New Embassy Suites Waikiki or Waikiki Marriott?

[steff01]

:) Hello,

 

I found a great rate for both of these hotels but this is my first time to Hawaii (me, DH, & two kiddos) and wondering which hotel would be better location as I am not sure if we will be renting a car. This will be a three day precruise stay then we will rent a car & staying at JW Marriott.

 

Thanks in advance for th advice!

[Browezilla]

Try putting the addresses into mapquest.com to see where they are. Probably each hotels website also has a map of their location.

[lindajeff]

Pre-cruise, especially if you don't have a car, I'd suggest booking the Marriott for the in-hotel advance check in and free shuttle/baggage service to the ship. Caution - in order to take advantage of this service, you need to book it thru NCL (via your TA, if applicable.) It was such a delight to be able to tag our bags in our room and not see them again until they appeared in our cabin. (We made our own way to the pier.) Also, check in at the pier took about 5 minutes, as there is a special "express" lane for Marriott guests. We walked right past several hundred people - super double diamond deluxe Latitudes members, included - and were among the first dozen people aboard ship.

[bookbabe]

Sorry...duplicate post...

[bookbabe]

FYI, according to our cab driver, there is more than one Marriott in Honolulu. The one with the NCL advance check-in is the Marriott Waikiki Beach - http://www.marriottwaikiki.com/ - but I think you have to have purchased the hotel through NCL to take advantage of the advance check-in option.

 

We stayed there pre & post cruise over the holidays. It's a really nice hotel, and is very convenient to the beach and shopping. I'd happily stay there again... :)

[HawaiiCruisers]

FYI, according to our cab driver, there is more than one Marriott in Honolulu. The one with the NCL advance check-in is the Marriott Waikiki Beach - http://www.marriottwaikiki.com/ - but I think you have to have purchased the hotel through NCL to take advantage of the advance check-in option.

 

 

There is the Marriott located in Waikiki --

 

Then there is the JW Marriott located at Ko'Olina almost 30 miles from Waikiki.

 

Of the two the JW Marriott is the best but not if you want Waikiki.

[steff01]

Thank you for the replies! It would be the Marriott in Waikiki. Has anyone seen/been to the Embassy Suites Waikiki? I think it just opened end of December...they had the best rate. I am just worried about the new construction near Embassy S getting around without a car.

[42murphy]

Hi LindaJeff!

 

I was excited to see your post; we are pre-booked at the Marriott for our NCL cruise! But I am curious about why you found your own way to the pier and did not take the shuttle. Was it faster?

[Susan-M]

Thank you for the replies! It would be the Marriott in Waikiki. Has anyone seen/been to the Embassy Suites Waikiki? I think it just opened end of December...they had the best rate. I am just worried about the new construction near Embassy S getting around without a car.

 

I was thinking of Embassy Suites for an upcoming land vacation there, and found these reviews on Tripadvisor. But there are 5 of us and the 2 bdrm at Embassy Suites doesn't sound large enough, so I've booked a condo at ResortQuest for pretty much the same price. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60982-d615153-r6596398-Embassy_Suites_Waikiki_Beach_Walk-Honolulu_Oahu_Hawaii.html

[bookbabe]

Hi LindaJeff!

I was excited to see your post; we are pre-booked at the Marriott for our NCL cruise! But I am curious about why you found your own way to the pier and did not take the shuttle. Was it faster?

 

I'm not sure what their reasoning was, but we debated it for quite a bit before deciding to stick with the shuttle. We wanted to do some sightseeing before embarkation, and since the PoH doesn't leave until 8pm we didn't want to "waste" a full day. We were concerned about how early the shuttle was scheduled to leave the hotel (around noon) and the fact that we'd read you couldn't get into your cabins until much later than that due to the system of cleaning in place for the changeovers. But then we figured it wouldn't matter since it was Christmas day and a lot of the main attractions would be closed anyway, so we wouldn't be missing that much.

 

I'm glad we did decide to take the shuttle over. It was quick and easy (since the bus was full just from our stop, we didn't have to stop at any other hotels) and the driver even pointed out some of the highlights, etc. along the way. Once we boarded, we grabbed a quick lunch in the main dining room that was open, and then left the ship again to take a quick look around the Aloha Tower Marketplace at the pier. We probably would have had time to do more shopping or sightseeing in the area if it hadn't been a holiday. We were still back in plenty of time to make the lifeboat drill and have dinner before the ship departed.

 

I think in off-season the shuttle might make more stops at other hotels, depending on how many people are pre-staying at each. In that case, a cab might be faster. Also, if you want to spend the day at the beach or doing some sightseeing, a cab would allow you to pick your own departure time, whereas the shuttle is a set time, and much earlier in the day. It all depends on your plans for the day, I guess...

[Merry_Sea_Witch]

Thank you for the replies! It would be the Marriott in Waikiki. Has anyone seen/been to the Embassy Suites Waikiki? I think it just opened end of December...they had the best rate. I am just worried about the new construction near Embassy S getting around without a car.

 

I stayed in the area early December and the construction traffic and noise was very unpleasant :( and will be for a while. imho stick with the Waikiki Marriott other end of Waikiki also since you are cruising they have the NCL desk:)