Excursions with 8 and 9 year olds....ship vs. island stay?

[mamakinrocks]

We are planning a cruise on the Infinity March 27th. Any recommendations for shore excursions for our 8 year old son and 9 year old daughter? Both are athletic and active if that matters. Also, are we wise to do the cruise vs. a land vacation? We enjoy a nice, upscale experience...however, all of the so-called "great" hotels are very expensive and the cost of food, kids programs, etc. really seem as if they will be into the stratosphere compared to what we will receive on the Infinity. On the other hand, a land vacation would allow us to see a lot more of Hawaii. The 7 day NCL cruise along with some land days would be great , but I have read too many negative comments about NCL to go that route. We have sailed Celebrity twice before.

[jenny368]

Stephanie: We are sailing on the Infinity 3/27/05 and we also have a 9 year old (daughter) and a 15 year old. We love to cruise because we can do things as a family and we can all have our own time as well. We would love to have your family join our roll call.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=44688&page=13&pp=25

[Ine]

A few years ago we stayed on various Hawaiian island with our kids.

 

They loved to go to the Honolulu Zoo, which is in Kapiolani Park in Waikiki.

Close there is the Aquarium, but inside the Pacific Beach Hotel there is also a nice aquarium.

Also there is a free Hulashow in this park a few days during the week.(Cannot remember the days), which kids seems to enjoy too.

As far as I remember kids under a certain age were not allowed in the Pearl Harbor mememorial.

Of course Sea Life Park is very nice with the dolphins, sealions etc. All outside.

 

On Maui go whale-watching on a small ship. Maybe the sugartrain to Kaanapali rides again. Rent bikes and ride along Front Street.

 

On Kauai there is a boat near Coco Palms Hotel that goes upriver to the Ferngrotto.

 

On Hawaii they were very impressed by the steam coming from the volcanooes. Also walking on the lava-tubes and seeing the blacksandbeaches impressed them.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy it.

[Laura4cruise]

I am an advocate for a land trip in Hawaii over a cruise. Perhaps if you've never been to the islands before and/or can't decide which one to pick, it would be a good idea. On a land vacation, you spend more time on Hawaii, the food is better on land than on the ship, and you don't have to hurry back from an attraction or excursion. Hawaii is really laid-back, and the attractions are spread out so if you want to "go it alone" on an island without an excursion, you'd often have to rent a car, and that sucks up more time out of your port days.

 

The "great" hotels in Hawaii are very expensive, but they're some of the best in the world. Do you have to stay at a Ritz or Four Seasons? How much is too much? These are things I don't know from your post--and I can't decide them for you, of course. There are many hotels in Hawaii with kids programs, and they're nice but not super-upscale. The Outrigger hotel chain has some gorgeous properties, for example, and you can get good deals online and with a AAA discount. Some have been bought by Marriott, like the ones at Waikoloa on the Big Island and Wailea on Maui.

 

But if you stick with the cruise (and I'm guessing you will), I recommend the Maui Ocean Center, Volcanoes National Park (of course!), and snorkeling on any of the islands. Kids should love all of those.

[jenny368]

Can someone tell me about the Maui Ocean Center?

 

Also, someone mentioned renting bikes and riding up and down Front Street. Is there a place designated for bike to ride or do you just ride on the street with the traffic? We have a 9 year old who knows how to ride a bike but we wouldn't want her riding her bike in with the traffic.

 

Thanks!

[Laura4cruise]

The Maui Ocean Center's website is here: http://www.mauioceancenter.com/

It's a really cool aquarium devoted to the sea life you'd find in Hawaii. They have all sorts of fish, sharks, turtles, you name it. We thought it was a lot of fun, and also very helpful when we went snorkeling the next day!

 

I don't remember seeing bike paths/lanes in Lahaina. Front Street had a lot of traffic on the street and the sidewalks too.

[spleen93]

The MOC is well worth visiting. I'm a big fan of aquariums and this is small but welll worth the trip.

 

Front Street does not have designated bike lines but the traffic moves slow enough that it should be fairly safe for most people. Having said that, a 9 year old might be an issue since they sit so much lower than adults. Might not be safe for her.

 

Spleen

[bankofdad]

My wife and I (no kids) sailed on NCL (Pride of Aloha, which is in port a lot) this past October, and had a great time. It was fantastic. We had a very active trip, and did a lot of things on each island. I would sail her again in a second, given the opportunity

 

That said, I would do the land based vacation with the kids. We took our three children with us in June 2003 (they were 1, 7, 10 at the time), and they had a blast. We are planning a land vacation for summer 2006 (two weeks this time), which we'll divide between Oahu and Maui.

 

One of the conditions we had for my two oldest (in order to go on the vacation) was that they learn some of Hawaii's history and unique geographical features before we left. We then took them around to the places they learned about. They loved Hanauma Bay, snorkeling at Shark's Cove on the North Shore, parasailing, and Waimaea Bay to name a few places. We stayed on Waikiki Beach (at the HHV), and the surf was just perfect for them (they also loved the pool). We paid $239.00/night and had an upper floor room with a balcony and view of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head. I've read where others have done much better on the price, especially if you don't care about the balcony and book on Priceline. In the past we've also rented a beach house on the North Shore (Sunset Beach in 2002), but even in the summer months the under-tow can be quite strong (so it's not the best kid-friendly beach, even though it is beautiful).

 

My kids love to cruise (we're going on another one in April with them), but for Hawaii, IMHO, it will be a more relaxing trip with them (for both you and them) land based because there is so much more to do on shore. On cruises, they enjoy the kids programs and staying up later at night than they normally would at home on sea days. But in Hawaii, the opportunity to be on shore surpasses the cruise experience, IMHO. Also, knowing my kids, I know it would be easier to manage the time-change fatigue factor staying at a hotel/condo/beach house than on a cruise ship.

 

For our next trip, they've seen pictures of the Dolphin Excusion and North Shore Shark Adventures that I took during our pre-cruise stay this past Octovber, and they're already talking about doing those (as a matter of fact, my daughter brought it up again last night). If you look around at the different hotels, or book a condo, you'll be able to have a great vacation for less money than a cruise.

 

Whatever you choose, have fun!

[OceanCruise]

We took our son to Hawaii on a land vacation when he was 9 and after many subsequent cruises other places, the Hawaii vacation remains his favorite. There is so much to do in Hawaii so I would really recommend a land vacation. Some of the hotels have free meal deals for kids and clubs. You can take a full day "Circle Island Tour" from most of the hotels in Waiikiki and this will take you around to the North shore, Polynesion cultural center, beach and Pearl Harbor. It is easy to fly to another island. On the Big Island we rented a car and went to a rainforest and volcano national park. He loved the helicoptor tour over the volcano. We took a horse drawn buggy ride in a canyon and went to so many out of the way places. There are so many educational opportunities and the people are lovely. I would only recommend doing no more than 2 islands in a week.

[mamakinrocks]

Thanks so much to all of you! Jenny368, I am so happy to hear that you will be bringing your 9 year old daughter. We were actually booked on the April 6th sailing and were attempting to get on the March 27th with adjoining cabins. Our travel agent just confirmed that we are on the 27th. I was waiting for confirmation before letting you know for sure. I imagine that there will be more children on this sailing which is what we are hoping for (unlike most other travelers!). There is a part of me that still wishes we were doing the land vacation, but we would like to have some adult time as well . The cruise option will allow that.

Lets all hope for good weather!

[jenny368]

Stephanie: We have friends on the April 6th sailing. There is a roll call going on that sailing also. Let us know when you get confirmation for the 3/27 sailing. Join us on the roll call. We would love to have you. Or email me at cwvw@cox.net and we can compare notes. We have a balcony cabin for my husband and myself and my girls (ages 9 and 15) have an inside cabin directly across the hall. Talk to you soon.