Flying post pandemicThank you for reading our bucket list last four blogs - our epic holiday taking in Las Vegas, Honolulu, the Hawaiian Island cruise and Los Angeles.  We can honestly say that it was one of the best...

Flying post pandemic

Thank you for reading our bucket list last four blogs - our epic holiday taking in Las Vegas, Honolulu, the Hawaiian Island cruise and Los Angeles.  We can honestly say that it was one of the best holidays we have ever taken.  And we would love to thank the lovely people at our travel agents, North America Travel Service, who swapped and changed our bookings four times over the period of two years as lockdowns and restrictions thwarted our travels.

We travelled in May/June when we still had to take COVID tests to travel to the US.  It was incredibly stressful in the run-up to our flights, since we were worried that if we caught COVID, we would not be allowed to travel and may have lost our entire holiday.  We switched our work days for some weeks before, allowing us to virtually isolate for the two weeks prior to going away, and fortunately for us, our PCR tests taken the day before travel were both negative.  First hurdle successful!

But we weren't home free, because we had a day's flight and five days in Vegas and three days in Honolulu before we had to take another test to board the ship.  This was much trickier since we weren't isolating and were mixing with other visitors from all over the world.  We wore masks whenever we could, but in desert temperatures, it wasn't easy! Indoors wasn't much better in terms of stress levels since the buildings were all air-conditioned and we worried about circulating air.  We were also using Ubers to get about, hopping in and out of cars every day.

We had to take our cruise-recommended test via Zoom within two days to be allowed on board, and fortunately we were able to let out a huge sigh of relief when we were both negative.  From then on it was plain sailing - literally!

Airports in the UK were also reporting huge queues and cancelled flights, which was a worry for us in case we were caught up in the mayhem.. Our trip involved six flights each - from our regional airport to Heathrow, Heathrow to Las Vegas, Las Vegas to Honolulu, Honolulu to Los 
Angeles, Los Angeles to Heathrow, and Heathrow back to our regional airport.  The international flights were all with British Airways, and the Hawaiian flights with Hawaiian Airlines.  All were supposed to be checked in online, but not a single one worked, which flew me into a panic from day one. Fortunately, with the exception of Hawaiian Airlines, the check in desks were very helpful and found our seat bookings - though not without some difficulty.  In Honolulu, however, a very rude customer service advisor refused to help us and told us to do it ourselves.  We still couldn't check in but fortunately another advisor - who had just joined the airline from Delta - was helpful and eventually found our booking.

British Airways food was pretty good, except my gluten intolerant daughter's breakfast was just an apple and banana, while mine included a yoghurt - which doesn't contain gluten! Hawaiian was a fairly basic snack which was not to my taste - and no gluten free at all.

Travelling home was relatively easy though there was a bit of a wait to get through security at Heathrow as we transited back home.

Food was obviously an issue for someone who is gluten intolerant.  While venues, hotels and restaurants offer vegan and vegetarian options, someone with IBS, for whom gluten is not a lifestyle choice meant sustenance was often limited.

Our cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America was very good, with only a couple of quibbles.  Firstly it was absolutely freezing inside - so much so that we didn't watch any of the evening  entertainment because we hadn't taken jackets or cardigans, so spent most evenings in our cabin with the heater on, or on our balcony if we were in dock.  

While I am not a seasoned cruiser - this was only my third cruise, there were clothes washing facilities on board PandO and SilverSea cruises.  Bearing in mind we had been on holiday for 10 days when we boarded the ship, we needed some clean clothes - especially undies.  Embarrassingly we had to send our knickers to the laundry at a cost of $2 a pair ( too many to rinse through in the bathroom sink).

Again embarrassingly, the toilets kept backing up - presumably because people kept putting things in them that they shouldn't.  This happened three times in seven days when the loo just wouldn't flush.

The excursions we booked from the UK - despite having fairly good reviews - were mixed, with personal recommendations from friends being the most successful.  Our sunset flight over the Grand Canyon with Maverick helicopters was superb, and the highlight for me of our Las Vegas visit. 

Absolute highlight was Hawaiian Islands which were stunning.  While I had expected them to be pretty, I was unprepared for the absolutely breath-taking scenery and the wild beauty of the islands. We found the locals friendly and very protective of such a wonderful natural environment.  Seeing the Napili coastline from the ship was so awe-inspiring, it catches in my throat. 

And seeing dolphins swimming and dancing next to our catamaran off Maui was another highlight. Watching the sunset at Haleakala was amazing, and The Kalua Ranch on O'ahu where Jurassic Park, King Kong and Lost plus many others were filmed was also a visit to remember.  

I have mixed feelings about Pearl Harbour.  The SS Arizona memorial was very moving, but I found the main site too commercial, though I do realise they have to make money for upkeep of the site.  The ladies rest room, however, was disgusting, with no attendant for the huge number of visitors. The Lua dinner was recommended by a tour guide at our hotel, but it wasn't really what I had expected - maybe a plantation .... not a run-down holiday camp.  Note to self to do research first before committing the best part of $500 for two!

The hotels - The Venetian in Las Vegas, and the Hyatt Centric in Honolulu, were excellent, with comfortable beds and helpful staff. I won't mention again my disappointment with the hotel in Los Angeles.

But these are relatively minor complaints compared with the overall trip which is one I will remember forever.  I have been lucky enough to travel extensively during the past 10 years, and have seen some of the most amazing sights across Europe, Asia. Australia and the United States.  This was certainly one of the best.

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