This is exactly what Anabelle and I did. We were given 2 tickets to a fundraiser to support the Ka Ipu Kukui Fellows on the Princess Cruise’ Sapphire.
Ka Ipu Kukui Fellows is a year-long program designed to train community-identified future leaders. A Decisions Maui and Focus Maui Nui initiative, the Ka Ipu Kukui Fellows program was conceived to promote and develop future leaders through a community-based program designed to address planning for Maui Nui’s future.
When Anabelle and I arrived to Lahaina Harbor, though we’ve been on a cruise ship for a fundraiser, there’s still that bit of excitement that runs through you. As we stood in line, the folks from Ka Ipu Kukui were on it and had our name tags handy and ready to go. After waiting patiently in line for 15 minutes, we boarded the tenders and made our way a ½ mile off shore to board the Sapphire.
The last time we attended a fundraiser, it was on the Princess Diamond, which is the flagship of their arsenal, but the Sapphire was still just as grand. We were welcomed by each and every staff member as we were escorted to the Princess Theater. There we learned about what Ka Ipu Kukui is and what they’re all about. It was quite interesting. After being welcomed, thanked, and shown a short video, we made our way to the Santa Fe Restaurant. We occupied half of their restaurant which was very nicely decorated for us. Ka Ipu Kukui had a great silent auction with items that ranged from a 12 foot surfboard to ziplining to UH T-shirts and everything in between. We didn’t have much time to look around because the food servers were going around and taking our food orders. There were 2 appetizers to choose from and 2 entrees. I chose the Pork Tenderloin as my entrée and Pasta Primavera as my appetizer. As I went in the direction of “turf”, Anabelle decided to go the “surf” route and got the Seafood Medley as her appetizer and the Herb Crusted Salmon as her entrée. Needless to say, the food was excellent and we both enjoyed it very much. For dessert we both had a orange soufflé that I was weary about after the sound of it but it was frickin incredible. *salivation*
After a satisfying lunch, we took a tour of the grand Sapphire. The detail to everything was spot on; nothing seemed to be out of place. Every crew member that we passed welcomed us aboard. We walked through their casino which became very enticing to us locals as we flock to Vegas every chance we get. We took a tour of their Club Fusion which was huge. We got to see their humidor, of course a ton of shops, their bars, the arcade, and took a nice walk on their decks. We probably seen only a tiny portion of the ship but from what we saw, it was amazing. After the tour, we made our way back to the Santa Fe to get back our IDs. The passengers made their way back onto the tender and we ventured back to land.
There was absolutely nothing negative that I can come up with on how the day went. The check in process was quick, the tender ride was smooth, the Ka Ipu Kukui presentation was informative, the food was great and the tour was memorable. A very big Mahalo goes out to the crew members of the Sapphire and the Ka Ipu Kukui Fellows.
If you’re interested in what the Ka Ipu Kukui Fellows is about, CLICK HERE
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