Ohana Travel
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Tanaka of Tokyo Central
Ask for Kris. Best tepanyaki show I've seen and he makes the food delicious.
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Live on Oahu. Got a groupon for snuba. Had to try it, it looks like soooo much fun. Had a great time because we were with family and all in a good mood. But snuba, at least the one we did, sucks!
Got some really cool pics. Everyone that sees them thinks we had an amazing time. But the pics are deceiving. No way to tell that the scooters are SLOW. Fish only come around because you have a bag of bait on your snooter.
They took us out to an area with absolutely nothing to look at. Those of us that did round 1 were ok. But they spray disinfectent in the helmets between people - a great practice. However, that meant that those in round 2 breathed fumes the whole time. Made 2 of us actually feed the fishes their lunch, and i had to get out early before it got too bad for me to handle. Swimming with mask and snorkel was MUCH better.
Take a snorkel excursion to "Turtle Canyon". I promise you'll enjoy it much more.
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Seattle Express shuttle was only $12 to Cruiseline from our airport hotel. Not sure if they do airport pickup. But very reasonable and the booking process has been smooth and easy
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I had no drink package last time. Decided i had enough calories in food so didn't do smoothies. The shipboard coffee was strong and good for me. i had a few cocktails and in no way approached spending as much as a drink package would have run me.
But this time i can tell you I'm looking forward to the package and am definitely upgrading to premium, and not for the alcohol. I want the daily Pelligrino.
So like people say, it is all up to your preference and budget
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Way to go OP! Glad there is a happy ending to your story.
One of the best tips I picked up off this forum a few years ago was the suggestion to take a picture of my contact info as the first pic on any new memory card.
I am not trusting enenough to put my home address, but I did put cruise cabin info just in case.
On the bright side, I haven't lost my camera and had to test it. But if I had and an honest person like the OP found it, it sure would have been a lot easier for them to contact me.
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my first cruise, i found cruise critic more than 60 days after booking and knew nothing about the benefits of using a TA until too late. this time, i used the same celebrity rep to book my cruise, then shopped around and found an agent willing to give me OBC. then i called my rep and after he checked, he gave me the same OBC i would have gotten by switching.
then keeping an eye on things, i found the 123 all inclusive deal and rebooked my cruise. it did increase the cost by $200 but i received $150 OBC more than my first deal plus the grats and drink package so definitely money well spent. in addition, i will still have the OBC from my rep.
from what i have seen, if you have a good TA, it is worth it to use them. but i have been very happy with celebrity direct. even if my rep is not available, someone is always there to help me.
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thanks for the heads up on this. on the phone now trying to get it for an excursion I already booked. apparently it depends on when you originally booked it if they can just give you the credit.
mine was booked a while ago, but they let me cancel and rebook for the credit.
only $50 but every little bit helps!
thanks again for passing along the info
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when I was researching my first cruise, I read a lot of reviews. there were the people that said, if you can't afford excursions, get an inside cabin, the excursions are the biggest part of the trip.
then the other side, be sure you get a balcony to enjoy the view.
knowing a little more now, I know the option of book an inside and hope for an upgrade - just decide first if you will be ok with an inside just in case the upgrade fairy doesn't visit
that being said, I booked a balcony for my second trip. just sitting and watching the Alaskan scenery go by will be excursion enough for me this time. I'm sure that after I've gone a few times, I might get bored with it and need to see more. [for clarification, we did excursions through the ship and on our own the first time. this time I might plan one but like I said just seeing it from the ship is impressive enough for now]
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My wife has a very important birthday coming up in March 2016 and we'd like to commemorate it by visiting Hawaii (our first visit).
Two must-sees are the Pearl Harbor memorial in Oahu and the Kilauea volcano on the big island. One option we have is to stay in a hotel in Oahu and take an excursion to view the volcano.
Another option is to take the NCL Pride of America cruise and see Oahu, the big island, Maui and Kauai. All things being equal we'd prefer the Pride of America because we'd get to see Maui and Kauai. But the POA is pretty expensive, even if you get an interior stateroom (which we probably would). Is the extra expense of the cruise worth it?
a local friend just did the cruise and loved it. and cost wise, it is a great deal to see a bit of each island. no airfare between islands and meals are included. but keep in mind that's only while you're actually on the ship. while exploring you will need to pay Hawaii's high prices for everything.
if the volcano is what is important, I highly recommend staying on the big island for more time than the cruise ship will offer. there is so much to see and explore just in volcano national park that more than one day can easily be spent enjoying the beauty. then there's the rest of the island.
as everyone has stated, Hawaii is EXPENSIVE. hotels are ridiculously overpriced, traffic and parking on Oahu is crazy (add $20-$40 per day to park at your hotel) and people are always shocked at the food prices. the $5 per item mentioned by someone is a great rough guess - a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread will cost you $5+.... and the big island is even more expensive.
as someone else stated, there isn't much night life in Hawaii and it does look like any other city in the dark. except the volcano, if you are lucky you can watch rivers of lava come down the mountain which is only visible at night. the upside is you can explore all day and know that when you pass out early each night, you aren't missing much.
if you choose not to do the cruise, I highly recommend looking in to lodging other than hotels. there are many rentals that will give you an entire house for the price of a room with a couple beds in Waikiki.
based on the little bit you mentioned, I would fly in to Oahu, spend a night at an airport hotel. leave your luggage at the hotel. tour Pearl Harbor (book it in advance). stop for your luggage at the hotel and fly to the big island. you can book a cabin in volcano park. or you can stay in hilo or kona. both are about the same distance from the volcano and it will be a bit of a drive to get there. hilo is a bit more expensive but is on the prettier side of the island. for this trip I would rule out staying in waimea - too far from the volcano.
no matter what you do it will be more expensive than you expect it to be. I am guessing that if you do the cruise, you will want to come back and see more next time. Since you are coming for your wife's birthday, changing dates doesn't seem like an option - perhaps land trip this time and cruise at a more inexpensive time next time?
know that no matter when you come, Hawaii is expensive and you will want to come back.
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I live on Oahu but haven't done a luau since the 80s. when I ask my local friends, they all recommend Germaine's. the food and entertainment are the best of the options available.
Polynesian Cultural Center is worth a day trip, but their Luau is not worth the money - unless you like feeling like cattle herded through a line for average food.
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For our first cruise, we lucked in to Aqua and now feel spoiled. The first night we took advantage of the discount and ate at Murano. Can't remember why we ate in MDR another night, but all it did was confirm that BLU or specialty was the only way for us -- too much ruckus and mass confusion. I much preferred the intimate attention in BLU. On our cruise, the staff made it memorable. Highly attentive and genuinely concerned that our dining experience was what we wanted it to be. The food was good - but that is always up to individual perspectives and expectations. We were not expecting perfection and were more than happy with the choices offered.
If I had the opportunity for a 14 day cruise, I know I would want to be Aqua. However, I would count on a few specialty nights and base the timing of those around the menu in BLU. I would hate to book it in advance and then see that the carpaccio was offered in BLU that night.
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The airport is a 10-15 minute taxi ride from the port. Unless you are a person that needs to be at the airport more than 2 hours ahead, you should be fine.
However, if you're not comfortable with the timing, change now. The whole point of vacation is to do what makes you comfortable.
I personally don't like the rush off the boat with lots of people and prefer to hang back. And I would never put myself in a stressful "will I make my flight" situation. Even so, I would still be comfortable with your timing.
My other option.... Book a late flight, hire a private car and see the sights. Definitely an option for Oahu.
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Our flight is after 5 pm too. May I ask which car and driver you booked and approximate cost if you don't mind my asking. It will be for my husband and I.
we went through limos.com, there were 4 of us so we got an SUV - think it was less than $300. but for 2 people you could get a car instead and it would be less.
one of the places that he took us that we had no idea about was the locks. we were all surprised at how much we enjoyed it. very worth the trip.
the advantage to a driver was that we got to go where/when we wanted.
good luck and enjoy. it won't matter if you do the tour or do it on your own. wherever you go, it will all be worth it
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We booked a car and driver. He picked us and our carry on luggage up from the cruise ship. (we used the baggage valet service for our checked bags)
We were then able to have him take us sightseeing - he had some great recommendations.
We went to the space needle for lunch, and then he took us to the airport. When I sail again next year, I will do the exact same thing. It was perfect -and cheaper per person than had we paid for the excursion.
However, our flights weren't until 5, so not sure how much time for sightseeing you will have
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was disappointed with the bakery :(
nothing special, actually not even average. when we were there it was empty, and we still got lousy service and bad sandwiches.
good luck
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can't wait for the carpaccio again!
almost any of the sorbets are worth the calories - perfectly refreshing after dinner mouthful
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maybe someone can confirm my assumptions,,,
I looked at getting cheaper insurance elsewhere. but it seems to me that the $100 I would save I would wish I had spent if I actually need to use the insurance.
here's the assumption question....
if booking through the cruiseline and a connection is missed or something goes awry, the insurance will handle all the details of getting you to the ship or purchasing new airline tickets etc.
if booking outside the cruiseline, you will get reimbursed, but you will have to do the legwork yourself and pay out of pocket.
correct???
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of all the tips I read on this thread, the one that I will take with me everywhere is to take a picture of your personal information as the first pic on a new memory card. if you ever lose your camera, an honest person will know how to get ahold of you.
(note: put phone numbers, not addresses - just in case a dishonest person finds it)
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SHIP: Solstice
CABIN #: 1566
DECK #: 11
CLASS: Aqua
AREA: Starboard towards front
BED NEAR: Bathroom
QUIET?: VERY
BALCONY VIEW: Excellent
BALCONY SIZE: Average
WIND A PROBLEM?: No
SOOT A PROBLEM?: No
PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: Excellent room, excellent staff. Between the two sets of elevators. Convenient to using gym, Persian Gardens, etc. Highly recommend this room/location.
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SHIP: Solstice
CABIN #: 1610
DECK #: 11
CLASS: Aqua
AREA: Hump Starboard
BED NEAR: Bathroom
QUIET?: VERY
BALCONY VIEW: Excellent
BALCONY SIZE: Large
WIND A PROBLEM?: No
SOOT A PROBLEM?: No
PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: Had a problem with room and was moved to a lower deck. It pointed out all the benefits of this cabin. Excellent staff, fabulous location, VERY quiet. Close to elevators but no noise of people coming and going. Highly recommend this cabin/location. Will always upgrade to Aqua after being spoiled in this cabin!
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SHIP: Solstice
CABIN #: 9177
DECK #: 9
CLASS: regular
AREA: mid ship
BED NEAR: window
QUIET?: NO!!! Across from Crew access door. lots of shouting from crew. Lots of thundering footsteps. On top of that there were noisy/rude neighbors :(
BALCONY VIEW: Great view
BALCONY SIZE: Average
WIND A PROBLEM?: No
SOOT A PROBLEM?: No
PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: We were moved to this room after trouble with another. Had I paid for it, I would have been sorely disappointed. There is no way this cabin is worth even a reduced rate
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Terry,
Mahalo nui loa! what an incredible batch of photos. as others have said, it has truly increased my excitement for my first celebrity cruise.
so many of your photos did such a good job of showing the scale of the ship. I know it is big, but I hadn't realized just how big. your photos did an excellent job of putting it all in perspective.
thank you for taking the time to put it all together in one place!
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I try to pick up a reusable shopping bag at a local grocery store. They take up almost no room in luggage, come in handy while traveling, and can be used to carry groceries once you get home. I have them from stores from Alaska to Florida & they have been conversation starters with several cashiers here in the lower 48! I guess I just like being reminded of the places I've traveled while doing something as mundane as grocery shopping!
I agree!!! I love having the memories of my trips when i go grocery shopping. Altho my collecting started accidently. I had things wrapped in the bags for packing reasons. After I had been home for a few months, my husband tried to throw them away (eegads). "But that's the one from the *olympics*!!!" He still doesn't get it, but i LOVE them.
I used to collect tshirts, but found that i would stop wearing them so i wouldn't wear them out. Now i buy pendants wherever I go and i wear them all the time.
Thanks for reminding me to grab a bag :)
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hana is one way in and return the same way out. it is a SLOW meandering road. beautiful, but not for people that get car sick.
i am not familiar with the cruise ship excursion, and it has been a few years since i drove the hwy. i checked google maps and it shows as one hour from lahaina to hana, but that is unlikely.
go to google maps and zoom in close to hana - yes the road really is that windy.
the scenery is awesome, but be prepared for a LONG drive
Restaurant in Waikiki
in Hawaii
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If you like Tanakas, def ask for Kris next time you go to Central. Hes amazing. Filet and scallops yummmmmmm. His food is awesome and the show is more than worth the money
Have you tried Uncles? I like it better than Nicos.