Day 8 & 9 - Flights home

The airport is only a few minutes away from Pearl Harbor so we were pulling up to the first airline drop off by 3:20PM. When they let us off at Delta's entry, we ended up walking all the way past their check in counters because Adam and Amy soon noticed that we all should have been directed a few doors down to a x-ray machine conveyer belt station that was required for everyone to run their luggage through regardless of airline choice. This was a requirement to have our bags checked for any contraband like fruit, plants, or nuts being taken out of Hawaii. The line looped around from the machine up to street level and back down to the door on the other side by the time we reached it. We had thought to grab a rolling cart for our bags but it was tough to move it up the incline as we progressed through the line. By the time we were a few people from the machine, the guy manning it announced that we only needed to send our checked luggage through. Not sure how that helps prevent contraband but alrighty then. Unfortunately it meant having to unstack the bulk of our luggage since our heaviest checked bags were on the bottom of the rack. They went through with no issue and the guy affixed a green sticky label around our luggage handles. 

This was the first time we were trying the newer Delta One seats which were not only first class seats but individual pod style seats that lie flat and have all the entertainment gadgets and such. Amy and Adam reached the first class/priority check in line shortly before we did so they went up to an agent on their own. The agent was a little confused because we all have the same last name but here only two of the four on his manifest were checking in. They pointed us out now waiting in line for the next agent and he seemed satisfied enough to finish checking them in. Adam confirmed we too had TSA precheck and they headed off toward security. We ended up with a different agent and she made sure to check that we had our little green labels. She asked if our luggage locks were TSA approved locks and we assured her they were. Dad was surprised as she was the first agent to ever ask that and she remarked "Well I do my job!" 

One of the things we had been concerned about is whether or not we'd have to deal with our luggage for the flight from Atlanta (where we'd leave Adam and Amy) and fly back on to Baltimore a couple hours later. We elected to book that second flight separately saving about $100-$200 rather than booking it as a connecting flight. This agent arranged it so that the bags would be taken care of for us and we'd only have to worry about getting to the right gate. The one thing she couldn't do was check us in for that 2nd flight since this flight got us into Atlanta in the morning of the next day. Apparently that would be out of their computer system's ability since it at the time was a whole calendar day's away. 

We asked for directions to Delta's lounge since purchasing Delta One seats gives you access to the lounge. The agent tells us we don't have access to the lounge. We explain about having Delta One seats and she says "That's only for international flights." Opting to just double check at the lounge rather than fight with her, we asked about TSA pre-check directions. She sent us to the pre-check area that was halfway across the airport from the lounge. We had caught back up with Adam and Amy just before going through security. My luck with TSA continues and the metal detector announced that I was selected for random screening. Adam and Amy moved through without any issue so they waited for Dad and I outside security. The TSA agent held up the regular line passing through the full body scanner so I could go through it next and of course the scanner highlights various body parts to be checked. I have no medical devices inside my body and I made a point of carrying nothing in my pockets yet they always have something show on the scan. A female TSA agent treated me to a pat down and then we moved on to having my hands swabbed for any chemical or explosive residue. An older couple saw me getting pulled aside and stopped to ask "What could this young lady possibly have done?" I sent them along so none of us would get into any further issue. The TSA agent asked me if we were all traveling together and I thought at first that she meant Adam and Amy so I said yes. She accepted that answer in a way that a parent might accept an excuse your child gives for a misbehavior. Only occurred to me afterward that she meant the older couple so wherever you are sir and ma'am, enjoy not earning your own extra check by the TSA. The hand swab was of course deemed all clear and I was allowed to proceed on. We reunited with Adam and Amy just long enough for them to decide they wanted to browse the airport shops for souvenirs and would meet us at the lounge. 

It took quite a walk and asking 3 employees before we finally found Delta's lounge. They scanned our tickets as being in their lounge and happily welcomed us in with no issue. So much for that check in agent's claims. We had a laugh at the absurdity of her "I do my job" comment only to not know the correct answer about the lounge. The lounge was pretty full but we were able to grab a table and enjoy their small selection of hot foods. It was while we sat here waiting that I randomly reached into the outside pouch of our carry on luggage for something and what caught my eye but the rainbow colored keychain we use for our luggage lock keys and spare house keys! Turns out it had been buried in the bottom of the pouch and only came up toward the top because we'd had all our bags upended to stack on the rolling luggage cart!

It turned out to be quite the trek to reach our gate and only afterwards did we notice Adam had texted to let us know that they chose to head straight to the gate. They were already on board when we reached the gate as we had to join the longest priority boarding line I've ever encountered. I appreciated that these pods were arranged in an angled single file configuration unlike British Airways who has pods that are connected by 2's so you face the back and the person next to you faces forward like the old sweetheart chairs. I love window seats but it was always annoying to have to squeeze out from the corner to reach the aisle. Now all of these seats open out into the aisle for easy in and out. Only two downsides is that there is no way to close your area off from everyone else like the privacy screen feature British Airways has and they were narrower than BA so I pinched my hip when putting my seat flat to fit under the drink holding rim running along the side of my seat. I'm pretty sure I was one of the few people in first class to not request an alcoholic drink with my meals because the flight attendant found it cute and funny when I asked for a soda. Most of the time we only get to catch up on movies when they are part of the flight entertainment so I spent the time fighting the urge to fall asleep during Book Club and Tag before finishing off my breakfast with an episode of Chopped. One of the things I found interesting that I don't recall happening when we last flew regular Delta business/first class, the flight attendants and even the captain came out to the first class cabin and thanked us personally for choosing to fly with them. Umm, and thank you Delta for making this 8 hour flight a lot more tolerable by taking tons of our money.

Once back on solid ground in Atlanta, we bid goodbye to Adam and Amy so they could head home and we took the tram to the gate my Delta app told us would be our flight. Once we stepped off the tram, my app updated and sent us back to another gate. Another tram ride later that thankfully ended before the young lady standing nearby lost her breakfast from motion sickness and we found Atlanta's Delta lounge. They happily checked us in from their computer and after a little breakfast we fought a much stronger urge to fall asleep in the lounge before our flight. I'm not sure how we stayed awake long enough to reach our gate because as soon as we were in our seats on the plane, we passed out for nearly the entire 1-2 hour long flight back to Baltimore. Thankfully our luggage came quickly and after a short cab ride we made it home safely almost 24 hours after we first left Hawaii.

Thank you all for visiting my little corner of the blog universe whether you are a first time visitor or a repeat customer. I appreciate each and every reader and I hope I have served to inform as well as entertain you through my travels. Please feel free to comment with any questions and/or thoughts you may have. Stay tuned for where the next trip takes us!

Day 8 - Disembarkation & Pearl Harbor

Wow I can't believe I'm already writing up the last day of our trip! We've been fortunate enough to go on longer cruises so when our next booking is "only" 7 days, it seems so short. I do believe though that with some time before or after your cruise to experience Honolulu, the back to back port schedule of these 7 days is plenty to accomplish everything. You may not be able to do every tour or adventure you want time wise but it's a great mix whether you're into nature, history, or getting sand in unmentionable places while lounging at the beach all day.

We learned the day before that Cagney's would be open for breakfast this morning of debarkation but we opted not to have a big meal. Instead we spent the morning desperately searching the cabin because we couldn't find the house and luggage lock keys after locking and putting out our checked luggage the night before. Note to NCL - look into the luggage valet program that cruise lines like RCL and Celebrity offer. Made the flights home from those cruises so much nicer! In case anyone is missing a blue/green travel neck pillow, I discovered it under the bed while searching for our keys this morning. Coming up at a loss even after checking the obvious place of the outer pockets of our carry on bag, we resigned ourselves to the fact that we may have to cut off our TSA approved luggage locks and get my mom to let us back into the house.

I don't recall exactly what color luggage tags we'd been given but our "Oahu - Pearl Harbor & Honolulu City Tour" booked through Roberts Hawaii required being pier side by 8:50AM. We decided to head down to the gangway around 8:30AM and ran into Spencer in the hallway. We asked him if anyone had turned in some keys to the lost and found and he went into the back to check. He came up empty and promised that if they did find them they would send them to our house. Since we were already there, Spencer essentially played Vanna and directed us to the line of people disembarking. There didn't seem to be any real organization or restriction about who could disembark when like most lines who call for passengers by certain decks or certain luggage tag colors. Other lines require those choosing to walk off with all their luggage to leave first, often before 7AM. Here, according to our disembark information, that group could leave anywhere from 7:15AM until 9AM which ran the span of the other group's reported times.

Since we never left the country on this trip, there was no having to weave our way through customs or have our passports checked. Thankfully there are usually separate suite lines as part of the priority disembarkation when you do have to go through that step. Here in Baltimore where the customs area is much smaller resulting in more people waiting outside until the lines go down, they instead have suite guests go around the line and stand to the side being directed to the next available agent.

It was relatively easy to find our luggage once off the gangway and Dad called over a porter to help us. By the time we came out of the main warehouse area into what looked more like a giant hotel lobby, the multiple companies were there waiting for people to check in for their arranged transfers etc. We checked in with the Roberts Hawaii employee and were directed to go wait in a specific corner of the lobby space. Their form of organization was to group everyone in different areas of this large open space based on what you booked. The more people came off the ship, the more the sectioned groups became simply a large crowd standing around. Adam and Amy had probably gotten off the ship as soon as possible anxious to be that much closer to the airport since they were sitting on the floor waiting as one of the first people in the Roberts Hawaii Pearl Harbor group. It soon became overheated in the room and loud making it tough to tell whether it was your group all those people in green shirts were calling. Finally, we heard our tour called and we were told to go to "the bus on the end." We followed the crowds outside to a long row of buses unsure which "end" we were supposed to go to. After a bit of trying to figure things out, I went over to the other end and asked the young lady if this was the bus going to Pearl Harbor. She confirmed it and I motioned for everyone to come join me. They loaded our luggage (we opted to hold onto our carry on bag) under the bus based on which airline we were using.

A little sprinkle dotted the windows as we sat on the bus waiting for them to finish loading the luggage. Thankfully the bus didn't fill up so Dad and I sat separately so we could use the 2nd seat to hold our carry on bags. Our driver gave some commentary as we headed to our first stop of the Alliolani Hale building aka the Hawaii Five-O headquarters. Across the street is the real Iolani Palace. Only about 2/3rds of the bus opted to get off and follow our driver up the road about a block to stand in front of the building. He explained the significance of the King Kamehameha statue in front with the laying of flowers and assured everyone that there is no real Hawaii Five-O task force.

Our next stop was a drive by past the Eternal Flame War Memorial.

One last drive by took us to the Punchbowl National Cemetery:

Once we arrived at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, our driver let us off the bus to wait for our tickets. Once through the security bag check (people had backpacks and purses and as long as they were checked, they were allowed in), we were instructed to wait specifically "in a single file line" while he went and picked up our movie/boat ride tickets. We all found it a little odd that after arriving here around 10:30AM, we weren't given tickets for an earlier boat ride time. Instead we were given tickets for the 1:30PM slot, told where to line up to enter the movie theater by 1:20PM and then sent on our way to do whatever we pleased on the grounds. His final instructions were to meet back at the bus which now was off in the back parking lot by 3PM.

Adam and Amy opted to head over to the USS Missouri battleship to walk through it while Dad was more interested in seeing the newsreel movies as part of the museum displays. They reported later that since it was a working battleship, they had to move through confined spaces and crawl through small passageways. Definitely not an accessible attraction for anyone with disabilities.

Dad and I moved between the buildings checking out the exhibits and watching the footage. There was a small snack shop that was mobbed but was essentially our main means for sustenance so we joined the crowd picking out drinks and a bunch of carb filled snacks to sustain us. We joined the many other people who'd pulled up a bench outside the shop and did our best to avoid the birds who swarmed en masse in hopes of crumbs.

We passed on the varieties of seafood snack mix and taro chips:

Dad and I next moved to the water's edge to look out at the Arizona Memorial and check out the various quotes etched into concrete from the soldiers who were there that fateful day.

There were several interesting plaques along the water mapping out the geography of the harbor and the ships docked there that day. Dad used the map to show me where he'd worked by Hospital Point in Hickam Field when he and Mom had been transferred to Hawaii for his work shortly after they'd gotten married.

A quick pass through the gift shop (Dad was also hoping they'd have traveler items like new keys for TSA locks) and we spotted the desk where you could help yourself to stamping your National Park passport.

We next moved to sit in the shade nearby where the movie theater and boat dock were and soon reunited with Adam and Amy.

There was a former soldier manning the crowds filling the small overhang outside the theater and we listed to him routinely yell at the people to not be lining up too soon before their ticket time. When we did line up for our turn, his no nonsense comments and frankness made everyone laugh and kept us all in a good mood. He did make a point of letting anyone with strollers, little kids, or disabilities in first to get them settled before letting the crowd file in. He made a big speech before we went in about giving the movie our full attention and to not only silence our phones but to stay off them completely until the movie was over. He even promised to come in and check to make sure we were following his rule. Dad opted to choose seats near the back of the theater in hopes of getting out easier but once the movie was over, we were all directed to exit via the doors at the bottom of the theater on each side of the screen. The movie itself is played on a large screen and can get loud but is enthralling to watch.

Once outside, you essentially are right on the boat dock so it's a matter of funneling your way through the railings and onto the ferry boat. There are spaces on the ferry for those with wheelchairs and a small bench seat for your travel partner to sit next to you. Otherwise it's rows of bench seats you enter and exit from the center so unless you get to be the first one to enter your row, your view out the sides is going to be someone's head and then the Memorial.

The ferry boat was driven by two young navy sailors and a recording narration was played while they drove the boat out to the memorial, turned in a circle to give everyone a chance to see the Arizona Memorial specifically, and then back to the dock. The boat ride itself took all of 20 minutes if that.

Even though we had 30-40 minutes until we needed to meet back at the bus, Dad and I started to head back out to the parking lot. When Adam and Amy veered off to visit the same gift shop we'd perused earlier, we stopped to sit on a bench and wait for them. When they came out and announced that they'd found a sticker for their National Park passport (a goal they've long held for everywhere they visit) we asked if they'd also found the stamp. They had missed seeing the stamp set up so Dad and Adam went back in to get the passports stamped while Amy and I headed back to the bus. They soon joined us and all but one guy who'd been standing outside by the bus enjoying a smoke made it back to the bus by 3PM.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...Embarkation Day!

Anyone else picture Kermit waving his arms and throwing his head back screaming in excitement when embarkation day finally arrives?

Even though we didn't have to meet back with Adam and Amy and head over to the meeting point at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Bus Terminal until 11:45AM, we decided it wasn't worth seeking out breakfast. We packed up the last few things after getting ready this morning and moved our checked bags over by the door. While we didn't really get up early, it still was a lot of nervous energy trying to kill time. We ended up finding the original Harry Potter movie on TV and got so engrossed watching it that a little part of me didn't want to leave before it was over. Even though we'd seen the movies multiple times by now. I don't recall exactly what time the bellman made it to our room but it was still well before we planned to go meet Adam and Amy around 11:20AM not sure how long it would take us to walk to the bus terminal. All we had to do was point out which of our bags we wanted taken and they handled everything. 

One note I forgot to include about last night is that we had stopped by the concierge desk the night before on our way back to the room and inquired as to where this box was that the check in literature said we were supposed to drop our room keys and towel cards into in the vicinity of the front desk lobby. The woman working the desk offered to process our check out right then and there informing us that we simply had to leave our cards in the room for their staff to pick up after we've left. We've stayed in hotels where you drop your key at the front desk as you leave and ones where you can check out on your room's TV and then leave the card in the room so this seemed a bit backwards to have to return them to a designated drop off box. 

So once we were finally ready to leave, I put back together our little check in packet of room keys and towel cards and left it front and center on the dresser so they'd notice it. A quick triple check to make sure we didn't forget anything and down the elevator we went to the lobby to meet Adam and Amy. One thing I found interesting about the elevators in our tower's lobby is that often times we'd walk up from being elsewhere on the grounds and one of the elevators would already be called and sitting open at the lobby. Way to spoil us before heading to cruise ship elevator life!

Adam and Amy were already down in the lobby waiting on us. Amy was a little concerned that the bellman hadn't been by their room before they headed down here to collect their luggage. It didn't help when she asked us and we had to tell her our luggage was picked up fairly quickly. After a bit of who is following who random wandering around the resort, we finally came across the bus terminal. There was a lot of people hanging out in this area and the staff had to repeatedly double check the people who were lining up because they only wanted those on the current shuttle bus to line up. We sought out a group of benches off to the side as it had been raining off and on this morning and we wanted to stay under cover. We were one of the last buses to be called and once we got in line, the staff came down the line double checking our cruise cabin numbers, hotel room numbers and confirmed how many pieces of luggage we had left for the bellman to make sure it matched the number they logged as being picked up and sent to the ship. Amy felt a lot better when they told her the right number of bags they'd picked up from their room. 

The bus ride was short and sweet and we only needed to show the letter NCL gave us at the hotel and our passports once entering the terminal. Once through security we asked about the suite check in area and were led to a small room off to the side. In the main space where there were multiple rows of chairs, they also had the embarkation photo backdrop set up and a couple Hawaiian dancers with loud music performing for the crowd. We were stopped at the door to the suite check in as at that moment the concierge, Thomas Meier, was leading the latest suite passengers onto the ship. We were kept outside of the room until he returned a few minutes later to greet us. When he heard that one of our suites was an owner's suite, he asked Dad and I to choose our included 3 bottles of wine for the cabin. All previous suite stays and all I read from other NCL suite cruisers have had the concierge contact them a week or two prior to the cruise to ask about choosing wines etc. It was a little off putting to not be contacted beforehand but since our main decision was wine choices, we didn't care as much. In fact when Thomas asked us, we simply deferred to Adam and Amy to pick their favorite kinds. No issue from the fact that technically they were in the penthouse suite and didn't get wine bottles included. 

We also got yet another lei bestowed upon us, flower ones for the ladies, and small conch shell ones for the guys instead of the kukui nut ones we'd gotten before now. We were then let into the suite check in room and each cabin's worth of people sat in front of one of the 2 check in ladies' desks and took all of 5 minutes to show our passports and be given our cruise cards. We then were invited to enjoy the small selection of drink dispensers and snacks. We'd only really sat for a couple minutes with drinks before Thomas decided that enough of a group had filled the small space and we were ready to be led on board. As many other cruisers reported, you are led right past the embarkation photo backdrop when the concierge escorts you on so if you really want that photo, make sure you have them stop as they pass by. Once at the first true entrance to the ship where you get your card scanned for the first time as "onboard" Thomas left us to return to the check in. 

All four of us stepped up to scan our card at the first available podium only to find that none of our cards worked. We had to get each of our cards run through a device by the security officer standing at the other podium that negated them and spend our first few moments on board at Guest Services having new cards printed. There was no special line at Guest Services for suite guests like Princess has so we had a bit of a wait. Adam and Amy got their cards replaced first and the man working the counter was super apologetic that he had to go fetch the new cards from a printer across the way because the one nearby wasn't working. A very accommodating and patient female crew member who was assigned to escorting suite guests up to Cagney's Steakhouse for lunch took Adam and Amy up with a promise to return right away for us. Dad and I decided to split up and conquer and he headed 10 feet over to make specialty dinner reservations for the four of us (our booking included 3 specialty dining dinners) while I got both our cruise cards reprinted. Now that I look back on it, I was never questioned as to why I was asking for a new cruise card for someone who wasn't technically present. You would think for security purposes someone would question why I as one person was handing over two cards? I suppose since I wasn't asking for a new photo to be linked and it was the same cabin number, they didn't care. They did have a crew member checking on the people in line to see if they could provide a quick answer to any questions and thin out the line. That's how I found out that people who had come up behind me in line also needed to have their cards reprinted. Guess it wasn't only just the suite check in that messed up.

Once we both accomplished our first tasks, it took only a minute of searching the crowd before we spotted our escort returning to bring us up to Cagney's Steakhouse. Once there we found Adam and Amy amongst a handful of people being kept in the lounge just outside the restaurant as they were staggering the crowd and we had to wait for our party to be called. As soon as we sat down with Adam and Amy, we were given a sales pitch from the spa reps offering a $100 thermal spa pass that gave access to the loungers, steam rooms, and spa showers and was good for unlimited use the whole week. Adam and Amy opted to go for that deal and signed up on the spot. Dad and I are not normally spa people so we declined. Dad was hoping I'd want to join them especially as Amy was so into checking out the various spa treatments for sale that he insisted we stop by the spa later that day to listen to the whole rundown of their offerings. Pretty much same as every other cruise ship spa offers. I tried to make light of having to listen to the spiel by asking if the bamboo massage included being beaten with the sticks. Without missing a beat, the woman from the spa replied "Only if you're bad."

This Cagney's lunch menu was only available for suite guests and the highest level of Latitudes members. One such cruiser got very upset when the front podium tried to turn him away because they didn't have his name on the list of suite guests. It was straightened out and he was profusely apologized to when Thomas got involved. This lunch menu never changed so if you couldn't decide between two things and didn't want to eat both then, you could always go back and have the other thing next time. Or on the other hand, if you really liked something you could have it again. Unlike most other cruise lines with suite only restaurants, Cagney's was open for lunch on port days from 12PM-2PM. They'd have to be in this case since every day was a port day.

We didn't have to wait too long for our party to be called into Cagney's and got seated at a table for four. Is it wrong that I secretly delighted in how this trip we wouldn't be stuck in little two top tables jammed in next to everyone else or along a rail? The restaurant was pretty busy but we kept ourselves entertained by trying to get the NCL app to work on our respective phones. One of us would get part of it to work but then the same steps wouldn't work for the other people who had a different style phone. Eventually we stumbled upon how to have wi-fi access set to get the app to show you the daily schedule. It took some getting used to when it came to using our phones because this is one of the first cruises we could just go on cellular whenever we wanted internet and never paid for any internet package. I did have more problems on this ship than any other getting Facebook messenger to work as that is how I usually keep in touch back home. Facebook itself and email worked just fine.

We ended up sailing the week before NCL announced new options for beverage packages as usually Hawaiian law prevents them from offering anything other than a soda package. I'm a little surprised that Adam and Amy didn't bother getting the package as they drank soda frequently all week. Dad and I found that except for the soda we had included in our suite, we drank a lot of water even though it wasn't super hot out. At lunch Dad went with the Santa Fe Flatbread and enjoyed it while I went for the Caesar Salad (this was during that brief respite where Romaine lettuce wasn't the devil on the recall list) with shrimp added. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the shrimp was not little baby shrimp like you'd see on a salad bar but the real full size grilled shrimp. I'm a little surprised that for a steak house lunch, none of the options under the entrées list was an actual steak. Several seafood choices, 1 vegetarian option, 1 veal dish, 1 pork chop, and 1 chicken choice. 

Shrimp in this picture were as big as they appear

For my entrée I went with the Brie' Burger and asked for it to be cooked medium well. Bet you can guess how this turned out! When my burger arrived it was more on the medium side and it took a while to catch our waiter to report it. His response was to take the plate back to redo it and I leaned back to let him lift the plate from the table. He held up the plate in front of my face and told me to take off the little bowl of French fries from the plate so that I can have "something to keep me busy while I wait for the burger." Dad thought the comment was hilarious but both Amy and I found it to be rude. I'm not a child who needs a coloring mat or tablet to keep me from throwing a tantrum in a restaurant. By the time our waiter returned with my burger, everyone else had finished their food and been brought dessert. The one time we're not the ones sitting waiting after finishing our food because the wait staff wait until everyone at your table is ready to move on to the next course. Though not listed on the menu, Amy asked for and received a dish of vanilla ice cream. The burger this time was cooked properly. Everyone was ready to leave and go see our cabins so I turned down the waiter's offer to bring me dessert now.

Whereas on Princess they have rooms ready regardless of cabin category when you board and on RCL where our Star Class status let us into our rooms early, NCL follows Carnival and the rest of RCL in preventing you from going to cabins until they are announced as open in the early afternoon. By now we'd killed enough time that rooms were open. We bid goodbye to Adam and Amy with plans to meet again for our first specialty dinner tonight in Teppanyaki. I'm a super planner that does tons of research looking at reviews, pictures, and videos about the ship and the cabins we'd booked before the trip. One of the most unique things about NCL cabins is their feature of putting the toilet area of the bathroom in its own little cubby with a door blocking it off from the rest of the bathroom. Personally that then didn't make sense to me with the way the see through glass panel on the side of the shower was because the panel cutout was past where the door to the toilet cubby goes. Not so private toilet time when anyone can hop in the shower and peek in and vice versa. Of course if you've got people popping in to peek at you while you're in your cabin's bathroom in the first place, you may want to rethink your travel companions. Our cabin though had the extra unique feature of having no door on the toilet cubby space. We could pick out the frame and the stopper on the wall indicating that there should have been a door there. We found out later when we returned to the room post dinner to find our steward Bonifacio doing turn down service that a previous cruiser had broken the door and the new one hadn't arrived yet. When we remarked how surprising it was to have the cabin still in service without a bathroom door, Bonifacio (who instructed us to call him Boni) pointed out that we still had use of the small powder room which did have a working door. He did laugh heartily when I asked how much of a hurry you had to be in to end up breaking the door to the toilet.

The way the cabin is set up, the main bathroom takes up 1/3rd of the cabin's interior space. The bed and bench in front of it take up so much space in the bedroom, if someone is sitting on that bench, you can't squeeze by the bed and go out the door back into the living room. We spent a lot of time this week cutting through the bathroom. There is a full closeable and lockable door to the main bathroom from the entryway/living room but from the bedroom, it's only a curtain to be pulled across where the bedroom meets the small walk in closet/dressing area. Why there is not a curtain to cover the doorway between the dressing area and the bathroom I don't know. If you're not traveling with family you may want to work out a system of who gets bathroom and dressing room space when.

There is a connecting door between our suite, 10002 and Adam and Amy's penthouse suite 10008 which is why we chose these two cabins but we opted to keep that inner door locked for privacy. We were told when we asked before the cruise that no balcony partitions can be opened like most other ships when you know the people in the neighboring cabin. As with probably most connecting rooms anywhere though, noise travels and we often heard Adam and Amy talking in their cabin. We turned down a few offers to bid for an upgrade because it meant losing the connecting rooms. That and they wanted another $750 per person as the minimum bid. Hmm, split up our cabins or buy 2 excursions? We'd really been looking forward to having a cabin with a hot tub on the balcony. Some RCL Star Class suites have hot tubs (like the ones you'd see in someone's backyard) and our Celebrity suite cabin had one that looked more like a bathtub on the balcony so we never used it. Not only was this hot tub more like the size of a dunk tank in height with just a small step to get in and out but when we'd use it, it would either start to drain right after we got in after taking 25 minutes to fill or would constantly buzz trying to drain that last bit when we were done. We are not tiny people but while there's room for a few people on the bench inside the hot tub, there wasn't really much room for our two sets of legs and feet in the center well because of the design of the mechanics within the well. 

Still to come in today's report - Muster drill, Teppanyaki dinner, and meeting our butler! Also stay tuned for a photo walkthrough of our cabin. I didn't intrude in order to take pictures in Adam and Amy's cabin but you can find a great video tour of their cabin filmed by a previous cruiser on YouTube.

A day of rest before it's go go go on the cruise

Despite Dad's attempts to find yet another tour to fill this last day before our cruise, we managed to keep it a lazy day. Tonight is the "free" night that was included in our cruise package from NCL and thankfully we didn't have to change rooms. We did stop by the NCL Hospitality desk to make sure they had our room numbers listed correctly for luggage pickup the next morning.

Once we'd slept in a little, Dad and I decided to venture out for some breakfast and first visited the Tropics Bar & Grill. We were greeted with the news that it would be a 20 minute wait. Dad's never a fan of waiting so off we headed at the hostess' suggestion to the CJ's New York Style Delicatessen/Restaurant. Yes, we came all the way to Hawaii and ate at the New York Style Deli. I found it interesting that at this deli, they had copies of the menu in multiple languages in takeout style brochures. The menu we were given when we chose to sit outside to eat was completely in English though. This deli had tables inside and outside and was already fairly busy. We chose to sit outside to avoid another wait and unfortunately got seated at the table furthest away from the building. While there was an overhang for shade, we couldn't look to our right because of the sun and could feel the right side of our bodies getting burnt. At one point I switched to the chair that was more covered at our four top table saving the lobster look on one side of my face but instead I could feel my right leg cooking as if only it was under a heat lamp. I turned my original chair to face out into the sun so that the back of the chair was blocking the sun from my leg. We considered switching to the table that was totally in the shade but by the time we could ask it of our waitress, she'd seated someone else there.

This was our first experience with moments when the birds do more than just wander into your open air lobby. They routinely would not only wander around your feet underneath the tables but would also swoop up onto recently vacated tables in hopes of scraps. It ceases to become cute or comical when those birds decide that they don't want to bother waiting for you to leave the table first and literally started divebombing us. Dodgeball flashbacks turn into Dodge bird when you see a winged white creature flying at your head only to pull up and fly off after you've ducked. No pun intended. An employee from the neighboring eatery came out to clean their outdoor tables and took offence at the group of birds huddled around the scraps on the ground. She stomped at them and shooed them away with her dish towel which of course only sent now angrier birds in our direction. Unfortunately as the deli got busier, our service got slower so it was quite the multitasking effort to eat while bobbing and weaving bird attacks.

While this place calls itself a New York Style Deli, there was still a few Hawaiian food influences to the menu. In the mood for pancakes - go for the macadamia nut and coconut flavored pancakes. Want something a little fancier - go for the Kalua Pig version of Eggs Benedict.

Both Dad and I decided to try the New York Steak and Eggs. It includes 3 eggs made your way of choice, a strip style steak, a starchy side, and a bread side. Dad went with an omelet while I got my personal favorite of fried eggs. I was pleased to see that my steak came out as I requested and the eggs were just runny enough to drag the steak through the yolk. It was a lot to eat and I forced myself to even take bites of the country fries and bagel so I could try everything.

I rarely get the chance to go swimming at home so I love when I get the chance on vacation. I couldn't wait to return to the room after breakfast to get changed and go use one of the pools. However, we discovered upon returning that the maid service hadn't been by at all even though we spotted them a few doors down when we left for breakfast. We changed into our swimsuits and found the towel alcove to turn in our two cards provided at check in for two towels. Honestly, I probably would have gotten more coverage and drying ability from bringing down the ones in our room. We took our towels to the nearest pool which wasn't too busy and added our towels to loungers right in front. It was nice and shady at this pool but as we laid there relaxing, it soon became overpopulated with kids. We decided to seek out the bigger pool by the Rainbow tower and while the other pool was overcome with splashing kids, this place was overcome with sunbathers. We had to walk across the muddy spaces lining the far back row of loungers to find two of the few remaining seats.

Soon it was too bright and warm for us to stick around so we headed down to check out the beach which was just a short walk away from this pool. Adam and Amy had mentioned their plans to visit the beach when we crossed paths after breakfast (they'd opted to wait for the grill) so we headed over to see if we could join them. While we didn't find them we did find a beach that had lots of little shells or rocks and dense sand so it was a precarious walk to the water's edge. Dad was ready to bail as he'd been fine relaxing in the room reading if we weren't trying to give the maid time to do our room still. I was determined to at least say I'd been in the ocean so I walked a little bit into the water and let it wash over my ankles for a few minutes. There was a foot washing area near where the path meets the start of the sand so we stopped to rinse our feet and flip flops. Got our feet fairly clean but alas, it's also not comfortable when you have to put your feet back into now soaking wet flip flops. We stopped at the Rainbow pool's towel stand to return our towels as you can pick them up or return them to any pool's towel stand. Make sure you get them to give back your towel cards though or you can't get towels a future time and most importantly, they will charge you if the cards aren't left with your keys when you check out.

When we returned to the room now another hour later, the room still had not been cleaned. Dad found the maid cleaning a room at the end of the hall and made her jump in fright because she turned around after having the vacuum running and was shocked to see him standing at the door. He apologized and asked if she'd do our room next. She agreed and off we went to sit in the lobby to stay out of her way. Adam wandered through to get his book and told us about them now lounging at the first pool we visited. After a while, Dad decided to head upstairs while I joined Adam and Amy. They told me that after finding the same result at the beach, they'd tried to rent bikes but were told they weren't allowed to ride them around the resort. They didn't feel comfortable riding them around an unfamiliar city.

After we chatted for a while we decided it was time for lunch and returned to our rooms to change back into regular clothes. Since Dad and I had both had a large breakfast we suggested heading down to Round Table Pizza next door to the deli for a simple lunch. This restaurant only had tables on the inside but kept the doors at both ends wide open for airflow. After having my own issues in the room, I felt for the mother whose child started throwing a fit because Mom couldn't get the wi-fi to work in order for her daughter to watch videos while they waited. Adam and Amy opted for a discounted personal pan pizza each under the Lunch Specials list while Dad and I split a medium pepperoni pizza. Service was fairly good, especially since we were waited on for the most part by the manager. We couldn't finish our pizza so Adam happily took the leftovers. Not a bad lunch for four at $48.

Only downside was the return of the birds. It wouldn't have been so bad since they had a straight shot in and out with the long rectangular shaped dining room at this venue. However, the manager had come over to check on our table just as a bird comes flying through. He swats at the bird smacking it's backside with his order pad. The bird was currently passing over our table in an attempt to get away so in response to having its bum smacked, it unleashed a direct hit of what used to be its breakfast onto our table. My efforts to point it out to the rest of my family and the manager went unnoticed so I just quickly covered the area with our spare napkins. If I hadn't already been too full to finish, I would certainly have been done with my meal now.

During lunch, Amy mentioned how they'd picked up a matching Hawaiian dress and shirt for them to wear as a couple and it renewed Dad's interest to get his own Hawaiian shirt. As we left lunch, we popped into the nearby shop on the property called Tropical Wear. Amy found herself another dress and I helped Dad find a deep blue colored shirt that featured cars, trucks, and surfboards. He loves his new shirt and got lots of compliments from the crew on the ship. The saleslady in the shop was very persistent and even tried to get me to buy a dress to match Dad's shirt. I repeatedly declined but she was so happy with the sale she did get from us that she gave me a hair clip with a plastic molded flower glued to it. I'd noticed these for sale in nearly every shop we visited on this trip. I ended up putting the clip on my backpack as a zipper pull. Unfortunately I didn't think it would survive the flights home so I left it behind at the end of the cruise.

A friend messaged me to ask where I've traveled to after seeing my Facebook post about San Francisco. Here's the picture I sent him as my response:

We went our separate ways after shopping and Dad and I returned to the room to relax. Come dinnertime, we headed back to try Tropics Bar & Grill but there was not only a big roped off crowd for a private event on the lawn by the Rainbow pool but that roped off area butted right up against the line of people waiting for the grill that snaked all the way off the patio and down the walkway. Instead we headed back to CJ's and got an inside table. While we waited, we could hear the Friday night evening fireworks display we'd been told about on the first night. It sounded deafening when you were inside the restaurant but we could see the resulting flashes through the open windows. I went with a simple grilled cheese while Dad ordered the patty melt.

Our waiter came over at one point to explain that Dad's patty melt was taking a little longer to be sure it was cooked right. Once we both got our food, Dad cut into his patty melt and I noticed a little more pink than I thought there should be. He didn't seem to mind so I didn't push the issue. Once we were done eating he revealed that he'd put aside 1/3 of his patty melt because not only was one part a little pink but there were other parts that were still actually raw! He claimed he didn't want to upset me by making a fuss so we just considered ourselves grateful to be leaving tomorrow and paid the bill.

To have our bags picked up in our room by NCL the next morning for transferring to the ship, we had to have them packed and sitting by the door inside our room by 10AM the next morning. The letter promised they'd be able to use a key to retrieve the bags and we didn't need to present. After dinner we headed back to the room and began the process of repacking and making sure nothing was left behind. We each grabbed showers and curled up in our beds to watch TV drowning out the wedding reception being held on the lawn outside.

The fun continues at Polynesian Cultural Center

Next up for our day long experience was second row seats at the Pageant of the Long Canoes. The spectating crowd is divided up based on where you are sitting into each of the Polynesian countries represented at the center. Our group happened to be Samoa and our group's word to shout was Talofa which is their word for greeting much like Hawaii uses Aloha. Each group had one of the students teaching us the meaning and correct way to say our greetings. Then they held up a large sign with the word whenever it was our turn to shout it out.

Our guide Sesi

The pageant itself featured long flat canoes that fit 6-8 people representing each culture. The story they acted out in their colorful costumes and beautiful dances told of two people who fall in love but are from different cultures. The families don't approve but eventually learn to work together. At one point, one of the canoes rocked so much that it knocked off one of the young men standing on the ends to push the canoe through the water with long sticks. At the end of the pageant, the canoes float closer to the water's edge and they delight in smacking at the water so that it comes up over the wall and splashes the crowd. As we were led away to the next activity by Sesi, she mentioned how relieved we must be not to have been in the splash zone like that family who took up the entire first row. She seemed concerned when I told her the spray was high enough to sprinkle us too but I just laughed it off. It was an unexpected refreshment on this humid day.

Our next visit was to see the statues like the famous ones at Easter Island. We learned that the hats or hair shown on each statue's head was a sign of the person's importance that the statue represented. The taller their hat, the more important they were. Guess Baltimore wasn't the only one who thought of the "Jack it up to Jesus" beehive hairdo.

 This guy was up to my waist in width when I stood next to him.

Note the bald statue on the far right. Sesi laughed when we asked if it meant that the end guy was poor.

Next we were treated to a musical presentation featuring drums, chanting, and the master stylings of the nose flute.

Three guys were requested as volunteers and one of the men had a bit of a language barrier and a tough Korean name to pronounce so they just dubbed him "Mr. Korea."

First the guys were tasked with repeating a series of dance moves. Mr. Korea was the most animated of the group and had everyone rolling with laughter at his energy.

Their next task was to follow along with the pattern the guide played on his drum. Most of the guys did well with this so he added a chant in the microphone to follow the drum pattern.

This guy kept up fairly well. The second guy fared well on the drum pattern:

But when it came to chanting, he decided to do a little freestyle...

...by singing "Who Let the Dogs Out?" into the microphone getting everyone in the audience to laugh and bark in response. 

Mr. Korea though channeled Mr. Joe Cool and looked like he was born to be a Polynesian rock star:

Our next stop was to visit a group of students performing loud angry sounding chants along with sharp rhythmic movements and feet stomping. They also demonstrated a routine with rhythm sticks and weighted balls on string.

Sesi then led us to various stations where we could try a routine ourselves using the sticks and the weighted balls on string. Adam and Amy partnered up for the sticks and I paired with Dad. We had to sit facing each other and work out a routine of tapping the bottoms of our two sticks on the ground, then against the other person's sticks, then the two ends of our own sticks together, and finally we had to toss one stick across diagonally to our partner and have them catch it. The process repeats except that the stick tossed the second time is the opposite one. Dad's lack of coordination had me chasing an errant stick a time or two but we soon got the sequence down.

The stringed balls required the same amount of concentration as it took to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time. At Sesi's guidance we got the balls spinning at our sides in wide circles and then slowly lowered one hand while bringing the other forward so the balls were spinning away from each other so that it looked like the moving wings of a butterfly. I got the timing down a couple times but each time Sesi tried to praise me for getting it, I'd look up at her and lose my concentration. May have taken a few weighted balls to the gut in the process. They sold the weighted balls in the gift shops so you can always take a set home to practice and impress your friends. Just make sure they and all breakables are a safe distance away first!  

What's a visit to Hawaii without being subjected to, I mean trying the local delicacy known as poi. It's derived from the taro root and is turned into a paste which can then be made into lots of regular foods like the purple colored biscuits we saw at many meals including the dinner buffet. I'll try anything once, as long as it isn't still moving when I go to eat it. I did try poi when our parents took us to Hawaii to see where they lived before we were born. My mom took way too much delight in duping me into trying it. This is one thing I'm not sure even Life Cereal's Mikey would eat. Adam and Amy tried it this time and didn't find it too bad. They did have a water fountain nearby for those who tried it and needed to clear their palate. 

Sesi was impressed at how well Adam and Amy performed when we went to a group hula class next. I told Amy later how Sesi thought Adam had great rhythm in his dancing and Amy busted out laughing. 

We left the group behind for a private tour of the various building replicas and got to try fun games like a javelin throw competing against each other. We also had the option of getting a temporary tattoo that featured symbols signifying your position or job. The tattoos were applied by ink being rolled across a strip with the symbols and then the strip was wrapped around your chosen body part. I believe Amy went with the symbols signifying queen while Adam and I both chose Navigator.

I'm glad I thought to ask Dad to take this picture of my tattoo because it soon would become an unrecognizable mess.

Our last country to visit was Sesi's home of Fiji. We had many laughs thanks to this guy who would turn everything into a joke including explaining how he could put out fire with his bare feet because fire was hot like him. 

He's also the one featured in most of the promotional material for the center. His comedy continued as two young men sat on each side of him to compete in trying to get a fire started. 

It was starting to lightly rain so he told us that we may not get to see "his sons" climb the trees behind the stage only for them to go flying up the tree moments later. It was while we watched this presentation that Sesi ran off and fetched us all ponchos just as the rain started to get heavy. Camera stayed safe under the poncho but alas, my tattoo tried to make a run for it from the rain and my hand and forearm soon looked like the face of someone who didn't think to put on waterproof mascara. 

To be continued...