A week after we arrived in Hawaii for the very first time, we were finally getting used to the time difference and were sleeping much better. It felt great to be able to have a much needed lay in on this day and have a lazier start to the morning as we were not due to dock in Nawiliwili on the island of Kauai until 10:00am. It was also noticable that there had been a lot less movement on the ship overnight compared to the previous few days which was very welcome.

It was my turn to go and get the tea from Deck 9 and we sat on our verandah just enjoying the view out to sea as well as the sunshine. It felt so wonderful to not have to rush on this day and as the Disney Wonder was going to be docked overnight in Nawiliwili and not leaving until 4:45pm the next afternoon, we could relax and really enjoy our time in Kauai. We found that having a run of long port days after five busy days in Oahu was very tiring but the upside was that we also knew that we had five sea days coming up where we could chill and just enjoy being on the ship.

After watching the Good Morning Disney Wonder Show, we walked up to Cabanas for breakfast as we were both hungry. I truly loved having our favourite stateroom once again on this cruise as not only was it very quiet but it was so quick and easy to get everywhere we wanted to go on the ship. We sat outside at Cabanas once again and whilst we were eating breakfast the When You Wish Upon a Star horn sounded at 9:20am to signal that we had docked in Kauai.

Just after 10:00am we disembarked the Disney Wonder using the gangway on Deck 1 Forward. Just like on our previous days in Maui and on the Big Island, we had rented a car for both of the days we were docked in Kauai from Alamo which was located nearby at Lihue Airport. However when we had been researching our trip and trying to find out as much information about each of the islands as we could, the one thing that we kept on reading was that there may or may not be a car rental shuttle running from the port in Nawiliwili to the airport and that there also may not be many taxis or Ubers available. But thanks to Google we also knew that it was completely possible to walk to the airport (it was a two mile walk) if the need arose on the day so we were fully prepared for every eventuality when we got to Nawiliwili.

The first thing we saw at the Port of Nawiliwili was a big “Rental Car Shuttle” sign but we quickly found out that there were no shuttles running as we expected. There were also no taxis waiting at the port so we quickly checked both Uber as well as Lyft to also see that there were no cars nearby at all. Thankfully as we were ready for this situation, we also knew that if we started to walk into the town, we could also try and get a taxi from one of the nearby hotels.

At the entrance to the port, there were so many stressed people frantically looking at their phones in disbelief that there were no Ubers available as they had no idea at all of what to do as they had all automatically assumed that there would be plenty of taxis waiting for them. Later that day I did hear that some of our fellow passengers had been complaining to the crew at Guest Services on the ship that there were no taxis at the port which is absolutely nothing to do with them – do not be angry and shout at other people for your complete lack of research.

As we were walking towards the town I continued to refresh the Uber app whilst my boyfriend kept an eye on Lyft and after a few minutes, an Uber became available so we walked to the nearby Anchor Cove Shopping Center where we got picked up by the amazing Kevin about ten minutes later.

The drive to Lihue Airport only took five minutes which cost $14.50 and Kevin also gave us his phone number in case we needed a ride later that day or indeed the next day which we were very grateful for. As another backup I also downloaded the Holoholo Mobility app which is the local Hawaiian equivalent of Uber (which Kevin also told us about) and there was always plenty of cars available on there each time I looked.

Thankfully the Alamo office at Lihue Airport was very quiet and there was only one family in line ahead of us so we were able to get our car (another Jeep) very quickly. We drove out of the airport at 10:50am which was only fifty minutes after we disembarked the Disney Wonder which given all the possible issues which we had been expecting that morning was incredible and it easily showed that it pays to do a little research in advance when you travel.

After a quick stop at a nearby Safeway to grab a drink as well as some lunch and snacks for the road, we started the drive to Waimea Canyon and Koke’e State Park which was our first destination of the day. We decided to go to the highest and furthest point away which was the Kalalau and Pu’u O Kila Lookouts and slowly work our way back down. The journey to Koke’e State Park took just over an hour and thankfully there was no traffic.

The entrance fee for Waimea Canyon State Park and Koke’e State Park is $5 per person as well as $10 per vehicle for parking. You only need to pay once as one ticket covers both parks and you can simply pay at the machines which are located in each of the parking areas at the lookout spots. You can only pay by credit card (no cash is accepted) and you simply place the ticket inside your car windscreen.

The iconic view from the Kalalau Lookout was one of the main things I had been most looking forward to on our trip to Hawaii. The photos that I had seen online looked incredible so it was just my luck that we could not see a single thing when we got there as the visibility was poor. However from doing some research ahead of time, I also knew that the view changes constantly due to the unpredictable weather so we simply waited a few minutes and slowly the most amazing view of the Na Pali Coastline and the Kalalau Valley started to appear. Even though the cloud and the mist never completely cleared, it was still one of my favourite views of the trip and I was just simply happy to be there after wanting to visit Hawaii for such a long time – it also means that I have to go back to Kauai again one day which I fully intend to do as I loved our two days that we spent on the island.

Our next stop was the nearby Pu’u O Kila Lookout however we did not see the view at all whilst we were there despite staying for a while in case the clouds and the mist cleared which they did not. The lookout is located near Mount Waialeale which is one the wettest spots on Earth at 5148 feet (there is even a sign to tell you that) so not being able to see the view was not a surprise. There are a lot of hiking trails that exist in this area of Koke’e State Park and it’s another reason why I would love to spend more time on Kauai.

Waimea Canyon is also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and we spent a few minutes at both the Pu’u Hinahina and Pu’u Ka Pele Lookouts to see the different views before sitting and having our lunch that we had bought earlier in Lihue.

Our next stop was the Waimea Canyon Lookout which is definitely one of the most popular spots in the park but it was not crowded at all despite the car park being very busy. There are a few different viewpoints here and they are all incredible but the photos do not do the views justice as you cannot take in the scale of everything around you. This area is also accessible as there are both stairs as well as a ramp leading up to the lookout points and there are also toilets here as well if you need them.

Our final stop was the Red Dirt Falls and as we drove out of the park along Waimea Canyon Drive, the view along the Kauai coastline was beautiful.

Fifteen minutes later we arrived in the historic old town of Hanapepe which is also known as “Kauai’s Biggest Little Town” and is famous for being the inspiration for the hometown of Lilo and Stitch. Back in 2018 when we had originally booked this trip, I had been so excited to discover this charming and awesome little town but like so many other places around the world, some of the little shops and cafes that I had wanted to visit in 2020 had sadly closed down due to the pandemic. We still took a little walk along Main Street and explored the town before finding the Lilo and Stitch mural which is located in front of the Aloha Theater.

We also walked along to the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge which was originally built back in 1911 before being reconstructed in 1996 after it was badly damaged by a hurricane that hit the island of Kauai.

Our final stop for the day before we drove back to Nawiliwili was the nearby Kauai Coffee Company for its cute photo opportunities as well as their little gift shop and museum. It was such a lovely feeling on this day not to have a time schedule and be constantly looking at the time – definitely a huge benefit of being docked in a port overnight.

The drive back to Nawilwili took just over thirty minutes and we were able to park our rental car opposite the port where there is some limited free street parking available. Parking our car overnight in Nawiliwili was yet another thing that we had researched and researched before our trip but due to Covid there was absolutely no up to date information available anywhere online. We had read everywhere that overnight parking was available for a fee at the nearby Anchor Cove Shopping Center but as of May 2022, this is no longer an option and there are signs displayed to state that you can no longer park there.

We also thankfully knew that if there had been no other parking available in Nawiliwili, we could have also parked the car overnight back at Lihue Airport for $15 which was another option we had available to us if needed. I still maintain that by doing your homework and researching all of these little bits of important and handy information, you can make the most of your trip and be able to enjoy everything without worrying about any other details.

We boarded the Disney Wonder just after 5:00pm and once again like the day before, we arrived back to our stateroom to find another gift This time we had a cheese plate along with some beautiful cupcakes and I also loved the tiny elephant towel animal that was waiting for us on the bed as well. We quickly got changed as we both really wanted to head up to the Quiet Cove Pool to cool down as well as enjoy a cocktail from Signals.

The Quiet Cove Pool was indeed very quiet as so many people were still off the ship and we had no problem getting a sun lounger right next to the pool itself. As it was Happy Hour, we ordered a Frosé and a Cloudylicious from Signals which came to $22 altogether including tip – so much cheaper than the UK staycation cruises last year where 20% tax had to be added to everything! The Frosé was delicious and could very easily be my new favourite drink onboard. It was just lovely to sit, chill and relax with a cocktail in hand on after a perfect day of sightseeing.

After sitting at the Quiet Cove Pool for just under two hours, we made our way back to our stateroom to have a shower and get ready for dinner. As I was sitting on our verandah, I could see a bit of what looked like a beautiful sunset in the distance behind the ship so I quickly ran up to Deck 10 with my camera.

Our dinner on this evening was back in Tiana’s Place and as so many people were still not back onboard, it was even emptier than it had been on our first night there a few days beforehand. The menu on this night was the E Komo Mai dinner which I was really looking forward to as it was a new menu for both of us that is only offered on the very rare Hawaii sailings.

To start I had the amazing Ono Crispy Shrimp with Spicy Popcorn (it was seriously so good) followed by the beautiful albeit very filling Mauka Three Bean Chili as my main course. I finished the meal with the heavenly Mauna Kea Cheesecake which was absolutely perfect.

After dinner we walked around a deserted ship as it was so empty everywhere. Apart from seeing the occasional odd person, it really felt like we were the only two onboard.

We walked into the Lobby Atrium where we found Chip, Dale, Donald, Daisy and Goofy just hanging out with no lines at all. It was such a lovely, relaxed and fun way to meet the characters.

As this was the first time we had ever overnighted in a port, we decided to go for a quick walk outside the port to see the Disney Wonder all lit up. We ran to our stateroom to get our photo ID and then back down to Deck 1 Forward to disembark. We walked along the road outside the port but there was not really anywhere to get a good photo of the Disney Wonder but it was still great to see something different for a change.

Once we got back onboard about twenty minutes later, we went up to Deck 10 and despite there being a little rain in the air we decided to have a random game of basketball (another first for us on this cruise) and to make it more interesting, the loser had to get the tea the following morning. I lost miserably but the upside was that we did not stop laughing the entire time and we also might have accidentally started a new cruise tradition for us without realising it at the time.

It started to rain a lot more so we grabbed a cup of tea from Deck 9 and went back to our stateroom to drink it whilst sitting out on the verandah. Yuthapong our incredible stateroom host had also left us a big towel elephant as well as a towel monkey to go with our little towel elephant from earlier in the day.

Once again I could not keep my eyes open but I also did not feel exhausted like I had done on the last few previous nights onboard which was a great feeling. It was slightly strange to fall asleep on a cruise ship that was docked as there was no motion to rock you to sleep but I think I ended up getting the best night’s sleep of our trip so far ready our last day in Hawaii the following day.

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