January 30, 2016 – Honolulu, Hawaii

After four days at sea, we had a wonderful day today in Honolulu, which has a big place in our hearts. As honeymooners, we first set foot in Hawaii 41 years ago and then lived here for two years about 30 years ago (1986 – 1988). We wanted to visit some of our old favorite places -- Mililani Town (where we lived), Bellows Beach, the North Shore for some Shave Ice, Hawaii Nature Center, Hanauma Bay, the Aquarium, and so on -- but time was too sort for that. Nevertheless, our short stay did include some firsts for us.

Our first new experience was seeing the landmark Aloha Tower from the sea, as the ship sailed smoothly into port right on time. Aloha Tower has welcomed shipborne visitors to Hawaii for the past nine decades. We’d driven by here many times, and the view was nostalgic this time. However, it also was the first indication of what we’d see later, as the old tower is now dwarfed by tall, modern buildings and a lot of traffic.

We had to decide what to do in the short 5-hour time period available to us in port. The ship arrived at noon and departure was scheduled for 1:00 am tonight. On top of that, we had an event to attend from 5:00 to 9:00 this evening. We settled on a quick jaunt into Waikiki, the scene of so many past memories. Thankfully the beautiful beach is still there, and hasn’t changed much from what we remember. Sauntering down Kalakaua Avenue, we recognized where we were, but we were disappointed with the many ugly changes that have taken place. A tour book we saw said that, “What you’ll see (in Waikiki) are more tourists per square kilometer than almost anywhere else on earth.” That must be true! We couldn’t believe the traffic, tall buildings, phenomenal number of shopping malls, and tons of people from all over the world. For old time’s sake, we walked into the Royal Hawaiian Hotel (still grand) and the Moana Hotel nearby (one of Jim’s all-time favorite places), where we sat under the Banyan tree in the hotel’s large, shaded courtyard adjoining the beach – just like old times.

For our early evening event, Crystal Cruises arranged a unique experience for all Full World Cruise passengers -- an exclusive Flashback to the 1940s USO Evening and Show on board the faithfully restored Battleship USS Missouri. As most of you probably know from your history lessons, the USS Missouri was the site of the end of World War II, where General Douglas MacArthur accepted the official surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945 and signed the peace treaty. The ship is now docked permanently just a ship-length away from the USS Arizona Memorial on historic Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor.

Our event was held under a giant tent with stage and tables erected on the fantail of the ship. There was a USO-themed show, with an excellent band, singers, short movies about the USS Missouri, and a very busy dance floor. Of course, there were refreshments – canapés and drinks for all. 

After the show, we had a “battleship gray” experience as many of us wandered around the main deck and second deck of the ship (up and down a lot of ladders), seeing the location where the surrender was signed, the ship’s Combat Engagement Center, and crew’s quarters, among many other things. Especially impressive were the ship’s gun turrets and 16-inch guns that could fire 2,000-pound shells out to a range of 23-miles. 

One of the other highlights of the past few days included the 2016 World Cruise Games Opening Ceremony (parade of flags and lighting of the “flame”) -- with celebrity Gold Medal Olympian Donna de Varona officiating. Excellent entertainment continues, including a “Headline Act” of Donovan Jones & Rebecca Peache – a unique act combining vocals and acrobatics – which was unlike anything we’ve seen before. They are six-time Guinness World Record holders. We also attended an unbelievable act by Marc Paul, who is an amazing mind reader.

Enrichment lecturers have been really first-rate, and we try to attend as many as possible. On sea days there are three speakers scheduled throughout the day. These have included Dr. Hussein Hassouna (a distinguished Egyptian ambassador and other diplomatic posts), Neil Leifer (a professional photographer, filmmaker, producer, and director, whose photographs have appeared on over 200 Sports Illustrated, Time, and People magazine covers), and several more presentations on Middle East diplomacy, espionage, and U.S. actions in the Middle East (pro and con).

We especially enjoyed a very interesting 45-minute presentation by Donna de Varona on her career both before and after the Olympics. After setting 20 world records in swimming and being named most outstanding female athlete in the world, she was an Emmy award-winning sports broadcaster, followed by work in education and sport-related federal legislation for women’s opportunities (including Title IX).

                     

We’re now heading due south and scheduled to arrive at Fanning Island, one of the small islands making up the Republic of Kiribati, on Tuesday, February 2.

Jim & Ginny