Hawaii Fall 2010 is out -- BOO

[CRUZBUDS]

The 2010 Fall Hawaii cruises are out. We're bummed. They went from the normal 15 day to a 14 and all departures are on Sunday. We work and live in San Diego, so Sunday departures are just a waste of our precious vacation time. They dropped Kona as the 15th day.

 

Maybe 2011 will be better.

 

There were no Mexico cruises listed, expcept the long exotic ones. I hope they have a ship doing 10 day cruises.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I am glad that we did a Hawaiian cruise a few years ago.

We loved Kona!!

That is a shame that it is being dropped.

JMO -- 4 port days -- big bucks for those cruises - just not worth it.

[RevNeal]

This is terrible.

14 Days instead of 15 Days

ALL Sunday departures??????

I'm not about to sacrifice THREE Sundays for a two week cruise.

 

I am NOT happy with this itinerary. Not at all.

 

WHY ruin one of their best Itineraries? Is Stein trying to get rid of me????

[bcd2010]

Whew -- sure glad I booked for Jan 2010.

[chrispb]

Try Pride of America? All Saturday sailings. I'm surprised that Hal doesn't do the Hawaiin islands without all that sailing time. I don't want to fly all the way from UK and just see a week of Hawaii.

[Twickenham]

While I do sympathise with those for whom the new schedule doesn't work, for most people this is a plus:

-Sunday departures perfect for honeymooners;

-For people flying in day before, don't need to take an extra day of vacation time;

-Midweek departures again eat into people's vacation time.

Also, from HAL's perspective, a standard every-2-weeks loop helps with scheduling cruise air, shore excursions, supply deliveries, etc.

Unfortunately, HAL needs to cater to the larger marketplace in these difficult times...

[Twickenham]

I'm surprised that Hal doesn't do the Hawaiin islands without all that sailing time.

 

They can't. Google "Passenger Vessel Services Act". This is about as short as they can make this cruise, unless they start departing from Ensenada.

[sail7seas]

Try Pride of America? All Saturday sailings. I'm surprised that Hal doesn't do the Hawaiin islands without all that sailing time. I don't want to fly all the way from UK and just see a week of Hawaii.

 

Lots of people love the sea days. They enjoy the combination of port and lots of sea but I agree that 4 port days are too few.

 

* Only U.S. flagged vessels can board and disembark in a U.S. port without having visited a distant foreign port.

NCL has some (one ?) U.S. flagged vessels. All HAL ships are registered in Holland.

 

[lka1012]

I noticed that last night. Living on the other end of the country, Sunday departures give me transit to the port time, but I had wanted to go to Kona also.

[Himself]

This suprised me. Kona is one of the nicest Islands in the Hawaiian Chain. I would rather drop HILO than KONA. Rev Neal is correct. It does make it most difficult for a priest or minister to miss three Sundays for a two week cruise. Maybe they only want San Deigo clergy to do this one.

[Aunty Pat]

Kona isn’t an island. It is an area on the west side of the island of Hawaii (the Big Island). Hilo is also on the Big Island and a more convenient port – no tender required, closer to the Volcano National Park and Rainbow Falls, the 2 main sites on the island of Hawaii. Both of these sites can easily be seen by rental car available at the pier in Hilo.

Aunty Pat

 

Barefoot Windjammer - Phantom ‘81

K&D German Rhine Line ‘84

NCL - Norway ’85, Pride of America ’05, Southward ’87, Star ’97 & ‘05, Starward ’92, Sun ’02 & Windward ’93

RCC - Song of America ‘89

American Hawaiian - Independence ‘98

HAL - Volendam ’99, Noordam ’06, Oosterdam ’07 & ‘09, Statendam ’02 & ‘08, Prinsendam ’03 & ’06, & Zuiderdam ’04, ’06 & ‘07

Carnival - Spirit ‘05

Celebrity – Summit ‘05

Cruise West - Yorktown Clipper ‘06

Princess - Golden Princess ‘07

A & K - East Queen ‘07

Cunard - QM2 ’08

Pending Cruises:

HAL – Westerdam, September 6, 2009

Oceania – Insignia, June 17, 2010

[kryos]

Try Pride of America? All Saturday sailings. I'm surprised that Hal doesn't do the Hawaiin islands without all that sailing time. I don't want to fly all the way from UK and just see a week of Hawaii.

I only wish there was a way to sign on for a one-way Hawaii voyage and then do another one back a couple of weeks later. To me, the perfect trip to Hawaii would be to cruise to the islands, get off the ship, stay on land for a couple of weeks, and then get back on a ship to return to the main land. The problem with sailing to Hawaii on a roundtrip cruise is that you only get a relatively short period of time on each island. To do everything someone would do on one land trip while in the islands would probably take the cruiser ten Hawaii sailings.

 

The perfect solution would be a one-way sailing to Hawaii ... of about four or five days (with the stop in Ensenada) and then while in the islands stay in land-based accommodations.

 

I only wish HAL could work Hawaii sailings like this out. I think they would sell great too because a lot of people cite as their major reason for not cruising to Hawaii the number of sea days versus the number of days in port. This would solve that problem.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[EbayCruiser]

We just cancelled our Bermuda 2010 cruise and booked the 16 Day Circle Hawaii cruise on 10/01 Vancouver/San Diego cruise.

 

Our first choice was going to be San Diego/San Diego but they leave out of Vancouver to Hawaii on 10/01 which is the time we wanted to cruise.

 

Anyway .... we are very excited. :)

[EbayCruiser]

Oh forgot to say the best part .... we secured the two "secret" rooms. My brother & sister-in-law are joining us!! :D

[cruisecrasy]

Oh forgot to say the best part .... we secured the two "secret" rooms. My brother & sister-in-law are joining us!! :D

 

Oh please do tell - what 'secret' rooms & why on which ship?

 

Glad for u - have a super cruise.. :)

[cruisecrasy]

They can't. Google "Passenger Vessel Services Act". This is about as short as they can make this cruise, unless they start departing from Ensenada.

 

Thanks for the info..

 

I am curious why HAL can't make at least one or more cruises to Hawaii shorter & one way segments - 5 days at sea and 4 ports is preferable..IMO anyway!

 

To meet the requirements they cld sail to Hawaii from ? & into Vancouver, Canada before the Alaska season & out of there after their Alaska run(s), so folks who wish to only cruise one way wld have the option & cld then fly home..

The return cruise stopping in Ensenada wld meet the 'requirement' and those folks wanting a longer cruise and less time on the islands cld B2B..and of course they cld sell cabins to folks who only want a cruise home from the islands also..

Some folks prefer shorter cruises to Hawaii say 10 - 12 days & prices wld be lower also so that wld open up cruising to more folks!!

 

I go to Hawaii every yr or so, cruise there, stay for awhile & fly home or fly there and catch a cruise home instead..but unfortunately not on HAL which I wld greatly prefer and I wld definately not consider it now with only 4 port days & all those sea days.. :(

 

IMO anyway, seems this is a 'niche' HAL might consider....

[LAFFNVEGAS]

:(OK I have to say that I am very very disappointed as well. I had hoped that in late 2010 or for sure in SPring 2011 that Tom and I would take a Hawaii cruise but I can tell you right now the number one place I would want to go is Kona. I have been numerous times to Hawaii and know the 4 main Islands very well but my all time favorite place is Kailua-Kona.

I have not read all the posts in this thread but it appears HAL is trying to compete with Princess. Sadly there is not much in the way of competition in going to Hawaii from the Main Land. You have Princess and then you have RCI with a few Vancouver departures that are one way making it a round trip that is usually 22 days which is a bit too long for most. HAL's 15 day was unique and gave them the edge with going to Kona in my opinion. Now I know that most think Kauai is wonderful but I would rather skip Kauai and make it to Kona any day.

[Copper10-8]

We just cancelled our Bermuda 2010 cruise and booked the 16 Day Circle Hawaii cruise on 10/01 Vancouver/San Diego cruise.

 

Our first choice was going to be San Diego/San Diego but they leave out of Vancouver to Hawaii on 10/01 which is the time we wanted to cruise.

 

Anyway .... we are very excited. :)

 

Glad, I'm not the only one!;) I just changed our OCT 09 Oosterdam Med cruise for one of the remaining 15-day San Diego-Hawaii-San Diego cruises on Zaandam in NOV this year

[Twickenham]

I am curious why HAL can't make at least one or more cruises to Hawaii shorter & one way segments - 5 days at sea and 4 ports is preferable..IMO anyway!

 

Again, the PVSA comes into play. You can't have a one-way cruise between 2 different US ports unless you visit a distant foreign port. I don't know which Pacific ports would qualify, but I'm sure Ensenada isn't one of them. Therefore, such a cruise would actually have to leave from Ensenada.

[pspercy]

unless you visit a distant foreign port

 

Hawaii cruises used to go south to the Fanning Isl to fulfill this requirement. NCL got the special deal with an American crew but it didn't work out very well for them apparently.

[cruisecrasy]

Again, the PVSA comes into play. You can't have a one-way cruise between 2 different US ports unless you visit a distant foreign port. I don't know which Pacific ports would qualify, but I'm sure Ensenada isn't one of them. Therefore, such a cruise would actually have to leave from Ensenada.

 

Curious how RCL & Carnival do it and HAL can't since those cruiselines must also meet the same conditions??

[cruisecrasy]

Again, the PVSA comes into play. You can't have a one-way cruise between 2 different US ports unless you visit a distant foreign port. I don't know which Pacific ports would qualify, but I'm sure Ensenada isn't one of them. Therefore, such a cruise would actually have to leave from Ensenada.

 

Carnival sails a 12 day Van. to Honolulu, then sails back & ends in Ensenada so it must qualify as a distant foreign port...Even its other offspring, Princess, does a fairly full up 10 day Van to Honolulu, so its odd that another offspring, HAL, doesn't - IMO anyway!

 

Have happy cruisin'!

[Taxguy77]

Again, the PVSA comes into play. You can't have a one-way cruise between 2 different US ports unless you visit a distant foreign port. I don't know which Pacific ports would qualify, but I'm sure Ensenada isn't one of them. Therefore, such a cruise would actually have to leave from Ensenada.

Why not? I don't know what port facilities Ensenada has now, but it's only a short drive from San Diego.

[EbayCruiser]

The 10/01/10 Hawaii cruise leaves Vancouver and goes to Hawaii, then returns to San Diego. It is a 16 day cruise that does include Kona. You get to visit 5 ports in Hawaii (which is a plus). There are 5 sea days going and 5 sea days coming back.

 

We were really hoping for a 15 day roundtrip from San Diego but that one just did not happen.

 

The secret rooms are on the Zaandam - SHH!!! Room #'s I7086 & I7083. You pay an inside price but you have a large window. The rooms are confirgured a little weird but for the price it is a great value. Do a search and you will find pictures of these rooms. They even have a balcony on the stern of the ship that is rarely used and easily assessible from these rooms.

 

I have been doing research for the best rooms to book and when the Hawaii sailings came out .... I was ready to "pounce". :D

[MadManOfBethesda]

Carnival sails a 12 day Van. to Honolulu, then sails back & ends in Ensenada so it must qualify as a distant foreign port...Even its other offspring, Princess, does a fairly full up 10 day Van to Honolulu, so its odd that another offspring, HAL, doesn't - IMO anyway!

 

Have happy cruisin'!

 

No, it doesn't qualify.

 

The reason the cruises that you mentioned work is because they don't begin and end at U.S. ports. If you start or end at a foreign port then the rule does not apply.