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15 things that I learned on a two-week cruise to Hawaii
1) If you jump off of a cruise ship out in the middle of the ocean, 1000 miles from the nearest land, and a few people are sharp enough to toss out some orange life rings to help mark the spot, it takes about an hour for the cruise shop to come to a stop, turn around, go back, find you, and pick you up.
2) If you jump off of a cruise ship and are recovered, it will be the last time you are allowed onto a cruise ship. Ever.
3) A surprisingly large number of frequent cruisers have been on other ships where someone has jumped off, with mixed results in finding them.
4) Apparently (according to rumor), if the cruise ship doesn't find someone who jumped off, they have to wait until the coast guard shows up, possibly a full day later.
5) Although I am quite brave about trying new and different types of food, I will NEVER again try anything made from duck liver.
6) It is easy to rent a car from a cruise ship at any of the ports in Hawaii. The rental companies have shuttles to pick you up and drop you back off. Cost of a car for the day is generally less than the cheapest island tour (for one person).
7) It's kind of hard to breath at 13,800 feet when you've been spending most of your time at sea level.
8) Expect to get rained on in Kauai regardless of the weather everywhere else.
9) For a serious medical emergency, the cruise ship captain WILL turn around and go back to Honolulu if he's not past the point of no return.
10) Lots of interesting rumors develop when everyone thinks the ship is going east and the sun comes up from behind the ship.
11) Even over more than four days, it's hard for a ship to make up 15 hours of lost time.
12) In order to satisfy the rules of the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886, you only need to talk to a Mexican official who comes out on a pilot boat, then sign some papers to comply - you don't need to actually pull into the harbor and tie up at the dock.
13) San Diego Airport is not really up to handling all of the passengers from several cruise ships unloading on the same day.
14) Since the cruise ship terminal is so close to the San Diego airport, it is way cheaper to take a taxi than to use the shuttles provided by the cruise ship.
15) After two weeks on a moving ship, apparently it takes longer than 24 hours before you can take a shower without feeling like things are still moving.
2) If you jump off of a cruise ship and are recovered, it will be the last time you are allowed onto a cruise ship. Ever.
3) A surprisingly large number of frequent cruisers have been on other ships where someone has jumped off, with mixed results in finding them.
4) Apparently (according to rumor), if the cruise ship doesn't find someone who jumped off, they have to wait until the coast guard shows up, possibly a full day later.
5) Although I am quite brave about trying new and different types of food, I will NEVER again try anything made from duck liver.
6) It is easy to rent a car from a cruise ship at any of the ports in Hawaii. The rental companies have shuttles to pick you up and drop you back off. Cost of a car for the day is generally less than the cheapest island tour (for one person).
7) It's kind of hard to breath at 13,800 feet when you've been spending most of your time at sea level.
8) Expect to get rained on in Kauai regardless of the weather everywhere else.
9) For a serious medical emergency, the cruise ship captain WILL turn around and go back to Honolulu if he's not past the point of no return.
10) Lots of interesting rumors develop when everyone thinks the ship is going east and the sun comes up from behind the ship.
11) Even over more than four days, it's hard for a ship to make up 15 hours of lost time.
12) In order to satisfy the rules of the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886, you only need to talk to a Mexican official who comes out on a pilot boat, then sign some papers to comply - you don't need to actually pull into the harbor and tie up at the dock.
13) San Diego Airport is not really up to handling all of the passengers from several cruise ships unloading on the same day.
14) Since the cruise ship terminal is so close to the San Diego airport, it is way cheaper to take a taxi than to use the shuttles provided by the cruise ship.
15) After two weeks on a moving ship, apparently it takes longer than 24 hours before you can take a shower without feeling like things are still moving.
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