Hilo was our first port. My destination was Volcano National Park. Months prior to leaving we booked a Hertz rental. The entire morning was a mess. We lost valuable time on the island because of Hertz - not one car available when we got to their kiosk at the airport.    
There is a four-mile scenic drive near the botanical gardens that is worth the photo stop. We found it after we left VNP.    
  

Hilo

Honolulu is easy to do on your own. We walked to Kewalo Basin to book with Xtreme Para sailing; public bus to the entrance/driveway to Diamond Head. Be prepared for a steep long walk up the entrance. Then a long and non-paved walk up the mountain. Worth the view, but there are no restrooms or water once you leave the main area after paying admission. We then went to Waikiki Beach where a dip in the ocean was a must do for my travel companions, I watched the bags and shoes. After Para sailing took local bus to Chinatown. I would not rec. the trip to Chinatown, and would not be there after the sun goes down.  

Honolulu

Kauai. Due to the excursion we had little time to explore on our own. The NaPali coast was breathtaking, but the scuba dive had no marine life to look at, the inflatable Zodiac raft/boat was OK but a very bumpy ride. Be sure to wear sun protection, for some reason I got sun-poisoning on the front of my legs and it was uncomfortable for days after. I had checked online for doing this on our own, but both time wise and price the ship's excursion was the best bet. Many pax, esp. those who had been on the islands before rented cars and were fine with doing it at each port.  

Kauai

Maui was our only Tendered port. Princess had ample tenders all day and the worst was the line for security to get back on the tender. The town is lovely and easy to walk around, and the park with the banyan tree is very close to the tender area. Easy to do on your own. While DH and sis went on the zip line excursion at Haleakala I went back to the ship and then back to town and shopped. They loved the zip line excursion and personnel.   

Maui

Ensenada. We had no desire to explore this on our own. The little shopping area in the port area was minimal.     
We did a tour ($34/pp) to the LBD blow hole. One stop on the way to LBD was to a building near town which was interesting, but could be skipped without regrets. At one time years ago it was a gambling establishment, and of course vendors/marketplace in the interior courtyard.    
The walk from the tour bus (dirt road parking area) to the blow hole is long, and there is a never-ending call to shop from vendors in the street for every single shop going and returning. Quite annoying and some vendors were very pushy. The prices - from a glance - were not anything that enticed me. We did not do any shopping. Make sure to bring your own water. The scenery going and returning to the ship was mostly brown and dirt and the bus ride on a narrow road were something I would avoid doing again.     

Ensenada

E728 Mini-suite:
interior space adequate for 3 adults. hallway not busy or noisy. no external noise from anywhere.  location perfect for going to main dining room and to get to piazza, etc. balcony was extended / curved toward the back of the ship, totally private balcony. plumbing a bit of a problem. self service laundromat easy walk down the hall toward mid ship.

Our room steward came the first night with a second mattress which he added each night to the sofa bed mattress - which was a great alternative.Our waiters the first night were perhaps a bit overwhelmed, so we were happily handed over to Robert and his assistant Dexter who were great.

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