Our travel to Hawaii was unique and parts of it were experiences we hope not to repeat. Do not be alarmed, we loved our time in Hawaii, however there were some “situations”.

In order to fly to Hawaii, we arrived at the airport in good time with Doug dropping us off. Check-in was a breeze as was US customs. While we were waiting for our flight, we visited the lounge and enjoyed their hospitality until it was time to board the aircraft, a WestJet Boeing 737 – Max 8. 

An “issue” on a Boeing 737 – not a warm feeling

Once we were settled in, they announced we would be delayed for “an issue”. The update that followed informed us there was a loose panel on the door and maintenance had fixed it. Reading about all the issues with Boeing aircraft recently, that was not the most comforting pre-flight announcement I had heard. 

All seemed well and we took off, Meg was enjoying the view out the window until about 3,000’ when we entered clouds. Around 30 minutes later, Meg decided to test the quality of the motion sickness bag. We are pleased to let you know they do not leak. It was the first time she has ever been sick on a plane. Our thoughts were it was something she ate at the lounge. The good news is she slept for most of the flight and felt fine in the morning.

Once we arrived in Honolulu, we got our luggage and then I looked at booking an Uber to take us to the hotel. The Uber app indicated it would $89 and said the price was high due to high demand. We headed to the taxi line and when we got there, there were no taxis about. Meg looked at a sign that said to call a number to order a taxi and the sign also listed fees. To drop the flag, it was $40. Other taxes et al raised that to $50, before you even left the airport. Time to check Uber again. 

Hailing an Uber, a game of guessing the price?

I’m not sure how the Uber algorithm works, however the price was now $75. We headed back in the terminal to try to find the Uber pick up point. It took us about 10 minutes of wandering around and going up elevators to find the right location. I then went to order an Uber. The price was now $59. I locked it in and we headed off to our hotel. 

By the time we checked in and took our bags up to the room, it was 11PM Hawaiian time, or 2AM Vancouver time. We were hungry and wandered out to find a snack. Most restaurants closed at 9 or 10. The ABC stores all closed at 11. We did manage to find a food truck and had a light meal and then back to our hotel. 

Enjoying Hawaii from the get go

The bed was comfortable and the hotel, although dated, was spotlessly clean. We both slept well and the morning saw us head out for a light breakfast, then a walk along the beach. When we got back to the hotel, we cashed in our “drink” tokens and had a swim in the beautiful pool.

As we checked out of our hotel, there was a group of seniors in the lobby who were also checking out and going to the ship. Their tour guide had a great deal of patience with the repetitive questions about going to the ship. From the conversations I overheard (the tour guide was often yelling to hard of hearing people), I gathered the guide was also going to be on the cruise. I thought to myself ‘I could do that job and get free travel’. Then I thought ‘tour guides are not allowed to throw clients overboard, even if they deserve it’. I guess that is not the best business model for me. 

Heading to our cruise ship

We decided to get to the ship ahead of them. A short Uber ride got us to the terminal at noon where we checked into our home for the next 11 days. Even though we beat the group at our hotel to the ship, there were others we saw who caused me to pause and ask myself ‘who ties your shoes for you in the morning?’

After lunch on the ship, we headed ashore and toured the Royal Palace, the only one in the United States. While there we read some signs and learned about the history of how Hawaii came to be part of the United States. From what I read it can be summed up in one word. Invasion. Rather distressing actually.

Starting our tour of Hawaiian Brew Pubs

The grounds of the Palace were lovely and after a rest under a magnificent tree, we headed to a brew pub. Honolulu Beerworks was around the corner and a perfect stop. The brewery is an open air affair, as are many places in Hawaii and we stood outside reading the menu. A server came up to us and let us know it was “Happy Hour”, all pints were $2 off. It didn’t take much convincing after that. The cold adult beverages were delightful.

Heading back to the ship, we had our dinner in the Main Dining Room and then wandered around the ship before the evening show. A gifted pianist played amazingly well with only a few band members as back up. After the show, we called it a day and headed back to our room.