Hawaiian cruise ideas

CHOOSING AN ITINERARY
When planning to book a cruise to Hawaii, there are basically three options:

Roundtrip from Honolulu
Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of Aloha, the only American-flagged ship sailing the Hawaiian Islands, is also, because it's a U.S. flag carrier, the only ship that is permitted to offer intra-island cruises. The ship, which sails seven-night roundtrips from Honolulu, the industry's only weeklong, port-intensive option. Since Pride of Aloha's introduction in July 2004, the ship has been fraught with controversy, particularly over inadequate service levels and mediocre food service, but the line maintains it is working hard to clear up issues. Also controversial: This is the first ship in the NCL fleet to levy a mandatory service charge on passengers. The fee? $10 per day.

Pride of Aloha, which calls at Hawaii's big island, Kauai, and Maui, will sail solo in the region until this summer when Pride of America, the cruise line's first new-build, will debut. That ship, too, will fly an American flag and offer all-Hawaiian island itineraries.

A Longer Roundtrip-from-Honolulu Option
NCL's Norwegian Wind, which is not a U.S.-flagged ship, sails 10-night itineraries from Honolulu, performing the required "toe touch" with a sidetrip to Fanning Island, located in the Kiribati Republic.

Roundtrip from the U.S., Mexico or Canada
Holland America and Princess are among those lines that offer longish itineraries (up to 15 nights) from San Diego or Vancouver. These are roundtrip voyages. For slighter shorter varieties, lines like Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival sail one-way between San Diego or Los Angeles or Vancouver and Honolulu (in order to fulfill the foreign flag Jones Act requirements, cruises that depart from the U.S. must stop in a place like Mexico's Ensenada).

Repositioning
Another way to experience Hawaii is via repositioning cruises between the U.S. and the Far East and/or Australia/New Zealand. These trips typically call on islands such as Oahu and Maui (and in the case of the longer itinerary, also the Big Island) as well as those in French Polynesia. Because these cruises only occur once or twice a year, when the ship is moving from one home port to another, your options for dates will be limited.

Can't Miss Shore Adventures
The ships sailing Hawaii may well be beautiful - but they're no competition to the destination itself. As such, expect a huge variety of shore excursions - from full-on sightseeing tours to high-adrenaline, activity-based adventures, as well as plenty of options for families with children.

Keep in mind that shore excursions in Hawaii are pricey - a $40 sail and snorkel excursion in the Bahamas might cost double that in Maui, for example. Often, as in the case of spending a day at the beach or shopping in towns near port, you can do it yourself by free shuttle bus (particularly in the case of shopping), rental car, taxi or even walking.

In cases of complicated excursions full of activities, rental equipment and long transfers, a shore excursion is probably your best bet. If nothing else, the excursion guides will get you back on board in time. Independent tour companies (see Hawaii's Best Water Sports) are also available, in which case it's a good idea to book ahead.

Here are some recommendations:

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