Sunday, December 23, 2007

Hawaii - Day 2

Well, well, well, well, well. Honolulu is busy and very much a big city. I must say, the arrival at night was disconcerting. I have more to say about that at a later time, but I don’t want to dwell on the negative. It did surprise me though, as those who vacation here don’t speak of anything other than the beautiful scenery. The late arrival in the dark, the seedy characters outside the hotel, the room facing the parking garage, the car alarm going off half-dozen times during the night all didn’t really give me a very good first impression. However, my in-laws received an unexpected room upgrade – top floor, ocean view, double balcony suite, so we enjoyed their glorious view and used it as a photo op in the beautiful morning sunshine.

We had breakfast at IHOP with a lovely Hawaiian woman server who called everyone darling and sweetheart. Back at the hotel, I went into time warp and booked Andrew for a freestyle skiing competition coming up Jan. 12/13 in Jasper on the free internet connection. We bought a few necessities at the drug store, then managed to fit all five of us and our luggage in a minivan taxi to go to the cruise ship pier. Traffic was crazy, but we had lots of time.

Check in and security clearance to the ship was quite crowded but moved at a steady pace. We had the obligatory photo, which turned out quite nicely. For a small fee, we received a leather souvenir portfolio and the photo, along with a lovely photo of the ship.

The food is good, lots of selection in restaurants. We got most of the shore excursions we wanted – a late edition may be a helicopter ride over one of the most beautiful places in the world but we haven’t heard as yet.

Andrew is loving the independence and the teen club. They had a get-acquainted time before a scavenger hunt and a movie. He doesn’t expect to be in before 12:30 am. Grandpa and Grandma have volunteered to have him sleep in their room. (insert smile)

The stateroom is nicely decorated but is very compact. I have satellite internet for a fee, so I’ll not be spending too much time responding to email. I’m still nervous – everything is so new and different – and I don’t care for being on the water for extended periods of time. Say a prayer for us for safety. Thanks for checking in.

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