April 26, 2022 -10-Night Hawaiian Cruise from Vancouver to Honolulu (Nawiliwili, Nawiliwili, Kahului, Honolulu, Honolulu)

[EilonwyWanderer]

We just cancelled. Too much worry with Omicron, too many things are restricted, and we're just going the way of more restrictions so for a cruise this expensive...we'll wait until things are (hopefully) back to normal :/

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

I’m pif and have booked some excursions but it still feels like I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Trying not to get my hopes up too much just to get them dashed again.

We are waiting to PIF till next month just before Gold booking window. I agree its hard to get excited about this (or any cruise) while waiting to see if Canada or Hawaii changes their visitor policies.

We were able to book our DVC stay at Aulani for post cruise. We had points that we had to use or lose so we booked a 2 Bedroom villa and invited some friends to join us for that portion of the trip. If you plan on going to Aulani post cruise, how are you planning on getting there from the port?

I think the only thing that I'm going to be booking when our window opens is Palo. I've booked some activities through third party vendors (because Disney doesn't offer what we want to do) and a couple of rental cars to just tour the islands on our own. I just need to figure out the best way to get from the port to the airports to pick up the rental cars.

Jane

 

[Disneypeach]

We are waiting to PIF till next month just before Gold booking window. I agree its hard to get excited about this (or any cruise) while waiting to see if Canada or Hawaii changes their visitor policies.

We were able to book our DVC stay at Aulani for post cruise. We had points that we had to use or lose so we booked a 2 Bedroom villa and invited some friends to join us for that portion of the trip. If you plan on going to Aulani post cruise, how are you planning on getting there from the port?

I think the only thing that I'm going to be booking when our window opens is Palo. I've booked some activities through third party vendors (because Disney doesn't offer what we want to do) and a couple of rental cars to just tour the islands on our own. I just need to figure out the best way to get from the port to the airports to pick up the rental cars.

Jane

I will be getting back on board for the Hawaii to Vancouver cruise.

hopefully

 

[nrexxma44]

Hi we’re keeping our fingers crossed that this cruise goes as planned. This will be our first time cruising to Hawaii, but our 14th Disney Cruise. We are celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniversary, and the last time we were in Hawaii was for our honeymoon. We were lucky enough to be able to get the week after the cruise booked at Aulani. We’ve got a car booked for the week we are there, but the only pick up place i could find was at the airport, anyone know if there is someplace closer to the port?

 

[Disney Mickey&Minnie Fan]

My family is scheduled for this DCL cruise from Vancouver to Hawaii. This will be our first visit to Hawaii. We plan to spend a few days at a resort in Honolulu at the end of the cruise before flying back home.

Any suggestions on saving money on airfare, with the need to purchase two one-way tickets to travel to and from the two different ports.

 

[Disneypeach]

My family is scheduled for this DCL cruise from Vancouver to Hawaii. This will be our first visit to Hawaii. We plan to spend a few days at a resort in Honolulu at the end of the cruise before flying back home.

Any suggestions on saving money on airfare, with the need to purchase two one-way tickets to travel to and from the two different ports.

Try treating it as a multi-stop reservation. See if that helps.
most airlines have this as a selection in add to non-stop and one way searches. From Deltas website:

 

[FWRR3]

Sure is quiet in this group!

Yes, I haven't figured it out. It was the same with the 2020 (cancelled) sailings. The return leg had much more activity. It surprises me that the return cruise always seems more popular because I think cruising to Hawaii should be more exciting than cruising back from Hawaii.

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

My family is scheduled for this DCL cruise from Vancouver to Hawaii. This will be our first visit to Hawaii. We plan to spend a few days at a resort in Honolulu at the end of the cruise before flying back home.

Any suggestions on saving money on airfare, with the need to purchase two one-way tickets to travel to and from the two different ports.

I actually booked on two different airlines, but did it awhile ago so I think I got a good price. I just saw that Southwest is having a special right now and checked and I could have gotten a flight from HI to CA for $168! Have you liked the social media pages of the airline you want to fly? They sometimes release info about sales there and you can hop online and book something that way. But I agree with Disneypeach, booking a multi-stop reservation will allow you to book both legs at the same time.

Yes, I haven't figured it out. It was the same with the 2020 (cancelled) sailings. The return leg had much more activity. It surprises me that the return cruise always seems more popular because I think cruising to Hawaii should be more exciting than cruising back from Hawaii.

There is a page on another social media website that is quite active for this cruise so I wonder if more people are using that venue to chat about the cruise. I wonder if the HI to Vancouver sailing is more popular because it goes to another port (can't remember which one off the top of my head). We picked this sailing because we heard that they do special Hawaiian activities on the way to HI, but just the standard activities on the way back to Canada.

We could be a small but active group if we keep the questions conversations going. I'm willing if anyone else is up for it!

Hi we’re keeping our fingers crossed that this cruise goes as planned. This will be our first time cruising to Hawaii, but our 14th Disney Cruise. We are celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniversary, and the last time we were in Hawaii was for our honeymoon. We were lucky enough to be able to get the week after the cruise booked at Aulani. We’ve got a car booked for the week we are there, but the only pick up place i could find was at the airport, anyone know if there is someplace closer to the port?

Congratulations on 40 years! We're going to miss our 38th anniversary by a week, but still going to celebrate on the cruise! We're also staying at Aulani after the cruise (till the 10th), we have some friends that are going to join us while we are there (had DVC points that we needed to use so we booked a 2 bedroom villa).

I booked a rental car for Oahu from the airport for the day before we disembark as I wasn't sure if there was something closer and easier to get to from the port. I'll keep searching! I also booked a rental car for one day while we are at Aulani so I know you can pick up a car there.

EDIT: I did a search and there is a Budget at the International Marketplace:
International Market Place (HN5)
Address:
2330 Kalakaua Ave,
Honolulu, HI, 96815, United States
Phone:
(1) 808-672-2368
Location Type:
Corporate
Hours of Operation:
Sun - Sat 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM

There is a Hertz near the port but the hours don't work for us so I didn't call to find out if they are even open (couldn't book anything online)
Oahu, Honolulu - Honolulu Pier
Contact Info
1 Aloha Tower Drive
Oahu, HI 96813
Get Directions
(808) 922-3331

Hours of Operation
Monday - Sunday
7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

Question for any/all Platinum cruisers: If all goes well with the two cruises we have scheduled before this one, we will reach Platinum status on March 20. Do you know if you can swap out the Palo Dinner with a Palo Bruch for the Platinum benefit? We're more interested in the brunch menu, but would do dinner if that's the only one that gets the benefit.

 

[RubyWish]

Hi everyone! We were lucky ducks right after Christmas and stumbled on what must have been a cancelled Concierge cabin... so we're going to Hawaii with y'all!!!

We were supposed to be on the Wonder out of Galveston between Christmas and New Year's. But the crazy flight cancellations + heavy snow in our area (Seattle) made it impossible for us to get there. So we put the credit from that cruise into this one.

It will be capping off our transportation-themed honeymoon. We got married in October in Dayton, Ohio with a wedding that featured Wright Brothers planes and miniature train rides. For our honeymoon, we'll be taking a road trip down the Pacific coast, going to Disneyland (my spouse's first visit ever!), taking the Amtrak Coast Starlight back to Seattle, then a bus to Vancouver to get on our first Disney cruise together before flying back home. I think the only transportation we're missing are rockets, sleds, and balloons, but we can count Space Mountain and Matterhorn for the first two, and I'm looking into the best spot to do a hot air balloon ride on our drive down.

Keeping our fingers crossed that this cruise happens, and doing everything we can in the meantime to prepare and stay well. How are y'all doing with your countdowns and planning?

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

Hi everyone! We were lucky ducks right after Christmas and stumbled on what must have been a cancelled Concierge cabin... so we're going to Hawaii with y'all!!!

We were supposed to be on the Wonder out of Galveston between Christmas and New Year's. But the crazy flight cancellations + heavy snow in our area (Seattle) made it impossible for us to get there. So we put the credit from that cruise into this one.

It will be capping off our transportation-themed honeymoon. We got married in October in Dayton, Ohio with a wedding that featured Wright Brothers planes and miniature train rides. For our honeymoon, we'll be taking a road trip down the Pacific coast, going to Disneyland (my spouse's first visit ever!), taking the Amtrak Coast Starlight back to Seattle, then a bus to Vancouver to get on our first Disney cruise together before flying back home. I think the only transportation we're missing are rockets, sleds, and balloons, but we can count Space Mountain and Matterhorn for the first two, and I'm looking into the best spot to do a hot air balloon ride on our drive down.

Keeping our fingers crossed that this cruise happens, and doing everything we can in the meantime to prepare and stay well. How are y'all doing with your countdowns and planning?

Welcome aboard! You did have good luck, I thought they weren't selling this cruise anymore (at least it hasn't been listed when I've checked the website).

Congratulations on your marriage! What a fun wedding theme! If you plan on visiting the Napa Valley, they do balloon rides there! Or if you want to do a bi-plane there is a place near Sonoma that does that as well.

We've taken the Coast Starlight from the SF Bay Area and the trip up the coast from Southern California was my favorite since on the trip down you only get the the coast section in the evening. I joked that they called it the Coast Starlight because you only get to see the Coast when the stars are out. Be aware that the timing of the train is approximate. It took us 16 hours to get from LA to the Bay Area (normally an 8-10 hour drive). I would make sure you have a day between when you arrive back in Seattle to when you bus to Vancouver (just in case). We had booked a sleeperette one way and business class the other and actually liked the business class seats better. But my husband is 6'3" so sitting across from each other in the sleeperette we just had to keep negotiating where our legs were.

We have Gold Castaway Club status so we book our onboard activities tonight at 9pm (PT). Right now we are only thinking of booking Palo. We don't have plans to book any of the DCL excursions, but I'll look them over again tonight to see if there is anything that really grabs us.

We've got (fingers crossed) two cruises before this one so we are more focused on the first one next month right now. We are sticking close to home and not doing anything that will expose us to the new variant before we get on that ship!

Jane

 

[RubyWish]

Thanks for your experience and the tips Jane!

We'll be sure to have at least two days back home before heading to Vancouver, in case of trouble on the train... plus time to do laundry

I'm gonna add the bi-plane to my honeymoon research list! =)

 

[nrexxma44]

I actually booked on two different airlines, but did it awhile ago so I think I got a good price. I just saw that Southwest is having a special right now and checked and I could have gotten a flight from HI to CA for $168! Have you liked the social media pages of the airline you want to fly? They sometimes release info about sales there and you can hop online and book something that way. But I agree with Disneypeach, booking a multi-stop reservation will allow you to book both legs at the same time.


There is a page on another social media website that is quite active for this cruise so I wonder if more people are using that venue to chat about the cruise. I wonder if the HI to Vancouver sailing is more popular because it goes to another port (can't remember which one off the top of my head). We picked this sailing because we heard that they do special Hawaiian activities on the way to HI, but just the standard activities on the way back to Canada.

We could be a small but active group if we keep the questions conversations going. I'm willing if anyone else is up for it!

Congratulations on 40 years! We're going to miss our 38th anniversary by a week, but still going to celebrate on the cruise! We're also staying at Aulani after the cruise (till the 10th), we have some friends that are going to join us while we are there (had DVC points that we needed to use so we booked a 2 bedroom villa).

I booked a rental car for Oahu from the airport for the day before we disembark as I wasn't sure if there was something closer and easier to get to from the port. I'll keep searching! I also booked a rental car for one day while we are at Aulani so I know you can pick up a car there.

EDIT: I did a search and there is a Budget at the International Marketplace:
International Market Place (HN5)
Address:
2330 Kalakaua Ave,
Honolulu, HI, 96815, United States
Phone:
(1) 808-672-2368
Location Type:
Corporate
Hours of Operation:
Sun - Sat 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM

There is a Hertz near the port but the hours don't work for us so I didn't call to find out if they are even open (couldn't book anything online)
Oahu, Honolulu - Honolulu Pier
Contact Info
1 Aloha Tower Drive
Oahu, HI 96813
Get Directions
(808) 922-3331

Hours of Operation
Monday - Sunday
7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Thank you for researching car rental places for me!!!!! We have a 1 bedroom booked at Alauni, and are booked concierge on the cruise. Just finished all our flight arrangements, and just need to do our hotel for the 2 nights before the cruise, oh and wait 101 days till the cruise leaves LOL

 

[psimon]

I’m pif and have booked some excursions but it still feels like I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Trying not to get my hopes up too much just to get them dashed again.

It's a very unsettling feeling for this cruise, not like any other cruise I've sailed. That includes my 12/2021 cruise.

 

[NAB]

Question for any/all Platinum cruisers: If all goes well with the two cruises we have scheduled before this one, we will reach Platinum status on March 20. Do you know if you can swap out the Palo Dinner with a Palo Bruch for the Platinum benefit? We're more interested in the brunch menu, but would do dinner if that's the only one that gets the benefit.

You can do either one. With restrictions it’s not a buffet anymore but I read trip reports and they bring you few trays of cheese , bread basket etc. Than you order an entree off the menu which is the same.

We had both ways booked but have since canceled one . Probably going to cancel the second one. Too much money for the restrictions they have. Plus being Canadian to many hoops to jump through to go. Had so much planned when the 2020 was cancelled . Some day …..

 

[Disney Mickey&Minnie Fan]

Looking into port excursions for this DCL Hawaii trip.
Port excursions are expensive. This is my first visit to Hawaii and I would appreciate any must do sightseeing suggestions for port excursions, Honolulu, and the Island of Oahu.

I read that visiting the Pearl Harbor Memorial and Museum are free. There is a Honolulu city bus service with a bus stop at the Honolulu port that will take you to the Pearl Harbor Memorial for an inexpensive cost.

From my reading, the city bus service and an on-off trolley have multiple routes around Honolulu that allows access to sightseeing locations, dining, and shopping.

Has anyone used the Honolulu city bus or trolley service?
Do you recommend using these forms of transportation for sightseeing rather than paying for a port excursion to the Pearl Harbor Memorial?

The Bus – City and County of Honolulu
http://www.thebus.org/default.asp?f=y&m=main

Hop On Hop Off Trolley
https://waikikitrolley.com/#1625717873379-154967f3-0977

 

[diablodancer]

Looking into port excursions for this DCL Hawaii trip.
Port excursions are expensive. This is my first visit to Hawaii and I would appreciate any must do sightseeing suggestions for port excursions, Honolulu, and the Island of Oahu.

I read that visiting the Pearl Harbor Memorial and Museum are free. There is a Honolulu city bus service with a bus stop at the Honolulu port that will take you to the Pearl Harbor Memorial for an inexpensive cost.

From my reading, the city bus service and an on-off trolley have multiple routes around Honolulu that allows access to sightseeing locations, dining, and shopping.

Has anyone used the Honolulu city bus or trolley service?
Do you recommend using these forms of transportation for sightseeing rather than paying for a port excursion to the Pearl Harbor Memorial?

The Bus – City and County of Honolulu
http://www.thebus.org/default.asp?f=y&m=main

Hop On Hop Off Trolley
https://waikikitrolley.com/#1625717873379-154967f3-0977

I’ve used the trolley’s extensively on a previous trip and while they’re great, I wouldn’t rely on them for getting back to the ship on time. Some of the lines are only once an hour (including the one to the museum IIRC, the Pearl Harbour one isn’t frequent either) and they can run late and finish relatively early (last return pickup around 4pm) in some cases. If you’re spending a few days in Honolulu after I’d wait and do the trolleys then as the guides are fantastic.

In terms of things to see/do on the Honolulu port day, Pearly Harbour is definitely worth it and easily a full day. Iolani Palace is well worth a visit and the Bishop Museum had a great planetarium which does an interactive navigating by the stars session (at an extra cost) - well worth doing for fans of Moana!

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

Looking into port excursions for this DCL Hawaii trip.
Port excursions are expensive. This is my first visit to Hawaii and I would appreciate any must do sightseeing suggestions for port excursions, Honolulu, and the Island of Oahu.

I read that visiting the Pearl Harbor Memorial and Museum are free. There is a Honolulu city bus service with a bus stop at the Honolulu port that will take you to the Pearl Harbor Memorial for an inexpensive cost.

From my reading, the city bus service and an on-off trolley have multiple routes around Honolulu that allows access to sightseeing locations, dining, and shopping.

Has anyone used the Honolulu city bus or trolley service?
Do you recommend using these forms of transportation for sightseeing rather than paying for a port excursion to the Pearl Harbor Memorial?

The Bus – City and County of Honolulu
http://www.thebus.org/default.asp?f=y&m=main

Hop On Hop Off Trolley
https://waikikitrolley.com/#1625717873379-154967f3-0977

When we went to Oahu (granted it was back in the stone-age days - 1984) our travel agent told us, "no need to rent a car, you can hop on the city bus and it will take you all over the island." While that is true, you have to wait for the bus, it stops A LOT, therefore it takes forever to get anywhere.

We like doing the hop-on/hop-off busses, because they normally hit all the highlighted areas, plus most have some sort of commentary to learn about the location. That being said, I agree with diablodancer, if you have to get back to the ship by a specific time, I'd have a plan b in place to call a Lyft/taxi with plenty of time to spare.

We're planning on using the hop-on/hop-off shuttle in Maui to get around the island and see the sites. None of the excursions captured our interest.

 

[DisneyConvert]

We've had our eye on this kind of cruise for a while {We did a Transatlantic in 2009 and loved the sea days!} and booked both ways on the 1st day we could . . originally thinking we would cancel one of the trips.
BUT, now that our 2021 cruises were cancelled . . . and we've both been (fortunately) working straight through the pandemic . . . we are considering doing both.

Well, it's not going to happen. We are cancelling.

For reasons I've written about elsewhere (too many hurdles, tests, and >0% chances to test positive and quarantined for 5 days as the plane/ship departs), we are cancelling our resv on what we "Wonder"-ed and hoped would have been an incredible B2B to/from the 4 islands DW and I honeymooned 25 years prior.

We are triple-vax'd, cautious and have never had CoVid . . . and optimistic that if/when we do it will be relatively benign, but that doesn't fit in to Canadian and DCL rules. Sad.

 

[KDG]

We received our email this morning from DCL about the change in port order. We'll be docking in Honolulu first after our trek across the Pacific. It is good to know this information now as we will have to change some car rental reservations.