Hoping for some Hawaii insight?

I have NEVER been on a Hawaii cruise before so I am not sure what to expect in this case.

Basically, my grandma is getting older and really wants to go to Hawaii and enjoy it. The thought of flying there doesn't appeal and we both love to cruise, so it seems like the obvious choice.

I generally enjoy April cruises and am aiming for 2014. Has anyone done this cruise in April? SFO vs LAX? Star vs Grand? Stateroom type?

I will tell you that I am hoping to go on the cheap as I have a trip to Mexico planned for November I need to pay for and will be slightly draining my bank account, and as I've mentioned before, I am in no way made of money.

This trip is very important to myself and my grandma.

Thank you :)

I think taking your Grandmother is a wonderful, thoughtful thing to do. If my Grandmother was still here, I'd do the same thing.

Hawaii - one of my favorite places. Been going there for over 35 years.

I've done two Hawaii cruises with Princess. One on the Sapphire and one on the Golden. I have been on The Grand and really liked it.

If you could back it up to March, you would have a better viewing of the Whales. We went this March and saw a LOT of whales, even before we took our whale watch excursion.

Balcony would be nice, if you could swing that. If not, an oceanview would give you light and a nice view at a cheaper price. There are some Oceanviews that are marked "obstructed" but you still have a view. They are a lower price....check out the Emerald deck on the Grand and look at the OVs marked obstructed and see where the lifeboats are. Specifically E401 to E412. they do not have lifeboats in front of their windows.

LAX or SF?

I would just look at the dates and see which is better for your schedule and price. Either is fine.

I love getting to sail there and not have to fly.

We go in a day early and then take Princess transfers to the port.

This trip gives you plenty of sea days and then a day on 4 islands. There are Hawaii themed activities onboard. Hula lessons, Ukelele lessions, lei making, etc.

We're doing it again next year, but with the added days of Tahiti and Bora Bora - roundtrip from LA.

My wife and I have taken this cruise 3 times over the last decade or so. We love it! There are 5 sea days going and coming (as I recall) so you need to consider this. We love sea days so it is never an issue. Our next cruise is to the South Pacific with a whole lot of sea days, just to let you know how these days are not an issue for us and my advice reflects that.

Cabin: get an inside on the Aloha deck at the stern of the ship IMO. We did this on our last cruise and will do it again. The buffet is right above you but the noise was never an issue, we never heard anything. The advantage of this location is the proximity to the rear pool and deck. In our case it was just a couple of doors away. Like getting a balcony at inside prices.

Watch the prices! Book early to get the cabin location and have your TA jump on the deals that come up from time to time. We did this cruise for under $1000 pp. The deals will float by. But you may need to avoid spring break periods.

We always go out of San Pedro (LAX) since we are an hours drive from there. Oh how we hate to fly! SFO is fine and I would base my decision on the air cost if you are flying first and second which ship is going our of either port. You can get a pretty good idea ship-wise on various thread on these boards.

All in all a great trip to see the islands briefly. We have done Princess tours and car rentals. We prefer the later. But I am one who enjoys driving, so you have to roll your own dice on this issue.

Redwood

I'm on the Grand, sailing out of SFO, next April 13th, to Hawaii. I did a Hawaii cruise several years ago, but I flew over. I chose sailing out of SFO as I live 90 miles away, so I'll be at the port 90 minutes after leaving home.

I'd get an inside cabin (cheapest) and spend the extra $ on some spectacular excursions. Especially the Arizona Memorial.

If you have to fly to SFO, fly in a day or two early and give yourselves the time to do some site seeing. The City is only 49 square miles in area, so it's really easy to get around and see some of the attractions, such as the Golden Gate Bridge. I gather this would be your grandmother's last opportunity to take a large vacation such as this, though you didn't mention how old she is, but I assumed she's "getting on in age".

We took this cruise this year, in April on the Grand out of SF. We live less than half an hour to the cruise port so this was our reason over Los Angeles. We saw lots of whales both from the ship and from an excursion in Maui.

Balconies can be great but I don't feel all cruises require one nor the added expense. First of all, the first day or two leaving port can be pretty cool/cold outside on the deck also cold the last day or two returning. There are 5 days going over where you see nothing but the sea and five days returning where you see nothing but the sea.

This is only our experience but we took an obstructed view cabin on the Emerald deck toward the aft of the ship, near the aft staircase/elevators. What was so great about this area is that you are only one flight above the promenade deck. You can be outside as quickly as you can walk down one flight of stairs. The elevators to the pools and casual dining is right there, as well.

In fact, we enjoyed this cruise so much, we are going back again this November. :D San Francisco is such a beautiful city, it should be regarded as part of the cruise itinerary and explored, as well.

We have attempted to convince my elderly mother-in-law to cruise there with us but have been, thus far, unsuccessful. I think what you are planning for your grandmom is wonderful! I wish for you both the very best experience whichever cruise you chose.

Choose whichever ship Elua (Dave and Leialoha) are performing on. Your grandma will love their Hawaiian music and she will feel like she is in Hawaii for the entire cruise. I think they will be on the Star next winter.

I'd get an inside cabin (cheapest) and spend the extra $ on some spectacular excursions. Especially the Arizona Memorial.

I agree with the suggestion to see the Arizona Memorial. It is a must see for any American. However, I would not spend a lot of money on a Princess or other excursion to see it.

Reserve your tour of the Arizona Memorial online at http://www.recreation.gov/tourSearchResult.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72369. It costs $1.50 per person and you have to pick up your tickets in person at least one hour in advance, but it's well worth it.

You can take a city bus from the cruise pier to the memorial for $1 each way if you have a Medicare card (a little more if you don't have one yet). My wife has some mobility issues (walks slowly with a cane), and she had no problems getting there by the city bus. However, you can also take a taxi if you are short of time to get there.

We made a day of it - visiting the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum (next door to the Arizona Memorial) and the Battleship Missouri Memorial (shuttle bus from the Arizona Memorial).

Samantha,

As already mentioned, I too would recommend that you consider booking an ocean view cabin instead of a mini-suite or balcony. If you are considering next spring you should be able to shop around and get the cruise for about $100 per person per day in an ocean view cabin.

Secondly, when we cruise to Hawaii we rent cars and drive ourselves rather that guided tours. Because this is a US State, several National and State Parks are available for a low cost or free. Your grandmother may enjoy the Arizona Memorial run by the National Park Service. A great value!

If you can book a cruise with Elua on board, eluamusic@aol.com, they are a couple that are Hawaiian and entertain but also provide insight into the Hawaiian experience. I am sure someone knows which ship they will be on next year during the Hawaii season. Your grandmother and you will find them fascinating!

Do not miss the free performance of Hawaiian dance and singing on the Honolulu evening that the ship stays in port late. Wonderfully group of young entertainers that Princess brings aboard.

As already mentioned, do plan to participate in the discussions and demonstrations that are provided during the many days at sea.

count, and as I've mentioned before, I am in no way made of money.

This trip is very important to myself and my grandma.

Thank you :)

What a nice thing to do. On our last 28 day voyage there was a young lady in her 20's that was doing the same thing as you plan.

The Star and the Grand are sister ships. They are similar but not exactly the same. Both were modified during their last dry docks. Most notable the Grand had Skywalker’s removed and added Alfredo’s. It appears from the schedule that the Grand is scheduled for a 10 day dry dock in December 2013. You have to decide which city you want to sail from. The Grand is in SF while the Star is in LA. The itineraries are almost the same but the Star makes a full day stop at Ensenada while the Grand stops there for a 4 hour service stop to comply with US passenger vessel laws. We have done Hawaii 3 times. Each time the passenger demographic was older. The 9 sea days are comfortable to many older folks, and hopefully your Grandmother will enjoy the leisurely pace of sea days. The first few days going over can get a little rough, and may not be sitting around the pool weather. It was when we did it.

I can’t really comment on the cabin type. You’ll have to discuss that with your Grandmother. Does she require a window, a balcony? Right now the min. cat. fares range from $114pp/day for inside to $174pp/day for balcony, plus $11.50pp/day hotel charge (autotip) plus port charges. You’ll have to search around for the best fares and promos. Find a TA that books lots of Princess cruises as they may discount the fares. Once booked keep watching, if the fare goes down you can probably get it. You can book a lower cat. and hope for an upgrade, however, if you book an inside it is likely that your upgrade will be to a higher cat. inside and not to an outside.

The Hawaii ports are really nice. Once booked join the Roll Call for your voyage and look for tours that Grandmother will like. Have her involved in the plans. Princess also runs tours. You can look through them on line, and match the activity level and interest to your Grandmother.

Choose whichever ship Elua (Dave and Leialoha) are performing on. Your grandma will love their Hawaiian music and she will feel like she is in Hawaii for the entire cruise. I think they will be on the Star next winter.

I would second this suggestion. When my wife and I went last November we sailed from SFO as it's much closer to where we live. We were on the Star. Elua was working on the Grand sailing out of LA. On the Star we could have been cruising to anywhere - there was ZERO Hawaiian decor or activities. I was really surprised. I don't know how much the CD has to do with this sort of thing but the CD on Star at that time was J J Ulrich. He was a dud as far as we were concerned and, like I said, we were pretty amazed that there was absolutely nothing to indicate the cruise was headed to Hawaii.

If you can take your grandmother on the ship where Elua is working she will probably enjoy it a lot more. Pick your ship and port of departure based on that criteria if possible.

I agree with the suggestion to see the Arizona Memorial. It is a must see for any American. However, I would not spend a lot of money on a Princess or other excursion to see it.

 

Reserve your tour of the Arizona Memorial online at http://www.recreation.gov/tourSearchResult.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72369. It costs $1.50 per person and you have to pick up your tickets in person at least one hour in advance, but it's well worth it.

 

You can take a city bus from the cruise pier to the memorial for $1 each way if you have a Medicare card (a little more if you don't have one yet). My wife has some mobility issues (walks slowly with a cane), and she had no problems getting there by the city bus. However, you can also take a taxi if you are short of time to get there.

 

We made a day of it - visiting the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum (next door to the Arizona Memorial) and the Battleship Missouri Memorial (shuttle bus from the Arizona Memorial).

Very good advice. The Arizona memorial is FREE to visit - but the onlline $1.50 tickets get you a guaranteed tour time. Princess will charge you $89 per person for this free excursion... We had our disabled vet son along so we actually rented a car and had the entire day with use of the car for the price of one person on the Princess excursion.

Be sure to attend the special hula performance when the ship is in Honolulu.

A special group of young people come onboard to perform. It is absolutely spectacular and authentic.

Don't miss it!

Elua will be on the Star so, I highly recommend the Star. You will get a wonderful Hawaiian experience. I also agree with other posters regarding cabins. An ocean view is good enough...

I would second this suggestion. When my wife and I went last November we sailed from SFO as it's much closer to where we live. We were on the Star. Elua was working on the Grand sailing out of LA. On the Star we could have been cruising to anywhere - there was ZERO Hawaiian decor or activities. I was really surprised. I don't know how much the CD has to do with this sort of thing but the CD on Star at that time was J J Ulrich. He was a dud as far as we were concerned and, like I said, we were pretty amazed that there was absolutely nothing to indicate the cruise was headed to Hawaii.

 

If you can take your grandmother on the ship where Elua is working she will probably enjoy it a lot more. Pick your ship and port of departure based on that criteria if possible.

Actually Elua was on the Golden the last few years, not the Grand. We took this cruise on the Golden for the holiday cruise 2010/11 and 2012/13 (and the Island Princess in 2005/6).

Last December we were in an Aloha aft inside on the Golden and found it convenient to the outside deck (for checking out the scenery) and going up one set of stairs to the rear entrance of the Horizon.

Get your grandmother involved in the planning and show her the deck plans. Maybe she'll be fine with an inside or OOV, which will save you lots of money.

I cannot say enough about Elua. Be sure to take the Star and you will always remember how great your Hawaiian cruise was. They are fantastic.

What a treat!

DW and I took this cruise in 2011. We were fortunate enough to be on the ship that Eula was performing on. They are terrific.

Take some sea-sick meds. I've been on a few cruises and this was the only one I got a little queezy on. But after some dramamine and a nap I was good the rest of the way.

The biggest advantage is that you get to ease into the time changes. You add and subtract hours 1 per day, opposed to flying in and adjusting your watch +/- a bunch of hours.

When you are on Kauai try to find an excursion that will take you to Waimea Canyon. The views were breathtaking.

Whatever you do I'm sure you will enjoy. DW and I loved it for a 10th anniversary, we hope someday to take the same cruise.

I have a bit of a different opinion than the previous posters. My DH and I did the 14 day Hawaii cruise this last October. I think the Hawaii cruises are now 15 days. There are 4 port days in the Islands (if the ship is able to stop at all 4 ports) and 1 port day in Ensenada which equals 10 sea days. The majority of your cruise will be days at sea. Choose a cabin that you will be happy with. We found that we did retreat to our cabin frequently to watch movies, etc. Personally, we would have gone crazy with an inside for 2 weeks. An Ocean view cabin would be better. We had a balcony and did just fine, but I would've loved a mini.

We had cars on Oahu and the Big Island (Hawaii). The islands really are very easy to drive, just get some maps and plan out your route before you hit the road. No need to do a Princess excursion to the Arizona Memorial, it is an easy drive from the dock at Aloha towers. You will tender in Maui and could spend your day just walking in Lahaina.

I am a frequent Hawaii visitor. Just a note on April weather. It can be a bit rainy. Is there anyway you might consider an October cruise? I think you would find the seas a bit calmer, temps warmer and less chance of rain on the islands.

Whatever you decide have an awesome time. You will be making memories for yourself and your grandmother that will last a lifetime.

Have fun!!

Here are my "qualifications" (LOL)

former local girl now living in California, but frequent the islands often

Did a Golden cruise February 2013

Hopefully considered a friend of Dave and Leialoha (ELUA)

Take what works for you and leave the rest. No feelings will be hurt.

Rent a car on each island. The sooner the rent the car, the better the pricing. There is no deposit and no last minute cancellations.

Oahu:

Like others have said, reserve your tickets for the Arizona Memorial for about 10:30 or 11. You will have to pick up the tickets an hour before the reserve time. Be aware that shuttles to the Arizona Memorial itself can be cancelled by the Navy at any time. But there is still a lot to see. Then drive around the island starting from Pearl Harbor to Dole Pineapple and continue around the island. Lots to see. If you need more, let me know. If you don't want to drive that far, come back into town and visit Iolani Palace, Punchbowl National Cemetery, Diamond Head and the beaches north of that. I can suggest a whole lot of places to eat.

You will need to let people on this thread know what your interests are and you will get an assortment of things to do for free. Hawaii is great for that!

Hilo: Rent a car from Enterprise Hilo Town. Faster to get to than the airport, less congested, and you won't have to pay the Airport fee.

Volcano National Park, Rainbow Falls and the Boiling Pots, Akaka Falls, Queen Liliuokalani Park and Coconut Island. Big Island Candies/Mauna Loa Mac Farm (strictly for tourist). There is a small rain forest zoo across the street from the mac farm.

Lahaina: No car needed. Shuttle bus to Hilo Hattie, and slowly walk back to the ship. Or walk along Front Street until your grandmother gets tired. Or take a bus to Ka'anapali Beach. Stay on the ship (tender port) and enjoy the whales in February and March.

Nawiliwili: Catch a free shuttle and ride it all the way over to Coconut shopping plaza. You will see the town this way. If you want to rent a car, you can drive up to Waimea Canyon (Grand Canyon of the Pacific). This is not a long port so I don't know if you will be able to do both Hanalei and Waimea Canyon. Traffic can get delayed and you don't want to miss the boat.

Each island is very different. Kauai has some really spectacular natural beauty. Hilo has a small town feel. Oahu is metropolitan. And Lahaina is quaint and whales. You really do not have a lot of time on the islands (accept Oahu).

I don't know any other state that has so much for free or very inexpensive. Your car and gas will be expensive.

Enjoy your time with your grandmother. That's what it is all about.

Renee

Hawaii cruises are special. I love Hawaii and will be going this Oct. You should check out the Hawaii page for ports of call. They have great excursions you can book on your own. My in-laws have mobility challenges and we booked an all day van tour of the Big Island (Hawaii) and it was great. It is easy to get around on on Oahu and a rental car is great. Aloha and have a great time!

I might be mistaken but Eula isn't on the Star, or wasnt. I got married on the Star this past October sailing to Hawaii and there wasn't much in the way of a "Hawaiin" theme. Still a great ship and a great time. October was perfect. We are sailing on the Crown in a couple of months and I hope 7 days quenches my thirst....15 spoiled me!!

ELUA will be on the Star for the 2014-2015 season... That information came from them (not her).

2012-2013 ELUA was on the Golden for all but the last 2 voyages. 2013-2014 ELUA will be on the Star.

I agree with the others~~~find the ship with Eula....but if you can't make that itinerary, I prefer SFO over LAX, and I live 2 hrs from LAX. :)

We also choose cabins based on where we will be hanging out on the ship. We always have balconies. Last time I chose an aft on Baja deck and it was a long walk to the IC (International Café) where we hung out on sea days.

As far as balcony or no balcony, DH needs fresh air. The AC gives him sinus problems. Depending on the weather, sometimes it's too windy during the sea crossings. Last time the weather was perfect. I think in the future we will try a mini suite. I am in the cabin a lot, resting, but our DS and DIL choose insides because of the budget.

We have taken 3 Hawaii cruises, all in April. I like April because there is less humidity, which is good for my health issue.

We personally take ships tours because everything is taken care of. For me, shore excursions can be exhausting, so I have to choose carefully. If one port has a long shore excursion, then I choose an easier one the next port.

I think a lot of the 'good' excursions have been mentioned.

The Arizona tour---the one combined with the Missouri was too much for me.

Volcanoes National Park---good but tiring for me. I still liked it.

Waimea Canyon--nice.

The Maui Ocean Center is awesome. Loved it.

Still haven't made it to a luau, but next time. :)

Pat

Another good spot, in case the OP and/or grandmother is interested is the excursion up to the summit of Mauna Loa to see the observatories that are up there. You'll be up to 14k feet, above the clouds for the most part.

I was there in June several years ago and there was still plenty of snow on the ground. I was told it never totally melts before it begins to snow again. Also, the guide will furnish parkas for everyone. Even in June, it was "cold!" up there, so people need to wear long pants, no shorts.

BTW, Hi Pat, how's Mike?

i think taking your grandmother is a wonderful, thoughtful thing to do. If my grandmother was still here, i'd do the same thing.

 

Hawaii - one of my favorite places. Been going there for over 35 years.

 

I've done two hawaii cruises with princess. One on the sapphire and one on the golden. I have been on the grand and really liked it.

 

If you could back it up to march, you would have a better viewing of the whales. We went this march and saw a lot of whales, even before we took our whale watch excursion.

 

Balcony would be nice, if you could swing that. If not, an oceanview would give you light and a nice view at a cheaper price. There are some oceanviews that are marked "obstructed" but you still have a view. They are a lower price....check out the emerald deck on the grand and look at the ovs marked obstructed and see where the lifeboats are. Specifically e401 to e412. They do not have lifeboats in front of their windows.

 

lax or sf?

I would just look at the dates and see which is better for your schedule and price. Either is fine.

I love getting to sail there and not have to fly.

We go in a day early and then take princess transfers to the port.

 

This trip gives you plenty of sea days and then a day on 4 islands. There are hawaii themed activities onboard. Hula lessons, ukelele lessions, lei making, etc.

 

We're doing it again next year, but with the added days of tahiti and bora bora - roundtrip from la.