The best way to see Hawaii?

[EydieG]

I would love to go to Hawaii, and we really love to cruise so we were wondering if that would be a good way to visit Hawaii? I've check around some, but don't like the 4 or 5 days at sea in a row. We have only cruised on Royal Caribbean and Carnival so don't know anything about other lines.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[DonahCBrown]

I would love to go to Hawaii, and we really love to cruise so we were wondering if that would be a good way to visit Hawaii? I've check around some, but don't like the 4 or 5 days at sea in a row. We have only cruised on Royal Caribbean and Carnival so don't know anything about other lines.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

There are now one week interisland cruises on The Pride of Aloha and Pride of America on NCL. You might want to check postings and reviews for these.

[bug_dan]

We've always been a bit partial to cruises having done five of them but we also did two land/air visits. It's just nice to have less packing and unpacking when you cruise and not have to go through all the airport hassles on interisland flights. Of course the drawback is short port times, but a pre and/or post cruise stay can help.

[dcp81]

We cruised with NCL Pride of Aloha last month and I think it was the ideal way to see the Hawaiian Islands. Our cruise started off in Honolulu on Oahu and we spent 2 days each on Kauai, The Big Island and Maui. We wound up back in Honolulu on the 7th day. Other than leaving Kauai at 1:00 p.m. to be able to see the Na Pali coast, there were no sea days. We sailed predominantly at night. It was like staying in a mobile hotel with all the amenities.

 

One thing we liked was scenic cruising. Along with sailing past the Na Pali coast (which is only viewable by boat or by air) we were able to see the volcano at night (about 10:00 p.m.) and watched the glow of the lava as it moved down into the sea.

 

If you are mainly wanting to see the islands, I can't think of a better way to do it. The Pride of Aloha was the first in service, the Pride of America started last year and the Pride of Hawaii is scheduled to begin cruising this spring. They all have similar itineraries. Check the NCL site for the individual differences.

[sandbag7]

I've been to Hawaii three times, and while that's not a lot, I feel that you miss a whole lot in cruising the Islands rather than staying on them. Maui has some very interesting areas (Hana Highway and cowboy country for two) that require extended touring, not to mention Haleakala. Kaui also has numerous sites on different parts of the Island, few of which are accessible by Ship. Most visitors to Oahu go only to Honolulu or Pearl Harbour memorial and miss beaches and scenery on the rest of the Island, and the Big Island is a trip in itself with sites like the observatory which will never be available by cruising and several world class beaches. Unlike the Islands of Tahiti which each can be seen on one or two days, Hawaii has lots more territory, hikes and climactic changes which can only be savored in a land tour, or two or three.

[redheddad]

oh sandbag....... these books are driving me nuts. i agree that cruising you will never see it the right way. but there is so much to do! and so many sights that the wife and i are going to see how we like it and if it is a good time we will probably devote the remainder of our family vacations and then our "alone time" to these beautiful islands. i had no idea there was this much to do in hawaii. i look forward to this vacation like no other i ever had. cruisin on poa on 04/01/06 (april fools!what could go wrong?!?):D :rolleyes:

[beachchick]

My advice depends on whether this trip will be your only trip to Hawaii. If so, then a cruise will give you a taste of the different islands (and they are all different; it's not a case of "seen one, seen them all"--not by a long shot). Some people use a cruise as a sampler to decide which island(s) they might like best to return to for a land trip. And now to make it even harder for you: You simply can't beat a land trip to Hawaii with a stay on two of the islands, such as Oahu and Maui or Maui and the Big Island or Oahu and Kauai. It simply depends on what kind of activities you prefer and what sights are most important to you. Honestly, the only way to decide that is to research (the Revealed guidebooks are excellent and there are several good Hawaii informational websites). Then you could choose whichever two islands appeal to you most.

 

In any case, no matter which you choose, you will not be able to do it all. It's just not possible and it defeats the purpose of going to Hawaii, IMO. I don't want to rush, rush, rush all day, every day to try to cram in as much as possible. I want to relax and hang loose too.

 

I know, that didn't help much. Let me say this: You really can't go wrong either way. A good compromise could be to do one of the NCL 7-night inter-island cruises with several days pre- or post-cruise on one of the islands. That's a very popular thing to do. (And I'm with you on the sea days--if I'm going to Hawaii, I want to spend my whole trip there.)

 

beachchick

[lhall85917]

Like some of the others I'm partial to the NCL cruises where you can see several different islands in one trip. The itineraries mentioned allow you more time to see each island than you would traditionally get - most of the time you get a full day with some islands being overnight and leaving the next afternoon or evening.

If we had gone to Hawaii on a land vacation we would never have realized what we were missing. More than likely we would have gone to Honolulu and thought, "yeah thats nice - we've seen it now". Instead, by cruising to other islands we were awed, amazed and wanted to come back. Each of the islands is different with so much to see - there is no way to do it all. At least the cruise gives you a little taste of the islands without having to pack up and fly each time.

If you're interested, perhaps you'd like to join our CC group in June aboard the Pride of America - feel free to email me for more info - lhall@cinci.rr.com.

[sceptic]

I've been to Hawaii a lot of times - for 1-3 weeks at a time - and still haven't "seen it all." There are some things I have done a zillion times, like watching lava (I've got real "red-rock fever") and things I've only done once, like Pearl Harbor.

 

All the islands are different. But it's not just the sights. Each island seems to me to have its own tempo, it's own "drummer." And this is the one thing that touring on a cruise ship just can't give you. Please note - there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeing the islands via cruise ship. The advantages are many. But it does miss something.

 

I vote for what beachchick said. Enjoy a cruise! But when you leave the ship, get to another island for 5+ days. It doesn't matter which neighbor island IMO. Relax. See a few things, and start to enjoy the tempo there. Never worry that you're not "seeing" enough - all those missed gems are reason to return.

[rjscott]

Our first visit to the Hawaiian islands was via cruise ship. I thought it would be our only trip, and so wanted to see a bit of each island. It was a wonderful way to sample the islands while not having the ordeal of packing/unpacking and flying between the islands. But, it did make me want to go back and re-visit each island to further explore. Happy to say we've done that on each island at least once.

[beachchick]

Each island seems to have its own tempo...

 

sceptic: That is an excellent way of explaining it. We also have not seen/done it all. We've been for 2 weeks or so at a time 4 times (4-1/2 if you count the cruise when I broke my leg) in the past 7 years. Plus DH used to work there (mostly Oahu and the BI) several weeks a year.

 

You're right too about how certain things hook you, while others one time is enough. My first time, I had this big list and schedules. DH humored me and let me figure out for myself that "hang loose" is more than a greeting. Hawaii has become my favorite place to visit because I don't have the feeling that I have to be a "tourist," but can just let things go.

 

beachchick

[alpal1993]

Thanks for your input.I have cruised many times and usually feel that cruising is the best way to go.We are seriously considering an 11 day land tour to 3 islands with stays of 3 1/2 -4 1/2 days each.It includes planned touring and lots of optional tours and free time included.With NCL starting the year round cruises to Hawii,they are also a great option.I love planning and since this trip isn't until 2007 June I have plenty of time to read this board and pick the vacation that best suites our needs.

Thanks for all the informative info.

[daWoods]

I've been to Hawaii a lot of times - for 1-3 weeks at a time - and still haven't "seen it all." There are some things I have done a zillion times, like watching lava (I've got real "red-rock fever") and things I've only done once, like Pearl Harbor.

 

All the islands are different. But it's not just the sights. Each island seems to me to have its own tempo, it's own "drummer." And this is the one thing that touring on a cruise ship just can't give you. Please note - there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeing the islands via cruise ship. The advantages are many. But it does miss something.

 

I vote for what beachchick said. Enjoy a cruise! But when you leave the ship, get to another island for 5+ days. It doesn't matter which neighbor island IMO. Relax. See a few things, and start to enjoy the tempo there. Never worry that you're not "seeing" enough - all those missed gems are reason to return.

I have to agree. We've been there 5 times and are currently planning our 6th. We've done all "the things" but are still finding more, and like sceptic, we keep going back to the volcano. A friend once did a Hawaiian cruise, loved it, but said it was like a sampler. She finally went back for 2 weeks with us and immersed herself.

[beachchick]

Thanks for your input.I have cruised many times and usually feel that cruising is the best way to go.We are seriously considering an 11 day land tour to 3 islands with stays of 3 1/2 -4 1/2 days each.It includes planned touring and lots of optional tours and free time included.With NCL starting the year round cruises to Hawii,they are also a great option.I love planning and since this trip isn't until 2007 June I have plenty of time to read this board and pick the vacation that best suites our needs.

Thanks for all the informative info.

 

Overall, this sounds like a good plan. My only suggestion is to limit yourself to 2 islands or add at least 3 more days to your total. The reason is that it's just not as easy to do the inter-island flights anymore, especially when you've got all your "stuff." You have to get to the airport, check in, go through security, etc. just like any other flight. You easily lose 1/2 a day every time you do it. At the other end, you've got to then go and get your rental car, check in to your accomodations, etc.

 

We ended up doing 3 islands in 16 days one year because it was right after AHC declared bankruptcy. Our cruise was scheduled for 3 weeks later, so we scrambled and planned a land trip (BI, Kauai, and Maui). Even with that many days, I felt kind of rushed. (We had insurance and got all our cruise money back, so at least that wasn't an issue.)

 

Truly, I feel 2 islands should be your maximum for an 11 day trip. Better still would be 14 days with either 2 or 3 islands.

 

beachchick

[alpal1993]

Beachchick.

Thanks for your input.We are planning on doing a land package tour via Globus/Cosmos.We have used them before ,and were very pleased.Everthing is arranged and taken care of. They purchase tour tickets in quantity so they are inexpensive and readily avaiable with immediate entrance to the different venues(no waiting in line)Globus is a little more high end and includes Sheraton Hotels and several meals being included.

All transportation is taken care of so we don't have to manuever our way through traffic etc.We can also partake in a cocktail or two and not have to worry about driving.

NCL Pride of Hawaii is still a consideration(We have sailed NCL twice)although we have been spoiled with Celebrity(Elite)

Which ever trip we decide on I am sure it will be fabulous.Planning is just sooooo much fun.I love making all the arrangements and researching all the places we go to visit