28 day Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa Cruise - Oct or Apr?

[Ken the cruiser]

We are very interested in booking one of the 28 day Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa cruises when their Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 itineraries get posted. However, we noticed that a mini-suite on the October 2020 cruise on the Emerald runs about $3,000 pp more than the same April 2020 cruise in a mini-suite on the Island. Is the cost difference simply because of the ship or is it better to take this 28 day R/T Los Angeles cruise in the Fall rather than in the Spring, as we are well aware there will be many days at sea in the middle of the Pacific? Any thoughts from experience will be greatly appreciated.

[casofilia]

I don't know why the price difference but April is more likely to be in the Cyclone season in the South Pacific.

[Ken the cruiser]

13 minutes ago, casofilia said:

I don't know why the price difference but April is more likely to be in the Cyclone season in the South Pacific.

That would be one factor definitely worth considering. Thanks!

[DiRonT]

Don't know about the price but we did this trip in October and the weather was perfect.

[Aus Traveller]

21 minutes ago, casofilia said:

I don't know why the price difference but April is more likely to be in the Cyclone season in the South Pacific.

The cyclone season officially ends on 30th April, but cyclones don't often occur in April. What date in April does the cruise start?

[Ken the cruiser]

9 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

The cyclone season officially ends on 30th April, but cyclones don't often occur in April. What date in April does the cruise start?

The one in 2020 leaves LA on Apr 11, but they haven't released the Apr 2022 itinerary yet that we're potentially looking at. But the needle is definitely tilting towards the Oct 2021 future cruise.

[Lido deck main]

Hi Ken,

We went in April in 2014.  Had great weather and we made every port. I guess it is a hit or miss.  Loved that cruise so much we want to do it again one day.

[CaptainR]

Ken – We recently sailed this 28-day itinerary in April 2019 and the weather for the 28 days was really good with only an occasional shower.  What I did not expect was how cool the temperature (mid 60’s and windy) was on the first 2 days out of LA and the last 3 days heading back to LA.  Accordingly, be sure and bring a light coat for those days.

 

 

In regards to your comment about pricing I can report that there were approximately 5 couples on our April 2019 Cruise Critic Roll Call that rebooked for the October 2018 cruise because the pricing for their cabin was substantially lower much like the $3k difference you have noted.  Guess that just goes to show that cabin pricing can be a real mystery.

 

CaptainR

 

[Ken the cruiser]

9 minutes ago, CaptainR said:

Ken – We recently sailed this 28-day itinerary in April 2019 and the weather for the 28 days was really good with only an occasional shower.  What I did not expect was how cool the temperature (mid 60’s and windy) was on the first 2 days out of LA and the last 3 days heading back to LA.  Accordingly, be sure and bring a light coat for those days.

 

9 minutes ago, CaptainR said:

 In regards to your comment about pricing I can report that there were approximately 5 couples on our April 2019 Cruise Critic Roll Call that rebooked for the October 2018 cruise because the pricing for their cabin was substantially lower much like the $3k difference you have noted.  Guess that just goes to show that cabin pricing can be a real mystery.

 

 

 

CaptainR

 

 

Thanks! That is an interesting twist regarding pricing. We'll definitely keep an eye on the pricing of both as it seems either cruise would be just fine regarding the weather. 

[Wavelet]

Thanks for the info. We were wondering the same thing. We did the Oct cruise in 2016 and enjoyed it so much we want to do it again for our anniversary. Any idea when these cruises will open up?

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, Wavelet said:

Thanks for the info. We were wondering the same thing. We did the Oct cruise in 2016 and enjoyed it so much we want to do it again for our anniversary. Any idea when these cruises will open up?

I've heard Princess sometimes posts new itineraries in November, but your guess is as good as ours.

[palolake]

We also did the October/November itinerary and had perfect weather.  And we also changed to that from the April cruise because of the price going down.  I could be mistaken but I thought we could see whales in April but it was too early in October.

[UFMOM]

Weather on our Oct one was wonderful.

 

Mary Ann

[Amtrack Springfield]

We did October. The weather was outstanding. The first day out of LA was choppy and windy. The last three days the ocean was flat as a pancake.

[cr8tiv1]

On 9/2/2019 at 5:02 PM, casofilia said:

I don't know why the price difference but April is more likely to be in the Cyclone season in the South Pacific.

 

And Hawaii's hurricane season is June 1 - November 30 (I was there for the one that hit on November 25).

 

On 9/2/2019 at 5:18 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

That would be one factor definitely worth considering. Thanks!

 

On 9/3/2019 at 6:37 AM, palolake said:

We also did the October/November itinerary and had perfect weather.  And we also changed to that from the April cruise because of the price going down.  I could be mistaken but I thought we could see whales in April but it was too early in October.

 

April is the end of the whale season.  You might find a few (I was there this past April....none to be found/by me).

 

 

i would choose April.  It "could" be very hot and humid in the Hawaiian Islands in October.  But you are only there for 2 ports.  April is quite pleasant.

Edited September 6, 2019 by cr8tiv1

[roxievegas]

We did the April cruise.  It was hot and muggy in Hawaii and most of the stops in the pacific.  So problems with storms or rain.