Hilo

Our last stop in Hawaii was a rainy one. We were on the big island again which is where the lava is flowing, but the crew had boat drill that morning and by the time we got off the ship, there wasn’t enough time to get to the lava. So we rented a really nice SUV, that I got to drive, and went to see the two big waterfalls that were in the area. Alex didn’t make it out this time either. It was myself and Steve, along with Canadian Steve (remember he was one who had the idea to see wine country in San Francisco but decided not to go.) There was Michael again and Trin and her boyfriend Karl pictured below.

We hiked to Akaka falls and got poured on, but hey, we were in a rainforest after all. It was a beautiful site. Akaka falls is 700 meters tall. You can’t tell by the picture, but it’s humongous. Then we all changed clothes and stopped off at a little Hawaiian café in a small town and got Kona coffee and pastries. Next we went to Rainbow falls, and this time we didn’t even have to get out of the car. The falls were right next to the road and it was really coming down by the time we got there, so everyone took pictures from the car. And then it was time to get back on the ship.

And that was Hawaii. I had such a blast and I loved all the islands that we saw. I would love to go back some time and stay for like a week just on Maui or Kauai. There is so much to do and see there. This whole time I had planned to surf, but I was so busy doing everything else, I never got around to it. I guess I will have to save that for next time.

Katie

More Maui

My next day in Maui, Steve and I went on a jeep trip. Alex had had too much fun the night before and decided to sit this one out. So Steve and I got what was probably the last vehicle in town and headed out. The best driving thing to do on the island is take the road to Hana, but it takes all day if you hurry and we only had the afternoon. So we drove around the Northern part of the island along the coast and on to Iao (pronounced Eee-Ohh) Valley State Park.

It was an amazing drive. There were beautiful beaches around every corner and the road was small and winding and ran right along the edge of the cliff. In some places it was so small, if you met an on coming car you had to reverse till there was a pull off and let them pass before you could continue. Steve had a lot of fun driving this one. In the Iao Valley there were beautiful green mountains and a foggy sky, it was like walking into a different world. And that was a great end to our time in Maui. Next up will be our last stop in Hawaii on the big island again, this time on the other side in a town called Hilo.

Katie

Maui

Our next island was Maui. We had an overnight in the port of Lahaina. So I had two days on Maui. The first day, the San Francisco gang went whale watching with our on board naturalist, Dirk. Whale watching is different in Hawaii than it is in Alaska. Dirk said that in Hawaii humpback whales don’t feed, they just have their babies and nurse them until they are big enough to make the trip to Alaska. Then in Alaska, they eat. So in Hawaii, since they aren’t hunting, they play a lot and they breach a lot which is when they jump out of the water. I got some pictures of a baby humpback breaching, but you’ll have to wait for those.

We were so lucky on this trip. There were whales everywhere and one of them even swam right under our boat. It was so cool. There were only five of us crew in the boat. It was the San Francisco gang and Damian (our cruise director with his feet on the cooler) and his girlfriend. So we had the whole boat to ourselves. I can’t wait to see my pictures when they come back.

Katie

Wamea Canyon

Next in our trip through the Hawaiian Islands was the port of Nawiliwili on the Island of Kauai. This island ties for my favorite with Maui (which I will share in the next two instillations.) Kauai has beautiful countryside all over the island. The San Francisco gang had yet another companion this time. In the group photo you will see Steve, Alex, and myself accompanied by Darren and Michael. We rented a car again and this time Steve drove. Because he’s Australian, we all teased him about driving on the right side of the road and when I started taking pictures of him driving he posed real quick like he was crashing. But luckily he’s a very good driver and now he’s taken over most the driving on our trips.

Our first destination was the Wamea Canyon, which is dubbed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It was spectacular, I’m afraid no picture can do the place justice. Then we went hunting waterfalls. We ended up hiking to the bottom of a large waterfall down a steep muddy trail that a local told us about. It was a tough climb, but it was worth it. There was no one at the bottom we had it all to ourselves. We all had a great time on this trip.

Katie

Kailua Kona, on the big island in Hawaii

My first stop in Hawaii was in Honolulu. We weren’t in port for very long. I just walked around town and did a little shopping. The city is nice. It’s like what South Florida would have been, if they had taken better care of the place and left some trees around and kept it cleaner. Our next port was Kailua Kona, on the big island. The lava from the volcanoes was too far away, so we went to a place called turtle beach, where they have sea turtles everywhere. You aren’t allowed to touch them, but you can get very close and even swim with them. I took pictures of course and we had fish and chips for lunch on the beach. The weather was kinda blah, but we still had a nice day. This time Michael from activities staff (eating lunch in the picture below) tagged along with the San Francisco Gang.

Katie

Napa Valley

The next stop for the San Francisco Gang was wine country in Napa Valley. But before we got there, we stopped and took pictures at the golden gate bridge and then visited Muir Woods where they have giant redwood trees. Now this trip to see the wine country was a guy named Steve Merchant’s idea. Steve Merchant is a Canadian activities staff guy and when he suggested a trip to the wine country, I knew I had to do it. So it was supposed to be me, and Canadian Steve, and Aussie Steve, and Alex (who is Austrian in case you were wondering) but Canadian Steve decided he didn’t want to go anymore. So we made a joke of it the whole trip and below you'll see we are at a nice restaurant toasting to Steve for having such a great idea.

After that trip we toured around San Francisco the next few days. I stocked up on some professional film to get me through Hawaii. I also went and got contact lens. I have daily wear disposable so I just wear them whenever I feel like it and I wear my glasses the rest of the time. I love it. Now I can still see when I go swimming at the beach or snorkeling. And I don't have to wear my glasses when I get all dressed up and go out.

All these pictures and the ones from the previous Chronicle and the next few chronicles to come are courtesy of Aussie Steve (he's the one drinking a giant latte below.) I was shooting mostly black and white inferred and medium format. That won’t be processed for a while. So I’ll have to share my own pictures later. Doing Black and White inferred was interesting. The film is very sensitive and you’re supposed to put it in your camera and take it out in complete darkness, and since I don’t have a changing bag to do that, I had Alex and Steve lock me up in the trunk of the car to change my film. That was funny.

Katie

Commercial Contest Award

I have some exciting news today. I just won a commercial contest that Celebrity was having with all the broadcast teams in the fleet. Two other ships were chosen as winners in addition to ours. I made 2 commercials one was with Steve where he’s staring out at the ocean all bored. Then when he leans forward to look down at something, his nose touches the glass window and he starts making faces. A cute girl passes by and sees him. He pulls away embarrassed and then a title card comes up saying "Looking for some excitement?" and then there is a short montage of all the sports we have on board.

The next commercial I had the two flyers (aerial artists that fly around the stage during shows) as my actors. They are having a formal tea in our specialty restaurant and the guy is really bored. So he makes a paper football and flicks it across the room into another couple’s teacup and yells in excitement. Everyone in the restaurant stares at him indignantly until he quietly puts his hands down then the title card comes up "Need a change of scene?"

As a prize I get to take 4 people to lunch at any place in any port I want and we can spend up to $150. I’m taking Resty, Brett, and Steve. And my commercials are going to be played fleet wide.

Katie

The San Francisco Gang

In San Francisco we were in dry dock for five glorious days. Dry dock is when they put the ship in a special dock and drain the water out, so you can see from one of the pictures below what the bottom of the ship looks like. There are no guests and nothing for the crew to do but play.

In San Francisco Steve, Alex, and me formed what has been dubbed "The San Francisco Gang." Since San Fran there have been others who have come and gone in the gang, but it still remains: myself, Steve, and Alex. We started making our own tours to the places we wanted to see usually renting a car and driving to see all the sights of a particular place. In San Francisco we had our first big trip to Napa Valley and stayed overnight there. From there we’ve been on lots of great trips together and it didn’t take long for the rest of the crew to catch wind of our great adventures and start asking to join in. One time I went to the mess and a bunch of people came and sat at my table and started asking what was our next trip and could they join in. You will see versions of the San Francisco Gang in later Chronicles, but here is where it all started.

Alex, Steve, and I rented a car and toured the city then went out to wine country to visit some wineries. Attached are some pictures of us riding a cable car and standing at Pier 39 at sunset. Next we went to Napa Valley... more on that next time.

Katie

The Americas

Well, now that I've caught you up with South America I need to catch you up on Central America, San Francisco, and Hawaii. I'm just now leaving Hawaii and I have had such a good time. We have five sea days till we get to Mexico so I'm going to be very busy, but I'll be getting those pictures out soon. This picture was from an early morning at sea when the water was calm and you couldn't see where the sea ended and the sky began.

Katie