11-day Wind or 7-day POA + days in Honolulu?

[PassionFruit]

We are planning a Hawaii cruise for next summer (most likely mid-late June). Is it better to do the 11-day Wind cruise or a 7-day itinerary with a few extra days in Honolulu? Anyone know of a good beach house rental agency in Honolulu or what lodging options are best there? There will be 8 to 10 of us travelling, including 2 children under 7. Any suggestions are appreciated!

[lhall85917]

I can't tell you about the wind, but we have a group cruise going through Cruise Critic on Pride of America June 10 next year. We have some good prices if you want to check us out!

[pegwalker55]

The Wind will not be doing the 10 and 11 night cruises in Hawaii next summer.The ship will be doing Alaska starting in May.

[PassionFruit]

peg - Thanks for that info! That will certainly help me decide! I just thought they hadn't put rates out yet.

 

lhall - Thanks for the info on the group cruise. We were hoping to go after the 2nd weekend in June, but price could certainly be a determining factor. I'll be sure to check it out.

 

So, anyone have any lodging info for Honolulu?

[Das K]

Take a look at the costs as well. From what I understand, with the 10/11 day going to Fanning Island, a non-U.S. port, the cruise line can pay at international pay scale. The ships that go to all U.S. ports have a mostly U.S. crew, and are paid a U.S. pay scale. From what I calculated, we paid about $500 less than a similar cabin on the POA , and had four extra nights. (Yeah, we spent much of our 'savings' on board).

I would still spend at least 48 hours in Honolulu, but see how the numbers stack up for you. What you save on the cruise may cover some costs in Honolulu...

[lhall85917]

Of course, it will just depend on your interests. Are you cruising just to get away or is it to see Hawaii? We loved the cruise to Fanning, gave us a chance to see someplace different while at the same time getting a "taste" of Hawaii. The 7 day Pride of America offers a bigger bite of Hawaii - longer stays at each of the ports. Both itineraries offer something a little different and both are wonderful. We have gone into the cruise on Pride of America knowing that the costs will be higher because it is an American-flagged ship, the trade-off is that we get much longer at each port allowing us more time to see things that we missed. When we went on the Star it was wonderful but our time at each stop was so precious that we could only choose one thing to experience - this itinerary offers the gift of time.

[spleen93]

On the lodging question - the search function is your friend.

 

Old posts:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=171468&highlight=beach+house

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=83708&highlight=beach+house

 

Spleen