I was so excited to wake up to Hawaii and was shocked to look out the balcony to see we had already docked in port. I quickly shoved on some shorts and a jacket, then headed up to walk around the cruise ship and see the views. I was surprised to see how many people were up and awake, and also a little embarrassed as I went out having literally just woken up. It was already pretty warm and the sun was just rising.
I headed back to the room, got ready for the day and then headed to breakfast, before finally being allowed to depart the ship just before 10am. I then made my way of the ship and headed to my first organised tour for the Grand Circle Island Tour. We started off a little late as we were waiting for some additional guests, but they never arrived so we headed off, driving through Waikiki and taking in the beautiful sights of Hawaii. I was shocked at how built up the area was. We drove past beaches, but it felt like a normal city.
Our first stop was at the Blowhole Lookout and it was stunning. Sadly, because we set off late, we were only given 10 minutes there which was a real shame. I would have loved to have walked down to the beach that was there and enjoy taking in the views. We also never stopped at Diamond Head Crater which was one of the stops I was most excited for, and apparently although described as a stop, it was only ever a drive by.
We then drove around the coastline, taking a very brief stop at a supermarket. They sold this as a toilet break stop but it really felt like they had an agreement with the business because it was an extremely long break and completely unnecessary. It was like a service station with a supermarket and ice cream shop. I even walked around the area for 15 minutes and because it was such a low vantage point, I couldn’t see the beautiful scenery which was very disappointing. It was in the middle of the valley so you couldn't take in any of the sights which was a real shame, and it was a petrol station! A stop of 40 minutes at a supermarket that was very run down was completely unnecessary and not what I paid a fortune to see on the tour.
We then moved on and whilst the views were beautiful, we were seeing them all from the bus. I sat on the right so saw a lot of the sea, but very little of the mountains which were beautifully seen over the top of people's heads.
I was pleasantly surprised that lunch was provided as part of the tour and ticket price. This was a pre-booked restaurant and we had a 1 hour stop, where the food was supposed to be ready to be served. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a delay with the food but once ready, we were served quite quickly. I didn't know what we were getting beforehand, but I was thankful to find I quite liked the food to an extent. I had water, but they also provided lemonade and tea. Then it was a huli huli half rotisserie chicken, with rice and mac n cheese salad. The mac n cheese was ice cold and with mayonnaise so I didn't eat that, but the rest of it was nice. It would have been nice to have a little bit of an option, and a dessert, but alas.
Again, we got back in the bus and made our way to yet another unexpected stop at another random location. This time at least the view was pretty, albeit the road was incredibly busy and a little dangerous. It was a local shop selling coffee and macadamia nuts, also offering free samples, but neither of which I like. It was less than 5 minutes from where we'd had lunch so very unnecessary, and again, we were there for a significant amount of time. At least half an hour which was such a waste when there were so many other places that the majority of us would have much preferred stopping at.
Our final stop was calling at the Dole Pineapple Plantation. I was excited for this one and driving towards the location was fascinating driving through all the fields. However, when we arrived it wasn't at all what I was expecting. The smaller educational areas were closed down and the guide said they had been since covid. The main building was just a huge shop selling every type of pineapple treats and merchandise you could thing of. We arrived an hour before closing and just missed the last of the chocolate making and pineapple demonstrations. We also missed the last train for the tour of the grounds, the last garden admission and the last maze admission. I was absolutely fuming. We had over an hour there and all you could do was walk through a very small part of the garden and buy merch.
On return to the cruise ship, I quickly had a shower to refresh, did my makeup and brushed out some curls. It was officially Hawaiian night and I was so excited to wear my brand new dress! I walked around the cruise ship to take in the beautiful lights on Honolulu and then headed for a quick bite to eat before heading to the show.
The show was the cultural Hawaiian show and the cruise company had organised for an external group of locals to come in and do the entertainment which sounded amazing. I was so excited and so happy when I got a front row seat! The show was interesting to say the least but so incredibly unrehearsed, poorly executed and severely lacking. They were lovely people but it felt like a show I could have done myself. There was a leader of the group who would interrupt, correct and give constructive criticism to the other performers throughout the show which was just quite odd. It was a nice story, especially as they were all family, from grandma to great grand daughter, but it should have been so much better.
Straight after, I headed back to the room for a relatively early night because I wanted to make the most of the day in Hawaii tomorrow.
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