Hawaii ????

[cantw82cruise]

I am set to go to Hawaii in September with Carnival on the Spirit. All the ports say arrive at 8:00 AM. I was wondering how accurate this is or if you tend to be there ahead of schedule and can maybe get of the ship a little earlier then that?

Thanks for any help.

John

[WinnipegCruiser]

I haven't been to the Hawaii islands with Carnival, but if they say 8am, they usually mean 8am.

[WitchyWoman14]

I know this doesn't answer your question but I wanted to add... I haven't been to Hawaii on a cruise, but I did fly to and stay in Kauai, Hawaii and got married there... It is absolute paradise... You'll love it! :p If you have time to see "Puff the Magic Dragon" in Hanalei, (North side of the island) do it! It's beautiful! Barking Sands is also a very neat place on the island (West side of the island).... I know you will be limited on time though... Have fun!

[Fazzdaan]

Based on past experience with other ports, the ship often arrives early and may be tied up by the time you awaken.

[Sirwinston]

John:

 

To sail to HaWaii is magical, I am sure you will have a great time. That said:

 

Be flexible. While I have not been to HaWaii on Carnival, I have on Queen Mary 2, and a long time ago on S.S. Rotterdam. The cruise line will try to get you there on time as planned. However sometimes it is U.S. customs that can hold up debark. Once in St Thomas we waited hours to be able to tender due to some paperwork mess up. Also when I was on QM2 they swicthed the order of the islands to avoid bad weather at the tender port which actually worked out well because the island was hit with a lot of rain.

 

 

 

Tom in Long Beach

[yst347]

On our cruise to Hawaii on Spirit last year we were on schedule at each port. The ship keeps a very tight schedule. It would be unwise to anticipate an early arrival or a late departure at any given port.

[pamp0227]

I didn't go on Carnival to Hawaii but I did go on NCL. On NCL we arrived during the night at each island and were allowed to get off when we wanted to. On some of the islands we arrived as early as 3am and the shore excusions to watch the sunrise over the volcano left at 4am. We also were on 2 islands overnight and had the option not to stay on board the ship. One word of warning don't take rocks from the black beaches in Maui. Mine were taken when I returned to the ship but they did not take the black and red sand I collected from the beaches. Have fun it was a wonderful cruise.

[GottaLuvCruising]

We did Hawaii on the Carnival Spirit in 2004. I would so love to do it again...our very best cruise ever!

 

Our ship did dock on time every day. But do check your itinerary as sail date approaches. Carnival flip-flopped two of our ports just prior to sailing. We had reserved rental cars for both, but were able to call and change both without charge before we left Honolulu.

[MrPete]

I just don't remember. What I do remember is how EXHAUSTED I was at the end of the cruise, but can't wait to get a chance to do it again.

[cantw82cruise]

We did Hawaii on the Carnival Spirit in 2004. I would so love to do it again...our very best cruise ever!

 

Our ship did dock on time every day. But do check your itinerary as sail date approaches. Carnival flip-flopped two of our ports just prior to sailing. We had reserved rental cars for both, but were able to call and change both without charge before we left Honolulu.

 

 

GLC thanks for the advise on checking the itinerary before we go that would be a big problem if you found out on the ship. I was just wondering about the arrival times because the islands are so close I would think you could arrive real early in the morning at some.

[cantw82cruise]

On our cruise to Hawaii on Spirit last year we were on schedule at each port. The ship keeps a very tight schedule. It would be unwise to anticipate an early arrival or a late departure at any given port.

 

 

yst, thanks for the heads up on the time. This is what I wanted to hear from people that have been on Carnival as other lines do things differently.

 

Thanks again