Day 6: Body Glove Snorkel, Kona

Today is an early morning. Our excursion group is meeting in one of the theaters at 7:15 a.m. to head out for the Body Glove Snorkel. Shortly after settling into the comfy theater seats, we are being herded out to the tender boats to catch our next ride. One of the tender crew points out that the "First Officer" is joining us on this excursion. It looked like he was trying to go incognito, but his cover was blown. Well, good. Maybe this means we chose a quality excursion. Arriving at Kona's port, I see that it sits right in front of their Waterfront Market - several blocks of shopping. We'll hit that later!

The Body Glove, the name of our catamaran for the day, has got to be the largest cat we've experienced. The breakfast buffet downstairs was amazing. But to enjoy the views, we head for the top deck. Oh look, First Officer is up there too. Great minds think alike! The Captain steers from up top. Wow, is he young. Later, we find out that he is a mere 28 years old, and obtained his Captain's license at 22. Pretty impressive.

After my experience with the cold waters of the Molokini Crater, I'll definitely be grabbing another wetsuit for the day. These waters are supposed to be warmer at 78 degrees, but considering I like my swimming pool water at 88, zip me up!




The amenities of the catamaran and the service of the friendly crew are what make this such a fun and relaxing excursion. The snorkeling, though a bit choppy, revealed a nice variety of fish and coral. Afterwards, everyone had a bit of fun sliding down the water slide or jumping off the high dive. Another buffet was provided with make-your-own sandwiches, fruit and chips. "Pleasant" describes the trip back. Nice boat ride, gentle breeze and beautiful scenery.




Tendering is the word of the day today. We'll tender back to the ship for a real lunch and shower. We decided we worked up such an appetite snorkeling that we would call the lunch onboard the Body Glove a snack. Such is the life of a cruiser! Now, to tender back to town for a bit of shopping at the Waterfront.

We were sure to stay on the opposite side of the street from the seawall when walking along the sidewalks, as big waves would splash over at times with the potential to soak unsuspecting tourists and cameras. First stop is the Kona Coffee Outlet, a tiny little shop tucked beside a restaurant to the right of the Port. Kona is famous for it's coffee. Be sure to buy 100% Kona coffee. The ABC stores that dot all of Hawaii sell Kona Coffee at levels of 10% authenticity. If looking for an authentic souvenir, check out the KOA wood on the islands. KOA is a tropical hardwood found only on the Hawaiian Islands. The ancient Hawaiians used the wood to sculpt their canoes and surfboards. Found a couple of beautiful KOA bracelets for the girls back home.

With just a little time to spare before it's time to get back to the ship, we head over to the Kona Brewery - another well known landmark in this area. Lon samples a beer with a banana after taste. Well, that's different! What to do next? Tender of course. Back to the ship and onto our balcony where Lon relaxes with a book and I try to catch up on my blogging - not an easy task when you're on vacation.

Next, we decide to stop by Pride of America's library to use the internet and return a book we had checked out about The Big Island. Yes, we actually checked out a book on a cruise. First time for everything, but this library is awesome. The Pride has a few hidden little jewels of rooms to discover. The library is one of them, as well as, the game room across the hall.





It's lobster night, but due to the crowds we decide to go to one of the specialty restaurants, "Little Italy". The best part of the evening was the conversations we had with the waiters. There weren't many guests at the time we ate, so our waiters spent a lot of time talking to us about working on a cruise ship. Because the Pride is the only American flagged ship, most of their staff is American. Many people think that all their staff is American, but it was explained to us that they retain about a 15% international crew. When you're on a cruise, talk to your wait staff and crew. It's intriguing what you learn.

Hawaii Day 2: Pearl Harbor & Boarding Pride of America

Day 2: Pearl Harbor then Boarding the Pride of America - June 18, 2011





Little did we know how exhausted we would be by the end of this day when we woke up bright and early to another beautiful morning in paradise. Learning to pace ourselves on these vacations might be a good idea, but who has time for that when you have to see every sight there is to see in the land mass furthest and most isolated from all others? To catch our tour bus at 6:20 a.m., we got up at 5 - not too difficult considering our body clocks know the true time at home.

Robert's Hawaii provided our Pearl Harbor / USS Arizona & City Tour. We were lucky to have Kevin as our tour guide, a transplanted mainlander who had been in Hawaii since the 70's. He was a wealth of knowledge about the history of Pearl Harbor and Hawaii in general.

The number of people we met along this trip who had visited Hawaii decades ago and decided to make it their home was intriguing. Last night at the luau we met a woman from Wisconsin who had grown up on a diary farm. After completing an internship as an Occupational Therapist, she never went back home except for visits. We heard these stories over and over as people explained how they fell in love with this oasis in the sea. By the way, Germaine's Luau last night was a fun experience in an open air setting on a secluded beach. The fire handlers were the most impressive to watch. Now, back to Pearl Harbor...

The grounds of Pearl Harbor are a tranquil and beautiful resting place for the young men who had their lives so violently taken from them on December 7, 1941. The short film shown before you board a boat to be taken to the Arizona Memorial is often described as "moving". I can't think of a better descriptor, so I'll leave it at that. We saw footage we have never seen before, and it made me think about what it must have really been like for my Great Aunt when she peered into that bomber's eyes as he flew over her home as she was hanging clothes out to dry that day. Stationed there with her husband, I had heard the story many times of how the Japanese flew down so low she could actually see his face as he flew by. Pearl Harbor was an experience anyone who visits Hawaii should make time for.

Kevin, our tour guide extraordinaire, completed our day in Honolulu with a city tour that ended with a drop off at Hilo Hattie - Hawaii's tourist one-stop shop spot. Matching Hawaiian shirts and a pineapple swirl later and we're off to board our ship. On my way to the ship, I kept reflecting on how appropriate it was to end the day stepping onboard a ship named The Pride of America after beginning our day at Pearl Harbor.
Reflections on Oahu: Hawaii's climate is just about perfect. Warm but not hot, no humidity, gentle breezes. It calms you, cools you and warms you all at the same time.

Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America:




This cruise terminal is not as high tech as many of the others, but because of that, it gives you more of a personal feel as you're being checked in. We were greeted with a fresh flower lei. They certainly know how to spread the Aloha spirit! More surprises await us. In our cabin, we find sparkling wine from the Captain along with a VIP cocktail party invite. Thanks Captain Nesheim! By this time, we're feeling pretty welcome and at home in our floating resort on the sea, but fatigue is setting in. Tonight we'll stick with the buffet and drag ourselves to the Welcome Aboard Show. The comedian was so funny he kept our eyes from slamming shut. What a full day! Time to prepare for tomorrow. Pride of America is a pretty little ship with all kinds of nooks and crannies to be discovered. Simply put...I like this ship!

Tips Upon Boarding: Make specialty dining reservations for the week early on that first day if you have a favorite. Teppanyaki is our favorite and they book up fast! No need to pack a hairdryer. NCL's hairdryers are actually really good. One thing I really like that NCL does - coffee in the cabin!