Hawaii cruise for Canadians (Ontario)

First I apologize if this has been covered before. Have done searches and there is just so many postings and still have no idea of the best approach for us to visit Hawaii.

We are thinking of sometime this coming Sept/Oct and are open to advice and recommendations. We would like to see as much of the Islands as possible which seems to indicate the cruises on Pride of America provide that versus going from Vancouver where you have fewer days visiting the Islands spending time at sea.

No apology required.:)

We travel from Toronto to Hawaii, but not for cruises (we do land trips there). If wanting to do a cruise, I think the Pride of America cruise is a good way to get an introduction to the 4 main islands as it provides quite a bit of port time, and overnights on Maui and Kauai. If you include a pre and or post cruise stay you can get more time on Oahu and/or one of the other islands. Since you want to see as much of Hawaii as possible, I'd suggest opting for this rather than doing a cruise that involves 4 or 5 sea days one way.

The islands are easy to explore on your own if you rent a car, but you can do tours (ship or private ones) as well. It's not a good destination to 'hang around' the port because the highlights aren't at the ports (you can get away without a car in Honolulu & might prefer that because traffic is busy there.)

If you considering a land vacation instead, one week per island (Maui, Kauai, Oahu, and the Island of Hawaii) is a good length on average. On a 10 day trip you could spend a couple of days in Honolulu (Oahu) and the rest on another island. With 2 weeks - a week on Maui and a week on Kauai is a good combination. But you can't go wrong with any of the islands, and chances are, once you've been you'll want to go back and explore more - so if you did two islands on this trip, you could save the other two for your next trip.

Good luck with your plans!

No apology required.:)

 

We travel from Toronto to Hawaii, but not for cruises (we do land trips there). If wanting to do a cruise, I think the Pride of America cruise is a good way to get an introduction to the 4 main islands as it provides quite a bit of port time, and overnights on Maui and Kauai. If you include a pre and or post cruise stay you can get more time on Oahu and/or one of the other islands. Since you want to see as much of Hawaii as possible, I'd suggest opting for this rather than doing a cruise that involves 4 or 5 sea days one way.

 

The islands are easy to explore on your own if you rent a car, but you can do tours (ship or private ones) as well. It's not a good destination to 'hang around' the port because the highlights aren't at the ports (you can get away without a car in Honolulu & might prefer that because traffic is busy there.)

 

If you considering a land vacation instead, one week per island (Maui, Kauai, Oahu, and the Island of Hawaii) is a good length on average. On a 10 day trip you could spend a couple of days in Honolulu (Oahu) and the rest on another island. With 2 weeks - a week on Maui and a week on Kauai is a good combination. But you can't go wrong with any of the islands, and chances are, once you've been you'll want to go back and explore more - so if you did two islands on this trip, you could save the other two for your next trip.

 

Good luck with your plans!

Susan thank you for your reply.

Your suggestion is what I was thinking also. We are not that interested in the 4-5 days cruising at sea.

We would want to add at least a week and maybe 10-14 days. If we did that I assume we arrive first in Honolulu (Oahu) so if we arrived say 3 days before the cruise we would get to experience Oahu first. Then it becomes a choice as to which other islands to visit. Would 5 days each on Maui and Kauai be enough time. My wife cannot do a lot of walking so hiking is out. We would most likely just visit the sites driving and spend a little time on beaches. We love good food so that could determine where we visit..

All suggestions are welcome.

We are doing a combination land and cruise in Hawaii. We leave in just over 2 weeks. We are starting off in Kauai for a week, then heading to Oahu for a couple of days. We will board Celebrity Solstice in Honolulu and have stops in Maui (overnight), Kona and Hilo. Then it's 5 days at sea to Vancouver. In all the trip is 19 days.

This trip could be done in reverse. Solstice goes from Vancouver to Hawaii in September and you could add a land portion after.

 

We would want to add at least a week and maybe 10-14 days. If we did that I assume we arrive first in Honolulu (Oahu) so if we arrived say 3 days before the cruise we would get to experience Oahu first. Then it becomes a choice as to which other islands to visit. Would 5 days each on Maui and Kauai be enough time.

You're welcome :)

I think your plan of arriving on Oahu a few days early is a good one - it will give you a chance to adjust to the time change, & 3 days gives you time to fit in a few highlights without being too rushed. Also, you wouldn't be dealing with inter-island flights to get there from another island on the day of the cruise.

I'd be inclined to spend the rest of the vacation (after the cruise) on one island ... probably Kauai. Your two days on Maui during the cruise will give you a good overview & time to fit in some highlights. You also have two nights on Kauai, but shorter port times. A split stay there might be more enjoyable - between the north and south sides of the island.

When you move from one island to the other, it can easily eat up half a day or more - flights are short, but by the time you check out of/into accommodations, do the rental car drop off/pick up, wait at the airport, travel to/from the airport - it becomes a bit of a lengthy process. If you are OK with doing this twice, then the Maui / Kauai split would work. It's a difficult choice & either one island or two would work.

Re accommodations on the islands - on Oahu, I think a hotel in Waikiki works well for a short stay. On the other islands, we like staying in condos - usually booked through VRBO or an on-island agency. Lots of hotel choices on Maui and Kauai too if you prefer a hotel stay.

Thanks KDK and Susan.

Lots to think about. I might even rethink the cruise concentrating on doing a full week in Kauai and Maui.

Need to do lots of reading on the Islands.

Susan I notice that currently flights in Sept round trip from Toronto are about $650.00, is this usual or special?

 

Susan I notice that currently flights in Sept round trip from Toronto are about $650.00, is this usual or special?

$650 Cdn is a very good price - I've seen them as low as just under $600. September is still a popular tourist month in Hawaii, so I'd probably go for that rate now rather than risk it going higher. When we went to Maui in October a couple of years ago, I didn't see rates below $775.

I'd try to avoid LAX as a transfer airport if you can - SFO is much better - or YVR. The only problem with YVR is that because you're not going through customs in Toronto, you have to collect your luggage and go through customs in Vancouver - whereas going to a U.S. airport you'll avoid that extra effort.

If you want any suggestions for accommodations, don't hesitate to ask. You'll probably want to scope out accommodation options before booking flights. Car rentals in Hawaii are quite reasonable - they might appear high now, but rates almost always come down significantly within about 4 weeks or closer of the trip (best to book the car once you have flights booked, and then recheck rates and rebook/cancel the previous reservation once rates come down.)

One additional thought - if Pearl Harbor is a place you think you'd like to visit, suggest slotting in a couple of nights on Oahu - I prefer starting the trip there and then moving on to less busy islands for the rest of the trip.

Just wanted to make a note that if beaches is high on your priority list, Oahu arguably had more of the best beaches vs other islands. Kauai is close.

Personally I'd do the cruise, you get to see a little of every island. Which island you want to spend more time on will vary, each island had its fans, so take a look at what exactly you want to see on each. Any one of them you could easily fill a week and still have more to see, so it all comes down to which island has the most you want to see, or even where you can find the right spot to just hunker down and relax (we do that at Waikoloa Marriott, on big island, mostly because of the 24 hour pool and amazing sunsets)

~Katy

First I apologize if this has been covered before. Have done searches and there is just so many postings and still have no idea of the best approach for us to visit Hawaii.

 

We are thinking of sometime this coming Sept/Oct and are open to advice and recommendations. We would like to see as much of the Islands as possible which seems to indicate the cruises on Pride of America provide that versus going from Vancouver where you have fewer days visiting the Islands spending time at sea.

You are just behind us in your planning, we leave next Sunday for a couple of weeks, I will share what I learned.

The flight costs look enticing but if those costs are Air Canada Rouge remember that you will be packed in like a sardine. I will not travel like that. I have been on many Rouge flights and will not do them without the preferred upgrade so I suggest you plan on the extra cost.

We chose land and cruise - we think its a great balance that offers the best of both worlds - enjoy the land vacation with car rentals for a couple of islands and then get on a cruise and visit four without having to unpack.

We chose to have fun rather than see as much of the islands as possible! I'm sure we will see lots but having fun is priority #1. If we miss something - so be it. We are not about to "fret" over seeing everything...I suggest you do your research and pick your "must" see spots, the rest is gravy!

We chose NCL for the cruise as it starts and ends in Hawaii. We are NOT die-hard cruise people and do not enjoy things like sea days so starting or ending on the west coast will not happen. Normally we cruise in the haven, not because we're snobs, but because we do not like crowds. Om this boat we chose an owners suite as there is no haven. This suite has enough space and amenities to enjoy our private time.

The last point is time of year. Hawaii is on our list as is many destination. We may not be back so I chose a time of year that provided the best chance of a great experience. Do your research and pick your time period based on what you want.

First I apologize if this has been covered before. Have done searches and there is just so many postings and still have no idea of the best approach for us to visit Hawaii.

 

We are thinking of sometime this coming Sept/Oct and are open to advice and recommendations. We would like to see as much of the Islands as possible which seems to indicate the cruises on Pride of America provide that versus going from Vancouver where you have fewer days visiting the Islands spending time at sea.

Have done Vancouver to Hawaii twice with RCI and hope to do it again Sept 2017. There is 5 sea days in a 12 day cruise - 7 in the islands and you fly home from Honolulu. Last Sept had Hawaiian band and dancers for the cruise there - very entertaining. Would chose RCI ships over Pride of America.

Hi

Last April, we went through Vancouver on our way to Honolulu. Yes, you have to go through US immigration and Customs at Vancouver, but no need to actually reclaim your luggage. Entire process is done on computer...scan your luggage tag, and up comes a photo of your luggage. A very quick and easy process.

We were on the Solstice, but spent 6 days in Honolulu prior to the cruise. Toured a lot, absolutely loved it. We enjoyed the cruise as it was a good sampler of the other islands, and my DH loves sea days, but the weather on the way back to Vancouver was far from pleasant...very "unHawaii like". If we were to do it again, would consider the PoAmerica. As someone has mentioned travelling by inter-island air is very time consuming.

Whatever and however you organize the trip...enjoy Hawaii. What's not to like about Hawaii???

Have done Vancouver to Hawaii twice with RCI and hope to do it again Sept 2017. There is 5 sea days in a 12 day cruise - 7 in the islands and you fly home from Honolulu. Last Sept had Hawaiian band and dancers for the cruise there - very entertaining. Would chose RCI ships over Pride of America.

Why is that? What didn't you enjoy about the POA? :)