The Dinner Cruise

Kerry and I decided to treat ourselves to a dinner cruise. We decided a sunset cruise off the shores of Waikiki would be a glorious memory we could cherish in our memories one day when we are old(er).

Boy, were we disappointed. We thought it was going to be "The Love Boat" but it was really closer to "The Posidon Adventure".

I'm not mentioning the name of the cruise we chose because I don't want to get sued, but the lady at the travel agency assured us that it was "the best". I'd hate to think what was sub-par to this.

{stage whisper} But if you are coming to Hawaii, and you want to go on a dinner cruise, contact me, and I'll tell you who it was.

The decor was "70's Buffet Steakhouse". We didn't want to pay extra for a window seat, so we sat at one end of a table while a young couple on their honeymoon sat by the window. They had paid extra to watch the sunset while they ate. The groom was very upset to find that the sun would be setting in front of the boat and no one could see it from any window. He was quite unhappy and let our server know it.

I tried to make conversation with them while Kerry was in the restroom. That's how I found out they were on their honeymoon. They were here from Saudi Arabia. When Kerry came back to the table I mouthed silently at him "They. Are. From. Saudi. Arabia." He mouthed back at me, "Don't. Tell. Them. Where. I. Just. Spent. The. Last. Year." They were looking out their window at the non-sunset and didn't notice us talking.

The food was buffet-style, and frankly just okay. Nothing special. Food that sits in those big metal heating thingies just is rarely phenomenal.

Our waiter brought us our drinks, and then we never saw him again. Kerry drank all of his drink, finished mine, and then was reduced to eating the ice cubes before he got up, took our glasses back to the galley and forced someone to refill them. We still didn't see the waiter again. Maybe he fell overboard.

Okay now, the sunset was phenomenal. We had to go out on deck to watch it, leaving our food and drinks on the table, but it was really pretty.

This was what what made it all worthwhile.


And once the sun had set the city lights were also a beautiful, beautiful sight.

The sea was really rough that night though. They warned us at the beginning of the cruise that they may have to turn back early because it was so choppy.

I went to the bathroom at one point in the evening and there was some poor lady laying in her husband's lap right outside the ladies room. She was horribly sea sick. She had a coat pulled up over her head and he was rubbing her arm. That must be awful to be so sick and know there is nothing you can do about it for hours. I felt terrible for her.

Just so you can see, take a look at this video. Don't pay attention to the dancers - watch the lights of the coastline in the window behind the dancers.

Kudos to the dancers for not losing their balance.

Now, just for fun, (and so you will know why we spent so much time out on the deck watching the sunset and the coastline) turn your sound up, click the "play" button and close your eyes and listen to the singer. She must be related to someone who runs that enterprise, because there is no way she auditioned and had someone say, "That is the best audition we've seen! You're hired!" Simon Cowell would have jumped overboard if he'd been there.