Any Tips for saving money on Hawaii Cruise?

[Into Cruising]

We would love to do Hawaii on the Pride, but since it is a captive market for NCL, prices are ridiculously high.

 

Are there any hacks for saving money overall, such as airfares or shore excursions.

 

Some people say go with an inside room, since you have the view from up on deck, and you are in port so long everyday or over night. But a Balcony seems to be what we would like...difference between a balcony and inside for 2 is about $1600.

 

Any tips or hacks would be appreciated

[greatlakesgirl]

Rent cars at each port and do sightseeing on your own; this is so easy to do!

 

Unless you must have a balcony, book an inside cabin.

[TifffanyD]

We booked an oceanview as soon as it was released and then upgraded to a balcony after final payment when the prices dropped. Ended up paying $1750pp... and got a huge balcony which we enjoyed a lot.

[Budget Queen]

This is a winner itinerary, worth the higher costs. :) There are time frames that historically have lower rates, keeping track of price trends is useful. The fall generally is lower. Lower rates are sometimes the early bookings, but the late bookings sometimes do show up. That's what I book, and have been able to get $899 inside rates, available occasionally, You need to determine what YOU want for a cabin, then go with that. I think it is a mistake to compromise more than you want to. Take a hard look at what is important to you.

 

The way to tour- is to rent cars. Bottom line, so much of Hawaii is natural beauty, drive up and look. :) PLENTY to see and do that costs nothing more than your rental and gas. Take a look at Fodor's and Frommer's Hawaii guide books as example, and especially the Revealed books for each island.

 

I always extend my time, at least 3 + weeks. Take advantage of being there. I usually fly into Kona and out of Maui (last few trips). As Oahu doesn't have much for me. There are cheap interisland flights. I stay in budget lodging, significantly lower than where a lot of cruisers stay on Waikiki.

[punkincc]

We would love to do Hawaii on the Pride, but since it is a captive market for NCL, prices are ridiculously high.

 

Are there any hacks for saving money overall, such as airfares or shore excursions.

 

Some people say go with an inside room, since you have the view from up on deck, and you are in port so long everyday or over night. But a Balcony seems to be what we would like...difference between a balcony and inside for 2 is about $1600.

 

Any tips or hacks would be appreciated

 

 

$1600 pays for a lot of airfare;), but if you won't regret spending the money for something you will use only to shower and change clothes in, other than sleeping, then go for the balcony. Personally, I think the money is better spent on extra days pre or post and a few special excursions like a helicopter flight over Kauai. I'd start with an inside or oceanview and then watch prices for a balcony. You can do an upsell if you see a good price. If not, I dont think you'll miss the balcony much.

[casofilia]

Inside every time.

Hire a car.

Read about every place on CC and in travel books.

Be well prepared to find free or cheap sites.

Book early and ask for a special price as you have booked early.

If touring on your own plan the tours that allow you to go back to the ship for your midday meal.

[df5250]

In case this is helpful from our May Hawaii cruise....

 

We used the Hopper app to track airfare for our dates. we were able to fly roundtrip from the east coast for around $800 (with tax and ins). The app tracks airfares and makes recommendations on when to book.

 

We rented all of our cars through Discount Hawaii Car Rental and Car Rental Hawaii, except for Kona where we rented directly through Hertz at the King Kamehameha hotel just off the pier. There is no charge to book using the two services. We booked early and checked the prices for changes regularly. we'd cancel and rebook when the price lowered. This saved us quite a bit!

 

We brought a backpack cooler and zip lock bags so that we could pack lunches on our longer day trips. The breakfast buffet will have breads and coldcuts for lunches... but don't ask the staff because they cannot advise you to do this! ;) This along with fruit and pastries made for great snacking off the ship!

 

We used GyPSy guides for our drives. The Apps were inexpensive compared to booking a professional tour with a guide.

 

We self-toured on all islands and didn't do any excursions except on Kauai. Self-touring driving around was easy and inexpensive with Google Maps and a little pre-planning of sights to see. On Kauai, we booked two excursions, both were booked directly with the tour companies to save some $$. The first tour was the Irrigation Ditch Inner tubing (sold out before the cruise) directly with the tour company (Backcountry Adventures) and a Helicopter Tour with Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours. Both were expensive, but well worth the cost and still cheaper than a ship sponsored excursion!

 

We loved our balcony, but didn't use it very much at all. When we were on the ship, we tended to be out on the public decks/poolside. Our Portside cabin was great for Napali Coast, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate for the entire sailby.

 

Enjoy your planning!

[ssaito1]

Aloha,

 

I would highly recommend getting an inside cabin if the difference is that much as OP have recommended. The islands are very easy to travel on your own with a rental car! As a kama'aina (local), I couldn't believe how much some of the shore excursions were listed for (but it makes sense because Hawaii is such a popular destination with a lot of activities). If you're in the armed forces, many places offer a military discount (we have a lot of bases in the state). Hope you have a great time planning! :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[morrisretired]

You might want to check out Roberts Hawaii Shore Excursions. They are about half the price, when compared to the what the POA charges. The more you book through Roberts, then prices decrease accordingly. We used them on our cruise in March.

[cb at sea]

If you've never been to Hawaii, take a land vacation! You will see more, and do more...and get a better over-all experience! Yeah...cruises are great, but not for Hawaii! Land based is the way to go!

[tiggrbaby]

Definitely rent your own car! Do you have any reward points you can use for the rentals? That's what we did.

 

If you have a Costco membership, their gas prices are way cheaper than others. There was one island that didn't have one, but there is a station that offered a discount with a AAA card.

 

We got sandwiches for take-out the night before and stored them in the fridge. We had a soft-side cooler bag. We brought a case of water and granola bars with us (from Costco).

 

Check out guides from the library to find places you can go on your own.

[insanemagnet]

Some people say go with an inside room, since you have the view from up on deck, and you are in port so long everyday or over night. But a Balcony seems to be what we would like...difference between a balcony and inside for 2 is about $1600.

 

What will you be using the balcony for and for how long (work out the hourly rate, if you dare).

 

For me, cabins are used for three things, and none of those need a window or a balcony.

[pspercy]

. . I stay in budget lodging, significantly lower than where a lot of cruisers stay on Waikiki.

 

Ever tried the Waikiki Prince?

http://www.waikikiprince.com

[OV8]

If you've never been to Hawaii, take a land vacation! You will see more, and do more...and get a better over-all experience! Yeah...cruises are great, but not for Hawaii! Land based is the way to go!

 

Cost wise how does it compare to a 7 day cruise + airfare from the main land?

 

I can see where it would be more expensive having to island hop on your own dime vs. having the cruise ship take you island to island.

And food on your own may not be as good as on the ship.

 

But that's just my no-experience pre-conceived notion.

I'd rather hear from posters with pro's vs cons of land vs. sea.

[punkincc]

Cost wise how does it compare to a 7 day cruise + airfare from the main land?

 

I can see where it would be more expensive having to island hop on your own dime vs. having the cruise ship take you island to island.

And food on your own may not be as good as on the ship.

 

But that's just my no-experience pre-conceived notion.

I'd rather hear from posters with pro's vs cons of land vs. sea.

 

 

You've got it exactly right. The POA visits 5 ports in Hawaii. In order to duplicate what you'd see on the cruise, you'd have to book expensive hotels in each of those cruise ports. Food in Hawaii is very expensive, as in $30 pp for breakfast. Then you'd have to book a flight between Waikiki and Maui, another over to the Big Island, and another over to Kauai. Unless you fly home from one of those islands, you'd have to add a 4th flight back to HNL. With all the flying around, check in and out at hotels, you're going to lose a lot of tour and relaxation time, so add a few days on to make up for the lost time and factor in hotels and food for the extra days.

 

Or, you could simply unpack once on the POA and relax, spending maximum time actually seeing what you came to Hawaii to see, eating for free, and being entertained for free in the evenings. The food in Hawaii is wonderful, but would be very expensive if you had to purchase every meal. We like to do a few special meals on the overnights, or a lunch off the ship.

 

By the time you add up the inter island flights, food, and hotels, I don't think you can do better than the price of a POA cabin, unless you are booking an expensive suite. An inside cabin will work just fine for this cruise. Touring on your own with a rental car from the cruise ship is very easy and inexpensive in Hawaii, so you can save some money there.

[swedish weave]

We have made the Hawaii cruise twice on Princess from San Pedro for less than we could fly to Hawaii and cruise on the Pride. We had four great sea days going over and four coming back. Total fourteen days.

For example, I see a 15 day on the Crown on Oct 5 this year for $1299 plus taxes and fees.

 

Rented cars on the islands and self guided.

Edited August 11, 2016 by swedish weave

[OV8]

You've got it exactly right. The POA visits 5 ports in Hawaii. In order to duplicate what you'd see on the cruise, you'd have to book expensive hotels in each of those cruise ports. Food in Hawaii is very expensive, as in $30 pp for breakfast. Then you'd have to book a flight between Waikiki and Maui, another over to the Big Island, and another over to Kauai. Unless you fly home from one of those islands, you'd have to add a 4th flight back to HNL. With all the flying around, check in and out at hotels, you're going to lose a lot of tour and relaxation time, so add a few days on to make up for the lost time and factor in hotels and food for the extra days.

 

Or, you could simply unpack once on the POA and relax, spending maximum time actually seeing what you came to Hawaii to see, eating for free, and being entertained for free in the evenings. The food in Hawaii is wonderful, but would be very expensive if you had to purchase every meal. We like to do a few special meals on the overnights, or a lunch off the ship.

 

By the time you add up the inter island flights, food, and hotels, I don't think you can do better than the price of a POA cabin, unless you are booking an expensive suite. An inside cabin will work just fine for this cruise. Touring on your own with a rental car from the cruise ship is very easy and inexpensive in Hawaii, so you can save some money there.

 

@ punkincc - thank you for setting me straight or at least confirming my suspicions.

 

If I were to do Hawaii a 2nd time - after an initial cruise visit - then maybe I'd do land only island hops.

But going for the first time, I can't imagine a better more cost effective bang for your buck than on a POA agenda.

[punkincc]

@ punkincc - thank you for setting me straight or at least confirming my suspicions.

 

If I were to do Hawaii a 2nd time - after an initial cruise visit - then maybe I'd do land only island hops.

But going for the first time, I can't imagine a better more cost effective bang for your buck than on a POA agenda.

 

We've done the POA twice. I think a combination land/cruise visit is the best option if you have the vacation time. Fly in early precruise or stay over on one of the islands. The island are all so different and we love seeing them all. I don't think I could choose just one or two for a strictly land vacation.

[OV8]

We've done the POA twice. I think a combination land/cruise visit is the best option if you have the vacation time. Fly in early precruise or stay over on one of the islands. The island are all so different and we love seeing them all. I don't think I could choose just one or two for a strictly land vacation.

 

Yeah, time would be an issue.

As I doubt we'd have more than 1 day prior & 1 day post cruise at most.

 

This is on our list for next year as a late summer or early fall trip.