What Should You Do In Hawaiian Ports?

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If you've been to Hawaii, you know that just waking up in paradise is enough to put a smile on your face.  If you can slip on flip flops and find your way to the beautiful shore, it's hard to have a bad day. 

This summer, why not take NCL Pride of America for an all-Hawaiian Island itinerary? 

Each day, you go ashore, but what will you do there? 

Before getting to specific ports, a few important tips.  Take at least two bathing suits, so one can be drying while you wear the other, since you'll want to always have a bathing suit with you should the urge to get wet strike you at any time. 

I also recommend bringing at least one mask and snorkel combo per family, because swimming through that clear turquoise water into an exotic world of tropical fish is not to be missed.  In fact, even if you can't swim, you will find a few places you can just wade in, put your mask in the water and see colorful fish. 

Pride of America begins and ends each voyage in beautiful Honolulu. 

You should plan to spend extra time in Honolulu, if only by simply taking the red-eye flight home at the end so that you have that last full day to visit world-famous Waikiki or historic Pearl Harbor.  Better yet, fly in a couple of days early, even though it is possible to fly from LAX in the morning and arrive in HNL by noon. 

You can use airport transfers, but because Hawaii is the USA, it isn't too hard to figure out driving a rental car. 

If you rent a car, you can drive to the North Shore where you'll find famed surfing spots and Turtle Bay.

You can find Duke's Canoe Club at the Outrigger Waikiki On the Beach from the cruise port by public transportation.  You can enjoy an ice cold beer and juicy burger before squeezing into a patch of sand on one of the most famous beaches in the world.  You might want to try surfing or riding an outrigger canoe through the mild waves. 

For exciting nightlife, fine dining and fabulous world-class shopping, it is hard to beat Honolulu. 

Hanauma Bay is a beautiful beach park ($7.50 per person admission) with great snorkeling. 

The first port stop for Pride of America is my favorite island, Maui, where you'll have an overnight stay in Kahului.  Julie and I rented a car for the two days when we took this cruise, so we could go wherever we wanted rather than taking excursions, but certainly structured shore excursions make trips to the top of the volcano to bicycle down or taking a catamaran to Molokini easy. 

With a car, you can drive to Ka'anapali, the beach that has everything you need for a perfect day, including snorkeling at Black Rock and live music with a Kapalua BBQ Pork Sandwich at Hula Grill.  If you take the Princess cruise from LA instead of the NCL cruise from Honolulu, the port for Maui is a tender in Lahaina, the home of the original Cheeseburger in Paradise. 

From Lahaina, you can easily take a bus to Ka'anapali, but from Kahului, you will either need an excursion or a car. 

The gorgeous 'Iao Valley is very much worth seeing, again either by car or as part of an excursion. 

The Road to Hana is a winding road through lush jungles.  It takes time to do it right, and you should keep in mind that the road itself is the destination.  You need to stop early and often to swim in the natural pools fed by waterfalls alongside the road.  Many is the foolish tourist who returns carsick and disillusioned because he never found the Seven Sacred Pools, never realizing there isn't really an endpoint where you can plant a flag and proclaim your arrival. 

The next port if Hilo, famous from news stories about its erupting Volcanoes National Park last year. 

Volcanoes National Park remains a primary draw, but you can also easily just catch the Hoppa-On, Hoppa-Off bus that will take you to a waterfall, beautiful beach and much more for about $20. 

Hilo is the wet side of the Big Island of Hawaii, so you can take tours to see more waterfalls and flora. 

The sunny side of Hawaii's Big Island is Kona that's a regular port for Pride of America, but Princess doesn't usually visit. 

Kona is a funky town, so perhaps you want to just hang out there, but there's some great snorkeling down the road a ways. 

 Kauai is the Garden Isle.  You can go to the sunny side, Poipu, or the rainier side to Ke'e. 

In the past, Poipu was always much more popular, but lately it has been getting pretty crowded in Ke'e too, and parking can be hard to come by at both places.  Either has great snorkeling, and since you have your second overnight stay of the cruise in Kauai, you might want to go to Ke'e the first day (because it is further away) and then Poipu on the second. 

Over in Ke'e, you can take a challenging hike along the Na Pali Coast.  Because it rains pretty regularly, you need to watch your footing on the muddy trail, but it is a wonderful adventure that will take you to a beach where fresh water cascades down the rocks into the beautiful blue lagoon. 

If you want to splurge, Kauai is a great place for a helicopter ride, and they can take you all the way to Jurassic Park.  Okay, Jurassic Park doesn't exist outside the movies, but you can see where some shots were filmed. 

The Grand Canyon of the Pacific, Waimea Canyon, would also be a great excursion.  You can sometimes put it together with a scenic river cruise to the Fern Grotto. 

At any stop, you can find a great beach, and that alone will make for a great vacation, but to get the most from your trip, definitely consider at least one or two guided excursions. 

And you should do a Luau at least once, even if they seem to be a bit pricey.  Remember, it's not just a sensational meal and great entertainment.  A luau is in some ways the essence of Hawaii. 

What are you waiting for?   

Say Aloha to Hawaii this summer. 

Mahalo!