RCCL Legend of the Seas to Hawaii 11/21/04

[Patriotic Cruiser]

Hi!

This is our first "Big" cruise (2 others RCCL 3 day to Ensenada last year and Carnival 4 day to Catalina and Ensenada the year before). RCCL is MUCH better than Carnival in my opinion. We joined the C&A Society on our last cruise.

 

I'm so excited about this trip - I've learned so much from everyone at CruiseCritic. Thank you all!

 

We're in cabin 3793 - I like interior, but we will try to upgrade when we get there. View is not as important as space - 3 people sharing a tiny cabin does not appeal to me, but the cabins look bigger on this ship than the one we took to Mexico.

 

My parents (very early 60's) are going with us (my hubby and our 12 year old son).

 

Sounds like it's really a better bet to rent a car and do the excursions ourselves. Any tips on great snorkeling areas? Also, looking for laundromats in port to refresh our wardrobe.

 

Any more tips about this cruise line or ship would be greatly appreciated.

[kimidz]

If you want info on things to do, go to the Hawaii board on this site.. Lots of good info. We leave on Wednesday on the Serenade for Hawaii. We rented a car on each island.

[Patriotic Cruiser]

Thanks! Have a terrific time. Can't wait to hear about your trip!

[Jevey]

Thought we were the only ones on this cruise! Posted on the M&M board..only one other couple responded! Daughter was on this ship (honeymoon) in June..said it was terrific! We have been on her sister ship The Vision...Good entertainment!

 

The bus drive from San Diego to Ensenado is not wonderful (did this route to Hawaii in May 2004 on X) They provide a boxed lunch (or did) Then us to a hotel in Mexico to check in..( does not take long.) Then we proceed to the ship with many other buses. There, we wait, and wait and wait. Took us about forty mins, as they take the buses in order that they arrive at the dock. It's quite orderly but a little frustrating.

 

Know you'll have a great time..maybe we'll see you around!

[mberli]

Did the cruise in April. It was great. Rent a car in every port. Just make sure that they have a free port pickup shuttle. We did all the excursions on our own. Kapalua Bay on Maui was great for snorkeling. About 100 different varieties of fish and sealife. They have a plastic card with all on it that you can buy, and mark off all that you have seen. It was great. You don't even need a life preserver if your swimming is not that good, as the water keeps you afloat. Food and entertainment on the ship were great. Plenty of activities to keep you busy on the 4 sea days.

 

Mel

[dege]

My husband and I will be on this cruise also. This is the second time we're doing this itinerary. We also did this cruise last April and enjoyed it so much we booked it again. We rented cars in every port. The shuttles picked you up at the port and dropped you off afterwards, it was very easy. We had an inside booked last time but upgraded as it was pretty crowded with 2 pieces of luggage, 2 sets of golf clubs and 2 people!

As far as the bus ride to Ensenada, we thought it went pretty smoothly, didn't notice much waiting time at all. And yes, they give you a boxed lunch and a bottle of water. Once on board the ship, we dropped off our carry ons and grabbed the free shuttle into town. We had a couple of hours to shop and walk around before boarding again to get ready for dinner. If you haven't already heard, the first 2 days are fairly cool (sweater or light jacket needed). On the third day we hit warm weather around noon. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Dege

[Wor Lad]

Here we are -

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=82479

[Wor Lad]

Did search on 'Kailua Laundromat' and found this

 

Hele Mai Laundromat

Self Service Laundromat- Drop-Off Service Available, Friendly Attendants always on duty. Large and Small Modern Machines, Fully Maytag Equiped Open 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily .

Address: 75-5629 Kuakini Hwy. Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. 96745

Phone: 808-808-329-3494 E-mail:indycat@hawaii.rr.com ................

 

Here's the map -

 

http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=e9egoOp_0TpSJoZfwtt0m.GTpewwd_hC1pkMLg--&csz=96745&country=us&new=1&name=&qty=

 

It's about half a mile from where the tenders drop us off.

 

Dave S.

[Patriotic Cruiser]

Thanks! That's great! I did find a couple of others using Switchboard.com, but if this one has attendants, they could watch the laundry for me! I'll print this one out - still think we'll run out of undies on a trip this long - my 12 year old changes clothes at least twice a day (he's a spiller).

[Patriotic Cruiser]

Hey Wor Lad, is Rancho Murrietta the Murrietta neat Temecula? If so, we're practically neighbors - We're in Riverside (Orangecrest)!

[Wor Lad]

Our Rancho Murieta is 25 miles SE of Sacramento, just where the foothills start.

 

Dave S.

[Patriotic Cruiser]

Thanks Wor Lad - We have family in Chico.

[lrskier]

we did this one and great. booked my cars with a Naiomi from Thrift, she gotus great prices for all with one email.. dont fail to do the helicopter at Kauai. Capt Cook on Kona is n ice snorkle if you do that. And the volcano is active.. the poster about a bigger room, they arent onthe 3rd deck except handicap cabins. you have to book a D1 balcony or higher to get some more space if you are looking for that. Buit you wont even be in your cabin that much anyway. We did a D1 and loved the balcony for that great 11 days. Have fun.. let me know if i can be of any help. LRSkier

[Victoria_Soares]

My husband (Randy) and I (Victoria) have just booked this cruise, and signed up for this M&M. We're 36 and live in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is our 5th cruise. 1st on RCCL or is is RCI? Hope by registering we help get the group to the minimum 25 for a hosted M&M (whatever that means).

 

We've booked our first balcony ever (junior suite in fact)-very exicting! Planning on renting cars in all the ports. AA Aloha Rentals is the way to go for Hawaiian rental cars. They have gotten us great deals over the years.

 

Not looking forward to the bus from San Diego - Hoping for the best in the food - Just can't wait to get away from it all in general, no matter what the case!!

 

Looking forward to making new friends,

V & R

[cruisin-Trish]

My husband and I did back to back cruises to Hawaii on the Legend in April & May 2004. We had a wonderful time! We rented cars in all ports so we could see Hawaii at our own pace. I will post all the car information I have for Hawaii on a separate post.. We ate at the airport as we had called RCCL and were told there would be no box lunches. There is a food court with a McDonalds and a few other restaurants. Many people were not prepared for only a bottle of water and a granola bar for the trip to Ensenada. Call RCCL and see if they are providing box lunches for your sailing. Make restroom stop at the airport before boarding the bus as all of the buses don't have a restroom.

The loyalty ambassador on the Legend is a great person and a dear friend! If you stop by to see Runi tell her Trish & Herb said Hello!

[cruisin-Trish]

We rented a car from Alamo in every port. For us it was the only way to go. We could go at our own pace & linger if we chose or leave a location if we'd seen enough. Different strokes for different folks!

 

There are free Hilo Hattie & Walmart shuttles in most ports. In Lahaina there is a free shuttle every 20 minutes to the Whalers Village shopping mall until 2:30. The bus & local trolley is $1 each way until 10pm. I don't know the schedules but they are available in town.

 

We rented a convertible most of the time using the 6T code . Cost was around $48 total except in Hilo where it cost $20 more. I have no idea why. In Maui we rented a convertible for 2 days on the first cruise at a total cost of $89.29. We also used the code PB for a minivan rental in Maui on the second cruise. Cost is around $45 total for one day. Our 2 day rental was $83.72 total. This code is good for Sunday through Wednesday pickup. I know everyone has talked about the price to park overnight in Maui and we were expecting to pay $20 in the lot behind the Burger King. But they had a special price of $5 for 24 hours if you parked after 5pm!! Needless to say we were thrilled!!. I hope the price is the same when you're there!

 

If you rent a car in Maui the location code for all rental cars is JHM. DO NOT RENT A CAR AT THE AIRPORT. It is an hour away! Some of the rental agencies wouldn't let you on their shuttle without a reservation & some people with airport reservations were out of luck! Alamo does not require a credit card to hold a car so if anyone is even considering renting a car do it! In Honolulu I used the code Q1 for weekend rental for 2 days and the cost was $65.16 for a Buick century. I did not find the coupons in the entertainment book helpful for car rentals. The codes I mentioned always cost less.

 

We rented with Alamo because it was consistently cheaper, I had read nothing bad about them in all the Hawaii reviews & Sue Bee or Sweet Emi( I forget which one of these wonderful Hawaiian residents) used Alamo on her cruise in Hawaii.

 

There are no shuttles to the airport in Honolulu. A cab to the airport is about $30. There is a shuttle to the Alamo in the Ilikai Hotel which is close to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We actually had our car rented at the aiport & were pleasantly surprised to find an Alamo shuttle waiting as we exited the ship & they honored the price we had at the airport ! I understand the cab ride to the airport is about $30. If I had not planned on exploring the island I wouldn't have rented a car. I have read Honolulu has an excellent bus system & some of my fellow cruisers used the bus to go to the Arizona memorial & were very satisfied. The trolley in Honolulu is supposed to be very good too.

 

Driving on most of the islands is a relatively painless experience. However, the traffic in Kona is so bad Alamo's last shuttle is at 3:30 & the ship leaves at 6! We were kind of miffed about this until we drove in Kona! Then we understood! However, one of the CC people used Thrifty in Kona & it's last shuttle is 4 or 4:30. The airport in Kona is 20 minutes away & they suggest you call for the shuttle. I did this both cruises & the shuttle was already on it's way.

 

I never put a time earlier than 9am on any of the reservations & had no problems. Gas prices ranged from $2.13 to $2.33. We never spent more than $20 for gas, usually less.

 

I don't know if I've covered all questions about rental cars but If I haven't fire away!

 

http://www.rentalcars.com/

http://www.autorentalguide.com/index.shtml

[Victoria_Soares]

Anyone know if the Casino will be open at all during the 11/21/04 Ensenada to HI sailing? I am guessing that it may be open for the first 5 days while we are at sea but then closed while we island hop. Can anyone confirm or correct me on that?

 

Thanks, V

[dege]

I don't recall the casino being closed except during our overnight stay in Maui.

[Jevey]

Yee Gods! There I was thinking RCCL had booked this cruise just for us..having royal extract you know. *S* Adjusting tiara as I speak. You mean I have to mingle with the great unwashed masses? Where's me Zanax? *S*

[Patriotic Cruiser]

Hi Victoria & Jevy

Looking forward to meeting you on the cruise! Only 37 Days Left!!!

Hopefully it will only be the 11 of us on the ship, huh!?

[Wor Lad]

I must go down to the sea again,

To the lonely sea and sky,

I left my coat and trousers there,

I wonder if they're dry.

 

Ta Daaaa

[Patriotic Cruiser]

Beautiful! I didn't know we were cruising with a poet! :)

[Wor Lad]

Just signed up for the M&M.

[Jevey]

Here is me thinking we had six weeks to go and it's only five! Getting my cases out as I speak..Yes Wor Lad...case(S)..so start flexing your muscles. *S*

 

Off to Long beach next Monday for a few days...so what better time to get them out, hey?

[Patriotic Cruiser]

I'll admit it. I'm guilty. I've already started packing!! Not the stuff that'll get wrinkled, but sandals, and other stuff I don't need till the cruise. My den is now the "Cruise Room" (as my hubby calls it), full of suitcases, garment bags, carry-ons, etc.