volvo geek

Hello,

Next summer we will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary.  We got married in Maui, and now we have 2 kids, (5 and 6 years old).  We want to go back this time with the kids and perhaps renew our vows.  We are experienced Hawaii travelers, 5 trips but never with kids.  Right now I am thinking of staying 1 week in the circle hotel in Waikiki, a then a week of cruising.  Thoughts on Waikiki with kids?  Have not been in 3 years, and it was a bit seedy at times.  I like that the hotel does not have a pool, and we have the protected "walls" beach across the street.  Plus it's cheap!

I have booked my recent cruises through cc.cruises.united.com and got huge mileage bonuses!  Now Hawaiian Airlines fly's direct from Boston I was going to get their credit card, but their cruise site is only offering 3,000 mile bonus for a 7 day cruise.  I could get 35,000 miles through united, but wanted to get rid of the card.  Looking for booking advice?  Every place has the same price, but many offer different Perks.  Have always booked a balcony, but there are very few the can hold 4 people on POA, and spots are running out.

I was going to book a direct flight on Hawaiian Boston to HNL.  Then use my United miles to fly home red eye HNL to Newark, to Boston for "free".

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Aloha.

We love Moderno's!!! This poll is biased, no option to keep the restaurant!

Depending on how long ago you booked, you may be moved up a level even though your technically "short"... For example, I cruised on the Escape a couple of months ago (booked last year, prior to the changes) When I returned home I logged in to find myself Platinum with only 77 points...

Interesting! I have not heard this before. When I booked my upcoming cruise it would have put us at gold, and I was disappointed a few weeks later when they changes the program, and we would still be short 7 points. Now I'm hopeful we will be gold after we cruise!

The cabin thermostat will shut off when you take your key card out and leave. Any card with a magnetic strip will keep the thermostat and power outlets on. We bring our old key cards from previous cruises with us to keep the room cool, and electronics charged.

Has anyone done the Hawaiian cruise tour? Do you earn Latitudes points for the land days as well?

Thanks in advance for any input on this cruisetour!

I believe that everyone has the same price. They are not allowed to undercut the price. However, different cruise agents can offer additional perks or on board credits. If there is more than 3 in a cabin, you can get a better deal by booking during school season. That's when they usually run 3rd and 4th passengers sail free. That always saves me huge money!

Sadly, I remember seeing a stroller parked next to a slot machine while the parent blankly gambled the night away.

Just ask the bartender not to open it as you would like to carry it back to your room to enjoy there. It's not a big deal... just ask.

 

DW and I do this all the time. We call it "squirreling".

LOL!

Ok I wasn't sure, thanks!

We have a 9 day cruise booked for Nov. with the UBP.

I blew the budget on this cruise by booking a suite and I'm trying not to rack up a huge bar bill this time. Now our children go to bed a 8:00, so we used to grab a bucket of beer and sit on the balcony for a while. Buckets, I believe are not covered under UBP. So I was thinking of grabbing beers throughout the day and putting them in the mini fridge.

Do the bartenders have to open them? Otherwise I was thinking of bringing some corks.

I checked his website. No info on upcoming dates, but he has contact info up. So, someone could send him a email.

http://www.lesgetrex.com/contact.html

Although tempting to book another cruise for 18', I'd rather apply it to the Hawaii cruise in 19'.

I wish there was incentive to book early, but clearly there is not. The 2019 cruise prices are more expensive and have less perks.

Should I book through NCL or on the ship, and then call them every time the price drops/perks are added?

He was on our last cruise Nov. 13 2016. We became quick fans of his music!

We had a open competition at work, and I ended up winning a prize of my choice. So...I picked a NCL gift card of course! 900 dollars!

We have a cruise booked already for November, but not entirely paid for. So I could use it for that, but was thinking I might be able to use it on board for cruise next vouchers or to book another cruise and ultimately double its value.

We WILL be taking a Hawaii cruise in 2019 (currently unbooked) on the Pride of America and was thinking of a suite. We were not planning to cruise in 2018, but now could swayed into doing a cruise.

What would be the best way of using this gift card? Thanks in advance!

On the day of disembarkation i believe you will pass the statue of liberty around 530am, I preferred seeing it lit up under the dark sky!

I called my United Cruises in January. That morning the first person told me (after checking with NCL) I couldn't use two cruise next certs, I called back that afternoon and spoke to another agent, and it was no problem. Same ship, same room.

We parked on the pier twice for convenience, we had two kids in strollers. Very easy to park, take the elevator down stairs and you are there. I think it was 280$ for a 7 day cruise, so you are paying more for the convenience.

Add me to the disappointed list. My upcoming cruise will generate 27 points, that would have put me a gold status. One of the few reasons we choose a suite.

Now when we do our Hawaii cruise in 2019, we'll still be silver status :mad:

So...What is the "butler" supposed to do for you? I never expected to have a butler experience, LOL.

Check out "Dawn - Live 11/27" by TheDougOut on the NCL board (I don't know how to link it through the the app) for some great photos of the SD, including some with the privacy wall around the bed extended.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Found it. Wow that's a lot of info in there!

Category MA is a midship mini-suite, I think you got the code wrong - or are in for a nasty surprise.

Good fact checking...Correction SD

We pulled the trigger, but opted for MA class family suite with large balcony. Hopefully its location near stairs/elevator on deck 12 (pool deck) will not be regrettable. Excited to see just how much bigger it will be than a breakaway balcony room!

It is a 9 day Cruise 9+ months out, so i think the penthouse would yield 27 latitude points. Which would put us to Gold tier for our next cruise.

Suite guests get priority boarding and tender, breakfast and lunch in a private dining room, butler and concierge service; pretty much all the perks of being in the Haven except the private courtyard. The upgrade to the penthouse would be worth it for the extra space and perks.

 

The forward balcony can be a bit windy when the ship is fully underway (the railing blocks a lot of the wind if you're sitting down), and unusable in rough weather, but it's a very nice place to sit and have coffee or a cocktail coming in and out of port. Your steward will close the metal sea door when turning down your room for the night, but it's no problem to open it if you want to go on the balcony. Unless you turn off all the lights in the cabin, you do have to keep the curtains closed and minimize the time you have the balcony door open at night or you'll get a call from the bridge.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Interesting...Is the use of balcony allowed at night, or is this a tolerated bending of the rules???

Our kids go to bed early, so we typically will hang out on the balcony until we feel like going to bed. It has always been a side balcony.

Hello,

Looking to get peoples take on Mini suite (MA) vs Penhouse w/large balcony (SE).

Promotion right now for mini suite is 130 OBC with one perk and kids sail free. Penthouse would be 300 OBC and all 4 perks for a 9 day cruise.

Sailing with 2 kids, the extra room would be nice, unsure how bad the head wind would be with the forward facing penthouse.

Trying to justify the extra cost of penthouse to myself.

Is booking the penthouse suite on the dawn similar to booking the Haven on the breakaway (without the segregated areas). Do they still get priority boarding/disembarkation, tendering??

We did this back in November. Boat ride was a little hairy getting there. The lagoon was very shallow, especially the farther from the pier you got. The was great for my 3 and 4 year old kids. Be prepared water activities and umbrellas are extra money.

It was worth it for us, a highlight for our cruise.