Thread: Which Itenary would you choose?

We are going to Hawaii in April 2012 and are having a tough time deciding on which cruise line and itenary to pick.

We want to see Volcanos, Whale Watching, Snorkeling, Beaches, waterfalls/rain forests in order of priority.

We have kids age 7 and 10, so Kid friendly is important too.

We are currently booked on Celebrity Century and think we will be able to do everything as planned.

Day Date Port
7 Apr 11 Honolulu Oahu
8 Apr 12 Lahaina Maui (Planning on Whale Watching)
9 Apr 13 Kailua/Hawaii Kona, Big Island
9 Apr 13 Kilauea Volcano (They are the only ones that actually say Volcano)
10 Apr 14 Hilo

On Carnival Spirit they go to one additional port but don't go to Lahaina where we were going to go whale watching.

The cost is about about $700 more but it is better to go with 5 port visits instead of 4?
Is there whale watching that is just as good out of Kona?
Do all the ships go get close to the volcano at night or just Celebrity?
Carnival has a water slide and looks like it is better for kids, what's your experience with Celebrity?

Day 6 Hilo, Hawaii, Hawaii 10:00 am 7:00 pm
Day 7 Kahului, Maui, Hawaii 8:00 am 11:00 pm
Day 8 Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii 9:00 am 11:00 pm
Day 9 Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Hawaii 8:00 am 5:00 pm
Day 10 Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii 7:00 am 4:00 pm

You may want to do a little research on when whales can be seen. I know that in December five years ago we saw whales on the way to a snorkeling site off of Maui. But I think that's the prime time for whales there.

Also if the Kilauea volcano isn't that active, you may not see that much going on. I'm not sure how far in advance that's known. It was active on our 2005 cruise, but apparently wasn't that active for a few years after that.

On that cruise, we went on a waterfalls excursion on the Big Island, leaving from Hilo, booked through Princess. That was pretty good. Even our daughter, who at age 8 then, wasn't into scenery, but still liked it.

I'll have to call the Volcano National Park and ask about how active it is now and gamble on it being worthwhile.

The whale watching companies guarantee that Dec-Apr you WILL see whales so I think we are OK there. They leave around May to go back to Alaska.

For the moment, we are booked on both and have to decide what we are doing anc cancel one of them...

Here is a good site for updates on eruptions: HVO Kilauea Status Page

Garry

Here is a good site for updates on eruptions: HVO Kilauea Status Page Click on the Map page. It gives you a good overview of where the eruptions are happening. When we visited the islands, we took a helicopter ride over the volcano that was awesome. It's really the only way to get a good view. On the ground, they won't allow you close to the eruptions.

Garry

I lived in Hawaii for 10 years and whales are only in Hawaii certain months, they migrate. Maui is mostly known for whale watching, not Kona, Big Island. You might never see a whale on the excursion anyway.

I think I also read that the volcano on Big Island is not very active right now? I could be wrong. You might have to get right up close to view any lava, and it might be a closed off area you cant get to.

I was not aware that any ships got up close enough to really see the volcano?? We went by rental car I think.. cant remember how I got there the one time I really saw it, though I have been all over Big Island. Some times the volcano is spilling out to sea, so that is probably how they see it from the ship.

Celebrity will have much better food but it will have a older crowd. I cant see paying $700 more for Carnival .. makes no sense, but Spirit is moving to Australia, so its probably a very limited cruise, not a regular route. Is the Carnival cruise a lot more days? Carnival will have a really fun kids program on board and more kids for yours to play with. $700 more seems like a lot though if the same number of days for a budget cruiseline.

I think all the ports are so fun, that I would not base which ship to take on such specific activities as seeing whales or a volcano which might not be erupting.

We were just on the Pride of America a couple of weeks ago and Kilauea was not active - hasn't been since April.

There are several ships that sail close enough to the volcano at night to see it, when it is active. But unfortunately, since it's not active right now, this was not done on our cruise.

We rented a car in every port and did our own thing. So glad we did as it was so much better than any of the excursions we saw. Definitely much cheaper, plus we got to do alot more when we wanted without all the crowds.

When we rented a car for the day in Hilo, we got a brand new Ford Mustang Convertible for $45 with tax. Unfortunately, it was a misty day, so we never got to put the top down. It really is an amazing site to see and worth the trip.

In Maui, we rented a car for two days for $40 with tax. Couldn't believe how cheap it was. We drove the Road to Hana the first day and the road up to Haleakala Crater the second day. Both were great.

In Honolulu, which is a big city, if you want to see the USS Arizona Memorial, you have to get there as early as possible. They open at 7:00am, but we got there at 7:45 and our tickets were for 10:45. If you just want to go to the beach, I'd rent a car and drive to Hanauma Bay where you'll find a wonderful beach and some awesome snorkeling.

In Kona, if you just want to do some shopping and a little swimming, you can actually do it right by the pier. If you want to go to a beach, the Budget car rental is the only one right there - all the rest are at the airport and taxis aren't cheap.

We spent a week in Ka'anapali, which is just outside of Lahaina. Very nice town and we loved the island. Had some wonderful snorkeling & scuba diving.

As for comparing the Celebrity Century with the Carnival Spirit, it's definitely like comparing apples to oranges. Celebrity is a more upscale experience, better food, and better service. But it does attract an older more sedate crowd. The Spirit is a bit bigger and newer, plus it'll attract a little younger crowd. You might also want to look at the Golden Princess, which is bigger than both of these ships, plus it offers a nicer experience than Carnival, while the prices are comparable. Just keep in mind that both of these spend a great deal of time at sea, so you might want to also look at the Pride of America as another option. It's only 7 days and you have to fly to & from Honolulu, but offers a very nice itinerary with no days at sea.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Pete

Pete, I loved the road to Hana. My all time favorite. We did island hopping and rented a hotel and got a car for a week at each island before I moved. We had a white convertible in Kaui, loved it.

Hilo I swear it always rains or pours, take your pick .. nice old town.

Two of my friends did the NCL cruise a month or so ago, just because it was the only round trip they could find. The one had done HAL before to Alaska so she was warned the food would not be as good.

I think if you do nothing else do the road to Hana. .. though that dormant volcano in Maui is interesting and the flower places up there with unusual flowers you see no where else.

Every island has something special to see.

Pete thanks for confirming the volcano on Big Island was dormant when you were there. Thats what I had been reading too.

Thank you all for the information. The Carnival does have 5 port visits in Hawaii while Princess and Celebrity only have 4. That makes a difference to us. Also, with the waterslide and kids program we are going to go with the Carnival cruise over Celebrity. The Princess was the most expensive and only 4 days in Hawaii and also only 14 days. The Carnival is a 15 day total cruise and we liked Carnival the last time we went with them and are looking forward to this trip!

Thanks Pete for all the great info, I'll let you know if we will be booking again.