Pride of Hawaii

While it is nice to be back, we were able to enjoy the past couple of weeks away. For her Christmas present, we took my mom on a cruise. We sailed on the Pride of Hawaii through NCL which visited four islands (Big Island, Maui, Kauai, and Oahu).

Though we enjoyed the trip, I can't say we loved the cruise. NCL's "freestyle cruising" isn't something we liked. Overall, NCL offered poor service and food especially when compared with another cruise we've been on. I also think that if you really want to get to know and see the islands, taking a cruise really isn't the right way to do it. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our trip and I have uploaded a few photos for those who are interested (including one of me and mom in Kauai).

I should also say that because many know that we love visiting the islands, I'm often asked on travel suggestions and recommended activities when visiting Hawaii. If you plan on traveling there my suggestion is for you to pick up one of the guidebooks (one per island) by Wizard Publications before you go. We've used the guides religiously during our visits and found them incredibly useful. No doubt, you'll discover as we have that there is no better resource other than friends who currently live there (who also, by the way, use the same guidebooks).