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Hawaii in January?

Socref124

By Socref124,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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Socref124

Socref124

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My wife and I are considering going back to Hawaii. This time in Jan '15. Any information you could give us would help. We did the Star back in '03 when it went to Fanning Island which was nice, but, we like the idea of spending more island time in Hawaii.

I would love to see sunrise at Haleakula and dw would love to do some scuba diving. We would also like to see some whales and have been told there is a better chance to see them in January than in October.

We are also interested in hearing the good, the bad and the indifferent on the POA and the American crew.

Thanks in advance for all your help.:D

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DKJ

DKJ

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My wife and I are considering going back to Hawaii. This time in Jan '15. Any information you could give us would help. We did the Star back in '03 when it went to Fanning Island which was nice, but, we like the idea of spending more island time in Hawaii.

I would love to see sunrise at Haleakula and dw would love to do some scuba diving. We would also like to see some whales and have been told there is a better chance to see them in January than in October.

We are also interested in hearing the good, the bad and the indifferent on the POA and the American crew.

Thanks in advance for all your help.:D

 

2011 we were in Hawaii (Big Island) from Thanksgiving to 1st week of Jan and saw 1 whale. This year we were there from 2/14-3/26 and saw tons of whales:D

In Oct you don't have a very good chance of seeing the whales.

 

Aloha

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mom&me_cruising

mom&me_cruising

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I cannot help with POA or their crew. But I travel to HI yearly so could help with the other points.

 

You definitely have a better chance of seeing whales in January. The very early humpbacks could arrive around Thanksgiving, but typically they start to arrive in December. Whales are abundant on the Kaanapali/Wailea side of Maui where Maui, Kahoolawe and Lanai form a shallow basin for the humpbacks to frolic. One can often see whales right from the shore.

 

Your wife can do a scuba trip to Molokini and you should see whales on the boat trip to and from Molokini as well.

 

All that said, I believe if you want to spend more island time in HI and feel the aloha spirit, you should fly there and stay for a week or 2. With your wanting to see Haleakala at sunrise, scuba and seeing whales, you could stay on Maui and achieve all that if you have only 1 week. If you have 2 weeks, then consider Maui and Big Island since BI has the best scuba/snorkeling of all the HI islands.

 

Also go to TripAdvisor Hawaii forum for more information. There are many good, helpful destination experts on the Hawaii forum.

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Socref124

Socref124

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I cannot help with POA or their crew. But I travel to HI yearly so could help with the other points.

 

You definitely have a better chance of seeing whales in January. The very early humpbacks could arrive around Thanksgiving, but typically they start to arrive in December. Whales are abundant on the Kaanapali/Wailea side of Maui where Maui, Kahoolawe and Lanai form a shallow basin for the humpbacks to frolic. One can often see whales right from the shore.

 

Your wife can do a scuba trip to Molokini and you should see whales on the boat trip to and from Molokini as well.

 

All that said, I believe if you want to spend more island time in HI and feel the aloha spirit, you should fly there and stay for a week or 2. With your wanting to see Haleakala at sunrise, scuba and seeing whales, you could stay on Maui and achieve all that if you have only 1 week. If you have 2 weeks, then consider Maui and Big Island since BI has the best scuba/snorkeling of all the HI islands.

 

Also go to TripAdvisor Hawaii forum for more information. There are many good, helpful destination experts on the Hawaii forum.

 

Thank you very much. Molokini is what I have heard in the past. I didn't realize the best diving is on the big island. Staying at a resort is a thought as well as the POI so I appreciate your input.

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Socref124

Socref124

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2011 we were in Hawaii (Big Island) from Thanksgiving to 1st week of Jan and saw 1 whale. This year we were there from 2/14-3/26 and saw tons of whales:D

In Oct you don't have a very good chance of seeing the whales.

 

Aloha

 

Nice to know. Feb is out because of business but March might be doable. Glad to here from a neighbor.:D

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mom&me_cruising

mom&me_cruising

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We will be in HI for 3 weeks in July - is there much likelihood of seeing whales? We will have time on Maui, Kauai, and Oahu.

 

There are whales in Hawaiian waters year round. However, typically when people think of whale watching in HI they are thinking of humpback whales doing all sorts of breaching and singing, especially with males trying to get attention of females. ;) These humpbacks spend winters in HI mating, giving birth and raising their young; they spend summers in Alaska eating.

 

It would not be easy to see whales during the summer months in Hawaii. I don't recall seeing any from the shore, but maybe do a search for year round whale watch cruises? I found this website for year round whale watch, but I have never used them. http://sailhawaii.com/whale.html

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retired rascal

retired rascal

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We LOVE to cruise. However, not for Hawaii. We go annually to Maui for 2 to 4 weeks. We've tried just about all times between Dec and March. If u really want whales, don't go before Jan 15. This year we will be there for 23 nights starting end of Jan because last year we went for December. Despite numerous boat trips and crossings to both Lanai and Molokai, we saw maybe 5 whales. When we've gone in Feb, we've seen so many we would stop evening commenting. Molokini is over snorkeled....like a mob scene. Diving is better. If you go, consider small trip boats that go around Lanai. You'll welcome more time if u don't cruise. FABULOUS oceanfront condos all over South and West Maui thru owner rental site.

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Socref124

Socref124

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We LOVE to cruise. However, not for Hawaii. We go annually to Maui for 2 to 4 weeks. We've tried just about all times between Dec and March. If u really want whales, don't go before Jan 15. This year we will be there for 23 nights starting end of Jan because last year we went for December. Despite numerous boat trips and crossings to both Lanai and Molokai, we saw maybe 5 whales. When we've gone in Feb, we've seen so many we would stop evening commenting. Molokini is over snorkeled....like a mob scene. Diving is better. If you go, consider small trip boats that go around Lanai. You'll welcome more time if u don't cruise. FABULOUS oceanfront condos all over South and West Maui thru owner rental site.

Thanks for the tips.:)

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toyotaford

toyotaford

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I agree with an earlier poster. We too love cruising but not to Hawaii. We have done the POA once and it wasn't a terrible experience, just not the way to see Hawaii. We have been at all times of the year and there really isn't bad time to visit. We always see whales on our January to March visits. Kauai is our favorite island and we absolutely love the Grand Hyatt.

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