? about a trip to Hawaii in 09

[shana]

I have a question, right now radiance of the seas shows no bookings for in 09 to Hawaii does anyone know when they might do so? I am looking at getting a suite since it will be larger and I am disabled and in an electric scooter so thinking of getting a 2 bd. for my mom and I plus I will have to have a hospital bed set up in the suite. This will be my first cruise and my mom's 2nd which she loved a 7 day to Mexico and I want to do a 15 night to Hawaii. Is there a certain level of the ship that has less motion as I am afraid of motion sickness? I Have heard there are areas that are noisy on a ship like the engine and stuff could someone tell me which would be the quieter area on the ship? I have so many questions and am just starting to plan so I bet I will be asking alot of questions, hope you all don't mind. Is there laundry service available with a family suite? 2 bd. Will talk with you all soon. Shana

[shana]

Any other tips for a first time cruiser please let me know. Shana

[TrvlPro]

Hi Shana, welcome to cruise-chat! The itineraries for Radiance are already released for sailings through May of 2010. That means that ship won't be doing Hawaii in 2009. The only two Hawaii dates for it are 26Sept and 11Oct of 08. After the Alaska season next year she'll be based in San Diego for Mex/Riv, 4 and 5 night sailings. You'll need to find another option for Hawaii next year.

Looks to me like HAL Zaandam or Golden Princess are your choices for fall of 2009 from west coast ports.

Cheers, Neil

[shana]

Thank you Neil for your response. What cruiselines are those 2 ships with that you gave me? I am not familiar with all these cruiselines or ships. Is radiance sailing to hawaii in 2010 for a 15 night cruise? I did not see any on there site, I was hoping to cruise on radiance since I have heard good things about them with the ship being handicap friendly and have heard it is a newer ship which I liked the idea of cruising on a newer ship. I really liked the variety of excursions in Hawaii alot to choose from and some I could actually do being that I am disabled and in a wheelchair I am looking for somewhere warm in the winter months to get out of the cold and at least a 10 day cruise without having to fly out of the USA and I would be willing to board either in Florida or on the west coast. My mom has already been to Mexico so that is out but boy did I have my heart set on Hawaii but I really need a handicap friendly ship that is easy for a scooter to get around on. This will be my only cruise so I want the best on this cruise but don't want to have to dress up really nice all the time, want to be able to be relaxed but have excellent service, food, and experience and I want a larger ship so we don't feel the waves to much, I am willing to pay anything for the best cruise experience since my health is going downhill. Any comments or advice for a first time cruiser or any thoughts I would greatly appreciate hearing. Shana

[Dave]

At least through May 2010, the Radiance Of The Seas will not be going to Hawaii. The schedule only goes out that far.

As for ship age - the Radiance started cruising in 2001, so it isn't exactly newer in the world of cruise ships. It is the same age as the Golden Princess and just a little newer than the Zaandam. These two ships are with Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, respectively.

Larger doesn't mean the ship rides better. All modern cruise ships have stabilizers which are like the fins on a humpback whale. These are computer-controlled and are designed to reduce the motion of the vessel. There really isn't much difference in the ride between any modern cruise ships, and that includes the Radiance.

All cruise lines work with handicapped passengers to ensure they are comfortable and have mobility.

Here is a link to Royal Caribbean's Accessibility Onboard page.

Here is a link to Holland America's Accessible Travel page.

Princess doesn't have a dedicated webpage, but if you look here about mid-way down you will find information on the award-winning PrincessAccess program. They also have a link to a service which provides beds, chairs, etc.

I suggest you look at these links and also call the numbers listed to get more details.

15 day cruises to Hawaii are not done on a frequent schedule by any cruise line. There are just a handful each year. I wouldn't become fixed on a particular ship or cruise line. Look at what you have to work with, such as the two excellent ships Neil mentioned, and start planning.

For some perspective, HAL is more formal than Princess. Also, a good rule to use with cruises is the longer they are, the older the passengers. On a 15-day cruise you will find mostly retired people since they are the only ones who can devote that much time to a cruise. Of course there are exceptions.

[TrvlPro]

Hi Shana,

Nothing on the schedule yet for Radiance for 2010 to Hawaii but they haven't released the itins yet past May for 2010.

Holland America Zaandam will be the most accessible and the staff the best prepared for special needs of any line. Princess is also very capable and would provide an exceptional cruise experience. They both have advantages and draw backs. You mentioned you didn't want a small ship but Zaandam is the smallest by far, only around 1440 passengers.

I really don't think you could possibly go wrong with either Princess or Holland America to Hawaii and the food and service would be exceptional on both, probably even a little better than Radiance. I hope you find what you're looking for and have a great cruise.

Cheers, Neil

[shana]

Wow, thank you so much Dave for the information and thank you Neil for your input as well and I will definately be searching through the links you gave me Dave. If I were to choose a smaller ship would that mean there is less to do on the ship? Or is there still alot to do? I really appreciate you guys giving me your input and helping me by providing information so thanks alot and I am going to start looking at the links. Shana

[TrvlPro]

If I were to choose a smaller ship would that mean there is less to do on the ship?

Although the entertainment will be different from ship to ship and changes from time to time, there is plenty of it and it's very good on all mainstream cruiselines. Since there are only a few options, I'd look at dates and itineraries to see what would best suit your wants and needs. You don't want to wait too long to get started, with very few cruises doing Hawaii, availability goes pretty fast. You want to have access to lots of choices for an HC accessible cabin. There are not a lot of them on the ships.

Cheers, Neil

[Dave]

There is plenty to do on the Zaandam or similar sized ship. Granted, the Golden Princess is much larger and has more public rooms than the Zaadam but it also have a lot more people aboard. Many people find the mid-sized HAL ships to be a perfect balance of "stuff" and people. Look at the figures: Zaandam has around 1500 passengers while the Golden Princess has over 2600.

I know it looks like I am pushing the Zaandam, but I happen to like Princess a lot too. There is no bad choice between the two.

[Dave]

Since this thread has become more of a generic Hawaii cruise topic - and not solely an RCI topic - I am going to move it to a more appropriate section.