pat

jvc, I will email this thread to myself, and then will have it available to write you back when we return. We are also spending some extra time in Waikiki

jamaltay

Hi greenrealtor,

IMHO, if you are on a tight budget and may never see Hawaii again I would suggest spending it on Oahu. On Oahu you can experience all aspects of Hawaii(except active volcanoes), both urban and rural, modern and rustic, mountains and beaches, etc, etc. Also, it is the cheapest island to fly into and there is a very wide availability of accomodations.
8-)

pat

JCV, I promised you I would get back to you on my cruise on the Pride of America. When we landed in Honolulu, we took a taxi from the airport to the dock and it cost $20 plus tip. I had asked that before I went and never got an answer. Anyway the ship is just beautiful. Our room was bright and cheerful and we loved the balcony. We had a good time, and really liked visiting Hawaii, in spite of the fact it rained just about every day. No sun tans for us. Now for the bad part. The food was bad. Everybody agreed on that. We had prime rib that was half raw, and it had little flavor either. We had lobster which was terrible. They were tiny tails, and they tasted old and strong. The creme brulee was the worst I have ever had. It wasn`t smooth and creamy like I have had before. People who ordered steak said it was dried out and tough. I had to laugh at all the fancy names for these dishes. We didn`t have one good meal in the dining room. We finally got smart and quit eating there. We went to the Cadillac diner a lot. Even the buffet is better. We didn`t sign up for any specialty restaurants. By the time we got smart, it was too late. I think if you sign up for those restaurants, you will have good food. People all raved about it. Do it the minute you get on the ship. People who ate at the dining room were even cancelling their automatic tips at the end of the cruise. Housekeeping was spotty and waits in the dining room were way too long. We were fortunate enough to get a good cabin stewart (he is Filipino but an american.) He hated his job and wanted to quit. He worked very hard for us. Other people complained they never saw the maid and their rooms weren`t cleaned when they shhould have been. The itenerary was great though. I might mention this too. When we returned to the port, it cost $16 for a cab to Waikiki, where we stayed 2 days. We went from our hotel in Waikiki and back to the airport on the Roberts shuttle when it was time to go home. It was $8 apiece. There is no reason to schedule the ship tours. You can walk by those buses, and find people holding up signs. We used Richard for 2 days in Mauii. He was delightful and charged less than half what the same ship tour cost. Only 6 of us went. We got to see more places than the ship`s tours offered. We picked someone in Kauii,also holding up a sign but he wasn`t as dynamic as Richard. We did see alot though. There was no one at the dock in Kona offering tours but the main street had all kinds of tourist places to arrange a tour. The one tour I would do of the ship`s tours, is the Louow (I can`t remember how to spell it). The Pride of America is docked on the other side of the island of Mauii, and it is a 40 minute ride to get to Lahaina. The Pride of Aloha docks where the Pride of America docks also. The rest of the ships use the Lahaina harbor, and use tenders, which is much more convenient. I don`t regret going as we still had a good time. I hope this helps and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Pat