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38 Days till Paradise

8/22/2015

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Fun Facts:
Kauai is geologically the oldest of the major Hawaiian islands at 5.8 million years old.
Kauai's Mt. Waialeale is the Wettest Spot on Earth, averaging 450 inches of rain per year producing eight major, majestic waterfalls.
Kauai has more beaches, rivers, streams and waterfalls than any of the other Hawaiian islands.
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I hope everyone got a chance to meet and talk to everyone at our Ha-waii cruise meet and greet. We missed you Joanne and we hope your tooth situation gets remedied. I told you I would send you a “review” of what we talked about, pertaining to the cruise. So …. here we go. First, we discussed getting down to the airport, and whether some of us wanted to stay down there for the night before we leave. The web-site I found that had the most reasonable park, sleep, fly package was the Ramada Inn, one mile from airport. The total cost, after taxes, was about $112. Here is the website http://www.buyreservations.com/airport-hotel-search/Orlando-Airport-Hotels-MCO/ . This package includes 2 weeks parking. Second, I needed to know if you definitely wanted to book the Polynesian Cultural Center Circle tour and luau. If I book you we can get a 10% discount. This is on the Friday, after we get to Honolulu. If you want to join us call me and give me your credit card # and I will make those reservations. Third, I also need to know if you would like to join us on the “Road to Hana” small van tour. I can make those reservations all together. The company, Adventuremaui, offers a senior discount if $111.99 (60 yrs. +, sorry Ray). Forth, if you want to go on the Pearl Harbor or Molokini snorkeling trip, or any other ship excursions, you can book those yourself, after you create an Account with Norwegian. Fifth, remember we are subject to bag-gage fees on our checked baggage to and from Hawaii. The charge is $25 for the first bag (pp), and $35 for the second. This can be paid at online check-in or at the desk at the airport. If you do it online be sure to print out the receipt and bring it with you. Finally, every cruise ship always adds gratuities for the convenience of the passengers, so they don’t have to go around tipping everyone that served them or are unsure who to tip. The cruise will add $12.95 per person for each day of the cruise, to your final bill. At the end of the cruise you can go to the desk and adjust that charge up or down if you want. They also give you the option of pre-paying your gratuities so you don’t have to worry about that issue while on board. Brenda and I are going to pre-pay our gratuity charges. I’m not sure if you can do that yourself from your Account. If you want to do this and need help just call me.
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Lew and Nancy Lushear
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Frank and Annemarie Munroe
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Ray and Marilyn Bielfelt
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Alice Quatro
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46 Days till Paradise

8/18/2015

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Fun Facts: Hawai’i Big Island is the youngest of all the Hawaiian Islands. Over the past 80 million years or so, the Hawaiian Island chain formed out of molten lava as the Pacific plate drifted three to four inches a year over a “hotspot.”
The Island of Hawaii, the big island, is our second stop on our discovery of Hawaii. Our ship docks at two different locations on the big island. We first dock at the port of Hilo. According to Cruise Critic review the historic downtown area is charming. It contains several interesting museums, one of which details the effects of the two tsunamis Hilo has survived. The downtown area is about an hour walk from port or there is the option of a free shuttle for cruise passengers that drop you off at the centrally located farmers market. Other options are also available such as taxi or rental car. The most popular attraction on the big island, of course, is the continuously erupting volcano, Mt. Kilauea. The ship offers an excursion to Volcano National Park. I prefer to consider local tour companies. I think they give a more personal experience and often are less expensive than the ship. One of these tour companies is Big Island Aina Tours www.ainatours.com . Their tour stops at the following places: Volcano National Park - Thurston Lava Tube, Jagger Museum, Halemau'mau Crater and Kilauea Caldera, Steam Vents, Kilauea Iki Crater, 1974 lava flow, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory, Akatsuka Orchid Gardens, Liliuokalani Garden, Banyan Drive, Rainbow Falls, Hilo black sand beach. It is a 6 to 6.5 hour tour and costs $94 pp. Unfortunately, because they are a small van tour company, they have limited capacity. They only have room for 8 more passengers. Due to cost or interest, this excursion may not be for everyone. If this excursion is something you would want to do and you would like to use this company instead of the ship please let me know ASAP. I have been in contact with the owners, Tina and Gil Nelson. I have asked them for a referral of another good company we could use, if all of us want to go together. 
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Scott Rowland of The University of Hawaiʻi captured this shot of Puʻu ʻŌʻō from the Puʻu Huluhulu lookout the evening before Puʻu ʻŌʻō collapsed and the west flank eruption began on August 3rd 2011.
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Photo courtesy of ainatours.com
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Collapse in Halema‘uma‘u on April 24, 2015 at 5:20 a.m. Photo taken from Jaggar Museum viewing area. NPS Photo/S. Geiger
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53 Days till Paradise

8/18/2015

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Fun Facts: Haleakala, Maui's most famous volcano, is the largest dormant volcano in the world. Rising 10,023 feet above sea level, Haleakala's graceful slopes can be seen from just about any point on the island. The crater is 21 miles across and 4,000 feet deep. A fun fact…that's large enough to hold the island of Manhattan!
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The Island of Maui is our first stop on our discovery of Hawaii. Our ship stays docked overnight, so we have the better part of two days in port. In researching this port it appears that we dock at the industrial port of Kalului. There doesn’t seem to be anything near this port area that would be interesting to visit on foot http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=472. Many of the reviews read and research I have done recommend renting a car, if you don’t reserve an excursion. The ship offers several excursions showing the best of Maui, from a drive along the beautifully scenic Road to Hana to the summit of the Haleakala volcano, 10,000 feet above sea level. Two things that look especially interesting is a snorkeling excursion that goes out to the Molokini crater https://www.tombarefoot.com/hawaii-activities/aloha-bluecharters/morning-molokini-snorkel/2661 and renting a scooter from the Scooter Shack to “putter” around Maui http:// www.mauiscootershack.com/scooter-rentals/ .
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64 Days till Paradise

8/18/2015

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Fun Facts: In Hawaii, no celebration’s complete without a lei. And the flower garlands come with strict rules. For starters, it’s impolite to refuse a lei, remove it in front of the person who gave it to you, or wear one that you intended to give to someone else. A lei should never be thrown away. Instead, it should traditionally be returned to the earth, ideally to where its flowers were gathered. And it’s bad luck to give a lei to a pregnant woman, as it suggests an umbilical cord around the baby’s neck. (mentalfloss.com)
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One of the most reverent and sacred places in America is the memorial for the battleship Arizona. It is especially sacred to those of the “Greatest Generation”. We all have some degree of contact with these great Americans. My father was a bombardier/navigator on B-17’s in the European Theater during WWII. Some of you probably have relatives who fought or supported the war effort during that time. The memorial at Pearl Harbor was the beginning of that great conflict, which further tested the “mettle” of our citizens after coming out of the greatest economic crisis America has ever known. Many people who have written reviews for their visit to Pearl Harbor express how emotional the experience was. Norwegian offers a dissembarkment excursion of Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Arizona memorial, where World War II started, and the battleship U.S.S. Missouri, where the conflict ended. Our ship, the Pride of America, docks around 7:00am on Saturday. Our plane doesn’t leave for our trip home until about 7:00pm that evening. I think it would be a great opportunity to take advantage of the dissembarkment excursion to Pearl Harbor. The excursion ends at the Airport where we can wait for our departure. Aloha :-) 
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80 Days till Paradise

8/16/2015

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Fun Facts: Hawaii’s nickname is the “Aloha State.” The word “aloha” is derived from the Proto-Polynesian, alofa, and its meanings include “love,” “compassion,” and “mercy.” Aloha is used both as “hello” and “goodbye.” (Thanks to http:// facts.randomhistory.com/2009/04/03_hawaii.html)






Sunday morning I opened the paper to the travel section and there was a big article about Hawaii, the island of Oahu, specifically. You can access it at http:// www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/sc-trav-0630-alternativeoahu-hawaii-20150623-story.html . I thought it was interesting. It made me think about what we might plan to do during our 2 days in Oahu. At first I considered renting a car and traveling around the island independently. As I did some research I discovered the cost of renting a car was not too bad ($40- $50). Then I discovered that the hotel we are staying at charges $37 per night to park, plus gas and the attractiveness of car touring starts to diminish. 





One of the paid attractions that have received very good reviews is the Polynesian Cultural Center. I would encourage you to check out their website http://www.polynesia.com/ Visiting the PCC immerses you in Polynesian culture. They also have an authentic Luau in the evening. The staff, who portray their island culture, are mostly students from the Brigham Young University Hawaii. The PCC also offers a complete day experience that includes an Island Circle tour (stopping at 10 different locations) narrated by PCC guide, admission into the Cultural Center, a Luau and show in the evening and return to your hotel. The cost for this package is $156.96. If anyone is interested in this, and we book 10 days prior to the start of our trip, we would get a 10% discount ($145.50 tax incl. per person). Aloha :-) 
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90 Days till Paradise

8/12/2015

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Well, I hope you all are as excited as Brenda and I are. There are 10 of us going on this trip. The purpose of this little news letter is to keep in touch and to offer tips and suggestions to make your trip the best ever.


 First, we are having a little “meet and greet” get together at my house on August 15. Invites with directions will be following. We will try our hand at some Hawaiian goodies (not to compare to the real thing). The pool will also be open, if you’re of a mind to cool down. 


Our group consists of Lew and Nancy Lushear, Frank and Annemarie Munroe, Ray and Marilyn Bielfelt, Joanne Nix, and Alice Quatro. 


Something to think about. Our flight leaves Orlando at 8:20 am. Sept. 24. Let’s think about the easiest, most stress free way to get to the airport. One option might be to book a room at a hotel that will let you park your car for free during your trip. I’ve checked out the Ramada Inn at the Airport and they have a “park stay fly” deal for $95 with up to 14 days parking. This may be one option. Any other suggestions please email me at rogersp53@hotmail.com
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DON’T FORGET!!!!!! Don’t for get to set up your account with Norwegian Cruise Lines at www.ncl.com/myncl. Our Edocs. (trip documents) will be available, online, about 30 days from our sale date. This also gives you access to excursion sold by NCL.
Important Dates: 
08/15 Hawaiian “get together” 
09/24 Fly away to Hawaii
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  • Home
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