JasmineC

We were just in Honolulu in December prior to and after the cruise. I would highly recommend renting a car and driving around the island. We did that prior and after. It let us go off the beaten path and explore roads/beaches we may not otherwise see from the main roads.

I am wanting to book this experience when we arrive in Honolulu a few days prior to our cruise. I do want the full experience of a Hawaiian luau, food, culture, dancing, shows. I am deciding between the Luau package and the Gateway buffet package. Will the luau package get me the experience I am looking for? We've never been to Hawaii to really want to experience that part of their culture. With the packages they offer online they all come with the Islands of Polynesia and I believe the Ha Breath of Life show at night. We are committed to spending the whole day there from what I can gather with the times of the packages. Any advice is appreciated.

What is Hilo Hattie's?

With Noah's Ark tour, which of the two tours would you recommend if one had to pick?

We are in Honolulu 4 days prior to the cruise leaving and want to do some touring beforehand on our own.

We'll be in Honolulu 3 days prior to the cruise leaving, and 2 days post-cruise. We plan to rent a car. Are there some nice scenic drives/lookout points or locations that are must-see? Most of our vacations, we just love to jump in a car, drive and see the countryside and go off the beaten path to discover places. Thanks.

I was looking at seeing Pearl Harbour a day or so before our cruise leaves. To do it on your own, do you see ALL that is offered through a tour company? I get that the admission to the National Park is free, and maybe you do have to pay to see other parts? Arizona Memorial, Battleship Missouri, Sub, Aviation Museum, Oahu Circle Island? Thanks for the advice. Oh and is parking easy there? We're renting a car for a few days too,

On past NCL cruises, when it came to the main show room for shows, there was a section cordoned off for Haven guests. They seemed to be 1st come, first serve. If it does not fill up with Haven guests, just before the show starts, they open the section up to regular guests.

We did this cruise in January/February 2023 and was disappointed with a few of the NCL-sponsored excursions. One was the Exploring Magnificent Cartagena. Although some of the history was nice to learn about, it was a glorified shopping trip and the vendors were non-stop pushy, to the point where they would almost pull you back off the bus to buy their goods. It was kind of scary and maddening at the same time. I think we stopped 3x at 'shopping areas'. I get that it is nice to buy some souvenirs, but it's the same stuff at each location and if I wanted to 'shop', I would have walked to a shopping area on my own without having to pay $100 to be taken there. I have tried to post review on the NCL site since we've been back, and I keep getting errors on the site, which I have reported again and again, only to be told they're working on it. It frustrates me that someone going to book excursions on NCL cannot do thorough reviews on their site before deciding.

We've booked Cagney's on each of our 3 cruises we have taken so far with NCL (4th cruise was just booked for December). We try and go 2x each cruise - it's a VERY good steakhouse. We have nothing to compare to, where we're from. Highly recommend! Moderno - we only had it on one of our NCL cruises and it was good - but we like the brazilian steakhouse theme and the foods offered! Teppanyaki - meh. Nothing that you can't get at any other teppanyaki-style restaurant.