Hi all,

It’s Sunday, April 20 (Easter) and we arrived in Bora Bora!  Once again we were warmly greeted by the locals for photos and a little flower that they provided for us to wear!   

We booked a private tour with Pure Snorkeling by Reef Discovery – many thanks to Laura for organizing our trip and Thierry for being an awesome guide!  We were picked up from the pier at about 8:45am and headed off in our dive boat where Thierry explained the volcanic peaks, shared the stunning views of the mountains of central Bora Bora – Mount Otemanu, a rocky remnant of an ancient volcano that towers 2,400 feet above the sparkling, aquamarine waters. Our boat consisted of 3 couples from our cruise ship and a family visiting Bora Bora.  A snorkeler’s paradise – coral formations, tropical fish and warm waters make Bora Bora the ideal location for under-the-sea adventures.  As we approached our 1st snorkel site, we glided over the crystalline beautiful turquoise waters to view the colorful coral and the wonderful array of rainbow-hued fish where Thierry showed us the inner wall of the island’s barrier reef and helped to identify the different fish/coral we would encounter.  

Our next site was to view the Manta Rays which could only be found in deeper water depths (30-60 feet). We were able to view only one on this trip but it was a beautiful sight to see such a graceful fish gliding through the water.  The Manta Rays are so much larger than the typical stingrays you see around the Caribbean Islands.  Our 3rd site was to view the Black Spotted Eagle Rays – once we arrived we were told to snorkel quietly as a group and to not make too much commotion in the water as these stingrays can be spooked, scared quite easily.  We were fortunate to view a large school of about 20-25 that leisurely passed in front of us.  These rays are similar in size to stingrays but swim very gracefully through the water almost like birds with the way they use their fins as “wings”.  Our last stop was to see the beautiful secluded coral reefs and the variety of fish that we were able to hand feed; fish eat right out of your hand!  The coral reefs are so colorful and the fish so plentiful.  There are so many different types of fish and literally thousands of fish as you swim around the various coral reefs. 

During the tour we were able to relax, soaking up the sun and taking in the magnificent coastline views of the array of hotels and their bungalows that could be rented daily or weekly for guests to stay in and enjoy what Bora Bora has to offer.  After about 4 hours of snorkeling, Thierry dropped us off at the world famous watering-hole Bloody Mary’s (much like Jimmy Buffet’s) – as it is a must see for all visitors coming to the island. They have boards posted in front of their restaurant of famous name celebrity patrons that have visited.  When you step inside be ready for a surprise… the floor is entirely covered in sand!  We stayed for a quick cold beverage and a snack before walking towards Matira Beach to take a “le truck” (open-air bus/taxi with bench-type seating) which is the local form of transportation throughout the islands back to the cruise harbor.

Bora Bora is our favorite place in the world to snorkel.  The colors of the reefs, varieties of different fish life and the clarity of water make it the best place we know of to snorkel in the world. The island itself is so unique because it is really the crater of a volcano where part of the wall collapsed and allows the ocean water to pour in and makes one of the most spectacular lagoons in the world.  It is certainly an island everyone needs to visit at least once in their lifetime!

If you plan to visit Bora Bora, we highly recommend Pure Snorkeling by Reef Discovery – www.boraborasnorkeling.com.  Also, check out the videos of the island and array of beautiful fish, coral, reefs that can be seen in Bora Bora - : http://vimeo.com/user21845098  After three exhausting long days in the Polynesian Islands, we have 8 days of relaxation at sea before arriving back in Los Angeles on April 29!

Hope you have enjoyed our blogs!  We plan to send one more blog to show the array of activities on board and nightly shows that are offered.

Greg and Sharon Conrad

Hi all,

 It’s Saturday, April 19 and we arrived in Moorea!  The French Polynesian Islands comprises of some 130 islands of which Tahiti is the best known.  Just 15 miles across the lagoon from Tahiti lies Moorea.  Moorea’s population is just under 15,000 and is an uncrowded tropical land of dramatically jagged mountains lush forests, turquoise lagoons, coconut/pineapple fields and glistening white-sand beaches.  The movie “South Pacific” was filmed here.

We had made private reservations with “Albert ATV Fun Tours” for a quad ATV expedition that explores the heart of the island on a half-day excursion. We drove up to the summit of Mount Totul and Belvedere Lookout for panoramas of Cook’s Bay and Opunohu Bay. We passed through bamboo groves and pineapple plantations.  We drove to the top of Magic Mountain where we hiked up to the top for a stunning view of Moorea’s north shores.  We stopped at the Moorea Fruit Juice Factory and enjoyed a local pineapple fruit sorbet.  

When we were picked up at the harbor by the tour group, another family in the van had suggested that if we had time we should consider doing the Jet Ski/snorkeling tour of the island where you view/feed sharks and stingrays.  Snorkeling with the sharks and stingrays was Greg’s favorite excursion in our previous visit to Moorea.  Unfortunately, Albert’s Tour was booked for the day with this Jet Ski tour but they were able to make a reservation for us with another company following our ATV tour.  This was an amazing two hour trip by Moemoea Jet-Ski Tours of Moorea that we were able to view the island from the jet ski and take in the many views of the island, hotels, beaches, sailboats, outriggers, and bungalows.  At the end of the tour, we stopped for the shark and stingray snorkel and once again we were amazed to view 20-25 black tail sharks that were in the area and fed by our guide along with the stingrays.  Thanks to Moemoea Jet-Ski crew for fitting us into their group and ensuring us to get back by the scheduled 4pm departure time.  We finished our tour right at the tender dock and their staff met our jet ski at the dock with our personal items we had left at the tour shop.  What great personal service!  Sharon had enough time to fit in another 20 minutes of local shopping before heading back to the cruise ship by tender.  

Our next stop is Bora Bora at 7am where we made private arrangements for snorkeling!

Hope you are enjoying our blogs!

Greg and SharonConrad

 Hi all,

It’s Good Friday, April 18 and we arrived in Papeete (Tahiti)!  Once again we were warmly greeted by a group of native singers and dancers that welcomed us to their island!  When we arrived we quickly became aware that all local stores, businesses and banks would be closed in observance of Good Friday.  No worries for us as we had planned to travel to the Intercontinental Hotel where we have stayed in previous visits to take in the sights, beach, pool and stay for the Grand Tahitian Singers/Dancers Show.  We had planned to take the bus but they were not running due to the holiday and we took a taxi instead.  Once we arrived at the hotel the staff allowed us to stay for the day without a day pass due to us both being travel agents.  We were very fortunate as many of our fellow cruise passengers were turned away due to the many guests that were staying at the hotel.  We met some of the guests at the hotel who were staying there prior to their Oceania cruise that were leaving from Tahiti the next day and would be touring the Polynesian Islands, Christmas Island and finish at Lima, Peru.

Another beautiful day as we relaxed by walking around the resort, laying out by the pool, snorkeling in the lagoon, eating at the bar/restaurant, taking in the sunset and finally staying for the Tahitian Show in the evening.  We found out while having a late lunch that if we pre-paid $5 each we could hold a table to watch the show or take a chance in getting a table or chair near the bar on a first come basis.  We paid the $5 and returned later that evening where we had great seats to view the show.  Our server found out that we were not staying at the hotel but were just guests that came to watch the show and waived the $5 fee!  If you have an opportunity to go to any of the Tahitian Shows most hotels offer a huge dinner buffet along with the show for a charge of about $70 a person.  Greg and I are not big eaters and decided on making a reservation for a table and enjoy cocktails and snacks while watching the show.  The show was spectacular!  We were fortunate to arrive on the given Friday as the show is only offered on Wednesday/Friday nights.  Following the show the dancers/singers allowed for photos to be taken with them. We ended up spending 13 hours at the Intercontinental!

After the show we took a taxi back to the ship and walked around the roulettes (food trucks) that are set up in the harbor area for cruise passengers and local diners with unique cuisines offered including traditional Polynesian dishes to French, Italian and some Asian menus.  We have stopped many times in the past and had crepes!  We skipped the treats on this trip as we were exhausted from a full day outing and had plenty of food at the Intercontinental!  We strolled through the area to people watch and enjoy the local entertainment before heading back to the cruise ship.

We stayed docked until 3:30am the next day and then left for Moorea which is only 15 miles away from Papeete.  You will note from some of the photos from the Intercontinental that Moorea is the mountain in the background of some of our sunset photos.

Next stop Moorea at 8am where we have plans to take ATVs to view the island!

Hope you are enjoying our blogs!

Greg and Sharon Conrad

Hi all,

Its Tuesday, April 15 (again) we arrived in Pago Pago!  We were warmly greeted by a group of native singers and dancers that welcomed us to their island! (American Samoa).  It is a very interesting harbor as Mother Nature created the bay when the seaward wall of a great volcano collapsed, allowing the water to enter the steep-sided volcano and created one of the best, most spectacular natural harbors in the South Pacific.

Pago Pago is an unincorporated territory of the United States; the inhabitants of American Samoa are US nationals but not citizens, which mean they cannot vote for US president.  The territorial government is the largest employer here, while fishing (tuna) is the major industry (Star-Kist Tuna). Interestingly, only full-fledged Samoans may own land.  Many of the island villages are situated on small, quiet bays and coves along the coast. The lands along with the beaches are privately owned.  Certain rules and conditions govern their use as you can be charged a small fee to use or visit the area.  We found this while we visited the falls and beaches in Apia as well.

We have visited Pago Pago a few years back and wanted to do some walking along the harbor as we were able to see some turtles along the beautiful turquoise waters as well as visit the trees outside the harbor where we had viewed the fox bats.  On our return visit, after a short rain shower we visited the trees where the bats were very active as they were trying to dry out their wings.  Quite a sight to see and we were able to get a few good photos of flying bats.

We took the local bus to Tisa’s Barefoot Bar which is known as a beautiful beach for snorkeling with food and drinks.  Along the way our driver provided us with a brief tour of the area and location of a few NFL football players such as Junior Seau and Troy Palomalu.  We brought our snorkel gear with us but it was very difficult to snorkel as the water was very shallow.  We struggled to get into deeper water as we had to float over the very shallow waters where coral/reefs were below us.  Once we made it out to the deeper depths, we enjoyed the variety of colorful fish, beautiful coral/reefs and were able to view a turtle passing by.  Since it was a job to get out to the deeper waters, we stayed there for some time as we knew once we came back in we would not venture back out.  Not many were able to make it out to the deeper waters!  We both received some minor cuts and scratches from the coral/reef as a memory of our snorkel trip!  

We hopped on a local (tour) bus back to the harbor where we shopped, viewed the fox bats and headed to our favorite bar and grill on the water (Sadie’s by the Sea) for a few drinks.  We had a delicious chicken quesadilla sitting out looking at the bay before heading back to the ship for our 4 pm departure.

We are at sea for two days before our next stop, Papeete (Tahiti) on Thursday!

Greg and Sharon Conrad

Hi all,

On Tuesday, April 15 we arrived in Apia (Samoa, the capital of Western Samoa) that is approximately 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, 2,700 miles north of Sydney, 1,800 miles northwest of Auckland and 80 miles from Pago Pago!  At one time bananas, cocoa and coconut were the main exports of the island. But, they were unable to compete with the world market; Samoa lost the banana trade which it has replaced with the export of taro, coconuts (coconut oil, cream) and fisheries.

We had made previous arrangement to rent a vehicle and tour the island on our own as we have been to this island in the past and had taken one of the day tours offered by one of the local villagers.  We found out afterwards, that we actually got a great deal as most of the ship passengers that took taxis or van trips to the beach paid much more than we did for the entire day ($100 for car and gas).  We started out heading towards two beaches Coconut and Sinalei Beaches that were suggested to visit for the views and snorkeling.  Along our drive we past many small villages (neighborhoods).  It is very interesting to see how each village had their own churches, schools and local grocery markets. You will see from the photos that the Samoans’ bury their family members on their property (typically found in front of the home).  Some of the homes are not traditional and are a covered porch where the families sit/lay on a straw mat as their chair or bed.  Samoan people are known for their genuine warmth, politeness and generous hospitality.  The village children are naturally curious and very friendly as they smile and want to talk with you.  You will see a few photos that we took of children as they completed school and there are no school buses or local transportation to pick up them.  They walk home!  One of the photos is of two girls that posed for a photo and asked if we could drive them about 2 miles down the road to their home.  They were so inquisitive to our visit, lifestyle, and names and very, very polite!  They were so grateful for the ride; we were a little leery of giving them a ride as it would not be something you do in the US unless you know the children.

On our way, we happened to come across a unique sign that read “A Bed and Breakfast with a Twist” – a luxury tree house resort.  We decided to drive to the location to check out this resort and we were so glad that we did as it was amazing!  When we pulled up we were met by the owners, Jack and Carol (originally from Oregon, USA who decided to retire in Samoa); Carol so graciously offered to give us a tour of their two tree houses.  We have to give you a little insight before viewing the photos - These two tree houses were built in trees that are approximately 300 years old and will live to reach 1,000.  The two beautifully decorated luxury tree houses are about 4 stories high and built “inside” one of these ancient banyan trees.  Each tree house comes with a bedroom (one had two bedrooms), a bathroom with running hot and cold water (check out the shower which is actually inside the tree – Greg is shown standing in it), a kitchenette, reading nook, lounge and balconies.  The porches on these tree houses overlook the beautiful south coast of the island where you have a gorgeous view of the beaches from the side of the mountain where these trees are located!  If you are looking for a peaceful, very relaxing and secluded resort – put this on your bucket list!  You are only 10 minutes away from the beaches and falls!  Jack and Carol are being nationally recognized for their tree house resort for its uniqueness and secluded piece of paradise!  Recently Discovery Channel has come out as it is considered one of the most unique resorts available.  Many writers, doctors, CEO’s and other executives stay at the resort as a unique getaway.  Check out their website for more information at www.lupesinatreesort.com.  We want to share our special thanks to Carol and Jack for providing us with a personal tour of their tree house resort and the recommendations they made on what to see/visit while we were touring their island.  We hope to come back one day to stay to enjoy the resort, friendly Samoans, local cuisine and your beaches!

We had hoped to go to some of these beaches as they were once known for their great snorkeling - reefs, coral and fish but back in 2009 a Tsunami destroyed most of this.  We continued our drive to view the Coconut and Sinalei beaches, Talofa Falls, the Tolesua Trench (giant swimming hole) and the many villages.  We took many pictures as we circled the island and admired the beaches, waterfalls and other sights.  It was a great drive watching all the children getting off of school and starting their long walk home.  We got to see horses being used as a means of transportation for getting around the island the wild pigs and dogs just walking along the roadside.  Our last stop was to the National Marine Reserve for snorkeling and this was within a few blocks of the cruise harbor.  We were able to snorkel for about 1 hour before packing up to return the rental vehicle and return back to the cruise ship.  The snorkeling was enjoyable but the currents were strong and the fish life was limited compared to other islands we have visited in the South Pacific.

Our next stop is Pago Pago (pronounced Pango Pango) on American Samoa where it will be Tuesday once again!  Sharon is totally totally confused with crossing the International Date Line and having two Tuesdays but no Mondays!  Greg thinks it doesn’t make any sense to put the International Date Line right between two sister islands.  Greg is still frustrated that we didn’t have two Wednesdays instead so he could have had two birthdays as was originally scheduled on this cruise!

Greg and Sharon Conrad

Hi all,

On Wednesday, April 9 we arrived in Maui, Lahaina!  Formed by two massive volcanoes, Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian Islands.  A popular tourist destination, Maui welcomes more than 2 million visitors a year, second only to Oahu.  Lahaina is Maui’s most popular resort area and a great scenic area for whale watching.  Maui’s scenic and climatic contrasts, is culminated by the spectacular Haleakala Crater, the world’s largest inactive volcano, towering over 10,000 feet above sea level. Maui’s natural splendors include the mountains, valleys, rainforest, lakes, waterfalls and beaches with jewel-colored sands.

We have visited Lahaina many times, mostly during whale watching season in the January/February timeframe.  We often go to Kaanapali Beach and Whaler’s Village for shopping and sightseeing.  On this visit we decided to take in some of the local Lahaina sites as we have never taken the Sugar Cane Train for about an 1 ½ ride up near Whaler’s Village.  It was a very enjoyable trip as we viewed the locals, housing, store fronts nearby, saw spectacular views of the Royal Kaanapali golf course, the beautiful homes around the course, and great views of the mountains/harbors from the trip.  The golf course was busy with many golfers stopping to wave at our train as it went by. 

You will see in a few of the photos an “L” on the mountainside.  This “L” symbolized  Lahaina High School where the senior class built and maintains it.  This year they will be celebrating their 40th reunion of when the “L” was initially created by hosting a bonfire at the sight. 

Our favorite eatery in Lahaina is “Cool Cats” as we were recommended this hamburger joint a several years back from locals as the best hamburger in town.  It truly was a great meal, as this was our late lunch/dinner treat!  Not that we don’t get enough food on the ship, but it is nice to go offshore and enjoy a good hamburger with a large basket of frings (fries/onion rings).  And if you have the local Maui tour book, you will find a coupon for a “free dessert – brownie/ice cream treat!”  Why not, we’re on vacation and tomorrow is another day of paddle tennis and gym workouts - :)!

On April 12 we crossed the equator, on April 13 we crossed the international date line and will be in Apia and Pago Pago as we will have two April 15’s.  Greg is very disappointed as his birthday is 4/16 and he was hoping to celebrate it twice as  he did several years ago on a previous cruise! 

Our next blog will be on April 16 following our stops in Apia and Pago Pago (Samoan Island stops).  We are looking at renting a car, ATV, or scooter to sightsee, snorkel and/or possibly paddle on an outrigger canoe.  Who knows what we will find and  discover as our adventures continue!


Greg and Sharon  Conrad

Hi all,

On Tuesday, April 8 we arrived in Kauai where we had a ship’s excursion planned to ride the zodiac rafts along the Napoli Coast.  Unfortunately, the winds were very strong and the waves on the Napoli Coast were too rough that our excursion was cancelled.  We walked into town and decided to rent a van to drive around the island to view sights. It was a great deal for $65 for the day for a van and walking distance from the port (Hawaii Rental Cars and Scooters – www.hirentalcars.com); they will be available at Maui and Hilo very soon.

We went to Waimea Canyon first and took several pictures from the lookout areas.  You could see some waterfalls and the beautiful gorge below. It was a long windy road up and down the mountain but the scenery was  beautiful.  We sampled a few of Kauai’s little snacks at one of the lookout points and that turned out to be our lunch for the day.

After leaving the canyon we traveled to the south shore area with a stop at the Kauai Coffee Company for a sampling of their different coffee flavors and viewed the coffee trees.   On our way to the south shore we drove through Kukuiula, a new development with a golf course.  The course and homes looked beautiful.  We could only imagine how much the homes cost.  Our next stop on the shore was at Spouting Horn where you could watch the ocean water fly up like a geyser out of a blow hole.  We were able spot a few pods of whales while we were there.  We hung around a while watching the whales and shopped at the local vendors nearby.  We stopped at Poipu Beach Park and saw a sea turtle on the beach.  Sea turtles are a protected species as you are not allowed to touch, feed or get too close to them.  The beach itself was busy with families, snorkeling and a few newer resorts nearby (Marriott, Hilton and the Hyatt).  Great beach that is very close to the ship’s harbor.

Amazing how the time goes so quickly as we needed to be back on the ship by 4:30pm.  A few photos we selected as we leave the harbor heading to our next stop, Maui!

Wishing our friends Sandra and Richard an awesome cruise from LA to Hawaiian Islands and Paula, Berto, Guillermina, Arturo and their friends a great cruise from LA to Japan!

 Hope you are enjoying our blogs!


Greg and Sharon Conrad

Hi all,

On Monday, April 7 we arrived in Honolulu where we met up with Greg’s sister and brother-in-law (Kathy and Nick) to visit the North Shore and other areas of Oahu we had not seen for many years.  The sun was shining when we left the ship but as we approached the North Shore the weather became very overcast with a few light showers around us.  Fortunately, we missed the rain all day as we toured the island but the weather seemed a little cooler with the overcast skies and brisk winds around us while we were on the north side of the island.

The coast line of the North Shore is very beautiful from the heavy waves that come rolling in to the mountains that come up very close to the shore.  The rock formations along the coast create a great place for waves to pound against them and allow the water to splash in various directions.  If we had arrived a month or two earlier there would be competitive surf tournaments going on but we were not at the peak time for the waves.  We still found a few surfers trying to challenge the waves but they didn’t seem very experienced to others we have seen in the past.  Before we left the North Shore we stopped to have a snack at one of the many shaved ice shops on the island.  Everyone had a different flavor and no one complained about their choices although each of us had trouble finishing the large portions they provided.

After leaving the North Shore we made our way to the Dole Pineapple Plantation in the center of the island.  This is a great place to learn about the many different types of pineapples that are grown. You also have an opportunity to taste many of the snacks that are made from pineapples.  They have a maze(supposedly the largest in the world) where you can try to find your way through the hedges.  There is also a train ride you can take to visit the many pineapple fields in the area.  This is definitely worthwhile stop if you have never been there before.

We made one last quick stop at Costco to do a little shopping and see what unique Hawaiian items that Costco was selling.  We picked up a large bag of Maui chips and container of Kona Coffee Dark Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts to bring back to our cruise ship when we felt like a little snack.  

Kathy and Nick dropped us off back at the ship where we dropped off our stuff and decided to take a long walk to Waikiki Beach before having dinner.  Waikiki Beach is about 3miles from the cruise port but we are used to making long walks while we are at port.  The walk was nice along the water front and the weather was sunny and much nicer than what we encountered at the North Shore.  We saw many people coming out to enjoy water activities after work.  People where paddle boarding and snorkeling.  There were many kids that were being taught how to properly paddle in the large outrigger canoes.  This seemed to be a very popular sport and the kids where having a lot of fun. There was also a sailing class being held in the distance as we watched a dozen colorful small sail boats navigating around the harbor.  We walked on to Waikiki Beach taking many pictures of the beach, boats and Diamond Head (which is a very pretty sight right beyond the beach).  We made a few stops to visit local vendors and taste a sample some delicious Hawaiian cookies that are dipped in chocolate, coffee and other unique flavors.  On the walk back to the ship we watched the sun set and got back to the ship right before dark.

Went back out from the ship to have dinner at Hooters nearby to watch the reruns of the basketball game and use their free Wi-Fi takingadvantage to load our photos from Hilo and update our blog. The dinner was good and the pitcher of Sangria we had with it was even better.  We went back to the ship exhausted from our full days’ worth of activities to get a good night’s rest for our early excursion in our next stop, Kauai. 

Thanks Kathy and Nick for spending time together and being our tour guides!

By the way if you haven’t been clicking on the pictures in our blog you may not have noticed that each picture we download has a caption that will allow you to better know what the picture is.  Just click on the picture and the photo will be enlarged and you will see the caption at the bottom. 

Greg and Sharon Conrad

Hi all,

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

 After 4 days at sea we have made our first stop to Hilo.  We decided since we have visited Hilo many times in the past, to walk instead of taking a taxi or van to stop at the various gardens/parks/falls.  It was a beautiful overcast day with temps in the mid-70’s and we began our 4.5 mile walk from the cruise ship to Rainbow Falls. For those that have not visited Hilo, don’t miss out on taking a tour to:  1) Hawaii Volcanoes National Park where you can see two of the world’s most active volcanoes and lava landscapes while getting insight into the birth of the Hawaiian Islands; 2) Tropical Botanical Gardens – This unique garden is situated in a 40-acre valley, rich with fertile volcanic soil and protected from the trade winds.  The garden is filled with tropical flora, such as orchids, anthuriums and native plants as well as picturesque waterfalls and walking paths; 3) Falls cascading over 440 feet down to the gorge below at Rainbow Falls.  The picturesque Rainbow Falls gets its name for the rainbows that appear when the cascade hits the water below and the mist creates a prism of color in the dazzling sunlight; 4) Outdoor adventures – hiking, caving snorkeling, and kayaking amidst waterfalls are just some of the incredible activities you can participate in on Hilo.  Something new at Hilo is a “Hoppa-On, Hoppa-Off” bus that takes you around Hilo for a reasonable price of $15 per person for the day.

Our first stop was at Kahio Kalaniana Ole Park where we took several photos of our cruise ship, Golden Princess in the background along with local families enjoying the outdoor water activities (kayaking, sailing, snorkeling, stand up paddleboarding, etc.).

 Next we continued to Banyan Drive where the roadway is lined with Banyan trees as a result of monetary donations received by famous individuals such as Amelia Earhart, Richard Nixon (senator at the time), and Babe Ruth to mention a few.  From Banyan Drive we walked through Liliuokalani Gardens which was beautiful and saw many families enjoying their Sunday family day at the park.  

Upon completing about 2 miles of our walk we came to the town of Hilo and started our remaining 2.5 mile up-hill walk to Rainbow Falls.  Once we viewed the sights at Rainbow Falls we headed back to the town of Hilo and did some shopping at local artist stores and visited their farmer’s market.  At this point, we laughed as we wondered how many walked from the cruise ship to Rainbow Falls.  Answer: 2 – just us!  

We headed towards the cruise ship walking along the bay area for our return walk watching many families still enjoying their many water activities.

 Next stop Honolulu!

Hi all,

 Hope everyone is doing well!

 Wanted to share for those that have never been on a cruise or on a Princess ship some insight to what it looks like onboard.  You will note from the photos that it looks as if we had the ship to ourselves.  No, over two thousand people were onboard, but when you first go on board for some reason everyone seems to go to the food venues to eat.  Great time to take photos of the ship!

 Let’s see, how many remember the “Love Boat”?  This long-running television series introduced millions of viewers to the concept of vacationing at sea as it was filmed aboard a Princess Cruise Ship. Princess has a fleet of 16 ships that sail all over the world.  We are on the Golden Princess which has 17 decks, a passenger capacity of 2,600, 4 pools, and many places to eat (3 main dining rooms, Sabatini's – Italian restaurant, Crown Grill – Steak and seafood, International Café, array of seafood, Crab Shack; Vines – Wine Bar, Horizon Court – Buffet restaurant, Trident Grill – Burger & hot dog grill, Prego Pizzeria – Poolside pizza, Sundaes ice cream bar and 24-hour room services).

Showrooms/Lounges: Princess Theater, Vista Show Lounge, Explorer's Lounge, Wheelhouse Bar, Skywalkers Nightclub, Player's Cigar Bar, Promenade Lounge and Bar.

Passenger Services: The Sanctuary, Movies Under the Stars poolside screen, Lotus Spa and Fitness Center, Piazza-style Atrium, Kid's and Teen's Centers, Wedding chapel, Grand Casino, Lawn Court – golf putting and lawn games, Sports Deck, Internet Café, Library, Art Gallery, Photo/Video Gallery, Duty-free Boutiques, Video arcade, Passenger Services Desk, Shore Excursions Desk and Medical Center.

Take a look at some of the photos we were able to take prior to our cruise departure and more that we will share during our cruise.

Next stop Hilo!

Greg and Sharon Conrad