Lei Greetings?

[JAVERZ]

A couple of years ago we sailed on the Pride of America and were given a lei greeting when boarding the ship. We are sailing on the Pride of Aloha in February. Anybody know if they are doing lei greetings when boarding?

[Spikesgirl]

It seems to me that they are at the sail away party, but you might want to search this forum because I know I've seen two or three threads regarding this topic.

 

Charlie

[cheddarcat]

No they do not.

[Shere]

They don't seem to anymore. The only place we got Lei greeting in Hawaii was at the PCC Luau.

[shemo]

I last cruised NCL in Oct '07 and there were no lei. Not even for purchase/make yourself for crafters.

If I were you I'd stop by a WalMart on the outer islands and buy one.

If you happen to board at the Aloha Tower Pier (Piers 10-11) in Honolulu you will be near Chinatown were all the best lei are sold. You are close enough to walk to Chinatown from Aloha Tower.

NCL usually uses Pier 2 unless that pier already has a ship docked, then their alternate Pier is 10-11 near Aloha Tower.

[moonchild]

POAM had a do it yourself lei making on the ship the last day (Dec 07). You can hire a company to do a lei greeting at the airport when you arrive.

Word of warning, although the flowers were wonderful they are very fragrant. Don’t leave them in your hotel room over night. DH and I woke with bad headaches the next morning. They ended up on the balcony. :(

[Spikesgirl]

Opps, looks like I was wrong...now I will have to try and figure out which ship that does. When you arrive, it is an easy walk over to the lei stands and pick out a lei of your choice (there are several with no scent if that bothers you - pick the orchids, for example). You can also buy leis in the airport itself, grocery stores, the box chains, Chinatown, etc. Lots of places and you can then pick and choose.

 

Charlie

[beachchick]

I need to mention again that although scented flowers for leis are lovely (tuberoses, etc.), you need to be careful with them. It's not even always a matter of whether they bother the person wearing them. It can be an issue of very fragrant leis affecting others around you who are sensitive. It's kind of like those who "pour" on perfume or colognes and then go into small public places. On top of that, I learned the hard way that wearing fragrant leis at meals can make the food start to "taste" like the flowers, and it can affect your meal and those around you. The one and only time I got a tuberose lei, I had to take it back to our room (B&B that time) and put it in the fridge. Even then, our room was very scented. My DH does have some sensitivity (or would that be "scentitivity"?) to extremely fragrant flowers, and I'd just as soon not have him have an asthma attack.

 

Good scented flowers that do not "waft" as much, but which "are" Hawaii are plumerias, my personal fave and one that doesn't affect my DH (in fact, he enjoys the scent without getting ill). My unscented fave is crown flower because it's dainty. Crownflower interspersed with baby roses (light scent; not overwhelming) are another fave. Of course (non-native) orchids are inexpensive, lost lasting, and pretty--I never turn down one of those even when it's just the standard plain lei. Heck, last trip I was "lei'd" with plain orchids six times (two from each place we stayed, including the PoH; I'm sorry they're not doing that now, it's such a nice start to the cruise and those leis are not expensive). (That doesn't count the two special leis from my DH.)

 

Let me just mention the woven orchid leis made with individual petals. They are beautiful and can be very special. There's a design (can't remember the name) that mimics the flat micro-ginger leis. It's more expensive (I think the most I paid was about $14), but really lies beautifully on your shoulders and looks elegant. And of course micro-ginger is gorgeous, but it's more expensive and not as long lasting. Still, I get it from time to time for really special occasions, and it's very popular for brides.

 

Chinatown is, IMO, the place to get leis in Honolulu. Also check out small lei stands in the other ports. Sometime you will still see a "lei lady" who will make you a simple plumeria lei (pink and yellow mixed is my fave) on the spot for a "donation." If she makes you one with flowers which are fresh, tight, and densely strung, don't hesitate to "donate" $10. It's a skill to quickly make a really good lei. Foodland stores tend to have a decent, usually reasonably priced selection of leis. Safeways have many basics, but in my experience the leis simply aren't as fresh as those at Foodland, where I have no problem paying $1 or $2 more for a nicer lei. I recall K-Mart in Kahului had many orchid leis. (Caveat: We've only been in there once to buy wine glasses--long story.)

 

beachchick

[whale-watcher]

I just signed up for a lei greeting at the airport for DW and DD through http://www.greetersofhawaii.com

It really was not all that expensive, and I think it will be a nice surprise for them at the end of our long flight.

[whale-watcher]

I just signed up for a lei greeting at the airport for DW and DD through www.greetersofhawaii.com

It really was not all that expensive, and I think it will be a nice surprise for them at the end of our long flight.

follow up...we arrive in Hawaii yesterday, and this was a BIG hit for DW and DD... I would do this again in a heartbeat...it was worth every penny:D

[JAVERZ]

It's too bad NCL is not doing the lei greeting any more. It was a very nice touch. When we had the lei greeting on the Pride of America we were doing a Thanksgiving week cruise. Perhaps it was something special for that week.

[DonahCBrown]

I need to mention again that although ...

 

Let me just mention the woven orchid leis made with individual petals. They are beautiful and can be very special. There's a design (can't remember the name) that mimics the flat micro-ginger leis. It's more expensive (I think the most I paid was about $14), but really lies beautifully on your shoulders and looks elegant. And of course micro-ginger is gorgeous, but it's more expensive and not as long lasting. Still, I get it from time to time for really special occasions, and it's very popular for brides.

 

Chinatown is, IMO, the place to get leis in Honolulu. Also check out small lei stands in the other ports. Sometime you will still see a "lei lady" who will make you a simple plumeria lei (pink and yellow mixed is my fave) on the spot for a "donation." If she makes you one with flowers which are fresh, tight, and densely strung, don't hesitate to "donate" $10. It's a skill to quickly make a really good lei. Foodland stores tend to have a decent, usually reasonably priced selection of leis. Safeways have many basics, but in my experience the leis simply aren't as fresh as those at Foodland, where I have no problem paying $1 or $2 more for a nicer lei. I recall K-Mart in Kahului had many orchid leis. (Caveat: We've only been in there once to buy wine glasses--long story.)

 

beachchick

The 'woven' orchid lei are called Christinas. There are lots of non or lightly scented lei available, and Costco has started carrying really nice lei at a good price. Maile open lei are traditional for guys as are the unscented ti woven lei, but lately I've been finding really attractive woven leaf lei made from varigated Pride of India - an ornamental leafed plant - very nice.

 

Carnation lei are lightly scented and last forever, firecracker lei are also nice and long lasting. Jade plant makes an attractive and unusual lei but can't be taken to the mainland for some reason. I'd avoid tuberose just because so many people are adversely affected (I'm one) and even in a big airport holding area they can get overwhelming.

 

Lei greetings are really special and I always make sure to greet my guests with a nice one - it really says "aloha" in a memorable way.

[beachchick]

Mahalo, Donah. I just could not come up with the name of that particular design. Our DD loves it.

 

beachchick