An Event of a Lifetime

I had my sister and me booked for an event that was billed as “The Event of a Lifetime”.

Located at the foot of the West Maui Mountains is the show Na Lio.

Promptly at 5 pm 2 shuttle buses would pull up to the front of the resort to take us to the ranch. But which resort? I still had not met our coordinator. All communication had been by phone, text or an itinerary left for me at the front desk.

I finally got an actual address but them I couldn’t find it. Driving around I spotted a post man. Surely he will know where this address is located.

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Turns out he did and the “Pink Pyramid” strikes again. The address I’d been searching for belongs to that big pink resort right next to the Ka’anapali Beach Shores! Once inside we found the ping pong tables and settled in to wait. It wasn’t long.

After being given a lei and  the courtesy photo we all climbed aboard for the short ride to the location where tables were all ready set up and waiting for us.

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After an excellent dinner the show began. Slack Key artist, George Kakumoku, Jr started the action off .

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The show is the story of horses in Hawaii.

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The story is told in song and dance (Hula)

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and with the horses. The 2nd story line is the story of young love that triumphs in the end.

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I’m not sure which was more amazing, the dancers or the horses.

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At the end of the show the riders brought their mounts to the edge of the stage and we were invited to meet them and say hello to the horses. We were given carrots to feed the horses.

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One of the horses liked my lei better than the carrots. He got a big bite of it before I could get it out of his reach. As it was just flowers there was no harm done and the rider and the others standing with me joined me in a good laugh.

Then it was back on the shuttle buses for the return to the resort.

Sibling Rivalry in Vegas?

I’m still exploring Free things to do in Vegas. I’m pretty sure our budget will be tight so I figure we should do the Free things first and save our money incase we run out of Free things to do.

The Forum Shops at Caesars sounds like a place to go shopping so I was just going to skip right over that. I’m not much of a shopper as anyone who has ever looked in my closet can attest. As my waistline has expanded  and my need for business attire has diminished my wardrobe has shrunk accordingly. Jeans, sweats and T’s are my wardrobe du jour. But then my curiosity got the better if me. What did it mean by “Fall of Atlantis” at Caesars Forum Shops?

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A little more google and voila! I have answers! 🙂

This was the best description:

Fall of Atlantis at Caesars Forum Shops Description:

The Atlantis Shows inside the Forum Shops is sibling rivalry at its fiercest. Sure, you may have once fought over toys, food or even listened in on each other’s phone calls with your own brother or sister, but this feud is like no other. 

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Roaring fires. Splashing waters. Thunderous sounds. A huge, horrific beast. These all come into play in the free 11-minute show. Get your video camera ready for the dramatic, mind-blowing special effects, neon lights and the surrounding fountains. For a second, you’ll forget you’re in a mall.

Witness the fall of Atlantis reenacted by 9-foot-tall lifelike animatronic statues (and a scary 20-foot winged dragon) costumed in armor and leather by the legendary Hollywood blacksmith company Sword & Stone. 

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The tale begins with King Atlas deciding whether his son or daughter should take over in ruling Atlantis. Greed and haughtiness get the best of the two as they brag about how one’s ability is better than the other. The sister waves her staff and shows off her water power. On the flip side, the brother waves his torch and bursts of flames erupt all around him. The warmth of the heat is shockingly strong. You can also feel the sound waves.

The family learns the ultimate lesson — let’s just say it doesn’t result in a “time-out.”  The decision falls out of the father’s hands and the other gods show their wrath with the Fall of Atlantis. A terrifying beast with wings appears from behind Atlas’ throne and watches the destruction of Atlantis. The ferocious flames and wild water effects prove that these guys are serious.

Be sure to get to the show a few minutes early to grab a good spot since it tends to fill up fast. You’ll find it next to Nike and the Cheesecake Factory. 

AQUARIUM AT CAESARS

Before or after the show, make sure to check out the 50,000-gallon saltwater aquarium behind the Fall of Atlantis. The breathtaking aquarium features more than 300 fish. You can walk right up to the glass and snap amazing shots of stingrays, flounders, tropical puffers and other fish you’d see in Disney’s “Finding Nemo.” Another plus? There are plenty of places to sit around the aquarium. Lose track of time while you watch in awe.

Sounds like another “Not to Miss” experience!

 

 

Aboard Ship~Day 2 (Tuesday)

Back on the ship after our Key West experience we headed to the Horizon Bar and Grill on the Lido deck for a quick lunch while the Imagination cast off for Cozumel, Mexico.

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One thing about being in the ocean on a large cruise ship is that the staff and especially the cruise director work very hard to keep everyone entertained. Special events like karaoke, break dance exhibitions, bingo, dance classes and Towel Folding Fun supplement the casino, book reading and swimming pool for activities.

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There is an internet café but with a charge of $.75/minute that seemed a bit rich to me. Especially when someone who had used it said the connection is very slow so you are paying for “dead” time.

There’s also something to be said for just sitting on the deck and watching the waves. It’s kind of mesmerizing. The ship doesn’t roll much although you do get a bit of motion now and then. It’s been particularly stormy between patches of sun and clouds.

Tuesday Night is elegant dining on this particular cruise. My dolphin sarong was just the added touch needed to dress up my navy pant suit.

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This was also the Prime Rib or Lobster night. I went with the lobster. I’d been looking forward to that since I found out there was lobster served on every cruise. Today’s menu was lobster tail and grilled shrimp, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Served with drawn butter it was melt in your mouth goodness. Since it is elegant fine dining I splurged and had a glass of chardonnay with my meal. It was excellent too.

Joe is not a shellfish eater and he doesn’t eat meat but there were other options available. He had grilled chicken. Dessert was a Grand Marnier Soufflé for Joe but I was content with a small dish of chocolate ice cream.

A very satisfactory dinner under our belts we went to listen to the karaoke singers for a bit before making our way to the Dynasty Lounge for the Living in America show.

The Dynasty lounge has wonderful semi circle seats. We got there a bit late so had to sit in the back. I joked that it was the cruise ship version of “Obstructed View” as there were a couple of poles but it really didn’t interfere with the show which was excellent.

The ship was rocking a bit more as the weather had turned windy and rainy but the dancers never missed beat…literally! The LasVegas style show was a medley of songs that featured a state or town. For Example Neil Diamond’s “America” was stolen for the title song with a slight variation in the words. Instead of “we’re coming to America” they sang “we’re living in America”. Of course there were songs like Chicago, New York New York, Give my regards to Broadway, and Sweet Georgia Brown including basketballs. Elvis’s Viva Las Vegas introduced showgirls with elaborate head gear.

No pictures. Photography and video is prohibited.

The lead singers Patrick and Aretha were terrific. I thing Aretha is well named. As former dance instructors Joe and I couldn’t help critiquing the choreography. Simple. Most of the patterns were pretty basic but execution always makes the difference and the dancers executed their patterns well especially when you think they were dancing with a rolling stage under their feet.

There were a lot of costume and set changes which had to be challenging too. All in all it was a great show. Without a doubt this was the best day of the cruise so far.

We’ll be sailing all night and well into the morning before we dock in Cozumel. We have an excursion planned for Mexico so we’ll see what the day brings.