Surprising Mom for Her 75th

[Tatertot]

I booked Pride of America for March 1. It's not only a surprise for mom, but also my sister and niece who don't know they're going. Since I'm not telling them until January, I'm doing all the planning. Read lots of these threads and they are very helpful. Sure would appreciate some guidance here.

 

I booked the cruise thru American Airlines for the miles but hubby and I will use those some other time. Contential has best airfare. We'll arrive on 2/29 late afternoon. Thinking of staying at the Marriott Waikiki. Advantage or disadvantage of booking through NCL? Worried about luggage, transfers, etc. getting to ship. Pearl Harbor a must but pre or post-cruise?

 

I think I can figure out the shore excursions through the other posts. I'm having trouble with the post-cruise part. Thought we'd stay Saturday through Monday and fly out Tuesday night so need room for 3 nights. I had a bright idea that we'd rent a car and head out upon disembarking and stay a night on the North Shore. Having trouble finding accomodations there -- looks a little sparse. I think mom would love the Polynesian Culture Center. Should I worry about the drive back if we stay on the South Shore?

 

Mom's never cruised and hasn't traveled much. She'll be pleased with anything we do. Mom's pretty active but we'll do lots of tours and looking at scenery. Thanks for any tips.

[beachchick]

Aloha and welcome. Your questions are good ones. As you can imagine, they come up often and there is some excellent information on the forum to get you started. You might scroll back and read any threads that catch your eye. Or you could do an advanced search (not a "regular" search) on this forum only using specific search terms like "waikiki hotel" and "mariott waikiki" and so forth. There really aren't many hotels/resorts on the north shore with the notable exception of Turtle Bay. The drive from Waikiki to PCC is about 1-1/2 hours one way, but is certainly doable, especially if there are other things you want to do besides PCC. If you stay on the north shore, you'll be close to PCC and the north shore beaches, but not close to anything else. Quick FYI on your pre-cruise. If you don't book the Marriott Waikiki through NCL, you will NOT be allowed to take advantage of the early cruise check in services at the NCL desk in the hotel. Even if you're on the cruise, if you book the hotel on your own, you don't get the "perks" of paying the premium by booking through the cruise line. The extra cost buys you transfers, luggage transfer from the hotel to the ship, bell services, taxes, and the opportunity to do early check in at the hotel NCL desk. (Even cruisers who've booked a hotel stay through the cruise line, but at another offered hotel, can't do the early check in at the Marriott. Only those who've booked that hotel through NCL can use that service.) If you book the hotel on your own, you can either buy transfers from NCL, take a commercial shuttle (a hassle, IMO), or grab a taxi (about $30 from the airport to the hotel and my preference).

 

Have fun exploring the forum. We've got many members (including me) who just love to "talk" about Hawaii. Sometimes you'll find that you get fewer replies to multiple questions which have recently been discussed (or have ongoing current threads).

 

beachchick

[Spikesgirl]

Tatertot - one of my suggestions would be not to try to do everything at every port. So many people try to cram so much into their itinerary that they miss a big part of the islands. That's the laid-back relaxed attitude that makes Hawai'i so special.

 

Certainly I'm not saying that you shouldn't do anything, just don't book to the point of exhaustion. It's far better, in my opinion, to do a few things and cherish those memories than sitting at home trying to remember what you've done because all the memories have bled into each other.

 

Because of the time difference, I would leave Pearl Harbor until after the cruise. You will have more flexibility if you wait.

 

It will be much easier (and cheaper) if you stay at a hotel in the south shore and just drive over to the PCC - the island isn't that big...unless you get caught in rush hour traffic. Then you would swear you were in LA, but with nicer scenery.

 

Have an incredible visit to the islands.

 

Charlie

[skbaw]

On our trip to Hawaii we also wanted to visit the PCC and the North Shore. We had stayed in Waikiki precruise so thought it would be nice to stay closer to PCC. As has been mentioned the options are limited. There is Turtle Bay but it is expensive. We stayed at Luie Inn (I think that is the spelling). It is located right next to PCC and we paid less than $100 for the night. Be warned it is a motel not a fancy hotel. But we had a spacious room with a balcony. The room itself looked a little worn but it was clean. Another guest we talked to said their room had a horrible odor. Ours did not. The advantage for us was not having to drive back to Waikiki sfter a full day at PCC (and it is a full day thing) Also we didn't have to repeat the drive back up to the North Shore the next day to continue our tour.

 

This may be an option if you are not really fussy about your hotel but just want someplace to lay your head