Because Hawaii's time zone is three hours behind Pacific Standard Time, arriving on time for the 8 PM sail away on Pride of America is much easier than flying against the time change to Miami for a 5 PM departure to the Caribbean, eliminating the necessity of a red-eye flight or a pre-cruise hotel stay.
If you've never been to the island of Oahu, however, you might want to fly in a couple of days early and take advantage of NCL's great pre-cruise hotel deal. We left Los Angeles at 8 AM and arrived in Honolulu before noon on Saturday, our embarkation day.
We headed over to the cruise ship and were allowed to check-in at 12:30 PM, leaving our luggage by our room and then enjoying a delicious buffet lunch onboard, including fresh, sweet pineapple and succulent barbecued ribs.
By the way, you do not need a passport, or even a certified copy of your birth certificate to board the Pride of America or Aloha cruises. A drivers license or other government issued photo ID is all you need to check in, and this can be a big plus for this cruise, especially if you have no idea where your birth certificate is or your name has changed a couple of times through marriages.
The all-Hawaii itinerary visits a port every day of the cruise, so you might want to relax on the ship for the first afternoon, getting acquainted with the ship's floor plan and possibly a bartender or two. Julie, however, loves to explore tropical ports, especially on a bright, sunny day like this happened to be, so after lunch we caught a bus over to Waikiki Beach, where we managed to buy a beach towel and bamboo mat at an ABC Store, swim a little in the bright blue surf, have a drink at Duke's Canoe Club and browse the International Marketplace before heading back to the ship. 
In short, we enjoyed a micro-version of a Honolulu vacation. If you've got a little extra time in Waikiki, learn to surf on some of the most perfect beginner waves imaginable.
A sail away party was the big entertainment for the evening, as Pride of America routinely foregoes a first night show in the Hollywood Theater, presumably because experience has shown people turn in early on the first night in preparation for an early morning arrival in beautiful Hilo. 
Of course, there's also entertainment in smaller venues to suit all tastes for those who want to party late into the night.
Are you ready for a simple-to-plan vacation in a casual environment? Would you like to enjoy the best of four Hawaiian Islands while unpacking only once?
Call me toll free at 310-546-9618 to start planning your next great vacation.
If you've never been to the island of Oahu, however, you might want to fly in a couple of days early and take advantage of NCL's great pre-cruise hotel deal. We left Los Angeles at 8 AM and arrived in Honolulu before noon on Saturday, our embarkation day.
We headed over to the cruise ship and were allowed to check-in at 12:30 PM, leaving our luggage by our room and then enjoying a delicious buffet lunch onboard, including fresh, sweet pineapple and succulent barbecued ribs.By the way, you do not need a passport, or even a certified copy of your birth certificate to board the Pride of America or Aloha cruises. A drivers license or other government issued photo ID is all you need to check in, and this can be a big plus for this cruise, especially if you have no idea where your birth certificate is or your name has changed a couple of times through marriages.
The all-Hawaii itinerary visits a port every day of the cruise, so you might want to relax on the ship for the first afternoon, getting acquainted with the ship's floor plan and possibly a bartender or two. Julie, however, loves to explore tropical ports, especially on a bright, sunny day like this happened to be, so after lunch we caught a bus over to Waikiki Beach, where we managed to buy a beach towel and bamboo mat at an ABC Store, swim a little in the bright blue surf, have a drink at Duke's Canoe Club and browse the International Marketplace before heading back to the ship. 
In short, we enjoyed a micro-version of a Honolulu vacation. If you've got a little extra time in Waikiki, learn to surf on some of the most perfect beginner waves imaginable.
A sail away party was the big entertainment for the evening, as Pride of America routinely foregoes a first night show in the Hollywood Theater, presumably because experience has shown people turn in early on the first night in preparation for an early morning arrival in beautiful Hilo. 
Of course, there's also entertainment in smaller venues to suit all tastes for those who want to party late into the night.Are you ready for a simple-to-plan vacation in a casual environment? Would you like to enjoy the best of four Hawaiian Islands while unpacking only once?
Call me toll free at 310-546-9618 to start planning your next great vacation.
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