Island Viewing

[sammyt]

I have a cruise scheduled in November on the Princess Diamond. Which side of the ship do I need to be on to view all the islands? Does anyone know first hand? The cruise line told me it didn't matter, but I don't buy that.

[Bucky3]

The only consideration here IMO is that if your ship goes from Hilo to Kona, a cabin on the Starboard side will give you the best view of the volcano if it is active. If your ship goes from Kona to Hilo, then portside would be best for the volcano view. Other than that, I don't think it makes much difference what side of the ship you are on. We had a midship cabin on the Island Princess twice, and we found that very convenient. On the Diamond we have a cabin reserved near the aft elevators. The Diamond is a BIGGER ship, and we like the convenience of being able to pop up to the Horizon Court buffet quickly for a bite to eat whenever. Seas can sometimes be rough so we prefer to be midship or more aft than forward on this cruise. Hope this helps!

[sammyt]

Thanks, Hilo is our first stop, then Kona, and our room is portside. So I guess that means we are on the wrong side. We leave Hilo at 6:00, so I am wondering if it will be dark anyway by the time we go around the volcano.

[sammyt]

Our room is also aft by the elevators. What date are you booked on. We are booked on Nov. 18.

[Bucky3]

It will definitely be dark when you go by the volcano, and depending on the ship's timing it could be quite late. That's why if you are on the correct side of the ship you don't have to worry about getting dressed to go up on deck. Try to find out whether or not the volcano is being active the night you pass, and if it is it would be worth it to go up on deck to see the firey lava flow coming down to the ocean. This is never a "given" as Madame Pele is said to determine the volcano activity !! If active, it's worth staying/getting up for, but it not active I wouldn't bother.

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

I have a cruise scheduled in November on the Princess Diamond. Which side of the ship do I need to be on to view all the islands? Does anyone know first hand? The cruise line told me it didn't matter, but I don't buy that.

 

It really does not matter. To give yourself some piece of mind, check your itinerary and compare that to the map in the brochure. There should be arrows indicating direction. The cruise lines usually follow the same path as the brocures illustrate. The Princess web page is not clear enough for me to see this though. Here is my best estimate based on my experience. To Hilo from the mainland is hard to say. From Hilo to Lahaina, likely the ship will sail around past the volcano and Kona to Maui, land will be on the starboard side. Lahaina to Kona will likely be direct with the islands on the port side. Kona to Honolulu will pass Maui on the starboard side. Leaving Honolulu to Kaua'i O'ahu will be on the starboard side. Leaving Kaua'i, again I'm not sure, but it may cruise past the Na Pali coast on the starboard side. Hope this helps. In any case the scenery will be memorable. Enjoy. Aloha.

[sammyt]

Thank you both for your input.

[beachchick]

sammyt: One of the reasons it doesn't matter much is that the bulk of your cruising time is done at night, so there's nothing to see anyway. At that time of year, sunset is between 6 and 6:30. What time does your ship leave Kauai? If it's not by 2 pm or so, you will not be cruising the Na Pali coast because it would be dark by the time the ship got there. Any ship that offers the Na Pali cruise-by is almost certainly going to include as an itinerary item because it's a pretty big deal. There will be some viewing in the early mornings as your ship comes into port, but I don't know your exact itinerary and don't know what direction you'll be coming from. Yes, if there's any lava viewing, it will be on the starboard side cruising from Hilo to Kona. Other than that, I really don't think it does matter much.

 

beachchick