Posts: 507
Threads: 64
Joined: May 2008
Howdy, some relatives want to do the cruise around the islands and asked me for advice so I'm asking the deep well of knowledge that is Punaweb!
It seems only one company (NCL) is doing this cruise (Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Kauai, Oahu, 7 nights) and this lack of competition probably explains why the price is so high (about $5K for 3 people in one cabin!).
Any tips on how to get a lower price or the best place to book? I doubt I could (or should) get them kama'aina rates - even if they're offered.
mahalo
Posts: 210
Threads: 19
Joined: Apr 2009
A fast search on expedia reveals there's quite a few island cruises.
-- rainshadow
-- rainshadow
Posts: 507
Threads: 64
Joined: May 2008
Really? I can't see any. I'm just looking at Hawaii cruises, not ones from California.
Posts: 345
Threads: 22
Joined: Dec 2007
hey, check out Alaska Air and hit cruises. there are quite a few to choose from. nevermind I just checked and there is only one from Honolulu. there used to be more...
Posts: 16
Threads: 2
Joined: Nov 2012
You can blame the Jones Act. To run this type of cruise the ship has to be registered in the US and pay US taxes and US wages to the crew - all driving up the cost (or something like that)
Posts: 6,214
Threads: 354
Joined: Feb 2006
The reason why is the NCL must have US flagged (registered) vessels, per the Jones Act, ships that are flagged from foreign countries must stop in a foreign port between US city ports...also the reason why we had 3 NCL vessels for a short time..the Jones Act was being re-looked at & NCL volleyed by putting 3 boats on our route... at that time, they practically giving the cruises away (free airfare & very inexpensive weeks on board for a couple of years!) When the Jones Act was secure, with no strengthening or weakening provisions, 2 boats sailed away, along with the reduced cruise fares...
It is interesting to note how much of the islands economy was bolstered by this artifical tourist bump...many bemoan the loss of the boats, but the trade off between the older Pride of Aloha to the much larger Pride of America (~ 25% higher capacity from ~2000 to 2500 ) would have been great for the economy, if it hadn't been for those 3 years of more that 3 times the Pride of Aloha passengers every week...then that "measy" bump of 25% looks PATHETIC... but the cut in NCL cruises also left many people WANTING the cruise, with fewer options..so the price is now more that a much longer cruise from LA!
Interesting that the 2 boats with Hawaiian themes are the 2 that were removed, the older Pride of Aloha (Norwegian Sky) & the sister to the Pride of America - the Pride of Hawaii (Norwegian Jade) were both easier to put on their other, non-US routes than the Pride of America, which would have needed a whole retrofit to sail elsewhere....
Posts: 2,490
Threads: 222
Joined: Dec 2005
Well...
I looked into it. I figured at the time I could take the boat to Oahu or back to the big island for a cool trip on a boat. But.....After doing research about it...
You must board On Oahu... And well, if you decided to just come back to the big island and get off than you would miss 1/3 of your trip.
So basically you must board and return on Oahu than you have to add in R/T airline tickets on Hawaiian so if you're already paying 5K what's another 500 bucks in airfare. I am sure there are kamaaina discounts if you have a hawaiian drivers license.
Anyway I was disgusted with the entire process and gave up. I think if you charted someone with a fairly good size sailboat you'd have way more fun as these "cruise" ships are geared more for Oahu residents.
Posts: 87
Threads: 10
Joined: Jul 2012
I've done the Hawaii cruise twice, most recently in 2010. I found the best deal on Travelzoo.com. Sign up for the Travelzoo Top 20 email that goes out once a week. I found a deal from NCL before the first cruise that offered free air fare from major mainland cities. My relatives scored the same deal in 2010 so apparently it wasn't a one-time offer.
Cabin prices are cheaper during certain times of the year. Our cruise in December ended on Christmas Day. We paid $1000 less per person than the folks who sailed the weeks before and after.
On some cruise lines, cabins are cheaper if you book way ahead or at the last minute. I've read, though, that NCL's policy is to avoid last-minute discounts. I think that may be why they offer free air fare at times. However, you can often get cabin upgrades and/or shipboard credits if you have cruised on NCL before or have signed up with them on their website for emails.
AARP and other organizations also offer discounts on cruises if you book with them but I don't think the discounts are particularly large.
Posts: 2,490
Threads: 222
Joined: Dec 2005
So... being that you have done it twice. Was it worth it? I think I might feel bored going to the islands I've lived on for years. Like Maui, Oahu and here... But I've only been to Kauai a handful of times.
Posts: 507
Threads: 64
Joined: May 2008
Thanks for all the replies. I shall sign up at Travelzoo.
I figure there's another reason it's so expensive: no gambling on board.
