No more Kauai for RCI and Celebrity?

[Ericknow32]

Man I feel sorry for all of you that aren't going to Kauai. It was my favorite port on my Hawaii cruise. I hope they can work things out for you all.

[Coralc]

There are NO snakes in Hawaii MACOP. Are you saying that the brown tree snake has finally arrived from Guam? On 3 different islands? I don't think so. I checked the news reports and I am unable to find ANY information about snake bites in the Hawaiian islands. What paper did you read it in? The May Radiance cruise is still docking in both Hilo and Kauai, so I don't think inclement weather and mudslides have anything to do with RCI's port changes for the fall cruises. :)

[AFT_LOVER]

as I never stated SNAKES.

 

 

There are NO snakes in Hawaii MACOP. Are you saying that the brown tree snake has finally arrived from Guam? On 3 different islands? I don't think so. I checked the news reports and I am unable to find ANY information about snake bites in the Hawaiian islands. What paper did you read it in? The May Radiance cruise is still docking in both Hilo and Kauai, so I don't think inclement weather and mudslides have anything to do with RCI's port changes for the fall cruises. :)

[freebird]

O.K. MACOP what is a shake?????

I also thought it was a typo for "snake"

 

freebird

[Weez]

O.K. MACOP what is a shake?????

I also thought it was a typo for "snake"

 

freebird

 

I was thinking the same as the rest of you. I knew there were no snakes so I couldn't figure out what he was talking about either.

[jwlane]

NCL hires Hawaiians to man their ships

They employ American citizens. Being Hawaiian is not a prerequisite.

[hawt1]

I am guessing that shakes are a very nervous cousin of the shark.

[emilygrace]

NCL has 2 (soon to be 3) ships sailing Hawaii exclusively. They will always get preference for docking, just as Princess gets preference in San Francisco because they sail from here year round. NCL America is obligated to hire Americans (being American flagged ships) and I think they try to employ Hawaiians as much as possible.

[xpcdoojk]

I agree also with xp, on the NCL monopoly. The awkward thing for us is spending an extra day and night at the embarkation port. We will have a rental car and go exploring until we check out of the hotel and board the ship on Thursday the 5th. Then we will be on the ship, at the dock, until 6PM on Friday the 6th. There is no reason to keep the rental car, because we won't have anywhere to park it. So..I don't know what we are going to do on Friday the 6th. Sit by the pool, go out for lunch on shore. I don't know yet.

 

Our friend's travel agent informed them of the change, and they let us know. Of course, RCCL never provides notification to anyone, and we are booked directly with the cruise line. Their wonderful TA also mentioned that if they could work out the berthing conflicts, that Kauai might return. :)

 

In 2001 we ended our 12 day Radiance cruise in Honolulu, and we actually spent one night there before leaving the ship. We arranged a car rental from Dollar. The first day in Honolulu we had a small economy car visitied Pearl Harbor and other sites and then we parked it that night at a parking lot less than 1 block from the ship between the Aloha Tower and the pier. The Aloha tower runs a shuttle between the pier and the ship regularly. Then the next day when we checked off the ship. I got in my rental and drove the 10 minutes to the rental car place and got my Minivan that we had for the next 3 days on the island to transport our luggage to our hotel on the North Shore (Turtle Bay) and to the airport at the end of the trip. Parking at the Aloha Towers was not expensive. Rental cars are not too expensive in general in Hawaii, unless you want a convertible and even then deals can be found.

 

It is very sad though that Hawaii and NCL are destroying my favorite cruising location ( I know I am in the minority on this one:D ).

 

jc

[MGoBlue2]

They employ American citizens. Being Hawaiian is not a prerequisite.

Not a prerequisite, but most are - a fact that even NCL points out. From their website:

 

In fact, the staff aboard the Pride of America is primarily Hawaii residents, ensuring that you'll get to know these islands like a local!

[Treven]

I thought the Shake was an alter-ego of the Calm; sort of like Dr. Jeckel & Mr. Hyde. ;-)

[threeofus]

Sorry to pour salt in the wound but Kauai really was the highlight of our trip. We sailed on NCL. I think RCL is definitely a better cruise over all - but when you are sailing through the Hawaiian Islands they have it.

 

I would rather do it with them. IMHO - sorry about that.

 

For most people that is a trip of a lifetime and the ports should be the priority. NCL isn't a bad cruise it's just not as good. We still had a great time. We actually enjoyed the freestyle cruising. Something about Hawaii puts you in a more casual mood. Again. MHO.

[Merry_Sea_Witch]

""Kauai 2 weeks ago had a massive mudslide from a broken dame atop a volcano that washed out homes, the freeway & 1/2 the airport. The island is basically closed, even the locals have gone elsewhere.""

 

 

 

Sorry! Not true! :( My brother lives on Kauai and yes there are a few roads closed, but you can still get anywhere, with a few detours. The main highway to north shore is open (one lane now, other lane in a few months) and but for those few days when the dam broke they were OK :) They are all concern about tourism because it is their livlihood and do not want any one to think the island is ruined! :) Also the pier was not affected as the slide was on the other side of the Marriott. :) Too badd RCI and Celebrity cannot visit Kauai, but I do not understand "berthing problems" because there are days when two ships are in port, like sometimes when the NCL Wind is in port, also sometimes the Carnival SPirit or the Princess Island are there. Maybe there are other reasons they don't want to admit!!! :cool:

[xpcdoojk]

""Kauai 2 weeks ago had a massive mudslide from a broken dame atop a volcano that washed out homes, the freeway & 1/2 the airport. The island is basically closed, even the locals have gone elsewhere.""

 

 

 

Sorry! Not true! My brother lives on Kauai and yes there are a few roads closed, but you can still get anywhere, with a few detours. The main highway to north shore is open (one lane now, other lane in a few months) and but for those few days when the dam broke they were OK They are all concern about tourism because it is their livlihood and do not want any one to think the island is ruined!Also the pier was not affected as the slide was on the other side of the Marriott. Too badd RCI and Celebrity cannot visit Kauai, but I do not understand "berthing problems" because there are days when two ships are in port, like sometimes when the NCL Wind is in port, also sometimes the Carnival SPirit or the Princess Island are there. Maybe there are other reasons they don't want to admit!!!

 

Don't worry we consider the source of the destruction of Kauai.:D :p :rolleyes:

 

Isn't there anywhere else for a ship to stop, maybe tender to shore at Kauai?

 

jc

[tuff2]

Looks like somone in Hawaii got paid off by someone from NCL.

[IMNiles]

Looks like somone in Hawaii got paid off by someone from NCL.

 

Well, if I were Hawaii, I would certainly give berthing preference to the line that was committed to the hawaii market, and was sailing US-flagged ships staffed with US Citizens (many hawaiian). Not only do those ships bring tourists, they bring jobs and local tax revenues. Perhaps NCL contributed to the cost of one or more of the piers - it's not unheard of at all for a cruiseline to build or contribute to the building of a pier in return for preferential berthing.

 

I'm an RCL fan, but having never sailed NCL or NCL America, I really have no basis for comparison. All the other cruiselines have to contend with the Jones act, so sailing to Hawaii for them is already troublesome (usually necessitating a stop at the Fanning Islands or similar), so I wouldn't be surprised to see the other cruiselines pretty much cede Hawaii to NCL for now, now that they so clearly have the leg up with two us-flagged ships. If this serves as an incentive for other lines to consider sailing us-flagged vessels, so much the better.

[beachchick]

It is amazing how Hawaii is selling itself out to NCL a cruise line nobody really wants to sail. :(

 

jc

 

Interesting thought, but untrue. Check the NCL board and you'll see plenty of activity for the "Pride" ships. They are cruising with pretty good capacity, so I think a more accurate statement might be that "many RCI loyalists don't want to sail." In fact, we are not fond of that many sea days or a Pacific crossing, so we are planning on PoHawaii this fall.

 

Also, it's hardly Hawaii "selling" out to anyone or anything. The special regulation that allows NCLA to cruise Hawaii-only itineraries is federal.

 

I do suspect that the ports have been cancelled due to berthing conflicts. It may be that tendering wouldn't work or that capacity won't allow it (just guessing, I have no idea what the real reason is).

 

I am very sorry for everyone who will miss Kauai, as it is a beautiful island and well worth the time.

 

beachchick

[xpcdoojk]

I think if you look at my statement as you quoted it in general NCL is not nearly as popular in any given location as RCI, Carnival, Princess etc. However, because they have complied with the passenger services act (jones act for passengers) so well they do have a big advantage over all other competitors. Please don't try to convince me that someone in Washington DC is deciding who gets priority for the dock space in Kauai which appears to be the issue in this case. Sorry to quibble, but my statement might not be complete of all possible facts it was but a single sentence after all, but to say it is untrue is equally wrong.

 

jc:D

[jbond]

We just got back from the Island Princess cruise, LA/Hawaii/LA. The weather was incredibly bad, it rained 12 out of 15 days. The best weather we had was in Ensenada. We couldn't dock in Kauai because of cross currents, the second cruise in a row that Princess had to skip Nawiliwili. I wouldn't think tendering would be an option, it's a large bay, but apparently has it's problems. The seas were not that high, moderate according to the ships log.

We visited four ports on a 15 day cruise and in my opinion I wouldn't do that again. Too many sea days and not enough ports. Despite the weather, we had a great time.

Too bad NCL is monopolising Hawaii, we've sailed them twice and we'll be staying with RCI and Princess for our future cruises.

[AFT_LOVER]

on those great Honolulu channels on Maui & that was major damage with water still pouring in continuing rains of 3 months now going into 4 with no relief. Kauai & Oahu are hit bad. It is even on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC here at home. Weather Channel has shown all the destruction on all islands. I was amazed how beaches are gone on Maui especially Kaanapali!

 

 

""Kauai 2 weeks ago had a massive mudslide from a broken dame atop a volcano that washed out homes, the freeway & 1/2 the airport. The island is basically closed, even the locals have gone elsewhere.""

 

 

 

Sorry! Not true! :( My brother lives on Kauai and yes there are a few roads closed, but you can still get anywhere, with a few detours. The main highway to north shore is open (one lane now, other lane in a few months) and but for those few days when the dam broke they were OK :) They are all concern about tourism because it is their livlihood and do not want any one to think the island is ruined! :) Also the pier was not affected as the slide was on the other side of the Marriott. :) Too badd RCI and Celebrity cannot visit Kauai, but I do not understand "berthing problems" because there are days when two ships are in port, like sometimes when the NCL Wind is in port, also sometimes the Carnival SPirit or the Princess Island are there. Maybe there are other reasons they don't want to admit!!! :cool:

[xpcdoojk]

that sucks JB.

 

We did a 16 day from New Zealand to Tahiti to Hawaii cruise in 2003 and we had great weather. That cruise didn't stop at Nawiliwili, but we had a great trip. I am not a fan of those mainland to Hawaii and back to the mainland cruises, but they are probably good for you west coast people who can take the extra time. To me the best thing about a Hawaii cruise is combining a cruise with a land vacation. So the repositioning cruises work for me.

 

jc

[jbond]

Hi jc,

One the major problems with sailing from the mainland to Hawaii, or vice versa, is that it is so cold on deck within two days of the mainland, regardless of the weather. When we cruised Radiance on a repositioning cruise, the weather was great, but there was a 30 knot wind across the deck that was a killer.

It was nice not having to fly, just debark the ship, walk across to the parking lot and drive home.

We missed not docking in Kauai, a gorgeous island, but the captain sailed around the island with our side of the ship facing land. We had a great time drinking champagne and martinis on the balcony and seeing more whales and dolphins than we have ever seen before.

[beachchick]

jc: Sorry if I wasn't clear. That one sentence was the only one I was quibbling over. That's why I included only that sentence it in the little quote. I was not commenting on your entire post, so I didn't put it all in the quote.

 

Bottom line is this: I don't believe that "no one wants to cruise" on NCL. I don't believe Hawaii is "selling out" to anyone. Those were my only thoughts about your post (in that regard). Do you have proof that the other lines are more popular in various locations? (I am interested in where people get facts like that.) While we love RCI, we aren't wedded to them, and will cruise any line that has an itinerary and ship we like.

 

As for berthing, I certainly didn't mean to relate the possible berthing conflicts to the federal regulations (passenger service act) that allow NCLA to be the only line to cruise Hawaii-only itineraries. I meant that Hawaii has no control over federal regulations that allow this, and I was referring to the "selling out" suggestion, not why the itineraries were changed.

 

I tried to separate the two thoughts, but obviously wasn't too successful. I hope this is a little clearer.

 

beachchick

[xpcdoojk]

jc: Sorry if I wasn't clear. That one sentence was the only one I was quibbling over. That's why I included only that sentence it in the little quote. I was not commenting on your entire post, so I didn't put it all in the quote.

 

Bottom line is this: I don't believe that "no one wants to cruise" on NCL. I don't believe Hawaii is "selling out" to anyone. Those were my only thoughts about your post (in that regard). Do you have proof that the other lines are more popular in various locations? (I am interested in where people get facts like that.) While we love RCI, we aren't wedded to them, and will cruise any line that has an itinerary and ship we like.

 

As for berthing, I certainly didn't mean to relate the possible berthing conflicts to the federal regulations (passenger service act) that allow NCLA to be the only line to cruise Hawaii-only itineraries. I meant that Hawaii has no control over federal regulations that allow this, and I was referring to the "selling out" suggestion, not why the itineraries were changed.

 

I tried to separate the two thoughts, but obviously wasn't too successful. I hope this is a little clearer.

 

beachchick

 

No problemo, Beachchick.

 

I do clearly think that RCI is far far more popular than NCL. No proof except that sheer numbers of passengers per week would provide.

 

I do think that it is local Hawaii politics that allocates pier space in Nawiliwili. I am sure that it is a case that NCL is paying for many many more days of docking fees and hence is getting favorable treatment, and I am not suggesting that they are getting paid off. Of course, it doesn't take a great leap to believe such things are possible.

 

jc

[AFT_LOVER]

with Waikiki filled with sewage yesterday so that beach is closed & those hotels are not too happy with the foul odor. But an overflow of the pipes in the city from almost 4 months of nonstop rain.

 

 

We just got back from the Island Princess cruise, LA/Hawaii/LA. The weather was incredibly bad, it rained 12 out of 15 days. The best weather we had was in Ensenada. We couldn't dock in Kauai because of cross currents, the second cruise in a row that Princess had to skip Nawiliwili. I wouldn't think tendering would be an option, it's a large bay, but apparently has it's problems. The seas were not that high, moderate according to the ships log.

We visited four ports on a 15 day cruise and in my opinion I wouldn't do that again. Too many sea days and not enough ports. Despite the weather, we had a great time.

Too bad NCL is monopolising Hawaii, we've sailed them twice and we'll be staying with RCI and Princess for our future cruises.