Inter-island cruises in June

Considering a cruise June 21-28. Reviews I saw mentioned rough seas in the winter, but not so much in June. Anyone taken one of these cruises in the summer? Have also red that some of the stops, such as Kahului, are in rather seedy industrial areas, but I assume there are taxis available (e.g., to get to the airport to rent a car). We have been to Hawaii before, but this cruise would have a medical conference, which my wife is interested in (and she also wants to relax).

Further reading would reveal there are shuttles at all ports for car rentals. When there is a ship in, taxis will be there. Taxis go to where the fares are- Rule #1 of being a taxi driver.

Seas can be rough, or calm, 365 days a year. No one can predict which will happen.

As CruiserBruce said, the seas are whatever... and whenever. I have done a Hawaii cruise that had 25 foot swells from Maui to Hilo, in July, from a storm over 1200 miles away the Capt. stated.

I would not worry about that, I would worry about whats for dinner!

And yes, most ports have shuttles for most of the car rentals. Kona, not usually. But there are several car rentals real near the pier area for a rental car.

Some ports have a very limited supply of cars, sop pays to reserve well in advance, such as Hilo, and Kona.

Thanks for the tips. The 25' swells sound even worse than we had on the Star Princess west of Punta Arenas, Chile. Storms do make a difference. Still deciding whether to take the cruise or do land travel on our own.

How much time would you have for land travel - and how many islands would you want to visit? We prefer land travel in Hawaii, but flying from one island to another eats up at least half a day, so for a short vacation (one week), it's better to stay put on one island and enjoy it - or do the NCL cruise to experience the 4 major islands. If you have a couple of weeks, you could enjoy two islands on a land trip.

How much time would you have for land travel - and how many islands would you want to visit? We prefer land travel in Hawaii, but flying from one island to another eats up at least half a day, so for a short vacation (one week), it's better to stay put on one island and enjoy it - or do the NCL cruise to experience the 4 major islands. If you have a couple of weeks, you could enjoy two islands on a land trip.

Itinerary is at the bottom of this page: http://www.continuingeducation.net/coursedescription.php?topic=Womens_Health_CME_Hawiian_Cruise_June%20_2014

Short stops on the Big Island, longer on Maui and Kauai.

$2000 pp for a balcony room sounds high for a 7-day cruise, based on past experiences elsewhere, but this is Hawaii. 88k ton ship smaller than others we've been one, but far from tiny. I have some problems with sea sickness, but LDramamine worked on our South American cruise (had no problems on Alaska cruise). She has none. We've been to Oahu, BI, Maui and Kaui for short (but longer than overnight) visits in the past.

I can remember, over 50 years ago, some family friends took a Matson cruise ship from L.A. to Hawaii and back. My wife really likes cruises and wants to relax, due to work pressures. If we just fly, we'd probably hit Kauai (been once, briefly) and then either Maui (she wants to snorkel at Molokini, where we haven't been, and maybe return to Hana, probably for a couple of nights) or B.I. Last February we went to Maui for 3 days, flew to Kona (she had a conference at South Kohala), then drove to Hilo, Hawaii Volcanoes NP and left from Kona.

Sorry for the confusion - when I asked how much time you have for land travel, I meant if you chose a land trip vs. the NCL cruise.

Agree, $2000. sounds high, but I think it's the going rate...and might not be that far off of accommodation, food and transportation costs on a land trip.

Several of our friends took the NCL cruise last October - they all enjoyed it, but it was their first time to Hawaii. Our daughter took it as her first trip to Hawaii as well, but has done 2 land trips since and said she'd rather visit by land now. We have our favourite places to stay on the islands, so although we've enjoyed cruising to other destinations, it's not a consideration for Hawaii.

Good luck with your decision - either way, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.:)

There's another cruise program, on the same ship and with the same itinerary but different medical topics (more relevant to my wife's practice). November 1-8. I 'd assume that there may be a slightly higher chance of rough seas at that time, but maybe not.

In either case, we'd likely have limited time for land travel before or after the cruise, so would take advantage of what we could do during the cruise's stops. If we could work out time for a separate side trip to one island other than Oahu, we'd certainly try.

There's another cruise program, on the same ship and with the same itinerary but different medical topics (more relevant to my wife's practice). November 1-8. I 'd assume that there may be a slightly higher chance of rough seas at that time, but maybe not.

 

As was discussed, the seas can be calm or rough 365 days of the year. We were on Oahu and Maui for 10 days at the start of November. The first 5 were pretty calm, the second five were much rougher.

As was discussed, the seas can be calm or rough 365 days of the year. We were on Oahu and Maui for 10 days at the start of November. The first 5 were pretty calm, the second five were much rougher.

Thanks.