Hawaii 14 dz which side?

[planb]

So which side of the ship is best for the 14 day Hawaii cruise and how many formal nights are there? Any help or info on this cruise would be well appreciated.;)

[shushu]

There are 3 formal nights.

What's the difference between the sides? It only matters which side the ship will dock, so you can enjoy any view..............:)

[shushu]

The cruise is really nice, but there are too many days at sea. Last season with Golden we had to skip some ports because of the weather, and we had almost 11 days at sea.

But the ports are beautiful...especially Maui..

[Zubsin]

I suggest you check the Hawaii thread...I see more port than starboard votes there but I think it's really a toss up. We booked a port side balcony but then we're only on a 7 day trip. dlz

[Arlened236]

We had done this cruise twice because we love the sea days...both times in Feb. Once on the Island and once on the Diamond...either side is good. It just depends on the weather how the capt. docks the boat. We had a balcony cabin on each trip and really enjoyed it. It was cool the first day and last day from and to LA. but beautiful the rest of the trip. Our only complaint is...there is not enough time in some ports to do everything you want to.

We loved Maui, and the big Island. (but all are beautiful) Be sure to go whale watching in Maui...we went with the Pacific Whale foundation (cheaper than ships tour and we saw many more whales)

We would do this trip again in a heart beat.

[Shoobee2]

The side of the ship can make a difference when you are sailing by the volcano on the big island. We were on the starboard side of the ship and were able to see the lava from our balcony. Spectacular! Still, it depends on your itinerary. We were going from Hilo to Kona... if you are going the other way, then the port side is probably better.

[leoandhugh]

And currently there is not enough lava flow to make much difference; we did it in March this year and the lava flow was not even reaching the ocean where you can normally hear it sizzling hot steam as it hits the water.:)

[flamomo]

Both past r/t LA - Hawaii cruises were in starboard balcony cabins, as is the one booked for next March. On the first 2 cruises, we sailed from Hilo to Kona after dark, and were able to see the lava flowing into the sea, which was a real thrill.

Now that Princess no longer ports in Kona (BAD MOVE, PRINCESS! Cruisers like Kona!), I don't know if we will follow the same route next year. But I did choose starboard again, just in case!

That said, there's no knowing which side of the ship will be next to the pier in what ports. I do remember, starboard was in Honolulu, while in Nawiliwili (Kauai), port was. Maui (Lahina) is a tender port, and I don't remember which way it was docked in Hilo.

[hughdm]

The side of the ship can make a difference when you are sailing by the volcano on the big island. We were on the starboard side of the ship and were able to see the lava from our balcony. Spectacular! Still, it depends on your itinerary. We were going from Hilo to Kona... if you are going the other way, then the port side is probably better.

They didn't sail around the volcano on Golden this last year. I'd check, but this is probably not a factor. I'd say it doesn't matter. We went in March, and I don't even remember which side we were on! I certainly didn't feel like we missed anything.

[skf]

In October we sailed from Hawaii to Oahu, & did not go by the lava.

[DougandEric]

We were on the Diamond port side last time. No difference except for viewing the sail by the volcano at night - we simply went to the other side to view! Since this itinerary takes you more or less due west outbound and due east inbound, there isn't much of a consideration with regards to sunsets/sunrises as say on a Caribbean cruise from Ft. Lauderdale where you are going basically north to south - on the way south being on port side you'd have sunrises and on the way back (north), you get sunsets.

 

As to how the ships dock and which side to be on, I'd say don't worry about it. From sailing to sailing, the ship may dock in a slightly different location and/or orientation from previous sailings - it would depend on port conditions and traffic. For example, the Veendam 'usually' docked with the bow pointing south in Tampa but on our return, it docked in the same location but bow facing north - had to do with other ships and traffic at the time.

 

It's a wonderful cruise regardless and we're booked on the Golden (starboard side) doing the same itinerary 11/22/2009!

 

Doug