Are there other options?

[sxphil]

I really just want to cruise round the Islands NOT from the States or Canada or anywhere else for that matter

 

Is NCL's Pride of America my only option?

[Susan-M]

There's Un-Cruise - reading the itinerary, it appears that it's heavy on 'water based' activities and light on exploring on land. Here's an overview, plus a couple of client reviews on CC.

[sxphil]

Thanks

[Cruisin' Chick]

Or skip the cruise and do a land vacation in a few of the locations.

[Susan-M]

Yes, it's a fantastic destination for a land trip ... but I would avoid trying to cover too many islands in a short period of time. Choose 2 islands max for a 10-14 day trip. The Big Island warrants a week minimum due to it's size.

[cb at sea]

I, too, second the motion about a land vacation. You simply will get much more from you time, and bigger, nicer hotel rooms than ship's cabins!!!

[punkincc]

I, too, second the motion about a land vacation. You simply will get much more from you time, and bigger, nicer hotel rooms than ship's cabins!!!

 

I'm not sure what you say is true. You get a lot of bang for your buck with a POA cruise. I think I will probably see more on my 7 day cruise of Hawaii than the typical "land" visitor. Nearly 24 touring hours on Maui for instance, which is the equivalent of about 3 port calls on a Caribbean cruise. I can cover a lot of territory in 24 hours. Overnights in Maui and Kauai, two ports on the big island, and then after the cruise, we'll stay on for a few more days to explore Oahu. It is great for the first time visitor who wants to check out what interests them most on each island and perhaps return someday to stay longer on their favorite island.

[Zeno]

I have to agree with punkincc.

 

We have done both ( a 'land' Hawaii vacation and the NCL cruise). Frankly the cruise is just the best way to get an intro to Hawaii because of the number of ports and the time spent in port (NONE of the other cruises can offer this). The Problem with a "land" vacation is one is really limited to 1 or 2 islands unless you want to waste a lot of time in airports and changing hotels.. On the cruise travelling is done at night so it really does not interfere with daytime activities.

[Susan-M]

The Problem with a "land" vacation is one is really limited to 1 or 2 islands unless you want to waste a lot of time in airports and changing hotels..

 

We've only done land vacations to Hawaii (but have cruised to other destinations) and I don't see the one or two island limit as a problem, as it's really enjoyable to have a longer stay on each island. What I really enjoy about land vacations to Hawaii is doing what you want, when you want, and not being limited to the hours a ship is in port. Trying to fit in the highlights on each island, even if you have almost two days in port, is a challenge.

 

But what works for some, doesn't work for all, so a cruise will be a better option for some, and a land vacation for others.

[Zeno]

I think a lot depends on if you have ever been to Hawaii before - the cruise is a good way of finding out which islands you would like to return to.

[Susan-M]

I think a lot depends on if you have ever been to Hawaii before - the cruise is a good way of finding out which islands you would like to return to.

 

I'm not sure that would have worked for us ... e.g. if we had had a port day in Kailua Kona, I'm not sure we'd want to return to the BI, but after a two week land trip to the BI (we didn't stay in Kailua Kona), we know it's a destination that we'd return to again because we had a chance to experience a lot of what the island has to offer and we loved it. But we've enjoyed all of the islands and would gladly go back to any of them.

 

I do think the POA cruise is good for those who want to cruise ... and yes, for some, it will help with figuring out which island(s) to return to. Also for anyone who might only have that one chance to go to Hawaii, it's an easy way to see the 4 main islands.

[sxphil]

I really didn't want to be changing hotels and travelling after travelling all the way from the UK hence the cruise!

I did want to get a flavour of each place

Like we did with the Caribbean we now love St Lucia and visit there direct and we have never returned to Martinque

 

Thanks for all your thoughts and ideas

[cruzn single]

We have been to HI 12 times. Eleven land and 1 cruise from West coast r/t San Diego. On one of our land trips we also did NCL cruise thru the islands. Of the two cruises, we liked the NCL the better of the two.

 

As you can tell we actually love land trips best, and Oahu is our favorite island. Each island is unique and has its own special charm.

 

Whatever you do, hope that you will get to our wonderful 50th state!!!

[golfer1966]

I too vote for land based vacation. DW and I love cruising, however we also do land based vaca's and we just did one in Hawaii in Dec. It was amazing. We did three islands ( oahu, big island and maui ) we use hawaiian air for inter island travel. We are planning our next trip back. I highly recommend a land vacation there. Plus you know how you feel when your on a cruise and at an island and having a great time and you look at your watch and say.... darn, its 4;30...gotta head back to the ship... you dont have to do that here when your doing something you really love.

[wyobean]

We are doing the PoA cruise and then staying another week on Maui. Hopefully that will be the best of both...cruising and land. Never been before...Hawaii is on our bucket list.

 

 

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