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If not porting in Hilo, will there be a substitute?


ChrisB123
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The Hawaii voyages don't begin until after the Alaska season ends. Princess has substituted Kona when Hilo was not available due to wind conditions.

 

More importantly, if she does dock in Hilo, please be respectful of the evacuation areas. They are having enough problems without additional visitors. Hawaii Island (Big Island/Hilo) visitor's bureau says they are open for business. Tourist are an important part of the economy and this is very much affecting visitors to the island.

 

NCL has chosen to skip Hilo and Kona on their weekly cruises. Opting for more days on the other islands. That's very considerate of NCL, but I still wouldn't cruise this itinerary/cruise line.

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2 days (or more) in Kauai or Maui would be OK for me. If one cannot get to Volcano National Park from Hilo, there isn't much reason to stop there, in my opinion.

 

Having lived on the island of Hawaii for many years there are way more things to do and visit on Hawaii then Maui or Kauai....

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There are a couple of threads on the Hawaii forum discussing the affects of the volcanic activity on the Big Island.

 

NCL’s POA sails weekly 7-day cruises & not only have they skipped Hilo but also Kona. They’re replacing that with more days here on Maui & added a day in Lahaina in addition to their overnight stay in Kahului.

 

But it’s much too early to predict what changes might happen to Princess itineraries due to the unpredictable nature of the evolving volcanic activity which to varying degrees has been happening for the past 35 years.

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Having lived on the island of Hawaii for many years there are way more things to do and visit on Hawaii then Maui or Kauai....

 

I so agree with this statement. Love Hawaii Island. Only the southeastern portion of the island is being affected by the lava activity. But I also agree that Hawaii Volcano National Park is a very important visit if the ship does port in Hilo. Just be cautionary.

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Having lived on the island of Hawaii for many years there are way more things to do and visit on Hawaii then Maui or Kauai....

I agree wholeheartedly. Our first trip to Hawaii was 8 days on the Big Island where we spent one day at the volcano park and had no trouble filling the other 7 days with other activities. We have since visited all the Kauai and Maui for a minimum of 5 days each and 8 on Oahu and the Big Island is still my favorite.

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I am in Kona right now and traveling to Hilo tomorrow for departure by air to Maui. There has been a haze all day over this area and all non essential travel to the park is stopped. The economy here is taking a big hit in the lava area but the rest of the Island is still open for business for right now. Things change hourly according to reports here at the Sheraton.

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The Sea Princess is in Hawaii at the moment. Kona and Hilo were on their ports to vist on this 35 day cruise.

 

 

I hope someone reports on their cruise when they get back and what happened regarding Hilo.

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The Sea Princess is in Hawaii at the moment. Kona and Hilo were on their ports to vist on this 35 day cruise.

 

I hope someone reports on their cruise when they get back and what happened regarding Hilo.

Cruise Critic has a news story with information about Sea Princess:

 

“Princess' Sea Princess will skip a scheduled port of call to Hilo on May 18. According to a Princess statement, the ship will call on Kona as scheduled, "as the port remains open to ship traffic and is operating normally." Futhermore, "Guests will have no disruption to shore excursions in Kona, but those with independent arrangements may find some areas of the island inaccessible. Princess advises all guests to heed all warnings from local authorities and stay out of any restricted areas."

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8614

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Having lived on the island of Hawaii for many years there are way more things to do and visit on Hawaii then Maui or Kauai....

 

I SO agree! I haven't had the privilege of living in HI, but I've cruised to HI 5 times, and have found there's plenty to see/do on all of the islands that Princess ports at.

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What are the chances that they will change the route and cruise by the lava flow? That would make up for missing Hilo.

 

Depends upon just what the activity is, doubtful they will, have not in the past. Remember, the air quality is a huge issue Wanda. Toxic gasses, particulate, all sorts of issues breathing the stuff. You have some time before you go, and things might settle down by then. The Kona side of the island is really lovely, and there are lots of neat things to do - want to snorkel with turtles and/or dolphins? You might be able to summit Mauna Kea and visit Keck Observatory, air quality will have something to do with that. And you still might be able to go into Hilo if things have quieted down in 9 or 10 months.

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My brother lives on the Big Island and happens to be a boat captain there off of Kona. His house is 2 ours away from the Volcano and they have had zero issues. He said the rest of the island is going on normally and if it wasn't for the news coverage, you wouldn't know anything is going on. Tourists are still coming in and things are going on.

 

My son is stationed in Hawaii on Oahu and the Army has been updating information on their Facebook page in regards to those who are training on the Big island. Their last update about the air quality was that it was fine.

 

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that's a great article, thanks for sharing.

 

For those wanting to see what's going on in Hawaii, I read both of these daily as my son and nephew are on Oahu and my brother and his wife live on the Big Island. Both of these are great for keeping up with local news.

 

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com

 

http://www.staradvertiser.com

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Thanks everyone. I was just curious. I won't be going till Oct so a lot can/might not, happen in the mean time. I wouldn't mind a stop in Kona. We're not scheduled for Kona as we will be on the 15 day cruise.

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Having lived on the island of Hawaii for many years there are way more things to do and visit on Hawaii then Maui or Kauai....

 

We have visited the state of Hawaii on numerous non-cruise vacations (although our first trip there was a cruise around the islands on the old Independence). Most of these visits included time on the island of Hawaii staying usually at Kona, but once we spent several nights at both Kona and Hilo. We essentially did a circle auto trip on that latter vacation. And I agree there are many other things to see: lots of different scenic opportunities from waterfalls to different kinds of ocean beaches to mountains to emerald green mountain slopes.

We walked over old lava beds in the area once again being inundated with fresh lava and our hearts go out to those who live in that area.

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