Hawaii Cruise

Hawaii, composed of more than twenty islands an atolls 2,300 miles southwest of California, has a total population of about 800,000 and a year-round average temperature of 75 degrees making a Hawaii cruise a popular vacation. Cruse ships dock at the harbors of Honolulu in Oahu, Hilo and Kona on the big island of Hawaii, Nawilwili in Kauai, and Lahaina in Maui.

If your Hawaii cruise takes you to the island of Oahu, you'll want to walk along the famous Waikiki Beach lined with giant hotels and crowds of sunbathers, swimmers, and surfers. You can shop for your muumuu and other items in the mall at the Ala Moana Shopping Center and later sail out to the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.

If you drive past Diamond Head to the posh Kahala section, you can see beautiful homes and landscaping and finally stop at the lovely Kahala Mandarin Oriental hotel for a cool drink, a dip in the ocean, or just to watch the feeding of the dolphins and tropical fish in the hotel lagoon.

If time allows, attend a luau at one of the large hotels or drive around the island to the Polynesian Cultural Center, where you can see exhibits, clothes, dances, and crafts as well as sample foods from six different Polynesian islands.

There are many exceptional restaurants on Oahu, including Hoku's at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental, Le Mer at Halekulani, Micheles at the Colony, Surf, and Nicholas Nicholas. The newest and most modern resorts on Oahu are the Kahala Mandarin Oriental and Ihilani in the Ko Olina development, both 20 minute drives from the airport.

If your Hawaii cruise make a port call in Hilo on the big Island of Hawaii you can rent a car at the nearby airport and purchase a map of the Hilo area. If you take Hawaii Highway 19 north for a 15 minute drive, you will come upon Akaka Falls where you can take a half-hour walk through banyan trees, ti plants, ginger plants, and other tropical vegetation to view two different waterfalls.

On your drive back toward Hilo, look for the Hawaiian Warrior Marker on Waianunue Avenue which will direct you to the lookout above the Rainbow Falls that flow into the Wailuku River gorge. Early in the morning you can see a rainbow on the mist of the falls.

Kauai is the lushest and greenest of the islands. Here you will want to drive up to the top of Waimea Canyon which is reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, body surf at Poipu Beach, take a boat down the Wailua River to visit the famous Fern Grotto, and swim at Lumahai Beach which is considered on of the most picturesque golden-sand beaches in the world. And that's not even close to all Hawaii has to offer. Hawaii cruises are something you'll remember for a lifetime.