Has anyone here been on a Hawaiian cruise? I don’t mean sailing from the mainland to the islands, but flying over there, and then sailing among the islands by cruise ship. We’re thinking about going to Hawaii next summer, and are wondering if a cruise is worth considering.
The advantages of cruising, as I imagine it, are these:
[ul]
[li]See more islands[/li][li]All meals covered, avoiding reputedly insane restaurant prices on the islands[/li][li]Unpack once[/li][li]All that cruise ships generally have to offer–pools, bars, restaurants, a casino, etc.[/ul][/li]
The disadvantages are these (as I imagine them):
[ul]You arrive in some port, but your sightseeing time is limited.
[li]It takes time to get on and off the ship[/li][li]When you arrive in port, on some island, if you want to simply go to the beach, after getting off the boat, you have to find a taxi or bus or something to get you there, and it may be some miles away. In a good hotel, you’d just ask the beach boy for a towel and/or deck chair. [/li][li]You really just step of the boat for a few hours. Since you’re never in port for more than a day, you merely “day-trip” on each island that you visit.[/li][/ul]
For those who’ve gone, what were your experiences?
I’ve got an addtional related question, too. Are there any online travel services that will let you set up a trip, with hotels and flights, with more than two destinations?
I have been, and they can be lots of fun for certain types of vacations. But for Hawaiian island hopping a cruise seems roughly parallel to vacationing in Las Vegas but staying in Henderson.
I haven’t been on a cruise but have spent a lot of time in Hawaii, up to 3 months/year recently. I’ve seen the cruise people all gathered in one location trying to take in as much as possible and not miss the boat. It just doesn’t look like that much fun to me. Hawaii is such a laid back, slow place, that trying to see it on a cruise pace seems counter-productive. Look carefully at how much time the cruise allows you on island, and also look carefully at how close you deboard to resort areas. Many boats deboard on the side of Maui opposite that of the beachy/resorty areas. Of course YMMV.
The main question you want to ask is: Why do you want to take a cruise in Hawaii? Why not pick an island, stay for a week or two and rent a condo, let polynesian paralysis set in, and chill out. My recommended schedule is as follows: Breakfast, Boink and Beach, repeat as necessary. Feel free to vary the order so you don’t get into a rut.
I wouldn’t want to "cruise’ between the Hawaiian islands. Its much better to pick an island and just stay there and relax. Each island is large enough to get in a rental car and drive around to the sights. That is enough “cruising”. I know there will be some disagreement here, but the islands aren’t that different from each other. They are all beautiful in their own way and if you go to Maui, for example, you really don’t have to worry that you “missed Kauai”. See it on your next trip. The Big Island is my favorite because it is larger than all the others combined so there is plenty to see and do.
Just remember that if you go during the rainy season (winter) stay on the dry side of the island. Kauai-Poipo, Maui-Lahaina, Oahu-Waikiki, Big Island-Kona. Its fine to go visit the wet side of the islands during winter, but it could be raining and you don’t want to have it rain at your hotel.
I’ve stayed in/near Kona on the Big Island both times. The people who are on the cruises get parked in the harbor, unload by droves into “downtown” Kona which takes forever. They all visit the exact same [del]tourist traps[/del] souvenir shops and buy the same [del]plastic tiki dolls[/del] treasured momentos, then line back up to get back on the boat which also takes forever and eat on the boat.
As far as I’m concerned, that is absolutely NO WAY to see Hawaii.
Hawaii isn’t about retail shopping. It’s about chillin’ on the beach, snorkeling with the fish, walking around active volcanos, watching the sunset, having tropical drinks, visiting coffee & mac nut farms.
I must say, I bet you get some great views from the ships, but if you really want to enjoy Hawaii, I don’t think that’s your best bet.
That’s about right for one and possibly two islands. Of course if one of them is the Big Island (Hawaii), then 10 days isn’t enough to see it at all thoroughly.
By all means, get the guidebooks (one per island) from the “Revealed” series: Kauai Revealed, Maui Revealed, etc. - much superior to others.
I’ve spent the most time on Kaua’i, and all the cruise ships disembark for a day, maybe two. The shuttles from K-Mart, Walmart and Hilo Hattie’s (the islands’ official tourist trap) fetch the tourists. It seems to me that unless you want to see what the inside of a Hawai’ian Walmart looks like on each island, I’d avoid it like the plague.
My take on the islands, and I’ve visited all of them except for Lana’i and Moloka’i (Ni’ihau and Kaho’olawe go without saying). ALL the islands have amazing beaches of course.
Kaua’i-- very rural and laid back, with a lot of hiking & sports but also a lot of the usual tourist amenities.
Oah’u-- North shore is great for surfing, Waikiki is great for nightlife, otherwise it’s way too crowded and urban.
Maui-- Goes from being very upper-class touristy on the windward side to countercultural on the leeward side (I absolutely love Makawao; very Berkeley-esque). From what I hear about Moloka’i, it’s the most rural and least touristy of the islands and is the best if you want to spend your time hiking and delving into nature rather than the usual touristy stuff.
Hawai’i (the big island): HUGE and amazing. Very touristy on the Kona side. I prefer the Hilo side despite the rain. It’s lush and gorgeous, a lot quieter, and closer to the volcano and the amazing Puna coast.
Pick one or two and yeah, definitely bed, beach, boinking… or was that boinking, beach, bed? Whatever.
I got to go to Maui two years ago for work and ran into cruisers on the windward side, hurriedly browsing the shops. Trunk’s description fits perfectly. Our first trip we stayed with friends of ours north of Honolulu, and drove with them around the big island. They get native rates - much cheaper than tourist rates. Spectre, you’re making the right decision.
and ran into cruisers on the windward side, hurriedly browsing the shops. Trunk’s description fits perfectly. Our first trip we stayed with friends of ours north of Honolulu, and drove with them around the big island. They get native rates - much cheaper than tourist rates. Spectre, you’re making the right decision.