Welcome to honolulu

7/22/2018

Today started with a nice long walk around the promenade deck. I walked for one hour and clocked in quite a few steps. Towards the end of my walk, I spotted land! I went to write with a great view of the island. Magical. Veronica met me for breakfast. I wanted something light and Crystal even offers salad and grilled veggies on the buffet. It was after ten so it was more like brunch.

We went back to the room and I did laundry. I know, not very glamorous but a necessary chore. While I did laundry, we watched an enrichment lecture on our television. If you do not attend the lectures, they are available on demand. This one was Elvis, Graceland and Sun Records. Very interesting and a great thing to occupy my time waiting for my laundry.

We disembarked and caught the first shuttle to Ala Moana Mall at 12:15. What a gorgeous, huge and confusing place. We wandered about and located an exit to find the hotel our tour today will be meeting. After that, we walked through the city to Duke’s to have a snack and drink. The walk was very nice and Veronica navigated like a champ. I am impressed with the traveler she is becoming. Duke’s was crowded but upstairs is the Hula Grill. Better view and we thought menu as well. The view...breathtaking. The water on Waikiki Beach is so blue. We shared pumpkin hummus and crab macadamia wontons. The best part was the chili pepper water they serve as a sauce. So yummy! The mai tai was fresh squeezed and Veronica had a papaya limeade which was refreshing.

For the walk back, we took off our shoes and walked along the water. It felt so good. But it was hot in the sun! When we reached the end of the beach and had to walk the rest of the way, it was a challenge for me. Seeing the Macy’s sign was a great feeling. We walked back into mall, purchased water and made the 4:45 shuttle. We had walked 14 thousand steps and my total was at 22 thousand for the day! Not bad for a mom.

Arriving at the ship, we both needed some showers. We collapsed onto our beds and relaxed before dressing for dinner. I dressed first and went to the Cove to try a pre-dinner drink there. The Cove bar is located in the atrium of the ship, a very elegant space. I sat at the bar and had an Old Fashioned made with Woodford Reserve. The waiters were sampling a filo dough stuffed with spinach. Everyone around me said “Vegetables? No!” Of course, I said, “Yes, please!” They were tasty. Veronica met me and tried a Hibiscus non-alcoholic cocktail. I really think it was a nice touch to make the lighter and non-alcoholic drink menu. We went for a quick stroll on the upper deck before dinner to see Honolulu lit up.
Dinner was in Waterside and we requested to sit with Viktor again. We enjoy hearing his recommendations and he provides excellent service. I choose the Farmer’s salad which had the most amazing tomatoes. It is very similar to Greek salad and I ordered mine without feta which was no problem for Viktor. Veronica ordered the sous vide pork belly with mango beads, sriracha slaw and coconut gel. My next course was miso soup. Viktor brought Veronica a celeriac cream soup to taste. I ordered the scallop entree but Viktor really recommends the Dover Sole. He said he would bring me that and a side of the scallops. Veronica chose the Dover Sole. I joked with Viktor how fish bones make me nervous. He said his father is a surgeon and he will not leave a bone on my plate. He deboned our fishes expertly. He added butter to Veronica’s but I passed. He was very right to recommend this dish. The fish was great and the garnish was really good but it is vegetables and well, I love them. I could eat a large portion of all the garnishes and my happy. The scallops were excellent and cooked perfectly. However, the puree on the dish was very rich. It was truffle yaki sauce and while flavorful it became heavy tasting. So bravo Viktor! Dessert for me was mixed berries and pistachio nougat trifle for Veronica. Another delicious dinner in Waterside.