Would you recommend a cruise for.....

[Flyerfan12]

first time visiting Hawaii? I would like to visit Hawaii but not sure which island to visit. I don't want to break the bank so I thought maybe a cruise for the first visit. That way we get to visit a few islands easier. I know we don't get much time at each port but I'm not sure if we'll have the $$ to do a full land only visit. Your thoughts??

[drifting_away]

I have cruised many tropical locations, but have only done land based trips on the Hawaiian Islands. One of the things I love about Hawaii is the food, so I would be sad if I felt like I had to eat on the ship to get my $$$ worth (ship food does not compare). The other thing is there is so much to do on each island that I still have not seen or done it all, especially Kauai and the Big Island. There really is not a bad island to visit. Maui and Kauai are our favorites. I think there are ways to make land based trips affordable, so I would not give up. The other plus with land based trips is you will only need half the clothes that you need for the cruise. Islands are very casual.:)

 

With that being said, if you want to get a small taste of the island life, than a cruise would probably work for you. This also works for someone trying to figure out which island they would like to come back to. What ever you do you will have a great time!

[Terre]

Yes, I would. We recently took the Pride of America to Hawai'i and I believe it is the best way to see the islands. We had one day in Hilo, two days in Maui, one day in Kona, two days in Kauai and because our flight leaving was in the evening we had the whole day in Honolulu to visit Pearl Harbor.

 

If you've never been before and don't know which island to visit, this way you see several islands, plus your hotel and food are included! We did most things on our own from research on the boards, but we did book our luau through the ship. My opinion is to do the cruise. I believe you will enjoy the cruise to Hawai'i. Read all you on the Hawai'i board, ask questions and you'll enjoy the cruise of your life!

[flamomo]

I agree that a cruise is a good way to get a "taste" of several islands. At some time in the future, maybe you can do a land-based visit, and will have a better idea where you'd like to spend your time.

I'm leaving in 9 days for my second 15 day r/t LA - Hawaii cruise. Did the first one 2 years ago, and cannot wait to go again.

The nice thing about doing it by cruise ship is that the ship is your transportation and hotel, with multiple restaurants, casino (if you do a r/t cruise), and entertainment all included. You don't have to have a huge wardrobe, because the ships have self-service laundries onboard if needed. If you want to try Hawaiian food, you can have it when you are in ports.

[whale-watcher]

We thought our POAM was an excellent way to tour the Islands...enought port time (with the overnights) to see many of the highlights, and no time wasted with packing/unpacking and interisland flights.

 

You can easily combine a POAM cruise with a resort stay; we chose Turtle Bay this year, and are leaning towards Maui for next year.

 

Had we not done the cruise first, we probably would have opted for a week in the Kona area; it turns out that this was our least favorite port (we are just not beach people), but we still want to return there for the Captain Zodiac snorkel (and also to Hilo to try and see lava entering the sea, and to Kauai for a helicopter tour...), so we are thinking of booking another POAM cruise for next year as well.

[Duffys wife 1957]

We also just returned from our cruise with NCL- POAl. It was an excellent way to see all of the islands. Each island has it own charm. I truthfully am glad that we took the cruise so that we also could see which island was our favorite. Oahu and Maui are our favorite. We liked Kona and Kauai is beautiful . We ate in many ports and the food was great on the ship and off. It is a great way to sample each island to see which you prefer.. Our TA explained that if we wanted to have a land based Hawaii vacation on a few different islands be prepared to spend an entire day traveling between the islands with the packing and unpacking, traveling to and from airports, security time in the airport, a 45 minute flight turns into a 4 to 4 1/2 ordeal. So my vote would be cruise we loved it and are planning on going again:D

[Beach4me]

Here is a link to a thread with a similar question. There are some very well-thought out answers that may prove helpful to you on this thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=707475

[Flyerfan12]

Thank you for the replies. This helps a lot. I've been reading about each island and would probably pick at least two if it were land only. However, each has its own beauty and I'm not sure which to pick. I think we'll take the cruise first and maybe stay a few days after in Oahu. If we are blessed to return, then we'll know where to stay. If I may ask, what is POAM and POAI?

 

TIA

[whale-watcher]

POAM= Pride of America

POAL= Pride of Aloha

[dougweaver]

Hi Tia. I see you are from the East Coast also. Most people recommend spending at least a night or two in Hawaii before the cruise if possible to help with the jet lag. My wife and I are fortunate because we are going to have 5days in Oahu pre-cruise in July. This will be the only 2 week vacation we have ever had so are making the most of it. Good luck with the planning and have a great time! dpw

[Terre]

You will also see POA for Pride of Alhoa.

[Terre]

Make that Pride of Aloha!