Rental Car from Enterprise

Aloha Everyone,

My sister gave us a ride to the Enterprise Car Rental near our hotel. J.J. had filled in all rental paperwork online but still it took us nearly 40 minutes to actually get a car, including rental staff washed and cleaned exterior and interior. We also went over any scratches, dents and I took photos of them.

We are renting for 1 months which is $50 per day inclusive of California taxes. J.J. said that the brakes are sensitive.  He is an excellent driver. The car is Chevy Malibu. The first place we drove was to Walmart to purchase some provisions.

Having the rental car occupying Honu’s old stall will help me accept that we’ve entered a next stage of travel adventures.

Aloha -- Cathi

Happy Mother's Day!

Aloha Everyone!

Happy Mother's Day!

Aloha -- Cathi

Big News About Honu

Aloha Everyone,

J.J. and I delivered Honu to the Irvine facility of CarMax. The drive took us 48 minutes. We were both silent, each immersed in our own thoughts. Another updated appraisal by the Irvine staff before we completed the paperwork.

I had mixed feeling. We knew eventually things will change but the reality is harder to accept. I have hollow feelings in my stomach. 

We purchased Honu April 2014. After a decade, the era with Honu has come to an end.

Aloha -- Cathi

CarMax

Aloha Everyone,

Our friends who has been assisting us in doing interior repair/maintenance work on Honu informed us that we have a written appraisal from a local office of CarMax. Here is a company website that explains how their business operates.

https://www.carmax.com/

Aloha -- Cathi

Honu is Under Contract

Aloha Everyone,

Our friend did all the foot work so it took us a matter of an hour to go over the contract and agreed to the terms.

J.J. and I have two days to clear any remaining personal items from Honu.

Aloha -- Cathi

Back in San Pedro, California

Aloha Everyone,

We are experienced cruisers, yet the two of us still get stressed when disembarking. 

It is the waiting time to actually walk off the ship. Since the port has installed facial recognition cameras, immigration and customs were quick and simple. 

Our Lyft driver came within 7 minutes from my calling. The weather is warm, sunny and clear. A perfect day to arrive.

We went to our storage locker to retrieve items we need during our stay at Extended Stay America (ESA).  Then to Tokyo Central to purchase Japanese Bentos. Thereafter, a quick meeting with our friend who has been working on Honu.

The two of us have a long list of things to accomplish in the coming days.

Aloha -- Cathi

Nominating Outstanding Staff Members

Aloha Everyone,

Generally speaking, the staff members beginning with stateroom stewards, serving staffs at several restaurants we frequented were well trained and made our stay very pleasant.

JJ and I encountered 3 unusual cases of malfunctioning equipment in our cabin. Remigo, our stateroom steward waisted no time to take necessary actions including getting in touch with the electrician and plumber. Always polite, respectful and friendly, the two of us were fortunate to have Remigo take care of our stateroom. Often he was the first to greet us in the morning and last to bid us good night.

Aloha -- Cathi

Our Meals for Our the Final Week

Aloha Everyone,

Here are our meals during our final week of our cruise.

And here are some fantastic looking desserts.

Aloha -- Cathi

Aloha Oe Performance

Aloha Everyone,

The Princess Theater was standing room only. There were Hawaiian hula dancers, Tahitian dancers and ukulele musicians all enthusiastic and enjoying themselves.

For those who missed the main event, Maili and Tui Letuli organized another dance performance in The Piazza. It reminded us of the popular song from My Fair Lady, “I could have danced all night…”

Aloha -- Cathi