RCCL Hawaii

[bobbiwoz]

Thinking about the September 11, 2015, Vancouver to Honolulu. Has anyone here done this cruise?

 

[bobbiwoz]

We decided to book it. It's on Radiance of the sea! We hope to stay at Aulani afterwards!

 

[bumbershoot]

Sounds like an amazing vacation!

 

[KarenC]

We took this cruise last September on Rhapsody of the Seas. It was one of our best vacations. We spent a full day in Vancouver before the cruise and toured Stanley Park, visited the aqaurium and had a fabulous farm-to-table dinner at Rain City Grill.

Boarding was an adventure with 4-5 ships in port. Check the port schedule and if it's the case that there are several ships in port, get there as early as you can. Many fellow passengers spent 4 or more hours checking in and missed the muster drill! We got there early and were on the ship in no time.

The five days at sea were relaxing but did not drag on. There was plenty to do on the ship. We especially enjoyed the Polynesian entertainment. We didn't get to many of them but we heard good things about the talks that were given on board. There was a woman who spoke who watched the attack on Pearl Harbor from her home when she was a little girl.

We don't usually do the meet-and-mingle, cabin crawls or slot pulls but we did for this cruise. I think it's a good idea for cruises with lots of consecutive days at sea. We particularly enjoyed the Chefs Table dinner because we had already met several of the couples in attendance.

Hawaii was spectacular. I loved getting to see four different islands on my first visit. We booked shore excursions for every port. In Hilo, we hiked in Volcanoes National Park. We made reservations on our own for the Old Lahaina Luau and golf at Kapalua on Maui. We really enjoyed our waterfall/rainforest hike on Maui too. Honolulu was kind of jarring after 10 days of peaceful nature but Hula Pie and a cover band at Duke's was lots of fun.

There are so many places I still want to see but I'd take this trip again in a minute. No regrets.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We took this cruise last September on Rhapsody of the Seas. It was one of our best vacations. We spent a full day in Vancouver before the cruise and toured Stanley Park, visited the aqaurium and had a fabulous farm-to-table dinner at Rain City Grill.

Boarding was an adventure with 4-5 ships in port. Check the port schedule and if it's the case that there are several ships in port, get there as early as you can. Many fellow passengers spent 4 or more hours checking in and missed the muster drill! We got there early and were on the ship in no time.

The five days at sea were relaxing but did not drag on. There was plenty to do on the ship. We especially enjoyed the Polynesian entertainment. We didn't get to many of them but we heard good things about the talks that were given on board. There was a woman who spoke who watched the attack on Pearl Harbor from her home when she was a little girl.

We don't usually do the meet-and-mingle, cabin crawls or slot pulls but we did for this cruise. I think it's a good idea for cruises with lots of consecutive days at sea. We particularly enjoyed the Chefs Table dinner because we had already met several of the couples in attendance.

Hawaii was spectacular. I loved getting to see four different islands on my first visit. We booked shore excursions for every port. In Hilo, we hiked in Volcanoes National Park. We made reservations on our own for the Old Lahaina Luau and golf at Kapalua on Maui. We really enjoyed our waterfall/rainforest hike on Maui too. Honolulu was kind of jarring after 10 days of peaceful nature but Hula Pie and a cover band at Duke's was lots of fun.

There are so many places I still want to see but I'd take this trip again in a minute. No regrets.

Thank you! We have only done DCL cruises with so many days at sea, and we were hoping RCCL has activities to enjoy on sea days. We have done 10+ RCCL cruises, but even the European one was port intensive.

DH and I did an American Hawaii Cruise of Hawaii in 1992 with our teen aged sons, so we have done some of the things you mention, and we do plan to do an excursion in every port.

DSis & her honey are joining us!

I really appreciate your post, I am forwarding it to DSis!

Bobbi

 

[LadyLvsTramp]

We are booked for next Sept on Disney out of Vancouver I have waited years for this our 25th anniversary!

 

[woody73]

. . . we were hoping RCCL has activities to enjoy on sea days.

We've been on several RCI cruises with many sea days (multiple Transatlantics, and a 34-night cruise around Cape Horn).

RCI does a great job of activities on sea days. The Enhancement Lectures are a favorite of mine. My DW enjoys those as well as the crafts classes. There so many other activities: trivia, bridge lectures, mixology, fitness classes, dance lessons, movies, and more. The trouble is deciding when activities overlap.

One of my favorite lecturers on RCI is David Kirkpatrick, former Studio President of both Paramount Pictures and Disney. He was involved in the production of over 250 films, including: see video montage.

Don't miss him if he's onboard. He has incredible stories to share -- including when, as a child, he heard Walt Disney was ill, wrote him a get well letter and enclosed an 8mm film he and his brother made to lift his spirits, and how Walt's reply led to a career in movie production.

Woody

 

[bobbiwoz]

We are booked for next Sept on Disney out of Vancouver I have waited years for this our 25th anniversary!

Congratulations! Enjoy the Wonder, we love sailing onboard. We were on WBPC this year!

Our first Hawaiian cruise was for our 24th anniversary! Next June we will be celebrating 47 years!

 

[bobbiwoz]

We've been on several RCI cruises with many sea days (multiple Transatlantics, and a 34-night cruise around Cape Horn).

RCI does a great job of activities on sea days. The Enhancement Lectures are a favorite of mine. My DW enjoys those as well as the crafts classes. There so many other activities: trivia, bridge lectures, mixology, fitness classes, dance lessons, movies, and more. The trouble is deciding when activities overlap.

One of my favorite lecturers on RCI is David Kirkpatrick, former Studio President of both Paramount Pictures and Disney. He was involved in the production of over 250 films, including: see video montage.

Don't miss him if he's onboard. He has incredible stories to share -- including when, as a child, he heard Walt Disney was ill, wrote him a get well letter and enclosed an 8mm film he and his brother made to lift his spirits, and how Walt's reply led to a career in movie production.

Woody

We will look for David Kirkpatrick...I hope he's onboard! Thanks for the news.

 

[OKW Lover]

We decided to book it. It's on Radiance of the sea! We hope to stay at Aulani afterwards!

We wailed the Radiance on our 18-night "Trip of a Lifetime" from Sydney to Honolulu. Enjoyed the ship.

A stay at Aulani is a must when on Oahu. The resort is spectacular and you won't want to leave to explore the island - but you should!

 

[bobbiwoz]

We wailed the Radiance on our 18-night "Trip of a Lifetime" from Sydney to Honolulu. Enjoyed the ship.

A stay at Aulani is a must when on Oahu. The resort is spectacular and you won't won't to leave to explore the island - but you should!

Very nice to know! Thanks.

 

[cstan]

Congrats! We just booked a cruise for our 30th anniversary - but it isn't until April of 2016! A long wait! We'll have 2 nights (hopefully) at DL then 4 nights in Aulani, followed by the cruise around the islands then to Vancouver. Our first cruise ever was for our 25th Anniversary and we've had a cruise every year since. Between DVC and RCI, we need a lot more free time (and money). I can't wait to hear your cruise report -