My wife sailed on the SS Lurline in 1955 from California to Hawaii. They booked passage to Honolulu where they stayed at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for two months, but had to cut it short when she and her travel mate decided it would be neat to throw firecrackers off comedian Red Shelton's balcony with his two children. The rest of the story: They were "encouraged" to leave the bright pink facade hotel on the islands. However, Red's children were allowed to stay after some money changed hands. She remembers the crossing as being a regal event -- dressing up every night for dinner and horse races where she was introduced to the ponies at a very early age. To this day, she still loves the thrill of betting on the horses, and does pretty good.