Thank you for joining us on our Viking Sky World Cruise!
After 5 days at sea sailing west from Los Angeles, we arrived at the USA’s 50th state – Hawaii. We had never been to Hawaii, so this was definitely one of those “let’s check it out and see if we want to return someday.” Spoiler alert! – we definitely want to return!
After our 5-day cruise, we docked in downtown Honolulu and took a coach bus tour of Oahu. We traveled to the east side of the island and saw Waialae Country Club, where the PGA tour stop was hosting the Sony Open, and we could see some early morning groups playing on the beautifully manicured course. We then traveled to Lanai Lookout and observed a lava tube along the Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline. The highlight of the tour was a stop at the Nuuanu Lookout, high atop the island, providing a beautiful but very windy view of the northern beaches. The ancient volcanic mountains created a vortex for the northern winds, causing them to reach speeds of up to 60 mph!
Back in Honolulu, Gina and I disembarked the motor coach and walked to a farmers market along the shore, stopping for lunch at the Highway Inn, an authentic Hawaiian restaurant serving delicious Hawaiian food!
We walked back to the ship, which departed for Kauai that evening. We certainly got our steps in today.
The following morning, we arrived in Nawiliwili, Kauai, and quickly understood why this is one of the rainiest regions in the world – a light mist fell on us as we set out on another Viking excursion toward Kilohana Plantation, with a rainbow in the distance.
At the plantation, a former sugar plantation now uses the old railroad tracks for a tourist ride through the orchard, showcasing various rows of trees. The train stopped at the animal petting area, where pigs, horses, donkeys, and chickens approached for feeding. Back at the main plantation house, the locals played Hawaiian music and put on a hula demonstration. The plantation house also featured a bar where we enjoyed a Mai Tai and visited shops with local art and jewelry. Heading back to the ship, we wandered into Nawiliwili where we joined our cruise mates Tim and Anne for lunch at Duke’s Kauai, where we had Fish and Chips and, of course, another Mai Tai.
We made our way back to the ship and boarded the Viking Sky for another 5-day cruise, with the next stop being Bora Bora in the French Polynesian Islands. Yes! Another 5 days of cruising the Pacific while getting back into our sea day groove and enjoying the pursuit of more sunsets!
We look forward to returning to Hawaii and spending more time enjoying the sites and scenery.
