 |
| Waikiki Beach.... |
I am not in the business of or expert enough to rate cruise lines but I have to say that Pat and I have been extremely pleased with the Carnival Spirit. The staff are all extremely friendly and well trained. The food was great, the itinerary was well done. The entertainment staff was outstanding. It is rare these days to have a full band on cruise ships…Carnival has one and they are outstanding as were the singers and dancers. As a special mention, we really enjoyed our meals in the dining room and owe a lot of that to our Headwaiter, Katerina. Katerina had a great sense of humor and quickly learned our likes and dislikes. I hope that Carnival recognizes the gem they have in the dining room.
 |
| Thanks, Katernia!! |
 |
| The Billings, The Glenns and our new friend Susan! |
As our traveling is starting to draw to a close, we have truly enjoyed the many places that we have visited. Not all have been comfortable or familiar but isn’t that the point of traveling? If every place were like home there would be no point in leaving. As an easy way to see many places comfortably, we think that cruising is a great tool. If you are a careful shopper, you can usually book cruises for about $100 per day which compares favorably with what you might pay for a very mediocre hotel anywhere…and the price includes meals. For that reason alone, it’s a great value. Do your research though…..we were very happy with Princess and Carnival (odd that they are the same company….) and very unhappy with MSC. It’s not for everyone and we are about “cruised out” but it has been worth the effort.
Today, we got off the ship, checked into the hotel and went to tour the Pearl Harbor memorial. If you have not visited, put it on your list if you are ever in Honolulu. The Pearl Harbor Memorial consists of the USS Arizona, the USS Bowfin submarine, the battle ship USS Missouri, the Memorial for the USS Oklahoma that was sunk. The final ship that is part of the memorial is not open to the public which is the USS Utah. The Utah was sunk on a part of the Naval base that is still a working part of the base.
The Missouri is an interesting story. Not part of the attack at Pearl Harbor, the USS Missouri’s keel was laid in 1941 and did not sail until 1944. The Missouri was an “Iowa” class warship (our largest class of battleships) equipped with 16 inch guns that could deploy a 2700 pound shell with pinpoint accuracy over 23 miles. These guns, the largest ever for a battleship were so effective that the Missouri was re-fitted and deployed during Desert Storm.
It is fitting that both the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri are placed “bow to bow.” Though the Arizona was not the only ship sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor, it was the greatest loss of life (1177 sailors lost) and was the rallying cry as the US declared war on Japan. The Missouri was the ship where the Japanese surrendered ending WWII. Again….a visit that everyone should put on their list.
 |
| 6 forward guns of the USS Missouri |
 |
| Notice the number on the side of the gun turret... This is the number of shells fired during the Gulf War |
 |
| Inset plaque where the actual Japanese surrender was signed |
 |
| USS Arizona Memorial |
That’s enough history for now….time for a run around Diamond Head.
We will post some great photos of Oahu in the next couple of days. Like all the others, Oahu is simply stunning…..it’s never a bad day in paradise.
Regards,
Pat and Chris
No comments:
Post a Comment