Cruise Ends in Oahu

[SilkySal]

11 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

Ha ha, OMG why are we discussing Oct 2023 in August 2022 🤣

Because we usually book our cruises 2 years in advance but sorry for the misunderstanding.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

15 minutes ago, SilkySal said:

Because we usually book our cruises 2 years in advance but sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

I get booking the cruise, but it is way too early to think about booking hotels on Oahu.

[SilkySal]

3 minutes ago, scottca075 said:

 

I get booking the cruise, but it is way too early to think about booking hotels on Oahu.

Most hotels are currently unavailable to book for September, 2023; however, the Outrigger on Waikiki Beach shows availability this far out. But, we will probably wait until we combine airfare and hotel, which should be around the end of October.

[Blizzard56]

43 minutes ago, scottca075 said:

 

I get booking the cruise, but it is way too early to think about booking hotels on Oahu.

Honestly it's not too early...I like to collect information and make the best decision based  on individuals experience.  It' something to look forward to and gives us a chance to discuss it with others that are traveling with us.  

 

Thank you for all the information you have given us.  

[Blizzard56]

43 minutes ago, SilkySal said:

Most hotels are currently unavailable to book for September, 2023; however, the Outrigger on Waikiki Beach shows availability this far out. But, we will probably wait until we combine airfare and hotel, which should be around the end of October.

Thanks Sal for the information you have provided.  We have traveled quite a bit but never to Hawaii.  Very excited about the cruise and our post cruise experience.  

 

BTW Sal where are you in Florida?

 

Edited August 22, 2022 by Blizzard56

[SilkySal]

2 minutes ago, Blizzard56 said:

Thanks Sal for the information you have provided.  We have traveled quite a bit but never to Hawaii.  Very excited about the cruise and our post cruise experience.  

 

BTW Sal where are you in Florida?

 

Central Florida, close to The Villages, Sun Lake estates in Grand Island next to Lake Yale, closest to Eustis.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

18 minutes ago, Blizzard56 said:

Honestly it's not too early...I like to collect information and make the best decision based  on individuals experience.  It' something to look forward to and gives us a chance to discuss it with others that are traveling with us. 

 

It's never too early to gather information, but to actually try booking this far out leads to higher price quotes. This far out hotels usually quote full rack rates because there is no pressure to lower them yet.

 

Ever since Hawaii has reopened there has been incredible upward pressure on prices. because of demand. Hotels that I could book for $400 a night in 2019 are over $1,000 a night right now.

 

If I tried to book a room for Oct 2023 right now, I'd only book fully refundable (which I normally do anyways). October, the first two weeks of November and the first two weeks of December are usually times when you can find great prices for hotels, because most families are not traveling, but not this year; demand is still sizzling hot. My fear is 2023 rack rates will reflect what the hotels hope is a new pattern of demand, not the old.

 

Exploring and planning is great,  but panic booking early feels like a different version of panic buying toilet paper and paper towels in 2020 that led to empty shelves.

[Travelexpert35]

I’ve stayed in Waikiki many times in hotels until I discovered www.waikikibeachrentals.com.They are large studio rentals with huge balconies at the Ilikai resort. They have oceanfront, Marina view and Cityview rooms. You should check out their website as the pricing is better than the hotels. It’s located beside the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Great location.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

1 hour ago, Travelexpert35 said:

I’ve stayed in Waikiki many times in hotels until I discovered www.waikikibeachrentals.com.They are large studio rentals with huge balconies at the Ilikai resort. They have oceanfront, Marina view and Cityview rooms. You should check out their website as the pricing is better than the hotels. It’s located beside the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Great location.

 

There are lots of rental agencies, including Ali'i Beach Rentals, Koko Resorts, Captain Cook Resorts and others. The issues for some with condos, especially on short stays, are that condos have cleaning fees, don't offer services like daily housekeeping (or do at an extra charge), may not have pool staff and often don't have onsite restaurants or lounges. We usually only rent condos on stays of more than 7-9 nights.

[Faeton]

Scott, would you have any recommendations for a family with 2 kids (10 & 7) in Oahu this October?  I'm not really sold on staying at Waikiki. Nightlife and fancy restaurants aren't our jam really.  Not really looking for a resort but rather looking to venture out, hike, snorkel and eat at awesome hole-in-the-walls

[Bocadude85]

1 hour ago, Faeton said:

Scott, would you have any recommendations for a family with 2 kids (10 & 7) in Oahu this October?  I'm not really sold on staying at Waikiki. Nightlife and fancy restaurants aren't our jam really.  Not really looking for a resort but rather looking to venture out, hike, snorkel and eat at awesome hole-in-the-walls

If you want to get away from Waikiki you can check out Turtle Bay on the north shore.. it is a big resort but it’s really the only one up there. This location will give you easy access to lots of hiking and some less crowded beaches. If you are into food trucks lots of food truck options just a short drive away. North shore taco truck has great fresh fish tacos and you can’t beat the burgers at Seven Brothers. Take a hike at Kaena Point, lots of great scenery and beautiful tide pools, before Kaena point is turtle beach, it’s a beautiful beach where you will see lots of turtles grazing on the rocks and laying on the sand sunbathing. 

Edited August 28, 2022 by Bocadude85

[KeepCalmBearOn]

1 hour ago, Faeton said:

Scott, would you have any recommendations for a family with 2 kids (10 & 7) in Oahu this October?  I'm not really sold on staying at Waikiki. Nightlife and fancy restaurants aren't our jam really.  Not really looking for a resort but rather looking to venture out, hike, snorkel and eat at awesome hole-in-the-walls

 

Waikiki isn't about nightlife and fancy restaurants. Waikiki is full of great Mom & Pop eating places and outside of the Waikiki District in urban Honolulu you will find TONS of hole-in-the-wall eateries, far more than rural Honolulu has.

 

Here is a cut & paste from TripAdvisor Oahu (Cruise Critic's parent company).

 

Here are the “unique” and “authentic” places to eat in Honolulu that I recommend people look at.

 

If you don't know what a "Plate Lunch" is, research it online. It is a uniquely Hawaiian thing, what might be the Hawaiian equivalent of Street Food.

 

Check out places like Helena's Hawaiian Food, Haili's Hawaiian Food, Young's Fishmarket, St. Louis Deli, Ethel’s Grill and a few others for "Plate Lunch"

 

There are other uniquely Hawaiian "eats" as mentioned, like saimin (Hawaiian version of ramen) and manapua (Hawaiian version of Chinese char sui bao, but Hawaiian sized). Good old school saimin is found at Shiro’s Saimin or Palace Saimin; good manapua is found at Royal Kitchen and Chun Wah Kam Noodle Factory. I've never been able to find saimin anyplace else in the world, other than Hawaii. It is a distinct flavor.

 

The Natsunoya Tea House has been around since 1921 and the Waioli Tea Room since 1922; both are very special in their own way. One or the other would make a "must go" list from me, but I don't know how they are handling guests right now.

 

Kapahulu Ave, the Diamond Head side border of Waikiki has a ton of great local places to eat; Tontatsu Tamafuji, Onoya Ramen, Sushi Ginza Onodera, Izakaya Nonbei, Side Street Inn, Tokkuri Tei, Sunrise Restaurant, Ono Seafood, Popeye's (yes, I love Popeye's red beans & rice), Uncle Bo's Pupu Bar, and Yakatori Glad Hawaii, to name just a few. This is why Rainbow Drive-in isn't a place I rec a lot. These spots are better I think.

 

The McCully Shopping Center is just outside Waikiki, one block mauka (towards the mountains) from the Ala Wai Canal. It is like a culinary trip around Asia in one location. They have Bozu Japanese, Fook Yuen Chinese Seafood Restaurant, Hot Pot Heaven, Pho777 Vietnamese Restaurant, Carp Dori for yakatori, Thai Lao Restaurant, Osaka Teppanyaki, Oh My Grill Hawaiian and Curry House Coco Ichibanya, a Japanese curry house. A collection that is hard to beat in one location.

 

Here is the link to the topic on TA and another link on "must eats".

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29222-i37-k13837892-o10-Unique_or_Authentic_places_to_eat_in_Waikiki-Oahu_Hawaii.html#112722407

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29222-i37-k13624999-o40-MUST_go_to_restaurants_in_Waikiki-Oahu_Hawaii.html

 

October on the North Shore is the start of the ocean getting unswimmable for inexperienced swimmers. The waves start to come up and the currents get dangerous.

 

If someone just can't bring themselves to stay in Waikiki, I'd pick Ko Olina before Turtle Bay.

 

In Waikiki where to stay is based on budget, length of stay, wants etc. Hotels I'd look at the Royal Hawaiian, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Outrigger Waikiki Beach, Outrigger Reef, Hyatt Regency, Park Shore Waikiki and Marriott Waikiki. Condos I'd look at the Ilikai, Waikiki Shore, Ilikai Marina, Banyan Waikiki, Sunset Waikiki and Imperial Waikiki.

 

[like2cruise99]

On 8/12/2022 at 6:15 PM, princeton123211 said:

It really runs the gamut in Waikiki. There's everything form budget friendly places that are a few blocks off the beach to luxury resort properties charging $600-700 a night. Will really depend on what your budget is and what amenities/location you want. 

 

On the higher end of things my personal favorites are The Royal Hawaiian and if money is no object Halekulani. They both have their plusses and minuses. The Royal Hawaiian is a little less expensive (can be had for $300-400 depending on when) and a little bit less luxe (when compared to Halekulani, RH is luxe by most other standards) but is right on the beach and oozes old Hawaiian vibes from the 1920's and '30s.

 

Halekulani is sort of at a Four Seasons level in terms of service, amenities, and accommodation. The downside is that the beach in front of it is eroded and there is a little dinky one off to the side-- nothing like what The Royal Hawaiian has a few doors down. 

 

There are several resorts along the beach that are part of Marriott and Hilton so if points redemption is your thing theres opportunity for that. The above two are my personal favorites though. 

I'm going to be there in October 2023 as well but I am cruising on RCI. What hotels do you recommend if I am wanting to use my Marriott points. I've seen a lot of places but I'm not sure where the best place/area is.

[princeton123211]

Just now, like2cruise99 said:

What hotels do you recommend if I am wanting to use my Marriott points.

Best use of Marriott points (and recognition of Marriott status) hard stop is the Royal Hawaiian thats part of the Luxury Collection. You can't do better with points on the stretch of beach. Beautiful old school 1920's hotel. We always get a nice upgrade as Titanium Elite as well as amenities. Their free breakfast is great as well. 

 

Second place would be Moana Surfrider-- not as good but still a nice place and run by Westin. Charming older hotel with some more modern sections and a great location. 

 

A distant third for Marriott points would be the Sheraton. It's just a big ugly block and it's huge. Not a big fan. 

[like2cruise99]

39 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

Best use of Marriott points (and recognition of Marriott status) hard stop is the Royal Hawaiian thats part of the Luxury Collection. You can't do better with points on the stretch of beach. Beautiful old school 1920's hotel. We always get a nice upgrade as Titanium Elite as well as amenities. Their free breakfast is great as well. 

 

Second place would be Moana Surfrider-- not as good but still a nice place and run by Westin. Charming older hotel with some more modern sections and a great location. 

 

A distant third for Marriott points would be the Sheraton. It's just a big ugly block and it's huge. Not a big fan. 

Princeton, thank you very much. I still have a little time before I book as I can't get airline tickets yet and I'm not sure how many nights I am going to stay but I do have some time to figure it out and how many points it will take. Any special area in the Royal Hawaiian or is there only one or all good rooms/views?

[princeton123211]

20 minutes ago, like2cruise99 said:

Any special area in the Royal Hawaiian or is there only one or all good rooms/views?

There are different levels they offer. We've been upgraded before to the Mailani Tower, which is a separate and newer (built in the 50s or 60s) addition to the older main hotel building. Its also their club section of the hotel with a breakfast and hors d'oeuvres in the evening in a small private lounge. Frankly we've never really thought it was worth it and even asked one time to be "downgraded" back to the main hotel which they were kind enough to give us a suite. 

 

The rooms in the main hotel are much larger than the tower and while they lack lanais and views due to the historic hotel being much shorter than the tower, we spend the majority of our time outside of the room anyway. The rooms in the main hotel are much more charming and better decorated in my opinion. The sweet spot is what they call a "Historic Ocean Deluxe Room"-- you get a view but aren't paying top dollar for a large suite. 

 

If you need a lanai though, or a view of the ocean that is over top of the palm trees, the only way to get that at the Royal Hawaiian is the Mailani Tower. 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

14 hours ago, like2cruise99 said:

I'm going to be there in October 2023 as well but I am cruising on RCI. What hotels do you recommend if I am wanting to use my Marriott points. I've seen a lot of places but I'm not sure where the best place/area is.

 

You got great advice from Princeton123, here is my two cents.

 

The Royal Hawaiian is clearly the top Marriott in Waikiki. The Mailani Tower is lovely, with great rooms. Oddly enough the tower was built in the late 1960s (opened in1968) because the jet age had hit Hawaii and opened up the state to a much larger audience and Sheraton (which the Royal Hawaiian was at the time) got the contract with United Airlines and the tower was built primarily for their crews so it would not impact the rest of the hotel guests as much.

 

I assume being from Oklahoma the ocean view is probably important to you. It isn't to me because I live on the ocean in SoCal and travel to Oahu at least every 3 months on business, so my favorite room at the Royal Hawaiian is a Historic Garden Suite. I love the serenity and quite of the Garden area and the suites are fabulous. I sit in the Garden Suite and wonder who might have spent a month or more in that room in the pre-WWII days when that was what you did.

 

After the Royal Hawaiian, I'd pick the Moana Surfrider next, a room in the Surfrider Tower preferably, but there is nothing wrong with the Diamond Wing or Historic Wing. Then, in order, the Waikiki Beach Marriott, Laylow by Marriott, Marriott Courtyard and THEN the Sheraton Waikiki, which I despise to the core of my being (long story). I doubt you can get the Ritz Carlton on points, but do check and DO NOT be tempted by the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani regardless of how tempting the offers are.

[princeton123211]

1 hour ago, scottca075 said:

I doubt you can get the Ritz Carlton on points

I agree with everything you said. You can get the Ritz Residences on points but you pay dearly for it-- between 80,000-95,000 Bonvoy points a night when you can get the Royal Hawaiian between 50-60k a night. AND you're a 10 minute walk from the beach. Just not worth it. 

[princeton123211]

4 hours ago, scottca075 said:

THEN the Sheraton Waikiki, which I despise to the core of my being (long story)

I have my own reasons why I cant stand that soul sucking monstrosity on the beach, but definitely intrigued if theres an interesting story that goes with yours...

[KeepCalmBearOn]

2 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

I have my own reasons why I cant stand that soul sucking monstrosity on the beach, but definitely intrigued if theres an interesting story that goes with yours...

 

Not too interesting and way off topic, but when I was one kine keiki living in Waikiki on Seaside Ave, my mother would take me to the beach where Seaside Ave ended. That just happens to be where the Sheraton Hotel now sits. I remember it as "Mrs. Young's house", the last private home on the beach in Waikiki. Mrs. Young was a member of the Young family, as in the Alexander Young Hotel, Alexander Young Building, and many other ventures.

 

I remember Mrs. Young as a very old, very dear lady and the beach in front of her home, Gray’s Beach, as a nice, big beach, just next to Waikiki Beach. I was very sad when her home was torn down and even sadder when they began the construction of the Sheraton. The once clear waters of Gray’s Beach became murky and clouded, Gray’s Beach began to erode. The erosion of Gray’s Beach may have been coincidental to the Sheraton construction, but such an oversized monstrosity should never have been approved in that footprint.

 

Once it was completed, and I went inside, it was gaudy and overdone; like someone from NY's idea of what Ha-Wai-Yah should look like. I've stayed (never by choice) as part of groups I was with and it was too big, there were lines for everything, including the elevators...  lines that were WAY too long. The only three things I liked about the Sheraton, the Prow Lounge (top Hawaiian performers), Infinity Nightclub (top DJs spinning) and the Honohono Room (top of the hotel with spectacular views) are all long gone.

 

If I ever earn a billion dollars I'll use it all to buy and collapse the Sheraton and build something reasonable in it's place.

Edited September 9, 2022 by scottca075

[victoriaj]

Used to love the Honohono Room with the view of Diamond Head over the heads of the sunken bar  keeps. The table side preparation of our Ceasar Salad followed by the best Filet Mignon then dancing to a wonderful live band. Those were the days but I guess I'm dating myself. Sure glad I had the opportunity and now the Memory of those days gone by. 

[Cruise Junky]

On 8/27/2022 at 3:25 PM, Faeton said:

Scott, would you have any recommendations for a family with 2 kids (10 & 7) in Oahu this October?  I'm not really sold on staying at Waikiki. Nightlife and fancy restaurants aren't our jam really.  Not really looking for a resort but rather looking to venture out, hike, snorkel and eat at awesome hole-in-the-walls

We’re up in Turtle Bay now for September.  Love it up here.  There’s the resort but there’s also a ton of condos on the golf course that will be a lot cheaper.  

[93yearsyoung]

On 8/27/2022 at 6:25 PM, Faeton said:

Scott, would you have any recommendations for a family with 2 kids (10 & 7) in Oahu this October?  I'm not really sold on staying at Waikiki. Nightlife and fancy restaurants aren't our jam really.  Not really looking for a resort but rather looking to venture out, hike, snorkel and eat at awesome hole-in-the-walls

 

If you can afford Aulani or the Kahala Resort, those would be my first two choices if you really don't want Waikiki, but Waikiki is fine, especially in a hotel on the beach.

 

Turtle Bay is only good certain months and you have to have a car.

[Bocadude85]

On 9/21/2022 at 6:13 PM, 93yearsyoung said:

 

If you can afford Aulani or the Kahala Resort, those would be my first two choices if you really don't want Waikiki, but Waikiki is fine, especially in a hotel on the beach.

 

Turtle Bay is only good certain months and you have to have a car.

You will also need a car for Aulani and Kahala unless you never plan on leaving the resort area. 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

3 hours ago, Bocadude85 said:

You will also need a car for Aulani and Kahala unless you never plan on leaving the resort area. 

 

They'd need a car for Aulani if they want to leave Ko Olina, but shuttles from the airport are reasonable and the Kahala offers a complimentary shuttle to Waikiki, Ala Moana and the Kahala Mall.

 

Turtle Bay the shuttles are outrageous, but I understand why, and there are few Ubers out that way. Kapolei and Ko Olina have decent Uber/Lyft and taxis for people who want to go out to dinner someplace different. You can getaway without a car easier.