service in the Hawaiian islands. The had contacted the travel agents to offer alternate travel options to guests that were booked on the Pride of Aloha. She admitted that she had slipped up and would need a few days to see what could be worked out. Well it probably took another five of six weeks to get everything finalize. That was a real worrisome period. In the end they gave us a balcony at the price of our origin...