We chose this amazing land and sea experience to be sure we were able to enjoy all that Hawaii has to offer. We stayed 3 nights at the Hyatt Regency in Waikiki, and then boarded the cruise ship to sail to four more destinations. We felt we were able to visit it all with expert tour guides who knew just what to see and when to see it.

The Hyatt Regency is a beautiful four star hotel downtown Waikiki. The accommodations were excellent. The hotel restaurant was quite expensive ($40 each buffet breakfast) so we opted to walk a few blocks down the street to McDonald's or pick up some yogurt and a sandwich at the ABC Store to stow in our fridge. Our tour bus picked us up promptly at 7 most mornings. We visited the Dole Plantation and the Polynesian Cultural Center the first day, Pearl Harbor the second, and Byodo-In Temple and Kualoa Ranch the third. There were great food trucks at the Polynesian Cultural Center, a sandwich cafe at the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor, and a box lunch provided the third day at the ranch. At the Polynesian Cultural Center be sure to go to the Samoa "Tree of Life" show, then Tonga "Cultural Values and Nafa, Tahiti "A Tahitian Wedding Ceremony, then catch the canoe tour. Very enjoyable and educational! We were very concerned that we would not be able to go to the USS Arizona Memorial because group tickets were not available, but our bus drive assured us if we arrived there early we could get in the "stand-by line" and visit it. He was exactly right and we were on the first ferry out. Such a somber, unbelievable experience! No purses, bags, backpacks allowed in the Pearl Harbor Memorial. The Byodo-In Temple is very ornate and beautiful. Kuala Ranch was fun viewing the various movies that have been filmed there.

Our bags had been transferred to the port when we arrived to the Pride of America. Embarkation was a breeze! They now have facial identification as you board. We had a wonderful stewardess despite a cut in their hours and no towel animals. No biggie! We found the food to be very good....buffet breakfast most mornings, Cagney's Steakhouse, Teppanyaki Japanese Steakhouse, and Jefferson's Bistro were all delicious. The Skyline offered nice atmosphere with good food and The Cadillac Diner open 24 hours provided good sandwiches. There is a complimentary ice cream machine, but the milkshakes in the diner were $4. The shows were good....the comedian was outstanding, but he retired after this week, the musicians were good. The gameshows were sometimes entertaining. Read more