Beachiekeen

Wow, amazing video! Thanks for sharing! 

What beautiful pictures of Cabo, stunning! Enjoying and can’t wait for the rest! 

9 hours ago, willdra said:

Cousins that Disneyland Day took way longer for me to proofread and edit than I planned! I also took a bajillion pics that had to be organized and sorted. 

 

I will be back Wednesday to continue this saga. 😘😘

 

 

I think it’s safe to say we’re here for the duration. 😀 Can’t wait!

On 1/26/2024 at 4:15 PM, willdra said:

W and I  cruised in Oct and I did write a review, however, it is still sleeping peacefully in my notebook. I will wake it up and post it though, if y’all don’t mind reading about my rock bottom autumn era. 🤪🤪🤪

I have been checking CC for two months! Bring it on!! 😀
 

Also, when is the next one?

Wow I loved the review and so happy to “see” you guys again, I feel like the last time I read one of your reviews, Sakari was in elementary school and still had her mermaid tail so it was shocking to see her! She is growing into a real beauty, You and the hubby look great too, you haven’t aged a bit! 😀

I checked out your website and I found it hard to navigate but this could be  100% user error!  (ETA: ok I went back again to the Ships page and figured it out so yay, lots more to read now! 😀)
 

Alaska is a dream come true and a place any cruiser should see!

Thank you so much for the great review and beautiful pictures and vids. Cant wait to see where you head next!

ETA: add me to the list of people who will never step over a hose at the gas station again!  

I *might* have been refreshing CC for the last week waiting for this!  🙂  Can't wait for the rest!

P.S. We have been looking at 55+ communities here at home but have now decided to move to Daytona Beach.  😄

We stayed 3 nights on Oahu before the cruise. It’s easy to plan your own pre-cruise stay where you have the freedom to spend the time however you choose.

We rented cars on Maui and Kauai. On Maui we did a beach day and drove up Haleakala; on Kauai we drove to Waimea Canyon and did a helicopter tour; we did paid tours on the Big Island. 

Wow what an adventure! I’m not sure I would be brave enough but I loved reading about it! 

We stayed at Royal Hawaiian pre-cruise. We loved it. We considered all the ones mentioned here also (except HHV). All great choices.

4 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

It's amazing how many people choose to wear a mask right out on the pool deck... Their choice, but I certainly wouldn't...

You never know what medical issues someone else might have, just sayin’…

From my favorite site to get cabin advice, decks 8, 9 and 10 are all good.

I can’t believe I missed the live! I don’t know when we will cruise again but when we do, it may just be on Virgin. It looks incredible!
 

if you’re still sailing in November, see you on your Mardi Gras live report!

8 hours ago, Gracelyn said:

Thank you. I have picked Port side. Still 9 months to go lol

I’m so jealous! The POA was our last cruise in November 2019 before Covid. Are you going in March? If so be sure to book a whale watch on Maui. Have a wonderful time!! 🙂 

You want the port side for viewing the Napali coast. Yes the ship turns but by then the lighting and colors are not as optimal. Once the ship turned, we then had a beautiful sunset on the port side which was truly the best of both worlds.

As far as docking, I thought all our views from the port side were great although it hardly mattered since we were off the ship as soon as possible.

We had it on our 2019 POA cruise and yes alcohol is included.  Honestly, if you're on the fence about the bev package, I wouldn't get it.  We are pretty big cruise drinkers and we were off the ship so much/so busy, we definitely did not get our money's worth and ended up using it mostly for bottled water to take on excursions.

The Macadamia nut ice cream I had at Cagney's on the POA is something I still dream about 2 years later.

5 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

Tune in right here in August, and you'll be along for the ride first hand... Live Review will be incoming...

Woo hoo! I’ll be here! Can’t wait, so excited for you!

We did the cruise in November 2019 for our 10-year wedding anniversary.  Little did we know what would happen just a few months later.  It was fabulous and we have so many wonderful memories.  Our goal was to be off the ship as much as possible -- we  love cruising but we love Hawaii more and this cruise should be about Hawaii and nothing else. 

There are several discount car rental services but we used Avis since my FIL was Avis preferred and didn't really see much difference in prices when we compared.  Skipping the line was great.

Try and spend as many days before the cruise on Oahu as you can.  You can see Pearl Harbor and get acclimated to the time change.

Here is my trip report if you would like to read it.  Keep in mind though that Hawaii is different now and may be different still by September, but hopefully for the better. Enjoy, I envy you already!  🙂  

If you can find a FB page for your specific cruise, those can be a lot of fun.

I would not do a day trip to Lanai on the cruise. There is so much to do and see on Maui, the ferry to Lanai is not the best use of your time.

54 minutes ago, Cindy said:

 

Me too!

If Hawaii is “open” but there’s no cruise, we may try to go anyway and at least get to Maui and Kauai. Any recommendations of places to stay if it comes to that?


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Sure! But a lot would depend if you wanted condo or hotel and your budget. On Kauai I would say the Grand Hyatt if budget allows. Kauai also has condos and cottages. On both islands, you need to make sure there is AC if you stay somewhere other than a hotel, but this is especially true on Kauai.
 

Maui has luxury hotels like the Montage and Four Seasons, mid-range chains like the Hyatt right on Kaanapali beach, older Hawaiiana hotels like the Kaanapali Beach Hotel and the Royal Lahaina (which is in one of my favorite locations), large condo resorts like the Westin Nanea, and then smaller condo complexes, many of which are oceanfront or beachfront.  Lots of great choices!

7 hours ago, Cindy said:

 

We rescheduled our cruise for October 31, so our cruise will be the first week of November. I hope our weather is as good as yours was!


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I hope you make it and have a wonderful time! We will be on Maui that week also, hopefully. I could sure use some Hawaii right now! 🙂

We visit Maui almost every November (fingers crossed we make it this year!).  Our wedding anniversary is the first week in November and we love that time of year, it's a great time to go.  But the winter months bring whales which is also wonderful.  I've been in January once and had a great time.

I don't cruise June - September and probably wouldn't go to Hawaii in February or March but that is due more to crowds than weather.  It can rain anytime -- or not, just like anywhere else.  There is never a bad time to visit Hawaii!  🙂

Will always rank as one of the best vacations ever!

10 minutes ago, Cindy said:

Thanks, but I’m not holding out much hope.😢 I would rather they cancel than go and not be able to dock anywhere!

 

This will be our third NCL cancellation, and the only one that’s out of their control. Think someone’s trying to tell us something?😂

Well if it's any consolation, I was looking forward to your cruise as much as you! 🙂  J/K of course, but I feel for you.  

Yes, the chance for disruption would be a big concern.  But it's a wonderful cruise to a wonderful place so if you get the chance to rebook, I would.

23 minutes ago, Cindy said:

I’m supposed to take my first NCL cruise next month, but I’ve cruised many times on other lines, so I’ve been following this situation pretty closely. This is the Princess compensation plan for their cancelled cruises:

 

I cannot believe this was done with just one day's notice.  For our POA cruise in November, we arrived to Oahu on Wednesday.  I can only imagine the chaos this is going to cause.  Wow.

Cindy, my fingers are crossed for you!