We will be traveling in early June to a wedding in San Diego, so I thought since we are going to be on the west coast why not continue on to Hawaii.
I would like opinions on taking a 7 day cruise to Hawaii, overnight in Nawillwili & Kahului through Pleasant holidays for $1175 including air from LA. The cruise line is Norwegiian. They also offer to make other flight and car rental reservations in Ca.

I am not a fan of Hawaiian cruising, but it suits many people. Here are my issues:

1. You spend precious little time on the islands, and of those two on-island days, they are not great places.

2. The excursions are fine if you like being driven around in a bus.

3. You don't mention your age, but be prepared for a heavy dose of senior citizens.

4. You don't have enough time on most shore excursions to really enjoy the beaches or anything.

However, the prices are good and some people enjoy them. For me, Hawaii is all about the beaches, the sunsets, the air, the flowers, the sounds of the surf.

thanks for the info, character. We are 56-58 but I just know nothing about Hawaii and thought this was easy.
Snorkeling and hiking are things we would enjoy.

My husband and I took a cruise in Hawaii and loved it. We looked at as an opportunity to see the islands and get a feel for which ones we liked and which ones we would consider going back to. No hassel of flights in between the islands, and unpacking once. We made our own rental car arrangements for each island so never did the "bus thing" or any of the ship's excursions. I disagree with the "heavy dose of seniors" especially on an NCL cruise.

I would certainly look at NCL's website directly to compare the pricing.

I know some people love cruising, but we did one and I wasn't a fan - we spent a lot of time "out at sea" that I felt like could have been spent at the destinations. I'd rather just settle in and be able to go where and when I wanted. My parents are fans though. Most folks I know that do it are older senior citizens. If you'd just like to see a bit of each island, then it might be for you.

Even though we live on Kaua`i, we have taken two inter-island cruises on NCL -- because I wanted to see ALL the islands, and wanted to see them from the water. Let me address the remarks given by "character".

1. You have two overnights -- Kaua`i and Maui. Both of which are lovely islands to visit and easily do-able in the time allotted. You have all day in Honolulu, Hilo and Kona...ample time to take a tour, or rent a car and do it yourself.

2. Some tours are via bus; many are now via comfortable 8-passenger vans -- and both come with knowledgable tour guides.

3. Not our experience on either cruise -- lots of families (many 3-generational groups), and lots of young honeymooners.

4. There's a huge variety of shore excursions -- some of which are specifically for beachgoers, with a focus on snorkeling/swimming/sunning. There is no charge to go ashore to just stroll around (even in Kona, where a tender shuttle is required) -- and on Kaua`i, the ship docks within easy walking of the beach at Nawiliwili Bay.

As for the mention that there was a lot of time at sea, NCL does their cruising a night. Even if you're not sleeping, it's too dark to see anything anyway! 8-)

Really enjoyed NCL -- would not hesitate to recommend it, but...today's paper sez "Rule change could alter Hawai‘i’s cruise industry". Here's the article:
http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2...ews/news02.txt

Recently I would never ever ever consider a hawaiian cruise. Then someone here did a trip report that changed my whole way of thinking. They rented a car at each port and explored on their own. That's the way I would approach it, rather than taking the shore excursions that might be offered.

Good luck
Aloha
k'lani

If you want to go to Hawaii, it is very easy to plan a 1-island, 1-week trip on your own departing southerrn California.

I'd suggest Maui or Oahu for a first trip. Get a nonstop flight to either, and spend your week ON the island, rather than on a cruiseship.

...unless the point is the cruise itself, and less about seeing Hawaii, then disregard my comments!

What about rough seas? Heard that can be a real problem with Hawaiian cruises.

Good comment by suze...if it's about "seeing" Hawaii, I'd plan my own and take in the sights on one island and enjoy it.

My in laws did this for their 50th. They were unable to disembark to visit Maui because the water was too rough so they ended up just seeing it from off shore. This would not be the issue on Kauai since the ships dock there. On Maui they take a smaller boat to shore.

I know this will not be a popular comment for some but I think it is worth thinking about.

Have you EVER been on a cruise before???

If not, I would recommend doing a 3 day cruise to see if it is FOR you!

Of all the destinations, I cannot imagine a worse place for a 7 day cruise.

In my opinion, you would be better off flying to one Island, and spending your time their.

This is coming from a crusie hater, but unlike the Carribean.....I think cruising in Hawaii would be pain x 7 over the normal experience.