mikjr

Not to say we won't go again... I just won't drive. We'll take an excursion and let someone else do the driving. And we're usually there on a cruise, so the time factor is always an issue. but you are right... it is a beautiful drive

Very true... I have personally driven HANA twice... never again!! it was an all day adventure.

AMEN!! my friends on the Island have voiced concern about that exact issue... The Politicians! Like yourself, I also live in Orange County California... and as you know, the market has been going crazy with Chinese investors. They use young couples to front the deal and buy the home. They hold it for 2 years and then flip it! We've had two house on our block sell exactly that way.

We arrive at 7AM, most car rentals open at 8AM, and the ship leaves at 6PM. You can reach almost anywhere on the Island in an hour or less. So you should have plenty of time to visit anything your need to visit

I have High school friends from the Mainland in Maui and Kauai. My wife's sister lives near Hilo Town. They have all been on the Islands for decades and were all pretty devastated by the fire. Most were not happy about the talk of NEW out of the country investors coming in to rebuild!!

Thanks for the info... We had just visited Maui only 4 weeks prior to the fire. We were deeply saddened by the destruction. We have family and friends on the Islands, so it was especially sad. Our daughter was married right outside Lahaina about 20 years ago. Maui has always been a favorite for us. Other than Mama's Fish House, is there another good fish restaurant near our dock?? We loved going to Whaler's Village and eating right on the beach at Leilani's. Anything like that close by?? Or even down by Wailea??

I was just checking out the Shore Excursions for our cruise. Is it my imagination, or have the excursion prices gone WAY UP???

I just noticed you live on Maui. What do you recommend? We've been on Maui about 10 times, of course always tendering into Lahaina. We normally hit the shops in town and then take a shuttle to Leilani's on the Beach for lunch. We might just rent a car, but I was concerned about the roads being open to Kaanapali. Can you even drive from Kahului to Kaanapali???

About a mile or so... 30 / 40 minute walk would be fine. I have a LYFT account so that's always an option. I've driving the Road to Hana twice, don't think I'd drive it again, but might take a bus tour.

yea, should be NUI... typo... We are there on Tuesday, and should be OK with most of the museums, and it appears they may be walking distance from the ship. We walked from the HILO dock all the way into Hilo Town a few years back. I won't do that again!!

It appears there are some nice, but probably small, museums not far from the ship. Maui Nut Botanical Gardens Baldwin Sugar Museum The Bailey House Maui Arts & Cultural Center

I might have one of those also…. Maybe ELUA part 2 is needed

For those who never had the opportunity to sail with ELUA, here’s a video I put together after our last (and now final) cruise with Dave and Leialoha. Taken in the Summer of 2023

The way I read it, ALL current reservations have been cancelled and on June 17, we can rebook our dining preferences.

I assume everyone who has a booked cruise, has received an email outlining the NEW Main Dining Room options, starting Sept 14, 2024. ALL CURRENT reservations will be cancelled! From what I read, the only change I noticed was the difference between Anytime Dining options will now be in separate dining rooms based on whether you have a Reservation OR you are a Walk in with NO reservation. REZ use one dining room exclusively; NO REZ uses another dining exclusively. Traditional dining will remain the same. I guess my question is, will you be able to reserve the SAME TIME for every day of your cruise, using the APP?? HERE is the contents of the EMAIL: Starting with voyages departing September 14, 2024, Princess will designate separate dining rooms aboard every ship in the fleet* to three table service options: Traditional dining offering an early and a late seating every evening Reservable dining times Open seating to support walk-ins anytime To support these changes and the transition to the new system, main dining reservations that you may have already made will be cancelled. This change does not affect anyone booked in specialty dining restaurants or suite or reserve collection accommodations, who enjoy a dedicated dining room on Princess ships, where no reservations are required. Starting June 17, you will be able to use the app ahead of your voyage to opt for traditional seating in a dedicated dining room with the same waiter, same table and same time each night, or flexible dining, allowing you to enjoy dinner at any available time and table size of your choosing in either the Reservable or Open Seating dining rooms.

Has anyone else read about the Privacy Lawsuit against Princess, HAL, Celebrity and RCL??? It appears that those cruise lines illegally shared info with META. According to what I read, if you booked your cruise online through their websites, you could be entitled to "Compensation". Here's the website: https://www.classaction.org/cruise-line-privacy-violations

Looks like the previous post laid out the regulations...

My understanding of the PVSA is that as long as you are on the ship when it docks at the foreign port, you are not in violation.

Has anyone ever left the ship at one port and rejoined the ship at another port? Why I ask... we have family in HILO Hawaii, and Princess is now added KONA (Maui replacement) to the itinerary. SO, if allowed, it would be nice to leave the ship in KONA, spend the night with our family in Hilo and rejoin the ship in HILO the next afternoon. Is this allowed??

The problem with Hawaii,... it takes years to build anything. My brother in law was a native Hawaiian and developer in Hawaii. He said it takes years and years to get approval for projects. And supplies and resources are always the other big issue on the Islands. Hopefully, the STATE and local leaders will be smart enough to move this project along quickly. Not only for the obvious financial issues, but for healing the emotional sadness and impact to the Hawaiian people.

Do the have Cell Phones and did they buy a WiFi package? The WiFi is via Satellite so the weather might affect service. And have you tried to text them? I would keep trying

Has anyone mentioned what they plan to do? In March, weather was bad and we missed Lahaina and Nawiliwili. The ship spent an extra night in Honolulu. Hopefully they will do something like that.

We were just there in July on the Emerald, but this photo was taken in 2019

we were on a Princess cruise in March and missed Maui and Kauai due to weather. Capt decided to spend an extra day in Honolulu. which was OK.

This is very sad news! we were just in Lahaina in July on the Emerald. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/08/09/coast-guard-joins-brush-fire-response-lahaina-where-crews-continue-battle-wind-whipped-flames/