POA or land-based?

I can't seem to make a decision whether to try POA or just go with a land-based Hawaii vacation. For previous cruisers, did you regret doing the cruise? Did you feel you didn't have enough time to enjoy the ports? I'm also comparing costs. Seems like if I chose two islands on a land-based vacation, it could be done cheaper than a cruise now that there are so many hotel discounts.

Be aware that food/eating out can be expensive in Hawaii so you need to factor that in to the equation. And, I assume you have already taken into account car rental if you are going to anywhere outside of Honolulu. (My personal opinion is that you don't need a car in Honolulu/Waikiki.)

Having said all that - and making it clear that I have NOT sailed on the POA but have done the Hawaiian itinerary on the Island Princess in 2007 - I personally prefer land vacations to Hawaii.

If you are going to go to 2 islands, you are going to miss stuff. Example, you will see Waikiki and Pearl Harbor and have a fabulous time exploring all that Maui has to offer (if you choose Oahu and Maui) but you will miss sailing past Kilauea erupting, seeing Waimea Canyon on Kauai and going to the seahorse farm in Kona. The first option might be more relaxing and give you more of a feel of the islands and a chance to really explore a place without worrying about having to keep to someone else's timetable. But the second will offer you the chance to see a lot more - without as much opportunity to relax (if you're like me, anyway!).

There are some FABULOUS hotel deals out there right now. And a lot of them include breakfast (be sure to get one of those if possible!) and free nights. Can't beat those deals.

For what it's worth, I have decided that I am a "land" gal when it comes to Hawaii...not a cruise gal.

What do you want from your vacation? Are there things that you really want to see? If you were to take a land vacation, have you thought about what islands you'd visit and what number of days you'd spend on each? Are there lots of things you want to do in a couple places and are there islands/ports that you don't really care if you visit? Think about these things and you might have an easier time deciding which option would really be the best for your trip to Hawaii. Either way, ENJOY this FABULOUS destination! You can't go wrong...you'll be in Hawaii!!! :)

We were on POAL in Feb. and we did 4 days pre-cruise in Oahu. We loved having days to explore Oahu. Once we got on the ship, It was a great opportunity to explore the other islands. Every island is so different. We definitely know where we want to go next time we fly to Hawaii. Our favorite was Maui and Oahu. We really like the layed back atmosphere of Maui, and there was so much to do in Oahu so that also was great. The other islands were beautiful also. The Big Island was amazing. Kauai,is so beautiful. I guess my point is, we read all the Revealed books but truly the only way we knew is when we traveled there. We thought the ship gave us a good sampling of each island, which helped us for futher trips ( Will we ever cruise Hawaii again....you betcha..) Either way as Beach4me said you are in Hawaii....Enjoy....

I was asking myself the same question a month ago when first looking into Hawaii as our wedding/honeymoon location. when i first priced it out the land vacation was coming in a little under the cruise so i started leaning that way. I ended up breaking it down as:

Land vacation: better control of schedule, though more planning involved, annoying to pick up and leave every few days, possible airport frustrations

Cruise vacation: less transit hassle overall, ship amenities at your disposal, free nightly entertainment, Na Pali and volcano sailbys

I couldn't really decide so i ended up doing what the other posters have mentioned. We are flying into HNL, spending 4 days on oahu then sailing on POA. and actually what kinda sealed the deal was ncl dropping their prices on their first half of 09 POA sailings. it put it closer into the ballpark of the land vacation so it really became a no brainer, for me anyway.

I agree with Beach4me... NOW... we are land people in Hawaii. But the only reason we know what we like, where we like it, and where we want to visit again was our Hawaii cruise. Conventional wisdom for Hawaii is that Maui and Kauai are the best. Those were our two LEAST favorite islands, which we'd never have known without our cruise.

LOL! My first trip to Hawaii was in '77 back when cruises to the islands weren't an option. We did the "air cruise" option...flying from island to island for four days in each port. But our SEA cruise in 2007 confirmed what we'd decided 30 years earlier...the Big Island was still our least favorite of all islands. Perhaps the biggest suprise to us was that 30 years ago, we didn't much care for Waikiki either but absolutely fell in love with it in 2007 and included it in our 2008 vacation. If we hadn't taken the cruise, we probably never would have found that out. So you are absolutely correct in your cruise observation, MichellP.

As for Maui, I will agree that some of the changes we've seen over the past 30 years have not all been for the better, but is is still our favorite island by far. ;)

I am booked on POA for May. I have done NCL Hawaii a few years back on the Wind and loved it but so many negative reports about about POA and the price still have me considering. I didn't see any great prices as our fare is around $5000 for a balcony. I know I can do the land, but cruising is so easy. Everyone says use it as a floating hotel, but that is a pricey hotel room. We are adventurous and can always find unique things to do, it really is a matter of whether just to sit back and let someone else do the driving so to speak. I think it is a hard decision and requires alot of thought-traveling with boys, they seem to like the ease of no decisions and hence the cruise might win. Good luck with your decision-there really is no bad one to make.

We cruised American Hawaii almost 20 years ago and decided our two favorite islands were Maui and Kauai, so those are the two islands we will do if we choose land based.

What's drawing me to the cruise is just the lack of having to plan all the details, not having to wonder where to eat, etc. And it's generally easier and cheaper to fly to HNL than OGG or LIH. On the other hand, there's more of a schedule. We've already seen Pearl Harbor, Waikiki, so we don't really need to do that again. And we only have 7 or 8 days. Kona I'd like to snorkel. Hilo, I'm not real keen on that stop.

I wondering about the Napali coast. That's another thing drawing me to the cruise. If we do the land based, would a boat tour be better, worse or about the same as seeing it from the cruise ship on our balcony?

I'm very torn, and I'm planning a May trip, so I really have to decide pretty soon. I have a deposit on the cruise, but I'm just not sure.

I have done the hawaii cruise on the pride of hawaii a few years ago. I loved the cruise and have been back twice since then on land vacations. The cruise was awesome and I would love to do it again, there is no better way to see all the islands in my opinion. It's a great way to see how unique each island is. But to really see an island I think you need a little more time. That's why we went back to Kauai for 10 days and then Oahu for a week. While on Kauai we did the Napali Explorer and it was FABULOUS! It's a zodiac tour and we loved every minute of it. It was awesome to see from the ship but the close up view was even better. We also did the tubing the ditch excursion on our own and loved that as well.

If you choose land vacation or the cruise you just can't go wrong with Hawaii!!

You don't mention if this is your first trip to Hawaii... We first toured the Islands on the Island Princess and had a great time on the islands. It was a great sampling and helped us decide where we wanted to go for our land vacation. Since we missed Kona (due to high surf) and only viewed a bit of the volcano due to time - choosing the Big Island was easy for us. We just got back the day after Christmas from 8+ days on the Big Island.

Now we are back to deciding how we will visit the islands the next time we can. We will either split the time between Kauai & Oahu or pre-cruise in Oahu and cruise (since cruising is still our passion.) But NCLA really does need to reevaluate their rates. :eek: I paid less on a 15 day than they are charging now for a circle. Using our timeshare points for our stay makes it more economical for us to do a land vacation.

Food is pretty expensive on the islands. You really need to factor that in. We got lucky and I got a great rate on our rental car because I booked AGES in advance. Most rates more than doubled less than a month after I booked. We used points to redeem gift cards for gas, etc. We did this on a budget and we had a great time.

My advise is always... if you have never been there - do a cruise to find out what islands you like and THEN plan a return trip on land. :D

I agree with the idea to take a cruise first, then go back for a land vacation to the island or islands you like most. And you can't underestimate when people say that food is expensive on the islands. It's VERY expensive- even McDonald's is more expensive than you're used to. And every activity you do is expensive too.

That said, we went on POA 2 years ago now and had a wonderful time. It's very port intensive- more so than other cruises we've been on. I appreciated that not only could we eat without paying, but we were able to do more- in terms of shows, etc, than we ever would've been able to do on land. We stayed for 2 days on Oahu before the cruise, and I highly recommend that. We were able to see Pearl Harbor, the International Marketplace, and the Polynesian Cultural Center without being rushed.

Not everything can be compared in terms of price, of course, but I think the "real" cost of a land tour would be more than the cruise after you factor-in food.

Well, I'm making myself crazy over this. I just can't decide.

I have a deposit on the cruise, which total price for balcony is $3000. Airfare will be cheaper to HNL.

I've checked the two places I'd want to stay on Kauai and Maui, and the total for 8 nts. would be $1600. That's for Mahana and Sealodge. The views look beautiful. Multiple destination airfare is going to be more, plus an interisland flight.

I'm not big into excursions, but if I did the cruise, I'd do a snorkel tour in Kona. If I do land, I'd take a Napali coast tour, so those maybe equal each other out. Both options we would be renting a car.

I think the main thing it comes down to is convenience of the cruise, no worry about where to eat, easier flight straight to HNL.

But what's holding me back is just not having as much time on the islands. I know the cruise is very port intensive, but only a day and half in Maui and Kauai may not be enough to satisfy. And I'm afraid I would always feel rushed on the cruise to try to do everything in a short amount of time.

What kind of scenery do you see while cruising? Is it mainly just open ocean, or are you sailing close enough to land to view scenery? I mean besides Napali. And what's the chances of rough seas in May? I wouldn't want too much motion.

Not trying to be nosy, but your fare seems like a better deal. I have 3 people in a balcony for May 30 it's about $4800 now that the fuel supplement is gone, but the 3rd person (my son) is only $500 or so. Did you find a good deal that you wouldn't mind sharing?

Not trying to be nosy, but your fare seems like a better deal. I have 3 people in a balcony for May 30 it's about $4800 now that the fuel supplement is gone, but the 3rd person (my son) is only $500 or so. Did you find a good deal that you wouldn't mind sharing?

It's 1399 pp in a Cat BI for May 30 also. I think that's the rate that came out first of Jan for the first 5 months of this year. I was able to choose my cabin, but I see now they're just offering a guarantee. I also was able to get 50 pp shipboard credit for using my Visa card and 75 pp for NCL's Wave promotion.

I guess I'll have to check on that-I just called yesterday because everyone sems to have an OBC, but they said my fare went up so I couldn't get one. We have a BC but it shouldn't be that much higher. Thanks for sharing! By the way I went to Hawaiian Air to build a trip for inter-island travel and it came out to like $2200 for flights, rooms, cars on Kona and Maui starting from HNL for the week of my cruise. I basically have 2 months to figure it out. Keep us posted if you have any brilliant ideas.

I guess I'll have to check on that-I just called yesterday because everyone sems to have an OBC, but they said my fare went up so I couldn't get one. We have a BC but it shouldn't be that much higher. Thanks for sharing! By the way I went to Hawaiian Air to build a trip for inter-island travel and it came out to like $2200 for flights, rooms, cars on Kona and Maui starting from HNL for the week of my cruise. I basically have 2 months to figure it out. Keep us posted if you have any brilliant ideas.

It looks like BC is $630 more per person than the BI. Why don't you call this personal cruise consultant at NCL, Charlene, 877-436-9722 X7064. They seem to know more than the people working the regular NCL 800 number. Ask for some onboard credit and if a lower balcony category would work for you.

I've done the cruise on the PofAm and absolutely loved it. Watching the view through the picture windows at dinner as we sailed past the almost inaccessible NE Maui coast on departure from Kahului, watching the view from deck 13 as we approached the Big Island to arrival in Hilo, cruising back and forth along the Na Pali Coast.....stunning! Views and experiences you simply can't get in a week any other way! If that's what you want, do the cruise. If you want to get "into" a place and an island, do the land. I did the cruise about 18 mos ago, have been to the Big Island (my fave) since, and cannot wait to be able to do the cruise again, although I might try a longer one next time.

Hey Cruisewiththekids,

I have done both and have done 3 land based trips to Hawaii (on Oahu) and did work on the Norwegian Star when it was in Hawaii for 6 months. Both were incredible and both are wonderful options and you can't go wrong with either. The cruise option will show you a taste a the different islands and you can see how each is unique and which islands you like best (I love all of them in their own ways) but in the end you will wish you had more time to explore. However, if you stay on a land based vacation, you will have wished you and seen the other islands! :) Both will make you want to come back!

What is nice about Hawaii, no matter where you go, or what you do, there are tons of things to do!

As other posters have said, the food in Hawaii is expensive, but what we do is go to the grocery store and grab some fruit for breakfast or stop at Denny's and lunch we either have a light snack or fast food and then dinner is where we spend our money. We typically have a room with a small kitchenette so we can keep some fruit and beverages cold and a few things.

Whether you want to do Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbour, Hanauma Bay, Dole Pineapple Plantation, tour the North Shore etc. and stay on land in Hawaii or sail around the islands and experience a tour on the Big Island seeing an active volano, experience a Luau, snorkeling with sea turtles, or taking a Helicopter ride over Waimea Canyon, you will have the time of your life!

No matter what decision you will make, you will have a wonderful time! Enjoy!

We are so confused on what to do for 1st timers. Second week will be done with friends in Kauai (they will meet us there) (they like this place the best I guess). We want to see other island during our first week, but don't know if it is better or more cost effective to cruise island to island or fly island to island and stay in hotels, or whatever. Help

We are so confused on what to do for 1st timers. Second week will be done with friends in Kauai (they will meet us there) (they like this place the best I guess). We want to see other island during our first week, but don't know if it is better or more cost effective to cruise island to island or fly island to island and stay in hotels, or whatever. Help

If you only have one week, I would definitely not try to fly between the islands if you want to see them all. That would just take too much time. I would say either pick one or two at the max for one week, or take the cruise.

If you only have one week, I would definitely not try to fly between the islands if you want to see them all. That would just take too much time. I would say either pick one or two at the max for one week, or take the cruise.

We just got back from Kauai and Maui. Did two islands in eight days. Definitely would not want to do more than two in a week. Kauai north shore was my favorite.

I went through a similar thought process to all of this. When I first thought about Hawaii, I thought maybe we'd rent a house on Kauai, because I've heard Kauai is amazing. So I looked at HomeAway.com (we booked a chalet in CO with them last summer and it was a good experience). But as I was looking, I realized, "hmmm, I don't know where on the island I really want to be ... and since I've never been to Hawaii, I'd like to see more than one island". Renting multiple houses and flying from island to island seemed like a lot of work.

So, the next day I said, hmmm ... let's see what cruises there are. I booked PoA that very same day because I thought, hey this is a floating hotel - it's like a big water taxi that is going to ferry me from island to island so that I can get a taste of everything.

In the future, we may go back to one place that we love. But right now, we don't have the knowledge to know where we love. Cruising PoA is our way of taste testing everything!