My wife and I, retired seniors, decided to take our grandchildren (ages 15, 13, 11) to Hawaii. We wanted to see as many of the islands as possible, but did not want to fly from island to island and stay in different hotels every day or two. We opted for a cruise, and found that the seven day cruise offered by Norwegian Cruise Lines was our best choice. The cruise offers one to two night stays at Oahu, Maui, Hawaii big island, and Kauai. Other cruise lines depart from the mainland and spend more time at sea than in port.

The cruise ship, Pride of America, completely met our expectations. We obtained two balcony staterooms on the 9th deck forward. The staterooms were adjoining with doors so we could let the kids have a room for themselves but could reach them without leaving our stateroom.

We participated in only a few shipboard activities as we spent as much time ashore as possible. One major feature for our 11 year old grandson was the sports deck (level 14) with a large basketball court and swimming pools. He was there almost every minute we were shipboard except for meals. The other kids used the arcade a bit, but mostly liked the sports deck, pool, fitness center, and running on deck 6. We seniors enjoyed one variety show and a magic act that were entertaining. Read more