I am going on an eleven night Royal Cribbean cruise leaving during the first week of March. I have read the temp is 80-82 then, is that right?
It is my first cruise, and I would appriciate any tips.
We will be one day at Hilo, Kalua Kona and Nawiliwili,Kauai, 2 days at Lahania, Maui, and ending up at Oahu. We are thinking of spending a night there on land, otherwise we would just have a few hours until our flight.

Is there any way to get discounts on shore excursians (sp?), and which ones would you reccommend, and which ones to stay away from.

How about onboard acctivities? What is the Entertainment book, and where would I get one? Should I?

THANKS! Glad I found this site!!!

Here's another site - very active and lots of info on your cruise line, ports, etc.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/

I just came back from Hawaii (Seranade of the Seas) and would highly recommend the Hawaii Volcanos Nature Walk ($144) when you're in Hilo. Instead of being stuck on a large bus with 40 other people, we had a spacious van with 6 people and a very knowledgable guide. The walking wasn't very strenuous and we got to get out and walk in places where the tour buses just drove right on by.

I would recommend staying a few days on Oahu, renting a car and exploring. Although some people complain that Oahu is too commercial, there are plenty of places away from Honolulu and Waikiki that are worth exploring. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the beach at the hotel is very nice but be prepared to pay an arm and a leg if you want a beach chair and umbrella! It cost us $45 a day for 2 chairs and an umbrella. What a ripoff, they should be ashamed to charge such prices. The hotel is HUGE and was filled with convention- goers while we were there in early October.

If you go to the Dole Pineapple Planation (Oahu), don't bother with the train ride. Nothing to see...but it's worth shipping some pineapples home.

I would recommend Island Helicopters on Kaui (sp?). We booked our morning helicopter tour directly with Island Helicopters for $150 each before we left home. Island Helicopters will pick you up right where the ship docks. This was my first ride on a helicopter and it was amazing!

On Kaui you really have to either take a tour or rent a car, there is nothing to see or do near where the ship docks. After our flight, we asked Island Helicopters to drop us off at the airport, where we rented a car for the day. We drove to Poipu Beach and spent an enjoyable afternoon bobbing in the water.

I was bored on the 5 days we spent cruising to Ensenada from Hawaii. There is only so much time you can sit by the pool and read. I was forced to play Bingo simply to do something different. It's expensive at $35 for 5 games, so be prepared! If you don't drink or gamble, there's not too much to do on board. Sure you can play Ping Pong or shuffle board, but how much time does that take? Also, the TV options were very limited, endless reruns of sitcoms, young and old.

This was my first cruise and I've decided that the cruising life isn't for me! However, I had no issues with the cruise line or the accomodations and the food and service was great. I just don't like being on a schedule. I felt rushed when in port, having to make sure we got back before ship left was not enjoyable.

Sorry if my report seems a bit negative, I really had a great time while on land and Hawaii was wonderful. Wish I had taken a land vacation instead of a cruise. I'll know better next time. I'm sure you will enjoy yourself!

I am assuming that you are on the Legend of the Seas for March 6th from Ensenda. There is a thread on CruiseCritic.com, the author is Capt
Bill it is not very active, but you may get some more information, Capt Bill is very informative, would love to have you on that thread.

Daytime temperatures should be in the 80's while you're there, unless a cold front moves in (wind & rain), then it may drop down only into the 70's. Many of the shops and shopping malls have a "Welcome Cruise Ship Passengers" sign posted in their windows, and offer some kind of a discount or free gift with a purchase of some kind. I wouldn't purchase the Entertainment book just for the cruise--it's probably not worth it for the short time you'll be there.

I am going on the same trip in May. I will be anxious to know all about it.
I am especially interested in finding out if we need to book excursions or can we do things on our own. The excursions are very expensive.
Have a wonderful time and I hope you will write when you return.

Caseylou