looking for reviews of the Honolulu to Sydney Cruises

[ladyofthetramp]

This is a great thread with lots of helpful information! My DH and I are able to travel again after 6 years of caring for senior parents. We've gone crazy with booking cruises.

We have booked this one (Honolulu to Sydney) for 2025.

This is us too- although my mother in law is still kicking, my husband has lots of brothers to help. Kids grown, educated and flown. We did the Med, British isles next year, Hawaii the year after and sprinkling little trips in between. Scheming for Iceland-looking to be non-DCL, but it is a must see for us.

 

[Hubie]

We also sailed Disney’s inaugural cruise to the South Pacific. The Wonder got assigned the lousy ports where shipping containers are offloaded and stacked at not only Pago Pago, Suva, and Noumea but also at Sydney. There’s a pecking order for cruise lines, and those that have been cruising in the area for some time apparently get priority for the nicer ports. At Suva, someone did say that the nicer port is located on the other side of the Island but is too shallow for the Wonder. I remember seeing a lot of mud being stirred up as we approached the port there.

We did, however, love the stop at Pago Pago except for the humidity which was unbelievable. The Samoan’s were so nice and very happy to see us. Apparently, the Wonder is the biggest cruise ship to ever dock there. We basically shopped and then walked to the National Park Office located about 1/2 mile from the port. It was not only interesting, but it has AC.


Suva on the other hand is noted to be the “Capitol of the Third World” and it sure seemed like it. We didn’t enjoy our time there at all. We both felt very uncomfortable while walking around on our own. We thought we were about to be mugged a couple of times. As mentioned previously, we arrived there on a Sunday and almost the entire area was closed except for a couple of large Indian-owned department stores. I was told by a friend once we were back home that the nicer areas in Fiji are on the smaller surrounding islands.

Noumea is a modern city popular with Australians for vacations. We did the DCL Wine and Cheese Tasting Excursion, which was just okay. It was a somewhat disappointing experience for the DCL price. It involved a very-short bus ride to a small, wine shop/bar where we were given three small samples of wine and cheese with a couple of crackers/bread slices. The wines were all imported from France, which one would expect since New Caledonia is a French Territory. We were then taken to a WWII memorial located atop an overlook. It includes a couple of large artillery pieces that were used to protect the harbor. Then rather than being let out near the port to be able to investigate the nearby shopping area, the bus returned us to the ship. But I found you could take a free bus back to the main shopping area and I did that to try to do a little shopping. But I felt very rushed because of having to be back on the Wonder by the required time.

Sydney by far was our favorite port but, like Honolulu and Waikiki Beach, it's extremely crowded. We spent five days there and tried to see as much as possible. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza, which is located very close to the Town Hall Complex and only a couple of blocks from the QVB and the Tram. The Tram traverses the center of the city and goes from near the domestic airport all the way to Circular Quay where the nice port and main tourist area is located along with the Opera House and Sydney bridge. After finding our bearings we visited the QVB more than once (it's a beautiful 4-story mall), Darling Harbour, and Circular Quay a number of times. We also spent a lot of time walking around in the huge Royal Botanical Gardens and at The Rocks. The outdoor art/food market at the Rocks on the weekends is especially great. We also took a Harbour Cruise to the Taronga Zoo, which I highly recommend but make sure you bring a sun hat and water.

On our way home we stayed on Oahu at Disney’s Aulani Resort for five nights. While there we visited some gorgeous beaches but, unfortunately, the edge of some of them along the highway is filled with homeless -- living in either tents or homemade shacks. We were surprised to see that. We were also overwhelmed by the crowding and traffic on the island. There is no rush hour that we could discern -- it was unbelievable whenever we drove anywhere, including to the North Shore. Visiting Peral Harbor was both a huge hassle and an emotional experience. We were glad we got to see it, but we'll never return to Oahu. The Big Island and Kaui are so much nicer, less developed and much less crowded.



We arrived home exhausted and sick due to not being able to sleep on a plane and crossing the numerous time zones -- including the International Date Line twice. Having night flights was bad for us because we were up all day before arriving at our next destination in the morning and then being up all of that day. We also have trouble sleeping on planes.

All in all, we're seasoned travelers. We've been to 32 countries so far, and this trip was a very interesting experience. But it's one we would not want to repeat. And if I ever go back to Hawaii, I'd go to either Kaui or back to the Big Island (we've been there twice in the past 2009 & 2011) where things are not so hectic. Aulani is a beautiful resort but unless you enjoy just using water facilities all day, it's terribly crowded like the rest of the Island and the food prices at the resort are absolutely outrageous. We ate all our meals elsewhere, usually at Eggs & Things and Monkeypod which are located right across the street.

 

[gotomu212]

I know OP said they were from Australia so this won’t apply but I wanted to mention our flight arrangements which saved a ton for those flying from the US. I booked a roundtrip from our home city to Honolulu on Southwest (they have some BIG flash sales to Hawaii periodically). I then booked a one way from Sydney to Honolulu for our flight home (they were very reasonable compared to all the other airlines). Breaking the flight home into two separate flights saved us over 40% compared to other one ways options.

I could have done it as a single day flight home but actually broke it up with a night in Honolulu between the 2 saving me the dreaded overnight flight with a little one that would have struggled with 20 hours of travel.

 

[European]

We also sailed Disney’s inaugural cruise to the South Pacific. The Wonder got assigned the lousy ports where shipping containers are offloaded and stacked at not only Pago Pago, Suva, and Noumea but also at Sydney. There’s a pecking order for cruise lines, and those that have been cruising in the area for some time apparently get priority for the nicer ports. At Suva, someone did say that the nicer port is located on the other side of the Island but is too shallow for the Wonder. I remember seeing a lot of mud being stirred up as we approached the port there.

We did, however, love the stop at Pago Pago except for the humidity which was unbelievable. The Samoan’s were so nice and very happy to see us. Apparently, the Wonder is the biggest cruise ship to ever dock there. We basically shopped and then walked to the National Park Office located about 1/2 mile from the port. It was not only interesting, but it has AC.
View attachment 880678
View attachment 880681
Suva on the other hand is noted to be the “Capitol of the Third World” and it sure seemed like it. We didn’t enjoy our time there at all. We both felt very uncomfortable while walking around on our own. We thought we were about to be mugged a couple of times. As mentioned previously, we arrived there on a Sunday and almost the entire area was closed except for a couple of large Indian-owned department stores. I was told by a friend once we were back home that the nicer areas in Fiji are on the smaller surrounding islands.

Noumea is a modern city popular with Australians for vacations. We did the DCL Wine and Cheese Tasting Excursion, which was just okay. It was a somewhat disappointing experience for the DCL price. It involved a very-short bus ride to a small, wine shop/bar where we were given three small samples of wine and cheese with a couple of crackers/bread slices. The wines were all imported from France, which one would expect since New Caledonia is a French Territory. We were then taken to a WWII memorial located atop an overlook. It includes a couple of large artillery pieces that were used to protect the harbor. Then rather than being let out near the port to be able to investigate the nearby shopping area, the bus returned us to the ship. But I found you could take a free bus back to the main shopping area and I did that to try to do a little shopping. But I felt very rushed because of having to be back on the Wonder by the required time.

Sydney by far was our favorite port but, like Honolulu and Waikiki Beach, it's extremely crowded. We spent five days there and tried to see as much as possible. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza, which is located very close to the Town Hall Complex and only a couple of blocks from the QVB and the Tram. The Tram traverses the center of the city and goes from near the domestic airport all the way to Circular Quay where the nice port and main tourist area is located along with the Opera House and Sydney bridge. After finding our bearings we visited the QVB more than once (it's a beautiful 4-story mall), Darling Harbour, and Circular Quay a number of times. We also spent a lot of time walking around in the huge Royal Botanical Gardens and at The Rocks. The outdoor art/food market at the Rocks on the weekends is especially great. We also took a Harbour Cruise to the Taronga Zoo, which I highly recommend but make sure you bring a sun hat and water.
View attachment 880675
On our way home we stayed on Oahu at Disney’s Aulani Resort for five nights. While there we visited some gorgeous beaches but, unfortunately, the edge of some of them along the highway is filled with homeless -- living in either tents or homemade shacks. We were surprised to see that. We were also overwhelmed by the crowding and traffic on the island. There is no rush hour that we could discern -- it was unbelievable whenever we drove anywhere, including to the North Shore. Visiting Peral Harbor was both a huge hassle and an emotional experience. We were glad we got to see it, but we'll never return to Oahu. The Big Island and Kaui are so much nicer, less developed and much less crowded.
View attachment 880682

View attachment 880676
We arrived home exhausted and sick due to not being able to sleep on a plane and crossing the numerous time zones -- including the International Date Line twice. Having night flights was bad for us because we were up all day before arriving at our next destination in the morning and then being up all of that day. We also have trouble sleeping on planes.

All in all, we're seasoned travelers. We've been to 32 countries so far, and this trip was a very interesting experience. But it's one we would not want to repeat. And if I ever go back to Hawaii, I'd go to either Kaui or back to the Big Island (we've been there twice in the past 2009 & 2011) where things are not so hectic. Aulani is a beautiful resort but unless you enjoy just using water facilities all day, it's terribly crowded like the rest of the Island and the food prices at the resort are absolutely outrageous. We ate all our meals elsewhere, usually at Eggs & Things and Monkeypod which are located right across the street.

Thanks for the interesting information.

Have you been to Maui btw? I recently went to Hawaii for the first time and loved it, such a paradise. We visited 4 islands and I sure hope to go back one day. But indeed, Oahu is so different from Kauai, Maui and Big Island. Everything’s so expensive though (on all 4 islands). Same goes for all the Hawaii excursions, but that’s a different cruise.

 

[wendlle]

I always find it interesting when American's have trouble with the flights to and from Australia.

I think as Aussies we are so used to flying 14+ hours to get just about anywhere in the world, it just doesn't bother us.
I've been taking my kids on long haul flights like this and more (some over 23 hours) since they were 10 months old. They love to fly now and the longer we are on the plane the better - they see it as part of the vacation.

Homelessness has always been an issue, just about anywhere. The warmer the location sometimes the worse it can become, Hawaii is no exception. I'm surprised you didn't mention it about Sydney - there is a huge amount of street people in our major cities here in Australia - sadly becoming more normal everyday.

We absolutely love Aulani, we spend pretty much all day in the lazy river, Monkeypod is great as is the ABC store across the street, but we do have a few counter service meals at Aulani - the table service restaurants are very expensive even by Hawaii standards where everything is double or more what it costs on the mainland. (even worse for us Australians at only US65c in the dollar)

 

[Rudisdey]

This is a great thread with lots of helpful information! My DH and I are able to travel again after 6 years of caring for senior parents. We've gone crazy with booking cruises.

We have booked this one (Honolulu to Sydney) for 2025.

We also booked this cruise.
We will first fly from the Netherlands to Las Vegas. 3 days later to Honolulu. And after the cruise we will stay in Sydney for a few days. And we will fly back to Los Angeles to visit Disneyland before we fly back to the Netherlands. Looking forward to it already.

 

[Hubie]

Thanks for the interesting information.

Have you been to Maui btw? I recently went to Hawaii for the first time and loved it, such a paradise. We visited 4 islands and I sure hope to go back one day. But indeed, Oahu is so different from Kauai, Maui and Big Island. Everything’s so expensive though (on all 4 islands). Same goes for all the Hawaii excursions, but that’s a different cruise.

Haven't been to Maui. We had planned to go but just never got around to it. We instead concentrated on going to Europe (both DCL cruises and land trips). When we were on the Big Island, things weren't that expensive except for groceries. Eating out in restaurants was about the same cost wise as home. And in 2009, we got a round-trip flight from ORD, rental car that turned into a convertible because that's the only cars that were left at the agency in Kona when we arrived, and a 9-night stay at the beautiful Houla resort in a wonderful 2-bedroom condo for $2400 through Orbitz.


It was a steal because of the recession, and we went in May over Mother's Day (no whales so less tourists) which is the cheapest time to visit. In 2011, same package cost for 8 nights was $3600. A local I talked to on Oahu last November after the Australia cruise told me that ever since us boomers started retiring the number of people visiting Oahu is insane along with the cost for everything.

 

[Hubie]

I always find it interesting when American's have trouble with the flights to and from Australia.

I think as Aussies we are so used to flying 14+ hours to get just about anywhere in the world, it just doesn't bother us.
I've been taking my kids on long haul flights like this and more (some over 23 hours) since they were 10 months old. They love to fly now and the longer we are on the plane the better - they see it as part of the vacation.

Homelessness has always been an issue, just about anywhere. The warmer the location sometimes the worse it can become, Hawaii is no exception. I'm surprised you didn't mention it about Sydney - there is a huge amount of street people in our major cities here in Australia - sadly becoming more normal everyday.

We absolutely love Aulani, we spend pretty much all day in the lazy river, Monkeypod is great as is the ABC store across the street, but we do have a few counter service meals at Aulani - the table service restaurants are very expensive even by Hawaii standards where everything is double or more

First of all, I'm 77 and my DW is 76. Second, I have a bad back since having a serious climbing accident in the Cascades in 2004. Thirdly, we stupidly had 32,000 steps our first day in Sydney and continued to try and see everything the city had to offer. And lastly, being up all day before a night flight and then being up most of the next day when we arrived from Sydney to Honolulu and from Honolulu back to Madison, WI crushed us. I mean we were up for over 40 hrs. those two times.

As far as the homeless in Sydney, yes, we saw a few by a Cathedral and outside Circular Quay. But on Oahu, the shacks/tents/hung blankets/plastic tarps lining the strip between the highway and the entire beach I showed in the picture above and along others as well was quite a put off. I hardly think your country would allow such an eyesore along its beautiful beaches.

 

[wendlle]

First of all, I'm 77 and my DW is 76. Second, I have a bad back since having a serious climbing accident in the Cascades in 2004. Thirdly, we stupidly had 32,000 steps our first day in Sydney and continued to try and see everything the city had to offer, and lastly, being up all day before a night flight and then being up most of the next day when we arrived from Sydney to Honolulu and from Honolulu back to Madison, WI crushed us. I mean we were up for over 40 hrs. those two times. As far as the homeless in Sydney, yes, we saw a few by a Cathedral and outside Circular Quay. But on Oahu, the shacks/tents/hung blankets/plastic tarps lining the strip between the highway and the entire beach I showed in the picture above and along others as well was quite a put off. I hardly think your country would allow such an eyesore along its beautiful beaches.

we do have them along our beaches - not in sydney but if you go further north you'll see them.
There isn't a lot they can do, they move people on but they have to go somewhere. Govt isn't interested in low cost housing here so people are on their own, whole families are homeless due to the cost of living.

I wasn't throwing shade your way about the long flights, It's just in general a lot of US friends of mine and people i've met over the years refuse to come here or are extremely put off by the long flight - when it is something us Aussies just find common as part of travel due to our distance away from the Northern countries.

 

[Hubie]

we do have them along our beaches - not in sydney but if you go further north you'll see them.
There isn't a lot they can do, they move people on but they have to go somewhere. Govt isn't interested in low cost housing here so people are on their own, whole families are homeless due to the cost of living.

I wasn't throwing shade your way about the long flights, It's just in general a lot of US friends of mine and people i've met over the years refuse to come here or are extremely put off by the long flight - when it is something us Aussies just find common as part of travel due to our distance away from the Northern countries.

I understand you're not pimping me, plus like I said it was our fault for trying to do too much after we arrived both in Sydney and Honolulu. We should at least have rested both the day before such long night flights and the day after arriving at our destinations.

Also, I agree with you that the solution to the homeless problem is a hard nut to crack. Even here where some low-cost housing is being or has been provided in some of our large cities the cost of living is so high for even our middle-class families where both parents work. We live in a community of about 10,000 in Wisconsin that fortunately has few homeless at least that I'm aware of. Our local food pantry helps but I do hear that the number of users has increased dramatically in the past couple of years because of our Country's inflated cost of living. We also have some lower-cost housing here, and more is apparently on the way. But I think most of the problem stems from the lack of decent paying job opportunities, people not getting the education and skills they need to succeed, and of course health related problems.

 

[mmouse37]

Best cruise we have ever taken! And this includes 3 European cruises. We booked a day at Tisa’s Barefoot Bar in American Samoa and she arranged a little bus to take us to her resort. Wonderful experience.

Loved the sea days on the mild tropical ocean. Many things to do on the ship. We were fans of the photo scavenger hunt, the daily Good Morning Disney Wonder show in D Lounge, the Everyone Can Cook segments (they were packed!), and the crew talent show.

We’d take this cruise again in a heartbeat!

All those things you mentioned we loved on other longer cruises with DCL. We had the scavenger hunts, crew talent show, etc. on our Transatlantic and Panama sailings. Have to have things to do on those sea days (which I love).

The Transpacific cruise is on my bucket list but I want to do Sydney to Hawaii. I would prefer getting the long flight over in the beginning and then just the 11 hour flight back to NY from Hawaii. Would want to spend 4 or 5 nights in Sydney before the cruise and a few nights in Aulani after the cruise so looking at 3 plus weeks!!

MJ

 

[European]

The Transpacific cruise is on my bucket list but I want to do Sydney to Hawaii. I would prefer getting the long flight over in the beginning and then just the 11 hour flight back to NY from Hawaii. Would want to spend 4 or 5 nights in Sydney before the cruise and a few nights in Aulani after the cruise so looking at 3 plus weeks!!

MJ

For me both ways are looong. But I hate the red eye flight from the US to Europe. So Honolulu - Sydney would be better. Then again weather wise I prefer to get some sun in February as it’s still cold here and I am so sick and tired of Winter by then. Maybe a B2B with the Honolulu - Vancouver? I better start saving

 

[auntlynne]

@wendlle - I am one of those who don’t like the long haul. And take no offense at your observation. When flying to Hawaii, I prefer to stop in California. Preferably overnight. That makes 5 hours flying to CA and then 5 hours to Hawaii.

I did the Alabama > Dallas > Honolulu > Auckland > Christchurch experience once. Loved the two weeks in New Zealand. But figured I would likely not get back to visit Australia after that experience. I did two other long hauls in my younger days, but now I don’t want to sit in hard economy seats and can’t justify expensive seats. Glad I did it, though.

If the option were long hauls to nearly anywhere or stay home, I imagine I would still travel.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

All those things you mentioned we loved on other longer cruises with DCL. We had the scavenger hunts, crew talent show, etc. on our Transatlantic and Panama sailings. Have to have things to do on those sea days (which I love).

The Transpacific cruise is on my bucket list but I want to do Sydney to Hawaii. I would prefer getting the long flight over in the beginning and then just the 11 hour flight back to NY from Hawaii. Would want to spend 4 or 5 nights in Sydney before the cruise and a few nights in Aulani after the cruise so looking at 3 plus weeks!!

MJ

We had thee Sydney to Hawaii booked for next year. Then our daughter decided to get married... LOL And then my husband's work rescinded the policy of carrying vacation weeks over until the next year. We had the same plan several nights in Sydney-cruise and then a few in Aluani. You need plenty of time off! Booked Hawaii to Vancouver instead-February, when I will need a warm winter break

 

[auntlynne]

We had thee Sydney to Hawaii booked for next year. Then our daughter decided to get married... LOL And then my husband's work rescinded the policy of carrying vacation weeks over until the next year. We had the same plan several nights in Sydney-cruise and then a few in Aluani. You need plenty of time off! Booked Hawaii to Vancouver instead-February, when I will need a warm winter break

Boo to work taking away vacation options!

But you get to be in Hawaii during whale season. Same whales we see in Alaska in the Summer.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Boo to work taking away vacation options!

But you get to be in Hawaii during whale season. Same whales we see in Alaska in the Summer.

Seriously?? Whale season?? Don't tease me now. I so love whales. I live here in the northeast and go on whale watches every season. They are just magnificent! Last season we got a real treat. Humpback calf Pinball strutting his stuff for my camera! I am so excited now!!

 

[bcwife76]

@ladyofthetramp I'm sorry your vacation time got messed around (though, congratulations to your daughter on her upcoming wedding ). I think the chance of seeing whales on your Feb Hawaii cruise are very, very high word of caution though, you will want to pack some winter gear the closer you get to Vancouver the colder it will get. The average daytime temps here that month hover around 40F to 45F.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

@ladyofthetramp I'm sorry your vacation time got messed around (though, congratulations to your daughter on her upcoming wedding ). I think the chance of seeing whales on your Feb Hawaii cruise are very, very high word of caution though, you will want to pack some winter gear the closer you get to Vancouver the colder it will get. The average daytime temps here that month hover around 40F to 45F.

Thank you @bcwife76 . We visited Vancouver on our Alaska cruise, in August a few years back-beautiful weather, of course. We will definitely pack the winter stuff as we will be leaving from the northeast and returning there. I'll take the 40's over what we usually get in February any day. All relative, but I am afraid the Tramp, having Canadian blood in him, will think that is shorts weather...

 

[bcwife76]

Thank you @bcwife76 . We visited Vancouver on our Alaska cruise, in August a few years back-beautiful weather, of course. We will definitely pack the winter stuff as we will be leaving from the northeast and returning there. I'll take the 40's over what we usually get in February any day. All relative, but I am afraid the Tramp, having Canadian blood in him, will think that is shorts weather...

Whatever floats his boat. There are definitely people who live here who wear shorts all year round. At 5C/40F I'll be home warming up because chances are it will also be raining and feel way colder than that (but I'll cross my fingers for a dry February for ya

 

[auntlynne]

@ladyofthetramp - So serious about the whales. Whales and humans love Hawaii in the winter. It also bumps up hotel prices (for the humans).

“What is the best month to see whales in Hawaii?

Humpback whales begin arriving in Hawaii mid fall, with successful whale watching increasing as the season progresses. By mid-December, daily sightings are common. The peak population of whales occurs around mid-February, making mid-February to mid-March the prime time for observing their behavior. Jul 8, 2024” - Wild Side Hawaii

Maui is considered prime viewing, but the entire island chain should have good viewing options. We have done whale watches from Lahaina / Maui. And had a wonderful view of a breach close to our little outrigger canoe there. The guides were quite shocked. Maybe everyone will see some while onboard the Wonder.

We saw the East Coast whales off Provincetown, MA. I would love to see them in their winter home off Dominican Republic. That would complete the East and West Coast viewings.

Alaska cruises and Hawaii vacations are my Happy Place memories. Not any place Disney. Just reading that others are going to Hawaii puts a smile on my face and makes me reminisce. Hope it has a similar effect on you and others cruising there.

…Love your photographs.