To cruise or just do land vacation

[mumom95]

This may not be the place to ask, considering it's a cruise board, but I'm going to do it anyway. When I planned my Alaska cruise/land vacation 5 years ago, cruisecritic was the best place for info, even for the land portion.

 

Little bit of info so you know: we are a family of four, mom and dad, upper 30's and kids that will be 10 and 11 at the time. We are treating this as a one time trip to Hawaii. Mainly because there are just so many places we want to go. There's probably a good chance my husband and I might go back someday when the kids are grown, but I have too many places I want to take the kids before they grow up to go back to Hawaii twice.

 

We are planning a big 10 day to 2 week vacation to Hawaii next July (2011). My first thought was no cruise, we'd do all the time on land, probably 3 islands. But the more I read, the more I realize we may want to visit all four islands. Then I started thinking about all the packing and repacking, and wondered if it would be better to do the POA cruise to see all the islands then a couple days before in Oahu for Pearl Harbor (and to get rid of the jet lag) and a few days after in Maui to just kind of relax on the beach.

 

Anyway, we've never been to Hawaii and I just don't know what is the best plan. We are a family that likes to do things. While there my husband wants to hang glide, we want to snorkel, probably take the helicopter ride over Kauai, the kids and I would like to swim with the dophins, do a luau, see a volcanoe and that's all so far :) (the more I research, the more expensive this trip gets)

 

So, what do you guys think. Is a cruise with a few days before and after added in best. Should we just do the land part and island hop? What's best for a family like ours whose never been.

 

Any and all info would be appreciated. Oh and if it helps, the whole family has been on two Disney cruises, I've done a girls only RC cruise and my husband and I cruised Princess to Alaska five years ago. I'd say in general we are not a hard to please type family. I'm just happy to be away with the family, not cooking and cleaning.

[chipmaster]

I would say land.

 

10 days is enough to consider 3 islands each for 3 days at a minimum. Flights between islands are often and cheap and with rental car you can DIY. Yes you need to then get accomidations and do meals yourself. IMHO much of the attraction of Hawaii is the driving around, stopping at small beaches, hiking to waterfalls etc. etc. A cruise will have the advantage of no inter island flights or worrying about say breakfast/dinner but limitations on time in each stop. With couple full day it opens up so much more. With kids you spend 1/2 day at a beach without worrying about not seeing something else, etc.

 

My vote: Kauai, Hawaii ( the big Island ), and either Maui or Oahau depending on what your interest are.

 

The activities you are listing for a family of four will be pricey ( dolphin, Heli ), others like snorkeling and seing a volcano are cheap. Depending on how you do hotels and food also steers things. Condos are everywhere and can save on meals but then you do have the cleaning aspects for each stop.

 

Happy planning

 

 

 

This may not be the place to ask, considering it's a cruise board, but I'm going to do it anyway. When I planned my Alaska cruise/land vacation 5 years ago, cruisecritic was the best place for info, even for the land portion.

 

Little bit of info so you know: we are a family of four, mom and dad, upper 30's and kids that will be 10 and 11 at the time. We are treating this as a one time trip to Hawaii. Mainly because there are just so many places we want to go. There's probably a good chance my husband and I might go back someday when the kids are grown, but I have too many places I want to take the kids before they grow up to go back to Hawaii twice.

 

We are planning a big 10 day to 2 week vacation to Hawaii next July (2011). My first thought was no cruise, we'd do all the time on land, probably 3 islands. But the more I read, the more I realize we may want to visit all four islands. Then I started thinking about all the packing and repacking, and wondered if it would be better to do the POA cruise to see all the islands then a couple days before in Oahu for Pearl Harbor (and to get rid of the jet lag) and a few days after in Maui to just kind of relax on the beach.

 

Anyway, we've never been to Hawaii and I just don't know what is the best plan. We are a family that likes to do things. While there my husband wants to hang glide, we want to snorkel, probably take the helicopter ride over Kauai, the kids and I would like to swim with the dophins, do a luau, see a volcanoe and that's all so far :) (the more I research, the more expensive this trip gets)

 

So, what do you guys think. Is a cruise with a few days before and after added in best. Should we just do the land part and island hop? What's best for a family like ours whose never been.

 

Any and all info would be appreciated. Oh and if it helps, the whole family has been on two Disney cruises, I've done a girls only RC cruise and my husband and I cruised Princess to Alaska five years ago. I'd say in general we are not a hard to please type family. I'm just happy to be away with the family, not cooking and cleaning.

[mumom95]

I would say land.

 

10 days is enough to consider 3 islands each for 3 days at a minimum. Flights between islands are often and cheap and with rental car you can DIY. Yes you need to then get accomidations and do meals yourself. IMHO much of the attraction of Hawaii is the driving around, stopping at small beaches, hiking to waterfalls etc. etc. A cruise will have the advantage of no inter island flights or worrying about say breakfast/dinner but limitations on time in each stop. With couple full day it opens up so much more. With kids you spend 1/2 day at a beach without worrying about not seeing something else, etc.

 

My vote: Kauai, Hawaii ( the big Island ), and either Maui or Oahau depending on what your interest are.

 

The activities you are listing for a family of four will be pricey ( dolphin, Heli ), others like snorkeling and seing a volcano are cheap. Depending on how you do hotels and food also steers things. Condos are everywhere and can save on meals but then you do have the cleaning aspects for each stop.

 

Happy planning

 

Thanks for the input. Oahu (for Pearl Harbor) and Maui (because it's Maui and everyone says we should go) are the two islands we were for sure going to see. The decision is more between the other two or do all four islands.

[Umbarger]

One thing to consider is cost. I think the cruise would be cheaper as food, entertainment and lodging is all included. Hotels and food in Hawaii is very expensive, not to mention inter island flights.

[smslms]

We have cruised to Hawaii a half dozen times, once as a destination and the rest just passing by on the way to another destination. While stopping in various ports on a cruise can be of some interest you cannot begin to see the islands that way.

 

We started going there some 30 odd years ago and not long after bought property there. We've been to all the islands and would say that in our opinion Oahu is the least representative of the Hawiian experience other than Diamondhead and the Pearl Harbour memorials. There's lot of nice scenery around the island but otherwise Honolulu is just a big city with the usual tourist traps.

 

The Big Island is not advertised as much as the others but is really worth seeing. We recommend staying in Wailkoloa (20 min N of Kona) where there are very nice resorts as well as the Dolphin Quest facility at the Hilton. From there you can explore Hilo, Volcanoes Nat'l Park as well as the ranch country up in Waimea. The differences in geography and terrain have to be seen to be believed.

 

Maui used to be quiet, not as much anymore, but still very pleasant. You can stay way down south in Wailea, lots of sun, but expensive, or a little bit further north in Kehei. This area is very popular, good beaches, lots of restaurants, less expensive but lots of traffic and can be noisy. You can go further north to Ka'anapali, which is a very popular resort area. Sunny, windy, but lots of good resorts, shopping and great beaches. Further north is Kapalua, our favorite since we lived there, quiet, but the weather can be a bit rainy and windy sometimes.

 

Kauai is also a great place to visit. As a norm it can be rainy in the north (Princeville area) to very sunny in the south (Poipu area). Not as quiet as it used to be but still very relaxing with some tremendous scenery throughout the island.

 

Personally I wouldn't try to do it all at once. If you spend a week or two on a couple of the islands you'll see the beauty and then you'll want to com back and explore the rest for years and years.

 

Just our opinion, but hope you will enjoy your trip whatever your decision.:)

[Beach4me]

Since you've said that you'd like to definitely visit 3 islands, I would opt for your plan of Oahu pre-cruise, the cruise, and then Maui post-cruise.

 

My first trip to Hawaii was island-hopping. I found that Maui was the island for me. I've done many trips back to Maui over the years. I have recently (a couple years ago) done a round-trip Hawaii cruise from the west coast. I did not enjoy the 9 sea days that cruise entailed because I love Hawaii. And, I'd quickly realized that I'd rather have spent that time in the islands. So, I think your opting for the POA is a wise choice.

 

Unlike a previous poster, I have had no desire to return to the Big Island. I found that I enjoyed my visit to Volcanoes National Park - but the rest of my time on Hawaii was not as enjoyable as I found my time on the other islands to be. Something you may want to consider if your ship calls at Kona, there is a Seahorse Farm there (one of only 5 in the world). That is a neat place to visit - they let you put your hands in the tanks and the seahorses wrap their tails around your fingers. They purr! Who knew?! :)

 

Back to your plan. I enjoy Oahu/Waikiki (hasn't always been the case but there have been some dramatic improvements over the recent years). Your plan of Pearl Harbor is spot on. It is a must in my book. The other thing you might want to consider is the Roberts Circle Island Tour. It will give you an excellent overview of the island - from Diamond Head to the North Shore to the Valley of Temples. Lots of different scenery.

 

With kids, I think that Kaanapali would be your better option on Maui. More family-friendly. Lots to do, a lot of places to eat, etc. If you want a fun sailing adventure, my favorite is the Gemini off of Kaanapali Beach (www.geminicharters.com).

 

While there are hotels in all price points, take a look at the Starwood properties (Westin). They are running some excellent stay 2 nights get the 3rd free deals. (Depending upon time of year it may be 4 for price of 3.) Westin also has a "villa" resort on Kaanapali that has a great childrens water play area. Keep in mind that Westins are smoke-free, though, so if you're a smoker, you will have to leave the property to indulge.

 

Let us know if you have any other specific questions. Bottom line, you pretty much can't go wrong with whatever you decide. It is, after all, Hawaii! ;)

[GypRasc]

Although I've never been to Hawaii myself it is for exactly this reason that I did lot's of research myself before deciding to do the POA cruise next March rather than island hop. After speaking to several people who personally went there and did the island hopping, all indicated they felt it was wasted time packing/going to the airport/checking into new hotel, etc. Since the POA does give 2 days at 2 of the ports and you can take as much time before/after the cruise as you want on O'ahu this just sounded like a much better option to me. I, also, am figuring this will be my ONLY trip to Hawaii so the POA I feel is my better choice. And, I'm not taking kids with me which makes island hopping even less thrilling due to the packing, etc. Whichever way you decide, Enjoy!

[mumom95]

Thanks everyone for all the input.

 

This is so hard. I love vacation planning and am usually really good at it for my family, but for some reason I'm really struggling with Hawaii. I just can't get a good idea of how we want to handle the whole thing. I know a lot of things we want to do while there, just can't get an idea what's the best overall experience.

 

Any other advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[riofriotex]

Thanks everyone for all the input.

 

This is so hard. I love vacation planning and am usually really good at it for my family, but for some reason I'm really struggling with Hawaii. I just can't get a good idea of how we want to handle the whole thing. I know a lot of things we want to do while there, just can't get an idea what's the best overall experience.

 

Any other advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

You might want to post this question in the Family Cruises forum under Special Interests Cruising - you might get more responses from similar families with a similar suggestion. Just a thought. :)

[LovetoTravel82]

Thanks everyone for all the input.

 

This is so hard. I love vacation planning and am usually really good at it for my family, but for some reason I'm really struggling with Hawaii. I just can't get a good idea of how we want to handle the whole thing. I know a lot of things we want to do while there, just can't get an idea what's the best overall experience.

 

Any other advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

My husband and I (ages 30 and 27) were on the Pride of America a few weeks ago. It was our first trip to Hawaii and I loved it. We spent 2 days in Oahu pre-cruise. However, if I could do my trip over, I would not take the cruise. I would split my time up between two or three islands. I would probably pick Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island (staying only a couple days here - probably near Volcanoes National Park). But since you have previously stated you really want to go to Oahu and Maui, I would suggest to you Oahu, Maui and Kauai.

 

I'm a beach person and I think I would have enjoyed my Hawaii trip more if I could start each morning out by just walking out of my hotel/condo and spending a couple hours on the beach before heading out for a busy day of sightseeing. I felt very limited by the cruise and wanted to explore the islands more without having to worry about getting back to the ship by 5 or whatever time we were leaving that day. I wish I had ask the question you are asking now before I went and someone had told me to do the land trip. Just my personal opinion from my trip. Either way you pick, it will be a great trip! Hawaii is amazing!

 

--Brandy

[corvette1963]

We were on the POA last March. If I were to plan my trip over, I would do exactly what your first thought was: Oahu/POA/Maui. We arrived on Oahu on Thursday afternoon, with the 6 hour time difference it was easy the next morning to be one of the first in line at Pearl Harbor on Friday morning when they opened at 7:30. (If you're even an hour later, it could be a 2-3 hour (or more?) wait to see the USS Arizona.) We had seen all we wanted to see on Oahu before we boarded the POA on Saturday afternoon. We rented cars in each port. There are great excursions you can do on your own or through the ship. We got a very good taste of each island and watched whales from our balcony. You can save alot of food dollars by having all meals included with your fare. Many people take soft side coolers and make sandwiches.(fixings available every morning at the buffet) There is no shortage of beautiful vistas or beaches to have a nice picnic. When our cruise was over we also had about 3 full days on Oahu again. (Left monday night at like 10 PM) We loved both Maui and Kaui, and if I could do it over, we would have disembarked the POA and flew to most likely Maui and then returned home from Maui instead of Oahu.

If you do go for a land vacation, you may find some good deals at VRBO to rent condo's or homes from their owners. You will love your vacation in Hawaii either way, so you can't go wrong.

Happy planning,

Mary

[bronxite]

When I first started to dream of Hawaii my goal was to see as much as possible and as easy as possible. My uncle (RIP) had taken one of the first Hawaiian cruises with NCL and loved it, he said it was the best way to see each island. I'm not crazy about flying so island hopping was not really the first option I wanted to do. Plus with the cruise, your meals are included, just decided what resturant you want to eat in.

 

We will be traveling on the April 9, 2011 cruise and so looking forward to it. We are staying two days before in Hawaii and then five days afterwards. Have fun planning your vacation. I to did the Princess Alaska land/cruise in June 2006.:o

[ed_k_tx]

We just came back from the POA. It was our first trip to Hawaii. Like others have said it is a good way to get a taste of the islands and then you can pick your favorites and spend more time there WHEN you return.

Well, now what to do? I want to go back to all 4 and Molokai and Lanai too.:eek:

 

Seriously, I like your idea of a pre-cruise stay on Oahu and post-cruise on Maui.

 

Enjoy your trip.

[riofriotex]

We just came back from the POA. It was our first trip to Hawaii. Like others have said it is a good way to get a taste of the islands and then you can pick your favorites and spend more time there WHEN you return.

 

Well, now what to do? I want to go back to all 4 and Molokai and Lanai too.:eek:

 

Seriously, I like your idea of a pre-cruise stay on Oahu and post-cruise on Maui.

 

This, totally. But if I could do it all over, I'd pre-cruise in Oahu (and for more than just one night, to allow myself to adjust to the time change better) and post-cruise in Maui - and this is coming from someone who hates flying especially on little island-hoppers. After the cruise, I felt I'd like to go back to Lahaina on Maui and from there get to Lanai and Molokai. I actually felt Lahaina was a little less tourist-y than some other places (like Waikiki and Kona), and I would have liked to explore its history more. But that's me. YMMV.;)

[pbandpn]

We had our hearts set on cruising but ended up doing a 14 day trip to three islands (Oahu/Hawaii/Maui).

 

We would definitely suggest you do it in that order.

 

My best advice for you is if you are going to the Big Island fly in one side and fly out the other. We had an issue researching the car penalty for returning on the other side but if you are persistent you will be able to find a rate that has that fee (around $50-$70) waived. We flew into Hilo and drove the scenic view way to Kona (as opposed to Saddle Road). I would also highly suggest you take that small scenic route that off-shoots from the highway on your way to Kona (this will be very early on your roadtrip as its minutes north of Hilo).

 

Fly early in the AM so you do not waste precious time . . . have all your luggage ready the night before you check out as to make your transition go smoothly. You can also fly out of Maui as they have some direct flights to the mainland if you wish.

 

Oh . . . make sure one of the first stops you make on each island is a stop at Costco or Walmart to stock up on neccesities/liquids such as sunscreen, water, and souvenirs.

 

HTH and CruiseCritic is a fabulous resource as they are very resourceful on the must-sees and dos!

[vbmom87]

In the end you will have to make the decision that is best for your family. However, with two weeks I would do the POA and a week on an island of your choice. Especially since you are planning on this as a one time trip to Hawaii, the POA is a wonderful way to get a taste of each island. We debated what to do for some time. I was leaning to island hopping, but my DH just didn't want to do all that packing and unpacking. We decided to spend 4 nights on Oahu (needed one or two more) with the POA cruise after. It was perfect for us. We saw the main highlights of each islands. After the trip I was very glad we did it this way. If we never get back to Hawaii, at least I saw the main attractions of each island. Each island has something unique to offer.

 

Good luck with your planning and let us know what you decide.

[mumom95]

Well, I think we have decided to ax the cruise and do a few days in Oahu, 5 days in Maui and 5 days on the big island.

 

Of course, we'll probably change our minds 10 times within the next week. That seems to be how the planning is going (my poor travel agent).

 

Thanks for all the input. Any advice for those three places is greatly appreciated.

[Beach4me]

Well, I think we have decided to ax the cruise and do a few days in Oahu, 5 days in Maui and 5 days on the big island.

 

Of course, we'll probably change our minds 10 times within the next week. That seems to be how the planning is going (my poor travel agent).

 

Thanks for all the input. Any advice for those three places is greatly appreciated.

 

Be sure to give us an update upon your return. It's always interesting to hear first-timer's views/thoughts/opinions. Have a GREAT trip!

[chipmaster]

IMHO a very smart and good decision.

 

Time to move your research to place like tripadvisor or other travel site. You'll find much more information/experience to land based stuff; food, entertainment, water activities, hikes, lava tunnels, luau, secret waterfalls, all the stuff one misses on a cruise based type vacation.

 

My other word of advice is for the big island think thru what you really want to do there! As another poster said, its a huge island and driving it is a lot like Yellowstone.. lots of driving. Spend 5 days there and you'll do lots of driving. If the volcanoes are what you want to see I'd go so far to say make it a 3 day affair and spend two days in Kauai or something like that ;)

 

Well, I think we have decided to ax the cruise and do a few days in Oahu, 5 days in Maui and 5 days on the big island.

 

Of course, we'll probably change our minds 10 times within the next week. That seems to be how the planning is going (my poor travel agent).

 

Thanks for all the input. Any advice for those three places is greatly appreciated.

[smslms]

Well, I think we have decided to ax the cruise and do a few days in Oahu, 5 days in Maui and 5 days on the big island.

 

Of course, we'll probably change our minds 10 times within the next week. That seems to be how the planning is going (my poor travel agent).

 

Thanks for all the input. Any advice for those three places is greatly appreciated.

 

Good idea. With 5 days on Maui you will have time to spend a day driving to Hana, just take your time and enjoy the sights. Take a drive up to the summit of Haleakala and also check out the surfing on the north shore. Spend a day just checking out the various areas, Wailea, Kehei, Ka'anapali and Kapalua so that you can see the differences for when you decide to come back. Since it is Hawaii you have to spend some time on the beaches and just relax.

 

Despite what a couple of OP have said I think you will very much enjoy the Big Island. Best advice I can offer is to stay in Waikoloa as this is a great resort area with good restaurants and shopping. Drive the southern route to VNP, then take another day to drive the northern route thru Waimea over to Hilo. Hilo is subtropical and often rainy but there are some beautiful gardens to visit. Believe me, in 5 days you won't be able to see all of the island but you'll be able to get a good sense of what there is to visit.

 

As I said in an earlier post we've been visiting Hawaii for 30 years, and just this past Spring spent 6 weeks there again. We were on the Big Island, Kauai and Maui for 2 weeks each and while we revisited favorite places we still managed to find places that we had not been to before.

 

Depending on your outlook, you might be best to rent a condo rather than stay in a hotel, gives you more room plus a kitchen and laundry. In Waikoloa I would recommend Aston Wailoloa Shores and on Maui check out the Ridge Villas thru Ridge Realty, nice condos close to the Ritz Carlton.

 

Nomatter what just enjoy yourselves and I know you'll end up coming back. We've travelled, both on cruises and land based vacations, throughout a good part of the world, but there's something about Hawaii that just keeps drawing us back.:)

[Jenbo57]

Well, I think we have decided to ax the cruise and do a few days in Oahu, 5 days in Maui and 5 days on the big island.

 

Of course, we'll probably change our minds 10 times within the next week. That seems to be how the planning is going (my poor travel agent).

 

Thanks for all the input. Any advice for those three places is greatly appreciated.

 

 

Check out www.vrbo.com before you commit to hotels. Excellent source of vacation rentals on all of the islands.

[mumom95]

We had our hearts set on cruising but ended up doing a 14 day trip to three islands (Oahu/Hawaii/Maui).

 

We would definitely suggest you do it in that order.

 

My best advice for you is if you are going to the Big Island fly in one side and fly out the other. We had an issue researching the car penalty for returning on the other side but if you are persistent you will be able to find a rate that has that fee (around $50-$70) waived. We flew into Hilo and drove the scenic view way to Kona (as opposed to Saddle Road). I would also highly suggest you take that small scenic route that off-shoots from the highway on your way to Kona (this will be very early on your roadtrip as its minutes north of Hilo).

 

Fly early in the AM so you do not waste precious time . . . have all your luggage ready the night before you check out as to make your transition go smoothly. You can also fly out of Maui as they have some direct flights to the mainland if you wish.

 

Oh . . . make sure one of the first stops you make on each island is a stop at Costco or Walmart to stock up on neccesities/liquids such as sunscreen, water, and souvenirs.

 

HTH and CruiseCritic is a fabulous resource as they are very resourceful on the must-sees and dos!

 

May I ask what HTH stands for? I've never heard of it.

[sceptic]

If you're spending 5-6 days on the Big Island, you might want to consider spending 3-4 nights on the Kona side and 2-ish nights in Volcano. it's really the only island where you can include the drive from one hotel/condo to another as a true excursion. we've done this a few times, like spend 3 nights at Sea village in Kona, then drive around the top and down to Hilo and then up to our B&B in Volcano. The Big Island is so big that this drive as a round-trip would essentially take up an entire day, half of which would be back-tracking. Not for me, thank you.

 

Obviously, this depends on the interests of your family. Volcano and the National Park are utterly different and remarkable, and to me they are especially wonderful in the evening, when the glow of Halemaumau is seen and the village of Volcano is wrapped in mist and silence. You miss this if you're driving back to the Kona side. It's a unique place in the whole of Hawaii, and the evenings enhance its unique qualities. And there is tons to see on the Hilo side - the whole Puna district, an easy drive down to the black sand beach, the great gardens, etc.

 

The one minor drawback to this might be the drop charge for the car if you leave out of Hilo airport, but there's nothing really wrong with just having the drive back to the Kona airport via the southern route simply be another great excursion back to the airport.

[pbandpn]

May I ask what HTH stands for? I've never heard of it.

 

Hope This Helps :D

[mumom95]

Hope This Helps :D

 

Thanks