My guest comments on Un-Cruise Adventures

I never thought I could like a cruise, much less one in the Hawaiian Islands.  However, after a week with Un-Cruise Adventures travelling from Hawaii to Molokai, Maui and Lanai, I stand corrected.  I loved this cruise.

Notes From a Convert.

First of all this is a small ship - it is built on a human scale.  You could happily jump overboard without repercussion. When the whales come in close - they are right there, you think you could touch them.  The ship is comfortable, intimate and efficient; but, if you tire of your fellow passengers, there are lots of spots to get away and be on your own.

On our first full day heading south to Kailua Kona a pod of pilot whales makes a rare appearance, their dorsal fins shaped like French curves.  Captain Jeff scotches our pace, letting us know we will hang with these guys for a while.  And here I learn the first of many great things about the Un-Cruise crew – they are flexible.

Okay, also, Captain Jeff is some kind of a whale nut.   An expert on the subject, he keeps an open bridge and will happily share his knowledge with any interested company.  You could spend the entire cruise on the bridge if you like and emerge a mini- Wikipedia of whaledom.

There is a nice amount of people on the ship, kind of like an extra-large family but less annoying.  Our particular group was full of character and if any one of them were to show up at my door, I would invite them in, no question.  

Then there’s THE CREW.

They all looked about twelve years old to me, but they are seriously professional. 

And busy. If they aren’t teaching yoga or educating on wildlife and snorkel gear, they’re kayaking at your side so you can swim back to the boat (instead of riding in the zodiac) or naming all the fish and pointing out the sea turtles.

They mix killer cocktails and manhandle you across boulders and high water because you-have-got-to-see-the-waterfall. And they never let any conversation with their local friends, our tour guides or any of us, twist in the wind. They are funny and happy and attentive, irreverent, approachable and available; somehow always there if you need them and yet never in the way.  Like magic!

The daily itinerary occasionally included something called “down” time, but I personally never experienced it. There is a lot to do and see in and around the warm Hawaiian waters.   We take a zodiac, piloted by the comedy team of Sean and Buddha, off to a special select aquatic haven where we snorkel around with the spinner dolphins (!) and a bazillion fish.  Here is marine life in every color and shape imaginable including something that looks a lot like my high school math teacher.

We kayak with the humpback whales. We crew outrigger canoes into the surf at sunset - paddle down, count 15 and change!  Synchronization suffers a bit - counting to 15 is not so easy for everyone.

One breezy starry night, we hang in the ocean off the edges of a surfboard, splayed out like the tentacles of a flattened sea anemone. We are waiting for the mighty manta rays to shoot up from below and “kiss’ us.  The ocean floor is lit up like an underwater fireworks as the divers below us move through the depths placing lights to attract plankton – ray food.  It is dazzling.

Our trips onto land turn out to be just as special due in no small part to excellent relationships cultivated with the local residents.  We are guided and entertained by these local friends, most of whom could play Comedy Central, no problem.

Upon arrival on Molokai we are greeted by Auntie - she of the cryptic smile and even more cryptic philosophy.  Our tour guide on the island is Thadd - he has seven children, five he delivered himself.  True story.  Every time we pass a car it is driven by one of his relatives. The adored Anakala Pilipo welcomes us to into the sacred Halawa Valley, greeting us solemnly in the traditional manner and then joshing us for being so serious.  I get the feeling we are an ongoing source of amusement to these people.  Pilipo teaches us how to make poi. There’s a vegetable I can live without. 

We attend a Pa’ina one evening at the cultural center with music and dance and food so different it must be genuine.  The young daughter of our hostess starts to sing, is shy, laughs and then starts again.  Her voice is astonishing.

Danny Akaka makes a surprise lunch hour visit, along with his wife who dances hula while he plays the ukulele and sings.  He speaks of his father, Daniel Akaka, the first senator of native Hawaiian ancestry.  This informal sharing of conversation is called “talk story”.

One evening, dessert arrives by way of a stellar and goofball piece of performance art, a histrionic accounting of war between goddess Pele and her sister - related by passenger Joe with visual effects courtesy of Alyse, our pastry chef, abusing an oversize chocolate cake volcano with a bottomless supply of raspberry lava.

On our last evening - in a move that would be rejected by any decent Hollywood scriptwriter - nature comes through big time and just as the sun sinks past the edge of the horizon, offersup a neon green blip – the green flash.  Nice timing, Un-Cruise! 

Throughout all the activity and the quiet times, flows this great vibe – warm, enveloping and encouraging.  I’ve been to Hawaii five times, I even lived there for a little while, but this felt like a first time.  What more could a person ask?