Our family of seven (girls ages 9 and 11, boys ages 13 and 15, plus my mom) had a wonderful Hawaiian experience on the Pride of America. I had read six months of somewhat mixed reviews on cruisecritic before I booked the trip, so we were a little worried about the quality of the ship. We were very pleased with the cruise and glad that we did this for our vacation. We have travelled on Princess & Holland America to Alaska, which were a bit nicer in terms of facilities and food quality, but we took the Pride of America to visit the four Hawaiian islands, not to hang out on the ship and critique buffets. Yes, the price is a bit higher than we would have preferred, but everything in Hawaii is expensive (food, gas, rental cars, hotels), plus this itinerary is much better than the Hawaiian options on other cruise lines. I've summarized the trip below, and I will post reviews on tripadvisor of individual hotels, restaurants, and attractions with full details soon.

Airfare-We flew from Houston to Honolulu for $1003 each nonstop on United (July 26th departure). I had been watching airline fares for almost a year, and this was the best price I found. I mention the fare because I couldn't find price data for previous years, so this may help someone decide if this is a good fare. One-stop fares went as low as $950, but with the four kids and red-eye flight on the way back, we decided to pay a little extra for the non-stop option. Both flights ended up being overbooked, so don't expect any last-minute deals. Also, the check-in line for United Economy was horrible. We almost missed our flight despite arriving 2 hours early, so give yourself plenty of time at the airport if you fly United. Our previous check-in two years ago on Continental was quick.

Pre-cruise--We rented a minivan since there were seven of us, but if you are a couple, it's probably easier to skip the rental since parking is expensive in Waikiki and there is a great public bus system (which we used on a previous trip without our kids). We used Hertz for all our rentals, with a AAA discount. After researching many hotel options and getting input on the tripadvisor Honolulu forum, we stayed at the Embassy Suites in Waikiki for two nights before the cruise and one night afterwards. It was a great fit for our family, since it is across the street from the luxurious Halekulani hotel and beach, and in the heart of the Waikiki Beachwalk shopping and dining area. All of the rooms are suites, and we chose a two bedroom/two bathroom unit that had a kitchenette unit (sink, small refrigerator and microwave), plus a living room with a table, flat screen TV and sleeper sofa. The bedrooms are spacious and comfortable and had flat screen TVs. Breakfast buffet is included, which we enjoyed since there are some Japanese options (miso soup, salad, rice with fun mix-in options) plus make your own omelets, delicious fresh tropical fruit, guava juice, and the usual hotel buffet spread. Service was excellent, from the quick & easy check-in and complimentary tropical drinks to the bellhops picking up our luggage in our room and storing it while we explored Honolulu on our embarkation and disembarkation days. Read more