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My Portrait
Photography
My Nature Photography
8:00 AM thru 4:00 PM
Kauai was outside the window we awoke. We opened the curtains to our bedroom and saw this amazing island out the window. No wonder so many movies have been filmed here.
Since we had an early excursion so we had Mohit deliver breakfast to the room. It was delivered on schedule and piping hot. Mohit set it up for us and we sat down to our feast. Just as I was thinking that I should get the plates out in the hall, Mohit came to clean up.
We spent a lot of time researching what tour to take on Kauai and chose the Napali Explorer as the reviews sounded great.
http://www.napali-explorer.com/
8:30 AM thru 3:30 PM
Approximate Duration: 7 hours.
Board the 48-foot adventure raft, the Napali Explorer, for a memorable journey
along Kauai’s majestic NaPali Coast. Cruise past Polihale State Park to NaPali’s
majestic towering sea cliffs and hanging valleys. Your captain will talk about
the area’s history and culture while he takes you partially into sea caves and
under cascading waterfalls. Enjoy swimming and snokeling on the clear waters of
a protected reef teeming with fish, coral formations, sea turtles and other
marine life. Back on board, you’ll be served a deli-style lunch before heading
back to the ship. Note: Please wear your swimsuit under very casual clothing.
Bring towel, sunscreen, visor or hat. Captain has sole discretion on tour
routing based on weather and sea conditions. Participants must be at least five
years old. Ride may be bouncy, so this tour is not recommended for pregnant
women or those with back or heart problems.
We received the following letter on Friday afternoon. In summary it said due to rough sea conditions in Kauai, the operator has informed NCL that the Na’apali Explorer Tour location has been changed. The new tour location is Kipu Kai. This is the South Shore coastline which provides excellent scenery and snorkel spots. We considered trying to cancel, but our second choice was full. Since we did not know any better, we assumed this would be an equivalent excursion.
After Maui we were concerned about the lines to get off the ship and called Anne to see if there were any special lines for the early excursion people. She informed us that there were not any special lines, as there are no problems getting off early. We were concerned but trusted Anne. As it turns out she was correct and we got off very quickly.
We found our excursion guides within a minute or two and waited for the rest of the tour. The staff from the Explorer started off on a good note. They were very friendly and interesting to talk with. Once again we were told of the weather and rough seas the caused us to take the new tour location. It was described as even better (odd - why would the better tour be second choice). We got on the bus to take the 30 minute ride too their location. I was surprised they did not board here in the harbor. The bus driver was great. He told us all about the area and sights as we passed. Even pointed out his house. It made the drive very pleasant.
We got to their dock and saw the boat's. We had been split into two groups - the adventure group and the standard group. The adventure group went on the smaller, faster, open air boat with no restroom. The rest went on the larger boat with some shade and a small restroom (or should I say head). We went the larger boat. There was a photographer on board who had two cameras, one just for underwater shots. The underwater camera was broken (was this a sign).
The boat was full, but far from crowed as we headed out on our journey. The crew told us that the standard tour location was having 20 to 30 foot waves and we would have had to stay so far from shore we would see nothing. The crew was very fun, joking and telling us about the area we were seeing. The first area we reached was were they usually found sea turtles - too bad for us there were none. We just figured they would try another spot later in the tour. After all we had almost 5 hours scheduled.
Off we went down the coast. Then we came upon the dolphins. These were spinner dophins, and when they leapt from the water you could see why they got their name. They would spin around completly in the air. They followed the dolphins and we got within a few feet of them. This lasted about 10 or 15 minutes and was great. Unfortunately they were hard to catch in the air so my photos are splashes, but I don have some great video. I think everyone was really starting to rate this tour very highly.
The adventure boat sped ahead of us. It was running much closer to shore and I was wondering why we were not as close. Then the adventure boat turned around, which had been a sign that they had found something to see. In this case we found out they were having engine problems. We waited a few minutes and were informed they were going to try to get another boat to come out for them and we were off.
We were on our way and anxiously waiting seeing one of the waterfalls, sea caves or other sea life. We continued down the coast looking at a few hotels and some waves breaking on the rocks. It was very pretty, and we were enjoying the sites.
After about 40 minutes we were informed that we had to go back to the other boat which was stranded. So off we went. We were wondering what we were going to do when we got there. Apparently they could not get another boat, so most of the passenger were transferred to our boat, along with food and drink. A few had to stay behind as the boat was now a capacity. Everyone was a little down at this point, but still wanted to make the best of it. We understood that they needed to rescue the others, and we had no time to find something else if we went back.
So off we went, back by the same shoreline for the third time. We got back to the point we were when we turned back, the house from Fantasy Island. Briefly showed it to the new passenger and continued with our tour. At this point over and hour had been lost. As we continued down the coast I asked where this tour usually went in this direction. I was told that went to the peak that was visible on the island.
A little while later we were informed that we would now head back to snorkel as we did not have enough time to take us to where they wanted to take us. If the snorkeling was good, maybe this tour could be saved. The seas were starting to get a little rougher now, but not bad at all.
We stopped and one spot and then left, apparently the visibility was bad. The next spot was better sheltered, so you could see. We were told the fish would be near the rocks. What happened to the reefs we were supposed to see. Most got in the water and guess what - total fish seen - ONE. A few people tried to get by the rocks, but the waves pushed them into the rocks. Not safe at all. A few people got some minor scrapes.
On board they had lunch. Deli sandwiches, chips, cookies and drinks. Lunch was good considering where they had to serve it. You really couldn't expect much better. The drinks were water, sodas and ice tea. The drinks were available the entire trip - nice as we all got thirsty.
The mood was noticeably somber after the snorkeling. No one was openly upset or there probably would have been a mutiny. The crew still tried to keep this positive and did a good job. As we were headed back we slowed down again at the sea turtle spot. This time we were told there was one off the front. We never saw it, nor did I hear much talk about it like - oohs and ahs we had when people say the dolphins. We were seated in the back of the boat, but to get the best pictures of sea life, the front of the boat is key.
My oldest daughter started to get seasick. I had brought along some relief bands and it was time to give them the test. They claim that they are effective even after symptoms are present. Put it on her wrist, turned it on level 3 and asked if she could feel the tingling. She said yes it did tingle. Then within less than 5 minutes she was fine, symptoms gone. Laughing and smiling again, face no longer green. Relief Bands get a big thanks for this one.
Just as we reached the dock it started to lightly rain. They handed out lollipops to us as we got back on shore - the kids really like this, and several adults. Luckily we were able to wait under a shelter for the bus to arrive. A few of us began to discuss the tour, and the opinion was consistent - this was not what we had paid for. The bus arrived in less than 10 minutes. Back on the bus we discovered we had the boring driver, as he was silent.
Our first stop was the tour's office to buy souvenirs. As we parked out front, the huge banner was like a slap in the face. Our tour for $79, almost half what we all paid. The driver had told us we only had ten minutes, but as usual on any tour, some people always seem to lose track of time.
Waited in line to board and off to the excursion desk I went. They were closed until 7 PM. Several other from the tour showed up with the same idea. We decided that we would return when they opened.
I was afraid that NCL would throw the description back at us when we complained as it clearly stated "Captain has sole discretion on tour routing based on weather and sea conditions." I ended up being the primary spokesperson. I explained the problems calmly and was immediately told we could have a 20% credit. I said that 20% was not going to be enough. Paige Smith was the NCL representative and got all our cabin numbers and said she would need to get more information and for us to wait. While she was gone we discussed what we would consider fair.
Up to this point all conversations had been very calm and friendly on both sides, us sticking with the tour not meeting any of the described items - no caves, waterfalls, reefs full of sea life. Paige said she was surprised as she had asked the tour operator had it was and they said everyone had a great time. We had a good group on our tour, who tried to make the best of it, instead of complaining. Paige returned and we were ready to drop a few names if needed (remember we did have some inside contacts via the Cruise Critic meeting). She said that she would be giving us full refunds and was sorry about the tour. She verified our cabin numbers and we left pleasantly surprised.
Based upon some reviews - we expected it to be a fight. Some in the group would have probably settled for less than a full refund. As promised our adjusted bill showed the refunds. Even though we were disappointed, we were please with how NCL handled the entire situation.
After a hard day at sea, a good dinner was mandatory. Versailles delivered once again - Starting with the Lamb appetizer, then Tomato soup and finally Duck as the main course for me. My wife enjoyed the seafood mousse, salad and steak.
When we returned to our room we found the comment card waiting for us to complete.
Once again they doubled up on snacks. I guess rather than miss an item they would rather give extra (good service strategy?)
Kids went to the Kids Crew for the Pajama Party. This was the kids favorite time there. It gave us the time we needed to pack.
The worst part was having to pack our bags to leave. It took longer to pack than it did to unpack. Finally all was done and we were ready to call it a night.
This was the only night we heard anything. The noise was luggage being moved - a necessary evil and sad reminder of what was to come.
| Our Trip | Pre-Cruise | Sun-Board | Mon-Hilo | Tue-Sea | Wed-Fanning |
| Thu-Sea | Fri-Maui | Sat-Kauai | Sun-Leave | Ship Tour | Home |
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