Hawaii or greek islands

[kwokpot]

38 minutes ago, Cruisingrampy said:

Correct yes. Debating cancelling and doing the greek one

It looks like the Greek Island cruises you're looking at are round trip Civitavecchia. Have you given any thoughts about what are your pre and post cruise plans will be? Have you been to Rome before? Even if you have to travel all the way to Europe I would say you should at least spend three days pre cruise touring Rome. This way it will also help with the jet lag/time changes. 

[Cruisingrampy]

3 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

It looks like the Greek Island cruises you're looking at are round trip Civitavecchia. Have you given any thoughts about what are your pre and post cruise plans will be? Have you been to Rome before? Even if you have to travel all the way to Europe I would say you should at least spend three days pre cruise touring Rome. This way it will also help with the jet lag/time changes. 

I was thinking if i did do that one i would take a few days definately. Basically my biggest concern is the covid requirements and testing and everything more chances of catching it with the 2 or 3 flights where as the hawaii one i can drive to the port in vamcouver

[George C]

We were lucky enough to do both , I would love to repeat and do them again , I would lean towards Hawaii since it’s easier to get to , I know my wife would pick Greek islands , cost is a lot more for Greece since we fly first and that is way more expensive to go to Europe.

[MustBCruzn]

I've had the pleasure of doing the Honolulu - Vancouver route twice, and have a third scheduled for April 2024. And I've also cruised the Eastern Med/Greek Isles three times with another scheduled in 2023. Both are wonderful but, as mentioned by previous posters, there's really no comparison. The history and beauty of the Greek Isles can't be beat IMO.

[TeaBag]

2 hours ago, Cruisingrampy said:

I was thinking if i did do that one i would take a few days definately. Basically my biggest concern is the covid requirements and testing and everything more chances of catching it with the 2 or 3 flights where as the hawaii one i can drive to the port in vamcouver

Would love to chat with you.  We have cruised to and from Hawaii several times and have also cruised the Greek Islands.  We have also stayed in both places for a week or more.  We are back on your Apr 23 cruise from Vancouver.  Long story.  I cancelled about 10 days ago because they would not extend the FP date.  (Worried about Omicron and want to see where it goes).  Two days later, they did extend the date.  I was miffed and then some!!  I wrote a letter to them and believe it or not, they phoned but I missed the call.  I have spent countless hours on the phone since trying to get this reinstated.  It is partly done but I lost my nice cabin and now have to wait for a guarantee to be assigned.  The ship is more than half empty and I wonder if it will sail at all.  If you have time I would advise you to spend some time in Hawaii after disembarking.  We always go to Kauai.  It would be great to meet if you stay with the Vancouver itinerary.

[Cruisingrampy]

5 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

Would love to chat with you.  We have cruised to and from Hawaii several times and have also cruised the Greek Islands.  We have also stayed in both places for a week or more.  We are back on your Apr 23 cruise from Vancouver.  Long story.  I cancelled about 10 days ago because they would not extend the FP date.  (Worried about Omicron and want to see where it goes).  Two days later, they did extend the date.  I was miffed and then some!!  I wrote a letter to them and believe it or not, they phoned but I missed the call.  I have spent countless hours on the phone since trying to get this reinstated.  It is partly done but I lost my nice cabin and now have to wait for a guarantee to be assigned.  The ship is more than half empty and I wonder if it will sail at all.  If you have time I would advise you to spend some time in Hawaii after disembarking.  We always go to Kauai.  It would be great to meet if you stay with the Vancouver itinerary.

Id almost feel better of it went ahead at half capacity haha. I guess ill just have to be flexible and see what happens

[middlehaitch]

I've done both cruising, and Hawaii land many moons ago.

Living in Canada, and knowing what our restrictions for travel are at the moment, I would do Hawaii this year and the Greek islands as my next cruise.

 

A couple of reasons why, as well as the Canadian restrictions which could change any minute:-

As far as I know, from reading the UK cruise threads (P&O), the EU requires Covid 19 infected cruise passengers and their close contacts to be disembarked and quarantined in a hotel chosen by the relevant gov. No option to stay on the ship. This like all things is a fluid situation but would be the main reason for not
cruising Europe in the near future.

(as I said this is only what I have read on Cruise Critic. Please do your due diligence researching the regulations and your insurance)

 

The other reason is I would want a good lead time to thoroughly research and plan what ports I wanted to visit and what I wanted to see. Med cruises tend to be very port intensive and knowing what you want to do and pacing yourself is definitely something that needs to be done.

 

If you are leaving from Rome give yourself  2 days minimum pre-cruise.

Cheers, h.

  

[CalTexCruiser]

Greek isles no question.  Spectacular.  We did the cruise in the middle of the Delta surge back in September, and the islands did not have a lot of tourists (as opposed to the crushing crowds you'll likely face during high season in normal non-pandemic times).

 

To OP: to reduce logistical headaches associated with travel across multiple nations (all it would take is one of these nations to lockdown to ruin your vacation), I would recommend you book the cruises that depart from Athens and return to Athens.

 

And I suspect if you book the early season sailings this June, you'll be in the sweet spot between the tail end of the omicron surge and whatever the next surge will be as summer season picks up.

[upwarduk]

6 hours ago, Lastdance said:

Greece wins hands down!  Just do your research and you will not be disappointed.  You can easily see Hawaii in the future, so take advantage of foreign travel whenever possible.  You will not be disappointed!

 

I actually read this as Hawaii or Geek Islands!!!

If you live in UK it is a long haul flight to Hawaii, where we embarked on Century, in 2012. Fortunately for us, she was able to visit most of the islands, which the larger ships are now unable to do. Even then we had to tender to a few places- Kauai and Maui.

[rmalbers]

Ya, I can't tell if OP is serious or not, they really are totally different trips.  I have heard a couple of people who live in Hawaii say the the cruise ship that does the islands is a great way to see a lot of the islands without the hotel hassles and short airplane trips between islands.  I'm not sure X is the way to go if you want to see the Hawaiian  islands,  I think its NCL maybe that does the island cruises.

[Cruisingrampy]

9 minutes ago, rmalbers said:

Ya, I can't tell if OP is serious or not, they really are totally different trips.  I have heard a couple of people who live in Hawaii say the the cruise ship that does the islands is a great way to see a lot of the islands without the hotel hassles and short airplane trips between islands.  I'm not sure X is the way to go if you want to see the Hawaiian  islands,  I think its NCL maybe that does the island cruises.

I just have a credit that i wanna use and i just feel the hawaii one is safer at the moment being a canadian thats really the only reason i chose it. So i guess my question is more are the restrictions possibky to restrictive to choose the greek isles cruise

[Jim_Iain]

16 minutes ago, Cruisingrampy said:

I just have a credit that i wanna use and i just feel the hawaii one is safer at the moment being a canadian thats really the only reason i chose it. So i guess my question is more are the restrictions possibky to restrictive to choose the greek isles cruise

That's also a real difficult prediction as none of us know what the future of Covid will be.   The Hawaii cruises have the risk of both Canadian Restrictions as well as probably Australia / New Zealand.   If the Australian / New Zealand season is cancelled or the Japan Season then the Hawaii cruises may or may be impacted depending on the re-deployment. 

 

Mediterranean also have their risks depending on country and port  closures.   May be best bet to wait to book until closer to cruise time where you get a better feel.  

 

Caribbean would be a safe bet if all else fails and you have a deadline to use your FCC.

 

I'm just booking what I want and if it's cancelled see what is on offer on a Lift and Shift.

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

.......The Hawaii cruises have the risk of both Canadian Restrictions as well as probably Australia / New Zealand.   If the Australian / New Zealand season is cancelled or the Japan Season then the Hawaii cruises may or may be impacted depending on the re-deployment. 

 

.....

 

Jim: In this case our OP is on the April 23, 2022 from Vancouver to Honolulu.  We are on the same cruise in addition to the May 4, 2022 Honolulu to Vancouver return.  We are doing a B2B.  The Eclipse is on the west coast and won't be transiting the Pacific.  

 

But a comment for our OP:  We have been to Greece several times, and have been to Hawaii on land trips, cruises to Hawaii and cruise stops on trans-Pacific cruises.  Combining all of those stops and trips (my husband, prior to retiring, had to travel to Hawaii on business and I often accompanied him) we have been to Hawaii over 20 times.  I may be becoming a little jaded about Hawaii given the number of times we have been there.  During pre-covid times I would recommend Greece over Hawaii.  But given the strange times we now experience I agree with the advice and comments offered by @middlehaitch in post #32.

[Crazy planning mom]

If you do the Hawaiian cruise that ends in Oahu, dont fly right home but spend some extra days in Hawaii after your cruise.  We did a the Pride of America cruise around Hawaii in 2017 and loved Hawaii.

This year, we are booked on a cruise out of Athens.  I agree with others that both cruises should be on your bucket list.

[Leela]

I live in Hawaiʻi (Hawaiʻi Island aka "The Big Island") and totally loved doing Vancouver-Honolulu on Celebrity. It's great because there's a bunch of sea days, with a few port days at the end, and when you get off the boat you're in Honolulu and can go anywhere from there. Inter-island flights are easy, especially if you fly on one of the commuter airlines to one of the lesser traveled areas (like Kapalua, or Lanai). 

 

Of course, hearing you all talk about the Greek islands is making me very curious about doing that trip some day!

[gordylad]

Haven't been to Hawaii but sailed the Greek Islands a few times. Have looked at Hawaii and the scenery looks stunning however some sightseeing and beaches.

 

If the cruise takes in Chania, Crete do it. When you stand at the harbour you can feel the history run through your bones. If sailing from Rome or Athens you have the added bonus of sailing from cities that are must sees.

[MamaFej]

@Cruisingrampy, my impression from reading this thread (please correct me if I'm wrong) is that your concern is less about scenery and excursions, and more about your comfort level, given current and short-term future circumstances.

 

I've cruised in both places, spent four weeks in HI last year, and have a Greek cruise planned for this spring. Both are great locations, by sea and by land, for reasons people have already ennumerated.

 

If comfort with circumstances is indeed a large concern, and you feel that you can get to the other choice in the future, then Hawaii might be the better choice for a Canadian. You'll be in the country that is technically next door, which could make repatriation easier if plans must be changed due to quarantine or other Covid-related factors. There are direct flights to Honolulu from many major Canadian cities. You'll have no language barrier anywhere, even in non-tourist areas. 

 

If you are getting to a stage in your life where crusing is less likely in future years, you might want to lean toward Greece for this trip. Hawaii might be easier to get to in the future and can be easily done as a land-based trip. 

 

Whatever you decide, I sincerely hope you have a lovely voyage.

[emmas gran]

The OP has booked Hawaii, he started another thread!

[LGW59]

On 1/31/2022 at 1:38 PM, Cruisingrampy said:

I was thinking if i did do that one i would take a few days definately. Basically my biggest concern is the covid requirements and testing and everything more chances of catching it with the 2 or 3 flights where as the hawaii one i can drive to the port in vamcouver

sounds like you answered your own question

[Virginia100]

We booked the Beyond for August 8. Restrictions are already falling in Europe and we figured by the hot summer they will be largely  gone as covid will really fall off and August being the primary vacation month in Europe it will further pressure things to a closer to normal.

[Lastdance]

On 2/2/2022 at 12:43 PM, Virginia100 said:

We booked the Beyond for August 8. Restrictions are already falling in Europe and we figured by the hot summer they will be largely  gone as covid will really fall off and August being the primary vacation month in Europe it will further pressure things to a closer to normal.

I hope you are correct; we have a b2b/TA leaving from Civi.