My wife and I celebrated our 25th anniversary with my sister and brother-in-law aboard the Pride of America during the week long cruise starting January 18. If you are looking for an event cruise that puts you in a different slice of paradise every day, this is the one to go on. It is an event cruise because it is nearly double the price of a regular one week NCL cruise plus the air fare to get to Hawaii which makes it rather pricey. If you are just looking for a vacation, there are less expensive tropical locations but for the once in a life time experience, this is the one to take.

We booked connecting cabins on deck 9 on the starboard side two years in advance and grabbed the flights just after they became available. Never saw the price for the flights less than we paid. I used the cruise critic reviews to see what excursions people recommended and whether to come early or stay after so we could create the best plan for our time. We did not go through Norwegian for any hotels or excursions. After comparing prices for the services, we chose to cut out the middle man and schedule our own trips. It was well worth it.

We decided to go early to get accustomed to the five hour time difference as we live in the Toledo, Ohio area. We booked our stay at the Ewa Hotel Waikiki (pronounced Eva) arriving on the Wednesday before the cruise. It looked good on the internet and the reviews weren’t bad. It did not have a pool or a restaurant but it was one block off of Waikiki Beach and close to food and shopping. We booked a two room suite with a car and park package. It included a rental car that you pick up at the airport and parking in the cost. Parking is at a premium so close to the beach. Read more