19woody19

DW and I are booked on 15 Day Hawaiian Islands cruise sailing 1/22/18 R/T San Francisco.

We are interested in taking a helicopter tour. Which island do you recommend?

Also, does the tour operator remove the window or door to get better photos and videos?

Thanks.

You'll probably get more information by posting on the Hawaii board under "Ports of Call', but there are 2 good choices - Kauai, for the beautiful Na Pali Coast, and the Big Island for Volcanos National Park, plus spectacular other scenery. See which one fits your schedule and budget best. Read reviews on Trip Advisor to see feedback on individual operators. The website for each company should detail what type of equipment they use and how open (or not) the copters are for photography.

DW and I are booked on 15 Day Hawaiian Islands cruise sailing 1/22/18 R/T San Francisco.

We are interested in taking a helicopter tour. Which island do you recommend?

Also, does the tour operator remove the window or door to get better photos and videos?

Thanks.

The big island has the volcano, so that would be my first choice. Kaua'i is the garden island. That would be my second choice. O'ahu has Pearl Harbor. That would be my third choice.

We have done a Maui/Molokai doors off Hele tour. :)

For me....

Kauai would be first choice....

Big Island with the Volcanic area would be second.

There are videos of both on youtube.

Look at Blue Hawaii Tours.

I do know that on Kauai there is (or was in the past) an operator who does a doors-off tour.

Probably not for the faint of heart!!!!

On many of these, you will get the video of your tour.

Unless one is really focused and experienced at photography and videos, I would want to focus on the experience, and not my device.

Happy Planning!!!!

We did the helicopter tour on the big island, so totally worth the price. Sell your children if you have to. Hubby is a photo freak and he FORGOT to take pictures he was so enthralled.

For a cheaper but very pleasurable tour, book the airplane, about 1/3 of the price. Doesn't get as close, but still worth it at the price and it's longer!

Hands down, Kauai.

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We have taken one on Kauai and the Big Island, both where unbelievable and worth every penny. The Big Island is best out of Kona ( actually the Wiakola area) with circle island tour you see more than just the volcano. The tour out of Hilo tend to focus on the volcano area. Which if you are really wanting to see lava this is the one to take, but Kauai is by far the one for shear unbelievable senery incredible water falls, canyons, beaches, plus this only way you can see about 60 percent of the island which is inaccessible by car. You can hike to some areas but are full day or more longer hikes. If you have seen any of the Jurassic Park movies what you see is Kauai. We have never taken one with the doors off, and not seen one that advertised that until recently on the Big Island which was a short tour over the Volcano area. If this is a once in a life time trip and you do not think you will be back hock the farm and do both.

Flying over the big island volcano was on my bucket list for years. Tracked the lava flow every day and couldnt wait to see it in person. First attempt: flew from Oahu for my reservations on the heli...rained sooo hard when we landed, i turned around and flew back to Oahu. Second attempt a few years later...rained again but cleared up so thought YES, here is my chance...beautiful skies..except for all the vog totally covering the volcano..back to the ship. Third attempt 2 years ago...some vog but FINALLY able to fly over and watch the lava flow and see all the destruction it has caused over the years.

OK, what i'm getting at is this...Hilo has rain nearly every day so be prepared. Once I was able to add to my bucket list I happy.

As others have mentioned you cant go wrong no matter which you choose...Hawaii is gorgeous.

I'm 2 for 2 on cancelled helicopter tours on the Big Island! First one was supposed to be from Kona as a private tour. It was raining so hard that day, that the tour company called saying the trip was cancelled. Spent the afternoon at the Kona brewery drinking beer and eating Hawaiian pizza instead! ;)

Second time was a few years later. Opted for a Princess Tour this time. We chose the Deluxe Helicopter and a Day trip. They ran the trip in reverse and we did the day trip first and then headed to the airport later in the day for the helicopter tour. We got as far as the weigh in and were assigned to a helicopter, when we were informed that the clouds had come down over the volcano and flights were suspended. The morning was fine and if they had run the tour in the right order we would have been OK. It was rather galling to be taken back to the ship, sit out on the balcony with a cocktail and see the clouds lift and flights resume. ;( Still we did get to spot AF1 at the airport whilst we were there as President Obama and the family were on vacation on the island over the holidays.

Still, gives us another excuse to take the cruise again and hopefully 3rd time lucky to finally cross this off our bucket list. ;)

Agree with Kauai because it is spectacular and there is no other way to see most of the island. We have visited the volcano area via land, but I would like to do an air tour over there as well some day. Since we did Kauai many years ago, it is an easy choice for us now (volcano next time). It is not an easy choice if can only do one. Do you plan on returning to Hawaii in future? If so, then don't fret. You cannot go wrong with Kauai.

Thanks to all.

I have reposted my question on the Hawaii forum.

Mahalo! :)

DW and I are booked on 15 Day Hawaiian Islands cruise sailing 1/22/18 R/T San Francisco.

We are interested in taking a helicopter tour. Which island do you recommend?

Also, does the tour operator remove the window or door to get better photos and videos?

Thanks.

We have lived in Hawaii many years and each island has it's own personality. Doors off tour out of Hilo to see the volcano, feel it and smell it and Kauai to see the incredible vegetation, waterfalls, and Na Pali coast. They both will be memorable!!!

I also say Kauai, though it's the only one I've done, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I went through Blue Hawaiian as well, and they are great. It was enclosed, but that's for the best because some of the areas are rather wet.

I'm 2 for 2 on cancelled helicopter tours on the Big Island! First one was supposed to be from Kona as a private tour. It was raining so hard that day, that the tour company called saying the trip was cancelled. Spent the afternoon at the Kona brewery drinking beer and eating Hawaiian pizza instead! ;)

 

Second time was a few years later. Opted for a Princess Tour this time. We chose the Deluxe Helicopter and a Day trip. They ran the trip in reverse and we did the day trip first and then headed to the airport later in the day for the helicopter tour. We got as far as the weigh in and were assigned to a helicopter, when we were informed that the clouds had come down over the volcano and flights were suspended. The morning was fine and if they had run the tour in the right order we would have been OK. It was rather galling to be taken back to the ship, sit out on the balcony with a cocktail and see the clouds lift and flights resume. ;( Still we did get to spot AF1 at the airport whilst we were there as President Obama and the family were on vacation on the island over the holidays.

 

Still, gives us another excuse to take the cruise again and hopefully 3rd time lucky to finally cross this off our bucket list. ;)

Sounds like our luck at the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque we have tried 2 times to ride in a balloon, both times canceled due to high winds and in the wrong direction. So looks like another trip to Albuquerque.

FYI the picture in my signature is taken from the Princeville Hotel in Kauai.

The good news (if any) is at least you had the basic's and the canal history previously from the enrichment expert on your last canal cruise.

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed the other aspects of the cruise

Srpilo

Yes, we felt very fortunate to have previously heard, and read, so much about the canal. I feel terrible for all those expecting to learn from someone with great knowledge who were so disappointed.

We just got off the Coral last week and hopefully you will have some enrichment lectures about the canal and a commentary as you make the transit because we had nothing.

We made this voyage a few years ago on the Coral and had wonderful and informative lectures all the way as we made the transit.

CD Miranda said there was some mis-communication with Princess regarding this. Very sad as hundreds of passengers were extremely disappointed.

We just returned from a full transit through the Panama Canal aboard the Coral and we were very disappointed. We did this same cruise a few years ago and it was one of our favorites.

The difference? Last time we had several enrichment lectures prior to entering the canal and then the historian gave very interesting commentary for the 8 hours it took to make the transit. He was remarkable and had so many stories to share.

This time...NOTHING before the canal and NOTHING going through. The couples at our dining table were EXTREMELY upset, as were hundreds of others that had never been there before. I tried to explain a few things that I remembered but obviously that was not sufficient.

I spoke with the CD and was told that there was a mix up with Princess. DUH !

The very least they should have done was to announce why and apologize but again NOTHING.

We have been very loyal Princess cruisers for years but now we are considering going back to HAL or RC.

Yes, I am aware this is probably an isolated case but still they should have been more prepared. How about even having pre-recorded lectures and things to take special note of while traveling through?

Oh well, other than that it was a fun cruise but i do feel very sorry for all those that expected more and got nothing but some visual moments.

We will be going on the Regal in December. We have always had the large balconies on the Caribe Deck. I guess we are in for a rude awakening!

We will have an aft cabin on Caribe deck this October on the Regal and are thinking we may have made a mistake this time. We always try to get an aft corner cabin on Caribe but were not able to this time and just found out it is uncovered and may get sooty from the exhaust. Also read that the balconies are much smaller...that sucks as we spend a great deal of time out on them

If that is the case we shall never cruise on the larger ships again. Seems like all Princess is concerned about is how much they can cram people in and make more money.

Does anyone know how the balcony size on B754 compares to C752 or C753?

 

(When I look at the deckplans C753 and 752 look small and I know from experience that they are about 9 x 9 so the deck plans aren't any help.)

Not sure about B754 but on the Ruby C753 is an aft corner cabin and the balcony is a wrap around so you get a much better view.and the wake is amazing.

Here are photos of the aft section of Royal Princess & the location of C742 would be the same on the Regal & it's uncovered.

Great pics, thank you. Don't like uncovered balconies but at least its a cruise.

Will be sailing on the Regal in October and booked C742 cabin..We always try to get an aft corner but they were taken this time. Anyone stay in this cabin before that can tell me about it i.e. is balcony covered, any soot, etc.?

thx

Can you move back a little into D407, D408, D409, D410, D411, or D412? All are Deluxe Balconies that on my sailing (not until October 2017) are only $30/person more than D329. The advantage to those cabins is they have much deeper balconies than other cabins. On the deck plans you can see how much deeper those balconies are. There are also some aft Deluxe Balcony cabins that have oversized balconies.

Thanks Cindy, I will call our TA tomorrow and see about changing. Not that we really need a large balcony but we are spoiled from aft corner cabins on the Ruby. Thx again. bob

It's fully covered.

Thank you!

We usually book an aft/corner cabin on Caribe deck. We love the Ruby but not available for our next cruise so we are booked in cabin D329 on the Regal in October. Any info about this cabin will be appreciated. Is the balcony covered, full or partial? We prefer a full covered balcony but neglected to check it out this time prior to booking. thx

Don't OVERPACK, you can google several tips on what to pack and how to do it. I always take binoculars and it is amazing what you can see, even miles out at sea.

Check out all the excursions and choose which ones you like. Sometimes you can save a lot of money either by sharing expenses with other couples on excursions not through the cruise line. However, some first time cruisers feel more comfortable booking only through the cruise line.

You will have a great time and this will be the first of many more in the future.

The furthest forward you can go on deck 5 is the Bordeaux Dining Room. On Deck 7 it is the Princess Theater. I doubt there is any such door you can access from the dining room or theater.

 

Probably you mean another deck.

Thanks for correcting that, I wasn't sure which deck it was, but I do know it was not crowded and had a great view. I did hear that a crew member told a guest not to use that door on another cruise though, so not sure. ?????

We sailed the Coral in Oct on a full transit and never saw security stopping people taking photos? Why?

We were all over the upper decks.

Because some were standing on rails trying to take pictures above the blue tinted windows and some were standing on chairs, etc.

They didn't stop them from taking pictures, just do it safely

Ah yes, the "secret door" I heard people talking about, but nobody knew where it was. Including the crew.

Check it out and let us know if that is still the secret access.

When we went through the Panama Canal all the upper decks were crowded and security was very strict about where you could stand to take pictures ( for obvious reasons). We were told to go all the way forward on the port side of deck 5 ( or was it 7) and go through the door marked crew only. It led out to a viewing deck with only about 15 others on it and we had an AMAZING view of the locks. Nobody stopped us or seemed to care. So, that's MY secret on the Coral.

We did this cruise last year and when I took the uke lessons there was a 14 year old girl with her grandfather taking them also. We would end up on excursions together and I asked her how she felt about being with all the OLD folks. She said she is with kids her age all year at home and this gives her a chance to spend more quality time with her grandparents and other OLDER people. She said she enjoyed more mature conversation. Throughout the cruise I saw many young males talking to her and she also met a couple other teen girls, but she told me this was her time to spend with her loved ones.

She will have a great time and everyone, regardless of age, gets out of it what you put into it.

yup!

I'm sorry for causing issue on this board with my question, I thought it was innocent. I apologize.

 

NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE !!!

You asked a simple question and others on here felt compelled to add their $.02 worth. Sometimes these roll call posts become more of an ego/confrontational forum for those that like to hear themselves spout off.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise (and the others you spent sooo much to reserve) and you will become a regular Princess cruiser. Let us know what you think about Princess compared to others. We have decided that, for us, we like everything Princess has to offer.

 

Have a great vacation.

We have always had a balcony cabin, whether forward, mid,or mid bump out and then we tried and aft corner...C753. What a HUGE mistake...now we won't cruise unless we get an aft corner either on Caribe (preferred) or Baja deck.

So, yesssss you made a great choice, enjoy the wake and your vacation.

Hello :)

 

Does anyone have any Patters for the Hawaii cruises? I thought I read something on here the other day that someone was going to post some, but I can't find the thread. I'm just trying to get a gist of how the daytime/evening programs go as I've got adult and kid schedules to work on.

 

Thanks!

If you are interested there is a roll call for the March 24th Hawaiian cruise you may want to participate in. Have a great vacation.

You should get an email from Princess soon that will have the movies listed.

Hmmm, that's interesting. I will be on that cruise also, and was on the Ruby last April to Hawaii and the Golden to Alaska in September and never received any type of notification regarding MUTS. Now I'm feeling neglected.:confused:

Isn't it a bit funny (or sad) how one question or comment can turn into a somewhat heated dispute. And, what's the issue if someone wants to pre-pay for something, they even allow you to pre-pay for excursions or gratuities. I imagine putting gifts on lay-a-way is not acceptable to some too...

Let's see the objectionable comments to this post now...I can handle it.

Last April on the Ruby to Hawaii we had Sandra, from Mexico. At the table with us were two sisters, one 84 the other 87, and she always paid special attention to them regarding their diet needs, walkers,etc. She was always smiling, laughing with us ( or at us) and went out of her way to insure our dinner was exactly what and how we wanted it. These cute sisters were very appreciative of her but unfortunately were unable to give her much of a tip, so we gave her $150 for all she did to make dining so enjoyable.

sorry for the messed up link. thank you for posting the info for others to see. I don't have a T.A. so I will contact princess

You may want to find a T.A. as they sometimes have perks, etc. that Princess won't offer. Our T.A. has already ordered chocolate strawberries for each of us and extra on board credits.

The latest tracking a few minutes ago is still showing her making another circle, and slowed down to 1.9 knots:

 

CP by Cool Runnings, on Flickr

Where did you get that tracking...never saw that before.