Atlantis Adventures - Majestic Sunset Cocktail Cruise

I was fortunate to have experienced Atlantis Adventures' new Majestic Sunset Cocktail Cruise, which just launched last month.

The 150-foot Majestic offers two indoor, air-conditioned decks, along with an open air top deck, each with large, panoramic windows to soak in the exceptional views of Honolulu.

I was quit impressed with the elegant decor!  I felt as if I were in a fine dining restaurant!

The Majestic offers the only full-service bar and lounge on a cruise vessel in Hawaii!

Once onboard the Majestic, we were greeted with champagne (orange juice also available for those who prefer non-alcoholic drinks), and enjoyed a selection of appetizers.

Fruit

Edamame with Garlic & Chili

Chicken Satay with Thai Peanut Sauce

Andouille Sausage with Onions and Peppers

Teriyaki Meatballs

Our hosted beverage package included all-you-can drink cocktails, beer, wine, and champagne, as well as soft drinks, coffee, tea, and juice. 

Majestic Mele

Blue Hawaii

As live entertainment filled the decks, we enjoyed our drinks while cruising past the Waikiki skyline, towards Diamond Head.

The sky changed colors as we cruised along.

We had prime viewing of the sunset!

Although I do wish there was a starch and/or dessert component to the food selection, the drink selection was plentiful, and the two-hour cruise was relaxing.

It was such a nice way to see the sights and city lights of Waikiki.

Atlantis Adventures also offers a Friday Night Fireworks Cruise, allowing guests to watch the dazzling weekly fireworks show from the ship!

Service was excellent onboard, and the Majestic Sunset Cocktail Cruise lived up to its name!

Free validated parking is offered for the first hour.

Round trip transportation is offered from select hotels in Waikiki. 

For more information or to make reservations, visit AtlantisAdventures.com. Kama`aina discounts available.

Mahalo to Atlantis Adventures for hosting our cruise.

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Atlantis Adventures' Majestic Whale Watching Experience

It's that time of year - whale-watching season!  I was fortunate to have been invited on the Majestic Whale Watching Experience with Atlantis Adventures.

Now through April 2, you can experience a whale watch cruise as well aboard the 150-foot Majestic.

Check-in is at Pier 6 at Aloha Tower.

The Majestic offers two air-conditioned decks with large, clear windows, as well as an open-air top deck.

You are free to move between decks as you please, with the exception of when an announcement is made to stay seated (e.g. when the Captain turns the boat).

Once onboard, we were given safety instructions, then enjoyed a deli-style lunch, which included rolls, meats, cheeses, pasta salad, fruits, chips, and cookies.

Water, coffee, and soft drinks were provided, and cocktails and other beverages were available for purchase.

As guests ate and we set out for the open ocean, an on-board naturalist discussed whale behavior and biology.

We headed out towards Diamond Head, and were treated to some spectacular views along the way.

Fortunately, we did see a whale (if the naturalist does not see a whale during the cruise, guests are given a complimentary return whale-watching cruise).  Unfortunately, I was way too slow with my camera to take a photo of it.  We saw a single whale do a round out/penduncle arch, and several minutes later that same whale spouted.  

We waited around for the whale to resurface again, but it didn't, so we eventually headed out towards the airport to see if we could spot more whales.  

We didn't see any other whales, but we still had a great time enjoying the views (and eating more cookies!).

Onboard you'll find live entertainment, educational displays, and books and toys for the little ones.

It was very windy on the day of our cruise, and there were times it was very difficult to walk around because of how rocky it was, but the Majestic uses Seakeeper technology to help with boat stability, so thankfully for the most part the cruise was steady (I am prone to motion sickness, but I took some ginger candy, and I was fine!).

We had a fantastic time aboard the Majestic!

Cost of the Whale Watching Experience Cruise is $87 for adults and $50.50 for children (ages 7-12). Children age 6 and under are free.

To coincide with their 30th anniversary, Atlantis Adventures is offering Hawaii residents $30 adult rates and $15 child rates for their daily whale watch cruises (valid January 1 through April 8, 2018).

For reservations and information, visit AtlantisAdventures.com or call (808) 973-1311.

Our cruise was sponsored.

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Thinking About a Disney Cruise?

The Disney Wonder, one of four Disney Cruise ships.

For various reasons, my husband and I never considered going on a cruise.  Our family and friends raved about it, but we just weren’t interested.  Then we had kids and our love for all things Disney was reignited.  By chance, I read about a mom that loved their Disney Cruise experience because they ordered milk and cookies before bedtime every night.  It’s silly, but that’s all it took for me to put a Disney Cruise on the top of my travel priorities. 

The Disney Cruise Line travels to several destinations including the Bahamas and the Caribbean, but living in Hawaii I wanted something drastically different and so we chose a 7 night cruise to Alaska.  Quite a few of my friends had cruised before and gave me great information on where I could get started.  Here are a few tips that helped me.

1. Join a Disney Cruise Line Facebook group.  My friends added me to Disney Cruise Line Junkies and Disney Cruise Line – Alaska Q&A.  The information I received from reading comments were very helpful and if I had a question, for instance on traveling through time zones, I got an answer almost instantly.

2.  Use a travel agent.  Depending on how much your cruise fare is, some travel companies will offer you an onboard credit.  Take it!  You’ll pay the same amount whether you go through a travel agent or directly through Disney so this onboard credit is a bonus.  I contemplated going through Costco’s travel website since they offer Costco gift cards instead of an onboard credit, but I ultimately went with Dreams Unlimited Travel because I thought they would have better expertise in answering my many questions.  From where’s the best cabin to stay in to avoid motion sickness to airport transfers for luggage, Dreams Unlimited Travel answered all my questions quickly and competently.  I would definitely use them again. 

3.  Pay off your cruise fare with Disney Gift Cards.  You can expect to save 5% off Disney Gift Cards if you purchase them with a Target Red Card.  We also purchased Disney Gift Cards through Sam’s Club when our credit card company offered a bonus cash back on wholesale clubs.  We saved hundreds of dollars so the extra work was worth it, in my opinion.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that my family had the best time.  My husband, who before was adamantly against cruising, loved it and is looking forward to cruising again.  Our children both enjoyed the kids' clubs and asked to be taken there many times.  It was nice having no cellular service on the at sea days and reconnecting with the family.  We loved exploring the ports and adventuring on the excursions together because it was a new experience for all of us.  The service was outstanding.  The experience is truly magical and I'm happy that my family loved it as much as I did.  To me, that made it worth every penny.    

We opted for a verandah cabin.

      

You can watch movies right on the deck.

Seeing the glacier was incredible!

All of us loved this excursion at Musher Camp.

It was a rainy hike to the waterfall, but well worth it.

Not cookies, but enjoying beignets on our verandah. 

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