Ukules on Star Princess

For a fun Christmas gift I'm thinking about getting my husband a ukulele to take on our Hawaiian cruise next March. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to purchase? What do they use on the ship? Anyone taken the onboard classes? Thanks

Don't buy on the ship! My husband has 7. Do you have a price range? He would only have two, if those were the first he bought.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Don't buy on the ship! My husband has 7. Do you have a price range? He would only have two, if those were the first he bought.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Don't buy on the ship! My husband has 7. Do you have a price range? He would only have two, if those were the first he bought.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

DH is not a musician but I think he would enjoy learning to play simple tunes on a ukulele while we are at sea --and maybe continuing afterwards. On Amazon I see a variety of price ranges for beginning instruments but have no idea what is worth buying. What would you recommend in this situation? I had looked at this one Kala KA-15S Mahogany Soprano Ukulele

Do not buy an ukulele before the cruise or on the ship. The class will have ukuleles to use until you get to Hilo. Come early to secure your name on the free instruments.

If traveling with ELUA, Dave will let you know the best places to buy an ukulele (usually in Hilo). Or you can register for a tour of Kamaka Ukuleles in Honolulu. But they will be expensive.

Have fun. It's a great class and lots of fun.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

DH is not a musician but I think he would enjoy learning to play simple tunes on a ukulele while we are at sea --and maybe continuing afterwards. On Amazon I see a variety of price ranges for beginning instruments but have no idea what is worth buying. What would you recommend in this situation?

There will be ukuleles on the ship to borrow for people wanting to take the class. Hint, look in the Patter for the class schedule on the first sea day and be at the venue early to be in line to register and get one. By using the ships ukulele it will give your husband a chance to make a decision about whether he enjoys playing enough to continue. I believe that Elua will be on your sailing and Dave, who teaches the class, will have suggestions as to brands and locations on the islands for people who decide that they want to buy their own instrument. I have been on two Hawaii cruise with Elua on board and have bought two ukuleles based on Dave's recommendations (borrowed one for the first half of each cruise and used my own new one on the second half). There are tons of "beginner" instruments out there and a great many of them are not worth the money even if they are inexpensive.

...............................

If traveling with ELUA, Dave will let you know the best places to buy an ukulele (usually in Hilo). Or you can register for a tour of Kamaka Ukuleles in Honolulu. But they will be expensive.

 

Have fun. It's a great class and lots of fun.

Not sure about the Hilo recommendation these days. The owner of the shop that Dave had recommended closed up this last year due to having cancer. There is a new shop with a similar name in the same location, but, not the same as before. BTW, Dave will recommend places in Oahu, too.

Not sure about the Hilo recommendation these days. The owner of the shop that Dave had recommended closed up this last year due to having cancer. There is a new shop with a similar name in the same location, but, not the same as before. BTW, Dave will recommend places in Oahu, too.

ewww :( that's let me down.

Why? :confused:

Why? :confused:

For a fun Christmas gift I'm thinking about getting my husband a ukulele to take on our Hawaiian cruise next March. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to purchase?

What do they use on the ship? Anyone taken the onboard classes? Thanks

As a guitar and also uke player here are some thoughts.

I would only purchase now if he intends to learn to play. If your husband is at all musical the uke is very easy to learn from books as well as lessons on line. The most difficult thing to learn is to get your fingers to move into the various chord positions. This requires practice each day. If he practices until March he will enjoy the on board sessions more.

I would not purchase anything over $100. You can get a decent beginner uke for around $75. Don't forget to get a soft carry bag (gig bag). You probably also need a tuner. You can always upgrade later if he enjoys it. It is also easier to learn to play a guitar if you know the uke.

The ship has beginner ukes for use in the daily at sea sessions and at the big show at the end of the cruise. The songs they use are easy to learn., and the teachers are good.

You mentioned a “soprano ukulele “. Unless your hubby has very small hands he will find that too small - the concert size has the same fingering, but the extra bit of size makes learning so much more enjoyable!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

You mentioned a “soprano ukulele “. Unless your hubby has very small hands he will find that too small - the concert size has the same fingering, but the extra bit of size makes learning so much more enjoyable!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks for that tip.

As a guitar and also uke player here are some thoughts.

I would only purchase now if he intends to learn to play. If your husband is at all musical the uke is very easy to learn from books as well as lessons on line. The most difficult thing to learn is to get your fingers to move into the various chord positions. This requires practice each day. If he practices until March he will enjoy the on board sessions more.

I would not purchase anything over $100. You can get a decent beginner uke for around $75. Don't forget to get a soft carry bag (gig bag). You probably also need a tuner. You can always upgrade later if he enjoys it. It is also easier to learn to play a guitar if you know the uke.

The ship has beginner ukes for use in the daily at sea sessions and at the big show at the end of the cruise. The songs they use are easy to learn., and the teachers are good.

Thanks for the info.

So something like this may work? https://www.amazon.com/Donner-Concert-Mahogany-DUC-1-23/dp/B01M1L6OSX/ref=sr_1_10?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1509399647&sr=1-10&keywords=concert%2Bukulele&th=1

I’d be more likely to seek out a store where they have several models and price points to choose from. Some of the “less expensive” or “beginner” instruments are hard to tune /don’t stay in tune.

Choose from a reputable shop and they will give you lots of friendly and free advice on getting started. Amazon is great for books but I’d be careful with a musical instrument.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I bought one as a surprise for my wife before our Hawaii cruise. It was really handy as they collect their loaners back after each class and my wife wanted to keep practicing...

Just chatted with here and either:

https://www.amazon.com/Kala-Learn-Ukulele-Starter-Mahogany/dp/B01F543PAW/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1509407417&sr=1-5&keywords=ukele&dpID=51IRjUlliFL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

or

https://www.amazon.com/Guitars-UKETCMAH-Concert-Mahogany-Ukulele/dp/B003L7VQMA/ref=sr_1_25?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1509407417&sr=1-25&keywords=ukele

Are good - We got the Luna. She now has some crazy $1k Uke but always travels with the Luna as less risk if it got damaged or lost!

I bought one as a surprise for my wife before our Hawaii cruise. It was really handy as they collect their loaners back after each class and my wife wanted to keep practicing...

 

Just chatted with here and either:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Kala-Learn-Ukulele-Starter-Mahogany/dp/B01F543PAW/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1509407417&sr=1-5&keywords=ukele&dpID=51IRjUlliFL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

or

 

https://www.amazon.com/Guitars-UKETCMAH-Concert-Mahogany-Ukulele/dp/B003L7VQMA/ref=sr_1_25?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1509407417&sr=1-25&keywords=ukele

 

Are good - We got the Luna. She now has some crazy $1k Uke but always travels with the Luna as less risk if it got damaged or lost!

Thanks.

I'm more in the $60 range so maybe this one https://www.amazon.com/Luna-Guitars-UKE-VMC-RDS-KIT-2/dp/B074J5TVQC/ref=sr_1_45?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1509409452&sr=1-45&keywords=concert+ukulele+kit

Not sure about the Hilo recommendation these days. The owner of the shop that Dave had recommended closed up this last year due to having cancer. There is a new shop with a similar name in the same location, but, not the same as before. BTW, Dave will recommend places in Oahu, too.

So sorry to hear of this.

Another good reason to use the ship's uke...it comes "tuned". Tuners are not very expensive and you can actually download an app for that.

I have tinkered with a ukulele for years (very basic playing by cords). Still enjoyed the lessons on the cruise. I very fun activity.

Thanks.

I'm more in the $60 range so maybe this one https://www.amazon.com/Luna-Guitars-UKE-VMC-RDS-KIT-2/dp/B074J5TVQC/ref=sr_1_45?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1509409452&sr=1-45&keywords=concert+ukulele+kit

Just my thoughts here. I would be much more inclined to buy this one:

So something like this may work? https://www.amazon.com/Donner-Concert-Mahogany-DUC-1-23/dp/B01M1L6OSX/ref=sr_1_10?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1509399647&sr=1-10&keywords=concert%2Bukulele&th=1

I'm only going by the reviews and comments of these two links. The Donner seems to be a better instrument and better set up if the reviews are to be believed. Luna is a decent brand, but, like other brands, not necessarily so at the lower price points. What I have learned is that there are several things that make a ukulele easier and more enjoyable to play. Set up is one thing, meaning that the bridge and nut are at a proper height so it is easy to finger the strings for each cord or note. The frets need to be at a consistent height and smooth on the edges of the neck so you don't constantly nick your fingers. The sound is something that varies with each instrument and is very subjective so hearing the uke play is an advantage. This is something that you will miss out on by buying on line (I did notice that the Donner had a brief video review and seemed to sound pretty good). Also keep in mind that more accessories does not mean a better buy, it is the ukulele that is the point of the purchase. So, just kind of a stab in the dark here, for the price point where you are, I would be leaning to the Donner out of the two that you have posted links to. Happy shopping. :)

Just my thoughts here. I would be much more inclined to buy this one:

 

I'm only going by the reviews and comments of these two links. The Donner seems to be a better instrument and better set up if the reviews are to be believed. Luna is a decent brand, but, like other brands, not necessarily so at the lower price points. What I have learned is that there are several things that make a ukulele easier and more enjoyable to play. Set up is one thing, meaning that the bridge and nut are at a proper height so it is easy to finger the strings for each cord or note. The frets need to be at a consistent height and smooth on the edges of the neck so you don't constantly nick your fingers. The sound is something that varies with each instrument and is very subjective so hearing the uke play is an advantage. This is something that you will miss out on by buying on line (I did notice that the Donner had a brief video review and seemed to sound pretty good). Also keep in mind that more accessories does not mean a better buy, it is the ukulele that is the point of the purchase. So, just kind of a stab in the dark here, for the price point where you are, I would be leaning to the Donner out of the two that you have posted links to. Happy shopping. :)

Thank you so much. I do feel as though I'm stabbing in the dark. Probably best to do the onboard lessons with their instruments first. :)

We are fortunate that we have (if they are still in business...the last time we were there was to buy an instrument for our daughter to use in orchestra) a great music store about 15 miles away. We were able to try out ukes there between Hawaiian cruises.

The great thing about taking the classes on the cruise is to see if you like playing the instrument.

If you buy one, you can entertain your friends and if they really like your playing, you may get asked to bring your uke to parties. My hubby as guitar and when my daughter was in first grade, he offered to play it at their classroom holiday party. Imagine introducing kids to ukuleles in the classroom?

On our 10 day Mexico on the Star in March, there was a ukulele club aboard. While we were waiting to board, we saw someone with a ukulele size case, then another and before you knew it there were dozens of them.

Our first port was San Diego, so we had time to kill at sea. The captain circled Catalina Island. There were uke people on the balcony above us -- it was fun as we relaxed as they strummed and softly sang "Twenty-six miles across the sea......." :D

DW wants to learn it, I bought a cheap one from Monoprice.com -- she hasn't touched it yet. It was only about $30

I have taken the Hawaii cruise with Elua many times, and Dave gave me my first ukulele lesson many years ago. I am now a moderator on the Ukulele Underground forum, and have written two books about ukuleles. All that being said, my recommendation is to wait and use the ship instrument first to ensure he wishes to play. Then you can get recommendations from Dave and other class members - there are always a handful of folks that bring their ukes onboard. I take mine on every trip I take, to Hawaii or anywhere else.

In Hawaii, there are a number of very good ukulele stores (the best in the world being Hawaii Music Supply on the North Shore of Oahu - their selection at all price points is unparalleled and their website is theukulelesite.com)

Just be sure to get to the first class early! On time is late if you want to guarantee an ukulele. I would suggest 15-30 minutes ahead of time.

Dave is a terrific teacher, you will probably have a great time!

I have taken the Hawaii cruise with Elua many times' date=' and Dave gave me my first ukulele lesson many years ago. I am now a moderator on the Ukulele Underground forum, and have written two books about ukuleles. All that being said, my recommendation is to wait and use the ship instrument first to ensure he wishes to play. Then you can get recommendations from Dave and other class members - there are always a handful of folks that bring their ukes onboard. I take mine on every trip I take, to Hawaii or anywhere else.

 

In Hawaii, there are a number of very good ukulele stores (the best in the world being Hawaii Music Supply on the North Shore of Oahu - their selection at all price points is unparalleled and their website is theukulelesite.com)

 

Just be sure to get to the first class early! On time is late if you want to guarantee an ukulele. I would suggest 15-30 minutes ahead of time.

 

Dave is a terrific teacher, you will probably have a great time![/quote']

Thank you for the advice -- will wait until he has participated onboard.