Aloha Hawaii! Our 10 Day Cruise to Hawaii on the Disney Wonder, September 7, 2015 Trip Report completed 07/31/2016 - Page 13 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Does anybody know if DCL plans to do another Hawaii cruise? Reading this TR, I am sooo jealous that I immediately went to the website to price one. Alas, there wasn't one listed.
I think the honest answer is none of us knows until Disney posts their itineraries. Europe now seems to be a staple in their itineraries, although since they started coming over here in 2007, there have been a few years where they haven't headed over this side of the pond.
I seem to remember reading something in PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line about possible scenarios for the future and how cruises to Hawai'i could tie in with Aulani. I must admit, reading this trip report, I do love the idea of doing a cruise like this - it sounds wonderful.
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Looked like a great party, can't wait to experience ourselves
The parties are so fun on the cruises!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
The talk and the lei making looked fascinating. I must admit I worry about taking a cruise with lots of sea days, as I don't do well in bad weather, but equally I love the idea of all those extra things they have going on those days.
Oh and I am just like you guys in terms of never spotting anything when we're at sea, no matter how long I like, yet everyone else will always see the whales etc.!
I was worried about bad weather also. The ship was rocking a lot at times, but I got used to it quickly. Even my MIL, who's stomach must be the most sensitive in the world got along ok (until later in the trip, but it wasn't the ship's fault... )
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
That was a jam packed day!! Wow! Three movies, class, lecture, show. I'm exhausted!
I've never eaten at the late buffet - with the late dinner seating that see wan impossible feat. I think you're right about it mostly being first seating folks.
I kept worrying before the trip that I would be bored with all the sea days!
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper
What a wonderful day! The lei class sounds so cool and that WDI talk had so many fun facts.
I'm such a nerd, I love learning even while on vacation!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamajab
Does anybody know if DCL plans to do another Hawaii cruise? Reading this TR, I am sooo jealous that I immediately went to the website to price one. Alas, there wasn't one listed.
I'm sure you've heard the news by now of Disney adding 2 more ships. I think it would be totally great for them (us!) for them to have a dedicated Pacific route: Hawaii, Alaska, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. They would have to add a Mexico stop too. Wouldn't that be awesome??
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
What a fun filled day!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I think the honest answer is none of us knows until Disney posts their itineraries. Europe now seems to be a staple in their itineraries, although since they started coming over here in 2007, there have been a few years where they haven't headed over this side of the pond.
I seem to remember reading something in PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line about possible scenarios for the future and how cruises to Hawai'i could tie in with Aulani. I must admit, reading this trip report, I do love the idea of doing a cruise like this - it sounds wonderful.
It really was wonderful. I asked my TA to book us again as soon as she hears anything about another Hawaii cruise!
Quote:
Originally Posted by kcamozzi67
Captain Jack Sparrow!!!! I love him!!! I'm also greatly enjoying all of your pictures you have shared so far - it all looks like a fun time
He was pretty great My next quest: Gaston
***************************
Saturday Sept 12 - Spa Day
Today I woke up at 7am - I really was trying to sleep in! I ended up doing a little more laundry (this time there was a short wait), then I went to breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet with my hubby. I tried the egg station this time, ordering two eggs, sunny side up, which I really like, but they were raw, bleh! That's what I get for going light. Happily, my delicious English Breakfast Tea made it all better.
Enjoying the warm breezes and the ocean view
I thought it was pretty interesting that this "Bahamian" ship was all the way over here in the Pacific.
We went back to the room and I finished up the laundry. I may have delivered a few more FE gifts but I'm not sure at this point. Dh and I eventually put on our swim suits and wandered up to the adult pool. And just like on all the other nice days, all of the lounge chairs were taken I found a relatively dry place to put my things, and got into the pool. I had been eyeing the pool for a few days - the rocking of the ship made waves in it. I had watched some crazy guests swimming in it when the weather was still cold and windy, thinking that they were... well... crazy. But as I eased into the water, surprise! It was really warm! The pool really isn't really big and it was kind of crowded, so I couldn't do any laps or whatever. I ended up just literally hanging out in my little corner. The waves would wash over my shoulders and it was so soothing... Dh didn't get in. He chose to just sit by the pool listening to the great music from the Polynesian musicians. There were also two dancers that seemed to sway with the gentle waves... Lovely, lovely morning...
mmmm...
I had seen earlier in the Navigator that there was a DVC presentation. Dh didn't want to go and I had no intentions of adding on points, but I went anyway to see if I could win some handy onboard credit... and a score a free drink I didn't win anything, of course, but I did have a nice drink and got a couple of Evian water bottles they had there for guests. I ran upstairs for a quick cheeseburger and fries (delish!) and made it on time for the final WDI talk.
Today, Mr. Zalk would wrap it all up and leave time for Q&A. Raffle tickets were given out and I again, didn't win anything (strike two). I confess to green-eyed jealousy of some of the prizes Bob gave out. First edition swag, special pins, and some other cool stuff, but what I really wanted was the Mission Space patch. I did write down www.disneyinterns.com so maybe I'll see what that's about for my boys. I'm so very glad I got to experience the talks. I almost didn't go the first time because I thought it would be over my head, or whatever, being a relative "novice" compared to everyone else, but it wasn't. If you love anything about Walt Disney or Disney in general, then it is worth your vacation time.
I somehow met up with Dh and we got cream cheese pretzels to munch on in the room. We stopped for a minute to watch a little bit of what was going on.
I loved just chilling in my stateroom sometimes just doing nothing, looking out of my veranda...
It was about time for me to start getting ready for my much anticipated spa treatment. I was happy - I needed something to console me and make up for my brief losing streak. I relaxed in the Rainforest Room for a little bit.
Yes, that's me. This is a photo from another day when Dh was in there with me
I don't know how chairs made of stone can possibly be comfortable, but believe me, they are...
I had booked the "Alemis Aroma Stone Therapy", 75 minutes. I had always wanted to try a hot stone massage. Every massage I had ever gotten resulted in me feeling bruised and sore. I wasn't sure what was in store for me, but the idea of warm soft stones sounded wonderful. Aaaannnndddd... it WAS wonderful! The spa room was very nice, quiet (not counting the occasional muffled basketball bounce) and calming, just what you'd expect. Lynette is a Vista Spa employee from the Philippines and she really took good care of me. She started with a quick interview to see what I was looking for from the treatment. I really loved the massage with the hot stones. I'm sure you've seen photos of a person laying on a massage table with black stones lining parts of their bodies. This was pretty much what I looked like, but Lynette also used larger stones to massage my muscles from neck to feet. For the first time, I came out of a massage relaxed and not in pain. She listened to me before and during the treatment, but didn't talk a lot, for which I was thankful. I know some therapists like to chat, but I like to just float away on the new age music and the smells of the oils. When it was over, she didn't try to strongly push products on me. She did offer some things, but it wasn't a hard sell and I didn't feel pressured. I did splurge on some massage oil for my birthday (tomorrow). She was one of the cast members that I gave kudos to later on the survey I used the locker room shower to wash off, then went back to the room to relax - first getting lots of lemon and cucumber water to drink that they had there for guests.
Dh was already in the room when I got back. After a luxurious nap, we got up and walked around for a while taking some nighttime photos before dinner.
We watched as the waves in the pool sloshed back and forth...
Some kids playing soccer, it was very windy!
empty!
The only time I got to enjoy a lounge chair.
The ship seemed pretty empty. I guess most people were either at the show (Toy Story, which I wanted to see, but Dh didn't. I didn't want to go by myself and he didn't want to walk around by himself.) or at dinner.
We were walking back to see if the others were ready for dinner and saw other cruisers dressed up - formal night again!! Oops. We changed quickly into something more semi-formal while Martha and Anne enjoyed watching the night ocean on the veranda.
It was Pixar Night for dinner!
We were at Triton's again. The menu looks blurry because it's in 3D
No photo of the Cinnamon Raisin Bread - it was destroyed almost instantly.
Emeryville Cocktail - Warm Water Lobster, Alaskan Crab Leg and Shrimp Cocktail with Sour Cream, Caviar and a Spicy Lime Tomato Dressing (Very fancy, very good)
LGMs Orange and Roasted Beetroot Salad - Spinach, Endive, Radicchio, and Feta Cheese with a Champagne Vinaigrette - (Light and flavorful. LGM = Little Green Men?)
Trenette Pasta "Frizzi" - Tossed in a Roquette Pesto, with Garlic Shrimp and Caramelized Atlantic Scallops (REALLY good - I couldn't finish it all!)
Sheriff Woody's Favorite Marinated Delmonico Rib Eye Steak - with a Sweet Potato Gratin, Collard Greens and Sweet Baby Carrots (this was Dh's)
Geri's Oven-baked Warm Water Lobster - with Grilled Dill Shrimp and Creamy Sweet Corn Asiago Cheese Risotto (This was a hit with the Ladies. Dh also ordered one, making his own ad hoc "Surf n Turf". I'm not a fan of lobster, but this was delicious.)
Poached Bosc Pear Almond Tart - Rosemary Anglaise, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Jellies (From the No Sugar Added Desserts - outstanding! I loved the jello cubes made out of wine - yummy!)
Dinner was fantastic and everyone was stuffed to the gills. The boys had already left to do something in Edge or hang out with their buddies. The rest of us went to go try and catch the comedy show in Wavebands ("The Physical Comedy of Max Winfrey"). It was too crowded, as it had already started. I don't know what the Ladies did, but Dh and I went up to the deck 10 to try some stargazing.
They had turned off most of the lights so it was very dark on the deck. There was a small gathering of folks listening to one of the crew from the bridge. For the next half hour or so, he told us so many awesome things about how they use the stars even today to guide them. We learned about the sextant and how every ship must have one, "just in case". Of course they rely on modern GPS technologies, but they still have to learn how to use one. He actually let us hold the sextant - it was made of brass and very heavy (I became alarmed at how close a boy was holding it near the rail - it was very windy!) He used a green laser pointer to show us the constellations. (I was trying not to roll my eyes at the smarty pants who kept asking smarty pants questions. Okay dude, it's obvious that you've studied ...) The sky... it was so amazing, spectacular, awesome, insert superlative here. I live outside of Washington, DC so we can see the major constellations here on the east coast, but out there on the dark open water, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was truly a special experience. We could see the beautiful Milky Way - seeing photos of it on the internet is not the same. It's white and it's huge. Huge is kind of a stupid word to use, but I can't describe what 100,000 light years across looks like. I just wanted to stare at it all night. If I could, I would've gotten a blanket and sneaked a lounge chair out and laid right there on the deck. I could almost imagine seeing our tiny little ship out there on the dark ocean under that spectacular night sky...
We finally went back upstairs to fall into a deep sleep, what a day! (Oh yeah, the kids came in at some point...)
That sounds like a great day - you looked so happy just hanging out in your corner in the pool and I'm so glad you enjoyed your hot stone massage. I have one of those monthly (I've found somewhere that's very reasonably priced ) and I absolutely love it, so I was hoping you'd say the same - and you did!
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That sounds like a great day - you looked so happy just hanging out in your corner in the pool and I'm so glad you enjoyed your hot stone massage. I have one of those monthly (I've found somewhere that's very reasonably priced ) and I absolutely love it, so I was hoping you'd say the same - and you did!
Wow, I'm going to have to look around to see if I can find a good deal - it's worth every penny! (I see that you went to Iceland - I'm so behind on TRs! )
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper
What a lovely relaxing day! Dinner sounded wonderful and I love the description of the sky this evening!
Another fantastic day!! The stars are so different out there aren't they? Some nights I think there are so many stars out in DC, but then I'll be someplace more rural and realize it isn't that many at all here.
Wow, I'm going to have to look around to see if I can find a good deal - it's worth every penny! (I see that you went to Iceland - I'm so behind on TRs! )
Yes, we were there for a week at the end of February. Before that, we were in Scotland for new year and Budapest in Hungary for a weekend in November. It is so nice to have so many countries within a few hours' flying time. Very different to the States.
What a nice day! Your time in the pool looked so relaxing! I'm dying to try a hot stone massage - definitely on my must-do list
I'm dying to do it again! I even purchased a "hot stone massage" kit off of Amazon. It was so cheap, it just makes me want the real thing again even more
****************************
September 13, 2015: Hilo, Hawai'i
Boy, I struggled with how to even begin writing the 2nd half of this trip report - the actual "Hawai'i" part. (I even googled how to write a trip report.) Ok, let's just get this part over. From now on, or until I change my mind, I'm just going to type "Hawaii" without the apostrophe. You know, to save me a whole keystroke. I apologize to those who may be from Hawaii or who may be a stickler for authenticity, but I've got a lot to post and I'm going to try to roll right through it. I mean come on G'boysmama - I've got to start planning for my next vacay, #backtoWDW. I guess I could always "find and replace", but whatevs, I'm a rebel Anyhoo, the album that contains my Hilo pics says, "395 photos" . (I took more, these are just the ones that I uploaded to Flickr.) I'll try to make it easy to chew and I promise I won't post all the photos, lol.
Here's my single note from the day:
6:50am - "pulled into Hilo, rainy, warm, humid. Got internet access, made some phone calls, checked the internet."
Almost there!
The view from the deck. This is what our first day in Hawaii looked like. We had arrived at the Big Island, the actual island named "Hawaii" in the chain of islands called Hawaii . I think Dh was a little disappointed at the view, but I thought it was kind of funny. "Figures" ya know? I purposely had dropped my expectations down a few notches because of all the hurricanes that had come through the area. Later we found out that not only does Hilo have a tropical rainforest climate, but also is one of the wettest cities in the world.
Zoomed in on the houses nestled in the island. That was the actual color of the sky.
Watching the harbor folks coming to help us.
Welcome to Hilo!
Our lovely view for breakfast The floors were so wet and slippery they had wet vacs out and CMs constantly pushing the water to the sides. There was no room in BBB so we had to come out and sit near the pool.
The lovely view from our stateroom
This cute "little" Princess cruise was following us the whole time! I secretly think Martha and Anne would've had more fun on this ship than the Wonder. Not that they didn't have a good time, but you know what I mean...
Waiting for our tour bus
The debarkation process was painless and we all got leis as we got off the ship and were welcomed to the island I had booked us a tour from "Hawaii Cruise Excursions" called, "Big Island Volcano National Park and Rainbow Falls Tour". It was a 5 hour tour of some of the popular tourist spots. It was $70 for each person for a total of $420, $120 deposit due at time of booking. (The rest due in cash or traveler's checks at the time of the tour.) It was expensive because it was for 6 of us, but I booked it because it was one of the few that actually could pick us up and return us to the port. There were of course other tours that could pick you up, but I liked this one in particular because it was a small 15 passenger van. I was a little nervous because it seemed like a "local" business, but when I researched the parent company "Island Marketing Ltd", it seemed to have a lot more good reviews than bad ones. It all ended up being fine and I'm glad we did it.
The first stop on our tour was of one of the black sand beaches. For some reason, the driver changed his mind about the original beach he had planned on taking us to and took us to a more "local" one instead because of traffic or some reason. Richardson Beach was nice to visit, but it was more rustic than the picturesque photos that we'd seen on the internet. I felt a little weird as we were sort of invading the small beach with 15 obvious tourists.
I loved these little ponds. I think the driver mentioned that these were built in ancient times to raise fish for the chiefs and royalty.
Black sand
The flower leis were given to women and girls. The black leis were given to men and boys. They are made out of kukui nuts. I saw males and females wear the kukui nuts, both black laquered ones and the tan, natural finished ones. I remember on the ship, Auntie saying that she noticed when she used to wear them on the airplane, she could hear a cracking sound - it was the nuts cracking under pressure! (When we got home, we noticed that one of our kukui leis had cracked into pieces. We could see that they were hollow nut shells. I honestly thought they were made out of plastic!) The kukui nut had special meaning for ancient Hawaiians, as they were very oily and were used as lamps (the Candlenut).
It was amazing to me to see this volcanic rock here. It means that at one point it was lava flow!
Here the black sand looks more green, more on that in a moment...
Me and my keiki
Here, our driver is explaining what's going on with the green tint to the black sand. He spent a few minutes talking about volcanoes and the black rocks all around us.
The sand is really crushed volcanic rock.
The tiny green specks are a mineral that is actually where peridot comes from - that was so cool to me!
Cozy little family beach
Good to know...
I asked the driver what this was. I thought it was interesting because the leaves were very big. He said it was an invasive weed (whomp whomp, lol) I guess it's kind of like kudzu here on the east coast.
Juxtaposed to the black sand was all this green.
Do you see the rock "formations?" I wonder how long they've been there.
Doughnut rock
Volcanic rock is very porous.
more formations
Martha
Heading back to the van - more ponds
Soon we got back on the bus. We had other places to go and all the while in the back of my mind was the clock - We had to be back by embarkation time or we'd be in trouble!
Love the photos of the beach - we visited one on the southern side of the island on the day we spent on Big Island a couple of years ago and I was just fascinated by the look of it.
I so hear you about Hawai'i and Hawaii, especially as Word spent all its time correcting the first version to read Hawai'I, which was even worse!
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I ended up doing a little more laundry (this time there was a short wait), then I went to breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet with my hubby. I tried the egg station this time, ordering two eggs, sunny side up, which I really like, but they were raw, bleh! 
but I'm not sure at this point. Dh and I eventually put on our swim suits and wandered up to the adult pool. And just like on all the other nice days, all of the lounge chairs were taken 
I didn't win anything, of course, but I did have a nice drink and got a couple of Evian water bottles they had there for guests. I ran upstairs for a quick cheeseburger and fries (delish!) and made it on time for the final WDI talk.
The spa room was very nice, quiet (not counting the occasional muffled basketball bounce) and calming, just what you'd expect. Lynette is a Vista Spa employee from the Philippines and she really took good care of me. She started with a quick interview to see what I was looking for from the treatment. I really loved the massage with the hot stones. I'm sure you've seen photos of a person laying on a massage table with black stones lining parts of their bodies. This was pretty much what I looked like, but Lynette also used larger stones to massage my muscles from neck to feet. For the first time, I came out of a massage relaxed and not in pain. She listened to me before and during the treatment, but didn't talk a lot, for which I was thankful. I know some therapists like to chat, but I like to just float away on the new age music and the smells of the oils. When it was over, she didn't try to strongly push products on me. She did offer some things, but it wasn't a hard sell and I didn't feel pressured. I did splurge on some massage oil for my birthday (tomorrow). She was one of the cast members that I gave kudos to later on the survey 
I used the locker room shower to wash off, then went back to the room to relax - first getting lots of lemon and cucumber water to drink that they had there for guests.
) and I absolutely love it, so I was hoping you'd say the same - and you did! 
Anyhoo, the album that contains my Hilo pics says, "395 photos" 
. (I took more, these are just the ones that I uploaded to Flickr.) I'll try to make it easy to chew and I promise I won't post all the photos, lol. 
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