hello,
my family is going on a hawaiian cruise in 2 weeks. we are trying to plan off ship excursions and are looking for suggestions. we will be docked at the big island, kauai, and oahu for 2 days each. what must we see? thanks!

O’ahu

Pearl Harbor (Honolulu)
•Arizona Memorial
•Battleship Missouri
•Bowfin Submarine

Chinatown (Honolulu)
•Watch the ladies string leis
•Fresh produce & bakery (coconut loaves are great)

Shopping
•International Marketplace - Waikiki
•Swap meet @ Aloha Stadium – cheap souvies - Honolulu

Snorkeling
•Hanauma Bay (closed on Tuesday) – Southeast point

Drives
•Tantalus & Round Top – we haven’t done this but have heard it’s great esp. at dusk
•Circle Drive – Pali Highway – stop at the Pali Lookout – very windy
•Windward Coast (East) to the North Shore back through central plateau
(reversed is good too). This is a full day. Good stops on this drive:
Byodo-In Temple
Mac Nut Outlet – free coffee & nut tasters
In Laie – Morman Temple (near the PCC – see below)
Romy’s or Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck for a “snack”
Fruit Stands for fresh pineapple & locally made crafts
Sunset beach –get out & watch the surfers on the big waves
Haleiwa - Aoki’s for a shave ice, Wyland Art Gallery, K’ua A’ina for a sandwich
Drive out to Kaena Point – if you have a jeep you can 4-wheel out past the parking lot and drive almost to the end

Luau
•Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC is near Laie on the windward-east coast)

Other Ideas in Waikiki:
•Hula show in Kuhio Beach Park @ sunset (near the Duke statue)
•Tour Iolani Palace
•Honolulu Zoo

Notes:
You’ll want to drive the windward (east) coast during the day – it is spectacular – don’t miss it.

It's good you have two days in each place. If I had to pick one "must do" on the Big Island, I'd say Volcano National Park and one "must do" on Kauai, I'd say Waimea Canyon.

Other stand out things on the Big Island include the Waipio Valley and the Place of Refuge. And on Kauai, the lighthouse is a fun place to visit.

The time restrictions on a cruise make it necessary to pick and choose - not easy to do!

On Kauai, I would rent a car and spend one day driving around Waimea Canyon, stopping at the Shrimp Station for lunch, and the next day up to the North Shore -- the lighthouse is nice -- Maybe do some snorkeling at Tunnels & Ke Beach.

Aloha nehmehta,
I put together that O'ahu list for friends that have also gone on asimiliar cruise.
I agree w/ crazy4 about Waimea Canyon and the Kilauea Lighthouse on Kauai.
My friends booked their own helicopter tour with InterIsland Air and then took a drive up to the north shore and hung out a bit in Hanalei.

What you do really depends upon what your interests are. I'd suggest picking up a guide book for the islands and scouring it for the things you might like. Happy planning!

Suggestion from this Kaua`i resident -- don't book excursions with the ship (outrageously overpriced!). Just rent a car and drive yourself. We have just one made road around the island, so it's nearly impossible to get lost.

As suggested by Budman <wave to Budman!!>, head to the westside one day, to the northshore the next. From the harbor to Hanalei (non-stop) is just one hour -- you'll have plenty of time to stop along the way. From the harbor to Koke`e lookout at Waimea Canyon is just under 2 hours -- very do-able.

Have a _great_ time!

Here is a thread about Hawaii cruises.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34644359

Also click on Brittany21 for lots more threads about the cruise.

Agree with Auntiemaria. Most of the islands, especially Kauai, are so easy to get around that you can do it on your own by renting a car.

Ditto... you won't need tour co's or the cruise excursions to enjoy each island. Rent a car and go explore.

Our friends rented a motorcycle on Maui and toured all over the place including the road to Hana... they loved it. To each his own... that's what travel's all about.

Aloha!

Which cruise line will you be on? I'm looking on my cruise ship schedule and I don't see anyone in port for 2 consecutive days on Oahu. I'm just asking so that I can figure out where you are disembarking. That would help in figuring out where you can go to get access for excursions.

Don't forget to check out Aloha Tower Marketplace! Aloha Tower itself is in the opening scenes of "Hawaii Five-0" and you can catch the elevator to the top for FREE and get breathtaking views of Honolulu Harbor.

nehmehta:

This is what I did when our grandfather took the family(17 of us) on a Hawaiian Cruise.

I went to AAA and got guide Books for each island, then I went to several thrift stores and got more books. (This was before p.c. in the house. I spent each lunch hour pouring over what I wanted to do on each island and ranked them in priority of intested and how many were along the same route.

I must of had two dozen for each of the three islands we visited. (Maui, Kona side Hilo side stops and Kauai). My siblings and cousins went together when it interested us. After my seventh trip over (all land visits) I've crossed off 60% of the places. I need more time............

Aloha

M