Honolulu Oahu

We are docked and as we are eating breakfast they announce that we can head ashore.  Since we don’t have anything scheduled we agree to take our time. 
 

We are off around 9:45 and head out to catch a bus to Diamond Head – we ended up catching the #9 bus, it took a round about way but it got us there and for $2.50 each, it is a steal.  The bus drops you at the base of the crater and you have to walk in from the street to the main parking lot.  Entrance to the park is $1 each for pedestrians and $5 for a car.  There are restrooms and a food truck in case you get hungry or need to buy water.

 

I will state first off, make sure you wear a hat, sunscreen and good appropriate shoes.  So many people we saw were in flip flops, fancy sandals and even one in a short heeled shoe and none of them looked comfortable.  Sure you can make it but trust me you will pay the price.  You also should bring some water cause it gets warm and you need to stay hydrated.

yes that is the path up above

 

Okay enough about that.  They state the hike up to the crater wall should take 1.5 hours round trip, for us we did it in 50 minutes, but we hike a lot and are very active people.  The first part is paved, then it is rock path, some areas are very steep, a lot of steps, and narrow.  There was constant traffic and a lot of people suffering.  I am sure they must encounter people that have heart attacks along the way.  It kind of worried me seeing these people what would happen if they did have a serious incident as we didn’t see any park rangers.  

The funniest thing we saw was a father pushing a small stroller along the rocks, he had just gotten to the rough patch but there is no way they are going to go far.  And the poor little boy looked scared.  I am sure they had to turn around.

 

For us when we got to the top the views are amazing from all sides and definitely worth the hike up.

 

 

 

We are back at the base and we walk over to the university and catch the bus to Waikiki beach and walk along the water for a bit and ask some of the locals for a good burger spot.  We are directed to Teddy’s Bigger burgers which is right across the street from the Honolulu Zoo on Kapahulu Avenue.  Yup it looks popular there is a line up to order and then you grab a seat and your number is called.  The prices are reasonable and the burgers are amazing, and darn it we have earned it.

 

 

We start walking back along Kalakaua Avenue along Waikiki Beach checking out the sights, and we are walking and walking and we both feel great and we figure well the ship can’t be that far and we keep walking and walking.  Well an hour and a half later we are at the ship and we are beat!   

We crawl on board and into bed for a very short nap (45 minutes) as we are heading back out soon.

We had agreed to meet up with Delmarie and Phillipe our friends from Facets for a night in Waikiki for dinner and we head to the Marriott Beach Hotel and their Tikki Bar/Restaurant.  We get a lovely table right on edge and we have a lovely view of the sunset and the people and even some fireworks.  Both Bernie and I are very hungry so we have a small dish each and a few drinks and lots of laughs. 

 

Delmarie surprises us both with fresh leis and they smell divine.  

After dinner we head around the corner to a bar called Hulu’s Bar which is literally right above the burger place we were at this afternoon (go figure) and we meet up with some other friends and have a great evening but we are smart we are back at the ship around 10 pm, all aboard is 10:30.

 

Tonight is island deck party and we head upstairs to check it out and we are surprised at how many are up there considering the demographics but everyone seems to be having a great time.  Opus is playing again and we stand up on the Sun deck and watch the happenings and the beautiful city view from there.

We really like Honolulu and all it has to offer but it is a big city and lots of traffic and looks like most huge American cities.  Next time we come back we will definitely head out to check out other areas of Oahu.

I should also report that the chair dragging issue has been cleared up.  I want to thank Jasper the Customer Services Director who took care of it all.  I am just glad that the staff figured out finally what I was needing and now everyone is happy.  But I will never accept a cabin again that is right below the pool decks.