Aloha!
Welcome to our wedding blog!
Many of you know that due to the strong connection that Kimiko has to Hawaii through years of family history, it has always been her dream to get married on one of the beautiful islands to pay respect to those who are not with her anymore. Fortunately, she met a very patient and understanding husband to be and he never once questioned her intentions, knowing how much it meant to her.
We are both very excited and honoured to invite you to join us for a very special trip.
It is our hope to have as many of our closest family and friends with us, that is why we have decided to wait until October 2011.
Many people believe that Hawaii can be pretty pricey and that can be true due to the cost of food. But with all Kimiko's experience in Hawaii she has found the most cost conscious way of seeing the islands is on the seven day, inner island cruise that is run by Norwegian Cruise Lines. On the ship all your meals and entertainment are included. Well, unless your idea of entertainment is spending some time in the casino... that is definitely not included and sorry neither is the booze.
We will be embarking on to the ship on Saturday October 1st in Honolulu.
Sunday, we port in Maui at 8am and will be getting married in the late afternoon at an old sugar mill from the 1800's called Haiku Mill, check it out on our links. That leaves plenty of time for surfing in the morning :)
We will head back to the ship at 10pm after dinner and dancing to celebrate in the club on the ship.
Monday, we stay for another day in Maui to explore the island, discover Lahaina or recover on the beach.
Tuesday, we port in Hilo from 8am-6pm. This is where you'll find the live volcano that you can explore all day. Walk over the lava fields or take a dark walk into the lava tubes. At sunset the ship takes us around the side that the lava runs off of to take a closer look. I suggest you book your rental car WAY in advance if you'd like to tour the volcano as the Iron Man Competition is taking place on this island the following week so rental cars will be in high demand. Rental information with group rate to follow shortly. Unfortunately, due to Iron Man there will be no group rate available on the Big Island so feel free to book before we get the rental info to you.
Wednesday, we port in Kona from 7am-6pm. Don't forget to stop off at the famous Kona coffee stand and check out the famous black sand beaches where the Giant sea turtle are often sited. Same deal regarding rental cars as Hilo.
Thursday we port in Kauai at 8am and stay overnight leaving Friday at 2pm. This island is known as "The Garden Island" due to it's lush rain forests, flora and waterfalls. You may recognize it from movies such as Raider's of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, King Kong, Lord of the Flies, Outbreak etc. In summary, it's pretty darn beautiful and a great place to hike! We will be attending a Luau while in port, details to follow.
Saturday it's back to Honolulu where we disembark at the end of our trip.
It is a long weekend when we get back so you can stay an extra day or so or head home for a little Thanksgiving dinner or a little time to get settled before heading back to reality.
ROOM RATES Based on double occupancy are anywhere from $1100.00/person for an inside room and go up to $4000/person if you want the penthouse :) These are the prices that are currently available however, they may change depending on when you book. Please visit www.ncl.com to get current pricing. A few things to keep in mind... The inside staterooms are cozy with no windows but Kimiko has stayed in them before and says they are just fine for a place to crash, shower and get ready in. The outside stateroom is the same as the inside but has a window. If you don't mind a couple extra bodies in your room to bring the cost down, a third or even fourth passenger will only cost around another $300 + taxes and fees which would bring every one's cost down in the room. Example #1: If you were to decide on a balcony stateroom the cost per person on double occupancy would be $1,502.70. But if you had four people in the room it would cost approximately $951.25/person. Example #2: If you were to decide on an inside stateroom the cost per person on double occupancy would be $1054.70. But if you had three people in the room it would cost approximately $836.50/person. If you are to do this and you don't want to be sleeping in bunk beds I suggest looking to get a balcony stateroom. But you can discuss your options with the cruise consultant to fit your needs. |
We have been in touch with a cruise representative who will be taking care of all our bookings and any details pertaining to our trip until embarkation. Please contact Jason with any of your bookings or questions regarding the cruise. Be sure to let him know that you are with the group booking for Kimiko Hosaki and Dane Gergovich. If you fail to let him know that you are with the group you could lose out on extra amenities later.
Jason Alweiss
877 416 9722 ext 4287
SEA SICKNESS
We understand there have been a couple concerns about people who suffer from sea sickness. Kimiko's mother Cheryl has suffered from sea sickness all her life but finds that due to the size of the cruise ships it rarely affects her unless there is a storm and the waters are quite rough, which rarely happens in Hawaii. When this does happen it is very mild and she uses very small acupressure tabs that you stick to your wrists or behind your ears, these take the feeling away immediately. We will be providing these tabs to our guests that know they suffer from sea sickness as a precaution.
FLIGHTS
Flights to Hawaii vary in price depending on who you book with. If you look to the big guys like Air Canada they will typically tell you $1500-$2000. Don't let this scare you! You can check out travelocity and flightnetwork and find flights for around $600-$800 including all taxes and fees. Come 2011 Kimiko will be regularly checking all her trusted travel websites and reporting back to you when there are sales. We will also be contacting some of the big guys to see what they can offer us for group bookings. But that can all be looked at later.
Check out http://www.ncl.com/ for further information on amenities, restaurants, activities, ports, room layouts, deck plans, etc. The ship we will be sailing on is called THE PRIDE OF AMERICA.
If you can't make it, no hard feelings, we understand that it is an extra expense but we do hope that you can join us for our special day and a great vacation that you'll never forget!
Hope to see you all there!
Keep checking back for new blogs and flight updates! Up next... what to do on the islands.
Keep checking back for new blogs and flight updates! Up next... what to do on the islands.
Mahalo (thank you)
