Day 24 - Thu 02May2024 - Honolulu, HI

 Today turned out to be a very active day.  We were scheduled to go through immigration inspection at 7:50AM. That early time required us to get up at 6:30 in order to eat breakfast in time.  We did just that and while eating, there was a PA announcement from Ron, Entertainment Director, that the inspection was delayed due to departing passengers needing to pass through the inspection first.  Finally, an hour late, we in group 5 were called and we quickly went through the process.  While we were waiting to go through the process, we attended the first part of the daily Bible study which Ron Shaefer continues to lead.

After the inspection, we considered hiking up Diamond Head, but I didn't feel there was enough time as we needed to be back at the terminal by 1:20pm for a turtle snorkeling trip.  Since we hadn't walked Waikiki Beach in a while, we decided to do that.  After exiting the port we found a city bus market "Waikiki Beach - 42".  It was a $3 fare one way per person and since I didn't have enough change I just put in a $10 bill.  Traffic was a mess due to multiple construction zones, and it took nearly an hour to get to the zoo stop which is at the far end of Waikiki.Beach.  We got off of the bus there and started the 3 plus mile walk back to the ship.  We walked on the beach proper, sidewalks above the beach, shopped a bit primarily in ABC stores which are ubiquitous little stores throughout Honolulu, toured the Army Museum and ate some food truck Thai food which was so tasty.  We couldn't finish it as we had to still walk back to the ship and change clothes and be back in the terminal by 1:20pm. We made it and then there was another 10 minutes wait for the shuttle arrive. 

Twenty four of us boarded a shuttle to the nearby marina area (quite close to where we ate our Thai lunch.  We boarded the catamaran and were soon under way.  It was a bit choppy as we cruised down Waikiki Beach about halfway.  There were 3 or 4 other boats already there.  We received some safety instructions and were then allowed to get into the water.  Apparently there are some coral canyons where the turtles come to feed and there is a fish that eats the growths off the turtle shells.  Jumping into the water was a bit exciting as it was a tad cold.  On first glance I could see were in about 20 feet of very cloudy water.  there were lots of fish although they weren't all that colorful.  There were probably 100 people in the water and it was very crowded to try to find any turtles.  Finally after 1/2 hour a guide called out the location of a turtle and I finally found it.  It was  very cloudy water (lots of churning of the water due to the surf action).  At one point I decided to dive down to get a closer look.  So. I did and shot some video of it.  Most of the snorkelers didn't dive so the views weren't that good.  Getting a bit chilly, I headed back towards the catamaran and observed a couple more turtles and lots of fish, many of which were 12=18 inches in length. 

Back on the boat it was really chilly so a towel wrapped around my torso really helped.  Unlike other snorkeling excursions, there was no snack or food service.  There was cold water.  One diver wasn't taking the choppy water well and was chumming the fish (throwing up).  The anchor was raised and we headed towards Diamond Head for some nice picture opportunities.  Reversing direction we headed back to the marina where a shuttle greeted us and whisked us back to the cruise terminal.  On balance, I would say that the excursion was just okay.  Moorea continues to be our favorite snorkeling location, and Barbados and the Solomon Islands reign for turtle snorkeling.  At the terminal, we had to go through security and for the first time this cruise use our government issued ID as well as our medallion to pass through security.  On board the ship it was really cold in the air conditioned environment.  So warm showers and dry clothes were a real treat.

We decided to skip the early folkloric show and head on out to explore the Aloha Tower area where we have docked previously.  So off we went and walked the mile or so up to it.  Along the way there was a sea wall with coral attached and all sorts of colorful fish in clear water.  So we enjoyed watching them along with a fairly large crab which climbed the sea wall.  At the tower there was a luau happening so it wasn't possible to get very close.  We then headed into the Chinatown area ending up on Hotel Street and then one block further north where we shopped in the Ross Dress for Less store.  We checked out the McDonald's across the street, but didn't purchased anything.  

Our walk back to the ship took us by the capitol building, behind the Iolani Palace, the monument to Queen Queen Lili‘uokalani, the last of the Hawaiian royalty, and the Bishop House (home to the missionary movement and we've toured it previously).  It was sprinkling as we completed our walk and went back through security and reboarded the ship.  We attended the nice cultural folkloric show at 8:45pm before attending another session of karaoke where Angela sang along with a number of regulars.  One fellow, Dan (1 second Dan) sang one of his parodies and it was excellent.

Our late night 11pm departure was delayed about 1/2 hour due to a medical disembarkation.  With that complete, the lines were dropped, the thruster engaged, and we slipped away from our berth and headed out to sea.  We dropped off our pilot, and sailed off into the night with the lights of Honolulu fading behind us.

It was a good and very active day.  I logged over 23,000 steps or just under 10 miles of walking.  Tomorrow is the first of our 6 sea days to Vancouver, BC.  It's 2,440 miles and that translates