Honeymoon in Hawaii
 

My fiance and myself are looking into a trip to Hawaii for our honeymoon. We are thinking about a 7 day cruise with a 3 nights stay after the cruise. My main concern is the cruise. Yes, we will be able to see more of the Islands in a short period of time but at what cost...Will we be shuttled around like cattle or is this a nice way to go. This will be my first time there.

I would NOT do a cruise around the islands. I would do ten days .... on Oahu and one other island. You will love it and immediately start planning your NEXT trip, at which time you can see the other major islands! :-d

I would hate to be on a cruise ship when I could physically be enjoying ANY island there. JMHO ... but no contest! Sleep on the islands!!! ;;)

A Hawaii cruise does not do the islands justice.

You are better off sticking with 2 islands in your 10 days.

Oahu & one of the other islands would be a good choice.

Oahu has the most to see & do.

List of things to do on Oahu

These are some hints/suggestions for things to do and see on Oahu. Many of the websites listed are good for all islands.

Arizona Memorial: (free) get there early, preferably by 8am. Opens at 7:30am. If you get there after 10am the lines can get long and you may spend 1-2 hours in line. Battleship USS Missouri and Submarine USS Bowfin are in the same area. These are about $15 each so you can go or skip them. Look for coupons in brochures for two for one. You can take pictures of them from Arizona Visitors Center and the Arizona tour ferry. Go on the lawn behind the Visitor's Center (Circle of Remembrance) for great pictures. You can also walk around the Bowfin Memorial area for free without taking the tour. Its worth the time. The Swap Meet is only a couple blocks from here at Aloha Stadium.

Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC): www.polynesia.com General Admission about $50 or the luau buffet package ($80). The evening 'Horizons' show is the best Polynesian show in all of Hawaii. It comes with all ticket price options. The higher priced ticket packages get the better seating for 'Horizons'. Also the earlier you get there, the better the seating is for 'Horizons'. The Ali'i Luau Show that is part of the luau package is also a good Polynesian show. IMAX, Canoe Pageant, Samoa and Tonga villages and Canoe ride are the best other attractions (these are included with any type ticket). Plan on this as an all day event. Get there by 1pm (earlier if possible), leave around 9:30pm. When I take visitors, I try to keep on this schedule: IMAX 1:30, Canoe Pageant 2:30, Samoa 3:00, Tonga 4:00, Canoe Ride around 4:30, regular buffet or Ali'i luau buffet 5pm and 'Horizons' at 7:30. The other villages are nice also, but there is not enough time for all of them. You will have time to do some shopping or looking around between the buffet or luau and 'Horizons'. Closed on Sundays. You can go back for free for two days. Check with PCC employees for instructions before leaving the Center if you want the extra days.
Coupon in Entertainment Book to save $36.

Diamond Head Summit: Drive right into the crater and hike to the top. ($5 per carload or $1 each if you walk into the crater). I prefer to drive in. Awesome 360 degree view from the summit. Best time is around 8am or around 4pm. In between it can get hot walking to the top. Takes about 1 - 1 1/2 hours roundtrip.

Punchbowl (National Cemetery of the Pacific): (free) While you are there, drive to the overlook area. Short walk to the summit that overlooks the entire city. If you have time, take the Mt. Tantalus/Round Top drive through a rain forest. Stop at the Puu Ualakaa State Wayside about 2/3 of the way to the top of the mountain. It has an awesome view of the city from Waikiki to Pearl Harbor. Punchbowl is near the bottom of Mt. Tantalus.

Hanauma Bay: Snorkel. Its for any age. You can rent snorkeling equipment there or some places in Waikiki or bring your own. Closed on Tuesdays. Try to get there as early as possible. If you drive, the parking lot gets filled up by 9:00 or 10:00. ($1 for parking, $5 for each person). You can reserve snorkel tours with several companies. They provide equipment, transportation, etc. They seem to have better equipment than the park does. You can also take the city bus. But the first city bus doesn't leave Waikiki until 8:30 am. Website:

http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/parks/f...ay/welcome.htm

Byodo-In-Temple (Valley of the Temples): $2 each. Just past Kaneohe. Haiku Gardens in Kaneohe is close by.

Chinaman's Hat: (free) Kualoa Regional Park is just past Byodo-In-Temple. Nice for pictures, picnic, swimming. Also nearby is Macadamia Nut Farm Outlet just before Kualoa Regional Park. Kualoa Ranch is across the street.

Swap Meet: You can buy almost any souvenirs here much cheaper than anywhere else. All items are new. Vendors wrap around the stadium twice. Located at Aloha Stadium near Arizona Memorial. Open Wed, Sat, Sun.

Hilo Hattie's: Nice place to shop. Higher prices than swap meet, but not too much more on many items. Has good selection of clothing, candies and souvenirs. Check brochures for coupons. Can take free Hilo Hattie's shuttle from Waikiki.

Ala Moana Beach Park: (free) Nice beach. Great sunset location in the winter. Walk all the way out to the end of Magic Island. Great view of Waikiki, Diamond Head, Ala Wai Boat Harbor (shown in opening scene of Gilligan's Island).

Hike to Manoa Falls: $5 for parking at Treetops. One mile one way. Short hike through a rain forest. Also small bamboo forest there. Treetops restaurant there (at the previous Paradise Park site) has a good Chinese buffet. Lyon Arboretum is nearby. It is a nice botanical garden. You can park there and walk a short distance to Manoa Falls trail.

Hike to Makapuu Point Lighthouse: (free) Great view from here. Easy one mile hike. In winter months (mid-November to mid-April) it's great for whale watching.

Other Hiking on Oahu:

http://www.hawaiitrails.org/ (good for all islands)

http://www.backyardoahu.com/

http://home.hawaii.rr.com/oahuhikingtrails/home.html

http://oahuhiking.com/

North Shore Beaches: Haleiwa, Banzai Pipeline (Ehukai Beach), Waimea Beach, Sunset Beach, Shark's Cove (Pupukea) &Laniakea Beach. Laniakea Beach has sea turtles. Other nice stops for pictures in the area. Can be huge waves in winter. Good snorkeling at Shark's Cove in the summer. Laniakea Beach is located about 1/2 way between Waimea Bay and Haleiwa.

Other beaches: There are close to 100 beaches on Oahu. Besides North Shore and Waikiki beaches these are some of the better ones: Makaha Beach (west shore), Waimanalo Beach, Waimanalo Bay Recreation Area, Lanikai Beach, Sandy Beach, Hanauma Bay and Kailua Beach (east/Windward side), Ala Moana Beach Park (south shore). All public beaches are free except Haunama Bay.

Dole Pineapple Plantation: On H-2 just past Wahiawa. Can visit on the way to or back from the North Shore. Nice gift shop to browse, but expensive. Go behind the center for pineapple exhibits, gardens and carp feeding pond.

Kualoa Ranch: Several movies have been set here: (Jurassic Park, Mighty Joe Young and others), ATV rides, horseback riding, tours. Located across from Kualoa Regional Park.

Waikiki: Beaches, shopping, dining, nightclubs, shows, some museums. Wide range in dining prices. $3-4 breakfasts, $6-10 lunch buffets, $20-$25 fine dining and anywhere in between. Best Waikiki shows: Creation: A Polynesian Journey, John Hirokawa's Magic of Polynesia, Society of Seven, Blue Hawaii (Elvis impersonator), many more to chose from. Many Waikiki shows offer cocktail show along with the dinner show. They seat you after everyone else has eaten. Regular price of shows around $40-$60. Cocktail show about $25-$35. There are several other short free hula shows and other demonstrations in Waikiki daily. Check the brochures for location, days and times. Check brochures &Entertainment Book for coupons for shows/dining/shopping, etc.

Downtown Area: Aloha Tower (take elevator to the top, nice view), Chinatown, Hawaii Maritime Center, Iolani Palace, Bishop Museum, other museums.

Botanical Gardens: Oahu has many botanical gardens. Most are free, the others charge a few bucks. Haiku Garden in Kaneohe is nice and is a nice stop if you are taking an island driving tour. Located near Byodo-In-Temple (Valley of the Temples).
Here is a nice site for gardens in the state:

http://www.hawaii.edu/sciref/botgarden.html (all islands)

Check brochures or get info on-line for others. Search: oahu botanical gardens

Other: Sea Life Park, Honolulu Zoo, Waikiki Aquarium, Children's Discovery Center dinner cruises, whale watching cruise, submarine tours, parasailing, helicopter tours, horseback riding, Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park, scuba, surfing lessons, other luau shows (Germaine's, Paradise Cove). Many other attractions, things to do. Check the brochures.

Brochures: (free) Can be found in the airport baggage claim area or at hundreds of news stands throughout Waikiki, in hotels, in stores, and at some attractions. These are excellent "things to do and see" guide books (maps, attractions, beaches, dining, night clubs, etc.). There are a lot of coupons in these for dining, shopping, etc. The best brochures are: 'This Week on Oahu', 'Oahu Gold', '101 Things Oahu', 'The BEST of Oahu'. Some of these brochures can also be found for other islands (Maui, Kauai, Big Island) unique to that island. Most of these brochures also have on-line versions.

Websites:

www.thisweek.com 'This Week On Oahu' They will send up-to-date brochures for a few bucks. Also This Week Maui, Kauai, Big Island.

www.spotlighthawaii.com 'Oahu Gold' They will send up-to-date brochures for a few bucks. Also Maui Gold, Big Island Gold, Kauai Gold.

www.gohawaii.com This is the official site for Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. They will send a free brochure.

www.101thingstodo.com

www.visit-oahu.com Oahu Visitors Bureau, for free brochure 1-877-525-6248 (toll free)

www.hawaii.com Good site for comparing hotel locations, prices, etc.

www.hawaiiweb.com

www.alternative-hawaii.com

www.portaloha.com/SecretsOfHawaii

www.alohatower.com

www.chinatownhi.com

www.honolulu.hawaii.edu/tours (driving and walking tours)

www.driveguidemagazines.com Good island maps including many detailed maps. Also good restaurant guide. Good for all islands

www.discoveringhawaii.com Free (pdf) circle island tour map. Also free (pdf) download Oahu movie location map.

www.hawaii-hotels.com Compare hotels

www.bookit.com Compare hotels

www.alohafriends.com

www.alohafriendshawaii.com

www.honoluluadvertiser.com one of two main Honolulu newspapers, has dining &entertainment guides, TGIF calendar

www.starbulletin.com one of two main Honolulu newspapers, also has dining &entertainment guides

Automobiles: Oahu is the only island that you can get around by bus. Oahu has a good bus system, but a rental vehicle gets around a lot better. Parking in Waikiki can be a problem at times. If you plan on renting a car, make sure your hotel allows parking at the hotel or in a nearby lot or garage. Get the parking pass at the hotel registration area. Probably $8-$14/day to park at the hotel. You can get city bus passes at any ABC store in Waikiki for $20 for 4 days ($40/month). Or you can pay $2.00 per trip. There are also many shuttles, tour buses and vans and trolleys that go to many places (some are free). Also 1 or 4 day Waikiki Trolley passes available.

www.thebus.org

www.waikikitrolley.com

Internet Search Engines: Use Yahoo, Google, Dogpile or any other search engine to find information on any thing else on Oahu (or other island) that may interest you. Type in: hiking hawaii, hiking oahu, bed and breakfast oahu, condominiums oahu, botanical gardens oahu, oahu hotels or any other terms that will get you information.

Hotels: Most hotels (or hotel chains) have their own 800 numbers and/or websites:

www.outrigger.com

www.sheraton.com

www.ohanahotels.com

, etc. Or you can use a search engine to find the website or use the search engine's yellow pages for the phone number.
also try www.vrbo.com for more options

Entertainment Book
Entertainment books for Hawaii and many other locations can be purchased online at:

www.entertainment.com.

They cost around $35-$40 plus shipping or if you wait until mid-March, the price is reduced to about $25 (or less) with free shipping, $15 after mid-May. Expires November 1.

Coupons include half price tickets for John Hirokawa's Magic Show. Hundreds of other coupons for reduce price luaus, shopping, dining, movies, attractions, etc. The Hawaii book also has many mainland coupons for hotels, car rentals, Universal Studios, Sea World, etc.

www.mauihawaii.org Great site of Maui Jon

www.visitmaui.com They will send a free brochure

www.bigisland.org They will send a free brochure

www.kauaidiscovery.com They will send a free brochure

www.kauai-hawaii.com

Atractions/activities:

www.hawaiiactivities.com

www.hawaiifun.org

I've been on several cruises in the Caribbean and I've stayed on Oahu many times. My advice would be to skip the cruise and stay on one or two of the islands. There is so much to do in Hawaii. The sights and sounds and smells. You won't experience all of Hawaii if you stay on a boat. Hawaii is paradise on earth IMHO. I've never thought of any cruise ship as paradise. They are fun yes, but not paradise. Go live in paradise for a while. You'll never want to leave.
((r))

As the others said, don't even think about taking the cruise. Ten days is a nice amount of time to actually spend on the islands, not cruising around them.

Hubby and I just got back from Maui a few weeks ago and we saw all the cruisers going crazy trying to hit all the "must-see" spots. They were definitely like sheep. They were hassling over car rentals, hassling over the crowds in town all at the same time. I've been to the islands about a dozen times, and I'll tell you that cruising just isn't the way Hawaii was meant to be experienced.

With that said, and being your first time there, I would do Oahu and one other island. (inter-island flights are easy and abundant) Five days and five days is a good mix. The other island can be determined by what you two would like to do. Are you looking for a lively place or totally laid back? Are you after nightlife or are you looking for lots of daytime activities? Does hiking and volcano watching appeal to you? Does snorkeling with sea turtles do it? Or is it a luxury resort with a beautiful beach and cocktail service that does it?

If you can post a few more details re: the kinds of things you would like out of the trip, I'm happy to give you more info. Budget vs. luxury, hotels vs. condos, lounge and relax vs. do and sightsee? These are all important facets to consider...

Either way, if you go the 2 island route instead of a cruise you will not be disappointed. You'll also have wonderful, unique honeymoon memories for years to come :-)

I would go to Oahu first, since you will be very busy then, and then one of the other islands. My 2nd Island pick would be Maui. Then Kauai. :-)

OK here's the dealio with a cruise:

My inlaws went on the cruise and they said it was full of old people. They were mid 70s.

A good friend went and since she'd spent the money I could tell she didn't want to trash her own vacation but said she'd never do it again and wouldn't recommend it. She wished she had just stayed on 1 or 2 islands. There is truly no reason to feel like you have to see all the islands. Go, see, relax, enjoy. Don't cruise!

I would ditch the cruise idea. You don't go to Hawaii to see stuff you go there to relax. If you want glitzy hotels and night clubs save your money and go to Vegas. I would skip Oahu all together. I never found it relaxing. Since you have 10 days I would do two islands. My favorites are Maui and Kauai. Maui has enough entertainment to keep you busy. But it also has some quiet spots. Stay near Kanapali Beach for a few nights then stay in Hana for a night or two. What a difference. Then take an island hopper to Kauai. I would recommend staying on the South side (more sun). Poipu has a few great golf courses, great diving, great people. The north side has lots of vegitation, and right now, lots of rain.
If you feel like you are missing something by not going to Oahu, you can always make a day trip out of it. Start off early in the morning come back on the last flight. Pearl Harbor is worth seeing, but I wouldn't plan a vacation around it unless that is your thing.

Just wanted to say that Oahu is awesome! Don't rule it out. It might be just for you. Lots of variety on Oahu. (I know it fits my vacation style to a tee.) Might not be your vacation style but don't dismiss it.

Aloha

Congratulations on getting engaged :-)

I too agree with the other posters in picking two islands for 10 days in Hawaii. My husband and I went to Hawaii last year for two weeks and went to Maui and Kauai with a couple of days in Oahu. We have a full trip report and lots of pictures. Email me at [email protected] and I can get you the link.

My husband and I went to Hawaii for 10 days last Aug for our honeymoon and loved it. I agree with everyone else here that 2 islands in 10 days is good, but if you can swing it, I'd recommend 14 days with 1 week at each. We 1st went to Maui and then Kauai and loved both islands. They are very different yet both beautiful. We stayed around Kaanapali in Maui and recommend it. On Kauai, we spent 3 nights around the Princeville and then our last 2 at the Hyatt in Poipu. If you are going in the summer, I recommend the North of Kauai for a few days. The Na Pali coast line is amazing and there is a great 1/2 day hike. We went to Mama's restaurant for lunch in Maui before flying over to Kauai. Have a wonderful time.

cruise.......NEVER!!!!!!! Have fun deciding which islands or island. If you are on a budget then go for a condo or cottage...lots of affordable choices. Good luck!

My fiance and I are considering the exact same thing as mick68 for our honeymoon next August. But after reading the replies I am wondering if we should just do the 2 island thing.

Mick68, have you already gone? If so, what did you decide to do?