Spring Break Cruise in Hawaii - Day 3 (Pride of America)

 

March 31, 2024

Today we are docked in Kahului, Maui. We woke up super early due to the time difference and enjoyed watching the sun rise.

Then we had breakfast at Cadillac Diner, which is an old school diner that is open 24/7. Then we got off the ship and walked around the dock. Our excursion today doesn't start until this afternoon so we have some time to kill. 

Maui Mall Village

We walked to Maui Mall Village, a shopping mall next to the cruise port. Then we made it back on the ship for lunch, and also visited the American Library. 

Haleakala Crater at Sunset

Today's excursion is called Haleakala Crater at Sunset, and we booked it through NCL's excursion desk. Our excursion tickets told us to wait at Bay #2 at the pier, and be there at 3:05pm. This is where we ran into the only hiccup of the whole trip - we were there at 3pm at Bay #2 and found no one there. There were some people at some of the other bays, but not Bay #2. After standing there for a few minutes, I decided to ask someone. I found a staff with NCL badge in the area and asked her if we were at the right place. She told me to wait at Bay #5. So we did. Bay #5 didn't have anyone either, but we didn't know what else to do at this point. Now, it's 3:07pm and other than 2 people that looked like they were "possibly" waiting at Bay #5, there was no one else showing up. This was supposed to be a large group tour so I just didn't think this could be right, so I decided to ask again. This time I told Teddy to stay at Bay #5 in case that's right, and I'll go find someone else to ask. I went to Bay #3, the only one with people waiting (and quite a lot of people!), and tried to get the attention of the staff standing at the front of the line. This staff member had a uniform and name tag on for the excursion company, not NCL. For whatever reason, he tried to ignore me as long as he could, and finally I had to just ask him if we should wait in Bay #3. He rudely said, "YES!" Since that's now the THIRD number of Bays we've been told to wait in, forgive me for wanting to confirm, so I asked him if this was for the Haleakala Crater at Sunset. Now he was really angry and told me he'd already told me once. At this point, the bus had pulled up and people were loading, so I walked to the back of the line as I said to myself - "I guess she lied". That's when he decided he wasn't done with me, and loudly said, "NO ONE LIED OK? NO ONE LIED TO YOU!" I'm not sure how he would know who I was referring to, or what someone could have told me, since that conversation had nothing to do with him and didn't happen around him. Standing at the back of the line and as people were loading on to the bus, I didn't even have time to run back to Bay #2 to retrieve Teddy - I had to call him and tell him to quickly come over here and I'll explain. Teddy ran over in total bewilderment as we barely made it onto the bus. While loading, I tried to explain to him what had taken place - the mistreatment I was given by the staff (ironically, with a name similar to Karma, but I didn't get a good look at it), and both of us lamented how we ALMOST missed the bus (which is a big deal considering this excursion cost close to $500). That's when the person standing right before us in-line turned around and told me to stop - she said she'd had such a bad day and just CAN NOT take any more negativity. Teddy and I looked at each other - this is a first. No one has ever told me to stop talking to my husband. I did have some quick comebacks but decided to keep them to myself. Turns out, karma is a bitch. Remember we were the last people to board the bus. She was next to last. The excursion was fully sold out, so it was a full bus. By the time she boarded, there was only ONE free bench for 2 and ONE open seat next to a Chinese man. I'm sure she would have taken the last free bench if she didn't dislike me so much - because it would have meant one of us would have had to sit next to her. So she decided to sit next to the Chinese man, leaving the free bench for us to sit together. Unfortunately for her, the Chinese man was talking loudly in Chinese on the phone almost the whole bus ride (I know because I can understand Chinese). Even worse, the Chinese man had the window seat, so she couldn't even take any photos (which I assume was a big deal, based on the amount of expensive camera equipments she had with her). Ah, I'm so thankful after all. 

Now onto the excursion. Our first stop was at Kula Marketplace. It's basically a bathroom break for us, and there's a little general store if you forgot to bring something.

Teddy inside Kula Marketplace

Next stop was a scenic spot for some pictures.

Next, we are at the entrance of Haleakala National Park.

The best sunset viewing areas are:

• Halemau'u Trailhead
• Leleiwi Overlook
• Kalahaku Overlook
• Haleakala Visitor Center
• Pu'u'ula'ula Summit

We hiked around the beautiful area and the temperature changes depending on where you are was quite drastic. You definitely want to dress warm for this excursion. 

After finding a good spot, all you have to do is waiting for the sunset. 

Have you ever wanted to watch sunrise and sunset on the same day? It wasn't something that I ever thought about before, but we just did.

Tonight's dinner was at the Specialty restaurant called Wasabi. We had some sushi rolls, salads, and salmon sashimi. It's the perfect way to round out a perfect day.

Rainbow Roll

Tuna Poke

Tonight's ship entertainment included the Aloha Polynesia show, which featured cultural music and dances of Polynesia. There was also the game show "The Strongest Link", and karaoke. We didn't make it to any of the shows because we were up like 5am this morning.