Hawai'i Observations

[finnaddict98]

Just off the Hawai'i cruise and wanted to note my observations:

The cruise was great, the weather was so-so and the staff were incredible. The mostly older cruisers were, however, in MY opinion, the largest negative on this trip. In not-so-small groups they were loud, abrasive and obnoxious, and this was in the main dining rooms!! They drank too much and got way too loud..and these are "older" 60+ year old adults acting like college students on spring break. Enough with the negatives....the ports of call were awesome, we took part in excusrions at each port, did a helicopter tour, went to Pearl Harbor and "Tubed the Ditch" (turst me its really cool) and went to the 10000 ft summit of an "extinct" volacano. I'd have preferred an overnight in Honolulu, but all in all thats the only thing Id change.

Disclaimer:

Our family did have a hard time on the 5 or so sea days on the way back after the last island. All the anticipation of getting TO the islands was great, but the cruise home, well, eventhough it was on the Wonder......it was just a long ride home thinking abt all the fun you had in the islands. We played lots of trivia games and had a blast, except for the cheaters that won every round!! hahahaha....all-in-all, we'll go back to Honolulu, but we'll fly as to maximize our time in the place we had the most fun at.

Again, just my opinion, except for the drunk adults at dinner (second seating...you know who you are!!) who seemed to enjoy cracking the whip on the servers (shouting abt wrapped butter pats in respectable restaurants and how terrible the menus were) and being generally rude.

Lastly, after taking many DCL cruises, I have come to the realization that the Magic is a much better "ride" that is the Wonder. We were in not-too-horrible sea condictions for two dayts and that ship rocked an bucked like a bull....on a transAtlantic, the Magic was in much heavier sea and she rode like a champ...again, just our observations!

Looking forward to next years re-po to Vancouver....the clock is already counting down for that trip.

 

[Trekker]

Lastly, after taking many DCL cruises, I have come to the realization that the Magic is a much better "ride" that is the Wonder. We were in not-too-horrible sea condictions for two dayts and that ship rocked an bucked like a bull....on a transAtlantic, the Magic was in much heavier sea and she rode like a champ...again, just our observations!

Someone who knows more about the ships and seas can confirm or deny this - but I think the Wonder and the Magic are virtually the same ship in design. My bet is the difference in the ride has to do with the difference in how the currents, etc. are between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.

Can anyone give more info on if this is possible?

 

[Lizzy'sMom]

Makes me glad we had 1st dining - we didnt have drunks and people yelling. We had a very great time!

We basically broke it up into three cruises

1 cruise to get to the islands, 1 cruise around the islands and 1 cruise to mexico! We had a really GREAT time

The kids clubs were pretty empty the whole time, Lizzy had a blast making friends, she met some pretty awesome kids - they had so much fun.

So many memories to treasure - it was a great family vacation!

Lizzy'sMom

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Someone who knows more about the ships and seas can confirm or deny this - but I think the Wonder and the Magic are virtually the same ship in design. My bet is the difference in the ride has to do with the difference in how the currents, etc. are between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.

Can anyone give more info on if this is possible?

I totally agree..both ships or the same hull shape, power and design.

If the ride was different it was the winds speed and direction, currents and waves/swells and most inportant,the vessels speed and course that controled the *motion on the ocean*

Now all that said............was the stabilizers in operation?..That would have made a differrence if there was a problem there!

AKK

 

[poohluv2u]

I totally agree..both ships or the same hull shape, power and design.

If the ride was different it was the winds speed and direction, currents and waves/swells and most inportant,the vessels speed and course that controled the *motion on the ocean*

Now all that said............was the stabilizers in operation?..That would have made a differrence if there was a problem there!

AKK

I noticed the ship was hitting the waves on the diagonal, I don't understand all the directional stuff, but it was definitely different than the waves we saw on the TA. I think both ships handle the seas in the same way.

I agree with the OP that the sea days heading home lacked the excitement of the ones heading to the islands. We love sea days & just hanging out on deck, but it was a little too chilly for that, and we ended inside on most days .. thank goodness for Outlook Cafe. The only other activities offered during the day for adults were alcohol tastings We saw a couple of movies, but for some reason all of the newer movies, kept getting shown during dining time or show time ... very frustrating

 

[AlexandNessa]

I noticed the ship was hitting the waves on the diagonal, I don't understand all the directional stuff, but it was definitely different than the waves we saw on the TA. I think both ships handle the seas in the same way.

I agree with the OP that the sea days heading home lacked the excitement of the ones heading to the islands. We love sea days & just hanging out on deck, but it was a little too chilly for that, and we ended inside on most days .. thank goodness for Outlook Cafe. The only other activities offered during the day for adults were alcohol tastings We saw a couple of movies, but for some reason all of the newer movies, kept getting shown during dining time or show time ... very frustrating

Bolding mine ... This disappoints me. I mean DCL clearly knew that there were a disproportionate number of adults to kids on this cruise. Surely, given that many adults, there were a fair number of teatotalers on board. And the only activity they offered were liquor tastings and movies? I suppose all adults can entertain themselves?

I remember when there was a Pub Master. And even when you didn't drink, you could still enjoy the pub games. Now, with the cut backs, adult programs are the first to be cut, and no more Pub Master. But seems that if there are primarily adults on board, DCL should be able to adjust and re-implement some adult activities (beyond alcohol tastings and movies). But that's just me.

 

[shburks]

"Tubed the Ditch" (turst me its really cool) and went to the 10000 ft summit of an "extinct" volacano.

We "tubed the ditch" on our first trip to Hawai'i in 2003. So cool, huh? Great experience!

 

[Disney Dreams]

So, I wasn't there and I have not seen any Navigators from the Hawaiian cruise, but...

This comment:

...The only other activities offered during the day for adults were alcohol tastings We saw a couple of movies, but for some reason all of the newer movies, kept getting shown during dining time or show time ... very frustrating

triggered this reply.

Bolding mine ... This disappoints me. I mean DCL clearly knew that there were a disproportionate number of adults to kids on this cruise. Surely, given that many adults, there were a fair number of teatotalers on board. And the only activity they offered were liquor tastings and movies? I suppose all adults can entertain themselves?

I remember when there was a Pub Master. And even when you didn't drink, you could still enjoy the pub games. Now, with the cut backs, adult programs are the first to be cut, and no more Pub Master. But seems that if there are primarily adults on board, DCL should be able to adjust and re-implement some adult activities (beyond alcohol tastings and movies). But that's just me.

However the original poster said:

...Our family did have a hard time on the 5 or so sea days on the way back after the last island... We played lots of trivia games and had a blast

So I am guessing there were the usual adult activities, but they maybe didn't interest everyone? Just pointing out that there seemed to have been pub games.

- Dreams

 

[AlohaDisney]

Was on the late dinner and didn't notice anyone drunk or loud or obnoxious. The average age was easily 60 on the cruise, but I really enjoyed everyone's company.

I don't think you can compare crossing the Atlantic to crossing the Pacific. The ship did rock for a couple of days, but we were warned about it (a system that we were passing through) and the Pacific is notorious for being a much rougher sea than the Atlantic.

I really enjoyed the cruise!

 

[jdb in AZ]

We've been on the Wonder twice and the Magic twice, and we didn't notice any difference in the way either ship handled the waves. The weather would be a factor, obviously.

the only way you could realistically compare the two would be a side by side comparison with scientific measurements/calculations. But if the ships were side by side, one ship would affect the waves hitting the other.

We also had 2nd seating but there was only one night we noticed a table getting rather boisterous, but not obnoxiously so. Of course, there are three main dining rooms, so we may have been on a different rotation than the OP.

 

[poohluv2u]

So, I wasn't there and I have not seen any Navigators from the Hawaiian cruise, but...

This comment:



triggered this reply.


However the original poster said:


So I am guessing there were the usual adult activities, but they maybe didn't interest everyone? Just pointing out that there seemed to have been pub games.

- Dreams

Yes, there were the usual standard activities. I was mostly comparing the lack of selection to what was offered on the sea days going to the islands;
Ukelele lessons,
Hula lessons,
Hawaiian language classes
Lots of hawaiian craft classes

My mistake was using the word "only". I should have said the "majority" of the adult activities offered were alcohol tastings. Looking at one of my navigators the activities offered on one day between 11am and 5pm were
Guess your wine,
Bloody Mary tasting,
Hawaiian beer tasting,
Mojito tasting

In that same period of time other adult activities offered were
2 vista spa seminars (yawn)
Name that tune,
Adult pool games (did I mention the weather was chilly)

 

[AlohaDisney]

Yes, there were the usual standard activities. I was mostly comparing the lack of selection to what was offered on the sea days going to the islands;
Ukelele lessons,
Hula lessons,
Hawaiian language classes
Lots of hawaiian craft classes

My mistake was using the word "only". I should have said the "majority" of the adult activities offered were alcohol tastings. Looking at one of my navigators the activities offered on one day between 11am and 5pm were
Guess your wine,
Bloody Mary tasting,
Hawaiian beer tasting,
Mojito tasting

In that same period of time other adult activities offered were
2 vista spa seminars (yawn)
Name that tune,
Adult pool games (did I mention the weather was chilly)

I agree with lack of activities. By Saturday it was like Disney had run out of activities for us to do! I would have liked to have seen some Mexican activities on our way to Mexico. Marcus and Uncle Uli really spoiled us on the way to Hawaii!

 

[rosermama]

I agree with lack of activities. By Saturday it was like Disney had run out of activities for us to do! I would have liked to have seen some Mexican activities on our way to Mexico. Marco and Uncle Uli really spoiled us on the way to Hawaii!

I think that is a great idea and it wouldn't cost much they could have hosted Mexican culture class or dance classes and/or arts and crafts (like making big paper flowers). Some of these could be adult or family classes

 

[Toddymae]

Flame me if you want - don't really care. But was it some how a surprise that this was a 14 day cruise! With what 8-9 sea days. As adults you don't know how to entertain yourself. I took the 19 day TA with the Fantasy and you want to talk about nothing to do. The group of people I ended up hanging with were great, we made our own fun and we had a wonderful time. If you were bored or not entertained enough - then you only have yourself to blame.

 

[ACDSNY]

"Tubed the Ditch" (turst me its really cool)

We "tubed the ditch" on our first trip to Hawai'i in 2003. So cool, huh? Great experience!

Sounds like we need to try this in December.

 

[poohluv2u]

Flame me if you want - don't really care. But was it some how a surprise that this was a 14 day cruise! With what 8-9 sea days. As adults you don't know how to entertain yourself. I took the 19 day TA with the Fantasy and you want to talk about nothing to do. The group of people I ended up hanging with were great, we made our own fun and we had a wonderful time. If you were bored or not entertained enough - then you only have yourself to blame.

Not really sure why there was a need for a hurtful comment like this

 

[jdb in AZ]

Sounds like we need to try this in December.

We tubed the ditch a few years ago when our grandson was about 8. The people running the business were very attentive to him and even had an employee assigned to float in a tube next to his to keep an eye on him.

We also appreciated the lighted helmets so we could see where we were going through the lava caves, and the mesh gloves to keep our fingers from getting scraped against the lava rock.

The experience was way cool!

 

[ibouncetoo]

I agree with the OP that the sea days heading home lacked the excitement of the ones heading to the islands. We love sea days & just hanging out on deck, but it was a little too chilly for that, and we ended inside on most days .. thank goodness for Outlook Cafe. The only other activities offered during the day for adults were alcohol tastings We saw a couple of movies, but for some reason all of the newer movies, kept getting shown during dining time or show time ... very frustrating

While I enjoyed some of the trivia games on the way out....repeating them on the way back (some new 'topics', some repeats) seemed overkill. I know they were well attended, but I think partially due to the fact that there weren't other options. I'll admit, I was hoping for a 'mystery at sea' on the return trip.

Found myself to be looking for activities in the afternoons. And I'm a serious reader/lounger, so I'm thinking folks who like to be more activite were really feeling this.

Thankfully, there were a lot of friends on the cruise, so we organized our own card games and gatherings. (Diversions was often packed with card/game players.)

 

[LKFan]

Forgive me because I haven't been on the boards much lately so haven't read if this was posted elsewhere but, what type of Hawaii merchandise did they sell on the ship?

It is interesting to read the comments in this thread. When we cruised the Wonder in Feb, we heard over and over again about how they were preparing for Hawaii. They were trying new dishes, working on service, etc. because it was a long cruise and the majority of cruisers were returnees who expected more than a first time cruiser. It sounds like they didn't anticipate the weather to be so cool.

Our first MR cruise (in 2010), there weren't as many activities planned for the last day at sea (when it was cool). On the second MR cruise, a year later, they seemed to add a lot more to that last day, knowing that people wouldn't be on deck.

They really seem to analyze the stats of a particular cruise and how they have to adapt things. We heard many times that there were 600 Canadians on board, which was down from 800 a couple of weeks before. They knew that there were 1000 people from No Cal, 100 from NY, 12 from the UK, etc. They knew how many kids were on board, how many were first time cruisers vs returnees, etc.

Since the Hawaii cruise was sold out, they knew the demographics of the cruise far in advance and they seemed (at least in Feb) to be plotting and planning on how to best serve that mix of guests.

It will be interesting to read whether they add more activities for the Hawaii cruise in October.

 

[jdb in AZ]

The Hawaiian merchandise included t-shirts and pins, key chains, figurines, etc. and for the first several days, DCL limited the number of items each passenger could buy -- two per day. There was a long line when the stores first opened, but the CM's limited the number of cusstomers in the stores at any given time, so it wasn't a mad dash or mob scene, and they didn't run out of merchandise the first night.

The limited edition pin sales were handled so much better than on the latest Panama Canal crossing where some people waited a total of 22 hrs to get the pins. People on the Hawaii cruise waited in line up to an hour to get wristbands, and CM's served breakfast pastries and juice and coffee to those waiting in line.

When we got to the front of the line we told a CM our stateroom # and they marked it off their list and gave us a green wristband for a set of pins (one pin representing each port on the cruise) and a blue wristband for a Minnie pin and a Mickey pin. Each person with a wristband could get two sets of pins. We then had several days to use our wristbands to purchase the pins, so there was no mob scene in the stores, or camping out for hours waiting for each pin to be released.

After the wristband time frame had expired several days later, the shops still had pins available. If you're wondering what the pins look like, there's some pictured on ebay.