Island hopping
Spring is here, but those wintertime fantasies about flip-flops and flowery shirts, postcard sunsets and pina coladas by the Pacific, remain.
Yet for those who vow to escape to the Aloha State, choosing an island there isn’t quite so easy. Each one has its own personality and attractions.
Want to tour Pearl Harbor? Go to Oahu. Interested in volcanoes? Try the Big Island. Ready to explore those lush forests and secluded beaches from the movies? That’s Kauai.
And if you’re searching for the sun gods, you’ll likely be told they’re in Maui.
Extensive island-hopping by plane can be costly and time-consuming in a one- or two-week visit. That doesn’t account for the headaches of repeated packing and unpacking, checking in and checking out, or finding the way through unfamiliar airports.
And picking one island is to settle for a fraction of the experiences for which the islands, collectively, are known.
For the traveler who prefers to see as many islands as possible but only wants to unpack once, the interisland cruise is the answer.
“With a cruise, you just pack once, and you walk off and there you are,” says cruise consultant Mary Jane Gilman of Colorado Springs-based Cruise Planners.
Consider it a floating hotel that taxis you from port to port as you eat, drink and sleep.
It’s true that some cruise buffs prefer ship travel for the belt-popping buffets, stand-up comedians and naps by the pool. Some don’t bother to leave the boat when it docks at ports of call.
But the economic value of island-hopping Hawaii can appeal to even the most adventurous travelers, who might want to mountain bike one island and surf the next.
Seven- to 15-night cruises are often sold at less than $100 per person per night for inside cabins, a price that includes food. Last-minute deals and other bargains can drive prices even lower. For example, Norwegian Cruise Line recently had a last-minute seven-night trip on the Pride of Aloha for $499 per person.
To compare, AAA says a family of four will pay $559 per day on food and lodging while visiting Hawaii. That’s $140 a person.
Meandering through the islands by ship also offers an experience people won’t find at the beach resorts or by air travel.
The itinerary for NCL’s Pride of America, for example, includes a nighttime pass by active lava flows on the Big Island as molten rock pours into the ocean. As the boat leaves its Kauai port of call, it passes alongside the rugged – and breathtaking – Na Pali Coast, a place inaccessible by car and an arduous hike by foot.
Some itineraries include overnight stays at popular ports, allowing people two days to explore an island and a chance to participate in evening activities such as luaus.
Multiple cruise lines operate in Hawaii, but Norwegian is the only one to offer weeklong cruises that begin and end exclusively in the islands. Cruises begin and end in Honolulu.
Other cruise lines’ ships fly under foreign flags, and maritime law requires they visit at least one non-U.S. port of call, which forces those ships to include Hawaii’s nearest neighbor, Fanning Island, in their itineraries. The stop adds extra days to the trip, which are spent at sea, and passengers are required to have passports.
By the way, if you’re one of those cold-weather folks who think snow shoveling was just a good workout, there’s a cruise destination for you, too: Alaska.