Cruising - Maui - Hilton Hawaiian Village - HOME!!!

Canadian Showtime Chorus members started departing theHilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu on Saturday! Some’s luggage got transferred to a cruise ship and were then picked up from the Convention Centre to begin their Island cruising adventure – some left for Maui – others waited for loved ones to arrive for an extended Oahu vacation - many left for home!

The Hilton Hawaiian Village gets points for departure day customer care. For those who had a late Sunday evening flight, we were given a late checkout and then given a complimentary room for an hour and a half in late afternoon to freshen-up and change after a final day of beaching or touring! Considering that one gets nothing for free these days, this was a particularly appreciated perk!

The big waves, the fresh pineapple, the delicious shrimp, the chocolate covered and natural macadamia nuts, the majestic Diamond Head,the daily rainbows, the beautiful sunrises and sunsets all made for a particularly spectacular 10-day adventure! The highlight of the trip however, is most definitely Canadian Showtime’s together time! From our first rehearsal and progression to that precious 6 minutes on stage in the semis on Thursday left a mark in our hearts. Running into and spending time with so many of our Region 16 (and 15) sisters in harmony added heart to the entire experience.

In true Canadian style, we took advantage of our last night in Honolulu and gathered on the beach for a sing along! All that was missing was the clambake! Even the torrential downpour couldn’t dampen the spirits. Soaked to the bone, we made our way to the open lobby of the Diamond Head Tower and sang some more. Here, we were joined by many more sisters in harmony from all over the world! Amazing that we have so many songs in common! Music is truly a universal language!

And just like that we found ourselves at the Honolulu airport. Overweight luggage was checked in, security was cleared and Gate 13 was taken over by Canadian Showtime, North Metro and Saratoga Soundtrack chorus members. With all electronic devices charged up, we boarded our flight for the long 9.5-hour flight to Newark! The CSC girls were all sitting together at the back of the plane for this leg. We stowed our carryons, fluffed pillows and wrapped blankets around our legs – it was obvious – we were all settling in for a long sleep! All was good until we got awoken by the most turbulence I have ever felt on a flight before. It lasted a fair longtime. From the tracking map, we could see that we were still over the ocean somewhere between Honolulu and San Francisco. There was a fair amount of white knuckling and dozens of round saucer eyes all around! I went for Belinda’s and Mariam’s hands. Not sure if their yelps were from anxiety or if I was just squeezing too hard!! One way or the other, I wasn’t letting go! Things eventually settled and most drifted back to sleep.

Stong tail winds made for an early landing in Newark. We have several hours here but this group of travelers will soon be home.

An adventure and a chance of a lifetime. With so many traveling for several weeks still, Canadian Showtime now takes a well-deserved break – a hiatus! We will gather in early December for a movie night. This is when we will reconcile the sheets with the performance. It will all make sense then!

And so this proud blogger, member of Canadian Showtime Chorus ranking 18^th in the world, signs off for the last time this round! It has been a thrill and delight having you along! If you felt part of it for even one minute during this journey, my goal was accomplished!

My work here is done my friends! Until the next adventure!!

JD Crowe