Hawaii Fall 2010 is out -- BOO

[MadManOfBethesda]

:(OK I have to say that I am very very disappointed as well.

 

From HAL's perspective this change is a no brainer. It is much, much, much easier for those still in the work force to take a two-week vacation and hop aboard a cruise that begins and ends on the weekend.

 

That's why all seven day cruises are Sat/Sat or Sun/Sun. It makes even more sense for a two-week cruise to be Sat/Sat or Sun/Sun. And actually, the Sunday departure is the better of the two because that gives potential passengers even more time to get to the port of embarkation.

[CRUZBUDS]

We've done the one-way Hawaii twice. The first time on Princess and flew in the day of the cruise. Huge mistake. The next time we did it on Carnival and came in a couple of days early. We really enjoyed that. The bus ride back from Ensenada didn't bother us.

 

We would do it again, but Carnival only does it once a year so the prices are higher that we like to pay. We're not interested in the one they do in the spring that starts in Ensenada.

[RevNeal]

That's why all seven day cruises are Sat/Sat or Sun/Sun. It makes even more sense for a two-week cruise to be Sat/Sat or Sun/Sun. And actually, the Sunday departure is the better of the two because that gives potential passengers even more time to get to the port of embarkation.

 

Firstly, not all 7-day cruises are Sat/Sat or Sun/Sun. Look at the Alaska sailing schedule for 2009, with 7-day cruises beginning on Wednesdays (Volendam) and Fridays (Zaandam, Ryndam).

 

As for weekend departures themselves, I wouldn't be bothered by -- and actually like -- Sat/Sat Departures: I can do a week-long cruise with only one Sunday being missed; more than half of HAL's weekend departures on its 7-day cruises are, in fact, Sat/Sat departures. It's these Sun/Sun Departures that are a great big pain to me, and will effectively make Hawaii impossible for me under the Fall 2010 schedule (I'm not easily going to blow 3 Sundays in order to get only 14 days aboard ship ... not when I can swing as many as 19 days/Nights aboard ship missing only 2 Sundays (with a Monday embarkation and a Saturday disembarkation). It is BAD vacation management for me to select Sun/Sun departures. I've done it in the past, but I haven't done it in 4 years and am entirely loath to do it in the future.

[MadManOfBethesda]

It's these Sun/Sun Departures that are a great big pain to me, and will effectively make Hawaii impossible for me under the Fall 2010 schedule (I'm not easily going to blow 3 Sundays in order to get only 14 days aboard ship ... not when I can swing as many as 19 days/Nights aboard ship missing only 2 Sundays (with a Monday embarkation and a Saturday disembarkation). It is BAD vacation management for me to select Sun/Sun departures. I've done it in the past, but I haven't done it in 4 years and am entirely loath to do it in the future.

 

I didn't mean to discount your (or anyone else's) reasons for not liking HAL's change. I was merely pointing out that from HAL's standpoint, this change makes enormous business sense. This makes it much easier for a great many more people to take this cruise who otherwise wouldn't be able to due to the limits of a two calendar week vacation schedule.

[RevNeal]

I didn't mean to discount your (or anyone else's) reasons for not liking HAL's change. I was merely pointing out that from HAL's standpoint, this change makes enormous business sense. This makes it much easier for a great many more people to take this cruise who otherwise wouldn't be able to due to the limits of a two calendar week vacation schedule.

 

And I understand that. It would be better for me if HAL were to make its departures on Saturday. :) Perhaps that's selfish of me?

 

As for 14 as opposed to 15 day cruises ... I would much prefer the 15 day cruise so that one gets 5 days in the Islands. Sadly, we lose a day in Hawaii, which will make it harder to justify the cruise (10 days at sea and only 4 ports). Now, for ME that's a GREAT ratio! I LOVE sea days. However, there will be a lot of people for whom that is problematic.

 

All of this makes me want to re-think my decision to cancel my January 2010 Hawaii cruise. Perhaps I'll keep the booking and go, even despite the terrible schedule problems I have.

 

G

[MadManOfBethesda]

And I understand that. It would be better for me if HAL were to make its departures on Saturday. :) Perhaps that's selfish of me?

 

No, not at all! I understand your position perfectly.

 

And actually, I have no dog in this hunt because I wouldn't take the cruise as 14 days or 15 days. I thoroughly enjoyed my 30 day Hawaii/Tahiti cruise on the Ryndam earlier this year, but I wouldn't do a two week r/t from San Diego to just spend 4 or 5 days in Hawaii. My next trip to Hawaii will be a land vacation because I don't want to spend 10 days to get there and back.

[chrispb]

I would prefer to do more land vacation in Hawaii too. Probably fly in mid week then cruise on Pride of America for 1 week then a few more days on land. Purrfect:)

[Don_In_AZ]

The 5 port days as opposed to 4 was exactly why we chose HAL over Princess for our upcomming October cruise! This was a differentiator for them, so I'm surprised they chose this route.

 

At least they didn't pull out of Hawaii all together (ala Celebrity)... I too wouldn't mind seeing a couple of one-way Crossings to HI with a stop at Fanning Isle. Not sure if NCL has some sort of exclusive deal with Fanning, but it'd be a neat itinerary... 10-11 days (4 across to Fanning, 1 up to HI, 5 or 6 in the islands, terminating on Oahu). Add a 3-4 day post-cruise package... sounds like a great 2wks to me! I'd book it!

 

JMHO,

Don

[cruisecrasy]

No, not at all! I understand your position perfectly.

 

And actually, I have no dog in this hunt because I wouldn't take the cruise as 14 days or 15 days. I thoroughly enjoyed my 30 day Hawaii/Tahiti cruise on the Ryndam earlier this year, but I wouldn't do a two week r/t from San Diego to just spend 4 or 5 days in Hawaii. My next trip to Hawaii will be a land vacation because I don't want to spend 10 days to get there and back.

 

This is exactly why I suggested HAL do at least 1 or 2 cruises a year similar to Carnivals 12 day Van to Honolulu & 12 day Hon to Ensenada cruises - only 5 days travelling!!

 

Folks who want to do both segments can B2B but those who want to 'do' the islands also can simply fly...

 

Thanks for clarifying the distant foreign port for me...

 

Have happy cruises & lots of 'em! :)

[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.

 

Thanks to u & 'MadManOfBethesda' I finally 'get' it!!

 

Vancouver & Ensenada make a good beginning or end of a cruise especially if it's to or from Hawaii!! :)

 

Didn't cruise ships go to Ensenada and then actually end the cruises in San Diego also?

 

Have happy cruises & lots of 'em!

[CRUZBUDS]

On R/T Hawaii from San Diego they used to pull into Ensenada and make a "technical call" in the late evening/early morning on the way back to San Diego. Our last couple they actually make a port call there for 3 or 4 hours in the evening. I think it was in response to Hawaii and NCL America's attempts to put an end to west coast round trip Hawaii cruises.

 

If I'm going to fly both ways, we'd probably get a condo and not do NCL America. They may have gotten better, but I've read too many negative reviews.

[Taxguy77]

I would prefer to do more land vacation in Hawaii too. Probably fly in mid week then cruise on Pride of America for 1 week then a few more days on land. Purrfect:)

 

Pick one or two islands to visit , fly between them and rent a car. More flexability, more scenery, more relaxed or busy if you choose, and more economical.:D

[jbhcw]

I pretty much know I'm not going to see a lot of Hawaii on our 04-06-10 cruise to Hawaii, but something is better than nothing. Dh will not fly there, and we both love sea days.....soooo I'm just tickled pink we arre booked on the 15 day out of San Diego.

 

Maybe one of these days I can do a land vacation in Hawaii, but for now, HAL has my perfect solution, R/T from San Diego:D

[kryos]

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.

So? Leave from Ensenada then. For the advantage of taking the cruise only one way, and then having a couple of weeks to spend in the islands doing my own thing before taking another "shorty" cruise back, I'd gladly endure a bus ride from San Diego to Ensenada and back. It would be a relatively small price to pay.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

I pretty much know I'm not going to see a lot of Hawaii on our 04-06-10 cruise to Hawaii, but something is better than nothing. Dh will not fly there, and we both love sea days.....soooo I'm just tickled pink we arre booked on the 15 day out of San Diego.

I did one land vacation to Hawaii back in 2001. Got home two days before 9-11. That land vacation was for two weeks and it was to attend a writer's conference and retreat on Maui. I had the time of my life and it was without a doubt one of my best all-time vacations. But ... the flight from the east coast almost killed me and I knew I could not endure that again ... especially now that I am even older. Hence, I cruise. I can break up the flight to the west coast so it is not too bad, and avoid the one from the west coast to Hawaii altogether.

 

But having the ability to cruise one way at a time would be awesome. The best of both worlds. Those nice days at sea ... the whole cruise would be days at sea ... and several weeks on land maybe island hopping, getting to really see and do a lot of stuff ... now that would be nirvana.

 

The sad fact is that when you cruise to Hawaii, you barely touch the tip of the iceberg of things to see and do. Some of them you simply can't do because they start earlier in the morning than the ship gets in. Other things are "abbreviated" to take into account the ship's time in port. You get a nice "introduction" to Hawaii ... and that is great for someone who doesn't know if they would like it, or doesn't know which island they would really like to focus on ... but you don't get the "total immersion" experience that a land tour would give you, and the opportunity to do many things on each island instead of having to just pick one.

 

So, I'll keep hoping that someday a cruise line might come up with something like this ... a one-way trip to the islands and back ... where people can book the first part, and then select the sailing on which they would want to come back. Honestly, I think some cruise line will eventually start something like that up ... there are simply too many people out there who cannot or will not fly ... so we just have to be patient.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[jbhcw]

Rita, you are so right about not being enough time, I realize that....but I am still happy to be doing the Zaandam from San Diego to Hawaii!!

 

Have already realized, I think that I probably cannot do the Polynesian Cultural Center and Pearl Harbor as there is just not enough time. But...that being said I plan to see and absorb as much as I can and maybe some day, can do what you are saying....cruise over stay a while and cruise back!!

 

Off topic a little, anyone read Mitchner's Hawaii before they went??? It's an old book but a good one, thought I would give it another read a few months before we go.

[lka1012]

I am one that enjoys the 4-5 day sea voyage each way. I did a side by side comparison of the 16 day (leaves Vancouver and goes to Kona) to the 14 day (RT San Diego) and the price difference is approx $300.

 

So now I am looking at the Oct 1, 2010 16 day out of Vancouver. Even the air transit was better for this date. Of course who knows what will be happening over a year from now. But the planning and dreaming is part of the fun of cruising.

[diathoney]

This suprised me. Kona is one of the nicest Islands in the Hawaiian Chain. I would rather drop HILO than KONA.

 

Both are on Hawaii, the big island. I agree it's one of the nicest islands.

[cruisecrasy]

I did one land vacation to Hawaii back in 2001. Got home two days before 9-11. That land vacation was for two weeks and it was to attend a writer's conference and retreat on Maui. I had the time of my life and it was without a doubt one of my best all-time vacations. But ... the flight from the east coast almost killed me and I knew I could not endure that again ... especially now that I am even older. Hence, I cruise. I can break up the flight to the west coast so it is not too bad, and avoid the one from the west coast to Hawaii altogether.

 

But having the ability to cruise one way at a time would be awesome. The best of both worlds. Those nice days at sea ... the whole cruise would be days at sea ... and several weeks on land maybe island hopping, getting to really see and do a lot of stuff ... now that would be nirvana.

 

The sad fact is that when you cruise to Hawaii, you barely touch the tip of the iceberg of things to see and do. Some of them you simply can't do because they start earlier in the morning than the ship gets in. Other things are "abbreviated" to take into account the ship's time in port. You get a nice "introduction" to Hawaii ... and that is great for someone who doesn't know if they would like it, or doesn't know which island they would really like to focus on ... but you don't get the "total immersion" experience that a land tour would give you, and the opportunity to do many things on each island instead of having to just pick one.

 

So, I'll keep hoping that someday a cruise line might come up with something like this ... a one-way trip to the islands and back ... where people can book the first part, and then select the sailing on which they would want to come back. Honestly, I think some cruise line will eventually start something like that up ... there are simply too many people out there who cannot or will not fly ... so we just have to be patient.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Lets hope we live long enough :)..

 

Have happy cruises & lots of 'em!!

[EbayCruiser]

I agree that the flight back on a land vacation is like the flight from "H*LL"). I have done this twice and I was several years younger than I am now. The first time I was with my 16 year old daughter and she was in tears from the pain in her back. Not pleasant AT ALL to fly all night in a cramped seat. I will NEVER fly back from Hawaii again!! I have not cruised with this many sea days before but I am sure I will love them.

 

Both times to Hawaii, we spent two weeks there but we only visited two of the islands. With this cruise, you do get a sampling of five islands and I find that very exciting. Cruising by the lava flow should be really nice also.

[RuthC]

From HAL's perspective this change is a no brainer. It is much, much, much easier for those still in the work force to take a two-week vacation and hop aboard a cruise that begins and ends on the weekend.

I'm reading this as one more statement that HAL is turning away from the "old folks' line", the line that was full of retired people, and looking toward a younger crowd.

Those of us who have sailed HAL for years and years, and at last have all the time in the world to sail even more often on longer cruises, are tossed aside in favor of our proposed replacements.

Sad. Very sad.

[kryos]

Off topic a little, anyone read Mitchner's Hawaii before they went??? It's an old book but a good one, thought I would give it another read a few months before we go.

No, but I keep meaning to see if that's in a Kindle edition. Might be something worth reading. He also has one about the South Pacific too, right?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[lka1012]

 

Those of us who have sailed HAL for years and years, and at last have all the time in the world to sail even more often on longer cruises, are tossed aside in favor of our proposed replacements.

 

It's not just HAL with this apparent attitude. It seems to be happening more and more. Those of us with the time and money are being ignored in favor of those with neither time or money.

[jbhcw]

I don't think it's available with Kindle, it wasn't the last time I checked. Tales of the South Pacific is what the muscial South Pacific was based on.....I think!!

 

Hoping maybe I get a Kindle for Christmas, and or a new laptop/notebook, one that is not soooo heavy:):)

[MadManOfBethesda]

I'm reading this as one more statement that HAL is turning away from the "old folks' line", the line that was full of retired people, and looking toward a younger crowd.

 

Those of us who have sailed HAL for years and years, and at last have all the time in the world to sail even more often on longer cruises, are tossed aside in favor of our proposed replacements.

Sad. Very sad.

 

I'm sorry, but I am not following your logic. How are you being "tossed aside?" HAL's changes haven't done a thing to make it more difficult for "old folks" to take this cruise; they have simply made it easier for working people to enjoy the cruise as well. Or are you suggesting that younger working people who are limited to a two-week vacation should be tossed aside so that the so-called "old folks" can take a 15 day cruise instead of a 14 day cruise?

 

Now that is the kind of thinking that is "sad, very sad."