Casino and Dinner on N. Wind in Hawaii

[Phillip Toddy]

G'day All

 

We are thinking of cruising from Hawaii for 10 days from 16th November 2005 on Norwegian Wind. Not surprisingly, most vaguely recent comments on the boards relate to North American trips.

 

We are (well, I am) wondering what the hours of the Casino will be as something on the NCL site suggests that it will not be open in "Hawaiian Waters". Can anyone help here?

 

Also, we are a bit disconcerted by the prospect of lucky dip seating at dinner. We have cruised twice before (on Aurora and Sapphire Pricess) and found the stability of a regular dinner group very good. We got to know our companions quie well, for example on Sapphire we dined with an American couple from Georgia/Arkansas an English couple from Manchester and a retired very senior member of the London coppers. We are from Sydney, Australia. Has anyone had a similar experience in anytime dining or tips for success?

 

We also look forward to meeting anyone who sails at the same time.

 

Regards

 

Phil (and Mrs) Toddy

[kapoho2]

I cruised on the WIND last Sept. and will be doing the 11-day cruise again this Sept. Unfortunately, due to Hawaiian regulations, there is NO casino on the WIND. You can see the space where the casino used to be, but that area is now used for art auctions, excercise classes, etc. There is, however, Bingo...during the days sailing to and from Fanning Island. We enjoy the freestyle dining concept. We have done the traditional cruise dinner seatings on previous cruise, but the freestyle works really well for us. You can request to be seated with other folks, make plans to dine with new found shipboard friends, or just dine alone with your party. Sometimes we like to dine late, after the show and other nights, we enjoy dinner and then the show. We also like the "resort casual" dress code, being that we live in Hawaii and our closets are filled with Aloha-wear!! We opt not to dress up on the formal night....but do enjoy seeing those passengers who opt to dress formal. We think the WIND is a great value, an excellent cruise experience and a wonderful way to see the islands. Have fun!!

[Umbarger]

Sorry, no casino on the Wind. Just think of all the money you will save. :D

 

I had very good experience with anytime dining on the Wind. We had dinner whenever we felt like it and never had to wait for a table. I will say I did miss meeting other pax at dinner. We just met them at the show and elsewhere on the ship. Have a wonderful cruise.

 

Linda

[professor]

We have cruised twice before...and found the stability of a regular dinner group very good.

Traditional dining is a double-edged sword. It's great when one's tablemates are compatible and conscientious about being on-time for meals. However, last year I was on an RCI cruise with dining companions who were professional malcontents and routinely kept everyone waiting for their always-tardy arrival ("fashionably late," they called it). I certainly do not cite my experience as being typical of traditional assigned-seating dining, but it does illustrate that unpleasant tablemates can ruin the dinner hour -- and it's not an easy problem to fix if the maitre d' can find no one willing to switch with you.

 

I've found NCL's Freestyle dining quite satisfactory. If I happen to share a table with less-than-ideal dining companions, it's easily fixed. I do enjoy being served by waiters I've gotten to know, and sometimes (not always) it's possible to arrange seating with a particular waiter/waitress whom I request by name. Mostly, though, I like the freedom to eat early one evening and late the next. When on vacation, flexibility can be wonderful.

[KeystoneCruiser]

Remember that NCL is a freestyle operation as opposed to the traditional lines. Freestyle means the following:

1.) No set dining times. You decide when you want to go and who you want to sit with. The dining rooms are open from 5:30 - 10 p.m. each night. In the main restaurants, which offer traditional cruise dinners, you just walk up to the maitre'd when you arrive and tell him how many are with you and you are taken to a table like in a restaurant. If you want to meet others, tell the maitre'd that and he/she will find others who want the same and seat you together.

 

2.) You can also choose from a variety of specialty restaurants which require reservations and in most cases, a cover charge of $15-25 per person. These include italian, a steakhouse, tex-mex, japanese, etc.. You can make reservations for a specific time and day for the whole week your first day on board at a special desk. The main restaurants do not take reservations except for large groups of 8 or more. There is also a free buffet that is open for all meals and late night snacks. (of course there is also room service)

 

3.) You can dress as you like within limits. The dress code on the ship for dinner is "resort casual" which only means no shorts, t-shirts, cut-offs or jeans in the dining rooms after 5:00 p.m. Polo shirts and kahki pants or sundresses are fine. You do not have to dress up!! (my favorite part). There is an optional formal night during the cruise, but you will find it 50-50 between those who do dress up and those who don't. For Hawaii cruises, you also have the additional option of Hawaiian shirts!

 

4.) Tipping is automatic for room stewards and waiters. You are charged $10 per person per day on your bill and this handles the gratuity for these people. A 15% service charge is added to all bar & spa bills. No need to individually tip these people, but you can tip additionally if they provide exceptional service and you are so inclined.

 

5.) You can wait in your room for disembarkation until you are called. No need to crowd into public lounges like other cruise lines.

 

These are the "perks" of Freestyle Cruising which is why I like NCL so much. (only Princess offers something similar)

 

 

I refuse to go to the pay restaurants because I feel we have already paid our fare (the one thing that I do like from traditional cruising), but speaking of reservations, if you plan to dine in the specialty restaurants, I urge you to go to the reservation desk your first day on board and make your reservations for the week. That way you can get the restaurants that you want at the times you want them!

__________________

[Phillip Toddy]

I tried to start a new thread with these, but it seems that I got it wrong as no thread is there now. (We are going to sail on Wind from 16 November 2005). We greatly appreciate the assistance of you all.

 

Regarding Honolulu:

 

Where does the ship dock and is this far from (a) the airport and (b) the main city centre?

 

What is the best way to get from the airport ot a hotel on the morning of 15 November?

 

Any good hotels to suggest?

 

What is the best way to get around Honolulu?

 

Is it practicable to visit Pearl Harbour on the one day (15th)?

 

Are taxis expensive in Hololulu (and how much should one tip)?

 

Would it be practicable to catch an 11:00 am flight to Sydney from a 7:00 am docking in Honolulu?

 

Best wishes to all

 

Phillip (and Mrs) Toddy

[Das K]

The question of where the Norwegian Wind Docks is complicated. As of now, it Docks at Pier 11, adjacent to the Aloha Tower near downtown Honolulu. When the Pride of America or Pride of Aloha is in Honolulu on the same day, the Wind uses Pier 19, about 1/2 km west of Pier 11. Honolulu is currently renovating Pier 2, with completion scheduled for November 2005 (about the time of your trip). Once Norwegian moves to Pier 2, the Wind will dock at Pier 2, EXCEPT when the other two are in port. Then the Wind will be moved to Pier 11.

TThe EASY way to follow this is to keep the attached link handy for your reference as the date of your trip approaches....

http://www.hawaii.gov/dot/harbors/oahu/2005cruise.htm

 

All three piers are about 6 miles east of the International Airport, with a 20-25 minute cab ride away. We paid $20 for the cab, and left a $5 tip, since he assisted with our 7 heavy suitcases.

 

The Waikiki hotels are about 4 miles further east, and the cab ride there from the airport can get expensive. My family (me, wife, teenage daughter) took an Airport Shuttle bus from the airport to our Waikiki hotel, which cost us about $24 (much cheaper than a cab). The shuttle bus stops at most hotels in Honolulu.

 

We stayed at the Doubletree Alana in Waikiki. We had no major complaints about the hotel or it's relative cost. It is about 3 blocks walk from the beach.

 

Once in Honolulu, we rented a car from Alamo, which was very convienient to get us to anywhere we wished.

 

Pearl Harbor can be done easily in one day, with one major note - ARRIVE NO LATER THAN 7am. Aim for 6:45am. Even though the Arizona Memorial opens at 7:30am, the line forms that early. We arrived at 7:10am, waited in line for 1 hour 20 minutes, entering the Monument Visitor Center at 8:30am. As you enter, you are given a ticket for an Assigned Water Shuttle over to the Memorial itself. Our assigned time was 9:30am. We completed the trip to the Arizona and the visitor center by 11am. We went to the USS Missouri next, but only stayed long enough to view the spot where the Surrender was signed and to briefly look around (we have toured US Battleships before). Pearl Harbor can even be done on the morning your cruise departs, as long as you arrive early. Groups arriving after 7:30 have long waits, and people arriving later may not get a shuttle ticket at all (due to the limited number of people who can be carried on the shuttles each day).

 

I think you could get away with reserving the 11am flight to Sydney on the day you leave, if you really do want to get away faster. I just got off the Wind on August 3rd, and was very impressed with the Freestyle Disembarkation. For really speedy travelers who can handle ALL of their luggage themself, you can leave the ship at 7:45am. If not, you can also have the ship handle your bags and still exit the ship by 9:30am if you are an independent traveler. This would be a tighter schedule than you may be comfortable with. If you book your Air travel through NCL, a departure prior to 9am is also possible. It all depends on how you make your arrangements.

 

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

[Umbarger]

Dont forget if you rent a car in Honolulu the parking is expensive at most hotels and the parking spaces are also very small.

 

I stayed at the Waikiki circle hotel. The rooms were small but clean and the rates were cheap even for ocean views. And what a view it was. Beautiful.

 

Have a wonderful trip.

 

Linda

[betslil]

Hello, We are also on this sailing. It is so nice to finally find someone else who is booked for this cruise. I posted a Roll Call quite some time ago, but no one responded. My husband and myself will be celebrating our 12th anniversay on this sailing. Don't you just love all the information that is shared on these boards?? I have no idea what excursion we are going to do, but I'm excited... My hubby was a bit disappointed regarding the casion issue, but I told him that with so much to do on the ship, he won't even miss it. (I hope).

Great talking to you, hopfully you continue to post and we can share new info.

see you later,

Lili (Betslil)