2019 WORLD CRUISE - DAY 25

Sunday 01.27.19 - Maui, Hawaii 

Details from the Princess Cruise Lines:

Day 8 - 27, January 2019

Dress Code: Smart Casual

Arrival: 7:00 AM

All Aboard: 5:30 PM

Maui (Lahaina)

Maui has always occupied a special place in the hearts of Hawaiians. The great warrior King Kamehameha, who united the islands under his rule, chose to make Lahaina his capital and Ka'anapali was once the favorite playground of Hawaiian royalty. And no wonder - Maui boasts stunning landscapes and superb beaches. Mt. Haleakala, a dormant volcano, rises 10,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean. Once hailed as "The Valley of the Kings," Maui's Iao Valley is a tropical paradise dominated by the Needle, a volcanic monolith towering over the valley floor. Then there is Lahaina, once home to a royal court and a raucous port-of-call enjoyed by 19th-century Yankee whalers.

Haleakala means "The House of the Sun." To the Hawaiians, it appeared that the sun both rose from and set in the depths of its massive crater. Today, the centerpiece of Haleakala National Park, it is one of Maui's major attractions.

Note: Lahaina is an anchorage port. Transportation from ship to shore is via the ship's tender service.

I began my day by heading up to the buffet to grab a few danishes & some bacon. Returned to the room to take photos from our balcony. 

Once we were on the tender, headed towards shore, I realized that I forgot my sunglasses on the ship. We walked around town until we found a shop so I could buy a new pair. 

Our original plan was to go whale watching, but it was canceled due to rough seas. Instead, we wandered around town & took several pictures of historical plaques, before ending up at a craft fair.  While we were there, we bought a Hawaii license plate & looked at several other booths while they set up.  Lots of local handmade goods available.

Our next stop was at the Pioneer Inn Grill & Bar, where we shared an order of macadamia pancakes. The plate was two large pancakes dusted with macadamia nut pieces, served with butter, standard syrup & coconut syrup. I found the coconut syrup to be fantastic & we are now on the lookout for a bottle to take home. Sadly, we suffered through slow service, silly paper straws & no WiFi. This location is also a Best Western Hotel.  I had to ask our waiter, Rhollen, for a restroom key. The hostess & bartender were friendlier than our server.

After the pancakes, we walked over to the Old Lahaina Courthouse & Old Jail Art Gallery. We enjoyed free samples of pineapple & I fell in love with a painted skateboard deck. The woman working the gallery said that there was an art fair at a nearby mall, where we could find more of the artist’s work. So we called an Uber, & off we went.

After arriving to Lahaina Arts Society Arts Fair at the Lahaina Cannery Mall, we bought several pieces from a couple of vendors & found out that my new favorite artist Earl Thompson had his own gallery a few blocks away from the Old Courthouse. 

When researching local eateries, I like to consult the television show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. An episode showcased this amazing sushi place called Miso Phat.

We had a TNT Roll (MISO the Bomb) Shrimp Tempura and Crab roll topped with Ahi Poke and served with Unagi sauce and Agave Honey. So big you could explode!  The roll itself was outstanding and then add the Poke on top and it’s now the epitome of Hawaii.  The poke was light and nearly melted in your mouth it was so tender.  

Plus a Dynamite Roll (MISO Out-a-site) California roll topped with Scallops in a Chili Mayo sauce that is baked, then topped with Tobiko, Bonito, Scallions and Sesame Seeds.  WOW!  This roll has so many textures and flavors it really is Dynamite!  We really could not decide which roll we liked better, but we both agreed the sushi here is phenomenal.  I would rank it as some of the best sushi we have had anywhere.

We finished with some house made Lilikoi ice cream, with a sweet/tart flavor that becomes addicting.  

Next, we took an Uber back to 505 Front Street to DaKine Fine Arts. We arrived only to find that they were closed. We ran into Jim & Donna and talked for a bit. Then stumbled upon LuLu's Lemonade, where we each had a pineapple lemonade. It was super sweet with no noticeable tartness. The young lady working here loved every flavor offered, which made it hard to choose.  She kept saying oh I had this one and it’s so yummy, oh and so is this one.  

As we sipped on our lemonade, we made our way back to Old Lahaina Courthouse & Old Jail Art Gallery were we ran into Steve & Betty. We visited with them before I bought the Lost At Sea skateboard.

Our next stop was Fleetwood's on Front St, which is owned by Mick Fleetwood. 

We were lucky enough to visit during happy hour, but unlucky in that we drew the short straw with a disinterested waitress. I found this place to be a tourist trap with lousy service. Here’s an example:

We ordered beer, lamb sliders & oysters. The conversation goes like this….

Me, “Can we get some crackers for the oysters? 

Danielle (waitress), “Oh they’re on the half shell, so you don’t have to crack them.”

Me, “No, ha ha, I mean like saltines.”

Danielle (waitress), “Oh we don’t do that here” Then she walks away.

Shortly after the food runner delivers the oysters….

Danielle (waitress), “How are those oysters?”

Me, “I’m not sure, can we get some plates & silverware?”

Danielle (waitress), “I’m sorry, the table was just cleaned before you sat down.”

She brings us a set up & I ask, “Can we get some bread?”

Danielle (waitress), “We don’t do bread here.” 

She again leaves, as I think to myself, “What do they serve the sliders on?”

Very odd. Although the food & prices were good, I have no plans to return to this joint, I don’t care who owns it. After I left a review online, they did reach out to me to offer a free visit, but we had already left the area. 

Oysters (12) - some decent sized, but a few too small. They offer no crackers, bread or chips. We asked that the horseradish & cocktail sauce be served separate, but they arrived in the same cup.  The waitress noticed and did bring a separate cup of just cocktail sauce.

Lamb Sliders - I enjoyed these way more than the oysters. Thick juicy patties, smeared with taziki sauce.  You can really taste the lamb flavor without any gaminess.

Greek Style Lamb Sliders
Kauai Lamb, Cucumber, Feta Cheese, Red Onion, Tzaziki 

After that bizarre event, we returned to the pier to catch the next tender back to the ship. I like how Princess always has a water station set up before you go back on board. The windy weather made a fantastic day. We overheard several people commenting about how cold it was, but we absolutely loved it.

Back on the ship, I edited the photos from the day & rested before dinner.

Tonight's menu wasn't that impressive to me. Most of the apps were either unappealing or boring, so I ordered two entrees. The first was the nightly burger. Princess Cruises does a wonderful job with their burgers. They cook them to a medium well doneness, but without losing any of the juiciness. Being topped with crawfish & bits of sausage sounded strange, but it worked beautifully. I think the only way to make this better would be grilled onions & sliced pickles. 

Princess Sirloin Beef Burger Louisiana Style with Crawfish and Andouille Sausage
ground beef daily, cooked to order and served with gourmet fries

My second dish was the pork chop. This double cut boneless chop was delightful. The side dishes & fig sauce danced together in a symphony of succulent swine. My mouth waters now as I write this.

Pan Fried Pork Chop with Black Mission Fig Demi-Glace
Oven-Roasted Potatoes

Shelly started her meal off with an order of shrimp cocktail. "This was three tiny shrimp, boiled with no seasoning. I wouldn't order again their everyday cocktail is better."

Aegean Sea Shrimp Cocktail
with Salt-Preserved Capers, Citrus-Garlic Dressing

She followed up with a cup of soup, with light lemon flavors & a good broth.

Avgolemono Soup with Chicken, Lemon and Mint

For her entree, she chose the baked Greek moussaka. "Wow, what a great dish! Meaty with some eggplant. Several of us ordered this and all enjoyed it."

Home-Style Cuisine: Baked Greek Moussaka
served with buttered carrots and parsley potatoes

As our servers cleared our plates, we received the dessert menus.

We both had the baklava duo. A little goes a long way here. I found them both to be great, but Shelly thought that the were decent but a little dry.

Baklava Duo
traditional and chocolate

After dinner we went to the 9:30pm Cabaret Showtime Starring The "Hilarious" Comedy of Noodles Levenstein. I did not enjoy this show. Lazy writing & overly aggressive with the audience.

I suffered through the show as to not cause a scene by leaving. We returned to our cabin, ready for five more days at sea. Our next port of call will be Tahiti, French Polynesia.