We used Global Entry to go through immigration in Honolulu...easy peasy, with no line at all. SpeediShuttle reps were waiting for us, and we were in a shared van to Waikiki in no time at all. We arrived at our resort by 9am, far too early to hope for a room, but stashed our luggage with the bell hops and walked to the closest 7-Eleven to buy my Honolulu bus pass for the month. G has an annual pass that is even cheaper. Honolulu’s The Bus system is the reason we return to Oahu, and specifically Waikiki, instead of staying on Maui or Kauai. The cost of car rental, and then parking for a month would be astronomical. We go everywhere we need to using a combination of bus and walking, with an occasional Uber if necessary.
We sat out by the adults only pool area (and happily noted that the hot tub and pool are hot and warm, respectively) until our room was ready. We had chosen to stay beach front this year, in a hotel room instead of a condo, albeit one with a refrigerator in the room and a microwave and washer/dryer right down the hall. Our room has a large outdoor balcony with a full-on ocean view at the widest part of Waikiki Beach. Oh yeah, I can handle this.
We watched sunset from our balcony...
...and then used the hot tub until we almost fell asleep mid-soak. The bed in this room has a truly fantastic mattress, much firmer than those Princess Luxury Beds, which are way too soft for me. I slept over 9.5 hours, and awoke this morning in paradise feeling totally recovered from the flight.
I often get asked often which vacation we prefer: cruise or beach resort. Obviously, we love them both, for different reasons. It’s hard impossible to beat the service and food and entertainment and cleanliness of a cruise ship. And then there’s the fact that we wake up in a different place every day. But there’s a price to be paid, mostly with video options and affordable high speed, always available WiFi. And bouncy seas affecting sleep. And dressing for dinner, Most Traveled Guest events and Captains Circle parties. I could happily avoid those things; G could not. Since he’s paying for the winters at sea (and I am a very good wife), I acquiesce.
But here we enjoy wearing quick dry board shorts, Ts and sandals all day every day. A blow dryer? What’s that? Makeup is sunscreen and mascara and nothing more. We look out our sliding door to see waves breaking on the beach and sailboats going by. However, along with not dressing for dinner is the fact that we have to find dinner...and breakfast and lunch. (I should blog about finding affordable vegan food in Waikiki. I miss headwaiter Sean. Badly!) Hunting and gathering are part of each day.
The bottom line is that if I was told I could never cruise again, I’d be very unhappy. If I was told I could never stay in Hawaii again, I’d be very unhappy. A combination of both, especially when they fit together hand and glove like they did this year, is perfection.
Setting aside the Pacific Princess in French Polynesia seasons (which will never be matched), this was our favorite season at sea. It was the best larger ship cruise experience we’ve ever had. The crew was beyond excellent, and ship was perfect for both warm and cool itineraries. We loved our fellow passengers. And the variety of itineraries was fantastic: hot, cold, beaches, mountains, cities, wildlife...we enjoyed it all.
We are grateful to an exponential degree to everyone who made this season possible, and it really took a village of people, many of whom will never realize the impact they made on our lives. We are so blessed.
Thank you so much for cruising along with us, and for your encouraging emails. I write because you read. It’s really that simple.
And to my husband, who during those many years we lived apart due to jobs (his and mine), would tell me to “Hang in there. The good times are coming”...you were right. Oh so right. Absolutely right.
And it didn’t even pain me to say that. ;-)
Life is good. :-)
