Outer Island Cruising

 For any of you who have gone on a cruise, you understand the importance of being near the departure port. It is essential for keeping your cruise cost down. While living in Hawaii there are a few opportunities for cruises in and out of Honolulu. There is a weekly cruise to three outer islands through NCL which hubby and I took last summer. Since we are living on Oahu we took advantage of a last-minute price reduction and jumped on board. The Pride of America is a bit different from other cruising ships. Because it only operates in American waters, it has mostly an American crew.  There is no gambling in Hawaii so this ship  does not have a casino, and any other ships passing through Hawaiian waters will close their casino during this time. The Pride of America is also a smaller ship compared to some of the luxury cruise liners.  It has a distinctly American theme.

Pride of America grand staircase

 Even though hubby and I have previously been to the outer islands, this gave us a chance to see the islands from a different perspective. Arriving by ship to the different ports gave us views of Maui, the Big Island, Kauai, and Ni'ihau that we had never seen before. There are many excursions to do on all of the islands. It is just a matter of narrowing down the many choices.

 While on the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island we chose to go snorkeling at a black sand beach. We had been to the volcano twice before and that excursion is not to be missed if you've never seen an active volcano.

Tender to Kailua-Kona dock.  This is the beach area that the Ironman Triathalon begins.

 On the island of Maui we chose an excursion to Molokini crater for snorkeling. This is a 30 minute boat ride to a crescent shaped island where boats dock for some excellent snorkeling. We were able to see lots of fish and could see all the way to the bottom of the ocean floor.  Don't worry if you're not a strong swimmer, they will give you a noodle to keep you afloat while swimming.

A walk along a park in Maui

 On the island of Kauai, Waimea Canyon has been called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and it's very beautiful. Another excursion that's popular is the helicopter tour. Most islands have helicopter tours but in my opinion, Kauai is the island you'll want to see the beautiful sites that are not easily accessible by car.  Before leaving the island of Kauai, there is scenic cruising of the Napali coast. The only way to see this area is by plane, boat or hiking into the area. This is a very unspoiled part of Hawaii.

 Each island has something different from the other islands. If you have a chance to visit an outer island, you'll enjoy it. If you have a chance to visit three outer islands in one week, you will certainly find which island is your favorite.   We felt this cruise was an outstanding value. The price of flights, hotel rooms for seven nights and all meals would have easily cost much more than our cruise price. In fact we enjoyed ourselves so much we plan to take it again next year.