Viewing lava flow from ship

[cruisegirl]

I know I read somewhere that there is one of the islands that you should be able to view the lava at night as the ship leaves. But I've not found that information. Can anyone tell me which island this is and where you'd be most likely to view it. (Which part of the island?)

Thanks

[Travelingtoo]

It is the big island, Hawaii. Lava may be viewable from the south.

[andreadan]

We just returned from the Vision of the Sea sailing from Hawaii. On the night we sailed from Hilo, we sailed past the lava flow. You can barely see a few bright red spots, yet everyone seemed to be on deck taking in the view.

[cdbisme]

Maybe it's hit or miss on whether you can see it or not, but we were definitely "miss". There were some barely distinguishable red dots when we went past.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Maybe it's hit or miss on whether you can see it or not, but we were definitely "miss". There were some barely distinguishable red dots when we went past.

Just returned from the Serenade of the Seas Hawaii cruise. We were able to see a few red spots in the distance. Looked more like the glowing red of a fire on a hillside. Did do an extensive tour of the Volcanoes National Park. No active lave flows but a great tour to do on your own.

[FANC6]

Sue, we're planning on touring Volcanoe National Park on our own so could you give me some tips on what you saw and how long it took ? Did you get a map or guide book or anything like that when you got there? Do they have guided tours that you can pick up at the Park or can you get just as much information doing it on your own? We have a Jeep rented for the day so we were hoping to see as much as possible but don't want to miss any "must sees". Thanks for any help!:) Jean

[savagi1]

We were on the Statendam 2 years ago and the Captain took the ship past the Lava flow. It was spectacular. We saw more than a few red dots. He sailed past it and then turned and went back so as everyone could see it from their balconies. It was great. Maybe because the ship was smaller we could get closer and see more but it was one of the highlights of our trip.

We also took the ships tour of Volcanoe National Park and that was very interesting. I find if you take a tour rather that doing it on your own you see more.

We will be on the Infinity in November and this time we hope to see more of the beaches and culture of the Islands. We found it busy doing tours every day, but saying that, we are happy that we did see as much as we had planned.

Remember to pack some warm clothes for the journey back to San Diego. It got a bit chilly on the last two days.

Take care

Isabel

[macpiper]

Just got off the Serenade of the Seas two days ago. Same story on seeing the lava at night. Just a few red dots across the horizon. But....

 

We took a helicopter ride out of Hilo above the volcanoes. We were able to witness a stream of red, hot lava shooting 30 feet into the air!! The pilot was busy on the radio telling all of his other pilot buddies as apparently most of the time all you get to see is red lava inside the vent holes and the gray/brown stuff oozing its way down to the ocean. It was very exciting to watch!

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Sue, we're planning on touring Volcanoe National Park on our own so could you give me some tips on what you saw and how long it took ? Did you get a map or guide book or anything like that when you got there? Do they have guided tours that you can pick up at the Park or can you get just as much information doing it on your own? We have a Jeep rented for the day so we were hoping to see as much as possible but don't want to miss any "must sees". Thanks for any help!:) Jean

The park is similar to a US National Park. You pay an admittance fee ($10 for a car). There were 5 of us so it might be less per person. There is a ranger station with lots of information. Not sure if they have any guided tours. Maybe you could check their website for more information. Be sure to view the video before you start. You can get maps that will guide you through too. I think we spent about 3 hours there. You can stop it lots of places and walk out on the lava. A must see IMHO is Thurston's lava tube. You take a short hike down into a rainforest area and then walk through the tube. Also went on the Chain of Craters road to the very end. You can then walk out to the edge and see a black sand beach and a large arch formation that are below the cliffs at the ocean edge. We did not see any active lava when we were there. You'll definitely enjoy it, especially in a Jeep.

[spleen93]

The park is similar to a US National Park. .

It's not similar to a US National Park - it IS a US National Park.

 

http://www.nps.gov/havo/

 

:D

 

Spleen

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Spleen,

You're correct.......what I meant to say was a mainland US park.

I stand corrected.

[FANC6]

Sue, thanks for the reply. We are really looking forward to seeing the Park and I'm sure we'll have enough time to see the main sites. Maybe we'll even see some active lava.

 

Spleen, thanks for the link to the Park web site. It will help us plan our time there.

 

Jean:)

[spleen93]

Sue - sorry, one of my pet peeves when people refer to returning to the mainland US as "going back to the states", etc. etc. People keep forgetting that we're the 50th state ... :)

 

Spleen

[kimcht]

Just back from the wind. they made a big deal about being on deck to see the lava but as others have said all you could see was a few spots of red glow. According to our guide on a tour of the park, lava was flowing so you could see it from the ship entering the sea in may and June, but not now. For those of you wanting a tour and on NCL I would highly recommend the nature volcano tour. there are only twelve of you and a VERY knowledgable guide, we learned so much and it was fun too. Kim