I'm looking for info on cruising in Hawaii

[RN7997]

Hawaii is somewhere I would really like to see. I always thought I'd do a land trip there at an all inclusive or something, but I was recently told they don't have all inclusives. So now I am considering a cruise. I am nervous about the sea conditions though. Is the water much rougher than cruising off the Atlantic??? What is the calmest time to go? What ship and where does it leave from? Would you reccomend a cruise there? Any info helpful. Considering booking something for next year.

TIA

[tazmancruiser]

This is really a hard question to answer. One sailing can be smooth as glass, another can be a little rough. With todays stablizers I wouldn't worry to much.

We cruised serenede of the seas in October and the ocean and weather really cooperated. If fact on the way back from Honolula we were able to use the pool every day.

I am sure you will get a variety of answers.

By all means go in two or three days early, rent a car on each island and do your own thing. Stay away from the ship tours.

Spluge, and take a Helicopter ride on Kauai.

Personnally I like flying into Honolula, and starting my cruise there.

Go for it. Hawaii is beautiful. You will love it.

[RN7997]

How far ahead does RCCL usually show there sail dates there. I would be looking for 2007 sometime. Is the weather typically better there a certain time of the year? It looks beautiful but I really don't know anything about any of the islands there. I guess I would have to do my homework.

[tazmancruiser]

R.C. hasn't come out with the 07' yet.

[CRUSINGFAMILY]

They will post next years Hawaii cruises in late May, keep a daily watch because they sell fairly quickly and the prices go up. We booked last May for this May and we paid 1352pp and they are 2350pp now so it pays to book early

 

Brian J

[GMoney]

Hi RN - I did a 14 day Hawaii cruise on X Infinity for Thanksgiving 2005. It was one the few cruises I've done outside the Caribbean. I had a great time and I think it's a great way to get a feel for the islands, but I also think you have to do a lot of research to really make the most of your time. Below are some comments that help. I also agree entirely with Tazman's post. Best of luck to you.

 

+ Itinerary. Our itinerary was great: Sailed from San Diego, which is beautiful. Airport is very conveniently located to the seaport. 4 sea days / 6 port days / 4 sea days. The sea days were a little rough, cold and windy; but that's true of many itineraries and your your results will vary. As you will notice, the itins are longer (10+ days), so make sure you can comit to that. Also make sure you can keep yourself entertained for the extended time at sea, assuming it's too cold to enjoy the pool decks during the day. X and Infinity are very nice, but this is where I really missed RCI and their ships which always have something to do, long with a slightly younger crowd. Other itins leave from LA, and you will find some ships (esp NCL) leave directly from Hawaii (check NCL boards for details; there's good and bad with this).

 

+ Weather. My understanding is that the weather is generally very good year around, but there are certain times of year when then waves on North Shore are better than not. This may nor may not matter to you. Do a quick google search to get more info. When I went in Nov, the actual weather in Hawaii was decent; it was warm, but we had showers here and there. You will also find that each island has its own microclimate(s), so things can really vary if you are on the leeward side of the island v. windward.

 

+ The Islands. In short, they're great. Totally worth visiting and the extended travel (I live in Philly). Totally different than the Caribbean experience. Just check how long you stay in each port. For example, we were only in Maui from 7am - 3pm, which really limited what we could do there. Still had a great time, but I felt I missed a lot too. Also keep in mind that once you get to the islands. the cruise is very port intensive and you will need to go-go-go to make the most of your trip. (the 4 sea days on the back end of the cruise were great for relaxing). Plan ahead, know what you want to see, and have back-up plans for each day in case there are clouds or rain.

 

+ Things to Do. Totally agree that renting a car is the way to go. If you plan well, you'll see more and have flexibility if you need to change things up on the fly. We rented convertibles from Thrifty for very reasonable prices. Strongly recommend the convertible.

 

Kauai was my favorite island for its natural beauty. Again, totally agree on the helicopter ride. It was about $200pp and worth every penny. Copter had no doors; it was awesome. Great way to see the beautiful coast and the "Jurassic Park" areas.

 

In Honolulu, visiting the USS Arizona is good - just get there as early as possible. Skip Waikiki Beach; so not worth it.

 

In Hilo, driving thru Volcano Natl Park is a must. If you're lucky, that night when sialing from Hilo to Kona you will see the lava hitting the sea on the starboard side of the ship.

 

Maui's easy b/c there's so much that's so nice.

 

Hope that helps! I am not a Hawaii expert but I'll try to answer any questions you may have.

[superjerryw]

If you really want to see Hawaii do a land vacation, not a cruise. There's so much to see on each island that you really need to spend a few days on each. Hawaii is nothing like the Caribbean where one day on an island is usually enough to see the sights. I think an all inclusive resort is OK if all you want to do is lay around the beach all day. I guess there are no all inclusives in Hawaii because everyone that goes there wants to see as much as possible and not be anchored to their hotel. The best thing is to pick 3 or 4 islands and spend at least 3 or 4 nights on each. Rent a car on each island and see the sights. If you take a cruise you will have a limited amount of time at each port and you will only get a small taste of what is available.

[superjerryw]

 

Kauai was my favorite island for its natural beauty. Again, totally agree on the helicopter ride. It was about $200pp and worth every penny. Copter had no doors; it was awesome.

 

Which helicopter company did you use that had no doors on the copter. Thanks.

[GMoney]

Hi Jerry - I don't recall off the top of my head, but I will dig thru my stuff and see if I can find out...

[threeofus]

We flew into Honolulu and spent a few days getting adjusted to the time etc at the Hilton Hawaiian Village - beautiful.

 

The islands are beautiful....the people warm and friendly...they are so happy to show you their islands and traditions.

 

Kauai was IMHO the most beautiful place on earth. We took a tour of Kipu Ranch where we did a little bit of hiking (very little) and swam in mountain pools, swinging on ropes into waterfalls etc. I would not take a helicopter tour if that was going to be my only tour. That ranch is so beautiful many many movie and tv scenes are shot there - including fantasy island, raiders of the lost ark ......It was beyond anything you have ever seen.

 

By all means go go go.....Check out all the lines and see who has the best itinerary. We went with NCL - not the best cruise line .....but certainly not bad....they have freestyle cruising - many people like that. It's more casual. I think there were 9 or 11 restaurants on board. everything from sushi to french to hawaiian. Beautiful ship. Buffets were not great.

 

Also...we found the Pacific to be more active than the atlantic or caribbean...and the crew confirmed that. I am very very prone to motion sickness and did not get sick....

[Treven]

Hawaii is somewhere I would really like to see. I always thought I'd do a land trip there at an all inclusive or something, but I was recently told they don't have all inclusives. So now I am considering a cruise. I am nervous about the sea conditions though. Is the water much rougher than cruising off the Atlantic??? What is the calmest time to go? What ship and where does it leave from? Would you reccomend a cruise there? Any info helpful. Considering booking something for next year.

TIA

I was on the NCL Star a few years ago - absolutely LOVED it.

 

To me, the two best excursions were either to see the lava flowing (I didn't) or up to the summit of Mauna Kea, 17k' high. There are 11 observatories up there and you're above the clouds.

 

I got a big kick out of showing my friends & coworkers the pictures of all the snow in June, remember you're up at 17k'. Our guide (a local astronamy (sp) buff said the the snow doesn't melt until Sept., and starts snowing again in November. If you're lucky, the guide will take you into one of the Keck Observatories (there are actually 2 Kecks - Keck 1 & Keck 2), and explain the workings of the telescopes etc.

 

My only problem was that I stayed in Honolulu for a week after the cruise. After going up to the North Shore, where all the surfing movies were filmed, Weimea Bay, Sunset Beach, Banzai Pipeline (a city bus goes up there for a couple bucks), to the Arizona Memorial, and Hilo Hatties (clothes & souveniers) I got bored. Honolulu is just like any large American city.

[Host Karen]

Check out the Hawaii Port of Call board for information on cruising Hawaii. Click here to reach the board directly.

 

Our first visit to Hawaii was via cruise ship and we thought it was a great way to get a taste of the islands. Now we can't wait to go back!

[RN7997]

Thanks for all the great tips.

GMoney we are practically neighbors. I actually lived in Folcroft in Delaware County till highschool and I now live in Lancaster County PA, about 1 hour NW of you. Thanks for all the pointers.

I have 6 and 8 year old sons, so I don't think the 14 day thing would work for us. I saw that if you fly direct to Hawaii you can go for 7-10 days. I think I would be more interested in that route. 4 days at sea that may be rough and cold doesn't sound like vacation to me. I am prone to sea sickness, but I have only cruised once so far. Its addicting. It seems there are sooo many options for Hawaii that I don't know where to begin. Can anyone reccomend a good website? Have any of you taken kids on this cruise?

Thanks

[mikefast]

We cruised the Hawaiian Islands in May of last year. I think cruising is a great way to get an overview of the islands, and then go back later and do a land vacation of the island you liked best. Instead of a helicopter ride in Kauai, we had a light plane. Only my wife, myself and the pilot. It cost us 100 dollars per person for about an hour flight. The plane had oversize windows in it, so we really had a good view. He would fly anyplace we wanted to go. We spent 1 1/2 days in Kauai, one day at Hilo, one day at Kona, and two days in Maui. We arrived in Honolulu two days before we left on the cruise, and stayed the day we got back until late in the evening, so we had about 2 1/2 days in Honolulu. The weather was great, the seas were as calm as I have ever seen them in the Caribbean. It was a fantastic cruise, and we certainly want to go back.

[tazmancruiser]

What I like about the helipcopter ride you really get close. Can't think of that Spilberg Movie made in Kaui, But the "copter" takes you right down inside the falls. You almost few like you can touch the mountain walls.

Then he takes you over the "edge" of a mountain cliff and drops into the canyon. "WOW"! A memory I will never forget! Jurrastic Park was the name of the movie.

[cdw29]

If you really want to see Hawaii do a land vacation, not a cruise.

 

I would really tend to agree with Jerry. DW and I honeymooned for 2 weeks in Hawaii and it was the best vacation we've taken. When I was planning the trip, I considered a cruise, because you do get to see the entire array of what the islands have to offer. However, I decided that I liked the idea of spending the bulk of our time in one place and really getting to experience everything Maui had to offer. I think this really comes down to a personal decision about what's important in a vacation.

 

One thing I will say, however, is that no trip to Hawaii is complete without a stop at Pearl Harbor. It is absolutely one of the most moving sights I've seen in all my travels and is not to be missed!

 

Aloha!

Chris

[Jimbo]

What I like about the helipcopter ride you really get close. Can't think of that Spilberg Movie made in Kaui, But the "copter" takes you right down inside the falls. You almost few like you can touch the mountain walls.

Then he takes you over the "edge" of a mountain cliff and drops into the canyon. "WOW"! A memory I will never forget! Jurrastic Park was the name of the movie.

 

Sounds like that new ride at Disney called Soarin' If anyone gets to Epcot, be sure to go on that ride.....Awesome!!!

 

Jimbo:)

[lszu]

We did Hawaii a few years ago and loved it. Main reasons being that we got to see a little of each island and only had to unpack once. Also, things there are expensive so being on a cruise all your meals are paid for.

 

I'd go back and do Hawaii again without a second thought.

 

The weather on the islands was great. Seas were fine. There was one rough day heading back in to California (out of 4) and the last day at sea was a little cool for sitting by the pool.