NCL vs other, is Kauai worth it?

On NCL POA: _________________________________On Carnival:

Sat Honolulu (Embark) __________________________LA embark

2 days Maui __________________________________Days 2-5: sea days

Hilo _________________________________________Maui

Kona ________________________________________Honolulu

2 days: Kauai__________________________________Kona

Sat Honolulu (DISEMBARK) _____________________Hilo

_____________________________________________days 10-13: Sea days

____________________________________________Ensenada

___________________________________________LA, disembark

We have never sailed on NCL, so no perks. We will have perks on Carnival

They are about the same price and we will have to fly to Hawaii or to LA, although the hotel rooms in Hawaii are more expensive for the nights before and after the cruise.

From what I read, Pride of America is a lesser enjoyable ship than the Splendor.

We have 2 dogs that have to be boarded, so the extra week on Carnival will result in more $$.

We love sea days, so that is not a problem for us

I guess the main question will be, is Kauai worth it? We can't decide how to see Hawaii :D Thanks in advance

It really depends what YOU want to get out of Hawaii! Get a guidebook and read it....find out what you're interested in...then book the cruise (or land vacation) that suits you! If you've NEVER been to Hawaii, then a land based vacation is best. I love cruising, but Hawaii deserves MUCH more time than a cruise will ever give you..

In my opinion, Kauai is a must-see island. There is the beautiful area on the way to Princeville, Hanalei Bay and Hanalei town, not to mention the Kilauea Light. On the other side of the island from the cruise port is Waimea Canyon and Kohee State Park. Waimea is called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and there are great views from every look-out that change as the sun changes. Finally, about 5pm the ship drives by the Na Pali coast line which is beautiful. This is just a few of the options you would have taking the POA.

We did POA years ago and loved it, it was our first cruise and we have been hooked ever since. However, we have been on many other lines now, and really like Celebrity the best. We are booked for May on the Celebrity Solstice , flying to Oahu and cruising the islands, not Kauai unfortunately, and then cruising to Vancouver. We don't like Carnival personally. We didn't see much of Kauai, but what we saw we liked. I think the cruise gives you a taste of each island, so maybe you will want to go back on a land trip sometime. I'm probably not helping much. I would do POA again, but really Celebrity is better.

I wouldn't have wanted to miss Kauai, that's for sure!

Everything about Carnival was positive except for (1) boarding the dogs for an extra week, which can be more than made up for with the money you save just flying to Los Angeles and back from Texas for Carnival rather than to Honolulu and back for NCL and (2) missing Kauai. With all of your positive thoughts about Carnival, Kauai isn't going to make NCL worthwhile. Stay with a line you like and the better deal. Revisit Hawaii later and include Kauai then.

Thanks everyone for your input!

Greatlakesgirl, I loved your review! It has me sold on going to Kauai, however, my husband is leaning towards the 2 weeks. I guess the debates will start ;). We recently went on a cruise out of Puerto Rico that was port intensive, so I know what you mean about having an "unwind" day

We only started on Carnival bc it was almost half the price of RC when we started cruising. At that time, those were the only 2 out of Galveston. It would be nice to see another cruise line.

I'm leaning towards a cruise of the islands because I the type that wants to see them ALL and as FAST as possible lol. Yeah, I wear my husband out at places like the zoo, where there is so much to see. I've read that island hoping can be time intensive and food & hotels are expensive in Hawaii

We just got off the POA 1/1/17. (I have a quick review posted - just do a search and you will find it.) Loved the cruise! Kauai - imho- is a must see. Such a beautiful island. We have sailed Splendor 2x, with our third time coming up this Sunday. (this will be our 21st CCL cruise - 149 sea days) The POA just was refurbished, and was in great shape. We had no problems on her. There is no casino onboard, which we thought we would miss, as we spend time/money there on all our cruises. They have free bingo, with prizes instead of cash given out. It is also nice to experience the different entertainment and food venues. (Cagney's steakhouse is great!)

Instead of having sea days traveling from CA to HI and back, I would fly into Oahu, spend a couple of days there, and then get on the POA. The POA also had a naturalist onboard, which was nice. Great sail bye of the Kanapali Coast, with narrative.

NCL is offering good perks right now. While no unlimited beverage plan (strict alcohol rules in Hawaii) they are offering 4 other perks you can chose from, which really bring the price into the reasonable range. Depending on our tier on CCL, I don't think you will be missing any perks except free laundry moving to NCL - and maybe the free bottles of water in the cabin.

So is the plan to either do 10 to 13 days on Carnival or 7 days on the POA? Why not 10-13 days with the POA? It's a lovely ship, just totally refurbished. With 7 full days in port with two overnights you will actually spend little time on the ship.

I'd think about why you want to go to Hawaii to begin with. Do you simply want a cruise, or do you want to see as much of Hawaii as possible?

If you simply want a cruise with all the bells and whistles and lots of time spent on a ship, then go with Carnival ( although it would be my last choice as a cruiseline ). If so, then just take a longer Caribbean cruise. Do you really only spend 4 days IN Hawaii with the Carnival cruise? Seems like not much bang for the buck.

If you really want to see Hawaii, then I'd opt for the POA cruise which gets you a full 7 days seeing Hawaii. 2 days in Maui, 2 days in Kauai, 2 port days on the big island, Hawaii. You are in port every single day. Fly in early and spend a couple days in Waikiki. Rent a car and see the mountains and the coastline of O'ahu. Stay on a day or two after the cruise If you can spend the extra time.

Kauai is my favorite island! Even two days is not enough to take in all of it's incredible beauty. I see a cruise of the Hawaiian island as giving you a taste of what you need to come back and see for longer periods of time. :)

Kauai is great! Waimea Canyon and Spouting Horn (a huge lava blowhole) make the trip to the island worthwhile. Another plus is cruising along the Na Pali coastline as you leave the island.

When I was there a few years back, we rented a car and as I recall there some nice 'tucked-away' places along the northeast edges of the island.

By all means.....go to Kauai.