Back in Honolulu, switching from ship to hotel
Saturday evening was a busy night for most of the passengers on the Celebrity Solstice, but not in a good way. For about 2,400 of the 2,800, this was our last night on the ship – on Sunday morning we had to disembark. The other 400 would continue to Australia on her.
For many, it was the end of their vacation, and flights home were booked for Sunday. Cathy and I chose to stay in Honolulu for 4 nights, though, as the ship had allowed for no good beach time, and we couldn’t imagine leaving the islands without some time enjoying the sand and sea as well as the sun.
When I looked out our cabin windows at 06:05 Sunday morning, we were already well past Diamond Head. We were in no hurry at all to get off the ship, so had booked the latest possible disembarkation time – 9:30. That would give us a relaxing morning, and might even allow for an early checkin at our hotel.
Approaching the harbor 5 minutes later.
There were lots of people already out enjoying the warm water as the sun came up.
A few hundred cars had been gathered in the container yard beside the pier we docked at, and this group, 100 or so, were all damaged, some badly. I’m curious as to why they were there. I initially thought they it was a rental fleet, but a few didn’t looked like rental cars.
As we docked, Holland America’s Oosterdam was approaching – she too was on a repositioning sailing to Australia.
Just before 08:00, the 2 Atlantis submarines (of the tourist type) were being towed past us, out towards Diamond Head somewhere.
Cathy and I love the canopied hammocks on the ship, and decided to spend one more morning there. MJ and Jim joined us there while we waited for our disembarkation time.
The ship’s crew was very busy as we relaxed. They had to make the ship perfect for the passengers who would soon be boarding. Although everything was already clean, it was all cleaned again, including getting a few grains of dried salt off the windows.
Fifteen minutes before the allocated time, the 4 of us went to the main dining room as requested, to await the call to disembark.
We were group #35 to leave the ship that morning, with perhaps 60 people in each group. That makes disembarkation so easy, so stress-free.
Even finding our luggage was easy – all the bags were set out in groups matching our numbers. I overheard a Celebrity agent phone a woman, who had already left in a taxi from what I heard, to tell her that she’d forgotten a bag there. That’s impressive luggage control!
Unfortunately, with 2 large cruise ships docking at the same time, that’s where the efficiency ended. We needed 2 taxis, and the lineup was very long. I spotted a Hertz shuttle bus, and instead of needing a taxi, Jim and I caught it to the airport to get the Hertz car he had rented, while Cathy and MJ had to wait 45 minutes in the heat to get a taxi to our hotel.
The rental car area at the Honolulu airport is quite easy to find and navigate.
Right in front of the generic silver rental car Jim had been assigned, this Challenger RT was waiting. Aw come on, Jim, see if you can get an upgrade – I’ll even drive it for you! 🙂
The traffic in greater Honolulu is quite bad, although it doesn’t look it in this photo taken on H1. I was surprised by the size of the freeways, but also by the speed limits – 45 mph is the norm. Given the short distances involved, I suppose that 45 is reasonable, but the signs look funny on a freeway.
Jim and I got to the beachfront hotel that Cathy and I had booked, the Outrigger Reef on the Beach, just before 11:30, and within a half hour the 4 of us were checking out our room, #1436. It’s a mid-priced room, with a partial ocean view which we’re very pleased with. The beach isn’t a priority for MJ and Jim, so they booked a much cheaper condo a couple of miles from us.
When MJ and Jim got word that their condo was ready, they left, and after having a look around the property a bit, we went for dinner at the Shore Bird Restaurant & Beach Bar, one of the 3 restaurants in the hotel. The food, service and location were all excellent, and after dinner, as the sun started to set just before 6:00 pm, we walked a few feet from our table to enjoy the beach.
Just after the sun set, this huge storm moved in over the beach, and when the rain started, I’d never seen a beach clear so fast!
One more photo taken from our room, then we did some exploring of the streets around the hotel, lined with some of the best hotels in Honolulu, and some very interesting shops.
The next day was planned to be spent at Pearl Harbor with our friends.
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