On the third day of our Disney Wonder cruise, I woke up just after 6:00am ready for our day in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. Due to our long day in Maui the day before, I had slept well despite there being a lot of movement on the ship overnight. After having a cup of tea and getting dressed, we walked up to a busy Cabanas and enjoyed our breakfast with a view of Hilo Harbor as we were docking. It looked to be the start of a beautiful day outside with both blue and grey skies surrounding us.

After finishing breakfast, we watched the “Good Morning Disney Wonder” show on the television as we waited for the ship to be cleared for disembarkation which it was at 8:30am. After leaving our stateroom, we walked along Deck 4 before walking through the lobby atrium and past the shops (knowing that we would finally be able to get our Disney Cruise shopping fix later that day) and down the stairs to the gangway which was once again located on Deck 1 Forward.

We left the Disney Wonder at 8:50am and thankfully there was a taxi rank right outside the terminal building with taxis waiting as the Alamo shuttle bus was not operating which we were already aware of from reading online. We had a great taxi driver who told us that our plans for the day were easily doable in the time that we had in port and he also said he was very happy that tourism is returning to Hawaii after a difficult last two years for him.

The 3.5 mile journey to Hilo Airport only took ten minutes and cost $16 and we could clearly see the Disney Wonder docked at the port on the opposite side of the airfield.

As Hilo Airport and the car rental facility there is so small, this is definitely the one island in Hawaii where you need to book a car in advance (we had booked a whole year beforehand) especially on a busy day in peak season and/or when a ship is docked in port. Despite there only being one desk at the Alamo kiosk, this was the quickest pickup so far of the trip and we were given a Jeep which was the same type of car that we had had the day before in Kahului.

We left Hilo Airport at 9:20am which was only thirty minutes after we had disembarked the Disney Wonder which was so quick and our day was already going perfectly to plan. After our long day in Maui the previous day, we knew that this day on the Big Island would be a lot shorter and a lot more relaxing as everything we wanted to see and do was a quick and easy drive from Hilo. There really was no need to book expensive Port Adventures in Hilo as renting a car was so simple and affordable – even booking a private car independently with a driver for the day would be a great option if you cannot drive.

Our first destination for the day was Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which was 29 miles and an easy and straightforward forty minute drive from Hilo. The entrance fee of $30 was covered by the America the Beautiful annual parks pass that we had purchased the day before at Haleakalā National Park on the island of Maui.

Before our trip to Hawaii, we had downloaded the National Park Service app and had saved the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park guide for offline use – there is very little mobile signal when you are there so make sure to come prepared. There is a self guided tour section for each park within the app with a list of suggested itineraries including one called “A First Visit” which we followed whilst we were there which included various lookout points, the Thurston Lava Tube as well as the Devastation Trail.

The first stop on our tour was the Uekahuna scenic lookout which at over 4000ft is the highest point on the rim of Kaluapele for some amazing views looking out over the caldera of Kilauea.

Our next stop was the nearby Kilauea Overlook for more views of Kaluapele and the Halema’uma’u Crater. You can actually walk between Uekahuna and the Kilauea Overlook as they are so close together.

After stopping to look at the Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff) and the Ha’akulamanu (Sulphur Banks), we drove ten minutes to Nahuku (the Thurston Lava Tube). It was a short downhill walk from the parking area on the road to the entrance of the lava tube and even though I had read that it was lit up during the day from 8:00am to 8:00pm, it was not the day we were there so I simply used the light from my iPhone so I could see where I was stepping whilst it was all dark around us.

Our last stop at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was the Devastation Trail which is a one mile round trip walk from the parking lot to the Pu’upua’i Overlook and which was completely empty. The weather was also crazy at this point and constantly changing with rain one minute followed shortly by bright blue sunny skies so come prepared for all weathers and remember to wear layers when visiting as it will also be freezing cold due to the altitude.

After two and a half hours we left Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and started the hour long drive to Akaka Falls State Park which is located just twenty five minutes north of Hilo. We made a quick stop for coffee and a bite to eat on the drive (as we did not want to get as hangry as we had the day before) and also stopped at the Scenic Outlook Park where we could see the Disney Wonder docked on the opposite side of Hilo Bay.

Akaka Falls is a 422 foot high waterfall located just over three miles from the town of Honomu. Entrance fees to Akaka Falls State Park are $5 per person as well as $10 parking fee per car though there are also a few spaces on the side of the road outside the entrance to the small car park if you want to save some money. You can pay these fees at the machine at the start of the trail and you can only pay by credit card as no cash is accepted.

The Akaka Falls Circle Route starts right at the parking lot and is a fully paved 0.4 mile long path and you can walk in either direction and as the trail is signposted, it is impossible to get lost We walked the suggested longer route (turning right at the start of the trailhead) so we could see both Kahuna Falls ahead in the distance before reaching the incredible and beautiful Akaka Falls which took just under fifteen minutes before continuing the loop back to the start of the trail which took another five minutes.

However be aware that no matter which direction you walk, Akaka Falls is not accessible as there are a lot of steps both up and down so it might not be suitable for anyone who has difficulty managing stairs.

After spending forty minutes at Akaka Falls (you really do not need long there), we made our way back to Hilo and drove along Banyan Drive through the Liliuokalani Gardens close to the port to get another view of the Disney Wonder before heading back to the airport to drop off our car.

We were back outside the airport terminal at 3:25pm and as Hilo Airport is so quiet, there was a phone in the arrivals area we had to use to order a taxi to come and pick us up. Our all aboard time was not until 4:45pm so we had plenty of time and were not worried at all when we were told that it would be about a ten minute wait for a taxi which was absolutely fine. We had already worked out that even if there had been no taxis available, we could easily walk back to the port and still be onboard in plenty of time.

However whilst we were waiting, another couple from our cruise also called for a taxi and got very rude and irate and started shouting at the person on the other end of the phone (as well as at each other) when they were told there would be a short wait. When our taxi arrived a few minutes later, they started shouting at us and asking if they could share our taxi back to the port which we refused. Not only did we not want to share a car with people who did not seem very nice at all but as we had over a week of our cruise to go (with one more antigen test to do in Vancouver), we still wanted to be extra careful so the last thing we wanted was to be squashed into a taxi with two complete strangers.

We were back at the Port of Hilo at 3:45pm (an hour before the all aboard time) and joined a very long and slow line through the terminal which took just over twenty minutes to reach the front to get back onboard the Disney Wonder. I noticed that the angry couple from the airport were still angry and shouty when they arrived back at the port only five minutes after us which made us even more relieved that we had not shared our taxi ride with them.

When we finally got back to our stateroom, we both did a double take when we noticed that we had been left a Disney Cruise Line bathrobe each along with some slippers as well as some Elemis toiletries. Neither of us have any idea who or why but it was a really lovely surprise to come back to that afternoon and we really appreciated the gesture.

We also decided that now was the time to do some much needed laundry as we were rapidly running out of clean clothes. Even though the laundry room was quiet, finding an empty machine was difficult as so many people were leaving their clothes in the washers and dryers for hours so no one else was able to use them – you even get a message in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app to tell you when the machine you are using has finished! Whilst we were in the laundry room, Captain Fabian made an announcement to say that it would be 289 nautical miles to reach our next port of Nawiliwili on the island of Kauai and we should arrive there at 10:00am the following day.

We were both hungry after our day exploring Hilo so decided to get some food from up on Deck 9 and just as we were walking towards Pinocchio’s Pizzeria and Pete’s Boiler Bites, we met Hawaiian Stitch next to the Goofy Pool. It was so fitting that our first proper meet and greet on this cruise was Hawaiian Stitch as back on our last “normal” cruise on the Disney Fantasy in 2019 when we were so looking forward to our 2020 Hawaii cruise, he was the last meet and greet that we had on our final day at Castaway Cay. This was just yet another random coincidence on this trip when it really felt like things were meant to be.

The When You Wish Upon a Star horn sounded as the Disney Wonder left the dock at 5:00pm. It was the first time so far on this cruise that sailaway had happened during daylight so we walked around Deck 10 several times taking plenty of photos as we left Hilo and said goodbye to the Big Island.

I had been keeping a close eye on the time and just before 6:00pm I walked down to the shops on Deck 4 just before they opened and there was already two huge lines of people that reached all the way back to each entrance of the Walt Disney Theatre. I’m not sure if the lines were longer than they were on the Disney Magic at Sea staycation cruises (which were ridiculous) but it was very close. Thankfully when the doors opened, the lines disappeared very quickly as everyone was running to all of the Hawaii merchandise and not the opposite end of White Caps which was where I headed to finally get my much wanted Disney Wonder Spirit Jersey.

Along with my Spirit Jersey and the Christmas decoration that I was unable to get on our last cruise on the Disney Magic, I also managed to get the Hawaii pin, ornament and Tervis as they had plenty of stock (which lasted all the way to the end of the cruise) and even though both the short and long sleeved Hawaii T-shirts had quickly disappeared off the shelves when people had grabbed handfuls of them as soon as the shop opened, they brought more of the short sleeve ones out so I also was able to get one of them too – though I was not sure what size I needed but I was told I could get both sizes and then try them on back in our room and then simply return the one that I did not want. I was not bothered about not getting the long sleeve Hawaii t-shirt as I was just happy that I had been able to get the spirit jersey which was what I had wanted the most on this cruise especially as the Disney Wonder is my favourite ship.

Once we were back in our stateroom, I tried on both of the T-Shirts that I had just bought and thankfully one fitted perfectly so I put the other to one side to return to the shop once they were a little quieter later in the cruise. After folding up our laundry which had now finished, we once again walked around Deck 10 to kill some time before dinner.

We had not met many characters so far on this cruise so we made it our mission to try and see as many as we could on this night especially as we knew they would be wearing their Hawaiian outfits which we had never seen before. As the meet and greets are still socially distanced, it is not advertised on the Disney Cruise Line app which character will be out at a certain time – it simply says “Character Photo” and a time and place. However the Cast Members were incredible and just by asking you could always find out exactly who would be out each day and at what time.

There were four “Character Photo” times listed at 7:15pm, 7:30pm, 7:45pm and 8:00pm on both Decks 3 and 4 in the Lobby Atrium so before we had dinner we were able to meet Donald, Daisy, Chip, Dale, Minnie, Mickey, Goofy and Pluto.

Our dinner was in Animator’s Palate and we had exactly the same table as on our Disney Magic at Sea staycation cruise from Southampton. However unlike the staycations, on this night we had the Drawn to Magic show where the screens around the restaurant show various Disney characters being drawn, coloured in and finally animated.

I was not feeling that hungry (probably due to the pizza I had already eaten that afternoon) but two of my favourite dishes were on the menu that night so I had to get them. I ordered the Butternut Squash Soup as well as the incredible Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes as my main course – they are actually on the appetiser menu but as they are so good, I always have a double portion which had been suggested to me by one of our servers on a previous cruise and then skipped dessert as by that point, I really was full!

Towards the end of the meal, a montage of Disney animation is shown before Sorcerer Mickey arrives in Animator’s Palate as the music from Fantasmic plays. It had been a few years since I had last seen this show so I had actually completely forgotten about Mickey making an appearance so it was a lovely surprise.

After dinner Donald, Daisy, Chip and Dale were back in the Lobby Atrium with very little lines compared to earlier in the evening. However as we already had some photos, we did not wait to see them again that night. Both of the shops were also a lot calmer than they had been a few hours beforehand and and I was really happy and relieved that I got my Spirit Jersey when I did as they only had one size left which was huge.

Back in our stateroom was one of the best towel animals I have ever seen – I really could not stop laughing!

We were both so tired at this point and it was impossible to stay awake any later even if you wanted to. The combination of both the eleven hour time difference from home as well as all of the long days exploring Hawaii was taking its toll so we decided to have an early night ready for the next two days exploring Kauai.

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