February 28 - Sea Day #5

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Surprisingly, after my episode last night, I slept well. And so far, there was no sign of nausea or any other symptoms that might indicate I have norovirus. I felt great, but just to be safe I texted Michelle and told them to go to breakfast without us. And then...I went back to sleep! 😊 Bob was still asleep when I woke up so I sat on the balcony until he was awake. I figured I should have a little something in my stomach before taking my morning pills and Bob was nice enough to go up to the buffet and get me a croissant and cup of coffee. He also got himself a donut and fruit plus a glass of orange juice. Somehow he managed to get it all back to the room without spilling! Having the medallion unlock the door automatically is a real life saver in such situations!

We have been cruising for almost 25 years now and before every trip, I help Bob sort through clothes and decide what to pack. This time I decided he was a big boy and I let him handle the packing on his own. Mistake. He made sure to pack his pickleball clothes (and then never played) and did OK with nicer clothes for dinner in the MDR, but he packed almost nothing to wear on sea days and port days. (This is apparent when you look at our photos and see him wearing his tie dye pickleball shirts in many of the pictures!) 

We were a week and a half into our trip and he was running out of things to wear so decided it would be a good idea to do laundry. I mentioned earlier that HAL does such a great job on laundry, but at ~$30 per small bag, it is a luxury to use the service often. We are only eight days away from becoming 4-Star Mariners on HAL and along with the honor comes free laundry service. Free laundry for us on Princess will most likely never happen, but at least Princess ships all have self-serve laundry. (HAL no longer has public laundry rooms.)

The laundry room on our deck (10) was quite aways forward from our cabin so Bob took the dirty clothes and went down to Deck 9 where it was just directly below our room. He used his medallion to purchase tokens to operate the washer and dryer ($3 per load in each.) 

While waiting on the laundry, he came back to our room and we sat out on the balcony. The U.S. had just attacked Iran that morning and we caught up with the news on YouTube with my iPad. It is still a mystery how we could access YouTube without Wi-Fi but it was a welcome surprise. Eventually we moved back inside and watched live coverage on the TV. 

Eating the croissant from breakfast had not caused any ill effects so we all went to lunch in the buffet. Still being cautious, I just ate a small bowl of chicken soup. It tasted great! I have no idea what triggered the episode I experienced last night, but thankfully it appears to be a "one and done" type situation. 

The afternoon was spent napping and enjoying the balcony. I think after our Hawaiian port days all four of us were enjoying a low key day. The show, "Colors of the World" was being performed in the theater three times...4:30, 7:00 and 9:00. It was formal night so we decided to get dressed a little early and go to the 4:30 show. That way we could enjoy dinner and not feel rushed. 

I was in the process of getting dressed when Michelle texted and said they had just received a plate of chocolates from the food and beverage department. There was no note, but we assumed it was a "thank you" for giving feed back on the dining services the previous morning. I had turned on our "do not disturb" sign so not sure if we would have gotten the same or not. 

The show in the theater only lasted 30 minutes and we walked out of the theater at 5 pm and went straight to the dining room. Bob and I's orders were identical...coconut shrimp, three-cheese salad, and ravioli with walnut cream sauce. 

Colors of the World

The Princess Orchestra was scheduled to play in the Piazza at 8 pm and I knew if we didn't get there early we wouldn't find seats. We went straight from the dining room when we finished eating even though we were an hour early. Jon brought a deck of cards and taught us a new game, Scotto Miota, while we waited.

By getting to the Piazza early, we also caught the Hawaiian ambassadors performing.

Cruise director, Holly Nimens, introducing the Princess Orchestra.
They were also joined by some of the other singers and musicians.

The band was outstanding and worth the long wait. After they finished playing, we moved up to Deck 15 and continued our card game. Knowing we had to turn our clocks ahead (and lose an hour of sleep) we quit by 10 pm. Bob and I just came back to the room, but Jon and Michelle went to the Explorer's Lounge for Round #1 of the Voice of the Ocean singing competition. Jon was determined to get Michelle to enter...but she refused. 

February 27 - Maui

Friday, February 27, 2026

7:00 am to 6:00 pm

For the first time we (Michelle, Bob and I) found a table by a window in the buffet. Not by the main buffet...but in the Cafe Caribe in the very back of the ship. Jon didn't show up. He was working on the final details for an extended trip to Europe that begins just 2 1/2 weeks after this cruise ends and wanted to take advantage of cell service while we were in port. 

When we walked into the buffet there were several people standing at the window and I wondered if they had seen whales. We kept an eye out while eating but never saw anything. 

I saw a breakfast pizza on the buffet that looked interesting and took a slice. It was ice cold. Yuck. As we were eating, a guy and gal with name tags from dining services stopped by our table. They were questioning passengers on their opinions of the food being served on the ship. My first comment was that the food was often cold. They responded that many others had said the same (so obviously they are aware of the problem.) I also mentioned that I wished they had poached eggs on the buffet (which I usually had every morning on HAL cruises.) The man said that they WERE available and I just had to order them from the omelet station. They would take my room number and then deliver them to my table by tracking my medallion. I will give it a try, but if it takes as long as the omelet that Jon ordered a couple of days ago, it isn't worth the hassle.

Once the ship had been cleared, the guys left ahead of Michelle and I to walk to the Enterprise car rental agency. Just getting out of the port area in Kahului requires about a half mile walk. I had been dreading the hike so as we were leaving to start the long walk, I asked the lady working at the gate if it would be OK if we were dropped off near the ship at the end of the day. She said "yes" and if we wanted, the guys could drive in and pick us up right by the ship now! Hallelujah! I phoned Bob and told him we would be waiting there.

We sat and visited with another couple who were waiting to be picked up for a private excursion. It took a long time, but finally the port guard got a call on his walkie talkie announcing a ride for my last name. We jumped up and were ready, but the car that pulled in wasn't Jon and Bob...but someone else with the same last name! The guys did come eventually but they were in a Jeep Wrangler, not the small SUV that I had reserved. I am so short and with my weak knee I couldn't get into the high vehicle! Jon gave me a bit of a boost (how embarrassing!) and we were on our way.

Our destination was the summit of Haleakala, but Michelle first wanted to stop at Starbucks to see if she could find a souvenir mug from Maui. Jon also jumped out of the car and ran into the grocery store next door. Michelle scored with her mug and Jon returned with macadamia nuts, two donuts, a poke bowl and a case of bottled water. Since Jon had missed breakfast he ate the poke bowl and donuts. (Breakfast of champions!) 😂 The case of water was to be my step stool for the rest of the day. 😄

We lucked out and had a beautiful sunny day in Maui. The Guide Along app narrated as we drove from sea level to the summit of Haleakala at over 10,000 feet. Unfortunately, both of the visitor centers were closed for renovations. 

Headed to Haleakala. Biking DOWN the mountain is popular.

Lots of hairpin turns on the drive.

At the summit.

The view looking down into the crater was very "moon-like". 

At the upper visitor's center, Michelle and I waited while Bob and Jon walked down part of the Sliding Sands Trail down into the crater. Even doing a just a portion of the hike was strenuous which Jon realized as they were coming back UP out of the crater!

Easy going down...

...not so easy coming up. Rest time.

Michelle and I walked around taking photos and then sat on a bench just enjoying the beautiful day. As we were sitting there, a lady slipped and fell near us. A nice man helped her up, but she was in a lot of pain in her shoulder. Her husband was changing a flat tire in the parking lot and they were still there when the guys returned. Bob is a retired paramedic so he checked on her and helped make a sling out of her jacket to immobilize her arm. Hopefully her injury wasn't too serious.

Haleakalā silverswords live between 3 and 90 years or more. They flower once, sending up a spectacular flowering stalk, and then die soon afterward, scattering drying seeds to the wind.

By the time we drove down the mountain, the clouds were rolling in. Stopping at one of the overlooks on the way, the clouds stretched out like a blanket below us.

Walking on the clouds!

Photo Bombed!

Driving down into the clouds.

Going through the clouds.

The next stop on my planned itinerary was Ho'okipa Beach. Jon wanted to stop somewhere for lunch so we changed our route to go through Paia. BIG mistake. We should have learned from our experience two years ago, but the same thing happened...we got stuck in a major traffic jam. We were creeping along at such a slow pace that Jon hopped out of the Jeep and walked ahead to a little store where he bought some sandwiches for he and Michelle and a bowl of macaroni salad for Bob. I had plenty of snacks in the car so was content. He was just coming out of the store as we got there.

We drove on to the Ho'okipa Beach overlook and they had a little picnic with their food. I walked over to where I could watch the surfers and also realized the beach was full of turtles! At first I thought they were just rocks, but a lady with a small souvenir stand in the back of her van told me to take a photo and then zoom in. So many turtles!! Michelle joined me and then we started noticing whales off in the distance! Mostly we just saw the spouts, but we did see a few come to the surface and even watched one breach!

Looking down at the rocky beach...

...but most of the rocks were actually turtles!

Surfers enjoying the big waves.

Wipe Out!

The last stop of the day was to get some shave ice at Uluani's in Kahului. Our bill for two small (child size) shave ices was over $20. It was good, but seemed expensive for frozen water with a little flavored syrup!

The case of water had been a blessing each time I used it as a step stool, but a pain when we got back to port. Jon took the bottles out of the packaging and divided them up between everyone's backpack. Poor Michelle ended up with the majority of the bottles since we were being dropped off at the gate and didn't have to walk as far. 

At the beginning of the day, the captain had announced that because we were a little late to dock, he was giving us an extra hour in port. All aboard time had been moved back to 6:30 pm. Later in the day another announcement was made saying that due to barge traffic, we would be staying in port until 11 pm. 

After four consecutive port days we all were tired and didn't feel like going to dinner in the MDR. We were relaxing on the balcony enjoying our few extra hours of cell service when I saw a Facebook post that the itinerary for our upcoming Mexican cruise had been changed due to the violence in Puerto Vallarta. That port and Manzanillo had both been dropped, La Paz had been added along with an overnight stay in Cabo San Lucas. 

The only tour that we had booked was in Mazatlán and now the date that we were to be there was changed. We decided to cancel and get our money back. Jon sent an email right away and got the notification that the money had already been refunded in less than an hour.

We went to dinner at the buffet but I was still full from the late afternoon shave ice so just got a bowl of clam chowder. As I was eating I started to feel a little "crampy" so I excused myself to go back to our room. I was counting my blessings that our cabin was just four decks below the buffet and only a quick elevator ride away. I made it back just in time...almost. I was still in the bathroom when Bob returned to our cabin quite some time later.

As I sat on the throne, so many thoughts were going through my head...

• Why don't I feel sick? Or has it just not hit yet?
• I washed my hands a million times...should I have gone for 1,000,001?
• Thank goodness this didn't hit when I was climbing in and out of that giant jeep!
• So glad I didn't sample the raw fish in Jon's poke bowl when he offered. (But at least that could have been blamed as a culprit if I had.) 
• Am I going to need to quarantine all the way back to the mainland?
• And finally...I wonder if the medical center performs colonoscopies since I already have the prep taken care of. 😄

Really all I felt was tired but that was probably just as much from our four continuous days of touring. Bob was starting to feel a cold coming on so the rest of the evening was spent in our cabin watching TV. I fell asleep around 8:30 pm in spite of Bob watching some loud action movie and wondered what the next day would bring. Thank goodness it was a sea day.

February 26 - Kona

Thursday, February 26, 2026 

8:00 am to 7:00 pm

Good morning from the Big Island of Hawaii.

Kona is a tender port...a place where the ship anchors off-shore and then shuttles guests back and forth using the lifeboats. For crowd control, everyone needs to get a tender ticket and then they announce groups by number when a boat is available to load. The tickets were available in Crooners Bar (no charge) so that is where we headed after breakfast. Our group was given tickets with #5. We sat in the Piazza until our number was called at 8:45 am. 

Getting on the tender as it bobs up and down in the water is challenging...
...even more so with a bad knee. Timing is everything!

Bob had already made a call to Enterprise to let them know that we were running a little late to pick up the rental car we had reserved. It was 9:05 when we reached land and we walked the short distance to the big banyan tree where we knew Enterprise would send their shuttle. Bob called the office to let them know we were ready to be picked up, but he was put on hold...and waited and waited. He finally gave up and Jon called an Uber. We walked around the corner to a hotel where the traffic was less congested and the Uber picked us up there.

When Bob started filling out the papers for the rental car at the Enterprise office, he realized that he had left his driver's license in his pants pocket from the night before. 😖 (You need a photo ID to get on and off the ship and he had used it in Kauai and forgot to put it back in his wallet.) Trying to go back to the ship to get the license would have easily chewed up more than an hour...time we did NOT want to waste on a port day. Jon was willing to be the primary driver so he paid for the car with his credit card and we were on our way. The silver lining to this story was that Bob DID have his Global Entry photo ID and was able to get back on the ship at the end of the day. 

Throughout the cruise I tried to keep track of any shared expenses so we could "settle up" at the end. Bob knows I always want him to keep receipts when we travel but Jon did not always do such a good job. 😒

Over the months leading up to the cruise, I had prepared Google maps for each island with routes planned out for places I thought would be interesting to see. Our first stop was at a farmer's market set up in a parking lot near the pier. When we pulled in we realized that it was a pay parking lot. (And I was having flashbacks to getting ripped off for parking yesterday in Kauai.) You were supposed to scan a QR code on a sign and pay by credit card. I did not think it was worth paying for the short time we planned to be there (the market was not very big) and just wanted to leave. Bob and Jon convinced me to stay and they stayed in the car while Michelle and I looked around a little (very little!) and we just skipped paying the fee. 

I decided it would be smart to head to our furthest destination first, but on the way I saw that we were going to go by Greenwell Farms Coffee Plantation. They offered free tours but they were 60 minutes long and we didn't want to spend that much time. We did however sample MANY kinds of Kona coffee they had available. The coffee was very good...but very expensive. 

Since we had already messed up the order that I had planned the stops on my route, we went ahead and next drove to the Painted Church. The church building was white but had the name "Painted Church" because of the murals painted on the interior walls. We had visited here in 2024 but Jon and Michelle had never been. From the Painted Church website:

This present church was erected in 1899 by Father John Velghe. Without any professional training and using house paint on ordinary wood he beautified the church with his paintings. In those days few Hawaiians could read and so he taught with pictures-most successfully.

An interesting fact...the paintings of almost all of the murals have retained their bright colors except for the one that depicts Hell. It has faded and become discolored. 

St. Benedict Catholic Church - "The Painted Church"

Cemetery outside the church.

The Handwriting on the Wall at the Feast of King Belshazzar.
On the wall is written in Hawaiian, “Ua Emi Loa Oe Ua Pau Kou Aupuni / Make No Ka Pono” literally, “You are found wanting. Your kingdom ceases. Should die.”

The faded "Hell" mural.

Temptation of Jesus. The devil is being cast down along with a crown, a scepter and bags of money.

Some of the beautiful flowers growing around the Painted Church.

Finally we made it to where I had planned to start our day...at Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. (I find it so fun to try and pronounce the Hawaiian names!) Bob's America the Beautiful pass got us all in for free and we first watched a movie in the amphitheater. And for anyone who is hoping to snorkel while visiting Kona, there is a great spot right by this park called "Two Step". (That isn't the real name, but it is called that because there are two natural steps to get down into the water.)

Two Step Snorkeling Site is right by the park.

Again, this was a place Bob and I had visited in 2004 so I saved my knee and didn't walk around as much as the others. I found a place to sit and just enjoyed watching that beautiful water. A lady stopped to talk to me and said she had seen a whale so I kept my eye out for spouts...but saw nothing. What I did see were a lot of fish close to the shore in the shallow water. 

Lots of small yellow fish!

Just outside the park was a beach with a picnic area. We had eaten a snack here the last time, but this time we hadn't planned for a picnic so we stopped briefly and then left to go find the restaurant.

Wild goats along side the road.

The picnic area was beautiful!

While I had been waiting on the others, I used my phone to locate a place to eat nearby for lunch. I found a restaurant called Kaaloa's Super J's that caught my eye...it had over 1500 five star reviews on Google! The restaurant was not far away and when we got there we discovered they only had three items on the menu. The price was based on whether you wanted one choice, two choices or three choices!

The restaurant felt more like a kitchen in someone's home.

The open kitchen right behind the counter where you ordered.

Bob ordered pork laulau and I got the kalua pig and cabbage. Once we saw how HUGE the portion sizes were we realized we should have just shared a plate. Jon also bought a slice of mango cake which we all shared. The food was delicious and felt very authentic. We dined at a long, shared table made of a piece of raw edged lumber. 

Pork Laulau (the meat was wrapped in taro leaves) 

Pork & Cabbage. 

Besides my self designed tour, we were occasionally listening to the narration from the Guide Along app on my phone. As we were driving, it was hard for me to imagine living in such a beautiful place where flowers grow with such little care. Bob has a potted croton at home that gets handled with extreme TLC just to keep it alive! 

Our last official stop was at Kealakekua Bay. The bay is a sacred area in Hawaiian culture, historically recognized as the "pathway of the God" and the residence of the deity Lono-i-ka-makahiki.  Bob roamed around through the forest area while Jon, Michelle and I sat and watched the birds and fish. We could look across the bay and see the Captain Cook Monument which marks the site where Captain James Cook was killed by native Hawaiians. The monument is only accessible by boat or a long hike.

Explorer Bob

Snorkel boats around the Captain Cook Monument across the bay.

We stayed on the coastal road to get back to Kona. The car needed to be returned by 4 pm in order for us to get a spot on the last shuttle back to the port and we had just enough time for a quick stop at Walmart. Bob and I got a 12 pack of Coke to take back on the ship and Jon and Michelle bought some pop and a bunch of snacks (since you never know when you might get hungry on a cruise ship!) 😄 Jon also bought a pint of chunky monkey ice cream but then realized he had no spoon. Luckily the gal working at the Enterprise office just happened to have a plastic spoon that she gave him so he could eat it before it melted.

The Enterprise shuttle dropped us off right at the tender pier and we immediately walked on to a waiting tender boat. The boat left right away and we didn't even have to wait until they filled it completely. Since I hadn't made dinner reservations for our port days, I went onto the app as soon as we returned to the ship and reserved a table at the regular 5:20 time. That meant we were seated at Table #51 with Lokesh and Ian.

Heading back "home".

The evening entertainment in the theater was a second performance by Company of Men whom we had just seen the night before. It was to be a different show, but we decided we would rather enjoy a leisurely meal and skip the show. It was 7:15 pm before we left the dining room.

One of the dining room supervisors came to our table while we were eating and told us they had reserved our table 51 for every night of the next leg of our cruise so we will get to stay with Lokesh and Ian!! We are still wondering if the itinerary for our Mexican cruise will have any changes after all of the violence that is taking place.

We were all dragging after three port days in a row and decided there would be no card playing. There was a little bit of balcony time and then Bob and I got ourselves organized for the next day...our last Hawaiian port of Maui. I made SURE he had his driver's license!

Spending time on "our porch".
Bob is wearing the nightshirt our daughter in law gave him for Christmas! 😊😴