My husband just booked ff flights to Honolulu for January (11th-21), but we have no plan yet. If we stay in Marriott's or Hilton's, our accomodations will be free with his points.

He wanted to visit 5 islands, so I said we'd need to do the Norwegian cruise (either Pride of Aloha or America) to fit all of them in. He didn't want to do the cruise, because he won't "really experience Hawaii" and we have free lodging at the hotels.

Fine, say I. So we will do no more than 3 islands. Since we're flying into Oahu and he wants to see the Pearl Harbor sights - I guess that will be one island. And he definitely wants to see the volcano, so BI will be another.

I've suggested Kaui as the third - since he really wanted to "experience Hawaii". But everyone raves about Maui, so he thinks he'll totally miss out on the best of Hawaii if we don't go there.

We aren't big "night life" people. We are snorkel, photograph natural wonders, eat at local joints and go to bed by 11 pm kind of folks. What key plusses/drawbacks should I point out to help him with the Kaui vs Maui decision.

Not sure what you mean that you posted in the wrong topic area--you are still in the United States.

Anyway....if he's really set on seeing 5 islands in 10 days--yoiks!--then yes, a cruise would be for you. If you're opting to fly to each island, you will have to spend half your day at the airport since the interisland airlines adhere to the same security rules as the regular airlines. Honestly, 5 islands in 10 days, whether you fly or cruise, will not really allow you to "experience Hawaii."

I'd limit your vacation to two islands, maybe Oahu and the Big Island. If you do a search on "which island" in the search box, you'll pull up numerous threads on this subject.

Been to Maui, Kauai, Big Island.
I liked in the following order:
1. Kauai
2. Big island
3. Maui
All are great but if I had to drop one, it would be Maui (more touristy than the other two and frankly I think Kauai has better beaches.). DO NOT try to do 4 islands, you will be spending all your time at airports.
Good snorkeling:
Big Island - Kealakakua Bay
Kauai - Anini Beach. Other north shore beaches may have better snorkeling BUT Anini is also very safe. ALWAYS be aware of water conditions when snorkeling in Hawaii (rip tides and rip currents are VERY common and vary seasonally. If no-one is in the water do NOT even consider going in).

I agree with your husband. A cruise doesn't do Hawaii justice.

10 days, 2 islands. 3 islands maybe if you are not beach people.

This thread is mostly for Oahu, but some sites are for all islands:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34812564

www.mauihawaii.org Great site of Maui Jon

www.visitmaui.com Free brochure

http://www.johann-sandra.com/hawaii/maui/index.htm Lots of Maui links

www.bigisland.org Free brochure

www.kauaidiscovery.com Free brochure

www.kauai-hawaii.com

I agree with your husband. You really can't see the islands on a cruise. A couple of thoughts off the top of my head:

I would suggest Kauai as your third island to visit. The Napali Coast is amazing and probably one of the most beautiful sights i've seen in the islands. Kauai is much quieter at night than Maui. I think it's known more as a spot for couples rather than families, lots of honeymooners. I am not sure about snorkeling since I usually dive. It's a wet island (has that "tropical" feel to it) so there's more soil runoff which means water clarity won't be as good. But I am sure other posters can tell you if there's good snorkeling (I would be very surprised if there weren't). The one tough thing about this island (other posters might disagree) is that it's harder driving at night (not too many streetlights because it's less developed) and restaurants/stores are fewer and spaced out more.

Maui has Mt. Haleakela and the road to Hana, but you'll already have seen a live volcano on the BI (Maui's is dormant) and the Napali Coast will give you as good of a shot at seeing waterfalls and rainforest as Maui. Otherwise, Maui is busier, has a more lively nightlife, has a lot of good upscale restaurants. I know there's good snorkeling on the island as well. I personally like some hustle and bustle on my holidays which is why I keep going back, but my brother who enjoys scenic vacations with lots of peace & quiet thought it was too crowded. He actually liked his stay on leeward coast on Oahu (at the JW Ihilani) better than Maui.

I don't think that if you skip Maui, you'll feel you missed our on something. Both islands are great, so based on what you listed as your preferred activities, you can't go wrong.

I hope this helps! Have fun!