Aloha. Our Viking Grand South Pacific and Australian Cruise is in its third week. After a pleasant tour of Santa Barbara, CA, the cruise ship finally left the continental USA and headed out to the Hawaiian islands, more specifically Kauai and Oahu. This was our first lesson on how to make the most of these days of being totally on the sea.
We also learned how we had to adjust to the swaying of the ship on the often choppy seas. I could hardly walk without feeling dizzy. Cintra felt better and signed up for as many activities as she could, such as watercolor painting, yoga, Qigong and bridge. I signed up for blogging, sleeping and relaxing.
The massive Viking fleet of cruise ships includes identical ocean cruise ships and identical river cruise vessels. The ship must have close to 1000 people, most of them seniors. This is quite common for adult cruises. Every day we get to meet new people and we are looking forward to maintaining contact with some of them.
We enjoy breakfasts at The World Cafe where they serve international foods all day, everything from sushi, fajitas, pasta, pizza, congee, paella, burgers, sticky buns and butter chicken. Chef’s Table offers a set menu that changes every three days and includes wine pairings. Manfredi’s specializes in Italian food, by reservation only. So far at Chef’s Table, we enjoyed Peking Duck, Halibut and Japanese cuisine.
The cruise program includes interesting lectures on a variety of topics. I sat in on lectures on photography in the South Pacific; History of Hawaii; Oceania and Polynesia; and Classics Goes to the Movies. Cintra attended Smart Phone Photography.
A regular feature in the morning is the coffee chat with the director and in the afternoon is tea time. At afternoon tea, we enjoy chats with friends and choosing for a variety of special teas and the daily scones, sandwiches and desserts. As with any cruise, the servers are super friendly and efficient. I enjoy how they take the time to describe every item in the three-tiered server in great detail.
Evenings usually end with concerts in the main theatre, for those who have the energy to stay awake. We were treated to a stage show of Broadway Musicals with some of my favorites from My Fair Lady, Oliver, Mary Poppins, Rent and Les Miserables.
A popular concert performer on the cruise was Hayden Smith. He is skilled on the saxophone, clarinet, guitar and an exceptional singer. He entertained with popular songs like Hey Jude, Bring Him Home, Sweet Caroline, Amazing Grace and Time to Say Goodbye. He gave another concert with songs and instrumental hits like Hey Jude, Amazing Grace You Raise Me Up, He wowed the audience with tenor sax music from Kenny G and alto sax hits from Boots Randolph.
We also enjoyed a concert performance by Alexa Jayne, wife of Hayden Smith. She dazzled the audience with songs like We Are Family and Man, I Feel Like a Woman, and ended her show with with her husband performing The Prayer.
It was a relief and a joy to finally arrive in Kauai, Hawaii. Not only were we glad to see land after six days at sea, but to see calm waters. We could walk on land without rocking back and forth or the fear of motion sickness.
The cruise ship docked at Nawiliwili, Kauai, and we strolled around the beach area, explored some shops and then returned to the ship to prepare for our excursion.
Kauai, the oldest and greenest of the Hawaiian islands, is known as the Garden Island because of its lush vegetation and wild flowers. Most of the island is unspoiled and uninhabited and the ideal location for movies like Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Pirates of the Caribbean.
There is one included excursion and several optional excursions at each port. We booked only the included tour. The Kauai tour consisted mainly of a train ride around the Kilohana Plantation, followed by Hawaiian music, hula dancing and a taste of Mai Tai. An interesting feature of the tour was a brief stop to feed wild pigs, cows and horses. Throughout the island, it looks like there is a high population of chickens, a source of curiosity and amusement for tourists.
We are learning the Hawaiian tours are more like glimpses of these exotic tourist destinations. We enjoyed being in Kauai, but in reality we saw very little of it. Yet that is quite satisfying after an often bouncy trip on the Pacific. And the name Pacific is supposed to mean peaceful.
Our second day in Hawaii was the much anticipated stop in Honolulu, a 2 1/2 h trip to Pearl Harbour and back to the ship. Fortunately, we had previously spent an extended vacation on this popular site, so this was a refresher.
No matter how many times one has been to Pearl Harbour, the impact of this horrific chapter of American history remains just as profound. It is hard to comprehend standing over the wreckage of a vessel where 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines were killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Their sacrifices remain indelible on the hearts and minds of both Americans, tourists and others who dream of an end to war.
After our visit to Pearl Harbour, we returned to the ship for lunch and a rest and then took the shuttle to Waikiki Beach. As we headed to that shuttle, we observed a crew member coming in the opposite direction with Cintra’s lost suitcase. We both let out a collective scream out for joy - like reuniting with a family member.
We continued on to Waikiki by shuttle. We strolled the beach area shopping district and took in a brief walk on the iconic beach.
Not surprisingly, there was barely any spare room on the beach to relax and enjoy the glorious day. However, it felt good to observe the atmosphere of pleasure and excitement by the throngs of sea bathers, swimmers, sun bathers and observers like us.
Before leaving for dinner at Manfredi’s, we took a moment to go out to our balcony to say goodbye to Oahu. As we we watched the ship float farther away from land, we looked over the glistening evening waters only to observe whales popping up in the distance. This was a totally awesome treat that few other passengers saw.
Another full day of sightseeing, eating, drinking and visiting with friends ended and we settle down on our floating hotel for six days on the sea before arriving in the French Polynesian Islands on the weekend.
On a final note, while we are enjoying glorious weather, we are deeply concerned about everyone suffering through bitterly cold weather. Our thoughts are with you. We are both in good health and ask for your prayers as we continue this epic journey.
We will post a fourth update after our stops in French Polynesia.
Mahalo, Moses and Cintra
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