Aloha Hawaii! Our 10 Day Cruise to Hawaii on the Disney Wonder, September 7, 2015 Trip Report completed 07/31/2016 - Page 16 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Oh wow, it's amazing the difference the weather can make. When we were there, we had a beautiful clear day and could see everything perfectly.
I'm going to have to go back and look at your pictures again
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Originally Posted by xwewhisper
How crazy that you couldn't see a huge volcano 20 miles away! Looks like a great museum though!
It was an interesting place to visit. I wish we weren't so rushed as I wanted to linger and shop some more in the gift shop area.
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Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
Too bad the weather got in the way of the views. But maybe that gave you more time to read the displays?
Yeah, not as spectacular as we'd hoped for
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Originally Posted by kcamozzi67
Wow - that hike looks amazing! I love "Pele's hair", that is so neat
If I'm ever there again, I'm definitely going to check out a hike!
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Originally Posted by MayraLR
Wow, those are some amazing sights!
Pretty nice even with all the clouds and mist...
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Originally Posted by jandsdennis
Beautiful pictures!
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Hilo: Orchid Gardens
Our last stop on our Hilo shore excursion was at the Orchid Gardens. If you love flowers, you'd love this place. It wasn't very fancy being a greenhouse and all, but the crazy colors of all the orchids made up for it!
The natural light was a little dim because it was so overcast. I wish you could've seen them in real life. Some of the colors seemed to glow, they were so intense.
The color of this orchid was one of my favorites. I love peachy, coral-y colors!
Wow! If you buy this one, you can create the variety name. We saw several that were very, very expensive.
Dh's Samsung struggled sometimes with what to focus on.
FUSHIA.
My iPhone did a little better...
Doesn't this remind you of the flowers in Alice in Wonderland? Look at the "face"
Yes. Yes it did.
The back part of the greenhouse.
As we drove back to the port, we said goodbye to Hilo. I have to get back here to explore one day. I know that it will be different seeing more of the island under sunnier conditions, but I certainly wasn't disappointed. It was a little rushed at times because the driver had to get us from place to place so we couldn't linger. Of course, as in every tour group, there were the same ones late to the bus every time Still, for $65 per person, this shore excursion was a bargain. We got a sampling of what Hilo has to offer and I was impressed. Pulling into the parking lot, the Wonder was a fine sight to behold.
We tipped Tony, thanked him for a great tour and headed "home".
I love orchids. I do a lot of extreme close up shots when I photograph them, and have a series of those above my fireplace. And I could certainly see the face on the one!
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Oh wow, those colours were beautiful! You were right about that tour being a bargain. I'd forgotten how much you'd paid and you certainly saw a lot for that money.
I love orchids. I do a lot of extreme close up shots when I photograph them, and have a series of those above my fireplace. And I could certainly see the face on the one!
You would've really appreciated this place! There were so many different varieties, I was just basically impressed by the colors.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Oh wow, those colours were beautiful! You were right about that tour being a bargain. I'd forgotten how much you'd paid and you certainly saw a lot for that money.
I had forgotten about the extra $5.00 Nat'l Park fee, so actually it was $70
Quote:
Originally Posted by benchley
What fantastic colours. The orchids were stunning
I'm more of a peony girl myself, but I was totally loving all the colors!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
The orchids were beautiful!
I wish I had my real camera to show them off better!
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper
What gorgeous flowers! That tour did really seem to offer a lot of value for the money, I'm glad you guys were able to enjoy!
It was indeed a very good value and just enough for the time we had.
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I found this in my notes about the Orchid Gardens about the meaning of wearing a flower in your hair in Hawaii:
"Flower on the left - you're taken. Flower on the right - you're looking. Flowers on both sides - you're taken AND looking! Flower in the back - follow me home"
Dinner at Palo:
This was our first time going to dinner at Palo, and I was very much looking forward to it. Dh is a little harder to impress, but let's just say he was indeed very impressed! The clouds still hovered over the island. I caught a little break in the clouds while on our veranda.
After resting up a bit in our room, we went up to the deck to wave goodbye to Hilo. There were people in the pool of course, even if it was overcast and a little windy We made jokes about the clouds stopping right at the coasts of Hilo
Look at the rain! This photo was taken 2 seconds after the last one, it's just zoomed in. Literally one second no rain, then suddenly rain
Aloha Hilo!
Our dinner reservations were at 7pm. While we ate there, the Martha and Anne would eat at our regular restaurant and the boys had made plans to eat with their new friends - at Parrot Cay I think I later found out from them that their parents were eating at Palo the same time as us! I can only assume that the group of teen boys behaved themselves like young gentlemen Blissfully ignorant, Dh and I went out to dinner. It felt good to get gussied up and get some alone time, as it's rare that we go out on dates.
I have long forgotten our server's name (too lazy to dig around for it), but when I mentioned it later to Maggie our assistant server, she nodded approvingly - he was outstanding. I had no idea of what to expect, as I didn't really read any reviews about dinner. I had experienced Palo brunch (excellent!) so I knew it was going to be great. (I apologize in advance for the grainy, blurry photos I left my phone in the room and used Dh's and I was unfamiliar with it. It's about 3 generations behind and the camera shows.)
We were offered selections from the antipasti cart. Off to a great start!
It was all delicious, but my favorite: the balsamic vinegar with the parmesan. (The olives!)
I loved the breads also.
I'm a n00b when it comes to wine pairing, and I've gotten more comfortable with letting the server know. After he asked me a few questions about what I like, he brought me the perfect choice, a nice blend - not too sweet, not too dry, not too adventurous, just a nice red wine.
Dh's appetizer: Fritto di Calamari - "Lightly-crusted Calamari served with Deep-fried Cherry Peppers" (Yowza!)
My choice: the Cioppino - "Italian Tomato Fish Stew with Calamari, Clams, Shrimp, and Halibut, scented with Garlic and Basil"
I had stepped (WAY) out of my comfort zone for this one. I have a thing about texture/chewiness in foods, and though I'm usually pretty adventurous, I have a hard time getting over it. I honestly thought I was going to get a tomato-y Manhattan clam chowder kind of thing, but the beautiful stew he brought me was much different than I expected. I tried to eat the shellfish like a big girl, but I ended up just sampling most of it. What really surprised me was the broth - it immediately brought to mind the fish market in Seattle (in a good way). It was so fresh and so "clean" tasting. I really appreciate how much skill good broths and soups take to make and I was exceedingly impressed. In fact, if I had to say what was the "best thing I ate" on the Disney Wonder, it was the broth from my Cioppino. It's the one dish that I clearly remember above all the meals I had on board. I wanted to scoop up all the broth with my delicious garlic bread, but I behaved.
One happy camper. I mean cruiser.
We played around a lot with "pano" this trip
This delicious pasta was the next course for Dh: Pappardelle con Aragosta "Lobster, Parsley, and Fennel with Chili and fresh Tomato Sauce" WOW.
This photo does no justice at all to my heavenly pasta. Gnocchi di patate con Gorgonzola e Asparagi "Potato Gnocchi served with Gorgonzola Sauce with Asparagus" My, my, my. I thought that I had eaten gnocchi before, but apparently I must have been eating something else. These delicate, creamy, light gnocchi put whatever nonsense I'd eaten before to shame. I savored every. single. one. The actual plate itself was huge, but the portion was small. It didn't have to be large. It was all I needed. Anymore would have put me in a food coma.
The kitchen.
The next course for me was the fish: the Rombo al Finocchio "Pan-seared Turbot on Roasted Potatoes, Porcini, Pancetta, and Fennel with Walnut Butter". Excellent! Perfectly cooked, all flavors in balance. I had never eaten (or even heard of) turbot, but I was very pleasantly surprised.
The piece de resistance (according to Dh): Oregano and Parmesan Crusted Rack of Lamb - "with Sangiovese Roasted Shallots, Olive Oil baked Roma Tomatoes, Potato Torta, and Herb Jus. Simply put, this was the best lamb, maybe even the best thing that Dh had ever eaten. (He told the server about how good it was, and he seemed pretty proud of the lamb and talked about how it was prepared and marinated for a day in mustard.)
He let me take a photo of the soufflé right before he broke into it for us...
...after breaking it and pouring in the sauce, he filled it with the ice cream!
We were so stuffed, we couldn't even finish dessert. Dinner was lovely and we knew we would have to come back to Palo the next time we cruised. It had been a super day and we hit the sack. It was only 9:30 and the kids were still hanging out. I hoped they would get back soon because in the morning, we'd be pulling into the island of Kaua'i
Next: Mark Twain called it "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific"
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Oh I'm so glad you enjoyed your meal at Palo. We absolutely love eating there.
I think Dh has been spoiled - he's already said that we are going again next time
Quote:
Originally Posted by Disneybine
Hhhmmm, just looking at the chocolate soufflé makes my mouth water!
SO good!
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper
What a lovely evening at Palo! I'm excited for your upcoming installment, as we just spent a week on Kaua'i back in September
I think this may end up being my favorite!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
Dinner looked superb! I love Palo - especially the chocolate souffle (which, dangerously enough, I can make at home).
That IS dangerous! We are definitely doing it again
Quote:
Originally Posted by kcamozzi67
Oh my goodness! Just the photos of the delicious looking food is enough to put me into a food coma lol!
I wish the photos were better for you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ctsmom116
Just found your trip report, Nice trip, one day I hope to go to Hawaii : ) love the pics of all the orchids....
I hope you get to go - it's everything everyone says it is!
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September 14, 2015: Kaua'i
(How come y'all didn't tell me I dated the Hilo post "September 13, 2016: Hilo, Hawai'i"?? edited it )
(Oh yeah, I turned 46 on this 9th day of vacation! I couldn't ask for a better present )
We had cruised all night and soon, we'd be in Nawiliwili, Kauai. Boy, what a difference a day makes!
Heading due west.
Looking back the way we came during the night. Every time I look at the photos I took like these, I just shake my head. I was, and I still am so grateful to have been there...
We had a few more nautical miles to go. I have zero idea how to convert that distance to miles without looking it up!
Almost there!
After breakfast, about an hour after waking up, we squeezed in between like probably 100 other people at the front of the boat watching the island get closer.
These castmembers were so cute - they were excited about pulling into Hawaii too!
I saw this guy a lot
A golf course right on the cliff!
Folks out waving to us!
All tucked in
Nawiliwili Harbor
Wow, one of my text tones is the "When You Wish Upon A Star" DCL announcement chime. I just got a text and the tone went off while I was looking at this photo - weird feelings!
We planned our own excursion for today. We had rented a car to drive to Waimea Canyon. I wasn't sure how long the drive would take coming and going. I thought if we had time in the afternoon, we could go to the Hawaii museum in the Queen Ka'ahumanu Mall that was near the port. We didn't have to be back on board until 6:15pm, so we had plenty of time.
Getting off the boat was a breeze again, but before that, we made sure to eat a hearty breakfast. We also filled up our water bottles at the drink station. We had to wait for an Enterprise shuttle to take us to the town of Lihue to pick up the car, but it didn't take too long.
By 10am we were loading up and ready for our adventure! (I said a silent prayer that they had done regular and careful maintenance on their rentals ) We rented this 7 passenger Chevy Tahoe for a great price, $83.61.
Off we go!
I snapped a jillion pictures while Dh drove. The sign says, "Kauai Soto Zen Temple Zenshuji".
I would have loved to stop and explore the little towns we passed through.
The towns lined the coast, but looking out to our right, there was mostly countryside.
I'm so happy I snapped this one! We ended up coming back here later as a random pick
Starting our winding climb up the mountain.
Looking back on the sleepy little town of Waimea. While checking to make sure that this was indeed Waimea, I found an interesting fact: the first Europeans who landed in Hawaii were with Captain Cook and it was at Waimea. It took Captain Cook two years to sail from England to Hawaii - now THAT'S a cruise! #let'sgo
So cute! I could live here. Seriously.
Off in the distance you can see the "forbidden island" Ni'ihau. (Forbidden because it was purchased from King Kamehameha V in 1864 and privately owned.) We are looking "makai" or towards the sea.
It was very nice having the road practically to ourselves. Occasionally, there were other cars, but we could get out any time we liked to snap photos like this one.
Looking towards the inside or mountain of the island ("mauka")
crazy green
Along with the gorgeous greens of the island, there was also this red mud which is sorta famous for being used as dye. At any number of places you could pick up a tee shirt that has been dyed with mud. Apparently, it's super concentrated. My darling Titus decided to step right into a patch of it. (Yes, he could've stepped around it ) So we spend a few moments wiping off as much as possible from his shoes before it got everywhere in the rental car. I had brought some towels with me in case we stopped at a beach - they were ruined. Love you baby!
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When we were there, we had a beautiful clear day and could see everything perfectly.
Still, for $65 per person, this shore excursion was a bargain. We got a sampling of what Hilo has to offer and I was impressed. Pulling into the parking lot, the Wonder was a fine sight to behold. 
PassPorter Guide Author
You were right about that tour being a bargain. 
I later found out from them that their parents were eating at Palo the same time as us! I can only assume that the group of teen boys behaved themselves like young gentlemen 
Blissfully ignorant, Dh and I went out to dinner. It felt good to get gussied up and get some alone time, as it's rare that we go out on dates.
I left my phone in the room and used Dh's and I was unfamiliar with it. It's about 3 generations behind and the camera shows.)
I hope you get to go - it's everything everyone says it is!
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