Would you enjoy a cruise out of So Cal? Let us know! - California Events

H'T Hau 'oli Tiki Member Lamegoona Hills, CA Joined: Feb 03, 2005 Posts: 410	H'T Hau 'oli Tiki Posted posted on Mon, Dec 11, 2006 11:40 AM Aloha Mr. TMJ! The fees stated are only port fees and taxes. When you cruise, you tip your room steward, the dining staff and Maitre de. The suggested amounts are on the ship's web site. You pay them on the last day. I usually set aside the cash way before the cruise. I never have tipped the suggested amount, sometimes more, sometimes less. When you think about it though, $98.00 a DAY for Hawaii...!!!! With air! Food! Room! Entertainment! Etc! Usually it's about that just to fly. Then there's the hotel room. The food, the transportation (Island hopping=$$$$. The souvenirs. You get it. It's a bargain. Unpack once and get blotto if you want! No driving, cleaning, cooking, shopping for groceries, etc. As for the drinking/liqueur issue. We have ALWAYS brought our own bar mainstays packed deeply in our luggage. We use unbreakable bottles. we purchase the special drink-of-the -day on boarding, as it comes in a souvenir glass. Then we just reuse that one for the whole trip. Or the ones in the room or at the diner. We use their fruit (limes, lemons, tropicals, etc...) for fresh fruit juice. I usually can get tonic water for free from my waiter (Make yourself very friendly to him/her and tip ones right away and often and you'd be surprised at the sudden allegiance they'll show you! I got a bottle of rum and free sodas the entire cruise from a sweet Romanian girl that only spoke 2 words of English!)Our room steward never "saw" our bottles, lime peels, swizzles laying around. He wants his tip! Entertainment? The MR enjoys the girls that dance in nothing but floss. Of course, there was the trip when the only entertainment was a poor substitute for Shecky. I think we were on the Senior Special. HOWEVER... Wherever 2 or more TCers are gathered, there shall be entertainment. Surprisingly, I had fun taking over the karaoke bar with my chums each night (must have been the constant soaking of rum.) Soccer Tiki should provide plenty of musical entertainment there! And if we request our rooms in the same general location/deck, we can have a room crawl. Usually, my family took over one of the hidden bar/lounges no one had ever found and we'd play Texas Hold 'Em all night. WE can use the different rooms (library, atrium, game room) for our own whatever! Perhaps a Show and Tell of our favorite mugs, carvings, necklaces, clothing... anything. We can pre plan for stuff like that. For Formal night, I always wore some vintage Hawaiian wear. It would be great if, for once, I wasn't the only one! If anyone likes dancing, you can spend the entire night on the dance floor. See ya there. Once, we found a member of the orchestra that played Uke! We'd seek him out after dinner and coerce him to play up on deck for hours! Or the Barbados band would find US and play steel drums and bass all night! After shows, members of the bands/orchestra sometimes get together and jam. We'd usually crashed the scene and it was great! We never got bored! We don't really spend money on any on-board stuff like casinos, stores, bar, etc... My uncle once got off the ship with all but $50.00 of his original $!! (Of course he was a cheap and miserly guy. I'd hate to be his steward! He's deceased now and probably trying to tell God He can get away with spending a lot less than He does now!) As for the New Years idea...it is expensive due to the Holiday ($580 to $800!!). Plus it leaves on Fri, the 29th and gets back in port on Mon, the 1st. So you have to take into account the fact that you have to have your luggage packed and ready to be disembarked the night before arriving back in home port. New Years Eve. Then the hang over on the 1st. You have to get off the boat, find your car and drive home. Not fun even on a regular disembark! The 4 day leaves Jan 1st. So you kind of defeat the purpose, yet still pay the $$. Better off going to the shin dig at Bali Hai! Either way, I think if we all go, it'll be AWESOME!! Anyone know how the weather is in HW during January? I HATE to fly!! But, if I take my pills, maybe! Otherwise, I like the cruise from San Diego and back.

Aloha Mr. TMJ! The fees stated are only port fees and taxes. When you cruise, you tip your room steward, the dining staff and Maitre de. The suggested amounts are on the ship's web site. You pay them on the last day. I usually set aside the cash way before the cruise. I never have tipped the suggested amount, sometimes more, sometimes less.
When you think about it though, $98.00 a DAY for Hawaii...!!!! With air! Food! Room! Entertainment! Etc!
Usually it's about that just to fly. Then there's the hotel room. The food, the transportation (Island hopping=$$$$. The souvenirs. You get it. It's a bargain. Unpack once and get blotto if you want! No driving, cleaning, cooking, shopping for groceries, etc.
As for the drinking/liqueur issue. We have ALWAYS brought our own bar mainstays packed deeply in our luggage. We use unbreakable bottles. we purchase the special drink-of-the -day on boarding, as it comes in a souvenir glass. Then we just reuse that one for the whole trip. Or the ones in the room or at the diner. We use their fruit (limes, lemons, tropicals, etc...) for fresh fruit juice. I usually can get tonic water for free from my waiter (Make yourself very friendly to him/her and tip ones right away and often and you'd be surprised at the sudden allegiance they'll show you! I got a bottle of rum and free sodas the entire cruise from a sweet Romanian girl that only spoke 2 words of English!)Our room steward never "saw" our bottles, lime peels, swizzles laying around. He wants his tip!
Entertainment? The MR enjoys the girls that dance in nothing but floss. Of course, there was the trip when the only entertainment was a poor substitute for Shecky. I think we were on the Senior Special. HOWEVER... Wherever 2 or more TCers are gathered, there shall be entertainment. Surprisingly, I had fun taking over the karaoke bar with my chums each night (must have been the constant soaking of rum.) Soccer Tiki should provide plenty of musical entertainment there! And if we request our rooms in the same general location/deck, we can have a room crawl. Usually, my family took over one of the hidden bar/lounges no one had ever found and we'd play Texas Hold 'Em all night. WE can use the different rooms (library, atrium, game room) for our own whatever! Perhaps a Show and Tell of our favorite mugs, carvings, necklaces, clothing... anything. We can pre plan for stuff like that. For Formal night, I always wore some vintage Hawaiian wear. It would be great if, for once, I wasn't the only one! If anyone likes dancing, you can spend the entire night on the dance floor. See ya there. Once, we found a member of the orchestra that played Uke! We'd seek him out after dinner and coerce him to play up on deck for hours! Or the Barbados band would find US and play steel drums and bass all night! After shows, members of the bands/orchestra sometimes get together and jam. We'd usually crashed the scene and it was great! We never got bored! We don't really spend money on any on-board stuff like casinos, stores, bar, etc... My uncle once got off the ship with all but $50.00 of his original $!! (Of course he was a cheap and miserly guy. I'd hate to be his steward! He's deceased now and probably trying to tell God He can get away with spending a lot less than He does now!)

As for the New Years idea...it is expensive due to the Holiday ($580 to $800!!). Plus it leaves on Fri, the 29th and gets back in port on Mon, the 1st. So you have to take into account the fact that you have to have your luggage packed and ready to be disembarked the night before arriving back in home port. New Years Eve. Then the hang over on the 1st. You have to get off the boat, find your car and drive home. Not fun even on a regular disembark! The 4 day leaves Jan 1st. So you kind of defeat the purpose, yet still pay the $$. Better off going to the shin dig at Bali Hai!

Either way, I think if we all go, it'll be AWESOME!! Anyone know how the weather is in HW during January? I HATE to fly!! But, if I take my pills, maybe! Otherwise, I like the cruise from San Diego and back.

Post #271711 by Hau 'oli Tiki on Mon, Dec 11, 2006 11:40 AM