Pride of America Dec 17 - 24, 2011

[jennygyal100]

We are going to Hawaii for the first time in December and I am just starting our search for what to do on our cruise.

 

It seems like for Maui a lot of people get up super early and hike or bike. We work hard all year, and when we are on vacation, we want to relax. The whole getting up before the sun rises thing just isn't for us!

 

Has anyone been to the spa on Maui? The cruise ship doesn't offer it. I've been to lots of spas in Mexico and the USA, but this one sounds like it's really unique. Would love to hear from someone that has been there.

 

I was thinking the helicopter for the Big Island, but now everyone is saying it's not very exciting as the lava isn't flowing. Is this true? I found a flight where the helicopter doens't have any doors and you are supposed to be able to smell the volcano and feel how hot it is. Is this true or is it just b.s.? We will do some sort of volcano tour, but i am thinking maybe Maui or Kauai is a better idea for a helicopter flight.

 

How about swimming with Dolphins? Any advice? I love dolphins but don't want to do it if it is harmful to them in any way.

 

No idea what to do in Oahu yet. We are spending 3 days there before we board the ship. Maybe go to a laua, although they cost alot more than i was expecting. Any advice on luaus?

[Pokeraddict]

We are going to Hawaii for the first time in December and I am just starting our search for what to do on our cruise.

 

It seems like for Maui a lot of people get up super early and hike or bike. We work hard all year, and when we are on vacation, we want to relax. The whole getting up before the sun rises thing just isn't for us!

 

Has anyone been to the spa on Maui? The cruise ship doesn't offer it. I've been to lots of spas in Mexico and the USA, but this one sounds like it's really unique. Would love to hear from someone that has been there.

 

I was thinking the helicopter for the Big Island, but now everyone is saying it's not very exciting as the lava isn't flowing. Is this true? I found a flight where the helicopter doens't have any doors and you are supposed to be able to smell the volcano and feel how hot it is. Is this true or is it just b.s.? We will do some sort of volcano tour, but i am thinking maybe Maui or Kauai is a better idea for a helicopter flight.

 

How about swimming with Dolphins? Any advice? I love dolphins but don't want to do it if it is harmful to them in any way.

 

No idea what to do in Oahu yet. We are spending 3 days there before we board the ship. Maybe go to a laua, although they cost alot more than i was expecting. Any advice on luaus?

 

 

We did heli over volcano but it wasn't active, wouldn't do it again as there are so many other heli tours more breathtaking such as the Napali Coast in Kauai.

 

If volcano isn't active all you will see is flat black volcano land, steam from the odd vent and they will fly you over a lava tube where you will see molten lava in the hole.

 

As for Luau's y'll be hard pressed to find much if anything under $99 bucks. But id you pick a good one the food is great the show is well worth seeing.

In short if your going to Hawaii you have to do a Luau.

Our choice is Old Lahaina Luau we have been before and will be there in January.

Y'll need to rent a car for this one as the ship docks in Kahului Maui and its about a 45 min easy drive along the coast.

 

Note if you do the ship Luau y'll be cattle herded with anywhere from 800 to 1200 people from the ship. That is one of the reasons NCL is discounting it by $10 bucks for pre booking. JMO

[smrtypnts]

We are going to Hawaii for the first time in December and I am just starting our search for what to do on our cruise.

 

It seems like for Maui a lot of people get up super early and hike or bike. We work hard all year, and when we are on vacation, we want to relax. The whole getting up before the sun rises thing just isn't for us! Are you beach people? I personally wouldn't want to spend my minimal amount of time on any of the Hawaiian islands inside getting a facial or massage. That said, my recommendation for my sister on her first day in Maui is to leisurely get off the ship, drive to the Iao National Park and see both the park and the Iao Needle, then continue on the Lahaina, see the Banyan tree and go to Kaanapali Beach and/or Black Rock where you can snorkel on your own. Then because the ship stays in port overnight, you can go to a luau here. Most people go to Old Lahaina luau, but my family has opted to go to Feast at Lele. There are a variety of reasons why we opted for this one over Old Lahaina.

 

Has anyone been to the spa on Maui? The cruise ship doesn't offer it. I've been to lots of spas in Mexico and the USA, but this one sounds like it's really unique. Would love to hear from someone that has been there.

 

I was thinking the helicopter for the Big Island, but now everyone is saying it's not very exciting as the lava isn't flowing. Is this true? I found a flight where the helicopter doens't have any doors and you are supposed to be able to smell the volcano and feel how hot it is. Is this true or is it just b.s.? We will do some sort of volcano tour, but i am thinking maybe Maui or Kauai is a better idea for a helicopter flight.

 

How about swimming with Dolphins? Any advice? I love dolphins but don't want to do it if it is harmful to them in any way. Check out Best of the West-- http://sailhawaii.com/activities_Oahu.html I can't speak for this tour yet, as we are going in 4.5 weeks :D But I knew I didn't want one of those "in captivity" kind of things --it's not natural and i feel strongly about these beautiful creatures being held captive.

 

No idea what to do in Oahu yet. We are spending 3 days there before we board the ship. Maybe go to a laua, although they cost alot more than i was expecting. Any advice on luaus?

 

I think I hit on your luau question in Maui. So much to do on Oahu, so little time (at least that's how I feel). You can go to Pearl Harbor--if you're American I think it's a "must". I am renting a car for 24hours and visiting the North Shore. I plan to hike Diamond Head and snorkel at Hanauma Bay. Take your helicopter ride on Kauai for the beauty--you can save a couple of bucks by taking a fixed wing flight rather than a helicopter ride (that will help you pay for the expensive luau).

You should probably plan to rent cars on all the islands in an effort to do and see as much as you can, but plenty of people do take excursions too--so there are plenty of choices.

[doxie2cruise]

We too are on the same cruise. I have just started looking into things to do also. I have started a roll call on the roll call page also. Come join us there. Doxie:)

[Carolyn R]

IMHO, mass produced luau food is usually pretty uninspiring, usually like a buffet along the quality of your local VFW, put on for tourist that don't mind parting with $100 per person for mediocre food. If you can find a hula performance without the food and then spend that money in one of Hawaii's many excellent Pacific Rim fusion cuisine restaurants would be money better spent.

[beachchick]

You need to realize that there are literally hundreds of things to see and do in Hawaii. You could spend 2 weeks on each of the four main islands and still not see and do everything. It's important for you to figure out (and tell us) what kind of things interest you because otherwise the question of "what should we do?" is much too broad to reasonably answer (at least without spending hours and hours writing).

 

On Maui, some people do get up and go to Haleakala for sunrise or a downhill bike ride or other early and active things. But it's far from what the majority of visitors do every day. I can't figure out which of the resort spas or day spas at hotels the excursion company uses. There are spas at nearly every hotel and resort on the island, so it's impossible to say without knowing exactly which one they book you with.

 

I urge you to read, read, read here and on the cruise line forum. Get a good guidebook (the "Revealed" series is good) and research a bit more about what's available. You've made a good start online, so keep on with reading about online websites that are absolutely loaded with good and current information. Once you've narrowed down your preferences, then it will be easier for us to suggest what might be "must do/see" things for you.

 

beachchick