Post Cruise Update - Part IV

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

After his dive in Cabo, Stu started to feel like he was coming down with a cold. We had brought some DayQuil and NyQuil with us, but not enough. Online friends, Brynn & Andy Cruz, were joining us for the cruise to Hawaii so we asked if they could pick up more meds for him since he had dives scheduled in several ports. (Thank you, Brynn & Andy!!!)

Since this was a back to back cruise, we knew we would have to disembark and then get back on. We'd done this several times on other cruises and it had never been a hassle. This time it was terrible. Once off the ship, through immigration and holding our new sail & sign cards (room key/charge card), we were told to sit and wait. Almost 90 minutes passed before we were allowed to board. Never had this happen before, hope it never does again.

Before I forget, anyone cruising out of LA area in late fall or winter, be prepared for VERY cool days at sea. Fortunately we had heard this from others and had the clothes to be comfortable - long pants, long sleeved shirts and sweatshirts.

With four days at sea, Stu was feeling much better by the time we hit our first port in Maui, Hawaii. We had scheduled a helicopter tour. The day was overcast, cool and eventually rainy. But the worst part was now I was sick. VERY sick. While Stu was doing much better, it looked like it was my turn. We cancelled our tour and I rested while Stu took a trip ashore for a few items and a little sightseeing. Here are a couple of pics from the ship.

Next stop was Honolulu where Stu had booked a private dive.

This was my view from the library, the warmest spot on the ship. While I had been able to write a couple of chapters the previous week, now I was reading.

I took a little nap on the Serenity deck in the afternoon.

Stu really enjoyed his dive. White tip sharks!

...and sea turtles! (the other diver was a young girl from Australia getting her certification)

Goodbye Honolulu!

When we cancelled the Maui helicopter ride, Stu booked one on the island of Kauai. While not well, I was feeling well enough to give it a try, being only a two hour excursion and the weather was nice. We bought the video the company produced from our ride but here are a couple of shots. Many, many movies have been shot on this island and you can see why. (Most of our pics have reflections due to being inside the helicopter)

It was a great ride but I was done...back to the ship and back to bed. Sigh...

Next stop was the big island. Kona and the next day, Hilo. Kona was a tender port and needless to say, I stayed aboard and rested. Since it was rainy and chilly, Stu opted to do the same.