WAIKIKI BEACH

On September 24, 2003 at 3:00AM, I left Sparta, TN, with a group of 38, and headed to Nashville Airport to begin my Hawaiian adventure. After a short flight to Atlanta, GA, we headed on to Vancouver, Canada, where we once again boarded the Carnival SPIRIT cruiseship. Several of us had sailed on this same ship to Alaska last year, so it was like greeting an "old friend". The wait to board was MUCH shorter this year and at 5:30PM, we set sail. The following is my journal:

DAY 1 9/24/03 Vancouver

After checking out our cabins, Deck 7 Aft, we headed out to Deck 9 to watch our departure from Vancouver. Once we were underway, we found a window-side table in the Lido Deck diningroom and ate a hardy supper. Since my huband, Dick, did not join me this trip, my friend, Barbara, did; and along with good friends, Grace and Al, we made an interesting foursome. At times, Al was teased for having a harem. (Barb took the picture)

When we finished supper, we headed back outside; this time Deck 10, where we were treated to a spectacular sunset on a cool and breezy evening. We stayed until it turned dark and then went back to our cabins to unpack and get settled. It had been a VERY long day and by 9:00, we were ready to hit the beds and dream of island paradises five days and 2,400 miles away.

DAYS 2-6 9/25/03-9/29/03 Days At Sea

Our five days at sea, heading south-west, were very relaxing and enjoyable. The first night we went to the formal dinner in the elegant Empire Restaurant (I had lobster tail), followed by "Standing Room Only" with the Spirit Dancers. The food and the show were both excellent. Day two we checked out the gift shops and tried out the hot tub on the fantail. That evening we enjoyed the songs of Melinda Chatman and the comedy of Wally The Great in Pharaoh's Palace. On Saturday I visited the Internet Cafe, only to discover that logging on was VERY expensive, so I sent Dick an email and went on. Spent the rest of the day lounging in and near the pool, reading. After dinner on the Lido Deck, we enjoyed a WONDERFUL comedy show with Norm Crosby. He sure can slaughter the English language! Day four, more relaxing and a fun matinee with Wally The Great. Went to the Guest's Talent Showcase that night; always good for a laugh. Our final day at sea was a warm one; perfect for swimming and lounging on Deck 11 with a good book. The show that night was Tom Snyder, a comedian who has traveled 49 states on a bike and was using our cruiseship to get to the 50th. He rode his bike on deck and to his show. Somewhat eccentric, I think....................

DAY 7 9/30/03 Kahului, Maui (second largest of the Hawaiian Islands)

Woke up to the sight of land, at last!! We docked at 8:00 and we were off the ship by 8:30. We took a FREE shuttle to the car rental center and got us a minivan. Our first stop was a beach not far from the ship. Beaches in Hawaii are not at all like those on the Atlantic shore of the mainland which I was used to. Most are in coves, and all have gorgeous palms and other tropical vegetation. The sand has black lava mixed in and is powder fine.

We then headed towards Hana on the Hana Highway, a 53 mile road with 600 curves and 54 bridges. A little less than half way there, we made a stop at the Garden of Eden, a very beautiful botanical garden far above, but within view of, the sea. We enjoyed all the beautiful flowers, fed the ducks, and had our pictures taken with colorful parrots.

When we FINALLY arrived in Hana, two hours later, we found the most beautiful beach I had ever seen, Koki Beach. It looked like a movie set; way too perfect to be real. We returned to the ship late that afternoon on the same road. The evening show was the hilarious comedy of Lowell Sanders and then it was off to sleep so we could enjoy our second day in Maui.

DAY 8 10/01/03 Kahului, Maui

We decided to join a 4 hour Carnival sponsored tour this morning to the Iao Valley. Our coach driver was named Bozo; REALLY! He was very knowledgable and gave us a good background talk on the area. First stop was at the Iao Valley State Park where we saw an unusual pinnacle called "Kura 'Emoku", the needle. It rises majestically out of the lush valley floor, formed by volcanic activity. Next it was on to Kepaniwai Park, where there were pavilions built by different countries, in a wonderful tropical setting.

Our final stop was at the 112 acre Maui Tropical Plantation where we took a tram tour through fields of sugar cane, pineapple, coffee, papaya, bananas, and macadamia nuts. When we arrived back at the ship, we had a late lunch and then picked up our rental car and headed to a nearby beach for an afternoon swim. The water was warm, but refreshing. That evening we enjoyed another wonderful show called "High Spirits" with the Spirit Dancers, and vocals by Lauren Anne Post and Rudy Lowe. A perfect ending for another great day.........

Song: "Here Comes The Sun"