NCL Hawaii Opinions Please

[DinsdalePiranha]

A friend has asked me to recommend a cruise to Hawaii for her first cruise. I've recommended NCL because we've had good experiences with them and love Freestyle dining. Since I've never been to Hawaii and don't know very much about it, I'm coming here for some assistance.

 

They are planning to be away for about two weeks in February, want to tour "all the islands" and don't care whether or not they make the trek to Fanning Island. They're also perfectly happy to spend a couple of days on one of the islands either before or after the cruise. They are very inexperienced travellers, so they'll want arrangements to be as easy as possible.

 

Does anyone have a recommendation on which ship to book?

[CruisinMK]

I recommend either Pride of Hawaii or Pride of America.

One of the advantages of this itinerary over competitors is the ability to extend the trip with a hotel stay in Hawaii. Showing up early is smart, so that you have slack in case of plane screwups, and so you don't board the cruise feeling like a jetlagged zombie.

[CWC123]

My family of 4 just returned from 7 days on the POH.

Love'd it! You see the major 4 islands with time to see the major sites.

The flowing lava viewed at night from the ship is something you won't get on any other cruise!

We arrived 3 days early on our own and toured locally and cured jet lag.

We met quite a few folks from Canada. All great people.

Almost everyone tries cruising with a 3-4 day weekend cruise from LA or Florida, but the NCLA ships are mostly transport to and from the islands with a bed, food and entertainment to boot.

 

Happy Sailing from the home of the 2006 Stanley Cup Champs!

 

Chuck

[jame_g]

I think the NCLA Hawaii cruises are a great first cruise and a great way to see Hawaii. You get a lot of time in port, and the sailing is all during the evening through early morning. This gives you a relatively easy way to adjust to being at sea. The other thing is that it is a great way to see the various islands without having to keep packing up, flying between islands, and switching hotels. I would suggest a pre or post stay of at least two days in Honolulu, otherwise your time there will be very limited. This is also a great way to have a vacation that is basically pre-planned and your only decisions will be what activities/excursions to do during the day.