Maui

I wondered if I would be able to move my legs after all the walking we did yesterday. But we were up early and I even managed to walk the two flights up to the Horizon for coffee and juice. Miracles can happen!!

Weather caused our day in Maui to be cut short by two hours. The day was nice but the Captain worried about a front moving in at sail away time. Some of the ships tours were canceled because of time but not ours. We were on a ship's tour which left pretty much on time for a four hour tour to the “Secret Valley”. Our group of twenty was in two vans.

About an hour into the tour we stopped for the guide to scout out a creek that we had to cross through to get into the valley. He decided that the water was high and if it rose any more we wouldn't be able to get back out of the valley on time. With that our tour took a turn. No “Secret Valley” today.

We continued on to the gift shop stop and morning tea wondering what the alternative plan would be. The gift shop/art gallery was lovely and overlooked the valley we were missing. Tea was fresh fruit and muffins. As we sat munching on our muffins I asked the guide what was next, what was the alternative plan. He replied, “There is nothing else. Go back.”

We were an hour and a half into a four hour tour. “So. “ I said. “Then our tour is a drive to a gift shop and back for 148.00 each, what happens to the other hour and a half of our tour?” He replied, “You can shop at the pier.” I was livid!

The Port Lecturer was with us and she had the same feelings as I. We saw her around the corner having a discussion with the other guide. After their talk he came up with a plan. We were offered the option of going back to port or continuing around the island. They said the trip around the island would be more of the same scenery and take a half hour longer to get back to the ship. Most chose to go back to the ship, their feelings being they would see nothing new. They all piled in one van and went back. Seven of us continued on in the other van.

While it was correct that we saw “more of the same”, that would misrepresent the case. There were photo stops at overlooks and three different waterfalls, and driving through cane fields and villages a as we got into the occupied area of the north shore. When we got to Wailoa(?), we had enough extra time to go to see the Iao Valley which was very scenic. We stopped at the Ioa State Park to walk a loop around the park and view a big rock they call the needle. Then on through the “saddle” to get back to the leeward – dry – side and along the shore back to town.

Not the tour we signed on for and not worth the price we paid but not bad after all. Our guide made the best of it and gave an excellent comentary along the way.

Back at the ship at 2:00 to wait in the tender line. The line was about 200 yards long when we got in it but increased to maybe 300+ yards as it got closer to 2:30. The last tender was suspose to be at 2:30. I think the last tender finally left for the ship at 3:45. We sailed at 4:00. Just an hour late.