Cruise Hawaii

Our cruise ship departed from Honolulu and docked at four other islands on the seven-day cruise. At Hilo, HI, we hired a taxi with a driver. He took us to Akaka Falls State Park. It was breathtakingly beautiful, with lush vegatation, trees, good hiking trails and, of course, the falls.

On Fanning Island we ventured out on our own with a little native girl who wanted to show us her school. A tropical downpour, however, cut our visit short and we did not get to see the school. We enjoyed seeing the native dances and crafts made from sea shells. The Monkey Pod trees on the island were magnificent.

While we were docked at Maui, we took the cruise ship's shuttle to downtown Kahului. There we saw the most fascinating tree I have ever seen: a Banyon Tree that covered the entire block. Roots come down from the branches and form new trunks that continue horizontally.

We also shopped at Hilo Hattie's while we were on Maui. The beaches were beautiful.

Quick Tips:

We did not book any of the shore excursions through the cruise line (but you take your chances doing this). The taxi driver we hired in Hilo was really good; he narrated the tour and made the trip very interesting. The guide we hired in Kaui was not good, however, and we cut our trip short as it wasn't interesting. Probably booking through the cruise line is a better way of getting more for your money.

Best Way To Get Around:

In Honolulu, we walked and used public transportation. They have buses to most destinations. The buses run often and cost only 75-cents for senior citizens.

The room was very large, with a king size bed. It had a safe, microwave, coffeemaker, telephone and of course TV with remote control. A full hot breakfast was included in the price of the room. The breakfast items included scrambled eggs, bacon, oatmeal, rice, toast, rolls, juices and many other items.

The staff was very friendly and nice. Our arrival time was prior to check in time so they provided a room to store our luggage. The same was true on our departure. Our flight left at 7:30 PM and they stored our luggage until then. We could walk out the back of the hotel into the International Market Place. Wakaii beach was also within walking distance. It was a wonderful experience.

After hearing how expensive it was to eat in Honolulu, we were pleasantly surprised to find really good Chinese food at a reasonable price. We ate lunch at this restaurant two days in a row because it was so good.

Located within walking distance of the International Marketplace, the tables had white-linen tablecloths and the waiters were dressed in black suits with white shirts. The service was excellent. I only ate an eggroll and won-ton soup, but it was wonderful. We did not dine there at night, so I don't know about evening attire and reservations. I would highly recommend the restaurant, however, if you like Chinese food as we do.

We traded our two-bedroom red-week timeshare for a Hawaiian cruise. By doing this, we got an unbelievable price on the cruise and could have gotten up to four cabins at the same price. This was a trip I had always wanted to take and by taking advantage of a last-minute bargain, we were finally able to do it.

The Norwegian Star is a beautiful new ship with lots of entertainment and things to do. I arranged our flight and hotel package through a local travel agent, as they had a better price than RCI; I was very pleased with my cabin on the cruise and with the hotel in Hololulu. (I always use the Transderm Scope, behind the ear patch, when I cruise and did not have a problem with sea sickness. The husband of the couple who traveled with us was sick most of the time because he wouldn't leave his patch on; his wife and my husband had no problem, however.)

After a seven-day cruise, we spent three days and two nights in Honolulu. We went to the Arizona Monument where we saw two veterans who had been at Pearl Harbor on the day of the attack; it was and honor to meet and talk with them. We went to the International Market Place, which was right outside the back of our hotel, and shopped 'til we dropped. It's almost like shopping in Mexico--you can bargain with the vendors and most of them seem to enjoy it. We went snorkeling (this was in December) at Hauna Bay, which was breathtakingly beautiful; we didn't see as many colorful fish as in the Bahamas, but the ones we did see were magnificent. The weather was beautiful, reaching about 80 degrees every day, with a brief shower each afternoon that lasted only about five minutes.

If you have not been to Hawaii, you need to go. It is wonderful!