This trip was absolutely incredible!! I cannot wait to go back. We could do two weeks, one island each week!!! Incredible every second of every day!! Click the images to view them larger...
View from our Balcony - one of 6 on the whole cruise ship!!
Maui Day 1
Maui Bananas (Day 2)!! We just drove to Twin Falls, hiked around, saw the beautiful coast lines, ate awesome coconut candy, and had a great time. There was an awesome shoping area that I only saw while driving by. Would have loved to shop, though :)
Lave Field Tour on Hilo. Private Tour Guide. GREAT DAY!!!
Luau on Kauai at an old Sugar Plantation. Sugar used to be a huge export there, but hardly anymore.
Discover Jungle Falls By Kayak (Kauai)
Discover Jungle Falls By Kayak (Kauai)
A Friend asked me some questions about our cruise, so here is what I learned from being there for over 2 weeks. Here is general info about the cruise!
Were you on a cruise tour (which boat)?
This was my first cruise, it was on NCL, Norwegian Cruise Line, Pride of America.
How many days were you there?
I think the cruise went about 6-7 days. This is the order we did the islands:
Flew into Waikiki Beach, which had GREAT shopping. It was like a mini Los Angeles! Honolulu (Oahu) to Maui (overnight), Hilo (just that one day), Kona, and Kauai (this is where we got off, but the boat stays there 2 days, then that is the end of the cruise). It sounds short, but the week went by slowly, which was awesome, since each island is so incredibly different!
How much did you take in clothing and did you need it all? I will also talk about supplies needed too...
I took WAY too much clothing. I usually wore about 2 outfits a day, just since you have total access to your clothes, it is fun to change into something a bit dressier each night. In the day, I wore clothes that I could walk/hike/kayak/etc in. Then I would wear something more casual, like shorts and a tank/tshirt. If you are just going to go shopping, I would wear a cute, summer dress and shoes you can walk in for a while. Always wear/bring a bathing suit. Beaches are all over. So at any time, you can just hop in the water! Locals will all be super tan, wearing sandals or no shoes, in a bathing suit and shorts/coverup. They will likely be holding a surf board too!
I would bring...
There is adequate closet and drawer space in your room.
*Summer dresses, short and long. Some people get super dressed up one or two nights. Maybe bring one outfit that's nicer, but everything else, keep casual.
*Comfortable Shorts, Clothes that can get wet, but dry quickly. In case you are in a boat and get a bit wet.
*Clothes to hike/walk in basically
*I recommend Keen Sandals (See HERE). They are comfy to walk in on any terrain for a long time, and dry in a couple of hours. Worth every cent!!! I even wear them at home too.
*Women wore mostly sandals/casual flats. Also, bring a pair of tennis shoes that you can get a tiny bit wet or dirty, and that you can walk or shop in all day. I wore mostly water proof flip flops that dried easily, and my one pair of Keens.
*Tshirts (in case you get a sunburn and want protection from the sun). Maybe 1-2 long sleeve tshirt weight shirts.
*Pajamas
*Plenty of SPF! Bug spray if you go into the rain forest on a shore excursion. But not necessary. Also bring after-sun lotion/aloe gel. I got SO sunburned, and had to buy it there.
*Everyone wore sun-hats and sunglasses
*Tank Tops
*As many swim suits as you can fit, I wore one most days
*Swim Suit Coverup
*There are 5 hot tubs and is a big pool on the cruise boat
*Towels are all provided on the ship, so you can bring it with you if you venture off the boat.
*Extra Zip Lock Bags of medium/big size
*Toiletries - the usual. Don't overpack and make your luggage super heavy though :) There are even Walmarts there, in case you forget anything.
**You can bring food and soda/water/juice on the ship, just no alcoholic drinks are allowed
*Also, if you try to bring back on any coral, plants, living things on the boat, put them in your pocket, not in your bag. They put your bag through an Xray machine every day you get back on the boat, and you go through a metal detector, like in an airplane. It is very bad luck to bring back a lava rock, so I would NOT do it :) We got a bit of coral to bring back, which was probably ok??
*Also, bring Dramamine for motion sickness. It makes you a tiny bit drowsy, but I got sea-sick each night if I didn't take it. It got everyone in our party of 7 at least one night. The seas between islands are pretty rough. Even though the boat is huge, it still rocks back and forth! Take it about an hour before you set sail...
*But, the boat is all air-conditioned, so bring a couple of layers, like a mid weight sweater that can look cute over a dress.
****Most important thing, bring a decent rain coat that is waterproof. Several of the mornings, when we docked and got off the boat, it was drizzling, since it is their winter. So, wear or bring a rain coat each day in your bag, just in case. It could rain at any moment!
Did you go to Perl Harbor on a tour? Did you check your purse? If you did, did you have plenty of time to retrieve it from checking it and how much was it?
No, I just saw it from the plane. You will probably have to keep everything with you, so bring a back pack, but don't pack it SO full.
Each day, I would bring in your bag:
Bottle of water per person, small towel if you're swimming, rain coat, camera, $$ for shopping, ship card and ID, and a small snack, sunglasses, extra shirt? Leave room for a couple of souvenirs on each island! There is SO much shopping...
I recommend attending the luau on the sugar plantation through the boat!! So fun and a great performance.
Were you able to take pictures if the camera fit in your camera fit in your pocket?
Yes! It was the most convenient way to do it. Take as many photos as possible and delete them later if you don't like them. There are mountains, vegetation, beaches, roosters, people, SO many things. The pocket camera is the best way to go, unless you're a professional :) Keep it in a zip lock bag if possible when not in use. The salty sea air can get into it easily. But my camera was fine the whole time.
Make sure you don't use your flash on everything, just if it's too dark :)
If you were on a cruise tour, did the cruise make sandwiches for you if you went on an excursion and not on the ship for lunch?
Yes, any day we did a Shore Excursion, we were given lunch. The sandwiches were always really good, and they give chips, water/juice, and napkins. Awesome food, usually local!
Did you find the free main dining rooms and other free restaurants had good food?
The Lazy J Steakhouse was AWESOME!! Great breakfast each morning, and awesome food every night. Lots of Shrimp and Salmon and Tuna, other ocean fish, lobster, chicken and steak were good too.
Cadillac Diner: Free food, but really pretty yucky. The milkshakes were amazing, and about $3.
The Italian Restaurant had wonderful pizza, but not good pasta, oddly enough
The free buffet by the pool decks was pretty good, and FREE :)
There is a huge free buffet each night too. It was located near the Italian restaurant. Didn't eat it, but they had Prime Rib one night. Everything looked really good though.
We mostly ate at the Steakhouse though.
Bring a sweater! They're all air conditioned :)
Alcoholic drinks are expensive!!
Other than that...
Wake up early every day so you can possibly see the sun rise over the mountains. Cherish each and every second of that warm ocean air
Ask locals and ship crew what to do on each island each day. Where to eat, etc.
Meet new people on the boat, who are from everywhere in the world!
Shop Shop Shop
Bring back souvenirs for people!
Don't get roped into buying something from a flea market until you look at all the shops first :)
Eat fresh foods!
Enjoy!
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