35 Day Hawaii, Tahiti Cruise.

[danogg]

I am interested in taking this cruise in 2025 .  The ship is the Koningsdam . Has anybody taken this cruise? Would you recommend it?

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by danogg

[OlsSalt]

Long at-sea days may be good or bad.

 

There's is a lot of water to cover on this cruise, which is part of its inherent appeal - to experience the vastness of the Pacific Ocean while humbly understanding the incredible skills required during the Great Polynesian Exploration of these trackless waters, let alone the early European explorers who sailed off into these waters .... "where there may be monsters".

 

[CruiserBruce]

41 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

 

There's is a lot of water to cover on this cruise, which is part of its inherent appeal - to experience the vastness of the Pacific Ocean while humbly understanding the incredible skills required during the Great Polynesian Exploration of these trackless waters, let alone the early European explorers who sailed off into these waters .... "where there may be monsters".

 

Monsters? I was interested...not so much now!!😃😀😄

[57redbird]

We did this past Feb/March....hubby was in the Navy & loves sea days, of which there are a lot on this cruise.  I'm more of a port person -- I like seeing/experiencing things at various ports &, for me, this cruise didn't have that --- not enough time to do/see a lot on any island except Oahu (where we had an unscheduled 2nd overnight due to the weather not permitting us to dock on Kauai).  It gave us just a taste of every island - enough to say if we were to explore again, we'd pick 1 or 2 islands & visit each for 2-3 days if not more.  Didn't do any ship excursions -- did all private ones that we arranged ourselves or found through our roll call here on Cruise Critic so can't speak to those.

 

If you can purchase Club Orange, I suggest you do it -- more pleasant than the MDR for breakfast & dinner.  We did a paid upgrade to a Neptune suite so it was included as was unlimited laundry - glad we had both.

 

Even though the ship was full-ish, it never seemed to be crowded except for some talks in the World Stage - after suggestions to offer a 2nd time &/or show them on the room tvs, that was done.  The Lido at lunch was a little busy but if you avoided 'opening' times it was manageable. 

Hubby liked the NY Pizza/deli - I wasn't impressed & the only time I tried the Dive In for a brat, the brat wasn't even warm in the middle - YUCK!  but he liked the cheeseburgers.  Underwhelmed by the Pinnacle Grill but did Tamarind twice, Rudi's was good....somehow missed Canaletto & did the Ethan Stowell chef's dinner in the Pinnacle - wish we could have saved our $ on that one.

 

Entertainment was good --- usually SRO in BB Kings & Rolling Stone RR.  We aren't trivia players, or coloring for adult types.  Depending on which bar you went to, drinks were either very good or 'is this what I ordered'?  Some wines/spirits were in short supply from mid-to end of the cruise.  

 

More info?  -- just ask.

[SilvertoGold]

Relaxing, beautiful ports, lots of sea days, hot!, camera-ready vistas. Delightful! 

[Seasick Sailor]

We took this cruise in Feb/Mar of this year. Loved it. 

 

 

[travelholics]

Did this cruise this winter and loved it. The stops in French Polynesia are 2 days at each island, so plenty of time to explore on water and on land! People so friendly and no where near as commercialised as I had expected. 

Excellent lecturers and Hawaii education program. Music walk was amazing, our first time! I don't think we saw another cruise ship, once we left San Diego, until we arrived back 35 days later! Weather was really nice, short sharp downpours during shore days, but very refreshing and no need for more than the occassional poncho. If you love seadays, this is a perfect cruise. We were so busy we didn't read any of our books!

[Seasick Sailor]

We enjoyed our meals and waiters. Had the same table in MDR every evening.  Loved the specialty dining. I loved the Dover sole in Rudi's. Our waiter made me napkin swans. He was adorable. 

 

 

[OlsSalt]

4 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Monsters? I was interested...not so much now!!😃😀😄

[OlsSalt]

This is a great survey of Pacific Ocean stops - Fanning Island and Fakarava were our very favorites on 50 day HAL Tales of the South Pacific. HAL does a good job with the Crossing the Equator ceremonies too.  I think you will have a great time - good pick. This might be a good cruise to seek out the "extended balcony" Deck Four verandah cabins - mid ship. 

 

Plus as a San Diego RT you don't have to fly out of Papeete, which is the worst possible flight back to the US- the flights typically leave at midnight, the airport has few to no amenities if you have to wait out the time at the airport, and check-in was chaotic. You will avoid all that with this cruise. That its a bonus.

[RMLincoln]

Hawaii has the broadest spectrum of sights and activities. The Society Islands have incredible beauty everywhere you turn. I had unforgettable experiences in the lagoon waters with kayaking, snorkeling, having rays and reef sharks (small, non-aggressive) come visit us. The lagoons made it the best for me. Papeete has some unique shopping. My first time there I went to the fabric store and got a tablecloth. Next time I went, I got two more. And I use my parea/sarong cloths every day.  Nuka Hiva had a grand assortment of wood carvings. Fanning Island has tons of local straw work in a primitive setting that is next to impossible to find in the world anymore. Fakarava is is not much more developed. Riatia is lush. Tahiti is an island you can do a circle road tour and see historical and cultural sights if you’re not into the lagoons. Overnight you can sample the excellent food truck, roullets, or sample the nightlife. Moorea is just gorgeous. And a place to buy black pearls.  
 

I’d prefer a longer cruise that also gets to Fiji and the Cook Islands but I’d take the 35 night itinerary in a heartbeat. 
 

HAL often has the Hawaiian ambassadors aboard who add a lot to the sea days with a variety of cultural enrichment opportunities. For me, there just aren’t enough sea days!  But with the multiple overnight ports this is an itinerary you’ll not find elsewhere. 
 

K‘dam has a lot of variety for food. It’s promenade deck doesn’t have good visibility but there are shaded deck chairs available high up. I find K’dam’s MDR very noisy so Club Orange would be an advantage to me. I like the led computerized background panels in the World Stage. Mesmerizing. 
 

Happy planning!  m—

Edited June 4, 2023 by RMLincoln

[mightycruisequeen]

We did a variation of this itinerary for the first time in 2012, we were thinking it would be a one-and-done check off the bucket list, but we keep going back.  It's just flat-out wonderful, and the best snorkeling ever!  Too bad it doesn't include Bora Bora or Rangiroa anymore, but glad to see Fanning Island is still on the itinerary.  

[stevec999]

Can't answer your questions but we have it booked for 2025. 🙂

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, RMLincoln said:

...Papeete has some unique shopping. My first time there I went to the fabric store and got a tablecloth. Next time I went, I got two more. And I use my parea/sarong cloths every day.  Nuka Hiva had a grand assortment of wood carvings. Fanning Island has tons of local straw work in a primitive setting that is next to impossible to find in the world anymore. Fakarava is is not much more developed. Riatia is lush. Tahiti is an island you can do a circle road tour and see historical and cultural sights if you’re not into the lagoons...

We are on this itinerary (sub Hilo and Kahului) in 2024. Thanks for the snapshot of the So.Pacific! Saving to my cruise planning folder!

[RMLincoln]

39 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

We are on this itinerary (sub Hilo and Kahului) in 2024. Thanks for the snapshot of the So.Pacific! Saving to my cruise planning folder!

If you have any specific questions, ask away. Happy planning!  m—

[echoshipmate]

We did this in Feb/Mar and it was great. Heartily disagree about Fanning Island, a real dump. The natives don't care about much except begging for stuff, usually sending their kids to be the front beggars. Island is filthy, garbage everywhere, no pride at all. Imagine Haiti. No pens for the livestock, pigs tied to trees with ropes, with broken legs, totally disgusting. HAL should skip this stop, depressing attitude and culture. Compare to Dravuni, night and day, pride versus no pride, night and day. When we return to the South Pacific,  will not waste our time being depressed by the i nabitants of Fanning Island. Took baggies of treats and supplies to share, afraid we just encouraged the current give me something  mindset.

Doug

[LouChamp]

16 hours ago, danogg said:

I am interested in taking this cruise in 2025 .  The ship is the Koningsdam . Has anybody taken this cruise? Would you recommend it?

 

Aloha. We took a similar cruise a few years ago. It was magnificent.  As we love HAL and of course Hawaii, we feel in love with the South Pacific and stayed a few days post cruise and have flown there a few times from HNL for short stays. Enjoy!

[Mary229]

9 hours ago, crystalspin said:

We are on this itinerary (sub Hilo and Kahului) in 2024. Thanks for the snapshot of the So.Pacific! Saving to my cruise planning folder!

Save @OlsSalt picture of the giant mobster lobster as I intend to ask the chef about those😁

[ottahand7]

@danogg thanks for starting this thread.  We booked this in March when we we returned from the Grand South America.  We love sea days.  Thanks everyone for all the great information. 

[leafsnation]

We also did this in Feb this year. Our second time.

Loved the weather and sea days relaxing break from weather in Ontario.

Spent ours at the seaview bar area and met a lotta great people.

Highly recommend this cruise.

Bob

[mcrcruiser]

Good info thanks to all the contributors .Thought Fanning island was to be mussed .So why does HAL still stop there ?

[Seasick Sailor]

18 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Good info thanks to all the contributors .Thought Fanning island was to be mussed .So why does HAL still stop there ?

 

We appreciated Fanning Island and our fellow cruisers really helped ($$)  I knew before arrival about the island and island life. No toilets, running water, bars or snacks. The school kids and teachers danced and sang, had little shell made items. It is primitive, surely. Yes, there was some trash in the bushes along our walk, but if you looked, there were plastic bottles which the islanders don't have. 

 

Anyway, the kids and teachers were very appreciative of our gifts. 

[rollie]

We’re booked on this cruise for 2025. We book Club Orange, and did all in. 
 

Rollie

[danogg]

Thanks for all the positive feedback.  I think we’re going to book the 2025 cruise.  We love snorkelling….are there good snorkelling excursions offered?  Where could I look for some examples of the shore excursions offered?

[Mary229]

7 minutes ago, danogg said:

Thanks for all the positive feedback.  I think we’re going to book the 2025 cruise.  We love snorkelling….are there good snorkelling excursions offered?  Where could I look for some examples of the shore excursions offered?

This is the entry portal to HAL’s excursion page.  It is not complete but a fair sampling.  Our group for 2024 are using private tours for snorkeling.  
 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-shore-excursions.html