I did this cruise in November and really enjoyed it. I did all but one of these stops via both paid excursions and local vehicle rentals. While renting was more work, it did allow more detailed exploration and hiking in some areas. Your video was an excellent review of the cruise.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you had a great trip. We agree with you that renting and exploring on your own can work if you are willing to do a bit of planning. Our day of hiking and exploring on Kauai was great. If we are lucky enough to go back, we'll consider that option.
Thanks for the questions. Food on the ship overall was great. We really enjoyed Cagney's Steakhouse. Breakfast was good and we enjoyed plenty of fresh fruit, muesli, and other tasty bites. The main dining room meals were generally good. The one miss for us was the Cadillac Diner which wasn't quite our taste. As for bathrooms on the excursions, we felt they were sufficient. For example, on the visit to Volcanoes National Park, we did some touring first with a stop at Rainbow Falls. When we got to the park visitor center, there was time for a break before and after the hike. On the Secret Waterfalls excursion, they stopped at a store with bathrooms before proceeding to the hiking location. The longest day for us was Road to Hana. If we remember correctly, there were three stops throughout the day with bathrooms available. Hope that helps.
Thank you so much for all this information. I will be doing this cruise in 2026. Since I have never traveled before I started researching and I'm getting very excited.
My husband and I are planning to take this trip at the end of September. Can the road to Hanna excursion be taken the second day in Maui? I’m confused because the ship departs at 3pm right? So I’m not sure how we can take the 2 excursions you mentioned: the crater sunset and the road to Hanna those 2 days in Maui. Thank you for your video, very informative!
Thanks for the great question. I'm sure you are looking forward to your cruise in Hawaii. Great that you are doing some research and planning ahead. While the ship does pretty much the same itinerary every week, it could be that there are some schedule variations. If I remember, when signed in to your cruise planner, the NCL website showed which excursions were available for each day. Here was the schedule for Maui. The ship arrived the first day at about 8:00 am. We had time on our own until the Haleakala Sunset excursion departed at 3:00. We arrived back to ship around 9:00 pm. The next day, our Road to Hana excursion left early, at 7:00 am. It was a 9.5 hour round trip which got us back to the ship around 4:30 in the afternoon. All aboard time that day was 5:30 so we got back with time to spare. One of the reasons we usually book excursions is that the ship is supposed to wait if your excursion is delayed. If you are on your own, you might miss the ship if something happens. Hope that helps with your planning and that you have an amazing trip.
Thank you! I was worried about my second day in Maui because I read it departs at 3pm, but you’re right if I take the excursion with NCL it shouldn’t leave us behind 😅
My husband and I are looking into the NCL Hawaiian cruise. Approx how much did the entire trip cost (not including flights)? Trying to figure out if going by land is better than going by ship
Thanks for the great question. Something to consider is whether you know which Hawaiian island you'd like to visit. We found the cruise worked well for us as we were able to visit several islands. However, if there is an island you'd really like to spend more time on, spending your vacation in just that place might be best. There are many variables that could impact the cost of your trip including when you plan to visit, the resort you'd stay at, the type of cruise cabin, and whether you prefer to explore on your own or use excursions. I'd recommend either working with a good travel agent or doing a bit of planning on your own to estimate the total cost of the trip. Hope that helps.
My husband & I went on this cruise in March 2023. Our 1 st time to Hawaii. Had no idea which island(s) we wanted to go to so we decided on the cruise. We treated the cruise as a floating hotel. The islands were what we wanted to see, not too worried about the amenities of the ship.
Me and my mom are currently in the beginning stages of planning for our return trip there in 2026 (no concrete dates yet). We first went there last year in August 2023, but got waylaid by the Maui Fires & hurricane winds unfortunately 😔.
Appreciate the feedback and your question. Our tour included the museum area and a boat ride to the Arizona Memorial. We did not have the opportunity to visit Ford Island and Hickam Field. However, it appears that you can book a bus tour to Ford Island at Recreation.gov www.nps.gov/perl/ford-island-bus-tour.htm
Great question. Overall, we are glad we used excursions as they made things easy. Our guides helped us see the best sights and provided an explanation for what we were seeing. Many do this trip on their own by renting cars. If you do some planning and are OK with renting a car and ensuring you return on time, you could explore on your own. When we return, we'll probably still do a few excursions. Since we have a better feel for the islands, we would likely do a bit more exploring on our own We felt like we could have easily done Pearl Harbor on our own. We'd likely try to use a shuttle or just rent a car for the day. The hotels we stayed at charge quite a bit to park a car. We did rent a car one day on Kauai to explore Waimea Canyon and visit Kauai Coffee. We think this gave us more time at the canyon and more flexibility over the offered excursion. Getting to the car rental location here was pretty easy. A daytime visit to Haleakala could likely be done on your own. There are two days on Maui so doing this on day one would maybe take the pressure off from missing the ship. However, we did the Haleakala sunset and appreciated having a skilled driver coming down the mountain after dark. On the big island, you may be able to do some exploring at Volcanoes National Park on your own. However, we did appreciate having a good guide. You could probably do a Luau on your own for day one of Kauai. It looks like they sell tickets with transportation if you prefer to book this on your own if you opt not to get a car. We are glad we didn't try to do the Road to Hana on our own. It would have been a long day and might have been less fun if we had to do all the driving. As they say, your mileage may vary. I hope that helps. Let us know how you do the trip. We'd love to hear about your experience.
We just rented a car the one day in Kauai. You can pick up your rental car at the airport which is about 3 miles away from where the cruise ship docks. There are several car rental companies available.
Motion sickness pills are a great option. I lived on Oahu years ago and have experienced the road to Hana probably about 4 times and regretted the first time as I didn't take those pills.
Glad you found it helpful. The box lunches we had were provided as part of the shore excursions. Overall, they were pretty good. Usually a sandwich and chips. Hope you have a fantastic trip!
I started to stop watching your video once I saw some of your outfits......😀😀 (I'm a fan of the garnet and black). We did the same cruise a few years ago and did several of same excursions. One question: how did you handle tipping for the guides? It seems to be an open discussion in many places. We're actually going back later this year. We're going to spend 4 days on Kauai then catch the cruise (not sure why except we are going with friends) I believe you said this was your first Hawaiian cruise; we were shocked how much the excursions have gone up in 5 years (many have doubled). Like the Laua, you can book directly for less than half the cruise rate. So, we're doing on our own while on Kauai. We're big fans of Viking cruises: have you done any of those? We have 3 booked over the next 3 years.
Thanks for the feedback. I bet you are excited for your trip back to Hawaii. Four days on Kauai sounds great. We really wanted more time there. You asked some great questions. I'll try to answer. Tipping for excursion guides. Having some cash on hand to thank a guide for a good day is a good idea. The amount people give seems to vary. We appreciated the convenience of doing the excursions through the cruise line for this trip. Now that we are a bit more familiar with Hawaii, we'll likely do a bit more adventuring on our own if we have the opportunity to go back. We haven't yet done a Viking cruise. If you have three booked with them, you must really like them. What's your favorite part? They look like nice ships with some amazing itineraries. Definitely something we'll consider for a future trip. What cruises have you done with them? Thanks again for the feedback and questions.
@@traveltrailsail I guess the thing we like best about Viking is that it's a cruise for grownups. We've already done 3 with them, Into the Midnight Sun, British Isles Explorer, and Australia/New Zealand. Only negative experience was the Tasman Sea, you need good sea legs for that piece, very rough. Best thing, everything, including a basic excursion is included. If you like specialty dining, wifi, and include the excursion, it's not that much more than other cruise lines.
Great video! Just what I’ve been waiting to see since we’re booked on PoA with 3 days at a hotel in Waikiki with excursions already set up to Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian center, and Koala ranch. The excursions you took from the ship are definitely on my list. Thanks for all the details and recommendations! How early did you book the excursions through NCL? Our cruisetour is in December.
If you are asking about the cost of the shore excursions, we thought that the offerings and price may change over time so didn't include that information. For the latest info, your best bet might be to use the NCL shore excursion finder at: www.ncl.com/shore-excursions/search?destination=Hawaii+Cruises Hope that helps.
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Thank you so much for making this video! It's hard to find videos about the NCL POA excursions. Your video was so informative!!
Thanks for letting us know. Glad it was helpful.
Aloha Laurie! I agree it’s a challenge to learn about local excursions that are not booked from NCL. How do most people hear about them I wonder
Agree
Most videos they hired a car and that isnt an option for us
Love your videos
Very informative on the excursions. Thanks for the details. I’ll be taking this cruise in October 2024 11:30
Thank you. We appreciate the feedback. Hope your upcoming cruise is fantastic!
thank you for sharing your excursion experiences! My parents and I will go to the NCL Pride of America trip next month. Great information!!!
You are welcome. Glad the information was helpful. We hope you have a great trip!
So happy you’re coming! I live here and love if.
I did this cruise in November and really enjoyed it. I did all but one of these stops via both paid excursions and local vehicle rentals. While renting was more work, it did allow more detailed exploration and hiking in some areas. Your video was an excellent review of the cruise.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you had a great trip. We agree with you that renting and exploring on your own can work if you are willing to do a bit of planning. Our day of hiking and exploring on Kauai was great. If we are lucky enough to go back, we'll consider that option.
This trip is on my bucket list. I went there years ago and loved it. Thanks for such a comprehensive video!
You are welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you. Great video with tons of information. Much appreciated.
Appreciate the feedback. Glad it was helpful.
Are there bathroom stops on the longer excursions? How was the food on the ship?
Thanks for the questions. Food on the ship overall was great. We really enjoyed Cagney's Steakhouse. Breakfast was good and we enjoyed plenty of fresh fruit, muesli, and other tasty bites. The main dining room meals were generally good. The one miss for us was the Cadillac Diner which wasn't quite our taste.
As for bathrooms on the excursions, we felt they were sufficient. For example, on the visit to Volcanoes National Park, we did some touring first with a stop at Rainbow Falls. When we got to the park visitor center, there was time for a break before and after the hike. On the Secret Waterfalls excursion, they stopped at a store with bathrooms before proceeding to the hiking location. The longest day for us was Road to Hana. If we remember correctly, there were three stops throughout the day with bathrooms available. Hope that helps.
Thank you so much for all this information. I will be doing this cruise in 2026. Since I have never traveled before I started researching and I'm getting very excited.
Awesome! 2026 will be here before you know it. Hope you have a great adventure.
this video is a blessing. thanks!
Hi! I’m noticing your Clemson apparel! We are in the Powdersville area, south of Greenville!
Thanks for noticing. We both went to Clemson. Go Tigers!
You shared some really good information.....Thank You. What month and year did you go on this cruise?
Thank you. Glad it was helpful. We did our Hawaiian Islands cruise October 2023.
Great video even though you had on that Clemson gear! Thanks so much for the information. Booked next year.
Glad it was helpful. We hope you enjoy your trip! And...Go Tigers!
My husband and I are planning to take this trip at the end of September. Can the road to Hanna excursion be taken the second day in Maui? I’m confused because the ship departs at 3pm right? So I’m not sure how we can take the 2 excursions you mentioned: the crater sunset and the road to Hanna those 2 days in Maui.
Thank you for your video, very informative!
Thanks for the great question. I'm sure you are looking forward to your cruise in Hawaii. Great that you are doing some research and planning ahead. While the ship does pretty much the same itinerary every week, it could be that there are some schedule variations. If I remember, when signed in to your cruise planner, the NCL website showed which excursions were available for each day.
Here was the schedule for Maui. The ship arrived the first day at about 8:00 am. We had time on our own until the Haleakala Sunset excursion departed at 3:00. We arrived back to ship around 9:00 pm. The next day, our Road to Hana excursion left early, at 7:00 am. It was a 9.5 hour round trip which got us back to the ship around 4:30 in the afternoon. All aboard time that day was 5:30 so we got back with time to spare.
One of the reasons we usually book excursions is that the ship is supposed to wait if your excursion is delayed. If you are on your own, you might miss the ship if something happens.
Hope that helps with your planning and that you have an amazing trip.
Thank you! I was worried about my second day in Maui because I read it departs at 3pm, but you’re right if I take the excursion with NCL it shouldn’t leave us behind 😅
Did you take the NCL Road to Hana regular excursion or the small group tour?
Thanks for the question. We did the regular Road to Hana excursion. It was on a smaller bus with about 20 people.
My husband and I are looking into the NCL Hawaiian cruise. Approx how much did the entire trip cost (not including flights)? Trying to figure out if going by land is better than going by ship
Thanks for the great question. Something to consider is whether you know which Hawaiian island you'd like to visit. We found the cruise worked well for us as we were able to visit several islands. However, if there is an island you'd really like to spend more time on, spending your vacation in just that place might be best.
There are many variables that could impact the cost of your trip including when you plan to visit, the resort you'd stay at, the type of cruise cabin, and whether you prefer to explore on your own or use excursions. I'd recommend either working with a good travel agent or doing a bit of planning on your own to estimate the total cost of the trip. Hope that helps.
My husband & I went on this cruise in March 2023. Our 1 st time to Hawaii. Had no idea which island(s) we wanted to go to so we decided on the cruise. We treated the cruise as a floating hotel. The islands were what we wanted to see, not too worried about the amenities of the ship.
Thanks. We really wanted to see a good sample of the islands, too. The cruise was a good way to do a first visit to Hawaii.
Thanks! Planning our first trip for Feb 2025.
Awesome! We hope you have a great trip.
Welcome ! It’s stunning! I moved to Kauai in 1999
Me and my mom are currently in the beginning stages of planning for our return trip there in 2026 (no concrete dates yet). We first went there last year in August 2023, but got waylaid by the Maui Fires & hurricane winds unfortunately 😔.
Thanks for the video. We’re taking the same cruise next August and I have one question: did the Perl Harbor tour include Ford Island and Hickam field?
Appreciate the feedback and your question. Our tour included the museum area and a boat ride to the Arizona Memorial. We did not have the opportunity to visit Ford Island and Hickam Field. However, it appears that you can book a bus tour to Ford Island at Recreation.gov www.nps.gov/perl/ford-island-bus-tour.htm
Of the excursions you discussed which ones do you think can be done on your own and what ones are best done thew NCL?
Great question. Overall, we are glad we used excursions as they made things easy. Our guides helped us see the best sights and provided an explanation for what we were seeing. Many do this trip on their own by renting cars. If you do some planning and are OK with renting a car and ensuring you return on time, you could explore on your own. When we return, we'll probably still do a few excursions. Since we have a better feel for the islands, we would likely do a bit more exploring on our own
We felt like we could have easily done Pearl Harbor on our own. We'd likely try to use a shuttle or just rent a car for the day. The hotels we stayed at charge quite a bit to park a car.
We did rent a car one day on Kauai to explore Waimea Canyon and visit Kauai Coffee. We think this gave us more time at the canyon and more flexibility over the offered excursion. Getting to the car rental location here was pretty easy.
A daytime visit to Haleakala could likely be done on your own. There are two days on Maui so doing this on day one would maybe take the pressure off from missing the ship. However, we did the Haleakala sunset and appreciated having a skilled driver coming down the mountain after dark.
On the big island, you may be able to do some exploring at Volcanoes National Park on your own. However, we did appreciate having a good guide.
You could probably do a Luau on your own for day one of Kauai. It looks like they sell tickets with transportation if you prefer to book this on your own if you opt not to get a car.
We are glad we didn't try to do the Road to Hana on our own. It would have been a long day and might have been less fun if we had to do all the driving. As they say, your mileage may vary.
I hope that helps. Let us know how you do the trip. We'd love to hear about your experience.
Where did you rent the cars?
We just rented a car the one day in Kauai. You can pick up your rental car at the airport which is about 3 miles away from where the cruise ship docks. There are several car rental companies available.
Motion sickness pills are a great option. I lived on Oahu years ago and have experienced the road to Hana probably about 4 times and regretted the first time as I didn't take those pills.
Thanks. Appreciate your feedback. We agree that taking steps to prevent motion sickness are important for the Road to Hana.
What time of year did you visit HI
Our trip to Hawaii was in October. The weather was fantastic.
This is so helpful, thanks a bunch! When you had box lunches, were those provided by NCL? Did you pick those up yourselves?
Glad you found it helpful. The box lunches we had were provided as part of the shore excursions. Overall, they were pretty good. Usually a sandwich and chips. Hope you have a fantastic trip!
What time of the year did you do this cruise? Loved your video.
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it. We did our cruise in October 2023.
I started to stop watching your video once I saw some of your outfits......😀😀 (I'm a fan of the garnet and black). We did the same cruise a few years ago and did several of same excursions. One question: how did you handle tipping for the guides? It seems to be an open discussion in many places. We're actually going back later this year. We're going to spend 4 days on Kauai then catch the cruise (not sure why except we are going with friends) I believe you said this was your first Hawaiian cruise; we were shocked how much the excursions have gone up in 5 years (many have doubled). Like the Laua, you can book directly for less than half the cruise rate. So, we're doing on our own while on Kauai. We're big fans of Viking cruises: have you done any of those? We have 3 booked over the next 3 years.
Thanks for the feedback. I bet you are excited for your trip back to Hawaii. Four days on Kauai sounds great. We really wanted more time there.
You asked some great questions. I'll try to answer.
Tipping for excursion guides. Having some cash on hand to thank a guide for a good day is a good idea. The amount people give seems to vary.
We appreciated the convenience of doing the excursions through the cruise line for this trip. Now that we are a bit more familiar with Hawaii, we'll likely do a bit more adventuring on our own if we have the opportunity to go back.
We haven't yet done a Viking cruise. If you have three booked with them, you must really like them. What's your favorite part?
They look like nice ships with some amazing itineraries. Definitely something we'll consider for a future trip. What cruises have you done with them?
Thanks again for the feedback and questions.
@@traveltrailsail I guess the thing we like best about Viking is that it's a cruise for grownups. We've already done 3 with them, Into the Midnight Sun, British Isles Explorer, and Australia/New Zealand. Only negative experience was the Tasman Sea, you need good sea legs for that piece, very rough. Best thing, everything, including a basic excursion is included. If you like specialty dining, wifi, and include the excursion, it's not that much more than other cruise lines.
Thanks. It sounds like a great experience. We'll have to try a Viking cruise.
You guys are so informative, I really appreciate it!
Great video! Just what I’ve been waiting to see since we’re booked on PoA with 3 days at a hotel in Waikiki with excursions already set up to Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian center, and Koala ranch. The excursions you took from the ship are definitely on my list. Thanks for all the details and recommendations! How early did you book the excursions through NCL? Our cruisetour is in December.
Cost??
If you are asking about the cost of the shore excursions, we thought that the offerings and price may change over time so didn't include that information. For the latest info, your best bet might be to use the NCL shore excursion finder at: www.ncl.com/shore-excursions/search?destination=Hawaii+Cruises
Hope that helps.
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