February 24 - Honolulu (Land at last!)

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

7:00 am to 11:00 pm

After so many days at sea, I knew everyone would be anxious to get off the ship when we docked in Honolulu at 7 am. I also knew the buffet would be very busy so I had filled out the room service card last night and hung it on our door. At exactly 6:30 am there was a knock on the door and the food was delivered...LOTS of food. On the card I had specified that there were two people ordering and then put quantities next to the items we wanted. But even though most things had a "1" next to them we got double. The poor guy delivering the order could hardly lift the tray! We managed to eat most of it but the 2nd pot of coffee remained untouched. I did put a couple of things in the fridge to have later.

Coming into port.

A view of the Aloha Tower from our balcony.

The ship had pulled into Pier 2 on time, but there was a hold up on getting the ship cleared so passengers could get off. When we finally heard that the gangway was open, Bob and Jon went ahead to pick up the Turo rental we had reserved. Jon had taken care of the reservation but it was actually the same car and owner that we had rented from in 2024. The car was parked in a lot a little less than a half mile away. They texted when they got the car and Michelle and I got off the ship to meet them just outside the terminal.

Walking through the terminal building at Pier 2.

Our plan for the day was to circle the island going counter clockwise using the Oahu tour on my Guide Along app. The app used to be called GyPSy Guide (get it? GPS?) and this was the third time we had used the app for touring in Hawaii. As we drove, the app would begin narration whenever we reached the corresponding GPS points. Besides pointing out and describing places to see, the app also provided some history and background for the island.

With Jon driving, we joined the heavy traffic going through Waikiki. Michelle wanted to stop at Waikiki Beach since they hadn't seen it when they were there before but when we got to the beach it was raining so we kept on driving. I know parking in Waikiki is difficult and expensive as well. The rain came and went all day long, but for the most part, it seemed to stop when we wanted to get out of the car. Here are some photos from the SE part of the island.

Koko Head

Lānaʻi Lookout

Makapu'u Lighthouse

Chickens are EVERYWHERE in Hawaii!

After the Hawaiian ambassador on the ship had mentioned that a grocery store was a good place to get poke, Jon was on a mission. We did stop at a grocery store and when he couldn't convince the rest of us to try poke, he gave up and bought some sushi for he and Michelle to share. I was equally determined to try "Spam Misubi" and I found some in a hot case near the front of the store. Bob and I each bought some. (Coming from Minnesota, the birthplace of Spam, it just seemed like something we should try!)

Spam Musubi is a popular Hawaiian snack featuring a slice of pan-fried Spam, often glazed in a sweet soy sauce, layered on a block of rice, and wrapped with a strip of nori (seaweed).

We took our food to go and ate it when we stopped at the sea arches in Laie. My opinion? It should have had twice the amount of Spam and half the amount of rice. AND...forget the seaweed altogether. I actually like Spam but would rather have it on a sandwich instead.

Spam Misubi

At the Lāʻie Point State Wayside the waves crashing into the cliffs around the arch were HUGE! Bob went far out onto one of the points which made me very nervous.

Bob trying to get a good photo!

Looking in the opposite direction of the sea arch.

Our next stop was Giovanni's shrimp truck. The line was very long when we arrived but it moved quickly. Bob and I had planned to get the shrimp scampi that we had enjoyed two years ago but I saw they had garlic hotdogs. The wieners were cooked in the same garlic sauce as the shrimp and I was intrigued. After eating all that rice in my misubi I really wasn't too hungry and the hotdog actually sounded good...and it was! Jon and Michelle split an order of lemon butter shrimp and then Jon bought a pineapple drink that they shared. 

A long line to order...

Bob picked up this hibiscus flower that was laying on the ground.

Our drive continued around the north shore of the island, stopping a few times to watch the surfers on the big waves. 

As we headed back south, we made a stop at the Dole Plantation. We wandered through the gift shop and used the bathrooms and then were back on the road. I wanted to drive through Punchbowl Cemetery but by the time we got there it had closed for the day.

Bob and Michelle had apps on their phone that would identify flowers and plants. They had fun learning names of some of the beautiful foliage in Hawaii.

We discussed going to Waikiki Beach for the evening hula show, but rain was moving back in. It was almost sunset by the time we got back to the city and I happened to remember reading that going up on Tantalus Drive to Puʻu ʻUalakaʻa State Park was a great place to watch the sun go down. 

The road was very curvy and Jon drove a little faster than what I was comfortable with, but we made it just a couple of minutes before sunset. Jon managed to squeeze into a questionable parking spot and just as he did, the rain started. A little rain wasn't enough to stop me so I pulled on my rain jacket and jumped out of the car. As we walked to the observation point, the windblown rain was pelting us in the face. At that point I was already wet so I figured I might as well get some photos! It was interesting because the sky where the sun was setting was still clear, but the rain was all around.

High above the city of Honolulu

You can see the airport on the right side of this zoomed in photo.

Diamond Head

It was dark by the time we got down the hill and since we were all wet and freezing cold we decided to head back to the ship. The guys dropped Michelle and I off and then returned the car to the parking lot where they had picked it up.

A folk performance called "Halau Lilia Makanoe" was being performed by local entertainers from Honolulu in the Princess Theater but we had already missed the early performance and we decided all we wanted to do was just get some dinner from the buffet and call it a night. After not doing much at all for the last five days we were exhausted from our busy day! 

After one last look from the balcony, we went to bed. I was only vaguely aware of when the ship left Honolulu at 11:00 pm. Tomorrow we would arrive in Kauai!

Honolulu...Day 2

 Wednesday, February 7, 2024

For our second day in Honolulu we had considered various options. The plan that had risen to the top of the list was to take the public bus and walk around downtown and then spend some time at Waikiki Beach. But after the previous long day I just wasn't up to the walking. 

Good morning, Honolulu. Photo taken from back of Koningsdam looking towards the Aloha Tower.

I don't have any blog notes from this day and very few photos so I can only guess at how I spent my day. The daily newsletter had very few activities listed so I assume I probably spent time in the room listening to my audio book and probably taking advantage of the warm weather by going to the pool.

I do know what Bob did...he started by going to the gym and took these photos out the window while he was there.

...and then he took off on a walk about Honolulu. The following were some of the photos that he took while he was exploring the city.

Aloha Tower

Chinatown

Dinner was in the main dining room and we finished just in time to walk out onto the promenade deck and enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Pacific Style Shrimp

Mahi-Mahi

At 8:00 pm we went to the main theater for the performance of "In Tandem" by the Step One Dance Company, a show that we had seen previously. When we returned to our cabin there was a note card stuck in the slot by our door. I opened it to read:

We have attempted to contact you but have not been able to reach you. We would like to give you an update regarding your Navigator Feedback. Kindly contact us at Guest Services by dialing "90" or visit us on Deck 3, Midship. Thank you.

Bob and I went down to guest services, curious to find out what they would say. Daisy (who had been so sympathetic about our noise issue on Day 1) was on duty behind the desk said they had a cabin available and asked if we were interested in moving. She suggested we go take a look at the room before deciding and the three of us headed off to Deck 5.

The available cabin (5048) was right by the forward elevators and turned out to be a larger ADA accessible room with a unique layout compared to other verandah cabins. But the biggest difference was the balcony. It was HUGE! Yes...we were definitely interested in switching rooms!

By then it was after 9 pm so I assumed they would tell us we should move the next day. But no...if we wanted, they would get someone to help us move right away! We went back to our cabin and started haphazardly packing. They were going to have someone with a rolling rack come to take all of our hanging clothes, but Bob just started making trips and by the time someone from housekeeping showed up almost everything had been moved.

Here are some photos of the cabin. You can see other photos on the website HalFacts in case you are interested.

That is the bathroom door next to the desk. The TV was on a swivel arm and could be pulled out from the wall to view from either the small couch or the bed.

There were some hooks on the wall next to the bed and we brought extra magnetic hooks.

The door to the hallway was on the left of this photo.

The balcony was angled in a way that blocked some of the wind as the ship was moving. It was also large enough that we could move the chairs back and avoid getting wet if it was raining.

At the beginning of the cruise I had heard that the ship was sold out so who knows how this cabin became available. The thought that perhaps someone had died in the cabin crossed my mind, but at that point I didn't ask and I didn't care. I was overjoyed to know we would no longer be dealing with the loud music late at night AND we were going to have the rest of the cruise to enjoy that massive balcony!

By the time we got settled into our new home it was just too late to work on my blog notes. Hence most of today's post is a bit vague...but given the circumstances I don't regret the lack of details one bit!