[Worldtrippers home] [World Cruise home]

January 31, 2020
Honolulu: The Atlantis Submarine

Russell writes…

When we first started looking at the various free excursions offered on our cruise, Russell was interested in the “Atlantis Submarine Adventure.” Gail thought it sounded overly touristy. The situation was moot, as the expedition had no vacancies. A little later some spots opened up, so Russell grabbed it.

Our tour met at 10:10 this morning, giving us enough for a leisurely breakfast. (Russell had gotten up at 4:30 to call his sister.) From the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, we took a shuttle boat to the submarine. We thought we were going to a dock; and we were surprised when a submarine suddenly popped up from below the water. We boarded directly from the shuttle boat.








The 48-passenger submarine is 65 feet long. Each passenger has a 20” round porthole to view whatever is out there. We spent about an hour viewing various man-made and natural reefs off the coast of Waikiki.





Gail with Happy the Hedgehog








One artificial reef was created by sinking an airplane wreckage. This encourages fish to gather.


According to our guide Lina, only one percent of people have ever been to a depth of more than 100 feet. (But then, not many people are cruising around the world.)

After lunch back aboard ship, we walked back into town to run some errands. Gail needed to get some supplies at the local drug store. Russell needed to find some free public wi-fi to download some videos for his lecture research. (The ship’s internet does not allow streaming video.)

For dinner tonight, we hosted another of the guest entertainers. Ventriloquist Patrick Murray had a show a few nights ago called “Jamaican Me Laugh.” His “partner,” Matilda, was billed as “Jamaica’s #1 Comedienne.” Patrick’s ventriloquism technique was excellent and Matilda’s Jamaican accent was flawless.

Once again, the dinner company and conversation were delightful. Patrick has been doing this for more than 30 years, and he was full of both trade stories and encouraging words for us.

Tonight we will sail out of Honolulu at 11:00 pm. But we still have two more days in Hawaii, in Maui and the big island. While we have had a lot of fun here, Gail is not sad to leave. As she puts it, “Honolulu is not the real Hawaii.”


Matilda and Patrick (photo from Las Vegas Review Journal)

[Worldtrippers home] [World Cruise home]