Everyone has heard this infamous phrase, “if you live in Hawaii, where do you take a vacation?†I live on the beautiful island of Kaua’i, and for me, the answer was “to Hawaiiâ€! Living on what I feel is the most gorgeous place on earth; it sure makes it difficult for me to want to leave.
Every island in the State of Hawaii has its own unique characteristics and feeling. Not one island is the same, yet they all encompass their own beauty and appeal. I often watch the NCL Cruise Ship in the port of the Nawiliwili Harbor on Kaua’i and am in awe of its size and curious about its amenities. My three children often comment about what it must be like to be on that ship. We often find ourselves driving north from the port, watching the ship sail around the island, talking about all the lucky people on the ship. This time, it was our turn to be one of those people.
My husband, three children, and I took the voyage of March 28th-April 4th. We were surprised at how many other Hawaii residents were on the ship with us. Sure, the comedian may have joked about it, but apparently, we weren’t the only ones that found it appealing to vacation to Hawaii. None of us had ever experienced “Island Fever†and all had just the opposite in common. We sailed from O’ahu to Maui first. Maui offers many spectacular sights and it was easy to set up excursions through the on board ship sign-up program. From there we went to the Hilo side of the Big Island. We rented a car and drove to the Kilauea Volcano Park. This was my kids’ favorite part of the trip. We saw the spectacular sight of the red glowing lava flowing when we sailed around the island by night. From there, we sailed from Hilo to the Kona side of the Big Island. Then back to Kaua’i. The highlight of the trip, to me, was sailing around Kauai’s Na Pali Coast. The majestic mountains seemed to take the passengers’ breath away. I may live on Kaua’i, but seeing this sight from the sea was truly breathtaking. This really confirmed to me that “there’s no place like homeâ€.
The cruise concierge made it was easy to sign up for many excursions which were a quick and easy way to enjoy each day on land. Because we know the islands well, we opted to rent a car and go on our own to preferred destinations.
The “cruise connoisseurs†on board may disagree with my opinion of the ship, amenities, and food selection. I am not a cruise lover, per se, but I was pleasantly surprised at how impressive I felt the trip was, in general. We had a terrific time and the food choice was expansive. The quality of the restaurants we dined at was impressive. We did upgrade to specialty restaurants 3 out of 7 nights, but the buffet and standard dining met our expectations as well.
What better way to get a taste of the 4 main Hawaiian Islands than to sail by night and wake up in a new port; all with live entertainment, constant activities, and all the food you could possibly eat!
This is one vacation I would highly recommend taking…no matter where you live!
Leave your opinion here. Please be nice. Your Email address will be kept private, this form is secure and we never spam you.