Hawaii 2010

I'm working on the grandchild trip for 2010. This child is a very
mature boy who will be 13 in November 2010 and at that time he will be
in 7th grade. He's the oldest child in this family. He is very
concerned about missing school although I think he could quite safely
do so since he is a meticulous student. But I don't want to worry him
as I don't think he would enjoy the trip if he was worried about
missing school.

The options that I gave him to start with were Alaska or Hawaii (I'm
taking his cousin to Scandinavia this summer and I think the trip I
would love to do in Med in the summer will be too hot for me even
though he's from TX so I'm sure he would be OK with it). I've been
to the Caribbean a bunch of times and don't think he would care for
that particularly.

He would like to see volcanoes, so he thinks he would be interested in
Hawaii.

It looks like there's no ship in Hawaii in the summer except Pride of
America. Is this correct?

I like NCL, but I've never been on an NCL America ship.

My sister did a trip to Hawaii this past spring and she did the
islands on her own, but she was using mileage and that kind of thing.
They stayed in hotels and flew from island to island and rented a car
etc. I don't think I would want to do that, but I worry that we won't
really get the full experience on a ship's excursion. How good are
the excursions to volcanoes from a cruise ship in Hawaii? Which ones
would be best for us? Is there a better way to do it?

"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...

I'm working on the grandchild trip for 2010. This child is a very
mature boy who will be 13 in November 2010 and at that time he will be
in 7th grade. He's the oldest child in this family. He is very
concerned about missing school although I think he could quite safely
do so since he is a meticulous student. But I don't want to worry him
as I don't think he would enjoy the trip if he was worried about
missing school.

The options that I gave him to start with were Alaska or Hawaii (I'm
taking his cousin to Scandinavia this summer and I think the trip I
would love to do in Med in the summer will be too hot for me even
though he's from TX so I'm sure he would be OK with it). I've been
to the Caribbean a bunch of times and don't think he would care for
that particularly.

He would like to see volcanoes, so he thinks he would be interested in
Hawaii.

It looks like there's no ship in Hawaii in the summer except Pride of
America. Is this correct?

I like NCL, but I've never been on an NCL America ship.

My sister did a trip to Hawaii this past spring and she did the
islands on her own, but she was using mileage and that kind of thing.
They stayed in hotels and flew from island to island and rented a car
etc. I don't think I would want to do that, but I worry that we won't
really get the full experience on a ship's excursion. How good are
the excursions to volcanoes from a cruise ship in Hawaii? Which ones
would be best for us? Is there a better way to do it?


My trips were long ago, two on American Hawaii and one on Princess as part
of a 28 day cruise, but I had plenty of time for all the excursions I
wanted. Twice we rented cars and picked up a different car at each port as
part of a weekly rental fee. If you like volcanoes, drive to them and hike
and also do the helicopter fly over on the island of Hawaii. Your cruise
might stop at both Kona and Hilo on consecutive days. I also recommend the
helicopter on Kauai. Don't bother with Waikiki or Honolulu, but you might
enjoy the north shore. Do see Pearl Harbor and the Missouri.

Harry Cooper

On Sat, 14 Feb 2009 12:50:34 -0500, Rosalie B.
wrote:


I'm working on the grandchild trip for 2010. This child is a very
mature boy who will be 13 in November 2010 and at that time he will be
in 7th grade. He's the oldest child in this family. He is very
concerned about missing school although I think he could quite safely
do so since he is a meticulous student. But I don't want to worry him
as I don't think he would enjoy the trip if he was worried about
missing school.

The options that I gave him to start with were Alaska or Hawaii (I'm
taking his cousin to Scandinavia this summer and I think the trip I
would love to do in Med in the summer will be too hot for me even
though he's from TX so I'm sure he would be OK with it). I've been
to the Caribbean a bunch of times and don't think he would care for
that particularly.

He would like to see volcanoes, so he thinks he would be interested in
Hawaii.

Yes. There are also some places on the mainland he might want to
visit, Yellowstone being the major one, with a few others along the
west coast.

It looks like there's no ship in Hawaii in the summer except Pride of
America. Is this correct?

Wasn't someone going to move a small cruise ship to Hawaii? I vaguely
recall that those plans had been canceled, but they might be
re-instated before 2010. And who knows what other changes the cruise
lines might make in the next year and a half.

I like NCL, but I've never been on an NCL America ship.

I've been on two NCL ships, the Sun and the old Pride of Hawaii. I
found them fairly similar, except for the obvious differences caused
by the different facilities on the two ships. The Pride of America is
likely to be the least formal large-ship cruise you've been on.

My sister did a trip to Hawaii this past spring and she did the
islands on her own, but she was using mileage and that kind of thing.
They stayed in hotels and flew from island to island and rented a car
etc. I don't think I would want to do that, but I worry that we won't
really get the full experience on a ship's excursion. How good are
the excursions to volcanoes from a cruise ship in Hawaii? Which ones
would be best for us? Is there a better way to do it?

There weren't any fabulous excursions from the Pride of Hawaii last
year.

The Big Island is where you want to be for active volcanoes, and
unfortunately the PoA doesn't overnight there. I would spend a few
days there with a car, before or after the cruise. My personal
preference is for the Hilo (rainy) side, but there are many people who
like the more touristy Kona side. Both are worth visiting, and
there's a guy at the Kona flea market who sells great nature photos.
The flea market is near the library, which has public restrooms, by
the way.


There are lava tubes on the other islands.

Other things to consider:

A trip to the telescope observatory on Mauna Kea. Not very touristy
according to the web pages, but might be interesting.

A dawn trip to Haleakala (Maui - you'll probably have an overnight
there on the cruise).

Jack Hamilton wrote:

On Sat, 14 Feb 2009 12:50:34 -0500, Rosalie B.
wrote:


I'm working on the grandchild trip for 2010. This child is a very
mature boy who will be 13 in November 2010 and at that time he will be
in 7th grade. He's the oldest child in this family. He is very
concerned about missing school although I think he could quite safely
do so since he is a meticulous student. But I don't want to worry him
as I don't think he would enjoy the trip if he was worried about
missing school.

The options that I gave him to start with were Alaska or Hawaii (I'm
taking his cousin to Scandinavia this summer and I think the trip I
would love to do in Med in the summer will be too hot for me even
though he's from TX so I'm sure he would be OK with it). I've been
to the Caribbean a bunch of times and don't think he would care for
that particularly.

He would like to see volcanoes, so he thinks he would be interested in
Hawaii.

Yes. There are also some places on the mainland he might want to
visit, Yellowstone being the major one, with a few others along the
west coast.

He lives in TX so I think he may be able to get there with his
parents. His cousins went this last summer. I prefer to have my trip
with them be something out of the ordinary that their parents wouldn't
do, and preferably to a different country. I have also thought about
Iceland, but either the cruises are repositioning type cruises during
the school year (like Sept 6th) or else on something like SilverSea
which didn't seem like a cruise that most children would enjoy.
Although this one might - his mother says he is an 80 year old man in
an 11 year old body. He is verbal and travels well.

It looks like there's no ship in Hawaii in the summer except Pride of
America. Is this correct?

Wasn't someone going to move a small cruise ship to Hawaii? I vaguely
recall that those plans had been canceled, but they might be
re-instated before 2010. And who knows what other changes the cruise
lines might make in the next year and a half.

I like NCL, but I've never been on an NCL America ship.

I've been on two NCL ships, the Sun and the old Pride of Hawaii. I
found them fairly similar, except for the obvious differences caused
by the different facilities on the two ships. The Pride of America is
likely to be the least formal large-ship cruise you've been on.

I was on the Jade (former Pride of Hawaii) this past spring. I was
only concerned about the crew service aspect.

My sister did a trip to Hawaii this past spring and she did the
islands on her own, but she was using mileage and that kind of thing.
They stayed in hotels and flew from island to island and rented a car
etc. I don't think I would want to do that, but I worry that we won't
really get the full experience on a ship's excursion. How good are
the excursions to volcanoes from a cruise ship in Hawaii? Which ones
would be best for us? Is there a better way to do it?

There weren't any fabulous excursions from the Pride of Hawaii last
year.

Some people on the Cruise Critic board were asking about the Volcanoes
Nat'l Park Nature Deluxe Tour

The Big Island is where you want to be for active volcanoes, and
unfortunately the PoA doesn't overnight there. I would spend a few
days there with a car, before or after the cruise. My personal
preference is for the Hilo (rainy) side, but there are many people who
like the more touristy Kona side. Both are worth visiting, and
there's a guy at the Kona flea market who sells great nature photos.
The flea market is near the library, which has public restrooms, by
the way.


There are lava tubes on the other islands.

Other things to consider:

A trip to the telescope observatory on Mauna Kea. Not very touristy
according to the web pages, but might be interesting.

Sounds good.

A dawn trip to Haleakala (Maui - you'll probably have an overnight
there on the cruise).

Thank you - this is very helpful.

Rosalie B.

My wife Deborah and I did the 7-day NCL Hawaii cruise around the islands a
few years back, but at that time we were on the Pride of Aloha. While that
ship in no longer in the Hawaii market, the newer and bigger Pride of
America is, with basically the same itinerary and the same large
availability of shore excursions. Just for reference, other cruise lines
also offer Hawaii cruises, but since technically they are not American
cruise lines, as NCL America is, they need to start/end to/from a foreign
port, hence 4 or 5 extra days just at sea just getting to/from the islands,
making this cruise longer and more expensive. That was the major factor as
to why we chose NCL to begin with. To us, it was just Hawaii.

In addition, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I have included here
some of our online photo albums from our Hawaii cruise just for your
pleasure and awareness. Just ignore the fact that we were on the Pride of
Aloha, unless you really enjoy Hawaii decor.
(http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=353...=SYE/otsi=SALB)

Likewise, check out your itinerary, some of our ports of calls were 2-days
long, giving us plenty of time to do everything we wanted. In addition,
follow the included link to available NCL Hawaii Shore Excursions. While
things may change a bit in 2010 as compared to today, it certainly won't be
that much different. In addition, even if you want to do things on your own,
just this NCL guide alone will at least give you some ideas.
(http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/shorex.htm...nerarySearc h)

To bottom line is, at least to us, there is no better way to see most of
Hawaii that on a cruise, and without all the hassle, flights from island to
island, hotels, packing and unpacking, etc.

Happy sailing...
John Sisker - SHIP-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY®
(714) 536-3850 or toll-free at (800) 724-6644 & (Agency ID: 714.536.3850)
www.shiptoshorecruise.com






"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...

I'm working on the grandchild trip for 2010. This child is a very
mature boy who will be 13 in November 2010 and at that time he will be
in 7th grade. He's the oldest child in this family. He is very
concerned about missing school although I think he could quite safely
do so since he is a meticulous student. But I don't want to worry him
as I don't think he would enjoy the trip if he was worried about
missing school.

The options that I gave him to start with were Alaska or Hawaii (I'm
taking his cousin to Scandinavia this summer and I think the trip I
would love to do in Med in the summer will be too hot for me even
though he's from TX so I'm sure he would be OK with it). I've been
to the Caribbean a bunch of times and don't think he would care for
that particularly.

He would like to see volcanoes, so he thinks he would be interested in
Hawaii.

It looks like there's no ship in Hawaii in the summer except Pride of
America. Is this correct?

I like NCL, but I've never been on an NCL America ship.

My sister did a trip to Hawaii this past spring and she did the
islands on her own, but she was using mileage and that kind of thing.
They stayed in hotels and flew from island to island and rented a car
etc. I don't think I would want to do that, but I worry that we won't
really get the full experience on a ship's excursion. How good are
the excursions to volcanoes from a cruise ship in Hawaii? Which ones
would be best for us? Is there a better way to do it?

On Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:06:08 -0500, Rosalie B.
wrote:

The options that I gave him to start with were Alaska or Hawaii (I'm
taking his cousin to Scandinavia this summer and I think the trip I
would love to do in Med in the summer will be too hot for me even
though he's from TX so I'm sure he would be OK with it). I've been
to the Caribbean a bunch of times and don't think he would care for
that particularly.

He would like to see volcanoes, so he thinks he would be interested in
Hawaii.

Yes. There are also some places on the mainland he might want to
visit, Yellowstone being the major one, with a few others along the
west coast.

He lives in TX so I think he may be able to get there with his
parents. His cousins went this last summer. I prefer to have my trip
with them be something out of the ordinary that their parents wouldn't
do, and preferably to a different country. I have also thought about
Iceland, but either the cruises are repositioning type cruises during
the school year (like Sept 6th)

Have you looked at the Fred Olsen cruises? They have summer cruises
to Iceland in 2009 - perhaps they will be repeated in 2010. I find
their site highly unusable, but it doesn't look like the 2010 schedule
is out yet.
http://www.fredolsencruises.com/plan...and-greenland/

or else on something like SilverSea
which didn't seem like a cruise that most children would enjoy.
Although this one might - his mother says he is an 80 year old man in
an 11 year old body. He is verbal and travels well.

I haven't been to Iceland, but I discovered last week that the guy who
cuts my hair had lived there for a year and a half. He didn't care
much for it, said it was gray and windy and gloomy all the time.
Nevertheless, I'd like to visit - but I don't think a ship would be
the ideal way, because you would want to get into some of the inland
areas.

W. H. Auden's book on visiting Iceland is very funny, by the way. Also
informative.

It looks like there's no ship in Hawaii in the summer except Pride of
America. Is this correct?

Wasn't someone going to move a small cruise ship to Hawaii? I vaguely
recall that those plans had been canceled, but they might be
re-instated before 2010. And who knows what other changes the cruise
lines might make in the next year and a half.

I like NCL, but I've never been on an NCL America ship.

I've been on two NCL ships, the Sun and the old Pride of Hawaii. I
found them fairly similar, except for the obvious differences caused
by the different facilities on the two ships. The Pride of America is
likely to be the least formal large-ship cruise you've been on.

I was on the Jade (former Pride of Hawaii) this past spring. I was
only concerned about the crew service aspect.

There was never anything that didn't get done when it should. But if
you're used to obsequious service, you won't like the PoA, where
(extrapolating from the PoH) you're more likely to be treated as an
equal than as a superior.

My sister did a trip to Hawaii this past spring and she did the
islands on her own, but she was using mileage and that kind of thing.
They stayed in hotels and flew from island to island and rented a car
etc. I don't think I would want to do that, but I worry that we won't
really get the full experience on a ship's excursion. How good are
the excursions to volcanoes from a cruise ship in Hawaii? Which ones
would be best for us? Is there a better way to do it?

There weren't any fabulous excursions from the Pride of Hawaii last
year.

Some people on the Cruise Critic board were asking about the Volcanoes
Nat'l Park Nature Deluxe Tour

It does sound interesting. I haven't taken that tour, but the NCL
(and Roberts Hawaii) tour drivers were all good. On the other
islands, you might want to consider Roberts (www.gorabbitgo.com) -
they're usually less expensive and less crowded than the ship tours,
but they don't offer that extended Nature tour from Hilo.

On Sat, 14 Feb 2009 13:20:53 -0800, "John Sisker"
wrote:

other cruise lines
also offer Hawaii cruises, but since technically they are not American
cruise lines, as NCL America is, they need to start/end to/from a foreign
port,

Hi Everyone,

The above is inaccurate. There are many main-stream cruise lines that
sail from the US West coast. They do not star or end in a foreign
port. They do make a port and/or a service call in a foreign port but
do NOT have to start or end in a foreign port unless San Diego or San
Pedro are considered "foreign". :+)

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com
--

On the strictly technical side, Ray is indeed correct. From the West Coast,
they do not have to physically start/end in a so-called foreign port, as
long as a foreign port is between San Diego or San Pedro, and Hawaii - in
this case, Ensenada. After all, who would want to leave their car parked in
Ensenada for two weeks? In reality, Ensenada is only considered a service
call, in order to meet this foreign port requirement. Yet, this doesn't
change the bottom line of an extra 4 or 5 days at sea just to get to/from
Hawaii, and now, a bit out of the way as well.

Happy sailing...
John Sisker - SHIP-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY®
(714) 536-3850 or toll-free at (800) 724-6644 & (Agency ID: 714.536.3850)
www.shiptoshorecruise.com



There are many main-stream cruise lines that sail from the US West coast.
They do not start or end in a foreign port. They do make a port and/or a
service call in a foreign port but do NOT have to start or end in a foreign
port.

On Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:56:04 -0800, "John Sisker"
wrote:

Yet, this doesn't
change the bottom line of an extra 4 or 5 days at sea just to get to/from
Hawaii, and now, a bit out of the way as well.

Hi Everyone,

As a clarification, these cruises from Southern California are 14-15
days total.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com
--

Unless, of course, one ops for that required foreign port to be Vancouver,
Canada instead, then the total is a bit higher. Yet, the bottom line here is
still suppose to be about Hawaii itself, not how to get there, which in this
case and for this particular client, I would not even recommend anyway. So
this has all been a moot point.

Happy sailing...
John Sisker - SHIP-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY®
(714) 536-3850 or toll-free at (800) 724-6644 & (Agency ID: 714.536.3850)
www.shiptoshorecruise.com



These cruises from Southern California are 14-15 days total.