11-Day Oahu Explorer Cruisetour

[cruise.mode]

Have never done Hawaii and am considering this package for fall 2015. Is the NCL package a good value, or are you better off just taking the 7-day pricing for the cruise alone and then handling your own pre-sailing excursions?

[sarakenny]

I just returned from Hawaii. If I were you, I'd fly to the Big Island or Maui and spend a few days then fly to Honolulu and spend a few days then go on the cruise. Then fly home from Honolulu after the cruise. IMHO, you don't need more than a few days on Oahu - see Pearl Harbor and the Polynesian Cultural Center, visit a shrimp truck, have a Mai Tai at the Royal Hawaiian, hike to the top of Diamond Head and check out Waikiki Beach and the North Shore. We didn't go to Maui but I heard the road to Hana is awesome. We spent a week on the Big Island and Volcanoes National Park is NOT to be missed. We didn't do the cruise but we saw it in port in Honolulu and saw it again at Kona.

[mcmomny]

We arrived 4 days before our cruise and stayed in Waikiki, rented a car and did the entire island!

 

Than we did the 7 day cruise and stayed one more day on Oahu before returning.

 

I was nice to relax a day after the cruise.

 

On our cruise we rented cars on each island and did our own thing, only excursion we booked was the road to Hana and we did not book it with NCL.

 

We feel we got to see a lot and really enjoyed this cruise, the ability to do what we wanted when we wanted to.

 

But I wouldn't mind returning and spending more time on Kauai as it rained tremendously both days we were there and our sight seeing was limited

 

I think you can "build" your own package around the 7 day cruise

[cruise.mode]

I think you can "build" your own package around the 7 day cruise

 

I think that's what we need to investigate. The package is appealing, as it seems like one-stop shopping. We have a lot to learn before we pull the trigger.

 

If you don't mind my asking, during what season did you make your trip?

[Tyskie]

We pretty much did the same thing as mcmommy and loved every minute of it! We stayed in Waikiki for 3 days, rented a car and circumnavigated the whole island. Not to miss was Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, North Shore and more! Very easy to drive in Hawaii, a lot say the traffic is bad but being from NY, it wasn't any different during rush hour. Did a lot of research with CC, Trip Advisor & the Revealed travel books. Anything we thought we wanted to see I pre-programed into our GPS before we left home.

 

We thought of the cruise as a floating hotel. Each island we pre-rented a car through Budget Blue Chip. That saved a "ton" of time, we just walked up and they basically handed us the keys while everyone else was still in line - we were out on the road. We did not drive the road to Hana - leave that to the professionals, IMO.

 

After the cruise we spent 3 days in San Francisco. I found it was hard to get used to the time change from the East Coast, so going a few days ahead of time was great.

 

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask, this is where I learned! There are many great reviews from CC members. Off the top of my head they are Puddles and Just4you. We went the first week of June and had fabulous weather, but it could be a crap shoot at any time. :)

[AF-1]

Let me chime in for a moment. Oahu's rainy season starts in November; so if you want to go without too much rain; go in Sept/Oct. Rent a car either before or after your cruise; depending on you vacation schedule. You can drive the entire island in a day; so three days prior to cruise would be good.

[punkincc]

I do not know the details of this package, but it should be easy enough with the internet to check out the individual prices of what is included if you were to book them on your own. You can then determine whether or not you are getting a good deal.

 

My guess is that you will pay more with the package. You will probably be trading the convenience of one stop shopping for the downside of big group tours and maybe seeing things you have no interest in. For instance, many group tours spend a day at the Hawaiian Cultural Center. I have read about it, and have little interest in seeing it. It seems like a tourist trap ( just my opinion, someone else may love it ) and I would rather spend my time at the beautiful Kualoa Ranch in the same area which offers many scenic tours.

 

We will cruise on the POA in August. We will have a couple days to explore the Waikiki area and then will head off via rental car on our own to the Northshore area where we will spend 3 nights relaxing and exploring, and then another 2 nights on the Windward Coast before heading back to Waikiki.

 

Check out the Hawaii board for lots of info on Hawaii.

[AF-1]

I do not know the details of this package, but it should be easy enough with the internet to check out the individual prices of what is included if you were to book them on your own. You can then determine whether or not you are getting a good deal.

 

My guess is that you will pay more with the package. You will probably be trading the convenience of one stop shopping for the downside of big group tours and maybe seeing things you have no interest in. For instance, many group tours spend a day at the Hawaiian Cultural Center. I have read about it, and have little interest in seeing it. It seems like a tourist trap ( just my opinion, someone else may love it ) and I would rather spend my time at the beautiful Kualoa Ranch in the same area which offers many scenic tours.

 

We will cruise on the POA in August. We will have a couple days to explore the Waikiki area and then will head off via rental car on our own to the Northshore area where we will spend 3 nights relaxing and exploring, and then another 2 nights on the Windward Coast before heading back to Waikiki.

 

Check out the Hawaii board for lots of info on Hawaii.

 

wow you guys are going to have fun. That is a great vacation itinerary

[cruise.mode]

I do not know the details of this package

 

It's the 11-Day Oahu Explorer Marriott Waikiki City View Cruisetour 4-Day Land Tours in Oahu + 7-Day Hawaii Cruise (Round-trip Honolulu)

 

 

Land tours include North Shore, Pearl Harbor & Downtown, Nu'uanu Pali/Kualoa Ranch.

 

We definitely need to do some Internet research and price out "pieces" to see what would work best for us. You are correct in terms of weighing 1-stop shopping vs. price, seeing exactly what you want, etc.

 

We are open to any wisdom you care to share!

[EllieinNJ]

First of all, if you are going to stay in a "city view" room, there are many more less expensive hotels to stay at. Also, we did NCL's Circle Oahu bus tour on the Saturday after deimbarkation and if your tours are anything like we had, I think you might be a little disappointed. So many stops were for shopping and the only thing at the ranch stop was a buffet lunch and again shopping.

[mcmomny]

I think that's what we need to investigate. The package is appealing, as it seems like one-stop shopping. We have a lot to learn before we pull the trigger.

 

If you don't mind my asking, during what season did you make your trip?

 

We went in February and the first 8 days were perfect weather and we ended with a lot of rain and clouds but it was still better than our weather back home in February!

 

I will take Hawaii and rain any day over minus 20 degrees and snow!

[mcmomny]

Along with CC, Tripadvisor and tons of tour books we found these maps online that I pre ordered but also found them in Hawaii. frankco maps .com, they were full of information and a great item to have while driving the islands. We did not have a GPS and these maps were perfect plus they had all the lesser know sights which were cool to see. Lightly laminated and full color.

 

I am not into shopping and our goal was to hit as many beaches as we could.

 

I bought back home a soft sided insulated bag that I used as my carry on for the plane and then it was our cooler for the car, I also brought refillable water bottles as filled them on board before we headed out. Zip lock bags for ice to put in the bag

 

We would stop at road side stands to buy fresh and dried fruits for our snacks and then just hit the road!

 

We also used Thrifty/Blue Chip for each island with no problems. Super friendly and fast.

 

Rented mustangs convertibles for each island but not the Big Island as I read the vog is often to strong and you need to keep your windows rolled up. And it was the day we were there, high vog warnings all over

 

I had also read that rentals are often broken into, we had no problems and only brought with us the basics, towels, sunscreen, hats and maps and our camera. Never left anything in the car.

 

We found that any big sight we wanted to see we got to before the tour buses as we didn't have to wait to fill up those big passenger buses, we just jumped in our car and headed out before everyone else!

 

We booked Road to Hana with a local company and booked our Luau on our own also, nothing with the cruise ship.

 

I did obsess with planning this trip, we booked way out and got a great balcony room and a great price.

 

We loved the crew, they were fun and happy kids. If you started talking with them they loved talking back and telling you their story and what working on a cruise ship was like

 

We stayed in an inexpensive small and simple hotel on Waikiki beach with a ocean view and balcony! We don't spend a lot of time in hotel rooms so couldn't see spending all that money for the perks we wouldn't be using and this hotel worked out great. Aston Circle hotel.

 

A couple of tips I read before my trip, keep a journal of your pictures. Day, time and beach as when you get home and look at all those beaches it will help you remember which is which beach!

 

Water sandals and a light weight rain coat were a must

 

Cruise ship is very causal so all I wore were sundresses and sandals, my husband wore khakis and Hawaiian shirts. Men could wear shorts for dinner but he didn't.

 

power strip for the cabin to plug all of your electronics into one place

 

Enjoy!

[AF-1]

I was stationed with the Air Force for 5 years in Hawaii; here are some of the must see places

1.Pearl Harbor: they have the Arizona museum; they have the Missouri; which is where the Japanese surrendered on the deck; there is also a sub there. Pearl Harbor is a 30 min drive from downtown.

2. Hanauma Bay: this is a horseshoe bay which is great for snorkeling or just a beach day; its a coral reef and absolutely fabulous

3. Depending on what time of year you go;;the North Shore; between Nov-Feb the waves can get up to 20 feet. This is where you will find the Banzai Pipeline

4. If you want to go to a Luau or Polynesian show; most major hotels downtown have them

5. Waikiki Beach is great; you don't need to stay right on the beach; however it's nice to be within a block. If you have Hilton Points; you can't beat the Hilton on the Beach

6. International Market Place; this is located in the middle of Waikiki. They have shops for everyone.

[cruise.mode]

Overwhelmed by all the comments and suggestions! All good! We so appreciate your taking the time to give such thoughtful responses. All this info will definitely help us in the decision-making process.

[Saving Up To Be Eccentric]

I don't know if you've looked into it, but there's a board here just for Hawaian ports of call. Also, you can go on trip advisor for more land-based info on Oahu. I occasionally lurk and plan my next big vacation on both websites.

[AF-1]

Cruise.mode, these boards are so full of info. You can pick and choose from whomever you want. At least you can make an informed decision.

[wichitastatecruiser]

Have never done Hawaii and am considering this package for fall 2015. Is the NCL package a good value, or are you better off just taking the 7-day pricing for the cruise alone and then handling your own pre-sailing excursions?

 

I was booked on a cruise tour for July of 2015 solo in a studio. However this month NCL started running the POA promo. I spent several days e-mailing my travel agent back and forth and I switched to the promo. The bundle promo includes 2 nights in the same hotel as the cruise tour in an ocean view room, flights from certain airports, specialty dining for 2 three nights, 20 photos on board and chocolate covered strawberries the first night in your stateroom. The bundle is only for guaranteed cabins so for next year the price is @ $5,000 for an inside, $6700 for obstructed ocean view and $7900 for a balcony. The cruise tour for two in a balcony would have been a little over $10,000. You get one less night, and my travel agent informed me that to "duplicate" the tours is @ $350 a person, though I may not be able to do them all with one less day. There is also reduced deposits so its only $250 for two people. So if your serious about going I suggest you get ahold of a good travel agent or call NCL before the end of the month and book the bundle.

[AF-1]

Whichatastatecruiser, are those prices for a cruise tour in Hawaii? How many days?

[wichitastatecruiser]

Whichatastatecruiser, are those prices for a cruise tour in Hawaii? How many days?

 

The bundle promo is NOT a cruise tour. There are three "tiered" pricing depending on the cruise date. Here is the site:

 

http://www.ncl.com/promo/hawaii-celebration?cid=DI_TMA_GLO_PRO_CRC_BKN_N-_HICELEBRATION052014_XXXXXXXX_XXXXXXXX_XXXXXXXX

 

Click terms and conditions to see cruise dates and pricing. The bundles includes:

 

•7-Day Hawaii cruise on Pride of America

•Airfare to and from select cities with transfers*

•2 night pre-cruise deluxe Oceanview hotel stay at the luxurious Marriott Waikiki

•3 dinners for two at our mouthwatering specialty restaurants such as Cagney's Steakhouse or La Cucina Italian restaurant

•Chocolate covered strawberries

•20 complimentary photos of your onboard experience

•Over $300 worth of e-coupons with savings such as discounts for our onboard stores, spa services, fitness classes and more.

 

It does not include tours at Waikiki so you would have to rent a car or book tours yourself. The bundle is good ONLY if you book by the end of June.

 

Cruise tour pricing fluctuated depending on sail date. However it includes 3 nights at the same hotel and includes tours during your stay at Waikiki. When I priced it out a BX including gratuities an flight would have been $10,380 for 2 people. With the bundle its only $7900.

[cruise.mode]

I can see why the bundles are attractive, but we would be booking our air separately. We've been saving up points.

[wichitastatecruiser]

I can see why the bundles are attractive, but we would be booking our air separately. We've been saving up points.

 

The bundle is also available without air for $500 less per person on the stateroom type. However since your booking the separately with points the cruise tour would probably give you more bang for the buck.

[kawilliams50]

We were also blessed to have lived in paradise for five years while serving our country in the United States Air Force. We will be sailing on the Pride of America in March 2017 and I can hardly wait. We will book our cruise, hotel and flights separately to save money. We too have enough points so our airline travel will be free. I'll be booking the military hotel one year out from our trip. I'm not sure if you have any government ties but if you do you might want to check it out! The cost in very very reasonable. if not, there are always deals to be found on hotels in Waikiki if you shop around. As an FYI the International Market has been closed, but there are lots of places to shop downtown and around the islands. I agree with the other posts renting a car and exploring on your own is easy on the islands. Oahu has more traffic than the other islands but it's still easy getting around. If I can help you in anyway let me know.