Hawaii

[southerngirl528]

The one-ways were supposed to help Aulani. Did that happen?

Here's my experience with the Aulani crowd the day the YVR/HNL cruise arrived and disembarked & same day we were to board for the HNL/YVR cruise:


DD#2 and I flew in a couple of days early for the Sept 15, 2015 HNL/YVR cruise and I booked around 5 months out. I immediately went to book Aulani those 2 nights pre-cruise on my DVC membership. Yikes! There was next to nothing available! I wanted both nights in an OV Studio but had to settle for Island view for only one of my nights and had to book cash (OUCH) for the 2nd night, then waitlisted for OV. It was coming down to the wire before my w/l came through. I had a coworker that's also a DVC member that was trying to book as well to no avail.

No doubt DCL had a large block of rooms at Aulani for their own Pre and Post Cruise add-on options. As dclpluto and EeyoreFanUK said, the check-ins and check-outs on 9/15/15 were unbelievable! Totally insane! I could NOT believe the line snaking from the Porte-cochere into the Lobby and down the corridor. DD and I could barely get through. I had arranged a car to take us to the Port (thank GOODNESS I did!!) and called Bell Services a full 30 minutes before our driver was to be there because I knew they would be very busy. 25 minutes later with no sign of a bellman I tried to call but could not get through. Finally called FD and got someone who said they were swamped and transferred me to Bell Svcs. I tentatively and very hopefully (both my fashionista DD and myself had quite a bit of luggage including 2 very large bags) asked if a bellman was enroute to us. I was told it would be another 15 minutes at least. We could wait no longer and told them we would try to manage somehow. It was a comedy to be sure though not at all funny at the time, I can assure you! I still am not sure how I balanced one bag on another but pulling my 2 wheeled monster laden with a carry-on on those long carpeted hallways was murder! LOL! Then when we finally got an elevator and got to Lobby Level, almost to the Hale Manu Store (not Kalepa Store which is closer to the entry!) was the end of the loooooong line of folks with their carry-on luggage waiting to get transportation to the Port. I've stayed at Aulani several times and never, ever, ever was there anything like this.

I did the Fall 2012 14 night R/T on the Wonder and then the 10 night HNL/Vancouver in September. While I loved them both and would definitely do either again given the chance, I think the one-ways offer far more opportunity to actually see Hawaii. A Hawaiian cruise is simply a small taste of Hawaii. A one-way offers the chance to either fly in a few days before or stay afterward depending on which direction your cruise is heading.

 

[disneymath]

Chances are, IF there is a Hawaii cruise again, it won't be in the summer. They have typically been done just before or just after the Alaska season (Apr/May or Sep/Oct).

I know ... which is why I've been looking at the NCL Pride of America as another option. Would love it if Disney surprised us all with a true summertime Hawaii itinerary though!

 

[Ofinn]

We went to check out Aulani the day we were in Honolulu. It was packed. I kept thinking "I would never want to stay here". Honolulu in general is way too crowded for me. Walking through the city is like walking through the Magic kingdom Christmas week. It was my 5th time to Honolulu and I still don't get it's appeal. The other Islands are amazing. I would love to stay a week on Maui or Kauai.

 

[lorimay]

We arrived at Aulani 5 days before the cruise, it wasn't too bad at that point, it got busier each day. We never had a hard time finding a chair on the patio.
It was a wonderful stay, they upgraded us to an ocean view, it was one of our best vacations ever.

My future daughter in law has fingers crossed for a DCL revisit to Hawaii in 2017 for their honeymoon. I told her if it happens, we will be on the cruise too and we will pretend not to know them the entire time. There is no way I can pass up the chance to do that cruise again. She had no issue, my son just said that is too weird, LOL told him too bad.

ETA: I'm joking of course, I would never invade their honeymoon.....

 

[RedSox68]

I'm surprised to see neither itinerary included Kona. We would love to take Disney one-way from or to Hawaii so that we could spend extra days there, but would not want to spend all those days at sea and so little time on the islands. We did Hawaii in 2008 and renewed our vows there -- but flew over and stayed several days and did the NCL Pride of America (which from that experience I cannot recommend), but it is the only line there now that is permanently docked there and does round-trip around the islands. We did see some beautiful things, including the lava flowing into the sea at nighttime and the cruise along the Na Pali Coast (worth every hour of flight!).

 

[RedSox68]

We went to check out Aulani the day we were in Honolulu. It was packed. I kept thinking "I would never want to stay here". Honolulu in general is way too crowded for me. Walking through the city is like walking through the Magic kingdom Christmas week. It was my 5th time to Honolulu and I still don't get it's appeal. The other Islands are amazing. I would love to stay a week on Maui or Kauai.

We liked the section we were in and going to Pearl Harbor and other sites, but only stayed in Honolulu for 3 days. We spent a week in Maui and that is by far our favorite. We enjoyed every island the ship stopped at, but Maui was our favorite, followed closely by Kauai. We stayed overnight in Maui on the cruise ship and were able to do the sunrise excursion. If Disney could stay overnight, people would also get a chance to experience the Luau in Maui.

 

[dclpluto]

Would be very interested in a 2017 one-way between Hawaii and Vancouver that took place during the summer (I teach).

I think my preference would be to fly down and stay at Aulani a few days pre-cruise.

(Actually, if it could start sometime in early July - before the 10th - that would be even more tempting as I have OBB that could be applied. A girl can dream, right?)

Sorry it's not going to happen. Alaska is the wonders money maker, their bread and butter.

 

[JJsmama]

i am wondering how many people can take 2+ weeks at a time away from work and school. is that a problem for DCL, whose clientele tends to be younger than retirees? Did those Hawaii cruises sell out quickly? I would love to do it but Dh would not want to be out of touch for so long AND that many sea days would make him want to jump ship.

 

[lorimay]

i am wondering how many people can take 2+ weeks at a time away from work and school. is that a problem for DCL, whose clientele tends to be younger than retirees? Did those Hawaii cruises sell out quickly? I would love to do it but Dh would not want to be out of touch for so long AND that many sea days would make him want to jump ship.

On the Honolulu to Vancouver leg, there were families as well as retirees and those of us in the middle.
If I remember correctly there were a several hundred kids onboard, not as many as Caribbean cruises, but a good amount.

 

[dclpluto]

i am wondering how many people can take 2+ weeks at a time away from work and school. is that a problem for DCL, whose clientele tends to be younger than retirees? Did those Hawaii cruises sell out quickly? I would love to do it but Dh would not want to be out of touch for so long AND that many sea days would make him want to jump ship.

You will see a lot of little kids parents trying to go on vacations at a reasonable price before their kids start school. Also a lot of home school kids. Than of course there will be a lot of couples. Won't be too many kids that are in school that will be on the Hawaii cruises. Some but not a lot.

 

[jdb in AZ]

I know ... which is why I've been looking at the NCL Pride of America as another option. Would love it if Disney surprised us all with a true summertime Hawaii itinerary though!

NCL Pride of America has an American crew with U.S. labor laws and unfortunately you won't get the same quality of service as other cruise lines. If you do go that route, keep your expectations very low. It was a beautiful ship but isn't as well maintained as DCL ships. Can't beat the itinerary, but the food and service are a joke.

 

[clten]

We liked the section we were in and going to Pearl Harbor and other sites, but only stayed in Honolulu for 3 days. We spent a week in Maui and that is by far our favorite. We enjoyed every island the ship stopped at, but Maui was our favorite, followed closely by Kauai. We stayed overnight in Maui on the cruise ship and were able to do the sunrise excursion. If Disney could stay overnight, people would also get a chance to experience the Luau in Maui.

On the first Hawaii (RT LA), we were in Maui long enough that we were able to do the Luau. For the one way trips they just did, the cruise to HNL overnighted in HNL, but we were on the HNL to YVR one way and we did overnight in Maui. We were able to do sunset excursions and could have done sunrise (but we just aren't morning people!)

 

[southerngirl528]

we were on the HNL to YVR one way and we did overnight in Maui. We were able to do sunset excursions and could have done sunrise (but we just aren't morning people!)

Yep, I was on that cruise on LOVED the 2 days of Maui!! I booked Feast at Lele well beforehand and had a rental car booked to be able to tool around and hit my favorite Maui spots. It was awesome!!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Yes it did lots and lots of people from the cruise stayed at aulani on both cruises. I'm just guessing but I think it was aulani biggest check out/checkin date they ever had. The day when one cruise ended and the other one started. Just a guess nothing to back up my guess

I was there, and yes it was. So many guests descending on Aulani at once that the front desk couldn't handle them all. Lines all the way down the building. Fortunately I was in the group that was leaving, not arriving.

 

[Ofinn]

i am wondering how many people can take 2+ weeks at a time away from work and school. is that a problem for DCL, whose clientele tends to be younger than retirees? Did those Hawaii cruises sell out quickly? I would love to do it but Dh would not want to be out of touch for so long AND that many sea days would make him want to jump ship.

My Dh and I get 6 weeks vacation a year. I would assume a lot of people that have worked for the same company for 5+ years would not have a problem taking 2 weeks. There were 400 kids onboard. About 30 in the Edge. Ours are homeschooled I'm not sure about the others. There were also a lot of retirees on this cruise. So many platinum and gold they had to have the party on the pool deck. No the cruises did not sell out.

 

[RedSox68]

We were able to do sunset excursions and could have done sunrise (but we just aren't morning people!)

That was a hard one -- we had to meet the shuttle on the pier at 3 a.m.! TIP: if you do it, take Bonine or something similar. It's a winding road and a lot of people got car sick! But boy oh boy what a site when that sun starts coming up under those clouds! It's like looking down from space.

 

[disneymath]

We did Hawaii in 2008 and renewed our vows there -- but flew over and stayed several days and did the NCL Pride of America (which from that experience I cannot recommend), but it is the only line there now that is permanently docked there and does round-trip around the islands. We did see some beautiful things, including the lava flowing into the sea at nighttime and the cruise along the Na Pali Coast (worth every hour of flight!).

They do have a lock on that particular market. Since we are a larger group and want to see more than one island, PoA does have some appealing features though I wouldn't expect it to compare to a DCL cruise.

Sorry it's not going to happen. Alaska is the wonders money maker, their bread and butter.

You're probably right, and because of Alaska, but until itineries are actually released, I can keep on dreaming.

NCL Pride of America has an American crew with U.S. labor laws and unfortunately you won't get the same quality of service as other cruise lines. If you do go that route, keep your expectations very low. It was a beautiful ship but isn't as well maintained as DCL ships. Can't beat the itinerary, but the food and service are a joke.

This seems to be the general feeling from many regarding PoA. We are looking at it from a floating hotel perspective and a ride betwwen the islands moreso than a typical cruise experience. We aren't really foodies, so we aren't looking for out of this world dining experiences, but tasty meals with some variety is not too much to expect I hope?

We spent 11 nights on the Magic in Norway&Iceland, so I may look into other cruiselines with one way Hawaii itineraries since we are ok with longer cruises.

 

[RedSox68]

They do have a lock on that particular market. Since we are a larger group and want to see more than one island, PoA does have some appealing features though I wouldn't expect it to compare to a DCL cruise.

This seems to be the general feeling from many regarding PoA. We are looking at it from a floating hotel perspective and a ride betwwen the islands moreso than a typical cruise experience. We aren't really foodies, so we aren't looking for out of this world dining experiences, but tasty meals with some variety is not too much to expect I hope?

We spent 11 nights on the Magic in Norway&Iceland, so I may look into other cruiselines with one way Hawaii itineraries since we are ok with longer cruises.

We went in with extremely low expections because of what we had read on Cruise Critic, and were still shocked by the filthiness of the rooms. (we had to get back off the ship and buy a thing of Clorox wipes to wipe down our room). The attitude of the crew was appalling -- waiters who looked like they slept in their clothes, and very rude and uninterested in interacting. My husband and I were always saying "if they were on Disney, they'd be fired" LOL. It was the ONLY trip in 40 years with my husband that I heard him say on the way back to the ship "boy, do I hate getting back onboard -- I feel so unwelcome". The PP is right, it was a gorgeous ship for decor and the itinerary was amazing -- they went out of their way to sail past all the lovely and breathtaking sites and employed some great tour companies for excursions. We rented cars in a couple of the ports and that was well worthwhile. If possible, try to see the gardens on Kauai in Princeville (at the end of the island).

The prices though were amazing as we could get a balcony room for us and an inside room for our daughter for less than one room on Disney. But then again, you get what you pay for

The PP is also right about the all American crew. However, I have since read that they petitioned to be allowed to have 25% be non-American and I'm not sure if they ever did and if that changed their reviews. Embarkation was the most convoluted mess we've ever experienced, so I'm also hoping they have resolved those issues.

It seems that you know what you will be getting. This was our very first non-Disney cruise and I guess we were naive about other cruise lines not meeting Disney's standards. Since then, we have sailed on many other ships who were lovely and well maintained and very welcoming. Now we have said for 7 years that we would never sail on another NCL ship because of that, but are sailing out of NYC in October on the Breakaway. So we shall see........

The layout of the ship is still one of our favorites because the main floor is a straight path from front to back. And not sure if they still do it, but they were checking people's carryons in the theater so you didn't have to lug everything with you to lunch, and it allowed you to get back off the ship to walk around. when we got back onboard, we just called to have our bags delivered. I thought that was a wonderful feature. Have never been on any other ship that has offered that.

Now I didn't tell you any of this to discourage you. Because they are the only stationed line there, you have no other choices. But they also know how much slamming they have gotten and I would hope they have pulled themselves together. It is a worthwhile venture because of all that was previously said. If you know what you are getting, you may be pleasantly surprised. Would we do them again if we go back to Hawaii -- after all this time and with hindsight -- we might if the price was right because there is no more efficient way to get to all those islands in that short a period of time!

Have a wonderful time and be sure to let us know how it was.

 

[disneymath]

@RedSox68 thanks for sharing your experience. In reading recent reviews, the cleanliness issue does not seem to come up as often, so hopefully that is a good sign.

I really would prefer a DCL option, but realistically I know there's a very slim chance of that working out for me.

With it being a 4-day weekend due to Easter, I think i'll take some time to research other options.

 

[RedSox68]

@RedSox68 thanks for sharing your experience. In reading recent reviews, the cleanliness issue does not seem to come up as often, so hopefully that is a good sign.

I really would prefer a DCL option, but realistically I know there's a very slim chance of that working out for me.

With it being a 4-day weekend due to Easter, I think i'll take some time to research other options.

If you have any questions, just let me know. I loved doing the transatlantic home from the Med, but for us we wouldn't want to use that many vacation days just to be at sea most of the time. Have fun planning.