I have about 10 days. Condidering the 7 day Norwegian cruise stopping at the Big Island,Maui and Kawaii for 2 days each. I would stay 2 nights in Honolulu at the end of the cruise. Also considering a 10 day tour with one of the tour operators. Any recomendations? This is a first time visit and would like to see several islands.

BEFORE you book a cruise on the "Pride of Aloha" I would advise you to read the reviews of that ship on www.cruise-addicts.com

There have been a LOT of service problems with that ship although they may have been rectified by the time you decide to travel.

Ditto.

My husband and I took an 11 day Hawaii tour with Perillo tours last month We went to Oahu, Kauai and Maui. There is an optional extension of 3 days to the big island.

We had a wonderful time and great accomodations. Breakfast and dinner are included in the package cost. The trip through the tour was less expensive than I could book on my own, mostly because of the value of the included meals. Most dinners (expect for a few scheduled events) are made with daily individual reservations. We could eat when we wanted and with whom we wanted.

While Hawaii is very easy to do on your own, we enjoyed the companionship of meeting and becoming friendly with others. Tours are not for everyone but this particular tour includes lots of free time to explore on your own. We rented a car in Oahu and Maui and took off on our own to explore.

We also never touched our luggage from the moment we arrived in Oahu until the end of the trip. Not having to deal with our own interisland transportation and luggage was a huge plus.

I am also a big cruise fan, but when I researched the ones in Hawaii, I found that you really did not spend enough time on each island. I live on the east coast so a 9 1/2 hour flight to spend most of my time aboard ship did not appeal to me. I'll continue to cruise the Carribbean.

Skip the cruise and the tour. Hawaii is about the easiest place on the planet to do your own thing. A cruise does not spend enough time for you to really "see" much. You might consider checking the American or United Airlines sites for vacation packages. You can put together hotel/air/rental car for one price...or, of course, you can simply check hotels etc. yourself. Everything has a website it seems. You can fly into Honolulu and stay 2-3 days, and then go on to another island(s). If you really want to take a "tour" you can always sign up for a daytrip of some sort - all hotels seem to have tour desks.

Doing Hawaii yourself means having the freedom to enjoy sunrises, sunsets, eating when you want, doing nothing/doing everything and/or none of the above Go for it - you will not regret it.

Thanks for the feedback. Anybody else have an experience with the Perillo tour? What is the age range? Are the activities and hotels what you expected?

I have heard only good things about Perillo Italy and Hawaii tours. I wouldn't even consider a cruise in hawaii....just my opinion.......