Kauai Day 2 - (Our Flight Plans Crash)

Friday, March 25

I was anxious to open the curtains to see what colors God had used in the sunrise...and...all I saw was GRAY...and more gray. Oh...and also rain. Not good.

Today the four of us had chartered a plane with Wings Over Kauai. We were going to see Waimea Canyon again...from the air, the Na Pali Coast, Hanalei Bay, waterfalls, and maybe even whales!! But...I knew that with the low hanging clouds blocking the view we would be seeing NONE of the above or anything else from a plane.

I stuck my cell phone in my pocket when we went to breakfast and it rang as we were cutting through the Gold Rush Saloon on our way to the buffet. The tour was cancelled. The POA was scheduled to leave Kauai at 2 pm so even if the weather cleared later on, there was no time to reschedule our flight.

With the rain coming down hard, we decided our best option was to just stay on the ship and not try to make alternate plans. As sorry as I was to miss our second day in Kauai, I was also thinking ahead to all of the packing that needed to get done before the cruise ended the next morning.

Back in the cabin, I "suggested" that Bob might want to go to the gym with Kent. I knew my frustration level would escalate if I had to try and pack while he was in the way. At least not having a flight the next day simplified the process since I didn't have to worry about weight...or liquids. I made good progress and just enjoyed a quiet morning alone in the cabin. Ever now and then I would step out onto the balcony to see what was happening around the pier. The rain slowly diminished but I noticed that the water in the harbor had turned a murky brown due to the runoff from the hills.

Laurel and I did take some time to check out the sales in the ship's gift shops and I bought a huge beach bag...not sure what I was thinking when I did that!! After lunch Bob and Kent went to a Good Friday service in the chapel. This was not a ship sponsored event, but rather a service planned by the couple we had met earlier...the same ones who had put together the Palm Sunday service the previous Sunday. Following that, the guys went to a "Juggling 101" class with Barry John (who entertained us a couple of nights ago.) Bob knew how to do a little juggling already but bought the instructional DVD to learn some of the advanced techniques. (Since getting home he has been practicing and has even ordered some professional juggling balls...he never does anything halfway!)

At 2 pm the ship left Nawiliwili, traveling towards the north side of the island where we would sail past the Na Pali Coast.

The muddy water from the harbor meeting up with the clear ocean water.

New construction.

The rain had stopped, but there were still low hanging clouds and a haze in the air.

A little after 5 pm, we were on our balcony as the ship approached the coastline. (We purposely booked our cabins on the port side of the ship for the best views!) Here is the description of the Na Pali Coast from the Freestyle Daily...

This area encompasses over 6,175 acres. The spectacular terrain plunges from an elevation of 4,000 feet to sea level. This 15-mile stretch of coastline is one of the least-disturbed wild lands in Hawaii. National Geographic voted it to be one of the top 50 most beautiful places on Earth.

The coastline was spectacular. On a clear, sunny day it would have been BEYOND spectacular!

The cliffs that we had looked down the previous day.

A weather station that we had driven by after visiting Waimea Canyon on Thursday.

For about 30 minutes we slowly sailed past the coastline and then the ship turned and headed out to sea. The four of us decided to have dinner in the buffet so we could be done in time to see the early show in the theater. When we got to the Aloha Cafe we discovered that it was "luau night"!

Kent and I were the first to make it through the food lines. At first we looked for a table on the port side of the ship, but decided the sun was too bright coming through the windows (ironic since we had been hoping for sun all day long!) When we made it back through the cafe to the starboard side, we were surprised to see that now the sun was coming through the windows on that side!??

We chose a table that wasn't getting direct sun and were just sitting down when one of the crew members came over to us and said she had spotted something floating in the water and notified the captain. (Which explained the sun phenomenon...the captain had stopped and turned the ship!)

Out in the water was a bright orange "thing" that resembled a small plane floating partially submerged in the water. Word started to spread throughout the cafe and people were rushing to the windows to watch. From our table, we had a birds eye view as the rescue boat was deployed.

After some time, the captain announced over the speakers that the object was a Navy test drone that had crashed in the water. The crew in the rescue boat deployed an orange buoy to mark the spot and the ship slowly sailed away.

From dinner, we went directly to the Hollywood Theater with a brief stop outside on the promenade deck to watch the sunset.

For the last night, the singers and dancers on the POA performed "Vegas! The Show" remembering some of the greatest moments in LasVegas history. Songs from such greats as the Rat Pack, Elvis, Tina Turner, Sonny & Cher, etc. were featured.

Before going to bed, we did some last minute packing and then set our large suitcases out in the hallway to be picked up by the crew. Several times I went through my mental checklist, hoping I hadn't packed something that I would need the next morning. (I have a fear that someday I will have to leave a ship in my pajamas.)

A full moon was shining on the water as we stepped out on the balcony one last time. Tomorrow we would be waking up in Honolulu...