Pride of America Review, Hawaiian Cruise Day Two

Continued from Day One Honolulu

On the second day aboard the Pride of America we watched the sunrise over Maui as we pulled into port with whales swimming by. We even saw one breach! There is definitely something special, almost other-worldly, about the Hawaiian islands.

We had coffee delivered to the room and enjoyed the sound of the waves as we watched the sunrise turn the water pink.

For breakfast we were invited to eat at Cagney’s Steakhouse by special invitation from the hotel director. This was a perk for being media on this cruise. The menu was fabulous! Tahitian Vanilla French Toast with berries and cream- Oh my! Milo ate some fresh fruit and a cinnamon roll from the buffet along, with a side of bacon of course.

And Jed had lobster and scallops over brioche topped with eggs. The food was excellent. Not a bad way to start the day.

After the French Toast breakfast I was compelled to spend an hour in the gym! Jed and Milo aren’t as concerned with these matters and chose instead to play trivia. There are many on board activities offered, and trivia is definitely one of our favorites.

We found the offerings were not as numerous or as well attended as other cruises but we figured it was due to the fact that the ship was at port every day of the cruise and people were off exploring the islands.

On other cruises, where there are more sea days, the on board activities become part of your routine and it’s fun to run into the same people at the various events.
After disembarking we met up with my college friend who lives on Maui and the four of us headed for the beach!

Unfortunately, it was windy and too wavy to snorkel. We did, however provide some entertainment to others on the beach as my friend stores her beach chairs under her porch…and when we opened them they were covered in cockroaches (a common pest in tropical climates) and one gigantic centipede!

My husband and son had stopped at the bathrooms and were perplexed when, upon joining us at the beach I was shrieking and my friend was desperately pounding at the ground with a coconut husk. In reality, she was trying to kill the centipede as they are poisonous. It was pretty funny, and I did notice we cleared our area of the beach! HA!

Next was a stop at the MonkeyPod, which is a fabulous restaurant. They have one location on Maui as well as one on Oahu across from Disney’s Aulani. They are famous for their wonderful unique cocktails. They source from local ingredients and wow, the food is terrific. I’d say they make the best mai tai I’ve ever had. It’s concocted from old lahaina light rum, maui dark rum, lime, mac-nut orgeat, orange curaçao, and honey-lilkoi foam! But be careful, they pack a whallop! If you like sushi they have an appetizer that’s not to be missed! The Raw Bar Mixed Plate. It’s comprised of sesame ahi poke, organic waihe’e macadamia nuts, coconut ceviche, and tako poke.

Our last stop on Maui was Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice, a popular shaved ice place. When getting shave ice in Hawaii it’s HIGHLY recommended that you order it with the ice cream on the bottom. Macadamia nut ice cream if they have it! It may sound strange if you’ve never tried it, but trust us on this one folks…it’s a delight!

We came back to the boat in time for a quick nap and then a cocktail reception with the captain where we enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and champagne. This was another nice opportunity to meet other passengers from around the world and the crew. We did find that on this particular cruise a large percentage of people were from the United States.

It was a good thing we had a quick nap because there was a lot of activity still ahead on the ship for the evening. First we took in the magic show. It was fantastic! Great tricks and the magician, Charles Bach, was funny as well.

Next, came the hula show which started with one of the dancers showing us how to open a coconut properly…not easy!

Finally, at ten we ate dinner at the Cadillac Diner. I had a chef salad and wings, Jed had potato wedges and dessert. The food was just O.K. The ambiance was cute though! There are even several booths shaped like cars out of the 50’s.

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Continued – See Day Three