We chose this cruise for its itinerary, which suited us perfectly. We drove from our home on Whidbey Island, Washington to Vancouver on Tuesday, April 29, for an overnight stay at the Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel, where we were able to leave our car for 15 days as part of our overnight stay there. Wednesday morning we took the shuttle to the airport to board WestJet for our flight to Honolulu. All of this worked perfectly, and at very reasonable cost.

Our highest recommendation goes to WestJet, a low-cost Canadian carrier with low rates (especially if booking during a seat sale, as happened for us), new planes, extra leg room, leather seats, and cheerful attendants who dare to use their senses of humor.

Our flight arrived in HNL on time, and we took a taxi to my sister and brother-in-law's condo right across the street from Aloha Tower and the Honolulu Harbor; from their lanai we had great views of Carnival Spirit's docking at 7:00 a.m. on May 1. We boarded Carnival Spirit on May 2, then had another day to share with our family members before sailing away at 6:00 p.m. Saturday. Read more