giving crusing a 2nd chance-Hawaii this time

[jlaa1]

We went on the NCL Dream in March on the Texarribean. Did not really enjoy it. We were particularily interested in Cancun, but due to storm...we got an extra day at sea...whooopee!!!

We are going to cruise Hawaii in Aug., NCL is the only ship that cruises in the summer then, so lets hope.

Any past Hawaiian cruisers have tips on the excursions? I have heard it is cheaper to get them on the island, less expensive since you have a whole day on each island.

We are going on a budget, so any discounts, ideas on cheap fun exercusrions will be greatly appreciated. Wheres the best place price wise to buy souvenirs?

[bettycrocker]

About 4 years ago we sailed the Star in HI. This is when it went to Fanning Island, which I don't think happens now.

IMHO (I don't want this to sound bad, I book inside cabins to keep costs down) Hawaii is not the place to go on a budget. We fly in two days ahead of time and stayed in Waikiki and we took two excursions and on one island we decided to just go out on our own. We figured, it's still US, what could it hurt. Well obviously we were not well prepared because we ended up at a strip mall that could have been anywhere and then went back to the ship.

We did an ATV excursion and a horseback riding excursion. I would recomend the ATV, we saw some scenery and the guides were good. I would not recommend the horseback riding. I'm from Indiana and we really didn't see anything that we couldn't have seen at home.

I've heard that the helicopter tours were very good, but these are not cheap.

Bottom line on the sites - do a lot of homework. I found this destination to be very disappointing. I enjoyed the cruise though. The ship was beautiful.

Souvenirs - as I said we stayed in Waikiki and the open air marketplace there was lots of fun. Don't buy the wood carvings from the stores, go to the marketplace where you can watch them being carved and then you can haggle over price. We bought a tiki, club, and walking stick. Make sure you have extra room in your lougage. Also, keep in mind size, because we had to check the walking stick seperately, we were not allowed to bring it on the plane.

Bottom line, again, just MO, if you want to due some serious sight seeing and don't just enjoy the cruise itself, then this is probably not the vacation for you.

Do your homework, get some books on HI. I hope you enjoy everything and just have a great time because your on vacation.

[Spikesgirl]

there and there are too many people to see when we go. You might want to head done to the library and check to see tif they have any of the Hawai'i Revealed books - there's one for each island and would give you a chance to sort of pick your high points. You can go to Hawai'i and not spend a fortune, but you have to know what you want to do and manage your time. There are lots of free or relatively inexpensive things to do on all the islands. Look for a publication called ---This Week (Big Island This Week, Maui This Week, Oahu This week). You can find them at just about any restaurant. They have lots of ads for free or reduced excursions, food and souvener items. For low cost souvenirs, check out the ABC stores. They are all over the islands. You can also go to any Long's Drug or Wal Mart for low cost stuff. The booklets also have maps in them or if you rent a car on any of the islands, they will provide you with maps. You can go to Volcano National Park for $10 a carload, snorkle at the City of Refuge (fee if you go into the picnic area of a few dollars), there's Haleakala, Io Needle, Road to Hana (if you're feeling brave), the Fern Grotto, and let's not forget about all the beaches. You can spend a lot in Hawai'i or stay on a reasonable budget. The trick is to do some research before hand.

 

Charlie

[flamomo]

We were just there in January - cruised aboard the Island Princess.

Sightseeing suggestions:

Hilo - Volcanoes National Park -It's a US Nat'l Park, so not expensive to visit, and it is spectacular to see.

Honolulu - USS Arizona Memorial - another inexpensive spot that is very interesting. When one goes out via shuttle boat to the actual memorial, the wall with the many names of those who perished there is mind-boggling. It is an awesome place.

[Happy ks]

I'll bet your cruise in Hawaii will be fabulous! We've cruised the islands twice now, plus land based trips there and it is always beautiful.

 

I'll agree with Spikesgirl, go to the library or buy a guidebook (or several) for the islands, read all you can. Rent cars in all the islands, they're easy to navigate, although I'd not rent one to stay in Honolulu. While Hawaii is pricey, you can have an awesome day if you plan it well.

 

Try real hard to spend at least a couple of days before or after your cruise, better yet, both. There is so much to see on Oahu, don't just stay in the city and go shopping. If you do stay in Honolulu, you can rent a car for the day and go to other areas, far less crowded than Waikiki.

 

There is no way to tell you what excursions you would enjoy the most, people like different things. We have been on helicopter flights, snorkel tours, catamaran trips, we drove to Hana (on Maui), visited the volcano, The Polynesian Cultural Center, shopped in Lahaina, swam in the ocean at Waikiki. Probably our favorite thing to do in Hawaii is relax on the beach and drive around the islands, to see the beautiful sights. On our next trip, we really want to cruise the Napali Coast (Kauai) on a small vessel.

 

Some of these things are very expensive (we didn't do all of them in one trip!), but you can enjoy the islands without spending too much cash.

 

The best place for inexpensive souvenirs has got to be the ABC Store chain, there's one on every corner, it seems, in Honolulu and at least one or more on each of the other islands. We pay to ship the stuff home, you don't have to pay sales tax on stuff shipped, so it offsets the cost of shipping and you don't have to schlepp the stuff home.

[Truth Detector]

The ship is not much to brag about, but the islands are wonderful. I have been on 7 cruises and the one in Hawaii was the very best. Don't waist your money on tours booked throught the cruise line. Rent a car in every port and do your own thing. You can down load maps off the internet Reserve your rental cars well in advance so you get what you want. Also, don't miss the Luau in Old Lahaina. It is expensive, but a once in a lifetime event. Don't miss the top of the mountain, the canyon, the cultural center, the volcano lava fields, 100% Kona coffee from the Safeway supermarket in Kona, the tribal temple north of Kona, the surf off the coast east of Hilo, the national cemetery overlooking Honolulu and, of course, Pear Harbor memorial. Swimming at Waikki is ok, but there are more beatiful beaches elsewhere on the islands. Have a great trip. If you want a copy of our itinerary, let me know.

[RachieLnnn]

Bottom line on the sites - do a lot of homework. I found this destination to be very disappointing. I enjoyed the cruise though. The ship was beautiful.

quote]

 

This post kind of stood out to me, because it's the opposite of what I've been hearing about NCL cruise to Hawaii! No big deal though, of course everyone has different opinions. :D

 

I am going for the islands, but figured, hey, I love cruising, and it seems like a great way to see them!

[takeavacation]

Hawaii is fabulous the new NCL America product is not. Just go with a open mind that the ship should be used for transportation/hotel and not a traditional cruise experience.

 

I have many clients that love NCL and won't cruise with any other line -- but, they went on the Hawaii product and had nothing but complaints (though they loved the islands!!).

 

As a TA, I keep hoping to hear that the service/food quality/staffing etc. has all improved greatly -- but, I haven't heard that yet.

 

Just go with an open mind!!! And don't give up on cruising after this one!Try another cruise line like Royal Caribbean or Celebrity or Princess!

[RachieLnnn]

We're on the Pride of Hawaii, which seems to be getting really good reviews lately. I know staffing and other things can change before November, though. I will definitely go with an open mind about NCLA - I've only been on 2 RCCL cruises before, and both were so different in service, food, etc. (the first was a lot better, IMO, than the second).

 

Even if the ship/service/food aren't perfect, I'm confident we will have a great time on our honeymoon. We'll be on vacation, and I know I won't care one bit about the little things that seem to bother people so much.

 

Thank you for your advice as a travel agent!

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

 

The best way to see Hawaii on a budget , is to rent a car on each island. This gives you the flexibility to see and do much more than going on a ship's tour. The car rental agencies have shuttles to and from their locations, from each cruise terminal. Each island has excellent roads and English is widely spoken. Also, do some comparison shopping as to car rental prices.

 

Do your research, that is, make a list of the places you want to see and look at the various travel guides for Hawaii.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Fred

[Wattle]

We have just returned from Hawaii and the Pride of Aloha. We had a great time. We wanted to see Hawaii and thought that by cruising we would get a taste of Hawaii, and we did. We rented a car in all ports (except Kona), and found this a great way to see the Islands, you could do what you wanted, when you wanted, and for a lot less. Souvioners (?) are everywhere, we found heaps at K-Mart and good value to. Waikiki was very crowded, and we did not rent a car here, but it was a great place to recover after a very port intensive cruise. We loved the ship and the islands. Big hint - plan and plan, and when you think you have enough info, plan some more. That way you will get the most out of what time you have. Use these boards to get lots of great info, including the NCL forum and the Hawaii Forum. Remember when you are reading the reviews some of them are very negitive, but where someone had a bad time, others may have had a great time. Something that was a problem for one person, may not be a problem for another.....we are all different, and it would be a boring world if we were all the same.

[Fredr]

Hello (again),

 

 

I responded earlier to your request for information about Hawaii. You indicated that you did not like your first cruise and you are hoping that the Hawaiian cruise will be better. After 17 cruises I can report that the differences between cruise ships, cruise lines. and so on are not significantly different...a cruise is what you make of it. Our 18th cruise, a back to back to Alaska is coming up in three weeks and I can hardly wait.

 

Please consider the reasons why you want to go on a cruise, because a cruise may not be something enjoyable for you and your husband. A cruise is a special type of a vacation, with many more pluses (and negatives) than other vacations. And it may not be for you or your DH.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Fred

[packercruising]

Fred it sounds like the diasappointment was due to the weather not allowing them to see a port they were looking forward. Not much you can do about the weather but I wouldn't expect it to be a problem in March.

 

Bact to Back Alaska cruise? Awesome!

 

Happy cruising to you and the OP! :)

[Fredr]

Packer,

 

I agree that you cannot judge a cruise because the weather was poor or that you missed a port you were looking forward to, but it seems that there are wonderful folks out there for whom cruising is just not their thing.

 

As for Milwaukee (Blatz, Pabst, William Proxmire, Henry Aaron..) nice to see the Brewers doing well. Matt Wise is from very close to where we live but stealing Matt and Darren Turnbow from the Angels wasn't nice.

 

Take care,

 

Fred

[packercruising]

Packer,

 

I agree that you cannot judge a cruise because the weather was poor or that you missed a port you were looking forward to, but it seems that there are wonderful folks out there for whom cruising is just not their thing.

 

As for Milwaukee (Blatz, Pabst, William Proxmire, Henry Aaron..) nice to see the Brewers doing well. Matt Wise is from very close to where we live but stealing Matt and Darren Turnbow from the Angels wasn't nice.

 

Take care,

 

Fred

 

Ha! There are times when we'd like to give them back, but Turnbow pitched well last night.:)