Hawaii cruise and kid's camp questions and answers

Q Hi Lisa: Just discovered your web site.
My husband & I are considering a cruise on Pride of America, however, we are both very concerned about the calmness of the Pacific and what month would be best to do this. Otherwise we will plan a land trip!
Thanks for your reply.

A I have actually never been on a cruise, but I don't think that rough waters are an issue on those big boats. However, the rainiest season out here is winter - maybe november to april. Can you ask on a cruise forum maybe? I'm sure someone there can help you with a more specific answer. try here: cruise critic hawaii forum

Q Hi: I'm writing for my daughter. She & her husband will be going to Hawaii in Oct. for their anniversary. They are considering taking their 4yr. old daughter. Would you, as an experienced traveler, take a 4 yr old, and are the hotels (like the Hyatt) with supervised camps a good idea? They will be flying from NY - an 11 hr. trip non-stop. There don't seem to be too many hotels that cater to children younger than 5 so the islands they visit will depend on how they can accommodate the family. Can you leave a child in one of these camps all day long?

A Well, I would take a 4 year old, however most supervised camps will not take children under 5, so check specifically what the ages are before you book a hotel. I have not had any personal experience with the camps (my boy is only two) but I have seen the children on their activities and I probably would make use of one after checking into their safety record and practices. Yes, most camps are all day, plus sometimes they have night activities. The Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island caters to a family market, and I would highly recommend them, but their kid's camp is only for 5 and over. If you scroll down on this list you will find some links that say they take children under 5. Good luck!

Is Hawaii too rainy in December / Winter months?

I am thinking about a family vacation (wife, one 5-yr old boy, one 3-month old) in December. We have been to Maui and Kauai (in summer weather) already and thinking about other islands. My impression is that it is generally rainy season in December and therefore not the best time to visit other islands. I want to know if there are areas that are worth visiting (i.e., less likely to rain) during the last week of December.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Regards,
V.P.


All islands have more rain in December, however there is a huge difference in the amount of rain on the rainy side (windward) and dry side (leeward). Let me use the Big Island for an example. On the windward side is Hilo, which will probably get more than 10 inches of rain this December. On the leeward side is Kailua-Kona, which will probably get 2 inches of rain or less this December. The south side of most of the islands is usually dry too - Waikiki is on the South side of Oahu, and they get little rain. It all has to do with the tradewinds coming off the ocean - traditionally they blow in east to west and start dumping rain from the clouds when they hit land. The higher they go in elevation, the more rain they dump. Usually they get stuck on the mountaintops in the center of all the islands, and just sit there. They rarely have any rain to dump on the other side.

Please, come in December - if you don't want to deal with rain, just consider the West or the South sides of the islands.

Casa De Emdeko - Kona trip planned

So, my husband's sister and niece are coming for a visit the first two weeks of July. I decided I wanted to spend a week of that in Kona to get us all out of my house and into a little more sunshine. My husband has to work so he'll only be there for a day. I should work, but I could really use a 7 day break from the computer, so that's another good thing.

The last time Kelly (the sister) was here, we spent two days at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. She had mentioned wanting to go again but I came up with the plan that if we stayed in an inexpensive condo with a kitchen for a week, we could easily spend less than what it would have cost us to stay two days at the Hilton, and still have money left over for a day pass to the Hilton, or maybe the new Keauhou Sheraton (the old Kona Surf). Both hotels have waterslides for the kids. The Sheraton lets you in from 12 to 6 for $125 (update, July 11th, 2005 - as of today, this is no longer available. I do not know if they plan on starting it up again in the future). The Hilton from 11 - 7, for $80. That's for 4 people, check with the front desk, they are not always available. The Hilton would probably be more fun, but it's going to be about a 30 minute more drive from where we are staying, so I still haven't decided.

I have never stayed at a condo in Kona before, so I started researching. I got out my Big Island Revealed guidebook and started going through the reviews of every condo with kitchenettes on Alii Drive. I wanted to stay on Alii Drive because it is completely waterfront, and basically where all the Kona action/beaches are.

I decided on Casa De Emdeko for several reasons.

1. I didn't want anything right in town because of the noise factor. Town is noisy, the bars are noisy, the street is noisy.

2. I wasn't worried about the lack of a beach because almost no condos in Kailua-Kona are on a beach. There just aren't enough beaches.

3. There is a public salt water pond behind the condo, and another private one behind it that I tink my boy will like.

4. Casa De Emdeko is right in the middle of Alii Drive, allowing for a short drive to Kahaluu Beach or a long walk (about 1.5 miles) to downtown. We take a walk every evening when we are at home and I thought picking a place withing walking distance to town would help us keep the habit.

5. I found nothing but positive reviews about the condo. All rooms seem to have a kitchen and air conditioning and a nice view.

some answers

Renea asks:

In Hawaii, if a women is single which side does she ware her flower on? Is it the right side of her head or the left?

Lisa answers:
A single woman in Hawaii wears her flower on the right side, a woman in a relationship wears it on her left side.


state: state, Illinois
Realname: John
items: What does my name mean in Hawaiian? Thanks for your help.

Your name doesn't really mean anything in Hawaiian, but a Hawaiian version of it is Keoni. The book Hawaiian Names English Names also says that if you translate John into the Hebrew meaning and translate that into Hawaiian, you could be called Lokomaikai, but Keoni is much more popular.

Old answers

Ok, all answers to questions will now be on found this blog instead of the old Hawaii Answers by Hawaii-Lisa page. easier.