HI departing and returning Cruises?

I have been looking online and to my surprise the only option I see for flying to HI and cruising around the islands is on POA and for only 7 days? On top of that the POA cost are very high. Am I missing something or is this really the only option?

You are correct... it is about the only option available, to fly into Hawaii, and out of Hawaii.

I have been looking online and to my surprise the only option I see for flying to HI and cruising around the islands is on POA and for only 7 days? On top of that the POA cost are very high. Am I missing something or is this really the only option?

The POA is the only game in town if you want to sail out of Honolulu, thus the high prices. You can take a cruise from the west coast for many more days, but it does not give you any more time in the islands, only more sea days.

We just sailed the POA in August and with overnights in Maui and Kaui and 2 ports on the big island, Hawaii, you probably get more touring time than any other cruise.

If you are looking for a longer vacation in the islands, many people fly out early and spend some time on one of the islands pre cruise, or stay on after the cruise for some much needed rest time after a non stop itinerary on the cruise. We were gone 16 days, with 2 days in Waikiki, one before and one after the cruise, and then an additional 6 nights on Oahu's Northshore and Windward Coast before flying home. We overnighted in Phoenix coming and going.

Would like to repeat at least 3 more times with post cruise stays on Maui, Kaui and the BI.:D. You can't go wrong with the POA.

You can look for one of the one-way cruises that start or end in Vancouver or Ensenada. These are usually about ten days or so in length. The other end of the cruise can be expanded so that you have plenty of time in Hawaii.

My first two times in Hawaii were strictly land trips (second time was our honeymoon). But after that, our next three times was on the RT trips out of LA on Princess. My favorite itinerary. The sea days are filled with many activities (if you want) and Princess has a cultural program that's excellent (activities such s lei-making, hula, ukelele lessons, and seminars about the islands). And for people like me who absolutely hate flying, it's great (we live in So Cal so no flights needed).

If you have never been to Hawaii, you'll still get time in Hawaii and may often find one or two places you'll want to stay on a future land trip. And the Princess cruise is so much less money for twice the time of a POA cruise.

The good old days of NCL trying to dominate the Hawaii cruise market they had 3 ships there. Of course I took advantage of an extremely cheap 10 day cruise that gave some more time on the islands. 7 day prices are about 4 times what I paid at the time. Supply and demand.

Hmmm sooo is POA or Princess.. I DO love Princess... but being on the east coast we have never been to HI (nor has anyone we know)... Not knowing a lot or having friends that know much about HI makes a HI trip hard to plan.

Its our 20 year and I have been telling her i would take her to HI for our 20th the entire time... Issue is now we have kids in college and price matters more than ever. I thought a cruise would be easier and maybe cheaper to just do a cruise but i deff want to island time!

If you belong to Costco check their NCL POA prices. They were certainly cheaper than anything else I found.

If it's your first time to Hawaii, you can fly over there, spend some time in a couple of places. The inter-island flights might be cheaper. And Hawaii is very easy to research. Just get a couple of guide books, look on a couple of tourism sites.

Now I am remembering why I have never been to HI. From Richmond VA it is at 3-4 hops, 10-14 hours and $1100-$1500 per person to get there.... The math doesn't work :(

Now I am remembering why I have never been to HI. From Richmond VA it is at 3-4 hops, 10-14 hours and $1100-$1500 per person to get there.... The math doesn't work :(

Just a quick look on Travelocity for next month, shows 6 flights from Richmond to Honolulu with only one stop, and average price of $800 per person. Admittedly, it is about 13-14 hours travelling, but that is unavoidable when going to Hawaii.

The POA is the only ship doing the islands exclusively, because she is the only US flag cruise ship. Without a port call at a foreign port, foreign flag ships cannot carry passengers between US ports. If you look at hotel prices and flights between the islands, POA actually compares fairly well with a land vacation. Just think of POA as more of a moving hotel, and less of a cruise ship. The islands are the destination, not the ship.

Hawaii is best experienced on a land vacation...not a cruise! You really need much more time in each place to fully experience what Hawaii has to offer! Just fly to the islands, stay, explore, and enjoy!

Cruises are fine, but not in Hawaii.

We are leaving in a few weeks for our POA cruise. We wound up paying $1649 pp for a balcony and got $100 on board credit.

Considering what it would cost to fly to each island, meals, a hotel...etc I thought the price was actually very reasonable.

Of course that isn't a suite, but I think here's really no point in having one on this trip. There is very little ship time, except at night.

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