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Wife and I are planning a Hawaii Cruise for our 50th. We will be flying in from the U.S. and getting on the Cruise Ship (NCL Pride Of America) in Hawaii. #1 thing on our list is to visit and pay our respects to the USS Arizona Memorial. Can anyone provide suggestions such as: Book the excursion on the Ship, book it on shore with a local vendor, or do it on our own by traveling to the Memorial and paying to get in?
Any other suggestions for "must see" on any of the Islands would also be appreciated. Travel time will be in August, if that matters.

Carol, if I put this on the wrong Forum, please move it to the right one. I didn't see any other forum that fit. THANKS !!!!!

I am surprised no one has responded, but I think I will move this to the US forum.

I really don't have much to add here, since we haven't been to Hawaii. I would state that in general I NEVER recommend cruise ship excursions unless there is a possibility that one could miss the ship. You can definitely go online and pre-book excursions for Pearl Harbor, which is what I would do, depending on how much time you have on island.

Thanks. We have plenty of time, hopefully someone will reply. We've been to Europe, Alaska, Panama Canal, and Caribbean (East & West) numerous times, but this will be our first Hawaii venture. Looking forward to it, and saving as much as we can to put aside- We heard it is quite expensive for everything there.

Yes, hopefully someone else will reply, as I know a couple of people here who have been to Hawaii

Yes Ma'am, Thanks again !!

O2bnsxm,

We celebrated both our 40th and our 50th with trips to Hawaii and the 50th included the four island cruise on the Pride of America. It was incredible. On our 50th we went top shelf all the way with 1st class air tix (thanks to AA air miles) and one of the deluxe balcony suites on the ship. It was huge and the private balcony was just that - huge and totally private. We even had our own butler and my DH was totally disappointed when, at the end of the cruise I told him “No! He couldn’t take her home with us!”

But I digress.

We did three nights in HNL before the cruise and booked both the Arizona and a helicopter tour through the hotel concierge desk where we stayed. The Arizona was the most incredible tour I’ve ever done and I highly recommend it. I didn’t really want to do the helicopter tour but in retrospect I’m so glad we did.

I’m a nervous Nelly and was afraid to book many cruise tours on my own, fearing we might end up missing the ship or who knows whatever else might go wrong. We really enjoyed the ‘Road to Hana’ and did the most expensive one because I was leery of being with a bunch of whiners and opted for the smaller group and the more comfortable ride. It was great and I’d do it again in a heartbeat including our lunch at Hana. I know it’s just a road to another beach but it’s incredibly beautiful and our tour guide was the best.

This was pre-Covid and I’m thinking NCL should probably be offering more perks now than we got. It’s been a few years since we did this (56 coming up…..) so things may well have changed but we felt the upgrades on the cruise were well worth the money we paid for them. I’m not a cruise fan but thought this the best way to see more of the islands.

Don’t know if any of this helps but if you have any specific questions I’ll try to answer them.

One other thing we really enjoyed was our trip to the Hawaiian Ccultural Center - again, we upgraded to a deluxe tour and were glad we did. One big mistake we made in town was renting the dream convertible while we were in HNL and would NOT do that again. Once out of HNL and out on the more rural parts of the island it was great but a waste of money in the heavy traffic of HNL. Cabs or the city buses should have been our choice.

Thanks so much Pat for the detailed and very informative response. NCL is really making some great offers. We definitely wanted at least an outside cabin with picture window, and did some pricing on our own before calling our travel agent. She was able to get us a balcony, airfare, transfers to and from Ship, beverage package, dining package at the $$ restaurant, excursion credit, 150 mins of internet, and $150 on board credit for less than we were able to price the outside cabin alone. She told us she had a group of cabins on the Ship, and was able to give us the package deal. We do enjoy Cruising on NCL, but they are usually priced too high for us. Since this is the only Ship in town so to speak, we thought it was a great deal and booked it.
Once again, thanks for your reply. As we get closer to our sailing date, we might have a question or two, but for now, you have provided enough info for our basic needs.

Aloha,
Pre covid I would go to Hawaii, all islands, for business. Your #1 would also be my #1 suggestion, have only done it once but it was a very somber experience that I would suggest everybody visit at least once. As for Helicopter tours, of all things I have yet to do one but if I did my first choice would likely be on Kauai to go to the waterfalls. My second choice for a Helicopter tour would likely be on the Big Island (Hawaii) to go over the volcanic areas. Do note that weather will have a big impact on about any activity and especially anything involving a helicopter and where it can go. I have not done a cruise around Hawaii.

I don't know how much time you will have at each stop so hard to make suggestions. Do know that Honolulu has the second worst traffic in the US, and if you plan any travel near Honolulu between 2:30pm and 6:30pm be prepared to sit in traffic. Don't miss your ship! The Big Island is big, all the other islands would fit on Hawaii and it has all but I think two climate zones. From snow to desert.

I prefer the Caribbean, even though Hawaii is a tax deduction for my business and a lot easier to get there, if you are going to make the trip to Hawaii I would add as many extra days as you are able. I am scheduled to be back in Waikiki in early Sept, my first trip back since Covid.

I will try to follow this, and note that if you want to find some of the best Koa Furniture makers let me know, I know the two best in Hawaii. One on Kauai and one on the north end of the Big Island.
Cheers,
Todd

Thanks Todd, especially for the traffic warning in Honolulu. Missing the Ship's departure is not on our "bucket list" or any other list for that matter. The airfare is included in the Cruise package, so I'm not sure how much we can fluctuate with the flight times. I would definitely like to stay at least one extra day after we get off the Ship. Too much to see, and we probably won't be back there any time soon.

When are you going? I would ask about arriving early, if you need hotel or food options let me know.

August of 2023. A little early, but we don't have a 50th every year, so we want it to be special. It is already booked with deposit paid. No cancellation penalty, and if the price goes down before then we can get the lower price.

o2b--Ask your travel agent about switching up your dates. That's part of their job!!

I would heartily agree with Todd about the Honolulu traffic as we made that mistake on our first trip. The rest of Oahu was fine but we sat in hours of traffic in Honolulu. And if you can rebook additional time on either end I’d do it in a heartbeat. The more the better as there’s so much to see and do. The sites on Oahu are worth seeing at least once but the Arizona was absolutely incredible and we spent the better part of a day there between the Memorial and then the Missouri and we didn’t even have the air museum as an option. The airline fares to Hawaii are high and the trip, even from the middle of the country, is arduous. It pays to see and do as much as you can while there. There’s a lot I’d still like to see and do again throughout all the Hawaiian Islands but after the last flights I swore that’s it - no more returns. But that’s me and I’m not wild about flying and the 3.5 hours to SXM seems like forever to me……🙂🙂

We have done Hawaii twice. Once on Oahu and once on the Big Island. The highlights for us on Oahu was The Arizona and the Missouri. We spent most of a day there. And well worth every minute. We did not care much for Honolulu or Waikiki. Both are way too crowded for us. The north shore was spectacular! The Big Island is very unique. I love how completely different the Kona side is versus the Hilo side. Loved the whole island. The waterfalls are amazing. As are the different beaches around the island.

We will not go back. As Pat above said, the flights (especially from the east coast) are brutal. For us the Caribbean is much closer.

You will absolutely love Hawaii. We do/did. But too far for us now. Enjoy!!

Thanks all for the great tips and comments, I am taking notes. Carol, I will definitely touch base with the Travel Agent, and add either a couple days before, or after the Cruise. I would rather go several days early, so if there are any flight delays (and we all know that NEVER happens), we won't miss the Ship.

We will be flying from MSY (New Orleans) so that means at least one connection either Dallas, Atlanta, or maybe Denver?? Depending on the airline.

yes, agreed, going a few days before would be preferable.

I need to make a correction on my original comments.

The ARIZONA was absolutely incredible and everyone should experience it once in their life if possible.

After checking out of our Waikiki hotel we really enjoyed our stay at Turtle Bay as well as our travels around the North shore. We did the shave ice and the shrimp trucks and it was all good, for sure.

The day we spent on an organized tour was at the POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER, and not the Hawaiian Cultural Center as I originally posted and we enjoyed it as well but we were very glad we up-graded our tour package to the most inclusive tour package.

Another thing the Wife wants to do is a Luau somewhere. Any idea which Island might be the best for that?? Approximate cost for two adults??

We did a Luau on the Big Island near Kona. It was about 10 years ago. But I think we spent $75 each. I think. It was okay to do once. I wouldn't do it again.

I forget which island we were on when we took part in our only luau - probably Oahu - and as previously stated, “It was okay to do once. I wouldn’t do it again.” But I did discover I don’t personally like poi……. 😊😊

Pat--never been to Hawaii, but have heard enough stories to know that I probably wouldn't like poi either. A luau impresses me as being a touristy kind of thing that I don't think I would bother to do.

One thing we did in Tahiti which we thoroughly LOVED, and I don't know if something like this would be available in Hawaii or not, but we had a meal cooked over a BBQ, served on tables sitting in the water, with a lovely tent over top of us. We had BBQ chicken, along with some other things, and ceviche, which I had never had, and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. No firewalking or any of that stuff, but it was lovely.

Yes, I think poi is something that you can only find on the Island (for good reason). I haven't heard or read anywhere that someone enjoyed it enough to ask for the recipe. Some kind of pasty, mealy, yucky stuff. Not sure, I have never tried it, but will when I get there.

You have to try the poi. We did. I put some on my finger and did not like. I put some on the pork and it wasn’t as bad. But I can assure you, I will never eat it again. You will have a memorable trip regardless. Enjoy!

I will definitely try it. once

We just visited Pearl Harbor and the Arizona memorial a week ago as part of our 40th anniversary celebration. It was a wonderful experience! Everything went very smoothly for us so I’ll share a little here. We purchased our passports through this website about 2-3 months in advance. We chose 8:00 am. Prices were much less than group travel sites. That got us into all museums with audio tours at the main site (Bowfin sub was very cool!) and the shuttle out to the Missouri (highlight for us bc Dad & uncle were in Navy in WWII. Uncle drove same class of ship) Shuttle also stops at the aviation museum. You catch it just to the right of the entrance to the Bowfin building.

One important note is that you can’t take bags in unless it’s a small, clear bag. I got one on Amazon. Food and drink are scarce. There’s a small snack shop and a limited food truck, but that’s it. Some other options over at the Missouri.

https://tickets.pearlharborhistoricsites.org/webstore/shop/viewItems.aspx?cg=phhs&c=pass

Now here’s the tricky part: You have to book the Arizona memorial separately on recreation.gov. Those tickets are hard to come by. They release them about 6 weeks ahead of time. (It will tell you on the site when they will be released.) I got on the site right when they were released and there were only 3 tickets left and they were at noon. That worked for us bc we did some museums, Missouri & Aviation, then returned for lunch and Arizona. If you can’t get tickets to Arizona, there is a standby line, but it was about three hour wait and very long line. It seems a lot of people were in tour groups bc their tour guides were telling them to hurry and get over to the “standby” and don’t stop on the way.

If you are booking through the cruise ship, verify that your trip includes the Arizona memorial.

If I were to do it again, I think I might book Arizona first on recreation.gov to see if it’s even available before I booked the Pearl Harbor passport.

Hope this was helpful! Please feel free to reach out.

Hi. I'm bringing this thread back to the top because I am also interested in this information, and will be posting a new thread of my own.

o2binsxm--I hope that your trip is still on track and would definitely love to hear about it!

No Carol, due to the extreme $$ involved, we canceled that trip and have a different destination.

No problem, I understand.