Best part of cruising Hawaii going ashore

On most cruises, few things sound more enticing than a day on the pool deck. In Hawaii, the best part of cruising is going ashore.

My wife and I found that out during our sailing on NCL America’s inaugural Pride of Aloha cruise. We surfed, snorkeled, shopped, even visited the top of Mauna Kea, the world’s highest island peak.

Excursions don’t come with the cost of the cruise, though. You’ll have to pay for any you choose, and prices can range from $12.50 per person for a shuttle to Lahaina to $353 for a helicopter ride in Kauai that passes over the Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, Hanalei Valley and other sights. Expect to pay about $75 per person on average for a day excursion.

For us, it was worth the additional cost. The beach? The pool? Not enough time.

• Day 1: Honolulu. Departure time: 8 p.m.

We arrived a day before our ship set sail, an option most veteran cruisers prefer to avoid delayed flights. Our inaugural sailing included a christening ceremony that morning and speeches from Sen. Daniel Inouye, Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, NCL America President/CEO Colin Veitch and others.

As we dined that evening, a Fourth of July fireworks display from Waikiki Beach was visible through the restaurant windows — a perfect send-off.

• Day 2: Nawiliwili, Kauai. Arrival time: 7 a.m.

Surf time. On our first shore excursion, we joined a small group at Poipu Beach on the southern end of the island for surf lessons. My exhilaration at standing on a longboard was exceeded only by my exhaustion from paddling. Once back on the ship, my wife and I slipped into a hot tub on the pool deck to soothe our aching muscles.

• Day 3: Nawiliwili. Departure time: 1 p.m.

Just enough time to leave the ship in the morning and walk to a nearby shopping area. We purchased a few souvenirs, then stumbled upon the newly opened International Surfing Museum, where old surfboards and artifacts were on display. The museum opened in June.

• Day 4: Hilo, Hawaii. Arrival time: 9 a.m. Departure time: 6 p.m.

In the morning, our excursion left for Mauna Kea summit, a 13,796-foot volcano peak where 13 telescopes, including some of the largest in the world, are used to study astronomy. It was so cold at that elevation that we had to wear parkas, and our driver informed us that workers had to shovel two feet of snow in January to clear the roads.

We snapped pictures of ourselves standing on peaks with backgrounds of clouds below our feet.

• Day 5: Kona, Hawaii. Arrival time: 7 a.m. Departure time: 5 p.m.

There’s no ship dock in Kona, so Pride of Aloha dropped anchor about a mile from shore and passengers had to board tenders (small vessels) to reach shore. It’s a bumpy ride.

Our excursion included a catamaran ride to a rocky shoreline about a mile north of town, where we snorkeled for a couple of hours and ate lunch provided by the tour operator. But nothing we saw all week matched a nighttime viewing of lava flowing from Kilauea. The captain halted the ship for about an hour, allowing passengers to gather at the railings and marvel at the red glow and rising steam as lava dripped into the ocean.

• Day 6: Kahului, Maui. Arrival time: 8 a.m.

Next to Honolulu, Lahaina might be the best place to shop and eat in Hawaii. We took a 40-minute ride from our ship, which docked on the north side of the island’s bottleneck, to Lahaina on the opposite side. We found a self-service laundry, then walked along Front Street and ate lunch at Kimo’s, which afforded a tranquil view of the harbor.

That night, we attended a luau, as did most of the ship’s passengers. It included live Hawaiian and Polynesian music, the requisite unearthing of a pig and mai tais all around.

• Day 7: Kahului. Departure time: 6 p.m.

One last day for excursions before returning to Honolulu. We chose a snorkel trip to Molokini crater, an extinct, crescent-shaped volcano 2 1/2 miles from Maui. There are about 250 species of fish that can be observed, and we might have seen all of them — including reef sharks prowling the ocean bottom.

After sailing all night, Pride of Aloha docked at Honolulu early the next morning for disembarkation. By the afternoon, we were flying home.