Snorkeling in maui

This morning we awoke to find ourselves off the shores of Maui. We cannot dock in the harbor so we must take a short tender ride to the island. We decided to have room service deliver a light breakfast and to serve as an alarm for our day.

We only had a few steps and we were at our meeting point for Trilogy Excursions. I had pre-booked a catamaran snorkel to Olowalu which is a turtle cleaning station. Our captain informed us that due to the surf and cloudiness he would be taking us the the Slaughterhouse instead. That sounded scary but I had faith it would be great.

As soon as we boarded the catamaran, they had Kona coffee, pineapple juice and water available. We grabbed some drinks and headed up on deck. It is a well designed vessel with bench seating and tables on deck for everyone. Each seat is fantastic. As soon as we were underway and had a safety briefing, the crew came around with Mom Coon’s Cinnamon Rolls and refills. They were superb. Tropical fruits were passed around next including the wonderful Maui Gold pineapple. We had a rather roller coaster ride and was hit with a little spray on the way to the snorkel site for a few minutes of the trip.
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What an phenomenal site for snorkeling. The water clarity was astounding and we saw so many different fish. Veronica even spotted a turtle but alas I missed it. After snorkeling for one hour, we climbed aboard. The captain had been grilling our lunch. They served Captain Coon’s hot BBQ teriyaki chicken, rice, fresh tossed salad with Mom’s secret dressing and a roll. It really tasted great after the snorkeling.
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We put up the sails for part of the ride back. The crew came around with ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert. Cocktails, including their homemade mai tais, and Kona brewing company beers were served. I had one very strong mai tai. The beers were a very popular choice as well. After Veronica had her ice cream, we decide to lie across the nets for the rest of the way to the harbor. It felt so relaxing. It was an outstanding excursion that I would highly recommend.
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We decided we both could use showers so we hopped on the first tender back to the Crystal Symphony. It always feels so nice to return to your “home.” I showered and Veronica worked out on the outside equipment.

We decided to rest after our showers a bit before we headed to Avenue Saloon. We really enjoy the quiet spot and Pricilla is a wonderful server there. I went with my favorite gin martini and Veronica had the hibiscus cocktail she likes. We looked at the menu and decided to return to Silk. We had a bit of time before our reservation so we watched the sunset from the Silk lounge. I tried a Paper Plane which made Giovanni have to look up the recipe. It must not be popular. The drink is essentially a riff on the classic Negroni but made with bourbon instead of gin. A great aperitif. Veronica tried a new one tonight, the Sensible Smith which is pineapple juice, fresh lime juice, pomegranate syrup and ginger ale.

We can be creatures of habit and ordered very close to the same dishes as our first visit. We asked for no duck dim sum this time though. Silk did not disappoint once again.

The show after dinner was A Celebration of Music starring Jamila. She is a very talented singer. She performed a variety of music, R&B, Motown, Disco and Broadway. She was very lively. I wished the audience would give her a little more interaction but I guess 9:15 is late for some passengers and they were tired from a busy day in Maui.
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After the show, we headed to Starlite Club to watch Passion Dance Show featuring the Latin Dance Artists. These are the same talented dancers for performed in the swing show and teach the dance classes. A high energy performance of mainly paso doble, Argentine tango and samba. I really enjoyed the performance. After that, it was off to the cabin. I’m trying to make my way through I, Tonya but this bed is so comfortable.