Opinions on whether I should keep Hawaii cruise or not

[Pens Fan]

One other thing to consider is (and this is only a guess on my part) that while DCL might very well offer Hawaii cruises in the future, I'd expect the price to go up quite a bit. I was pretty surprised at the pricing of the last release, as they were much more affordable than I expected. Considering how quickly they sold out I don't see them offering them at anywhere near that price again. We saw something similar when they first sailed to Northern Europe. We booked the very first Iceland cruise and while the price was higher than anything we'd paid before it looked positively cheap compared to what they charged just the following year. Seriously, I remember prices of our category going $3K - $4K more in the very next release (on opening day, no less). Disney knows what their product is worth. When they see something with that much interest they are going to price it accordingly. If you really think you might want to sail on Disney to Hawaii in the future, I'd keep the reservation you currently have or risk paying a lot more later on.

That being said, I struggle with the idea of seeing Hawaii by cruise, period. We looked at these cruises (timing didn't work), and we've looked at the NCL one - a lot. In the end, we always end up thinking if we ever go to Hawaii we'll just fly there and stay for a couple of weeks, maybe split between two islands.

As for the flights, I don't really think there is that much difference in flying to/from Hawaii and either Europe or Alaska. They are all long flights, often with layovers, and not a lot of fun - but oh, so worth it!! But that's just me. Every time I start to belly ache about a long flight, my husband mentions his 28 hour flights going to India, and I shut up.

 

[LeiaOfAlderaan]

I love Hawaii, it is my favorite vacation destination, so if I were you I would cruise to Alaska instead and save Hawaii for a land trip when you can spend at least a week on one island.

However it is all personal preference—I’ve seen many people not recommend DCL to Alaska because they feel you don’t see enough of Alaska. For me it was one of my favorite trips ever, I loved just watching the scenery go by and saw enough of Alaska to make me happy. So even though I can tell you what I would do, that doesn’t mean it is the best decision for you. Good luck in whatever you decide, I’m sure any option will be fabulous!

 

[ryankski]

Cancel the criuse and do a land tour of Hawaii. Also you don't fly on "puddle jumper" between islands. We flew normal Hawaiian Airlines flights .They weren't the biggest jets in their fleet, but much larger then the turbo prop I took from San Diego to LA on my way there .

We spent just over two weeks there and it's wasn't enough. I'd looked at cruises but at that time, 8/2013, all i could find were ones that left the west coast round trip. So glad we didn't do the cruise!

We spent 4 nights in Oahu, a week on Maui, and the rest on the Big Island. Honestly a port stop is not enough and a car rental and days are needed to just scratch the surface.

Also if you plan to ever go to Asia you'll want to get used to long flights. I've flown Chicago to Seoul and Chicago to Shanghai and each of those flights was around 13.5 hours (~27 hrs in a plane each trip). I've never flown the US based airlines for those flights, but all international flight have been on international airlines and have included movies, beer, wine, and multiple meals. Our flight from CA to Hawaii on an American based airline had pretzels and soda with no entertainment. That was more boring then any flight to Asia

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I agree with the others who recommend Hawaii as a land vacation. You will never scratch the surface on a cruise. If you would really like to do a Polynesian island cruise, I would recommend looking into one of the Paul Gauguin cruises out of Tahiti. IMHO, you really can experience French Polynesian via cruise and the Paul Gauguin cruise is wonderful. Smaller, more sophisticated ship with a lot of authentic cultural experiences and a better price point than DCL.

 

[BruinEd03]

I'm thinking about cancelling the Hawaii cruise I have booked. The super long flights to both Vancouver and Hawaii are a bit daunting, I've never been on a plane that long and the Hawaii one would require a layover too. Neither DH or I have been to Hawaii before, but I'm thinking of maybe doing a round trip on another cruise line out of LA or something in the future. Or possibly hold out to see if Disney ever offers a round trip again. If I did cancel I'd book either Europe or Alaska instead. DH is fine with whatever I decide, he just doesn't want me to cancel and then regret it a month later and nothing we can do about it then. What do you think I should do?

Do you like sea days? That's the benefit of this cruise - sea days + Hawaii. If you just want to see Hawaii, then are you comfortable seeing just a small piece of each island without really getting fully immersed? If the focus is Hawaii and you really want to get immersed, then I don't there really is no reason to do DCL or any cruise. I don't think they will spend enough time in port. You can spend a week at each island and still not see or do everything. Part of the charm of Hawaii, if you've never been there before, is renting a car and driving around the island, doing a luau, exploring little towns, dining at fantastic restaurants, eating local foods (from grocery stores), and maybe even taking surf lessons. Also, my guess is that flights to Hawaii will also decrease slightly in price once Southwest comes online.

One of the reasons we booked the cruise was because we've already been to Kauai and Oahu before, we love Disney, and we love sea days. Thus, it was a good combination of everything.

 

[mousefan73]

You think you have long flights! We are booked on the 9night and coming in from Germany!! Me and my 69 yr old mom. I think many booked thid without costs/ time in mind. In the cruise group people have been dropping this sailing like flies.

Regardless westcoast to HI is 6 to 7 hours. More north, shorter the flight. We are flying into Vancouver 2-3 days before: recover jet lag, safe zone to not miss boat, and more important see Vancouver. I hear only awesome stuff about this city. So for us this layover is a bonus.

In HNL we are adding 2 -3 nights. And one somewhere westcoast 1 night, likely seattle on the way back.

It is a lot of time just to get to the boat and back. But HI is in „BFE“ distance wise. For us literally otherside of the planet.

 

[FSU Girl]

Do you like sea days? That's the benefit of this cruise - sea days + Hawaii. If you just want to see Hawaii, then are you comfortable seeing just a small piece of each island without really getting fully immersed? If the focus is Hawaii and you really want to get immersed, then I don't there really is no reason to do DCL or any cruise. I don't think they will spend enough time in port. You can spend a week at each island and still not see or do everything. Part of the charm of Hawaii, if you've never been there before, is renting a car and driving around the island, doing a luau, exploring little towns, dining at fantastic restaurants, eating local foods (from grocery stores), and maybe even taking surf lessons. Also, my guess is that flights to Hawaii will also decrease slightly in price once Southwest comes online.

One of the reasons we booked the cruise was because we've already been to Kauai and Oahu before, we love Disney, and we love sea days. Thus, it was a good combination of everything.

I actually love sea days, especially on Disney where I love the ships, so that wouldn't be a problem. I do wish it spent more time in actual Hawaii. It is starting to seem like we should be doing a land trip to Hawaii instead of a cruise.

You think you have long flights! We are booked on the 9night and coming in from Germany!! Me and my 69 yr old mom. I think many booked thid without costs/ time in mind. In the cruise group people have been dropping this sailing like flies.

That must be such a long flight! I just hate getting on planes, when I'm older and retire I plan to see the world by cruise lol. We picked the 9 night to fit dates, the 10 night wouldn't have been feasible, but we could definitely make this trip work for a vacation. Also the room wasn't that expensive, I've paid more in the Caribbean so that isn't the problem.

Regardless westcoast to HI is 6 to 7 hours. More north, shorter the flight. We are flying into Vancouver 2-3 days before: recover jet lag, safe zone to not miss boat, and more important see Vancouver. I hear only awesome stuff about this city. So for us this layover is a bonus.

In HNL we are adding 2 -3 nights. And one somewhere westcoast 1 night, likely seattle on the way back.

It is a lot of time just to get to the boat and back. But HI is in „BFE“ distance wise. For us literally otherside of the planet.

I wish we had more time to take on vacation, I would have booked both legs of the cruise lol. We also don't have time to have a layover stop on the way back somewhere, I think that would have made the trip not feel as long. I'm considering scrapping the cruise and doing a land trip there instead. We'd also be able to spend some time in LA and could stop by Disneyland. Hmm.

 

[AgentMama]

I'm with everyone who has said go land based to Hawaii and cruise Alaska (although land based Alaska is awesome too). We spent 2 weeks in Hawaii and I cannot imagine it being enough to only spend a one day in each port. But whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll have a good time.

 

[KayKayJS]

Personally, unless I had money and vacation time to blow, I wouldn't do a Hawaiian cruise. I thought the price was really high for what you get. I'd rather do a panama canal or something similar for price/length.

We've been to Hawaii and Aulani twice in the past two years and both trips were incredible, but you need a car and time to see Hawaii. In Oahu, we went to every corner of that island and each part is so different and incredible.

Next trip to Hawaii we plan to hit up the big island, with a quick stopover at Aulani at the end because we can never not go for just a little bit. It's paradise.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I actually love sea days, especially on Disney where I love the ships, so that wouldn't be a problem. I do wish it spent more time in actual Hawaii. It is starting to seem like we should be doing a land trip to Hawaii instead of a cruise.


That must be such a long flight! I just hate getting on planes, when I'm older and retire I plan to see the world by cruise lol. We picked the 9 night to fit dates, the 10 night wouldn't have been feasible, but we could definitely make this trip work for a vacation. Also the room wasn't that expensive, I've paid more in the Caribbean so that isn't the problem.


I wish we had more time to take on vacation, I would have booked both legs of the cruise lol. We also don't have time to have a layover stop on the way back somewhere, I think that would have made the trip not feel as long. I'm considering scrapping the cruise and doing a land trip there instead. We'd also be able to spend some time in LA and could stop by Disneyland. Hmm.

Land trip to Hawaii does make sense. I would suggest you spend some time seriously planning that though, before you cancel this trip.

I can tell you what is going to happen. You're gonna start looking at Oahu, find a week (or more) worth of things you want to do, then you'll look at Kauai, the Garden Isle, where they shot Jurassic park, and want to spend at least a week there. But then there is the Big Island, of Hawaii, with the actual live Volcanoes, and many other interesting sites, and two different sides of the island, each worth visiting. Then there is Maui, which may be my favorite, with its beaches and its Mountain Craters and such a nice mix modern and ancient things. You probably want to spend a week there also.

Oh wait. That is four weeks. Too bad you don't have a chance to sample them all first and see which one or ones appeal most to you...


As for the flights between islands, Maybe there aren't all 20 seat turbo props, but they aren't huge jets either, and with the distances involved, you are really only in the air for a few minutes so if short "hops" bother you, that is an issue you need to come to terms with. These are hops. And yet, the process of moving island to island does take most of a day, checking out, going to the airport, going through security, the short flight, getting your bags, probably getting ANOTHER rental car (we got them on most islands) checking in to the new hotel. If you want to see all of the main islands, you have to resolve yourself to a lot of travel time. We did all four islands in 2 weeks. It was doable, but busy.

Now, on the other hand, if you look online at the four main islands and say, "No contest, I want to spend 10 days/2 weeks on XYZ Island," then no problem, book a land vacation on that island an have a great time. Of course, you'll still want to come back some other time and see the other three, but it will be a great vacation.

And hey, these are good problems to have!

 

[FSU Girl]

Land trip to Hawaii does make sense. I would suggest you spend some time seriously planning that though, before you cancel this trip.

I can tell you what is going to happen. You're gonna start looking at Oahu, find a week (or more) worth of things you want to do, then you'll look at Kauai, the Garden Isle, where they shot Jurassic park, and want to spend at least a week there. But then there is the Big Island, of Hawaii, with the actual live Volcanoes, and many other interesting sites, and two different sides of the island, each worth visiting. Then there is Maui, which may be my favorite, with its beaches and its Mountain Craters and such a nice mix modern and ancient things. You probably want to spend a week there also.

Oh wait. That is four weeks. Too bad you don't have a chance to sample them all first and see which one or ones appeal most to you...


As for the flights between islands, Maybe there aren't all 20 seat turbo props, but they aren't huge jets either, and with the distances involved, you are really only in the air for a few minutes so if short "hops" bother you, that is an issue you need to come to terms with. These are hops. And yet, the process of moving island to island does take most of a day, checking out, going to the airport, going through security, the short flight, getting your bags, probably getting ANOTHER rental car (we got them on most islands) checking in to the new hotel. If you wan to see all of the main islands, you have to resolve yourself to a lot of travel time. We did all four islands in 2 weeks. It was doable, but busy.

Now, on the other hand, if you look online at the four main islands and say, "No contest, I want to spend 10 days/2 weeks on XYZ Island," then no problem, book a land vacation on that island an have a great time. Of course, you'll still want to come back some other time and see the other three, but it will be a great vacation.

And hey, these are good problems to have!

You make really good points. I'm not sure where I would want to spend the most time. I'm thinking maybe doing the Norwegian cruise to get to all the islands and picking one to spend a week at afterwards. I refuse to get on a teeny tiny plane. They scare the living daylights out of me and it just won't happen unless the world is ending and its the only way to survive lol. Do they have boats that go between islands? Like a ferry? I'd love to stay at Alunai and I definitely want to see where all the movies were made.

 

[dtrain]

Keep the Hawaii cruise, you will regret cancelling it.

 

[FSU Girl]

Keep the Hawaii cruise, you will regret cancelling it.

Why do you think I'll regret cancelling it?

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Definitely Hawaii land only vacation. I have been blessed to vacation in Hawaii a few times, one trip for 16 days. I do not think you can really experience Hawaii on a cruise itinerary but that is just my opinion.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

I'd highly recommend doing a land trip to Hawaii. As others have noted, we flew between the islands via Hawaiian Airlines, and it was a normal-sized commercial plane. I want to say our flight from Kona to Honolulu was on a Boeing 717, which is the same plane I routinely fly in on Delta routes between my hometown and Minneapolis. (Aviation experts, feel free to correct me if this sounds wrong!)

It's nice to spend more than just a day here and then a day there in Hawaii - spending time being immersed in the culture is what makes a Hawaii trip special!

The flights to get to Hawaii are killer, I will say. I know some Disney fans break it up by stopping in Disneyland for a couple days on the way there or on the way back. On the other hand, I believe Delta has a nonstop route from MCO to Honolulu. Not changing planes is also nice!

Another bonus to visiting Hawaii is that you can stay at Aulani! We stayed several nights there last fall as part of a multi-island trip, and we absolutely LOVED it. The attention to detail and quality of service are certainly up to DCL's standards, which we appreciated.

 

[tink1970]

I'll be the opposite voice. I think a cruise is a great way to get a taste of HI without committing to one island. Personally, I wish I would have done that instead of spending all week in one place in HI (and I didn't like it, at all). Of course, I really enjoy cruising and sea days so I looked at the HI itinerary and would have done it in a heartbeat if I didn't think it would interfere with DD's school. That way, DH could enjoy HI and I could enjoy the ship.

So you'd get a sense of the flavor of the different islands (possibly for future return land trips), several sea days which are always awesome AND if you realize HI isn't for you then you still have a great DCL cruise.

 

[FSU Girl]

I'd highly recommend doing a land trip to Hawaii. As others have noted, we flew between the islands via Hawaiian Airlines, and it was a normal-sized commercial plane. I want to say our flight from Kona to Honolulu was on a Boeing 717, which is the same plane I routinely fly in on Delta routes between my hometown and Minneapolis. (Aviation experts, feel free to correct me if this sounds wrong!)

I could handle a normal sized plane, I'll have to look into that.

The flights to get to Hawaii are killer, I will say. I know some Disney fans break it up by stopping in Disneyland for a couple days on the way there or on the way back. On the other hand, I believe Delta has a nonstop route from MCO to Honolulu. Not changing planes is also nice!

I'm about three hours from Orlando, but if it's the only option for a direct flight I think it would be worth the extra effort getting there. I try to minimize the amount of planes I have to get on for a trip. If we do the cruise we wouldn't have time for a stop over at Disneyland, the dates are too tight we'd have to come right home. Doing just a land trip would be a lot more flexible.

Another bonus to visiting Hawaii is that you can stay at Aulani! We stayed several nights there last fall as part of a multi-island trip, and we absolutely LOVED it. The attention to detail and quality of service are certainly up to DCL's standards, which we appreciated.

I really want to stay there. The plan was to book a night or two there after the cruise ends. With flights though we'd only be able to stay one night.

I'll be the opposite voice. I think a cruise is a great way to get a taste of HI without committing to one island. Personally, I wish I would have done that instead of spending all week in one place in HI (and I didn't like it, at all). Of course, I really enjoy cruising and sea days so I looked at the HI itinerary and would have done it in a heartbeat if I didn't think it would interfere with DD's school. That way, DH could enjoy HI and I could enjoy the ship.

So you'd get a sense of the flavor of the different islands (possibly for future return land trips), several sea days which are always awesome AND if you realize HI isn't for you then you still have a great DCL cruise.

Would you recommend doing the Pride of America cruise to do a week of seeing the islands paired with a week on land somewhere? Or just doing the Disney cruise?

 

[tink1970]

Would you recommend doing the Pride of America cruise to do a week of seeing the islands paired with a week on land somewhere? Or just doing the Disney cruise

That's tough since I haven't done either. If I had limited time, I might fly to the So Cal area, spend a couple of nights there (possibly DL?) then fly to HI and do the Pride of America. Jet lag coming from the East Coast can be hard going to HI! That way, too, you could get a little Disney, a little HI and break up the flights. DL is different from WDW in a cute and good way (I actually prefer DL!).

Totally but my DD was accepted to FSU last week

 

[FSU Girl]

That's tough since I haven't done either. If I had limited time, I might fly to the So Cal area, spend a couple of nights there (possibly DL?) then fly to HI and do the Pride of America. Jet lag coming from the East Coast can be hard going to HI! That way, too, you could get a little Disney, a little HI and break up the flights. DL is different from WDW in a cute and good way (I actually prefer DL!).

Totally but my DD was accepted to FSU last week

I didn't even think about jetlag, I've never gotten it going from Florida to California, but it is a bigger time difference in Hawaii. Congrats to your DD how exciting! It's a great school.

 

[tink1970]

I didn't even think about jetlag, I've never gotten it going from Florida to California, but it is a bigger time difference in Hawaii. Congrats to your DD how exciting! It's a great school.

It might not affect you but I know when I was there my circadians took a few days to adjust.
Thanks-we're happy although our threats to move to Tallahassee don't seem to excite her