Would anyone like to share good and/or bad shore experiences for this cruise. I'm fully aware shore time is painfully short, so any and all help would be useful, I don't want to waste a minute of precious Hawaii time!! Not interested in Fanning Island info, I'm considering that R&R time. Thanks.

Go to www.cruisecritic.com for a wealth of information on the Norwegian Star.

Cancel the cruise and book a land vacation for two or three of the islands you really want to see. You're spending three out of seven cruise days at sea going to and coming back from Fanning Island. Its a waste of time and to simply say, "well, its R&R" is ridiculous - if you want R&R, stay home and lay around the house.

I'm assuming that you're more interested in sightseeing rather than beach/water activities, so <BR>I'll list what I think are some of the highlights for the short amount of time you will be in port.<BR><BR>Definitely visit Volcanoes National Park from Hilo if you've never been there. How many other places can you see an active volcano? The ship offers a bus tour but I would advise renting a car instead. The drive from Hilo is about 40 minutes and you can spend more time at the park without the obligatory mac nut factory tour stop. <BR><BR>What time of year are you cruising? If it's the winter months, I would recommend a whale watching cruise on Maui. They are especially plentiful in the channel between Maui and Lanai, best months are Jan/Feb/Mar. Again where else are you going to see that many humpback whales? The only drawback is you are docking in the afternoon when the waters are a little rougher. If you're interested in seeing another (dormant) volcano, you can go up to Haleakala crater. The drive from Kahului will take around one hour. The summit is located at 10,000 feet so bring a jacket. <BR><BR>On Kauai see the spectacular Na Pali coast - either by boat ride, helicopter, or hiking part of the Kalalau trail from Ke'e beach on the north shore. If you still have time left over, visit Waimea Canyon or the lush north shore. If you are going by helicopter, you may be able to combine all the sights mentioned. Or if you are hiking you will drive all of the scenic north shore as Ke'e beach (where the trailhead is located) is at the end of the road. Expect the drive from Lihue to Ke'e beach to take a little over an hour.

BTW, are you the same Ginger that's going to China in October?

Thank you Patty for your response. The shore time in Maui is from 1pm to 10pm, do you think we could catch the sunset at Haleakala and make it back to the boat? I'd love to do both a whale watch and sunset. If not, do you have a suggestion for the evening hours? Do you know of "good" (and safe) helicopters in Hilo and/or Kauai? I am not the Ginger going to China--darn!!

Ginger,<BR>You should have plenty of time to make it back to the ship after sunset on Haleakala. We didn't go up to Haleakala during our port stop as we had done that previously while on a land based trip, but driving from west Maui (Kahana area), it took us an hour and 45 minutes. So I would say from Kahului it shouldn't take much more than an hour. The car rental companies are located at the airport which is a short shuttle ride back to the pier. <BR><BR>Most evening activities are concentrated around Lahaina and my main concern would be getting back to the ship in time afterwards. One of our favorites is the 'Warren and Annabelles' show. You may want to check with them to see what time the early show lets out if you're interested www.warrenandannabelles.com<BR><BR>Sorry, I'm not familiar with the safety records of the helicopter companies.

Go to the US board and select Hawaii - I'm sure you can get good recommendations on the helicopter rides there.

Patty, thank you very much!