Many folks who are planning a 7 Day NCL Hawaii Cruise are first-time cruisers and may not be familiar with some of the terminology. This post will help you understand some of the definitions that might be a little hard to understand and will help you when you decide to call us to book your cruise.
Forward, Aft and Mid sections
These terms refer to the location of your cabin on the ship. Ships are usually divided up into even thirds. Forward cabins are towards the front of the ship, Aft cabins are at the back of the ship and Mid cabins are located towards the middle of the ship. Ships are usually divided up into even thirds. Many folks like to be in the middle of the ship because in general it’s less "tippy" or in other words, you will be less likely to feel the ship rocking. The thing to remember about the Hawaii cruise that there is not a whole lot of cruising actually going on, you travel at night and ports are very close to each other, so the location of your cabin may not be as important on the Hawaii Cruise as it is for cruises that are longer in duration.
Cabin category; inside, oceanview, balcony, suites
These terms refer to the type of cabin that you’ll be staying in. An inside cabin is generally the smallest cabin with no windows. Many folks have no problem with this kind of cabin because on the Hawaii Cruise a lot of time is spent on land so therefore there is not a lot of opportunity to be either on a balcony or looking out a window. Oceanview cabins are slightly larger and they have windows they can have either a porthole or a picture window. On the NCL pride of America most of these oceanview cabins are on the lower Deck 4. Make sure you ask one of our agents whether you are getting a picture window or porthole. Balcony cabins are also a bit larger than oceanview and have a private balcony however, when looking at the square footage of the cabin it also includes the balcony so the actual size is not that much larger than the oceanview cabins. Suites are the largest cabins available on a ship. These include the penthouse, family & owner suites and villas. These are larger cabins,include more than in general have much larger bathrooms. These cabins are the most expensive on the ship and the amenities include everything from your own hot tub to a personal concierge available to you 24 seven. Folks were lucky enough to afford these cabins get special VIP services including special tables at restaurants and 24-hour room service.
Guarantee category
Sometimes this is the most confusing term of all for people. There are times when the cruise line offers a guarantee category which means that you can book a cabin in a specific category however, we won’t be able to tell you specifically which cabin you’ll be staying in until it’s assigned which can be only a few weeks before the sailing date. The word guarantee in this case means that you’ll be guaranteed the category that is offered to you or be upgraded higher depending on availablity. For example, you could book a BC cabin on deck six but be upgraded to BA on deck 12. We usually recommend you do this any time is offered to you because in all likelihood you get a better cabin than you originally paid for when you booked. Keep in mind that once the cabin is assigned it cannot be changed so if you need a specific cabin or if you’re traveling with other people that you want to be right next to while you’re on the ship than a guarantee is not for you.
Cruising the Hawaiian Islands is a great way to see more of Hawaii in a short period of time. We are experts on Hawaii cruises so if all of this still seems a little confusing to you just give us a call at 1-800-843-8771 and any agent can help you.
February 19th, 2010
Responding to the demand for more flights to Hawaii, United Airlines has announced today that starting June 9 the carrier will add a nonstop flight from Chicago to Maui. This will make two nonstop flights coming from Chicago to Hawaii. The new service will run through August 30. No prices have been announced.
This is great news for the tourism industry in Hawaii which has seen an increase in visitor arrivals already this year. Demand for the summer is obviously growing, Hawaiian Airlines just announced the other day that they too are adding flights from the West Coast in June.
Even with this extra added airlift, if you’re planning a summer vacation now’s the time to do it. Summer months are usually the busiest time of year in Hawaii so it’s best to plan in advance. Hawaii Aloha Travel has packages that allow you to put a small deposit down to lock in a package so that you don’t miss out. Give us a call at 1-800-843-8771 and any agent can help you.
Posted by Bruce Fisher
February 18th, 2010
My daughter is planning a Hawaii wedding and she’s not alone! Hawaii is number one in the nation for casual weddings, according to a story in today’s Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper. Erika Engle looks at data from The Knot, Inc. and the Hawaii Tourism Authority. The statistics show:
* Half of the wedding ceremonies in Hawaii take place on a beach, compared with about seven percent of mainland weddings.
* Almost 40 percent of Hawaii wedding receptions are on the beach (four percent for mainland events).
* Of the married-in-Hawaii couples, about 40 percent are local residents, 60 percent came from other states.
* Perhaps because many were destination weddings, guest lists for weddings in Hawaii are smaller than events on the mainland (Hawaii average 96 guests).
But the Hawaii wedding story is even bigger than that for two reasons.
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First, most of those who travel to the islands to be married are not coming from the mainland — they’re from Japan. Second, even more people come to Hawaii for a honeymoon than for the actual wedding, and they often bring along children, grandmothers or nannies. Again, Japan figures prominently. Ten percent of travelers from the mainland are newlyweds while almost 19 percent of travelers from Japan are on a honeymoon.
What this means to me is that Hawaii is not only a beautiful place for a wedding, it is also fully equipped to facilitate nuptials of all sorts. I remember being surprised to see an enormous store in the hotel lobby filled with wedding dresses the first time I visited Hawaii. Now I understand why!
February 18th, 2010
A recent survey commissioned by the Hawaii tourism Authority confirmed what we’ve been saying here for a long time; the people of Hawaii appreciate and understand how important YOU are to our economy and that we want you here. According to the report, 80% of the people polled agreed that tourism brings more benefits than problems to the state which was 7 percentage points higher than in 2007. Understandably, many folks here realize that the visitor industry won’t solve all of the problems we have or preserve Hawaiian culture.
Tourism began in Hawaii at a time when there was a steady U.S. military buildup and the creation of the pineapple canning industry. Tourism was spurred in 1936 by the inauguration of commercial air service. The tourist industry in the islands began to flourish, but people in Hawaii were uncomfortable with the presence of U.S military people, most of whom were Caucasian.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor pretty-much killed tourism, but after World War II, the U.S. rediscovered Hawaii and American tourists began arriving by the boatload. This was a little troublesome to some to the local people, who already were not happy with the military personnel population explosion. Fights were common outside the military bases, especially in the bars where military personnel would spend their weekend passes and furloughs.
Soon, tourism became the major industry in Hawaii. That meant plenty of jobs, but those jobs were menial and poorly paid. The resentment grew through the 1950s, then began subsiding in the ‘60s. As generation followed generation and the Caucasian population was blending in, visitors became more than welcome and “the people” became the first thing returning vacationers would say they liked best.
Over the years the Hawaii tourism officials and organizations have taken steps to continue to focus on driving demand for travel to Hawaii while at the same time understanding the importance of protecting Hawaii’s natural resources and to perpetuate Hawaii’s host culture. Hawaii Tourism Authority has budgeted more than $1.6 million per Hawaiian cultural and natural resource programs this year.
So if you’re planning a Hawaii vacation you can expect to be treated as a welcome guest and can rest assured, that for the most part, the people of Hawaii appreciate you visiting and are glad you’re here.
Posted by Bruce Fisher follow me on Twitter @alohabruce
February 18th, 2010
We’re planning a wedding! Not like a morning news show, this is for real. My daughter is getting married in Hawaii in August. I’ll update you every now and then on the preparations. For now, the key piece of advice is to plan early!
Our wedding is in August and I thought that we should start getting the airfare and hotel lined up sometime in April.I usually travel in the off-season and six weeks ahead is plenty of time. But Yaling (at Hawaii-Aloha Travel) insisted that we need to book an August trip by February because it is part of the Hawaii summer season. I write blog posts for the travel agency that she and Bruce Fisher own, but I am not a travel expert. I am just finishing my first year here and still am in awe of the state and way of life that Hawaii represents.
We picked a date and got her the information for the wedding party (which really is a party: my daughter and her fiancee have four children between them). Yaling has been able to get travel packages from both Dallas, Texas and Denver, Colorado for right at $1,000 per person for airfare and five nights in a hotel. Granted, several people are sharing rooms but no one is on a roll-away or the floor. (I don’t think I could stay in either Dallas or Denver for that rate.)
So we have reservations at a hotel near the beach in Waikiki for the wedding party, my other daughters and my mother. They are all flying from one "D" (Dallas or Denver). We still have details to pin down but I leave you with one other critical piece of information. Hawaii is closing state offices on some "Furlough Fridays" to save money. To get a marriage license, both parties will need to be present in Hawaii on a day the office is open, which may not be on Friday. So: plan now for a summer wedding and plan to arrive early enough to get the marriage license on Thursday, just in case.
Stay tuned.
Posted by Cindy Scheopner Follow me on Twitter @Scheopner
February 17th, 2010
Very often people come to Hawaii for vacation, fall in love with these islands and then never want to leave. They go back home, pack their bags and move here without hesitation. It’s not surprising because Hawaii residents live longer than people in the rest of the country. Polls over the years have revealed that people in Hawaii are happier than people in other parts of the country. A study released last December showed that people in Hawaii are more satisfied with their lives second only to Louisiana. The readers of Recommend magazine have selected Hawaii as the sexiest romance and honeymoon destination in the U.S. and Canada over the past decade.
According to a recent Gallup-Healthways poll Hawaii residents had the highest well-being index in the nation pulling ahead of Utah and actually set a new record with a well-being score of 70.2. Utah and Montana are also among the top well-being states in the country sharing the same score of 68.3. The poll has been developed to provide the official measure of health and well-being. The goal of the poll is to collect and measure the daily pulse of the nation’s well-being. This is the second time in less than a year that Hawaii has topped the Gallup-Healthways well-being index.
There are lots of theories about why Hawaii is such a healthy place. One reason may be the state’s health care system. With nearly 90% of the populace given excellent health benefits patients naturally stay healthy and health providers have the money and motivation to innovate. Other more obvious reasons are; the excellent environment which lends itself to a more healthy lifestyle and the relatively low unemployment rate as compared to the rest of the nation.
So while you might be headed to Hawaii for your vacation you may end up liking it here even more than you expect and ya know what? That’s OK with us.
Posted by Bruce Fisher follow me on Twitter @aloharbuce
February 17th, 2010
It’s not really a surprise that Forbes Magazine lists a Hawaii beach as one of the world’s top snorkeling spots. However, you may be surprised to learn it is not an expensive resort location or even the spot where the First Family went snorkeling on their recent vacation. No, it’s a public beach on the leeward side of Oahu: Makaha Beach Park.
This is what Forbes says about it in the online version of the article:
"One of the best snorkeling sites in the Hawaiian Islands is the very accessible Makaha Beach Park, located on the leeward side of Oahu. Visibility runs 100 feet or more. Whether snorkeling at the park beach or at some of the outlying reefs, you’ll spot plenty of fish, sponges and corals, with a chance to see spotted eagle rays, green sea turtles (which grow up to 400 pounds) and resident spinner dolphins. (Beware that in winter, surf may prevent swimming.)"
I second the warning about winter weather - waves are much higher and more unpredictable in all areas, especially the leeward coast. I also agree with the article’s description of snorkeling as easy and cheap. My boyfriend snorkels often and has bought his own gear at a local dive shop. However, I went for the first time when my sister visited. We rented masks and fins from a tour that included a ride to and from the hotel. (We could have caught the bus but she was on a quick visit so time was valuable.) Another option is to buy an inexpensive set at a dive shop, or almost every grocery or drug store has cheap ones available year-round. You could use it a couple of times and not worry about whether it fits in the suitcase back home.
It is easy to paddle around, not very physically demanding, and you can set your own pace. It’s also easy to see colorful and unusual fish. No matter where you vacation in Hawaii, you should be near a snorkeling spot - slip on in!
February 16th, 2010
Since the 1940s Hawaii has had a love affair with spam. Hormel, the makers of the product claim it got its name from a contest that was conducted to come up with a name for the pork and ham concoction. It became popular in Hawaii when the Islanders would stock up on the luncheon meat because it didn’t have to be refrigerated during threats of hurricanes, tsunamis and strikes. In Hawaii, spam is so popular you can even find it at fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and Burger King. In just about every in Waikiki Spam Misubi for about three bucks.
Over the past seven years there’s been a celebration of sorts in Waikiki called the "Waikiki Spam Jam" and this year it will be held April 24 from 4 p.m. to 10 PM. It happens along, Kalakaua Avenue and features live entertainment and obviously lots of spam. Many of the local restaurants will be preparing dishes using the famous lunchmeat in a
variety of dishes. If you’re going to be in Hawaii this is a festival you don’t want to miss even if you’re not a Spam fan. Each year thousands of people flock to Waikiki will take part in all of the festivities.
After all, where else can you see a giant 313 foot spam weighing in at 275 pounds?
Posted by Bruce Fisher: follow me on Twitter @alohabruce
February 16th, 2010
Just about every year around this time the legislature in Hawaii considers the idea of gambling in one form or another. Bringing gambling to Hawaii is very controversial because currently there is no formal gambling allowed of any kind. There is no bingo, no lottery or scratch off tickets like in other states in the union. Hawaii is one of only one other state (Utah) in the union that does not allow gambling. At the same time, people still gamble Hawaii. There is a lot of illegal gambling going on and Las Vegas is the top destination for folks living here in the islands to visit; Sin city has been referred to as the 7th Hawaiian island. More recently with the Akaka Bill moving through Congress which will give native Hawaiians some of the same rights as native Americans, the idea of casino gambling on these Hawaiian homelands has created a new interest in bringing gambling to the state.
Those who are for gambling think it will be good for the economy and bring much-needed dollars to state coffers, especially to the education sector which is currently underfunded and as a result has resorted to a four-day school week because of lack of money. Those who are against gambling believe that no new dollars will be created and that it will create crime which will lead to problems problems for the tourism industry. Both sides have valid points but unfortunately with an issue like this there’s very little way to compromise.
If you’re planning a trip to Hawaii and think gambling needs to be part of the equation then you might want to think twice. It’s actually the perfect family destination because you don’t have to worry about some of the things that are associated with the casino gambling that exists in other destinations. You can really spend some quality time with your loved one or kids. There’s so much to do and see here that you’ll hardly ever even think that you missed gambling. It’s really an opportunity to relax and enjoy the beauty of Hawaii has to offer.
If gambling is something that you just can’t live without on your Hawaii vacation you may want to consider one of the cruises that come to the islands. There are ships leaving from mainland destinations and have casinos on board. Remember there is no gambling in Hawaiian waters either so it’s some point during your trip over the casino will be off-limits.
Posted by Bruce Fisher follow me on twitter @alohabruce
Related Links
Akaka Bill
Hawaii Cruises for 2010
February 15th, 2010
Hawaii is celebrating four holidays in three days — possible because today is both the Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day. Monday is President’s Day, which gives me a holiday from both work and classes, and Tuesday is Mardi Gras! The parades and parties have already begun in Rio and New Orleans. In Honolulu, the celebration will be on Fat Tuesday with an enormous street festival along Nu’anu Avenue.
Organizers say the festival attracts 10,000 people each year. The street festival is free, although you must buy a wristband to purchase alcohol from street vendors or participating clubs. Samba parades with floats are scheduled at 7 and 9 pm — one float is supposed to have a giant movie screen showing live images from the Carnaval celebration in Rio. Of course, there will be live bands playing on multiple stages, food vendors and other booths.
I think this combination of celebrations is possible for three reasons: first, of course, the calendar cooperated by having the Lunar New Year fall later than some years. Second, the weather here is warm enough to have outside parades, street parties and scanty costumes in what is the dead of winter elsewhere. But the third says the most about the people who inhabit this set of islands: Hawaii is blissfully ecumenical when it comes to holidays, customs and celebrations of any kind. People from many different places have washed up on these rocks, bringing along their respective cultural celebrations. So people in Hawaii celebrate the holidays of their ancestral cultures, as well as the many new observances created by their intermingling here.
In Hawaii, you don’t have to look very far to find fun!
Posted by Cindy Scheopner Follow me on Twitter @Scheopner
February 14th, 2010
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