cruisealot54 Posted January 31, 2011 #26 Share Posted January 31, 2011 We love this cruise for the sea days and the ports. For us the 4 seas before we reach the islands gives us a chance to unwind and relax from the previous work week. The 4 sea days back gives us a chance to relax before the following work week. I love the time to relax and read, for us it is a true gift of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robtulipe Posted January 31, 2011 #27 Share Posted January 31, 2011 You've just hit on my other concern--the crossing. My sister gets car sick if she doesn't sit up front in a car. We've cruised before, but she hasn't. I get sea sick too, but I took some Gravol and was fine. How rough can it be? Anyone have any idea what the October seas are like? Thanks for all your responses. I appreciate them!;) DW has the same problem when in a car but has had no problems with sea sickness even in the extremely rough seas we have experienced on some of our cruises. Our one way crossing to Hawaii had very good sea condition but that was in the end of April, beginning of May time period. Typically the first day out and last day back to the mainland when the ship is in the west coast ocean current that comes down from Alaska is the roughest and coolest part of an Hawaiian cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echotumi Posted January 31, 2011 #28 Share Posted January 31, 2011 for us we love hawaii .. my wife loves the sea days me after 3 im ready . but we look at it like this its like a few vacations in one .. the one thing i really like is lunch in the dining room .this will be our 3rd trip . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robtulipe Posted January 31, 2011 #29 Share Posted January 31, 2011 for us we love hawaii .. my wife loves the sea days me after 3 im ready . but we look at it like this its like a few vacations in one .. the one thing i really like is lunch in the dining room .this will be our 3rd trip . Yes, Steve, those sea days make it easy to go to the MDR for lunch since there are no concerns about interrupting a shore visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanatravel Posted January 31, 2011 #30 Share Posted January 31, 2011 You've just hit on my other concern--the crossing. My sister gets car sick if she doesn't sit up front in a car. We've cruised before, but she hasn't. I get sea sick too, but I took some Gravol and was fine. How rough can it be? Anyone have any idea what the October seas are like? Thanks for all your responses. I appreciate them!;) Deb, you can note from my cruise history, that we love to cruise. We took the Golden last April to Hawaii. We have toured the 4 major Hawaiian islands previously twice as land tours. Also, we have sailed from CA in late October/early November to the Mexican Riviera and it was too cold to sit on the balcony the first day out. Both experiences were ROUGH seas and cool breezes. NO way could you sit out on a balcony or by an open pool area, even if the sun was shinning. We both wore Sea Bands in both directions to prevent sea sickness (which we dont' usually get). I thought it might get better on the return to Ensenada, but was wrong. When we got to Ensenada, it was only 57 degrees at the end of April. Due to the rough seas and cool temp. inside seating areas were full daily. There was little room even to sit and read. Even the Buffet area was crowded with those who wished to relax. We enjoyed the ship but not the cruise. Californians and those from the West Coast seem to love it. From those we talked to on board from the West coast, this was the norm not the exception. If you love the spa, everyone enjoys just relaxing with a good book or playing board games and likes to participate in on-board events (which were very good), then go for it. We just had a conversation with friends who also have been to Hawaii numerous times and who took the NCL Pride. They did not like it at all. We enjoyed the ports and had planned to do different things than we have done before. We rented cars in each port except Oahu. The public bus system works just fine or ship tours work well. You (MOM) could probably rent a condo on 3 islands and fly the entire family there for 12 days for about the same cost of a cruise, too. Maybe you should look into that before discussing your "fears" with the family. Good Luck Bon Voyage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamomo Posted January 31, 2011 #31 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I really don't know what impact the month has on the sea conditions. We have sailed this itinerary once in late January and twice in Mid March. Only once, in March 2010, was it a little "bumpy" the first day heading out from LA. We've not found it rough crossing the Pacific, nor on the return to LA. Coming back from HI in 2008, the ocean was smooth as glass all the way back. Maybe we've just been lucky, or the months we chose to cruise in were a factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YesIAmAPyr8 Posted January 31, 2011 #32 Share Posted January 31, 2011 We like the sea days...no, actually, we LOVE the sea days. Port days get a bit hectic at times. Sea days allow you to sleep in and slow the pace of life down because you don't have to be anywhere if you don't want to. After a few sea days, port days are easier to handle because you've slowed down and are hard pressed to get back into a 'hurryup' mode. And ports are better appreciated when you're relaxed and 'hangin' loose, bruddah! We've taken this trip once before and are looking forward to our next one in March. Our last trip was a reposition from FLL to Europe and we had six days at sea, it was absolutely fantastic. Some people don't seem to be able to find the upside to sea days, but, just being able to unwind and live in a slower, more relaxed mode makes sea days very appealing to us. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary... Arrrrggghh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunsetbeachgal Posted January 31, 2011 #33 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Tried to talk DH into this itinerary, but to no avail due to so many sea days in a row... I also read somewhere on these boards that one of the recent Hawaii sailings of the Golden that the ship missed the stops at two of the ports due to bad weather/high seas. I am always prepared mentally for missing a stop on a cruise, but to spend 4 days at sea and then miss 2 of the 4 ports would be a bit much... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2escape Posted January 31, 2011 #34 Share Posted January 31, 2011 We have done this itinerary twice and LOVED it both times. The choice for us was easy because we love, love, love sea days and we love Hawaii. I think the deal breaker could be: What is the main goal? Cruise vacation with a great destination or a great destination accessed by cruise ship? Last year, we opted to skip cruising and rent a house on Kauai for 2 weeks as we were taking our whole family of eight ranging in age from 11 to early 60's. It was a wonder time for all. Have a family discussion about which vacation would best fit you family... Good luck and enjoy whatever you decide to the fullest!;):) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb in Markham Posted January 31, 2011 Author #35 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Last year, we opted to skip cruising and rent a house on Kauai for 2 weeks as we were taking our whole family of eight ranging in age from 11 to early 60's. It was a wonder time for all. Have a family discussion about which vacation would best fit you family... Good luck and enjoy whatever you decide to the fullest!;):) I'm been thinking about the same thing and someone else mentioned that we could probably fly everyone to Hawaii and rent a house for two weeks for the same price as the cruise. How did you find the house you rented? Did you like it? I still like the idea of the cruise as everything is done for you--no need to make decisions at all. With life as hectic as it can be, it's so nice to get settled in your cabin and sit back and relax--literally! Four days at sea almost forces you to relax. No cooking, no cleaning, no deciding any of the "essentials" just the fun things--what to do, if anything at all! Thanks again for your insights and suggestions. I appreciate the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperdo Posted January 31, 2011 #36 Share Posted January 31, 2011 My wife and I just returned from a Hawaii cruise on the Golden Princess. We were a bit concerned about all the sea days. But as it turned out, it seemed like there weren't enough of them! The Golden has a fantastic Hawaiian Cultural Experience that is amazing. The husband and wife team of Elua seem to be everywhere on the ship, teaching the hula, giving lei making classes, etc. They are also talented musicians, and we loved listening to their Hawaiian melodies. The four days to Hilo seemed to fly by. The weather didn't co-operate on our sailing though. We had to miss Kauai and Maui due to a nasty storm system that moved through the islands. In effect, this gave us 6 sea days for our return. Still, the Cruise Staff did an amazing job, and by 9am on both of those days there was a revised Princess Patter with a whole slate of activities. The seas were pretty rough on this sailing, due to that weather system. High winds, choppy seas and swell were with us most days, both coming and going. But the Golden handled it very well. My wife is prone to sea-sickness. She took Bonine and was fine. So, would I recommend this cruise? Absolutely. The Hawaiian activities were the best cultural experience we have ever had on a cruise ship. Just be aware that the ports of Kauai and Lahaina can be missed on occasion due to the weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperdo Posted January 31, 2011 #37 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Oops ... duplicate post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrispb Posted January 31, 2011 #38 Share Posted January 31, 2011 All those sea days would make me stir-crazy. It's a heck of a long trip from the UK to Hawaii, so we plan on the POA and a week ashore. Too far to travel simply to be at sea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yseone Posted January 31, 2011 #39 Share Posted January 31, 2011 We can't get enough of this cruise and we are going again for the 4th time April 27th on the Golden. "Sea days are for relaxing" is what we were told but fat chance--there is just too much to do and before you know it you are in Hawaii! We even took this cruise the first 3 times on the Island Princess which is a smaller (and my favorite) ship and still found there was not enough time in the day to do everything. Hawaii for us is a bonus--the real vacation is the ship itself and the journey to the islands. Yseone :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb in Markham Posted January 31, 2011 Author #40 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Let me add another twist. We're taking my 15-year-old son. He has one week of vacation from school from October 10-14 and, since we don't want him to miss more school than necessary, are leaning toward the October 8th sailing. However, this is aboard the Sapphire. I keep hearing about how wonderful the Golden is with all the Hawaiian cultural activities and entertainment, and I'm starting to get worried that we might miss a lot by going on the Sapphire. Any thoughts? :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperdo Posted January 31, 2011 #41 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Let me add another twist. We're taking my 15-year-old son. He has one week of vacation from school from October 10-14 and, since we don't want him to miss more school than necessary, are leaning toward the October 8th sailing. However, this is aboard the Sapphire. I keep hearing about how wonderful the Golden is with all the Hawaiian cultural activities and entertainment, and I'm starting to get worried that we might miss a lot by going on the Sapphire. Any thoughts?:confused: The Sapphire is a fine ship. But it doesn't do a dedicated Hawaii cruise all season long. It alternates between Hawaii and the Mexican Riviera. So you won't get quite the same Hawaiian experience that you would get on the Golden - especially if Elua are back on board next season. Plus, the Sapphire doesn't have some of the ammenities that the Golden has, most noticeably the International Cafe or MUTS. (Some people would consider no MUTS a plus, however.) That said, my wife and I really enjoyed the Sapphire. I have photos of her below in my signature. You'll still have a great time on the Sapphire, and go to the same ports. It's just that your Hawaiian Cultural Experience on the ship won't be the same. EDIT: There is currently a Live Posting from the Sapphire Hawaii cruise. You might be interested in following it. The poster was mentioning hula classes, etc. So it sounds like the Sapphire is copying at least some of the Hawaiian experience from the Golden. That's good news. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1348511 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robtulipe Posted January 31, 2011 #42 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I'm been thinking about the same thing and someone else mentioned that we could probably fly everyone to Hawaii and rent a house for two weeks for the same price as the cruise. How did you find the house you rented? Did you like it? Try looking at this site which list mostly private properties for rent. http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/hawaii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb in Markham Posted January 31, 2011 Author #43 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I have photos of her below in my signature. You'll still have a great time on the Sapphire, and go to the same ports. It's just that your Hawaiian Cultural Experience on the ship won't be the same. EDIT: There is currently a Live Posting from the Sapphire Hawaii cruise. You might be interested in following it. The poster was mentioning hula classes, etc. So it sounds like the Sapphire is copying at least some of the Hawaiian experience from the Golden. That's good news. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1348511 Thanks so much for the link to your photos and this ongoing posting--much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrobe Posted January 31, 2011 #44 Share Posted January 31, 2011 If you want to see Hawaii, fly to one of the islands and explore for 1-2 wks. If you want to spend time on a wonderful cruise ship and get an extremely brief taste of the islands, take the cruise. I love Hawaii and go there most winters and I love to cruise but they are two entirely different activities. Imagine if someone came to visit and explore your city and they came in on a cruise ship and could pick from a few shore excursions for a few hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janina Posted February 1, 2011 #45 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I like to tour, but love the sea days so that I am forced to relax.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisealot54 Posted February 1, 2011 #46 Share Posted February 1, 2011 We can't get enough of this cruise and we are going again for the 4th time April 27th on the Golden."Sea days are for relaxing" is what we were told but fat chance--there is just too much to do and before you know it you are in Hawaii! We even took this cruise the first 3 times on the Island Princess which is a smaller (and my favorite) ship and still found there was not enough time in the day to do everything. Hawaii for us is a bonus--the real vacation is the ship itself and the journey to the islands. Yseone :) Hey we will be on the cruise together - this is our second time with this cruise and really love it. We have had it booked since July 2009, so right now it feels very close. Can't wait Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FritzG Posted February 1, 2011 #47 Share Posted February 1, 2011 As far as we're concerned there is no such thing as too many sea days. We look for cruises that don't have too many port days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb in Markham Posted February 1, 2011 Author #48 Share Posted February 1, 2011 My 15-year-old just asked me what in the world I was worried about and reminded me that the sea days were his absolute favourite days on our two Caribbean cruises! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yseone Posted February 1, 2011 #49 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Just a note to cruisealot54... Hey Deb--come join the roll call for our cruise (I started it the day we booked on May 20th 2009!!!)--we have a great group over there! Yseone :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quincytoo Posted February 1, 2011 #50 Share Posted February 1, 2011 My 15-year-old just asked me what in the world I was worried about and reminded me that the sea days were his absolute favourite days on our two Caribbean cruises! Our teenaged son LOVES sea days too....:) I have never been much of a sea day fan...Mr.Qt has always put off doing a Princess cruise to Hawai cruise for this reason...this past 10 day cruise to the Mex Riv changed everything. OMG we had 4 sea days and they were lovely:) Maybe it was seeing the Golden Princess getting ready to leave Jan 5th the same day as we did BUT all I can think about now is a cruise to Hawaii :D We might have to take our now 19 year old as his last cruise as a teener with Mom and Dad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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