WonderfulTime In Hawaiii ✔ We Are Reminded Of The Tragedy And The Heroics From Pearl Harbor And Of The Sacrifices That So Many People Made For Our Freedom ✔ Overnight Was Great For Guests and Crew ✔ Two Superb Tours ✔
We took two outstanding shore excursions since arriving to Honolulu late yesterday afternoon.
We took two outstanding shore excursions since arriving to Honolulu late yesterday afternoon.
Arrival to Honolulu.
We forgot to post Captain Glenn's Thought For The Day from yesterday so we thought we would share it today.
"If you don't know where you are going, you will end up somewhere else."
We wanted to note that we do enjoy overnights in ports. We realize that some people do not care for the but for us it works great as it provides more time to visit a port of call without the pressures of having to run back to the ship. Our stay in Honolulu was the first of several overnights on this World Cruise. We find that these overnights are also great for the crew and that is also great for all of us as it does provide most members of the crew with the opportunity to get off the ship for more than say an hour or so and it's nice to see them get some time away from the ship. Unlike most jobs on land where when one is off they can get away from the workplace the reality is that for those working on the ship even when they are off they are largely still on the ship so we usually think of them pretty much being around 7X24 for many months at a time.
As soon as we arrived to Hawaii yesterday afternoon at around 4:00 PM we took a tour. This was the first time this tour was offered by Crystal Cruises. The tour was called a patriotic evening aboard Battleship Missouri. We were taken by motor coach to Ford Island to the USS Missouri which is located just a ship-length from the USS Arizona Memorial. The ship was also known as Mighty Mo and is best known as the site of the end of World War II.
This was a special tour and only those of us from Crystal Cruises who were booked on the tour were on the USS Missouri. There were only about 60 passenger's in total on the tour. When we arrived to the bridge a docent came onto the bus to provide us with information about our visit and as soon as we got off the bus we were met with several other docents. We could find these docents all around the ship and they provided us with lots of information.
The ship was about the length of the TItanic and the width of our very own Crystal Serenity. The ship came out of retirement and was also part of Desert Storm before it went into permanent retirement.
We visited the officer quarters, the surrender deck where the treaty that ended the war with Japan was signed and we also visited the flight deck. There was food and drinks and a ceremony was conducted to retire the American Flag right a sunset and there was a performance of patriotic music.
If we had to rate this tour it was a six star plus tour. It was one of the best tours we have ever taken. The fact that we were on this very historic ship was very special. We wanted to note how friendly and knowledgeable the docents were and the band was also terrific. The bus driver was also great as he not only was a very competent driver but he had a terrific sense of humor. He was always kidding and telling great jokes!
Some of asked us about security. We were asked not to take any bags with us even on the bus. Before we crossed the bridge over to the Island there was a check of the bus. We were asked not to take photos while we were crossing the bridge given that this is a very active Naval Base.
There was a lot in common about the lecture that Keith attended yesterday when it began with the devastation of 9/11. As Keith listened to the talk and thought about how close we were to Honolulu and to Pearl Harbor it was a reminder to him that the tragedy of 9/11 and what we will carry with us for the rest of our lives has similarities to the devastation from the attack on Pearl Harbor and the memories that our parent's carried with them for the rest of their lives. While these were two very devastating events, there were many heroes on each of those days. This includes those who perished in each of these tragedies along with others who put their lives on the line to help rescue those in need.
We thank Crystal Cruises for arranging such a very special shore excursion and we are very thankful to be able to experience this ourselves. These are some photos from the tour.
We saw a submarine leaving the base.
This represented the location where the treaty was signed that ended the war with Japan.
This was one of two copies of the treaty that ended the war that was on display.
The four of us decided to dance. Keith took this photo of Bob and Glo dancing.
As soon as we arrived to Hawaii yesterday afternoon at around 4:00 PM we took a tour. This was the first time this tour was offered by Crystal Cruises. The tour was called a patriotic evening aboard Battleship Missouri. We were taken by motor coach to Ford Island to the USS Missouri which is located just a ship-length from the USS Arizona Memorial. The ship was also known as Mighty Mo and is best known as the site of the end of World War II.
This was a special tour and only those of us from Crystal Cruises who were booked on the tour were on the USS Missouri. There were only about 60 passenger's in total on the tour. When we arrived to the bridge a docent came onto the bus to provide us with information about our visit and as soon as we got off the bus we were met with several other docents. We could find these docents all around the ship and they provided us with lots of information.
The ship was about the length of the TItanic and the width of our very own Crystal Serenity. The ship came out of retirement and was also part of Desert Storm before it went into permanent retirement.
We visited the officer quarters, the surrender deck where the treaty that ended the war with Japan was signed and we also visited the flight deck. There was food and drinks and a ceremony was conducted to retire the American Flag right a sunset and there was a performance of patriotic music.
If we had to rate this tour it was a six star plus tour. It was one of the best tours we have ever taken. The fact that we were on this very historic ship was very special. We wanted to note how friendly and knowledgeable the docents were and the band was also terrific. The bus driver was also great as he not only was a very competent driver but he had a terrific sense of humor. He was always kidding and telling great jokes!
Some of asked us about security. We were asked not to take any bags with us even on the bus. Before we crossed the bridge over to the Island there was a check of the bus. We were asked not to take photos while we were crossing the bridge given that this is a very active Naval Base.
There was a lot in common about the lecture that Keith attended yesterday when it began with the devastation of 9/11. As Keith listened to the talk and thought about how close we were to Honolulu and to Pearl Harbor it was a reminder to him that the tragedy of 9/11 and what we will carry with us for the rest of our lives has similarities to the devastation from the attack on Pearl Harbor and the memories that our parent's carried with them for the rest of their lives. While these were two very devastating events, there were many heroes on each of those days. This includes those who perished in each of these tragedies along with others who put their lives on the line to help rescue those in need.
We thank Crystal Cruises for arranging such a very special shore excursion and we are very thankful to be able to experience this ourselves. These are some photos from the tour.
We saw a submarine leaving the base.
This represented the location where the treaty was signed that ended the war with Japan.
This was one of two copies of the treaty that ended the war that was on display.
The four of us decided to dance. Keith took this photo of Bob and Glo dancing.
After we returned to the ship we had dinner at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant with friends Bob and Glo. We had a wonderful time with Bob and Glo. DInner was fabulous. Costa was our waiter and we each had a salad and we all had the same entree. It was one of the two added entrees and we had the Halibut. We all agree that the Halibut entree was simply outstanding. It was delicious and we all savored it.
Although we did not eat that the Crystal Dining Room since we were on tour, below are the menus from last evenings dinner at the Crystal Dining Room.
Although we did not eat that the Crystal Dining Room since we were on tour, below are the menus from last evenings dinner at the Crystal Dining Room.
We slept well and we had to be up early for our tour.
Keith took the morning off from exercise but was up fairly early and had coffee up at the Lido Cafe after doing some laundry and also writing some notes. We arranged to have Rao bring our breakfast to our room at 6:00 AM. Our tour began at 7:15 AM and this is so we could get out to the Arizona Memorial very early in the morning.
We selected the tour based on remembering how much Bob and Glo and a couple of other people who we spoke with while on the Serenity last year loved this tour.
This tour was called the Battlefields, Military Bases and Memorials of Oahu. The reason we met so early was to take the Navy transport that took us to the Arizona Memorial At the Memorial (we were visited here over twenty years ago) we gained insights into the event of the war and reflected on the sinking of the U.S.S. Arizona on December 7, 1941.
After this visit we made our way to Oahu's famous Fighter Command Post, Wheeler Army Airfield. This command post was build in 1922 and was attacked without warning by the Imperial Japanese Navy. From there we departed to Schofield Barracks which was the headquarters for the 25th Infantry Division and largest Army base outside the continental United States.
From the barracks we were taken to Fort Shafter where we saw the famous residence of General Walter C. Short who was serving as the Commander of the United States Army Pacific on the day of the Pearl Harbor attack. We also visited the Punchbowl National Cemetery. We also made a stop at the Home of the Brave Museum. The tour also included lunch.
This tour was also a five star plus tour. It was just fantastic. There were only 16 people on our tour and our tour guide was Olav. His parents immigrated to the USA from Norway after World War II. He began the tour by saying that he would provide lots of answers to questions that we likely had about Pearl Harbor but we would likely walk away from the tour with just as many questions resulting from what we learned. This was so true. For those of you who are interested in what led up to Pearl Harbor and what took place on that horrific day and the days following December 7, 1941 this is a tour not to be missed.
Our tour guide Olav from the Tour Group Home Of The Brave That Crystal Cruises used for this tour.
This Pear Harbor survivor who was in the Navy at the time of Pearl Harbor turns 92 next month.
Tree Of Life
Oil still rises 71 years after the attack and we could smell the oil.
We had a buffet lunch at the military base.
This symbolizes December 7, 1941 and the war in the Pacific
Memorial at the Cemetery for the many soldiers who lost their lives fighting for freedom.
We arrived back to the ship at around 3:00PM.
This evening we will dine in the Crystal Dining Room. There will be open seating and the Specialty Restaurants will be closed. This is because there will be a special dinner buffet on the Lido Deck with a Hawaiian Theme. There will also be special entertainment later in the evening including local entertainment.
We had a spectacular time in Honolulu with gorgeous weather. All that we saw on the tour was a reminder to us of the sacrifices that so many people made for our generation and the future generations.
This tour was also a five star plus tour. It was just fantastic. There were only 16 people on our tour and our tour guide was Olav. His parents immigrated to the USA from Norway after World War II. He began the tour by saying that he would provide lots of answers to questions that we likely had about Pearl Harbor but we would likely walk away from the tour with just as many questions resulting from what we learned. This was so true. For those of you who are interested in what led up to Pearl Harbor and what took place on that horrific day and the days following December 7, 1941 this is a tour not to be missed.
Our tour guide Olav from the Tour Group Home Of The Brave That Crystal Cruises used for this tour.
This Pear Harbor survivor who was in the Navy at the time of Pearl Harbor turns 92 next month.
Tree Of Life
Oil still rises 71 years after the attack and we could smell the oil.
We had a buffet lunch at the military base.
This symbolizes December 7, 1941 and the war in the Pacific
Memorial at the Cemetery for the many soldiers who lost their lives fighting for freedom.
We arrived back to the ship at around 3:00PM.
This evening we will dine in the Crystal Dining Room. There will be open seating and the Specialty Restaurants will be closed. This is because there will be a special dinner buffet on the Lido Deck with a Hawaiian Theme. There will also be special entertainment later in the evening including local entertainment.
We had a spectacular time in Honolulu with gorgeous weather. All that we saw on the tour was a reminder to us of the sacrifices that so many people made for our generation and the future generations.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill
Keith and Anne Marie
What fabulous memories to take back from this visit to Honolulu. I enjoyed reading about it.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting report. My dad would have loved both of those tours. I found your tour of he Missouri fascinating. Even the veggies on the base look really good. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteKeith, thank you for your pictures from your excurions. Brings back memories from summer, 1964, when my fmily spent time on Ford Island with my father's college roommate, a career Marine officer posted there at the time. There was no bridge to the island then, used a car ferry. Was able to take a private tour to the Arizona memorial (remember the oil rising from the ship - but that was less than 23 years after the event - so surprised that it's still occuring 71 years later), plus a tour on a submarine. Thinking of taking the 2014 cruise that's scheduled to make a call at Saipan - the place where my father was so severly injured that he was retired from the USMC (and based on the "location of the injury", I almost wasn't, if you "get it"!) Patty (texas Tillie)
ReplyDeleteA very good blog entry. Thank you for posting such great photographs too. What an honor to have met the 92 year old veteran. Looks like this trip to Honolulu is a memorable one. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
ReplyDelete