Statendam Hawaiian Isles out of San Diego

[Joal]

My wife and I are thinking about booking on the Statendam on October 3 2005
for the San Diego to San Diego cruise to Hawaii. Has anyone done this particular trip? If so, how did you like it, and the ship? We are thinking of booking an outside cabin. Is it worth the extra money to book a cabin with a balcony?

Thanks very much for any input
Joal

[Cauvet]

It's always worth it to book a balcony. Every now and then they will have an offer for a discount on balconies. Keep checking HALs website and things you get from the Mariners. I found the price discounted about $900 pp and called my TA and she was able to get us the reduced price.

We did this trip over Thanksgiving in 2002. It was fabulous! If you don't mind being out to sea, this is a great cruise. It was about 5 days out, five days there and five days back. The entire time you are in the islands, the dress is "Hawaiian" which is really fun so bring your hawaiian shirts and mumus. They give you leis the first night in Hawaii and they will last the entire time you are there and you can wear them every night. There are four formal nights on this cruise--two going and two coming back.

We were in Lahaina until about 11 p.m. which gave us plenty of time to go to the Olde Lahaina luau which is supposed to be the best. You can find them on the web and book before you go. It sells out every night. The earlier you book, the better your seats will be. They h ave traditional ground seating and then table seating. We were on the ground, center stage, up front--best seats in the house. The line has a luau shore excursion in Oahu but I heard it wasn't that great and more expensive. The Lahaina luau was $75 then and included drinks, food and the entertainment. It is a very short cab ride from the ship.

When you leave the islands, they cruise by the volcano at night and it is just a sight to see! More reason for the balcony. Port side, by the way, is better for this trip cause the ship didn't turn around so the other side of the ship could see the volcano like they did at the NaPali coast.

The seas can get heavy crossing but the Statendam handles it well.

[RuthC]

Wonderful cruise. Did it (preceded by the 3-day coastal from Vancouver) in '00, and did it the first time as a 16-day cruise round-trip from LA. Expect I'll want to do it again, too!:)

The continuous sea days are a perfect blend of relaxation and ship-board activity. By the return voyage all of that need to see/do everything is out of your system and you can really relax and commune with the sea. I think the last day of return---when it's a bit cooler and greyer, and fewer people are on deck---is as relaxed as it gets.

[ryansmemom]

We did this cruise last December and it was as close to perfection as you can get, in my opinion. We found the sea days to be so relaxing and came home with all of our stress gone.

The islands are wonderful. Relaxing and beautiful. We are now planning our return cruise and looking forward to doing it all over again.

We did have one formal night while we were in the islands. It was after we left Nawilliwilli at 2PM. It was a wonderful evening that included the Black and White Ball.

This is a fabulous cruise. We did a 3 day pre-cruise in San Diego and really enjoyed that as well.

Linda

[Joal]

Thank you all for your replies. It is good to know you enjoyed this trip. We booked just today an outside cabin on the Lower Promenade Deck. Wanted to book a Veranda cabin, but the price is almost double. Anyway, we usually go back to the cabin to sleep and shower! Has any of you been in one of these cabins? (I mean the outside ones).
Thanks,
Joal

[RaffinOrganGrinders]

We had a deluxe veranda to Hawaii last year and thoroughly enjoyed being able to sit on the balcony throughout the cruise.

[Vicar]

Glad to see so much positive feedback on this cruise.
(Like how much negative could there be about a cruise to Hawaii?)*LOL*

Fiancee and I have been thinking about doing this cruise for our honeymoon. probably in Sept or Oct.

[RevNeal]

We did this cruise in Nov/Dec 2002 on the Statendam. It was wonderful!
You might want to check out the photo link in my signature ... I've got a travel-log of my cruise posted there.

[Vic The Parrot]

My arm hurts with all that twisting ........


OW!!!
Ziggy! ... STOP!!

Ok, Ok, i'll book it!



>:-D

[Himself]

I might be going there on this ship in November. Hope the weather is good

Himself

[Joal]

Well, we booked it! Going Oct. 3. Will fly to San Diego the day before and stay at the Hampton Inn. Complimentary pick up at the airport and transport to the pier. Cannot wait!!

Aloha
Joal

[RuthC]

Hip! Hip! Hooray!

[Cauvet]

We sailed over Thanksgiving week to Hawaii in 2002 and the weather was very nice both crossing and in the islands. We had no rain, only warm sunny days. The seas crossing got a little high at times, but bearable. Rainy season in Hawaii starts in December, so October or November should be perfect!

[blossom]

My husband and I did this cruise last year in November. The sea days were quite cool and a bit rough. If you don't mind the 5 sea days there and 5 sea days back, you will probably enjoy the cruise. If your main purpose is to visit the islands, we would recommend that you fly to Hawaii instead. We found that the time spent in the islands wasn't enough. Although we love cruising, we would never cruise to Hawaii in the future (would probably fly there). Have a great time, whatever you choose.

Blossom