We chose this cruise because it enabled us to see all of the four major Hawaiian Islands, with 2 days at each of the visited 3 islands, Maui, Hawaii and Kauai. The best and cheapest way to see these islands is to rent a car, with the exception of Kauai, which is only 30% accessible by land. We have been on approximately 10+ cruises in the past, most of them on Royal Caribbean. My wife and I are in our 60's.

We had a pre-cruise stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki Beach in Oahu. This is a very nice hotel, but somewhat pricey and similar to prices in San Francisco. We rented a car and toured all of the island for three days, seeing and climbing Diamond Head, visiting Pearl Harbor, the battleship Missouri, North Shore, and the spectacular eastern shore of the island, Parking is available at the hotel for $42.00 a night or $50.00 a night with valet parking. The traffic on Oahu is heavy, but also like any U.S. mainland big city, plenty of rush hour traffic.

Honolulu Port - embarkation was easy, but what is striking is how old the port terminal is, very unimpressive. Lots of room for improvement. This port is also a container shipping commercial port. Disembarkation was easy as well. A taxi to the airport is about $28.00, don't be gouged by NCL for a port transfer ($25.00 per person). Read more