The excitement for the day started at 6:00am when the ship started lowering the tender boats into the water. We’ve seen this process dozens of times but it never gets old and today, we had a catbird seat to watch as they were lowering the tender just below our balcony. Within 20 minutes, they had the tenders in the water, sea worthy and ready for passengers.

As we had no tours or activities planned for today, we waited till 10:30am to depart the ship, after the initial throng had subsided. We walked right on to the tender, with no waiting, and were lucky to snag a seat up on top. We prefer to sit in the fresh air, even when it’s raining, then to sit below where there is minimal airflow. This is particularly important if you are prone to motion sickness as the little boat can sometimes really rock if there are swells.

After a short 20-minute ride, we reached the dock and went straightaway to our favorite restaurant in Kona, Fish Hopper. Fish Hopper is right next to the pier and we had a nice lunch overlooking the bay and the ship. Afterwards, we strolled down Ali’I Drive and visited the Hulihe’e Palace, a historic former vacation home of the Hawaiian royal family. The Palace is administered by the Division of State Parks, but is managed by the Daughters of Hawai‘i. One Sunday out of the month, the Hulihe‘e Palace features an Afternoon at Hulihe‘e with a hālau hula, allowing families to celebrate Hawaiian culture on the lawn of the Palace.

The walk along Ali’I Drive is very pleasant, with beautiful old Banyon trees, shops and restaurants. Today, there was a haze due to volcanic activities of Kilauea, which had an intense eruption just 6 days ago. The eruption featured high-level fountains in the Halemaʻumaʻu crater, which follows a series of episodic eruptions that began in December 2024. This was its 41st eruption since then.

Our last stop was a trip to Walmart to purchase some snorkeling equipment. We’ve got several opportunities to snorkel over the next several months and not all locations provide rentals. We took Uber there, and then back to the pier to catch the tender back to the ship. Tonight, the ship will begin its southerly heading, taking five days to get to Tahiti.

Tomorrow: Sea Day