Norwegian Pride of Aloha

[marcyjane]

Hi, Everyone,

First off let me explain why we have decided on NCL Pride of Aloha. Due to vacation time, want to see as much of Hawaii as possible, and read here on the boards about the decor being Island Theme.

Now with that said, Want to go to Hawaii for the fact I've never been and while I'm 55 and still alive just want to see the beauty.

I love crusing and I love the ocean and the walks on the beach or relaxing on the beach, but don't much care for the excurisions to do with water like tubing, diving,surfing, well you know. Also would like to see Volcanoe area. But worried about the climbing, hiking etc. and then the helicopter ride (oh my) never been in a helicopter before much less over a volcano.

I've printed out the shore excurisons from NCL for this year on the pride of Aloha and much seem to do with water and hiking etc, golf , biking, submarine, except the Lula.

Please anyone around my age that has been to Hawaii please tell me what to do to get the best of each Island port stops.

thank you,

Marcy

[marcyjane]

Anyone with suggestions.

Thank you,

Marcy

[Poconolady]

The best suggestion that I have, after recently returning from the Aloha, is to rent a car on the various islands, and then you can customize your vacation to your taste. If it is sightseeing that pleases you, then you will have transportation to get you to the waterfalls, Road to Hana, and to stop and enjoy the many magnificent ocean vistas, etc. If museums are your thing, then the car can take you there. If you crave shopping, then your car is your personal transport to whatever types of stores interest you. If florals and botanicals are your personal favorites, each island will have their share of many varied types. all yours to explore. Renting cars on the islands is very easy and fast, but do your reservations before leaving home, do it yourself or a travel agent can help. Doing your own thing requires that you do some research prior to going on your vacation--but that is a wonderful thing since it means that you can do a lot of your "exploring" before you take off. Try several different search engines online and be sure to access the websites for the tourism board on each island, there is plenty of information just waiting for you. Most island's tourism boards will mail you iunformation of their individual island so you can have brochures, etc to browse before you leave for your trip.

[mikefast]

We wanted to see Kauai by air. Instead of a helicopter, we rented a light plane from AirVentures, Hawaii. This was a four seat airplane, with only the pilot, my wife and myself. So, instead of being stuck in the middle, we all had a window seat. You will never meet a friendlier couple than the pilot and his wife, and above all, willing to bend over backwards to take care of you. When we docked in Hawaii, there was a light rain, so he called us and advised us that he wouldn't go because the visibility was bad. So, we re-scheduled for the afternoon. It cleared and his wife picked us up at the ship. There were still rain clouds around, and when we got to the airport, he landed and said it was up to us, if we wanted to go, he would take us, but we wouldn't be able to see everything because of the rain showers. We told him we would rather go when the visibility was better, so his wife took us back to the ship. The next morning, the weather was better, his wife picked us up at the ship again, and we had a good flight. I appreciated his willingness to re-scheduled at no obligation to us. I don't know if the helicopers would have let you cancel. The price wasn't bad either, $99.00 per person for an hour flight, and that was just for the two of us. On Maui, we rented a car, and drove to Lahina. Maui is a beautiful island, (Aren't the all). Next time we go, we will probably rent a car and drive to Hana instead. On Hawaii, we of course took a volcano tour, and also to the orchid nursery, rainbow falls, and to the mac nut plantation. One bit of advice though, when you go to dinner, go early. My wife and I tried to be at the restaurant when it opened. We were always done eating in about an hour, and that included dessert. Some others from our group that got there around 7:00 or so, took up to three hours to finish a meal. Go with an open mind, and you will have a great time.

[marcyjane]

Thank you both, I'm a little worried about renting a car and driving around a strange place. My husband and I used to do that, but he passed away and now one of my best friends is going with me on this cruise.

We still feel young , but just don't like a lot of the water excurisions. Also to be able to see the volcanoes other than from the air, is there a lot of walking, hiking etc if you go by land and is there a NCL Pride of Aloha Volcano excurision you would suggest.

Thanks,

Marcy

[Poconolady]

Just pick one of the volcano excursions that does not mention hiking, walking tours etc. Most of the tours are via bus and all you do is sit and watch from your window. What little walking that there is shouldn't be a problem.

[marcyjane]

Thanks Poconolady,

I'll start looking over the excurison I've printed off and read in detail, that's a good idea.

Thanks,

Marcy