As we live in Southern California, we arrived by car at the terminal. Check in was quite easy and we were on the ship before noon. As usual, our cabin steward came by shortly after we arrived and introduced himself. After we unpacked, we went to the grill on Lido deck for a hamburger and a drink. Fortunately the weather was great in LA on embarkation day. We watched from our balcony as they loaded the ship with foodstuffs and luggage. Very efficient I must say.

Our first few days at sea were a little rough, but got better as we approached the islands. Upon arrival in Hilo there was a light rain. It came and went most of the day. We met a friend in Hilo who works at the University of Hawaii - Hilo and he took us for a nice tour of the Hilo area. I was surprised at how close to downtown we saw a waterfall - Rainbow Falls. After several stops to take pictures, we had lunch at a local restaurant that was very good. The people in Hilo are very friendly.

Our next stop was Honolulu, which we were in just long enough to rent a car at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki and then drove to the North shore. We stopped at the Turtle Bay Resort, which is beautiful. We then drove along the east side of the island and stopped for lunch at the Crouching Lion Inn. Great food and a beautiful view. We then continued south toward Diamond Head. We finally stopped at the Honolulu Elks Lodge and had a few drinks and enjoyed the great view. We got back to the ship around 5 pm and went aboard for another drink. The view of Honolulu at night is wonderful. Plenty of lights. There was an island party on the Lido deck with several passengers trying to learn the hula after drinking mai tais in Honolulu. Read more