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The length of the voyage is also undergoing change. After years of almost exclusively operating 3night, 4night and 7night
cruises some hawaiian island cruises are clearly moving toward a 10night and 11night pattern, at prices that capitalize on
the obvious economies involved in such a step for one thing, air fare to the embarkation point is amortized over more days.
The now defunct luxury charter was among the first to experiment in 10 and 11nighters followed by its sister company leisure
yacht charter whose periodically traverse the Panama Canal and surrounding areas on 14 and 15night stints. For that matter,
the number of four and five night cruises has also increased over the past two years, so overall there is more of a variety
out there in terms of hawaiian cruise length than in the past. In a spurt of new activity, a handful of cruise lines now
take hardy adventurers to that frigid continent during its relatively warm time of late December, January and February; and
for the first time, they include larger vessels normally carrying from 400 to 800 passengers apiece. Use of so large a ship
drops the cost to starting at around 5,500 plus airfare per person for a two week hawaiian cruise vacation. Note, though,
that environmentalists have decried the introduction of that many people to a largely untouched and undisturbed terrain. In
the past, cruisers could be reasonably sure that nearly everything onboard except drinks was included in a one time price.
Not so anymore. Some cruisers now pay one price for their hawaii cruise and port fees, which includes accommodations and standard
dining, and then they are charged extra for other optionals onboard. Eating in certain upscale restaurants onboard costs extra
on some cruises. Also, many of the trendy new activities on cruises, such as the rock-climbing wall or miniature golf, often
incur a fee. So, before booking, ask questions about what is, and what is not, included in the one time price. What makes
cruising so popular? No daily packing and unpacking, one price for everything, multiple destinations, remarkable value. But
there can be too much of a good thing. That is why cheap hawaii cruises have taken a once simple activity and added a multitude
of complex options, alternatives, and formats. In the process, they have now created a hawaii cruise package for everyone.
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