Two Ways to Cruise Hawaii

When a friend asked about NCL Pride of America's all-Hawaii itinerary, I thought I would send over a summary of that great cruise Julie and I took 15 years ago.  I could find neither hide nor hair of that trip when I searched on key words, though I'm still not sure why.

I remembered writing about that cruise shortly after beginning this blog in 2007, so I went back and --- sure enough --- I found the posts.

Back in those early days, you'll note a lot fewer wordy tangents, fewer photos (digital photography hadn't become as easy as pulling out our phones) and generally shorter posts.

While they've certainly aged, I think they still have relevance for new travelers.  In any case, they're precious memories for Julie and me.

From Honolulu With Pride

Hilo: September, 2005

Maui: September, 2005

Kona: September, 2005

Kauai: Septmber, 2005

Flash forward 15 years.  Julie convinced me we should take advantage of a great deal for a roundtrip cruise from Los Angeles to Hawaii, a trip we had enjoyed a couple of times before.  Who says you can't enjoy returning to the same ports over and over again?

While we had only taken two short springtime cruises in 2019, I was rather travel-weary from a year in which we seemed to be going somewhere almost every month.  Nonetheless, I got on board with the idea eventually, if for no other reason than because I wouldn't have to fly anywhere.

Like AOC's dream, we could take the bus to Hawaii, although we actually took Lyft.

With the unprecedented Coronavirus shutdown that would soon follow, we're very happy we did.

Who would have guessed Hawaii would shut out vacationers for several months?

And what a devastating shutdown it has been for a state that relies heavily on tourism for its well-being!  Consider this quote from Los Angeles Times.

"In April, 4,564 travelers arrived in Hawaii by plane, down from 856,250 during the same month last year. Hotels across the state have temporarily closed, laying off housekeepers and bellhops. Hawaii’s unemployment rate hit 22.6% in May, second only to Nevada.

"The quarantine has helped control the disease, giving Hawaii the lowest per capita infection rate of any state. As of Wednesday, the islands have had 835 cases and 17 deaths since the start of the outbreak."



Once the usual crunch of the numbers is done, we again find most deaths were people of advanced health with serious health issues, but for potential travelers, there will now be added peace of mind visiting Hawaii, I guess.  All travelers must test for COVID-19 and other diseases 72-hours before arriving in Hawaii or face quarantine when they resume welcoming visitors on August 1, 2020.

Hawaii will hopefully accept cruises again in October, although some from the West Coast may be on hold a bit longer.

I can say that when we took our 15-night cruise from Los Angeles to Hawaii in November/December, it was once again a wonderful experience.  

As Julie likes to say, no dirty dishes to clean!

Here are some articles about the highlights of that most recent trip:

Time to Rent a Car In Hilo?

Honolulu Curl

Lounging With Turtles On Kauai

Mele Kalikimaka On Maui?

Thanksgiving at Sea

I hope you'll cruise Hawaii soon.  It's truly an amazing destination, and cruising is half the fun!

"Better service leads to better trips!"