Please post your planned or completed itinerary

I read a post yesterday where someone posted their itinerary and I found it very helpful. :D Thanks

Please post your planned or completed itineraries in this thread. It would be nice to see them all in one thread. I know it will give me a lot of ideas and I'm sure it will help others too.

Thanks so much to all those that post to help all of us!!!

Kauai -- Day one: Drove north to the end of the road with stops at the lighthouse, a dry cave, a wet cave, Na Aina Kai gardens (was closed but the gift shop and a small garden around it were open), Opaekaa Falls and lunch at the Princeville Resort (expensive but what a view!)

Day two: planned to take the ship's Waimea Canyon tour but it was fully booked. Took a shuttle to the mall and picked up some forgotten necessities, wandered the shops near the ship.

Hilo: Drove to VNP, did the crater loop with stops at the visitor's center, Volcano House and Thurston Lava Tube, then went to Akaka Falls and the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens.

Kona: No car -- we took the ship's dolphin nature cruise in the AM and the glass bottom boat tour in the PM. Had lunch at a water side table at Bubba Gumps and wandered around the shops.

Maui: Day one -- drove to Lahaina, took the submarine and went on the PWF whale watch. Drove back to catch the ship's luau, but it had moved inside due to rain, so we opted to skip it (they gave us a refund because of the rain).

Day two -- drove to Iao Valley and on to Lahaina to wander around, drove back to Maalaea bay to wander around the shops and then to the Maui Tropical Plantation (we'd been to Maui before so we've already done the helicopter, the Road to Hana and the rest...).

Oahu: Took the ship's Pearl Harbor and city tour prior to being dropped at the airport.

We used Thrifty for car rentals (Blue Chip). Highlights -- Kilauea Lighthouse on Kauai, the whale watch in Maui and the Hawaii Tropical Gardens in Hilo (we're nature fans).

I've included some of the notes people have given me for the various places. I'm traveling with my Dh(40) my DS (21) and my MIL (60 but ill) and FIL (70) So our itinerary is a bit light. The 2 times DH scubas, we are doing the other activities.

Day 1 - Oahu

Get visitors guide at airport

Rent car at airport – Thrifty – use courtesy phone for pickup – don’t forget maps and gps

Drive to hotel Sheraton Princess Kaiulani for 2 nights

Waikiki beach /surf lesson for DS

dinner at Dukes at the Outrigger

Go back to hotel and go to bed early

Day 2 - Oahu

Breakfast at hotel

Pearl Harbor/ USS Arizona

North shore / bonzai pipeline (Ehukai beach)

Nu’uana Pali Lookout – East shore

Dinner at Hula Grill at the Outrigger

Day 3 - Oahu

Cinnamon’s for breakfast

Cinnamon's. A small local restaurant with fantastic breakfast food. carrot cake pancakes with cream cheese dressing. 315 Uluniu Street, Kailua,

Mission House Museum / Kawaiahao Church

Possibly Iolani Palace Tour

return rental car and shuttle to port

Drop your luggage at the pier before returning the car.

board ship 1pm - Jefferson Bistro to make dinner reservations

explore ship and lunch in dining room or buffet or Cadillac

Relax on deck or play cards

Day 4 - Hilo

Order Room service for breakfast and eat on balcony

Buy flowers at pier for room

Rent car

Volcano Nat Park

Go around the VNP clockwise rather than counterclockwise. Most of the parking will be on your right instead of your left and if you get to the visitor center the same time as the tour buses you will be going in the opposite direction.

Rainbow Falls & Boiling Pots by pier

Richardson black sand beach by pier

Day 5 - Lahaina, Maui

Breakfast in main dining room

10am rent car –askfor the Maui Driving Map. It's very good and even shows parking in Lahaina

Drive to Royal Lahaina Resort

Kaanapali relax on beach day (rent cabana)

Turtle Reef scuba for DH check in at noon

BJ's pizzeria or Cheeseburger in Paradise (both on Front street) for lunch

Dinner - Royal Lahaina luau

Stay overnight at resort

Day 6 - Lahaina, Maui

Breakfast at resort – Royal Ocean Terrace

Possibly another scuba day for DH – Molokini Crater?

Explore Front Street

Drive to Iao Valley

Return rental car by 4 - must be back on ship by 5pm

Day 7 - Kona

Order room service for breakfast and eat on balcony

Dollar Rental car at King Kamameha Hotel Snorkeling at Kahului beach park and Parasailing?

The best snorkel route is to head to the southwest, towards the lava rock breakwater (aim for the pavilion restaurant) - this keeps you swimming against the current. Swim against the current on your way out, that way you are swimming with the current on your way back to shore. Try to head out to the lava rocks into as shallow water as possible - once you get into about 2-feet or less of water, the coral reef is pristine and the underwater life is spectacular. Extras - Ample free parking, restrooms, showers, lifeguards, pavilion, concession stands, picnic tables, shady trees, gear rental stands, surfing is popular to the North of the bay.

Maybe visit Place of Refuge or Coffee farm

Holualoa Kona Coffee Co. They have a very nice tour and you get to sample their different types of coffee. They also have a little gift store to buy the coffee and other items. This farm was about a 15 to 20 min. drive with very nice scenery. .

Coffee Shop to buy coffee somewhere rental must be back by 4pm

Day 8 - Kauai

Order room service for breakfast and eat on balcony

Wailua River/Paradise Gardens tour ($50/ea) (NCL) 10:00am

Rent convertible after shore exc

Kee Beach and Kiluai lighthouse

Ke'e beach is well over an hour. With your time frame, I'd suggest you head up to the lighthouse and Ke'e immediately. The scenery most of the way up is really something and you'll drive right around the famous Hanalei Bay, which is beautiful. Do the lighthouse in Kilauea, then continue north to Hanalei. After you pass Princeville, there's a spot overlooking the entire Hanalei Valley, the numerous waterfalls and the Bay. It's one of the most breathtaking views in Hawaii. You'll see what Hawaii used to be like on the drive to the Kee's Beach.

Return rental car

Day 9 - Kauai

No rental

8:15 Blue Hawaii Helicopter Tour

11:00 Back to ship early to relax

Lunch in Dining room or Cadillac

Day 10 - Oahu - Airport

disembarkation day – Quick Fly

Possibly Roberts Little Island Circle Tour if our flight is a red eye. ($40/ea).

Thanks for sharing. I printed them out to read later. I'm in the early planning stages. I have already got a lot of icdeas for reading this board.

Thanks

Got into Honolulu two days before leaving port.

Friday, June 1st

- Took shuttle and did the Polynesian Cultural Center.

- Returned to hotel around 10:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 2nd

- Took Circle Island Tour with K-os Tours - checked out of hotel at 8:00 and started tour.

- Ed Kos dropped us off at our ship at Pier 2 around 3:00 with plenty of time to embark and get acclimated to the ship before sail away at 8:00.

Sunday, June 3rd

- Rented car in Hilo and drove up to VNP.

- Drove down Chain of Craters Road and hiked on lava to see steam. Then drove around Crater Rim road (clockwise) to finish viewing sites.

- Returned rental car with plenty of time to get back on ship for departure.

Monday, June 4th

- Rented car in Kahului in Maui.

- Drove to Wailea Golf course. We chose to book our own tee times because we wanted to be able to take advantage of twilight greens fees. Course was beautiful. We played the Emerald Course and it wasn't unGodly hard. My DH plays alot but I don't, so I didn't want to embarrass myself.

- Returned to ship by about 5:30 so we were able to get a parking spot at the pier (parking IS limited).

Tuesday, June 5th

- Took Haleakala Sunrise Crater tour through the ship (one of only two tours booked through ship).

- Even though we didn't see sunrise (it was foggy)... it cleared shortly after sunrise and we got beautiful views. Dress warmly though, the wind is a killer up there.

- After excursion, we returned to ship, ate breakfast, and then got ready to head out to Lahaina and Kannapali.

- Drove past Banyan Tree to take pics, then out to Kannapali beach.

- It is very difficult to get to the beach since most of the beach is fronted by resorts and although all beaches in Hawaii are public up to the vegetation line, it was still hard to get on the beach.

Wednesday, June 6th

- Took tender into Kona and basically shopped. Shopping in Kona is good... many ecclectic items and not just the same ole, same ole you see on the other islands.

- Had wanted to do parasailing but we didn't book ahead and they filled up so we didn't get to do that.

- Walked over to Kona Brewing Co. and ate lunch and sampled beers. We had grown to like their beers because they have two varieties on the ship, so going to the brewery was cool. They do have tours but we didn't do the tour.

Thursday, June 7th

- Rented car in Lihue, Kauai from Hertz at the Marriott. It isn't quite as short of a walk as I initially had heard so you may want to consider just renting through the airport.

- Drove toward the north shore stopping at Wailua Falls and Opaekaa Falls for photo ops.

- Arrived for our Zip 'n' Dip tour at the Princeville Ranch around 11:00. We had wanted to do the Kiluahea lighthouse but ran out of time.

- We had booked the Zip 'n' Dip on our own and it was fantastic! Definitely the hightlight of our cruise...

- We finished that around 4:00 and headed further east on the north shore.

- We drove to the end of the highway at Ke'e Beach and were able to see the beginnings of the Napali Coastline. Stopped in Hanalei for ice cream at Lapperts (delicious homemade ice cream). They also have shave ice if you want that.

- Drove back to the ship arriving at about 7 p.m.

Friday, June 8th

- Left ship at 8:30 and drove west to see the Spouting Horn which is west of Poipu Beach. It is very cool and would recommend. It only is a quick stop, so it won't take that much time.

- Went to Brenneck's beach which is right next to Poipu Beach. It was a great beach. Water was rather calm and even though there were lots of people, it just seemed quiet.

- Headed back to return rental car to Marriott and get on ship by 1:30. Wish we could have stayed longer on Kauai!

Saturday, June 9th

- Disembarked ship for Pearl Harbor/Honolulu City tour. We had booked this tour so that we wouldn't have to worry about our luggage and how we would get to the airport.

- Pearl Harbor was good, but there really wasn't enough time to go and see the battle ship and submarine along with the museum and Arizona memorial.

- If we were to do this over again, I would have gotten a rental car and drove to Pearl Harbor.

- One note about EZ Fly... I didn't realize that Northwest Airlines was covered and that was part of the reason we did the tour, but they have added many more airlines. Contact NCL to verify which airlines are included because the info. on their website does not list all of the airlines.

- Flew out of Honolulu around 4:20... and returned home this morning at 9:30. Flying east back from the islands is a killer because you have to fly all night. Just be prepared to take a nap when you return home.

All in all, it was a great cruise. I know now that when we return to Hawaii, we would just go to Kauai, which was by far our favorite island. That's the beauty of doing the cruise... you get to see all of the islands so that you can decide which you want to return to... and it is much cheaper than getting hotels on different islands and flying interisland.

Hope this helps you all... The info. that I received from you all in prep for our trip was so valuable and I appreciate it!

Maggie

Kauai -- Day one: Drove north to the end of the road with stops at the lighthouse, a dry cave, a wet cave, Na Aina Kai gardens (was closed but the gift shop and a small garden around it were open), Opaekaa Falls and lunch at the Princeville Resort (expensive but what a view!)

 

Day two: planned to take the ship's Waimea Canyon tour but it was fully booked. Took a shuttle to the mall and picked up some forgotten necessities, wandered the shops near the ship.

 

Hilo: Drove to VNP, did the crater loop with stops at the visitor's center, Volcano House and Thurston Lava Tube, then went to Akaka Falls and the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens.

 

Kona: No car -- we took the ship's dolphin nature cruise in the AM and the glass bottom boat tour in the PM. Had lunch at a water side table at Bubba Gumps and wandered around the shops.

 

Maui: Day one -- drove to Lahaina, took the submarine and went on the PWF whale watch. Drove back to catch the ship's luau, but it had moved inside due to rain, so we opted to skip it (they gave us a refund because of the rain).

 

Day two -- drove to Iao Valley and on to Lahaina to wander around, drove back to Maalaea bay to wander around the shops and then to the Maui Tropical Plantation (we'd been to Maui before so we've already done the helicopter, the Road to Hana and the rest...).

 

Oahu: Took the ship's Pearl Harbor and city tour prior to being dropped at the airport.

 

We used Thrifty for car rentals (Blue Chip). Highlights -- Kilauea Lighthouse on Kauai, the whale watch in Maui and the Hawaii Tropical Gardens in Hilo (we're nature fans).

Pdaz~ What is blue chip? and if you don't mind me asking, about how much does a rental car cost per day in Hawaii?

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Pdaz~ What is blue chip? and if you don't mind me asking, about how much does a rental car cost per day in Hawaii?

Blue Chip is the express rewards program for Thrifty. If you go to their website, you'll see the tab for it at the top of the page under "Express Rewards". I signed up there based on the numerous recommendations on this forum and then booked my rentals on the website, using the Blue Chip number. When you get to the rental counter, there's a separate line for Blue Chip members -- it was less crowded and moved faster than the regular line. Other car rental companies have similar programs -- it really helps to take advantage of them!

I don't remember the exact cost for the rentals, but Maui was the most expensive -- I think it was close to $50 for a midsize car. I think I paid in the $30 range for rentals on Kauai and in Hilo. For our group of four, it was a lot cheaper to get a car rental than use the ship's excursions.

Not that we have traveled yet, but this is our planned itinerary:

Nov 2nd -- arrive in Honolulu 2pm- Rent from Thrifty (Blue Chip) and drive to our hotel, Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. Take a walk to the beach. Stop at the Royal Hawaiian and have some Mai tai's at their Mai Tai bar. Reservations for Creation at our hotel. This is a luau and buffet. Head to bed

Nov 3rd-- Have breakfast (included) then Swim with the Sharks at 9am in Haleiwa. Finish at 11am or so. Get shave ice at Matsamoto's while there. Drive to The Dole Pineapple Plantation, do the tour. Make our way back to Waikiki. We opted for a 4pm check out so then we will check out, bring the car back and take the shuttle to the ship. Embark. Make any reservations then relax and unpack (once the luggage comes). Get ready for dinner.

Nov 4th-- HILO-Roberts Tour VNP and Rainbow Falls

Nov 5th-- MAUI-Road to Hana with Ekahi Tours

Nov 6th-- MAUI-Maui Magic Molokini Snorkle trip

Nov 7th-- KONA- Kona now and then through the ship, The hit the beach

Nov 8th-- KAUAI- Rent from Thrifty--Backcountry Zipline AM (Maybe Helicpoter PM) Otherwise we will find a beach and relax

Nov 9th-- KAUAI- Poipu Beach Surfing Lessons through NCL

Nov 10th- Disembark, Best of Oahu through NCL, fly home :(

Pride of America - 2 pre-cruise nights in Waikiki

Thurs - Arrive 6:00 - Shuttle to Hotel Royal Hawaiian. Dinner at Dukes.

Fri - Early morning Pearl Harbor via The Bus. Afternoon - beach/shop.

Sat - Check out of hotel early - use hotel storage for bags. 9:30 Diamond Head Hike through Oahu Nature Tours. Board PoAm around 2:00.

Sun - Hilo - rent car and drive to VNP. Stop at Visitors Center and Volcano House - follow Crater Rim Drive to Thurston Lava Tube. Turn onto Chain of Craters Road and drive to end stopping at whatever interests us. Complete Crater Rim Drive stopping at Jagger Museum depending on time. Return car around 4:30.

Mon - Kahalui - Pick up rental car - drive to Haleakula - stop at friends house in Kula on the way back. Head toward Lahaina/Kaanapali in the afternoon. 5:30 Old Lahaina Luau.

Tues - Kahalui - Pick up rental car - early start to Road to Hana. Do as much as we can before returning to Mama's Fish house to meet friends around 3pm.

Wed - Kona - Morning - Black Sand Beach and Snorkel through NCL/Afternoon shop or rest by pool on ship.

Thur - Kauai - Pick up rental car - Waimea Canyon AM/Poipu Beach PM /Dinner somewhere around Poipu Beach.

Fri - Kauai - Blue Hawaiian Helicoptor Tour

Sat - Late flight so will rent a car and drive to North Shore and around Oahu.

I spent extra days in Oahu:

OAHU: Day 1: Flew in at 2pm, rented Alamo car, rented snorkel gear, walked Waikiki, passed out.

OAHU: Day 2: Hanauma Bay, Chinatown, Polynesian Cultural Center.

OAHU: Day 3: Dole Plantation, North Shore

OAHU: Day 4: Hiked Diamond Head, embarked on Pride of Hawaii

HILO: Rented Thrifty, drove all over VNP / Chain Of Craters Rd., and hit the black sand beach at Richardson's Ocean Park on the way back

MAUI: Day 1: Surfing in Lahaina, through NCL Catch A Wave excursion

MAUI: Day 2: Sunrise Bicycle Ride at Haleakala Crater, through NCL

KONA: Shopped in the morning, took NCL's excursion for Captain Zodiac Snorkeling in the afternoon

KAUAI: Day 1: Rented Thrifty, drove to North Shore, hit Ke'e Beach, Haena, Tunnels, Hanalei, Queen's Bath, Kilauea Lighthouse, then caught sunset at Poipu. Parked near ship overnight.

KAUAI: Day 2: Got up early, drove to Waimea Canyon, saw every overlook, hiked the 4 mile roundtrip Canyon Trail, shopped in town.

OAHU AGAIN: Day 1: Disembarked PoH, rented Alamo car, went to Pearl Harbor, then the Dole Plantation again, and the North Shore again.

OAHU AGAIN: Day 2: Kailua Beach Park, and finally took the time to explore all the stores up and down Waikiki before leaving on a red-eye.

Thanks for ahring. I printed them all out to look them over. Hopefully tonight!

Any more?

Well, I'm on the total techy side of things and put my schedule into an Excel file... it may be a lil hard to read, but it can be found at: http://pulse.grx.org/HM-Plans.xls

It's not in anyway complete, though I only have about a month left until the trip! Hopefully I'll get everything squared away quickly, but maybe some of you may find the template a good start to edit your trip with.

-Randall

Randall,

I love your organization!! I have been cutting and pasting everyones activities on each island. I have a folder for each island but I am still compiling the information. When I get all the info I need I will copy the outline you have used on excel to finalize everything. Thanks for sharing.

Along with the much appreciated comments from Beachchick!

We're doing the 11 day Pride of Aloha Cruise out of Honolulu, and following is what we're thinking of doing. Please keep in mind that we are supremely aware that it is impossible to see everything in our limited time frame and that our philosophy is to see some good stuff, enjoy it, and have no regrets about what we might have missed.

Aloha. This itinerary sounds so good. If we decided to do another cruise (which we probably won't because we prefer land trips), it would be this one. More time in the islands is always, always a good thing. And you'll cruise coastlines that most people (including us, so far) never see.

Friday - arrive Honolulu Airport, shuttle to Waikiki Marriott, rest of day overcoming jet lag and walking around Waikiki.

Sounds good. Lounging by the pool and on the beach is a good plan too. Walking around is a must (for us) after long flights. I feel as if I've been on my, well, butt so long that I've just got to stretch things. Swimming is actually my prefered post-plane activity, and I highly recommend it (beach or pool or both) for your first day.

Saturday - Waikiki Historic Trail, walk to zoo, continue overcoming jet lag, board ship Saturday afternoon. Overnight on ship, still in Honolulu,

A good first full day. Activities to keep you moving, but not so much as to be overwhelming. You might want to wander through Chinatown (daytime only) and pick up a floral arrangement and/or gorgeous leis. It's within reasonable walking distance of the port.

Sunday - ship departs at 6PM, so I presume we have to be on board at 5PM.

Maybe the Bishop Museum and Hawaii Maritime Center.

The Bishop Museum is terrific, IMO. I highly recommend a tour of the Iolani Palace. It's fantastic. I'd do that over the Maritime Center. (Keep in mind all of this is our preferences; YMMV).

Monday - arrive Lahaina (Maui) 8 am. No rental car - just walk, very leisurely, through Lahaina. Ship departs 6PM

We love Lahaina. Wandering Front St. is a great thing to do. There are also some often-overlooked historical sites. However, you might want to consider heading up to Ka'anapali beach on the shuttle first for a few hours. I honestly think you will find that Lahaina doesn't need a whole day for wandering (this from a Lahaina lover). The shuttle stops at Wharf Cinema Center, which is across Front St. from the banyon tree courtyard, courthouse, and tender pier area. It's $1 each way and will stop at Lahaina Cannery Mall (if you want indoor shopping) and Whaler's Village (good shopping/eating/drinking) on Ka'anapali beach. You can walk out through Whaler's to the beachwalk and head either direction to enjoy Ka'anapali beach proper.

Tuesday - Kona (Big Island) - arrive 7 am. No rental car, just walk and drink Kona coffee!

No problem there. Kona is a fun wandering town too. If you want to do Kona coffee tasting though, you'll really need to rent a car and tour the farms on your own. There are no Kona coffee farms actually in Kona or in any reasonable walking distance.

Wednesday - at sea

Thursday - Hilo (Big Island) - arrive 8AM. Rent car. Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Crater rim Drive at Kilauea. Depart 6PM

Another good day.

Friday - Kahului (Maui) - Arrive 8AM. Rent Car. Road to Hana. Ship stays overnight here.

Good that you've not tried to plan multiple activities on the same day you do the road to Hana. It's definitely a full day. Try to get on the road as soon as you can. There are places in Paia (on the way) to pick up picnic lunch supplies.

Saturday - Still at Kahului. Leisurely drive of South Shore. Ship departs 9:30PM

You mean the south-west beaches? If so, good choice. Do stop and relax at a beach (or two or three).

Sunday - at sea

Monday - Nawiliwili (Kauai) - arrive 8AM - Rent car. Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Park. Ship stay overnight here.

This is a nice day. It's beautiful up in the canyon.

Tuesday - Road to Hanalei. Ship departs 5 PM.

As you don't depart until 5 pm, you'll be fine with this. If you were departing at the usual NCLA 2 pm for Na Pali coast cruising, it would be really pushing it.

Wednesday - Honolulu. Get off ship and do NCL's excursion to Pearl harbor, which also delivers us to Airport, and we don't have to handle our bags.

I think this is a smart option for cruisers who have a late enough flight.

What do you think?

I think you'll have a great time. Enjoy.

Randall,

 

I love your organization!! I have been cutting and pasting everyones activities on each island. I have a folder for each island but I am still compiling the information. When I get all the info I need I will copy the outline you have used on excel to finalize everything. Thanks for sharing.

LOL I'm doing the same thing. I just keep a word document open and copy everything I might need later and want to go back too. I have many pages :eek: I have copied them and start sorted but it's a lot of info.

Great form Randell. I saved it. Thanks for sharing. I plan to come back to this thread when I start getting to more final planning.

Ok, here's the game plan so far:

Kona: Rent a car and drive to Kealakekua Bay. Snorkel for the morning. I found a great 1/2 day drive tour from the book Hawaii the Big Island Trailblazer (Where to hike, snorkel, surf, bike, drive) by Jerry & Janine Sprout that visits different places of interest and includes a stop at the Kealakekua Bay/Cooks Monument. We might not do everything suggested but it's a good place to start.

Hilo: Rent a car and go to VNP, see the Thurston Lava Tube and drive around the rim so see the variety of landscapes. We'll stop at some of the lookouts suggested in the same book mentioned above. Then drive back to town for lunch at Cafe Pesto. After lunch we'll make our way to Waiopae Tide Pools for the afternoon to snorkel and get some sun. After that head back to the ship.

Lahaina - Day 1: Rent Car. Go to the Sheraton for the day. Snorkel at Black Rock, hang at the beach, beach/pool activites, check into the hotel. Get cleaned up and go to dinner at the Lahaina Fish Company. After dinner we'll hit the Hyatt for their Star Tour and then back to the Sheraton for bed.

Lahaina - Day 2: Get up early and head to the Haleakala Summit to watch the sunrise. On the way back we'll venture over to the north side of the island and check out the beachs in the Paia area. Watch the kite boarders/wind surfers and let the kids play on the beach. We'll either have a late lunch or dinner at Mama's Fish House at sunset. Drop the car off and go back to the ship.

Hilo: Rent a car and drive up to the north shore to do a Shark Diving Tour in the morning. Take our time on the way back, hit Diamond Head for a hike and stop for a quick visit to Hanauma Bay. Go back to the ship to get cleaned up for dinner at Orchid, the Halekulani Hotel during sunset. After dinner return the car and walk around before going back to the ship.

All the restaurants mentioned have been recommend from other CC'rs and greatly appreciated. I love to taste the food of the areas that we visit. So like I said this is a work in progress. We are going on the Serenade of the Seas in October 2008.

We (Mom, Dad, Grandmother, 13 year old, and 19 year old boys) will be on Pride of Aloha on 8/26/07 - 9/2/07. I did alot research and this is what I came up with.

Sunday - Honolulu - (don't know flight schedule yet) get to ship and familiarized ourselves with the ship

Monday - Kauai - Wailua River & Fern Grotto (8:15 am - 11:45 am) with NCL

Luau Kalamaku (4:15 pm - 8:15 pm) with NCL

Tuesday - Kauai - Poipu Beach Surfing Lessons (8:30 am - 11:45 am) (Dad & 19 year old)with NCL because ship is to leave 1 pm, rest of us will get off the ship and walk around surrounding area

Wednesday - Hilo - Volcanoes National Park & Rainbow Falls (9:30 am - 3:30 pm) with Roberts Hawaii

Thursday - Kona - Kona Bay Beach Blast (8:00 am - 1:00 pm) with NCL

Friday - Maui - Molokini Crater Snorkel (Dad & 13 year old son) (9:00 am - 2:00 pm) with NCL

Haleakala Crater Tour (Mom, Grandmother, & 19 year old son) (8:30 am -12:45 pm) with Roberts Hawaii (my 19 year old said he prefers not to know what is in the ocean)

Saturday - Maui - Maui Tropical Plantation & Iao Valley & Maui Ocean Center (8:30 am - 2:30 pm) with Roberts Hawaii

Sunday - Honolulu - depending on our air flight home, if late flight, we'll do Highlights of Oahu with Roberts Hawaii or NCL (whoever has space)

We are on the 7-day Pride of Aloha cruise leaving on July 29th. I will be traveling with my husband (honeymoon!!!).

Arrival: Plane lands at 2pm. Will go to boat, check in, and explore. This is our first cruise and our first trip to Hawaii.

Kauai (Day 1): Renting a car from Alamo. We plan to drive to Waimea Canyon in the morning and then hit the beach at Poipu. We also plan to rent snorkeling gear from Snorkel Bob's near Poipu for the whole week (you can return the gear on any island, not necessarily the one you rented on).

Kauai (Day 2): Tubing the Ditch through NCL

Hilo (Day 3): Renting a car and going to Volcanoes National Park. If we have time we plan to drive down and see the black sand beach.

Kona (Day 4): Renting a car (King Kam location next to pier) and will check out beaches for snorkeling. May also take a coffee tour.

Maui (Day 5): Renting a car (jeep wrangler) and will partially drive Road to Hana. Will attend the Old Lahaina Luau in the evening.

Maui (Day 6): Morning snorkel cruise to Molokini, which was booked with Maui Classic Charters. In the afternoon we will go back to Lahaina to see the Banyon Tree and do some shopping. Will return snorkel gear on this island.

Honolulu (Day 7): Renting a car. Plan to see Pearl Harbor in the morning. In the afternoon would like to spend the afternoon at Waikiki Beach. Plane does not leave until 9:20 so we will have plenty of time to relax before the long trip home.

This is a really fun thread to read. Hope more post here. Helpful to everyone in the planning stages.

We're not going until Feb. but one place I found was trails.com they also have scenic drives for the islands - you can get maps and itineraries which I haven't done yet-

Just a note, that I have mentioned before we are NOT renting a car in any port because DH doesn't like driving in unfamiliar territory. Besides we bicker about his driving all the time and don't want to do this on vacation. Also, we are not into snorkeling, scuba, etc. so these are what we like. Keep in mind that we are celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniv. (our anniv is actually Sept.2) and we are both 61.

11 day cruise POA leaving 9-29-2007 thru and inc. 10-10-2007

We leave Orlando, Florida at noon time and arrive Honolulu 9:30 pm

on Sept. 27th. 2 days pre-cruise

We are taking the Roberts shuttle from the airport and purchasing a round trip ticket for 15. each person (not each way) so that they can take us to the pier on the 29th. (slower than cab, but much cheaper)

Sept. 28th--

Roberts tours leaves Queen Kapiolani at 12:30 pm. (we are staying here with an oceanview room for a Senior rate of 76. a night inc. tax) and going to the Polynesian Cultural Center with the Amb.Vip luau Dinner package (134. ea) This is the only luau we are doing, not overly interested in doing a luau, but felt at least one needed to done in Hawaii.

We wanted to this particular tour because it stays for the night Horizons show which is suppose to be great. Arrive at hotel 10:30pm

Sept.29th

Roberts Pearl Harbor and Honolulu city tour, pick up at 6:45 am and return 11:30 am. Take either 12 noon or 2 pm Roberts shuttle to pier.

Check in and roam the ship, "just chill" the rest of day.

Sept. 30th.

Getting picked up at pier by Kos tours at 7:15 am to do a 5 hour Hummer tour which will take us to a few out of the way places as well as some places where "Lost" and other shows have been filmed. (We are "Lost" junkies!)

Return to ship by 12 noon or so.

Oct. 1

Lahaina Maui, Maui Plantation and IAO valley with Roberts

Oct.2

Kona,Historic Kona with Roberts

Oct 3 At Sea

Oct 4

Hilo ,Kilauea Lava Viewing Hike thru NCL (we'll have to wait and see on this one depending on lava flow)

Oct.5

Kahului, Maui, Ekahi tours (thru adventureinhawaii) they have small vans rather than the bigger buses. Road to Hana

Oct.6

Kahului, Maui, Ekahi tours Kaleakala Crater at Sunrise Bike tour (DH will do bike tour, I never learned how to ride a bike, I'll be in the van watching the bikers) NCL would not have been very "keen" on one biker and one rider, Ekahi had no problem with it.

Oct 7 At sea

Oct. 8

Nawiliwil Kauai, Mountain Safari Adventure with NCL

Oct. 9

Nawiliwil Kauai, Blue Hawaii Heli tour., shopping

Oct. 10

Honolulu-Grand circle tour with NCL (Roberts doesn't have this as a shore excursion) brings us to airport around 6 pm. Our flight doesn't leave until 10:30 pm.

We'll fill in the gaps with shopping, etc.

We are both going to a brand new Senior Center that just opened around here that has a great workout room. We want to be in shape for the Lava Hike if there is lave to be seen. We are most definitely not couch potatoes.:D

We'll be on the POH on 7/16 - 72 hours from now :D

Here's our plan:

Sat 7/14 arrive Honolulu, stay at Marriott Waikiki

Sun 7/15 Pearl Harbor, beach, visit w/ friends who live in Honolulu

Mon 7/16 Diamond Head, beach, shop, board ship

Tue 7/17 Hilo - Morning - botanical gardens, Afternoon - Helicopter over volcano

Wed 7/18 Maui - renting a car - Road to Hana

Thurs 7/19 Maui - private jeep safari

Fri 7/20 Kona - Snorkeling

Sat 7/21 Kauai - renting a car - wandering aimlessly!

Sun 7/22 Kauai - snorkeling

Mon 7/23 Disembark, wander around Honolulu until flight home at 3:30

Here is my completed trip review for the Hawaii cruise ports. We rented a car in each location...not so sure I would do that again for various reasons, mostly time related. Maui was the worst port to rent a car, due to traffic we spent most of our time driving around.

http://familytravelfun.com/hawaiiports.html

We are definitely not anywhere near completing our itinerary, but this is what I've got so far. I'm trying to build in a lot of time to relax and enjoy Hawaii for what it is. It will be our honeymoon so I don't want to overplan and end up exhausted at the end of the trip! :D

Saturday, – Honolulu

· 3 p.m. – Arrive, take shuttle/cab to Marriott on Waikiki

· Dinner – Duke’s? Or other? (and stroll Waikiki/swim?)

Sunday, November 25 – Honolulu

· Breakfast at Lulu’s (included w/package)

· Go for a leisurely walk up Diamondhead

· Relax/stroll on Waikiki Beach/Hotel Pool

Monday, November 26 – Honolulu

· Breakfast at Lulu’s (included w/package)

· Relax at hotel, check out

· Noon – Board the Pride of Hawaii, make dinner reservations as possible, spa reservations as possible, play in pool/relax

· Dinner at specialty restaurant?

· Put out request for breakfast on balcony in the morning

Tuesday, November 27 – Hilo (is this possible all in one day?)

· Rent compact car through Thrifty

· Drive to VNP – Crater Rim Drive, Etc. (Bring flashlight!)

· Stop at Volcano Winery - Take Hwy 11 towards Volcano. Turn right at the 30-mile marker onto Pii Mauna Drive. Go to end of the road. (Distance from Hilo: 30 miles)

Free tastings: 10-5:30

· Rainbow Falls - as time allows

· Boiling Pots - as time allows

Wednesday, November 28 – Maui (Kahului) (still struggling with timing on Maui - what can we get to?)

Rent Convertible!!!

Maui Tropical Plantation & Iao Valley & Maui Ocean Center??

Haleakala Crater??

Thursday, November 29 – Maui (Kahului)

Still have Convertible!!! :D

Lahaina?

Ka'anapali beach?

Friday, November 30 – Kona

· Shopping

· Kona Brewery: Take the Kona Brewery tour at 10:30 a.m. or 3 p.m.

75-5629 Kuakini Highway

Kailua Kona, Hawaii 96740

· Swimming on the beach or on the ship

· Spa on ship?

Saturday, December 1 – Kauai

· Mudbug excursion through NCL

· Beach (At Marriott Resort) or Swimming on the ship

· Spa on ship?

Sunday, December 2 – Kauai

· Blue Hawaiian Tour through NCL

· Shopping at the pier, or Swimming on the ship

· Spa on ship?

· 5 p.m. - Sail by Napali Coast

Monday, December 3 – Honolulu

Tuesday, December 4 – Honolulu

Wednesday, December 5 – Honolulu

Thursday, December 6 - Honolulu

The last Honolulu days are still open for suggestion! I want to get to Ala Moana one day and Pearl Harbor and possibly the North Shore.

Thoughts?