93yearsyoung

On 8/24/2022 at 1:12 AM, Norwaylady said:

we are in Ali, mountain view  for 2 nights and the next booking says 1.night room… So that’s mean’s all locations. 

In the Hilton Hawaiian Village I might take the Ali'i (a-lee-e, it means "nobility" in Hawaiian) over the Rainbow tower. The Ali'i is a boutique hotel within the HHV. It has its own check-in, its own private pool, private workout room. We like it (as much as one can like the HHV complex).

I agree with Princeton, do check prices at the Royal Hawaiian if you do pricing for the Rainbow Oceanfront or even Ali'i Oceanfront.

2 hours ago, Monkeygirl2 said:

Wouldnt mind a whale watching tour but not sure Feb is a good month

February is one of the best months for whales. I'd book one of the Zodiac tours over a bigger boat.

Fly and spend at least 5 nights per island you want to see; 7 nights would be better.

6 hours ago, Lawingnutz said:

We will have rental vehicles but was planning to return them before going to Mama’s. That way we can straight to the ship from Mama’s.  Whatta you think??

When you order dessert, ask Mama's to call a cab for you. That should be a small ask for someone spending $300 on lunch.

9 hours ago, jonepone said:

Which excursions are you choosing for maui?

When are you cruising and at which port are you landing?

In season, a small boat whale tour would always be our choice.

The sunset dinner cruises are not noted for the quality of the food. It is worth doing once for the view and entertainment, but for the same money you can get a great meal at a top restaurant.

On 8/19/2022 at 1:08 PM, SilkySal said:

Four of us will be on Celebrity Solstice in September, 2023. The Outrigger on Waikiki beach looks incredible! Can you give me some more details if you have a moment please? TIA

The Outrigger Hotel on Waikiki Beach is very nice, but the tower is very close to the Surfrider Tower of the Moana Hotel. If we stayed at the OWB it would be in an oceanfront room.

On 8/16/2022 at 1:33 PM, Kelly68 said:

Thanks I was just hoping no to spend anymore money as all the excursions are costing a small fortune .

What excursions are you doing? A day pass could be as low as $20 each.

Salty Dog Grill & Slice (pool area Lido Deck) are two of our favorite easy meals or "snacks" as my DH calls slices of pizza.

You just have to Google. Or maybe search the Majestic here and look for them.

I can't speak at all rental car companies, but Avis did in January and there were taxis at the port as well, but not a lot.

7 minutes ago, adreyer said:

I'm looking for a hotel in Honolulu that possibly has these features:

Shuttle from airport

Shuttle to cruise port (NCL)

Close to Pearl Harbor - I guess I would Uber there. Are there any out there? 

No, there are no hotels like that. 

The only hotels with airport shuttles are the two at the airport and you do not want to stay there.

Just pick a hotel in Waikiki and stay there. There are flat rates cabs from the airport and use a cab or Uber to the ship. Tell the group your nightly budget in U.S. dollars and they will suggest hotels.

Every cruise we've been on in the last four years I've needed a wheelchair to get on board, mostly because of the ridiculous swithbacks to get onboard that are not really necessary.

The wheelchair assistants have been outside the check in area and stayed with me until we were on the ship.

3 hours ago, mkcurran said:

Is Westminster/ Garden grove still a good area?

If you want great Vietnamese food and dim sum.

42 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

Pearl Harbor, the Arizona Memorial, and USS Missouri are better done on your own anyway-- organized tours are not needed and frankly detract from the experience. You can easily Uber/Lyft from the pier to Pearl Harbor and back. 

 

You'll need to get Arizona tickets through that website and then purchase tickets to USS Missouri through their own website (https://ussmissouri.org)-- they are completely separately run. The Missouri does offer what they call a "Passport to Pearl Harbor" bundle ticket but this does not include a timed ticket to the USS Arizona Memorial (just the museum). 

 

Tickets are available online 2 months to the day in advance. A limited number of walk up tickets are available each day as well but not something to rely on. 

Tickets go on sale  2 months in advance, which means in your case, it is 9-12-2022 at 6PM, which is 12AM 9-13-2022, if I have my time zones right.

On 8/16/2022 at 8:37 AM, mkcurran said:

After 15 minutes on this site I found deceptive pricing and rooms not available after 30 seconds. 

The program only shows what hotels report to them, so if the program says "Long Beach Hilton $195" that is because that is what the Hilton as told them their lowest price is. You have to click to see what the actual price is, and who is sold out. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at Hilton for providing ParkSleepHotels.com bogus information.

Sonesta, Hilton, and Marriott all have reasonable hotels in El Segundo/Manhattan Beach. They will not be as cheap as the Motel 6 or the other hotels east of the 405 freeway and that should tell you something.

35 minutes ago, imola said:

IF he chooses taxi I will have him confirm cost before getting in.

If they can't do flat rate to the hotel, it would behoove you to know the two main routes; the 405 to the 710 (my preferred route, shorter and more entertaining) and the 405 to the 110.

https://goo.gl/maps/Dpeivw7rGzJRFyXS8

If you are arriving at LGB between 3PM and 6PM, all bets are off on estimated costs. That is prime traffic time M-F.

4 hours ago, PACD_JG said:

Since you are seeking approval, best not to ask this question on the TripAdvisor Maui forum - you'll get your head ripped off and the mods won't protect you there.

Translating the bolded section - you will get very honest, frank answers.

On 8/14/2022 at 11:04 AM, pbrady said:

I also read we could book through celebrity but I can't find id that still exists & we plan on flying in the day before.  Any suggestions? Much appreciated!

On 8/14/2022 at 11:52 AM, pbrady said:

Thanks - I have a hotel booked (free cancellation) .  I'm looking for the best way to get there.  

However, if you know of a hotel that has a transfer - I'd consider switching hotels.  If you know the cost of the transfer - that would be great info.

There are two options; Option 1, book a hotel near LAX and then the next day Uber to the port or use the Celebrity transfer back at LAX. Option 2, book a hotel in San Pedro and use the hotel shuttle to the ship, walk or use Uber.

San Pedro is 20 miles south of LAX, no LAX hotels have a transfer.

In San Pedro both the Crowne Plaza and DoubleTree have shuttles. The CP is walkable to the ship, the DoubleTree is not.

Use the website ParkSleepHotels.com

Here are the hours for Hertz San Pedro, Mon-Fri 8:00AM-5:00PM, Sat 9:00AM-12:00PM, Sun Closed. 

What I don't know is if they have drop off allowed after hours. Many locations do.

Enterprise has similar hours.

3 hours ago, rfkeith10 said:

Ontario is about a 35-45 minute drive from either cruise port.  It’s a relatively easy drive on weekends, especially early morning.  It is much smaller than LAX so it is easy to manage.  

I think this person is confusing Burbank (BUR) with Ontario (ONT). Ontario is at least an hour, maybe more from San Pedro. It is 60 miles away. 

ONT would be the LAST airport in So Cal I'd use. 

Make Princess find flights from LGB, BUR, SNA or LAX, not ONT.

Someone should have told the Lansky driver the hotel was next to the Queen Mary and I bet he wouldn't have needed GPS at all.

Other than that, thanks for the report.

We live 30 minutes south of Long Beach so we've never needed to spend the night before a cruise.

PS price is based on the market, not what a room should be like for $400. If the Hotel Maya was in Bakersfield they'd never get more than $150, but waterfront views of downtown Long Beach isn't Bakersfield.

I've heard the luau is okay, but the Smith Family Luau is the only one we've ever done on Kauai.