Is Hawaii Vacation best with cruise or Land?

I have been to Hawaii 5 times and visited the islands of Oahu, Maui, Lanai and the big island of Hawaii. There is a lot to see collectively on all of the islands, but not a lot on each island. For example, on the big island of Hawaii the main attractions are Volcano National Park, the Black sand beaches, Akaka Falls and maybe the Parker Ranch. On Maui you may want to drive the Road to Hana and go to the Seven-Pools, or drive up Haleakaka mountain and maybe take a downhill bike ride on it. On Oahu you will want to go to Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head Park, drive to the other side of the island to see the beautiful deserted beaches, and see/go to Waikiki Beach.

So there is a little something to do on each island and on a cruise you may or may not be able to do all that you want to do. You may be able to do just one of these on each island from ship’s sponsored tours. All of the cruises , including the Norwegian ones which originate there and those that go from the west coast US, pretty much have the same port stops on the same islands. The question is will there be sufficient time to see all that interests you on each island. One way to accomplish a more thorough trip is to fly to Hawaii for a Norwegian cruise and go either a few days early or stay a few days longer to be sure that you get to all of the things you want to do/see. There are inter island flight on Aloha and Hawaiian airlines about every 30 minutes and there are tour companies (one I have used is called Roberts) that will put a package together for you to fly to another island and either stay overnight or have a rental car or go on a tour.

Hotel rooms in Hawaii are very expensive, especially those on the beach. So that’s one of the benefits of the cruise; you have a place to stay that also includes all that you care to eat. But lesser priced hotel are available in Hawaii if you select properties that are not beach front; those that may be 3 or 4 blocks from the beach of located a short drive away.

If your limit is 10 days I suggest flying early or late to Hawaii and then doing tour on your own before or after a cruise. But, I suggest that you study the activities available first, decide whether you want to spend the extra time and money, and then decide or a cruise or stay. Below are some web links to help you.

One thing that I have done on several of my visits is to arrange my trip so that I fly out to one island and then fly back from another; it adds about $ 100 to your ticket cost per adult. I then fly to Oahu, spend 4 night and then fly to Maui and spend 4 nights and fly back from there.