Princess to Hawaii -- does it feel Hawaiian?

[Astro Flyer]

What about NCL where they do a 7 day cruise out of Honolulu

 

CRUISE PORTS Embark Honolulu (Oahu); Kahului (Maui) 2 days; Hilo (Hawaii); Kona (Hawaii); Nawiliwili (Kauai) 2 days; Disembark Honolulu (Oahu)

 

http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/7D_HI_Hon_Hon_021115a.gif

 

NCL's POA is the only cruise ship that is permitted to sail exclusively within the Hawaiian islands. The bottom line is that the PVSA requires other ships to go to a foreign port & you could research to find more info about this restriction.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[notentirelynormal]

What about NCL where they do a 7 day cruise out of Honolulu

 

He said he couldn't get his wife on NCL again after their last cruise.

[CleoChase]

Totally understand your dilemma. DH and I spent 15 nights for our 10th anniversary. Loved every minute of that trip! We decided to go back this year for our 20th and were planning another 15 night trip.

 

My parents decided to go with us this time. Mom has never been to Hawaii. We are not sure my Mom could handle the flight from the East Coast to Hawaii. So we decided to cruise. And this way Mom will get to decide what island she wants to go back and visit when she is able to handle the flight.

 

I am sure we will enjoy all the sea days.

[baldercash]

CleoChase that sounds like you have an excellent plan.

[cr8tiv1]

I see by your signature that you are doing a Coastal on the Grand in October. You made a few other statements that clarify what you are thinking about doing (San Francisco/Hawaii/no NCL (yay)/been to Hawaii by land).

 

With all of that information, it is too bad you can't do a b2b with the coastal first and then the trip to Hawaii. That would have worked 10/17 and 10/24. Regardless, I am highly recommending you book your Hawaii cruise between mid-September and mid-January so that you can enjoy Cruise Director Dave Cole on the Grand. Please be sure to say hello to him (from Renee) when you are on your 10/10 cruise. He will be more than happy to share his love of the islands with you and maybe convince DW that the trip to Hawaii would be a great voyage.

 

Thanks for responses, everyone. It sounds like Princess is trying to make it 15 days that feel like Hawaii, which is what I wanted to know.

 

People can obviously take their posts in whatever direction they want, but just to clarify:

 

-- We're not debating what cruise line to take. We have decided to focus on Princess for a while. If we took another cruise line, it would not be NCL. I don't think I could drag my wife onto another NCL ship for free after our last cruise with them.

 

-- It's unlikely we'd go out of L.A. We can drive to S.F. in 6 hours and not much gain in blood pressure. A drive to L.A. is virtually out of the question because it's more like 12 hours and we HATE driving in So Cal.

 

-- We've flown to Hawaii at least a dozen times, usually staying for two weeks at a time, so we know what a land vacation there is like, and we love it. We're not really comparing a land vacation vs. a cruise vacation.

 

Mostly I'm trying to decide between this and other vacations (Bermuda cruise, a trip to Ireland and so on). But I've been wondering whether my wife would be satisfied that this was a true Hawaiian vacation when just four days were spend on Hawaiian Islands. In the end, it's my call because we're celebrating the 10th anniversary of me quitting smoking, but I don't want to pick something she won't be happy with.

 

Jim

[Eppe4]

I've been looking at a Grand Princess RT to Hawaii out of San Francisco. My main misgiving is that my wife and I have always thought flying there and spending two weeks in one place was the most relaxing and satisfying way to see Hawaii.

 

A 15-night trip with only four days actually spent on an island just seemed senseless.

 

But now I'm seeing it in a new light, partly after seeing posts here that the ship offers a new view of the islands. And I'm reading (mostly on the Princess website and a little bit here) that the whole trip is Hawaiian, not just the middle part when you're in Hawaiian waters. I guess there are ukelele classes, Hawaiian food, etc.

 

So I'm wondering whether people who've been on one of these found the Hawaiiana to be a part of the whole 15-day experience or just a superficial overlay. I know some people have recommended cruising with Elua, a couple who provided the cultural element, but I don't suppose I can know now who's on the ship in April 2017. That's when I want to go, because of a special date.

 

Jim

 

Jim, My D/H and I have done this cruise twice but our first time to Hawaii was for 14 days for our 25th Anniversary. Like your wife, I was desperate to see Hawaii and I think you should really, really consider doing this as a land vacation. Once you've really explored Hawaii, the cruises are wonderful. We did 2 day trips, one to Maui and the other to the big island to go fishing. Flights between islands very inexpensive. On two days, we rented a car. One day was spent on the North Shore, AMAZING and not to be missed. Each hotel has all of the tours available that pick you up at your hotel and bring you back after an event such as a Luau. I've read that people think they've seen Paris b/c they took a 3 hour bus trip and had a photo op at the Eiffel Tower, but Paris is so much more than the Eiffel Tower. Don't know if this helps, but please know that this post is our experience and only meant for you to look at both options with an open mind. However you decide to see Hawaii, have a wonderful vacation.

[Eppe4]

Jim, My D/H and I have done this cruise twice but our first time to Hawaii was for 14 days for our 25th Anniversary. Like your wife, I was desperate to see Hawaii and I think you should really, really consider doing this as a land vacation. Once you've really explored Hawaii, the cruises are wonderful. We did 2 day trips, one to Maui and the other to the big island to go fishing. Flights between islands very inexpensive. On two days, we rented a car. One day was spent on the North Shore, AMAZING and not to be missed. Each hotel has all of the tours available that pick you up at your hotel and bring you back after an event such as a Luau. I've read that people think they've seen Paris b/c they took a 3 hour bus trip and had a photo op at the Eiffel Tower, but Paris is so much more than the Eiffel Tower. Don't know if this helps, but please know that this post is our experience and only meant for you to look at both options with an open mind. However you decide to see Hawaii, have a wonderful vacation.

 

Just read your 2nd post and now I see that you've already spent time in Hawaii on a land tour. So, if you've really seen Hawaii, you should try the cruise experience. We love the sea days and the casino so we're thrilled with the itinerary. Only bad thing is that the casino is closed the entire time the ship is in the Hawaiian Islands. Probably saved us lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$

[cr8tiv1]

Jim, My D/H and I have done this cruise twice but our first time to Hawaii was for 14 days for our 25th Anniversary. Like your wife, I was desperate to see Hawaii and I think you should really, really consider doing this as a land vacation. Once you've really explored Hawaii, the cruises are wonderful. We did 2 day trips, one to Maui and the other to the big island to go fishing. Flights between islands very inexpensive. On two days, we rented a car. One day was spent on the North Shore, AMAZING and not to be missed. Each hotel has all of the tours available that pick you up at your hotel and bring you back after an event such as a Luau. However you decide to see Hawaii, have a wonderful vacation.

 

Yes, the Hawaii Cruise is just a sampling of each of the 4 islands. In order to do a fly/land trip justice, you would need to allocate a week on Oahu, 3 days in Hilo, 3 days in Kona, 4 days on Maui, 3 days on Kauai, 2 days on Molokai, and lastly 2 days on Lanai. (minimum stays for each island). I checked into flights this summer and it would cost about $100 each segment of flight from point to point. Of which, you sometimes can't fly from one island to the next without going back to Honolulu. Add 24 nights of hotel rates and airfare to the islands and you are working with a very, very, very large budget that doesn't take into consideration meals and entertainment.

 

I posted on another thread that Princess does not assign Hawaiiana Cultural Ambassadors until the fall, just before the season begins.

 

I count myself extremely lucky to be able to live on the islands for several months at a time. It will always be "home" for me.

[ehogan]

We love cruising and have done the Hawaiian cruise out of San Francisco.

We hope to do the one out of Vancouver at some time.

 

We really enjoyed our Hawaiian cruise and the related activities on board and we enjoyed the long sea days.

 

However I don't think you can compare positively with a land trip in Hawaii. We have been on land trips to Hawaii several times and I feel you need the extended time to truly get a feel for the islands.

 

If there is only one chance you have to see Hawaii, I would suggest a land trip is the way to go.

 

Happy travels!

[iluvcruzin]

I've been looking at a Grand Princess RT to Hawaii out of San Francisco. My main misgiving is that my wife and I have always thought flying there and spending two weeks in one place was the most relaxing and satisfying way to see Hawaii.

 

A 15-night trip with only four days actually spent on an island just seemed senseless.

 

But now I'm seeing it in a new light, partly after seeing posts here that the ship offers a new view of the islands. And I'm reading (mostly on the Princess website and a little bit here) that the whole trip is Hawaiian, not just the middle part when you're in Hawaiian waters. I guess there are ukelele classes, Hawaiian food, etc.

 

So I'm wondering whether people who've been on one of these found the Hawaiiana to be a part of the whole 15-day experience or just a superficial overlay. I know some people have recommended cruising with Elua, a couple who provided the cultural element, but I don't suppose I can know now who's on the ship in April 2017. That's when I want to go, because of a special date.

 

Jim

 

I went on the Sapphire when it was a 14 day cruise. I can say it was fun and there were lots of Hawaiian events onboard to keep you interested. But.. the majority of the trip is the cruise itself - not the experience of the islands.

 

The cost of a flight from SeaTac to Honolulu isn't bad if you just want to experience the islands. Our next Hawaii cruise next May I chose to go with RCCL. We fly over for a few days and experience Honolulu. Then we board the ship and hit the different islands and end up in Vancouver. I did a similar route years ago. It's not to say I won't cruise Hawaii with Princess again, it's just not the same experience .

[Cruisin' Chick]

Just read your 2nd post and now I see that you've already spent time in Hawaii on a land tour. So, if you've really seen Hawaii, you should try the cruise experience. We love the sea days and the casino so we're thrilled with the itinerary. Only bad thing is that the casino is closed the entire time the ship is in the Hawaiian Islands. Probably saved us lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$

 

I'm not a patron of the casino on cruises, but I noticed seeing in the Patter that the casino would open on our last cruise while we were still in the islands. Which meant the ship sailed far enough away on those nights (I'm not sure how many nights, though) to get into international waters.

[Astro Flyer]

I'm not a patron of the casino on cruises' date=' but I noticed seeing in the Patter that the casino would open on our last cruise while we were still in the islands. Which meant the ship sailed far enough away on those nights (I'm not sure how many nights, though) to get into international waters.[/quote']

 

My Patters from late 2011 show the casino open after sailing from these Hawaiian ports:

 

Nawliwili, Kauai: sail 5:00 PM; casino open about 7:00 PM

 

Lahaina, Maui: sail 6:00; casino open about 7:00 PM

[Mibele]

I did this cruise out of LA on the Golden in 2011. Eula was on board and it was a fantastically relaxing vacation :) Just stay on board when you get to Ensenada!! After being in Hawaii, that is not one of my favorite places to go. I've been to Ensenada 4 times now and have seen all there is to see - I think i saw it all the first time really. Next time there will be a lovely spa day!

 

But definitely, yes to the 15 day Hawaii cruise! You will love it.