Palm Sunday!!HONOLULU

Palm Sunday, March 29^th

We awoke early just in time to see the first sighting of Honolulu and the island of Oahu.

Again it was strange to be pulling in and recognizing the land marks because we had been here before. The sunrise was rather unspectacular with rather ominous clouds on the horizon. We had room service for breakfast and then got ready for our day. We have booked tour number HNL -610 the Atlantis Submarine Adventure.

 It is scheduled for 10:30 till 3:30. Our adventure begins with transportation from the ship to Waikiki’s Hilton Hawaiian Village for a short boat ride with scenic views of Waikiki and Diamond Head.

 Upon arrival at the dive site we board our submarine and descend 100 feet underwater. This eye opening experience takes us beyond the classroom as we learn about coral reef life and submersibles while we visit sunken ship wrecks, airplane and artificial reefs. The friendly crew share their love of the ocean with us. With a spacious air-conditioned interior, with large view ports and comfortable seating. This one of a kind submarine gave us access to Hawaii’s sea life. It was wonderful. The corals and the fishes and the  wrecks made it so interesting. Our guide was an experienced scuba diver and he had so many interesting things to tell us.

After the submarine adventure we were allowed 2 hours to explore Waikiki before returning to the ship. It was hot and the beach was very crowded but we did manage to enjoy the water. Ken swam and I waded as usual. Then we walked a little so I could get some pictures. We picked up ice coffee at a Starbucks and shared a scone.

The return ride was uneventful but when we arrived at the ship I was beat. We shared some fruit and then I lay down. I was out like a light. I slept for a little over an hour and then it was time to get ready for dinner.

It was interesting. Sad did some magic for us. First he gave me a small piece of paper that had been folded many times. Then he asked me to count from one to ten both forwards and backwards many times. Then he stopped me and asked me to name a vegetable. I said Carrot. He then had me open the paper and on it was the word carrot. He got a round of applause and lots of laughter. I guess they play the odds. I had no idea I was so predictable.

They had the folkloric show tonight but because we had seen it only a few weeks ago we decided to return to the hot tubs on deck 16. Again it was wonderful. By this time it was dark and the lights of the city were spread out before us. The deck was empty and we had it all to ourselves. There were some clouds but there were lots of stars and the moon was shining. The ship was docked along a flight path from the local airport and we watched planes come and so. The sky was midnight blue and the stars just shone. Another magical evening.

We returned to our room and enjoyed a glass of wine on our balcony while we viewed the city lights.