Honolulu, Hawaii 2026
- A Wandering Doc
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
We arrived in Honolulu on Sunday, February 22nd and have had exceptional weather considering other parts of Oahu are under flood warnings. It’s sunny and hot in Honolulu. As some of you may know, we had an unexpected overnight here when Kauai was pulled from our itinerary due to weather.
I like overnights very much. The crew likes them more. The crew is often allowed to leave the ship on overnight visits. In order for them to get more time onshore, I put my “no thanks” tag in the door. Try it sometime- the cabin stewards have brutal hours and they need shenanigan time too.
I put together a little “excursion “ to happy hour at MonkeyPod on Waikīkī beach yesterday. About 25-30 people showed up for the shindig. I think we have a few more fans obsessed with that MonkeyPod honey Liliko’i foam (iykyk). I updated the blog with details of the event and photos of the group here if interested -https://www.awanderingdoc.com/post/happy-hour-at-monkeypod-honolulu
Those who read the MonkeyPod blog link above know that I had a little “issue” with a 12 pack of Coke Zero, but I made it back to the ship just in time to see the Hawaiian show. The dancers took us thru the history of dance on the Polynesian islands starting in New Zealand and ending in Tahiti. Please forgive the quality of these clips- I was sitting in the very back row so my camera didn’t disturb anyone.
At this very moment I am sailing out of Honolulu and reminded once again that this is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet- a city filled with skyscrapers dwarfed by tmighty Diamond Head.
Saying goodbye to Honolulu is always bittersweet. I made this place my home back in the 80s; fresh out of high school; sporting shoulder pads, jelly shoes, and hair jacked up to Jesus. I wasn’t ready for college and like to think I am the original inventor of the Gap Years.
As a young, naive, and ridiculously curious teen, I made some exceptional memories in this town. I learned to surf, climbed haiku stairs, and attended the famous conclusion of Bon Jovi’s “Slippery when Wet” tour held right here in downtown Honolulu. It was a time of both innocence and excess.
This city tends to bring me back to those wonderful times gone past, while reminding me how much my life has evolved. In an attempt to avoid a hospital visit, I haven’t stood up on a surf board in a couple decades. Haiku stairs have been permanently dismantled due to “extreme safety risks”, and they played “Living on a Prayer” during the “oldies” set at the bar last night. When did THAT happen???
As I sit on my balcony during sail way, I find some memories flowing out my eyeballs again. I maybe sporting an extra 25 pounds, and my knees would hate even the mildest attempt to climb stairway to heaven , but I’m wiser, more grounded, and as strange this may sound- happier. To borrow a quote from Francis Lloyd Wright- “The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.”
I remain in a place of gratitude.
A few shots of sail away-
