Hawaii -Best time of Year

[carlp]

thinking of taking a Princess cruise to Hawaii - never have before

is there any better time of year (month) to do this

want to leave from LA

 

thanks

[CruiserBruce]

Better in what way? To the average tourist,  the weather is almost always great, and not a lot of variation. A bit wetter in the winter months, a little more humid in the later summer early fall period.

 

There is no low season in Hawaii for a reason. 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

If the ship visits Maui, I'd say February or March to hit Whale season. Other than that, I might avoid July and August, when the islands are their busiest, but if the fares for then when better, I'd still book it.

 

As Bruce said, there really isn't a bad time.

[baggal]

Trying to decide between a cruise to Hawaii in early October or late January.  I'm concerned about the weather during the 5 day sailing to Hawaii and an additional 5 days back to San Diego.  Is the Pacific Ocean considered calmer at one time or another?  For instance, I know NOT to sail in the Caribbean during active hurricane season but I have no idea about the Pacific.

 

Thanks.

[princeton123211]

5 minutes ago, baggal said:

Is the Pacific Ocean considered calmer at one time or another?  For instance, I know NOT to sail in the Caribbean during active hurricane season but I have no idea about the Pacific.

Not really. The Typhoon season really only applies to the northwestern part of the Pacific in and around Japan-- doesn't really apply to Hawaii and certainly not the ocean between Hawaii and the Mainland. 

 

There is no predicting the sea state. What we can predict is that it will get warmer as you approach and cooler as you leave Hawaii. It'll be a little bit cooler in San Diego in January vs October but not by a huge amount. It will cool off a bit once you get out to sea the first few days. 

 

Either time is a great time to visit the islands-- if you're worried about the sea state why not consider just flying over and spending more time? Unless you love a ton of sea days, instead of 3/4/5 days on the islands you can spend a week or more. It's a much better way to see the islands than by sailing to/from. 

[baggal]

2 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

Not really. The Typhoon season really only applies to the northwestern part of the Pacific in and around Japan-- doesn't really apply to Hawaii and certainly not the ocean between Hawaii and the Mainland. 

 

There is no predicting the sea state. What we can predict is that it will get warmer as you approach and cooler as you leave Hawaii. It'll be a little bit cooler in San Diego in January vs October but not by a huge amount. It will cool off a bit once you get out to sea the first few days. 

 

Either time is a great time to visit the islands-- if you're worried about the sea state why not consider just flying over and spending more time? Unless you love a ton of sea days, instead of 3/4/5 days on the islands you can spend a week or more. It's a much better way to see the islands than by sailing to/from. 

Thanks for the info.  We're coming from the East Coast and was looking to avoid a very long flight to Hawaii and then spending additional time in local airports to visit a few of the islands.  

[princeton123211]

3 minutes ago, baggal said:

We're coming from the East Coast and was looking to avoid a very long flight to Hawaii and then spending additional time in local airports to visit a few of the islands.  

We go once a year-- Hawaiian Airlines runs a great nonstop from JFK, Boston, and Orlando direct to Honolulu. United has a direct to Maui from Newark seasonally and Honolulu from Dulles year round. Hawaiian is an absolute joy to fly compared to the usual suspects and has a much better inflight experience.  

 

I love cruising (or else I wouldn't bother posting on here) but it's just one of those places that doesn't lend itself well to cruising as things currently stand with rules and regs. Lots of sea days (unless that is your thing and then have at it) or stuck on NCL Pride of America which I think is a subpar ship. 

 

Flying intra island is easy, quick, and usually pretty inexpensive. Hawaiian has a great service and flights are usually a quick 20-30 minutes with nearly hourly departures more like a shuttle-- you don't go sit and wait at the airport like you do for flights at home.

 

Also there are some great smaller options like Mokulele Airlines which fly smaller planes which can essentially give you a free aerial tour (the flight from Kapalua to Honolulu usually takes you on the North side of Molokai which people pay hundreds per person for in a helicopter). 

 

I get what you're saying but, especially if you haven't been before (making an assumption), spending 3/4 days there and sailing 5 days in either direction is going to seem like a tease when you have to leave. 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

January is in whale season. That would be my rec for a first time visitor. The weather is nicer in October, but it won't effect the sail over or back.