Intro

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Welcome to the travel agent Disney and beyond, your Canadian connection to impact news, travel information, practical tips, and vacation statements. I'm your host, Stephen Payne. On today's episode, we are going to answer the question Is Hawaiian cruise a good choice for a family vacation? To answer this question, I'm going to welcome Chris and Maria Bruce to the show, and you can hear about their adventure in Hawaii and on the pride of America. And ultimately find out the answer to the question. Great information and stories coming your way. If you want more information about cruising and travel, including the latest product promotions and limited time offers, subscribe to my email Christ's personalized email newsletter. Simply click on fan mail and send me your name and email address and I'll I do to my mailing list, to the newsletter, as well as for show updates and information. You can also email your name and email address to the following email stephen at the travelagent.ca. Stephen is spelled S-T-E-P-H-E-M, and make sure that you spell agent with an E H because it's Worth Canadian. That email once again is stephen at the travelagent.ca. This information will also appear in the show notes. Okay, as I mentioned last week, I'm changing up the format today because we have an interview. This episode is dedicated to that interview and to answering whether a Hawaiian cruise is good for a family vacation. So without any further introductions, let's hear what Chris and Maria have to say. Hello, Chris and Maria. Welcome to the Travel Agent Disney and Beyond. Thanks for agreeing to come on the show and talk about your experiences in Hawaii and specifically aboard the Norwegian Pride of America. I wanted to start by posing this question, which is, you know, is a Hawaiian cruise a good idea for a family vacation? So I'd like to explore that by asking you a few questions. Why did you choose Hawaii for this particular family vacation?

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Well, we wanted to take the kids away because it worked out that we were all off at the same time. So we wanted to go somewhere where we would all enjoy, and we had the finances to do it. So we thought, why not go big for a memorable trip? Because it may be one of our last family vacations because everybody's, you know, growing up and moving on and doing their own thing.

SPEAKER_02 2:39

And Maria's been there before.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

Right. I went before Nico was born, and it is beautiful. It is a beautiful part of the world.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

So you did a selling job on Chris?

SPEAKER_01 2:51

I did.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Yeah, pretty much.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Yeah. And the and the kids.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

That was my reason for going to um Walt Disney World for the first time with my family was I thought, oh, this could be our last trip. And then it turned out not to be. We went back several times. Yeah.

unknown 3:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Okay. And so what attracted you to this idea of cruising on the pride of America?

SPEAKER_01 3:14

Well, that wasn't our intention when we started. The idea was to go to Hawaii and maybe do a couple of islands and explore that. So we had originally booked uh Stephen, as you know, 13 days in Hawaii. And we kind of moved backwards and then thought, okay, which islands? And we looked at the cruise and it was outrageously expensive. Um and we thought, okay, well, maybe we'll just go to Maui. That was our plan and venture within those days. And then they had a great sale, and you found us a great price, one that we couldn't turn down that included all our transport and not just seeing, you know, two islands, but we got to see four with that experience. So it was an easy decision at that point.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

It was a very uh economical way to see all the islands and then have your hotel already and your meals already kind of planned for.

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Yeah, and I think that's what attracted me to the idea. I've actually wanted to do this cruise myself. I haven't done it yet. But um, you know, that idea of being able to control the costs a little bit, right? Because you know that you've got meals provided, you've already paid for them, and you've got your room that's traveling with you, and so on. So, and of course, that idea that you don't have to pack and unpack as well. Um, but you can still tour the different islands uh works out really well in my mind. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:41

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 4:42

How old were the kids for the trip? What were the ages?

SPEAKER_01 4:46

Well, Nico is 22.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

18 and 15.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

18 and 15, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Okay. And were they excited about the idea or did you have to convince them?

SPEAKER_01 4:58

Well, originally before we even went to Hawaii, uh we had proposed like Mexico or the Caribbean. And they were so against it because they thought, I don't want to go sit on a beach for one week when I have a pool in in the backyard. I have my own paradise. So we didn't want to go. So that was another reason for selecting Hawaii because they they were they were adamant they didn't want to sit at one resort and sit on a beach.

SPEAKER_02 5:27

It's a bit of an adventure, Hawaii. Hawaii's more of an adventure type thing because you're traveling around a lot, seeing new places. It's it's you know, it's untamed wilderness, a lot of it.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

So yeah, so it's it was more appealing to them in that sense that they felt like there was gonna be more interesting things to see, eh?

SPEAKER_02 5:43

Yeah, that's yeah. Beautiful beaches too.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But at least you could uh with an all-inclusive, you're kind of stuck there. With this one, you can see more than one beach, you can see more than one location, and so on. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:56

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

And they knew enough to know that there was a lot of adventure to take place. So they were gonna do a lot.

The Pride of America Experience

SPEAKER_00 6:07

All right. Now, for someone who's never sailed on the Pride of America, how would you describe that experience?

SPEAKER_02 6:14

Yeah, if you're comparing it to other cruises that you've been on, say Disney, Royal Caribbean, which we've done, you know, other cruises, you know, the food's not quite as good as Royal Caribbean. And the boat's a little bit older, but it's fine for getting around. There's also no days at sea, right? Because it's not about that. It's about getting you to the beautiful ports of call that are amazing and the you know, amazing food and things to do at each port of call. So it's less about the ship. But the ship does a great job. They have entertainment still. That it has you know decent food. It's just not, in my opinion, it's not on par with uh Royal Caribbean or celebrity, or even Disney. Disney's food was great too. You don't you're not doing it for that though, you're doing it for the for the island. So it's a little bit different, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:03

I I agree with that. This is why it's great having you on here, you know, for other people to to hear your experience, because I think it's a matter of you know, adjusting your expectations and understanding that why you're doing this, you you're gonna be on that cruise mainly because of the ports of call and the itinerary, and maybe you're not going for the days at sea, which there aren't any, of course, or the food, that kind of thing, right? So um what were you gonna say, Maria?

SPEAKER_01 7:29

Stephen, as you know, this was our first NCL experience because we've booked our cruises with you, which have been fantastic. So that was our first time, and uh with comparing it to the other cruises we've been on, it's it it just wasn't the same caliber. So you can't really you can't really compare it to you know utopia of the seas or a Disney ship. It's just it's just different. And you know when you're on that ship, you are doing it for the ports of call and to enjoy Hawaii.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

Now I had a couple of questions lined up for you. One was you know about the biggest advantage of the Hawaiian cruise experience, but I feel like we've already answered that in a way because I'm assuming you would say the the opportunity to see the different ports of call. I also had a question about what was a disadvantage or what would be a disadvantage you'd think of. Did you have something in mind about a disadvantage for being on this cruise? As opposed, let's say a land vacation.

SPEAKER_02 8:24

I don't because I think it's a really great way to get around to see a lot of people that that I talk to that go to Hawaii, they go to one or two islands. We don't have to see all four of the major main islands, and you know, to the north and the south of Hawaii. So, you know, for that reason, it it's a really great cruise. Disadvantage, I mean I wouldn't say that the food not being as good is a disadvantage, but it just it's just not the same, but it does matter in a lot of ways. Because I that's not what I remember about the cruise. I remember the times we were on the island.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

Yeah, that's fair. As far as the state room goes, um were you satisfied with the you know the room?

SPEAKER_01 9:06

Oh the state room was great. Like yeah, we booked uh we booked a balcony um and it was beautiful to you know wake up to the sunshine and even just you know departing the port and just relaxing and having that time because like Chris said, we didn't really spend uh we didn't spend any days at sea or any time during the day on the ship, so it was strictly for dinner on and and we were just moving for most of the time. So it was perfect.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

Well, that's great to hear. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:40

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with the room at all. The room's great.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 9:43

For a ship that was built around 2013, it's decent.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Yeah, and and thankfully, uh, I don't know the history of this particular ship, but in most cases, you know, the cruise lines do refurbish the ships every number of years or whatever, so that doesn't get completely worn out and look look horrible, right? They they try to keep the ship.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

Well, they say it's the flagship too, so they want to do they? Yeah, they said that on the ship. They said it's our flagship, so they're trying to keep it, you know, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 10:09

Yeah. Um anyway. As far as entertainment goes, in terms of uh, you know, these questions I'm asking you right now are kind of focusing on the ship experience. What about uh how did you feel about the entertainment? I I think I understood there wasn't as much entertainment, but how was it?

SPEAKER_02 10:25

There was a show every night though.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 10:27

There was a show every night. There was the comedian went two nights, the magician went two nights, and then there were other things the other nights, man.

SPEAKER_00 10:34

I don't remember, but okay, so a number of options there.

SPEAKER_02 10:38

Yeah. Yeah, and the kids liked it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:41

Okay, that's good.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

I thought the entertainment was impressive. You know, um, and I'm I remember we did a Royal Caribbean cruise in Alaska, and they it was again seven days on uh with uh was it Odyssey? No, what was it, Chris? Quantum of the seas. Um, and I thought this outdid that. The comedian was better, the magician was better, the caliber of entertainment on this ship was really good, and I was really impressed by NCL in that regard.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Okay. As far as the ports go, did you find there was was there enough time? Was the schedule a good schedule? Anything you want to do.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

Oh, I thought it was fantastic. The itinerary is what sold us on this cruise. So you stop two nights in Maui, you do a day in Hilo, a day in Kona, and then two days in Kauai. So I thought that was, you know, the their biggest selling feature was the itinerary and what you see. I think we had more than enough time to get an idea of the uniqueness of every island because they're all so different. So when you're looking at Hawaii and where to go, it's so hard to pick and choose because they're all so unique.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

And the two days is good because you can roll in on the first day as late as you want. You know, it's open 24 hours, the boat. So you can you can come in at two in the morning and and and check in, and it's like a hotel, basically, at that point, right? And then you can get up and leave whenever you want. You just have to be back before you know it sails away the next day.

SPEAKER_00 12:21

I was gonna say an overnight in a port is a great thing, yeah. Because that's one one of the things with cruises is often, you know, you're one day in a port, you quite often don't get to experience sort of the nightlife in a particular location, whereas if they have an overnight, then you get to stay out late, which I think is a great, great feature. Yeah, yeah. Now

The Islands Experience

SPEAKER_00 12:41

on the island, so let's talk about the islands a little bit. That was the ship. Now, the island. Um, you've mentioned that you saw four islands. Which island surprised you the most?

SPEAKER_01 12:53

Oh gosh, they're all so unique. Um, I think that's such a hard question to answer, Stephen, because one one's more beautiful than the next, right? And they they're so unique that it's so hard to even compare them. Uh, what surprised me the most, I'm still in awe over Hawaii Volcano National Park. So just the mere magnitude of the volcano and being so close, it's just like no other experience.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Yeah, I saw your pictures. I thought they were pretty interesting.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

They don't do it justice. And that's that's the part of Hawaii and this vacation that it doesn't really capture. Um, and I know lots of places in the world you say that, but when you're right next to it experiencing um the volcano was erupting when we were there, and uh the locals in the park and the rangers were saying that you know it only erupts 50 days in the year. So to actually witness that was super cool and probably one of uh the best moments the kids enjoy too that they'll be talking about and in years to come. It's just a miracle to see the world we live in and the earth just kind of doing its thing. We take that for granted.

SPEAKER_02 14:11

I'm trying to remember which island it was because they kind of blend together a little bit. But uh I think it was um, I'll tell you, I'm looking at the map right now, that's how I think on Kauai we had uh great coffee, great cafe. If you like coffee, chocolate, and macadamia nuts, it's it's the place to go. Because it's it's really good for that. But there's some places are like quiet little coast town where you have a coffee, and then some places are you know pretty hustling and bustling, and then some's like just nature.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

The best coffee though, Chris, was in Kona. Yeah. Yeah, come on, you know, and that that for us, we we we we love the coffee so much, we went back to the same coffee shop twice in one day. And you know, our kids were like our kids were like, we're going back to the ship, and we're like, we'll just hang out in the coffee shop.

SPEAKER_02 15:05

The other thing too, it doesn't seem like you're in the United States at all. Like, you know, it's nature and uh and beaches, and then you know, every now and then you'll see a Costco. But so it reminds you they're there, but uh it's not it doesn't seem like that, you know. It doesn't seem like Florida, it's not, it's it's like a tropical island. Well, it is. I mean that's what it is. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:26

Yeah, a little separated from the mainland. Yeah, it kind of makes me laugh about the coffee. So I can imagine you guys going around to all the different islands sampling the coffee, you know.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

Oh, we did. We we pretty much enjoy coffee, and uh we brought quite a hefty amount back, didn't we, Chris?

SPEAKER_00 15:42

Are you still drink you're still drinking it?

SPEAKER_01 15:44

Oh we are, yeah, we are amazing. But it's like it's like no other. It it really was the best coffee we've ever had, and uh and its uniqueness, and even just sampling from one coffee shop to another, they're all incredible. And uh you you kind of wish you had that experience here at home. Um, but that's what you enjoy about traveling, and that you get to you know enjoy the experiences that the locals have and uh bringing you those opportunities and and you know helping you enjoy your trip.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

Uh that could be a selling feature all on its own, right? If somebody's considering going on vacation or like there's good coffee there. And chocolate. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:29

Oh yeah. Oh, don't forget the chocolate.

SPEAKER_02 16:31

Local, right? You can do tours of chocolate and coffee farm.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

Yeah. You're winning me over.

SPEAKER_02 16:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

Okay. Um, I was gonna ask you about, you know, the most memorable excursion or outing for your family, but I'm wondering, would that be the volcano park?

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Oh, there's so many, Steven. Well, probably Stephen. But that's a hard one. So, like uh, I loved Waimea Canyon, Chris, and Kauai. That's like the big Grand Canyon. That was like super cool. And then uh the Moana Hawk Falls hike that we did in in Oahu, that was like you literally were transported into a jungle, yeah. You were transported into a jungle. And it was like you it's like you entered a a different planet, honestly. That's why it's so hard to compare all the islands because they're all so unique.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

Yeah, and there's waterfalls everywhere, too. Ridiculous.

SPEAKER_00 17:29

Sounds amazing.

SPEAKER_01 17:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:31

Was there any outing that you were disappointed by?

SPEAKER_01 17:33

Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_00 17:35

No, no, there wasn't. No.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

We're in agreement with that. There was nothing disappointing about this trip.

SPEAKER_02 17:42

The lighthouse was good in Kauai, the beaches on Kauai were good. The road to Hana, you have to do it. It's really something. The volcano park's good. And even Honolulu, we were we did a waterfall. I mean Honolulu's not uh Hawaii. We did a waterfall and then a half hour later we're on the like nicest beach you've ever been on.

SPEAKER_01 18:02

And swimming with turtles.

SPEAKER_02 18:04

Yeah, there's turtles everywhere, right? Everywhere there's turtles, dolphins all over the place. It's nice. If you like beaches, it's nice. If you like the wilderness, it's nice.

SPEAKER_00 18:13

Yeah, I was gonna say I can hear you talking a lot about the nature and the natural elements there. So particularly if you really enjoy scenery and and and natural wonders, then that might be that might be it for you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:26

Like the jungle's literally impassable, like off the path that you're walking. It's so thick. I don't know how people originally went through it. It must have taken them forever.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

Yeah. Take a machete with you, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 18:39

Yeah, literally, but the trees are so big.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

Yeah, and did you see some of the like really giant like leaves?

unknown 18:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 18:48

Yeah. It's like Jurassic Park. I mean, that's where part of it was filmed, right?

SPEAKER_00 18:51

So I went to a rainforest in Puerto Rico, actually, and uh I was amazed. That's why I asked, because I was amazed at the size of the leaves. The leaves were enormous, right? And I guess just because there's so much moisture and things grow so well there, and it was it was quite something, uh, just seeing the the scope of it.

SPEAKER_01 19:09

Not only that, but the flowers and uh well the vegetation, but the flowers, the tropical flowers are just insane.

SPEAKER_03 19:18

All over the place.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

Yeah, and the smell, it's just so memorable. It's like implanted in you, and it's just like a uh an amazing experience that you just you just have to savor it when you experience it.

SPEAKER_00 19:34

Was there one moment on this trip that you think you know, years from now, you'll still be talking about?

SPEAKER_02 19:41

Well, we saw the volcano erupt, but I mean apparently that doesn't happen very often, right? So we saw like I show people the picture of the lava shooting out of the volcano, and they're like, what? And then I was talking to a guy on the boat, I got to be friends actually with the magician on the boat, and uh he was saying that if the plume comes towards the like the wind was blowing it towards where you see the volcano, they just shut the whole park down. It has to be blowing the other way when it's erupting, and then they'll let people see it, and it just happened to be that day. I thought and there was locals there that have never seen it erupt. And then when you go to the coffee shops near the port, it's it's on the screens, right? They have a shot of the volcano live. People watch it from the c from the coffee shops because it's something else.

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Talk about being in the right place at the right time, eh?

SPEAKER_02 20:28

Yeah, I got lucky with that one.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

We did. We we also got lucky because there was a hurricane the week before we went and a hurricane the week after we left. So we were very lucky with weather and the ability to drive around and see these beautiful places because timing is everything when you go during hurricane season.

SPEAKER_02 20:51

Yes, yeah.

Touring Hawaii with Children

SPEAKER_01 20:53

But I was I was just gonna add, Steven, I think what our kids enjoyed the most was Pearl Harbor, and they'll be talking about that um uh for for a long time because just to see their emotion and their faces when we were experiencing the USS Arizona and going out to the water to see the resting place. And it is it is a grave site, you know, it is a grave site, and they treat it as such, and everyone that volunteers there and works there was just so good at putting that reference and that picture in place of everyone that attended of how memorable this is for so many.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

Yeah. Was it somber there?

SPEAKER_01 21:49

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 21:49

Yeah, okay. I haven't been to Pearl Harbor, obviously. Again, I would like to do that. Um the 911 memorial.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

If you go to Hawaii, you gotta go there.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

Yeah. The nine eleven memorial. Memorial, it was the same kind of thing, right? You kind of it's a it's kind of a a place with uh a tragic memory. So it just there's a little bit of um, I don't know how to describe it, but a a seriousness to it, you know?

unknown 22:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:12

Very much so. It is true. Yeah, it is it is hard to describe because it it was such an important historical significance um that that they they do a great job in commemorating that. And when you're there, they treat it as such as well. And so it was interesting to see, you know, how the kids responded to that. And they just were very emotional.

SPEAKER_00 22:36

Amazing.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:38

Now, was there anything the kids you know couldn't care less about? And you were like, oh, that's a surprise that we thought they would enjoy whatever X. Was there anything like that that occurred?

SPEAKER_02 22:48

Not really. No. No. No, they like going around, they like you know, renting a Jeep and driving around and seeing what was what. And yeah, they didn't mind. Yeah, they liked everything.

SPEAKER_01 22:59

I I was surprised that they their uh biggest excitement came when we rented a Jeep and they got to take off the roof. I'm like, really? We we came all the way here, and you guys are excited about a Jeep and taking off the roof.

SPEAKER_02 23:14

They did all the hikes. Some of the hikes are you know a little bit tough to do, right? Like um, what's the one? Diamond Head. That's that's tough. It's 45 minutes an hour uphill. And uh with a couple of waterfalls, the terrain's really rocky, like giant, like kind of bouldery things. It's not like a path, right? So they they did all that, they were okay with that. Yeah, they didn't complain. And uh, I think overall they liked it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:40

That's great. So um did it change how you planned the vacation at all, or not really?

SPEAKER_01 23:47

Not really. No. You you do have to be fit to experience a lot of Hawaii.

SPEAKER_02 23:54

You know, one thing, Stephen, that the kids did say now that when you go to Hawaii, what you want to do, because you're spending a lot of money, you want to make sure that you're seeing everything, right? And so you have to plan that out. And so your days get quite, say, regimented because you're not gonna spend the morning doing nothing. The morning you're going somewhere, the afternoon you go in somewhere, you might go two places. And they kind of I remember them saying, you know, we don't get any choice on what we're doing any day. It's always kind of we gotta do this, then this. I'm like, yeah, yeah, you know, they like they wanted some free time, but like that was it. That was the only problem. You have that at the boat, when you get back to the boat, it's like seven o'clock, you could you can uh do whatever you want for in a couple hours. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:37

Seven days on the cruise ship was long for them, I would say, wouldn't you say that, Chris?

SPEAKER_02 24:43

Yeah, but you're at a different place every day, so you know it doesn't seem like you're on the cruise ship, especially when you're driving around on the island all day. You know, there's no sea day. So you don't need to entertain yourself during the day, you're gone, you're not on the boat.

SPEAKER_01 25:01

Yeah, yeah, but we did we did experience because it was so jam-packed and we were go, go, go. Um, the kids were tired. They were tired, and we and we did reach a point where they're like, Can we just go home? And I thought, you guys are in the most beautiful place on earth, and you just want to leave, but they were exhausted. And so I think at that point in time, they're like, they just wanted some rest. So yeah, we had we had called you and we had called you and and thought, is there any way we could get on an earlier flight? Do you remember that, Steven?

SPEAKER_02 25:35

Yeah, I do. But I'm glad we did the extra days in the hall. Yeah, and I'm glad we did.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Yeah, and so there wasn't an option to leave early, but I think they were thankful for that because when we were in Oahu for four days and they got yeah, they got a rest and it was like a resort vacation. So they were rejuvenated, wouldn't you say, Chris?

SPEAKER_03 25:56

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:58

Yeah, just the ebb and flow of vacationing. That's it. Yeah, the same reason why we're we're at Disney World, we uh we we say every second or third day we have to take a rest day because because people get tired out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:09

That's exactly right. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:11

Yeah, and and we never did that. And I think that's where that's where they hit a wall. Yeah. So and and and and an agreement, and you have to remember that there's still kids, and Sophia's 15, and you know, she was she was just happy on a beach.

SPEAKER_00 26:26

But uh it's just a little hard with it with this particular vacation because you know, every day you're somewhere different, so and you don't want to miss it, right?

SPEAKER_02 26:34

Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 26:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:36

So you have to do that, but uh it got hard at a point. It was it was it all worked out.

SPEAKER_00 26:42

Yeah, I was gonna say you got all those memories though.

SPEAKER_02 26:44

Yeah.

Practical Considerations

SPEAKER_00 26:46

Okay, so just thinking about some practical considerations. Um, if another family were budgeting for the trip today, is there any advice you'd give them in terms of how to plan, how to budget? Is there anything that you would tell them not to overlook?

SPEAKER_01 27:01

Well, we were a family of five. So we didn't do any excursions with the ship. We did our own thing. The only issue was every time you're off the ship, it was $300 a person with um with the ship. So we opted for a car rental, which cost us less than $100 through Expedia. And we just rented a car and did our own thing and followed along and had to do research ahead of time. And that's the key is that you really have to plan out what you want to do. Your time is limited. Like you do have two days in Maui and two in Kauai, but the other parts of Hilo and Kona, you've got the day. So you really have to maximize your time and where you want to go. So you're spending all that money, you do have to plan it out. And there's so much information out there. It's information overload. But again, you do have to tailor it to who you're with, how many kids you have with you, uh, the ages of the kids, um, and you know, trying to give them some rest in there too, realizing that it is a lot to uh to see four islands in in seven days.

SPEAKER_02 28:16

The food in uh Honolulu is gonna be expensive. Yeah. So you can't you can't go out for like a nice meal every night. We we save that till the end. You know, try to do things on a budget there a little bit. Because it it's pricey.

SPEAKER_00 28:30

Yeah.

unknown 28:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:31

And again, when we go back to what we were saying at the beginning, I mean, you have food available on the ship whenever you need or want it.

SPEAKER_02 28:37

On the ship, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:39

So when you're you're off and out and about you can shoot yourself once in a while, I guess. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:45

Yeah. But the food in Hawaii is incredible, you know, and there's so much variety, and there's a lot, there's a lot of options, and there's a lot of small business and food trucks, too, producing some amazing food experiences. And the best food I think we had was out of a tiny little window. Hey, Chris, the Mexican restaurant, I think it was called De Crac in Kauai. And it was it was recommended to us. And it literally was, it was, there was no restaurant. It was it was uh a literal window in the in the in the wall of a building. And yeah, it was probably the kids really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_02 29:27

And by an awesome beach.

SPEAKER_00 29:29

Yeah, great when you get a recommendation, especially if it's somebody local, yeah. And you can find that place that you probably would never visit if you saw it on your own. Oh, right.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

How many times do you order out of a window? A tiny little sliding door window.

SPEAKER_00 29:45

Yeah, might be a bit of a turnoff, eh?

SPEAKER_01 29:48

It was it was awesome food.

SPEAKER_00 29:50

Yeah. Okay. Um, is there anything that you wish you would have known before you booked and left?

SPEAKER_01 29:58

Oh, that's a tough one.

SPEAKER_02 30:00

One thing that people should know is that uh you can't bring a suntan lotion to Hawaii. They don't allow certain kinds. So you have to get it there.

SPEAKER_00 30:08

Yeah, that's a good tip.

SPEAKER_02 30:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

I don't know. I did my research. I'm pretty much a planner. So I I I did my research ahead of time. What I didn't plan was all our meals. I planned everything else.

SPEAKER_02 30:23

You know what else you gotta do, Maria? Is if you want to go to the USS Arizona, you have to uh book it. It's like a dollar, but you have to reserve your time. So if you get there that day and think you're gonna go over to the memorial, you're not going to. So you have to do that in advance too.

SPEAKER_00 30:39

That's a that's also a good tip. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:42

Did you do that online?

SPEAKER_02 30:44

Yeah. Yeah. You can do it online through the government website. It's as I said, it's like three bucks, two bucks. I don't even know. But it's just so they just hold your spot on the boat. So you can't just show up and get on the boat. Boat holds like 60 people.

SPEAKER_00 30:58

Yeah, it goes back to something I was saying in one of my earlier episodes, just the importance of planning ahead, right? And just making sure.

SPEAKER_02 31:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:05

So that you're not disappointed about especially for that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:07

If you're spending 10, 10, 15 grand on vacation, you don't want to not be able to do things because you forgot.

SPEAKER_00 31:13

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 31:14

Yeah. We booked our car rentals ahead of time as well.

SPEAKER_03 31:18

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:20

Last minute is is very expensive.

SPEAKER_00 31:23

Yeah. And sometimes it'll let it be let down and they might not have the cars there, that kind of thing, right?

SPEAKER_03 31:28

Right.

SPEAKER_00 31:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:29

Yeah.

Final Thoughts and the Answer

SPEAKER_00 31:31

So looking at wrapping up our conversation a little bit, um would you recommend this trip, including the cruise, to other families with older children? Is this something you would recommend for others?

SPEAKER_01 31:43

Absolutely. I thought it it was the trip of a lifetime. Now it is something you have to plan for and budget, and it's not cheap. It's probably one the most expensive vacation we will ever take. And that's that's the biggest thing. So if you can afford it, absolutely. It's like transporting into uh a location that's like no other. It really is unique, and all four islands are are unique. So you can't even compare uh, you can't even compare one island with another because it's just like the beauty is just infinite, and and when you think it can't get better, it does. And that's the surprising part of Hawaii, is that while it's each unique and you think you've seen the best of it, you know, you go to the next island, you're like, oh, that's incredible. That is amazing too. So that's the hard part. It would be if you didn't do the cruise, what islands do you actually pick? So I couldn't even recommend, you know, I couldn't even recommend, oh, you know, do Maui over Kauai or do the big island over Oahu. You know, you get a a different experience from each island.

SPEAKER_02 32:58

What I would say is if you want a vacation where you're gonna sit on the beach and relax, or just sit in the cafe and have a coffee and relax, which is great if that's your thing. Yes, you can do it there, but really that's not. I mean, it's more of an adventure type. You know, you you rented car, you rent a Jeep, you go into a jungly area, it's you know, it's it's more like that. It's not just a set of resort type. So if you like that, you will love Hawaii and it's picturesque.

SPEAKER_00 33:28

Yeah, so be prepared to uh put some energy out. And if you're not then and planning it too. Then maybe it's Mexico. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And and so uh I guess it's safe to say that you thought that what you did was better than a land-based Hawaiian vacation. Is that fair?

SPEAKER_02 33:47

You couldn't do it. Like, it would be way more money to rent a boat and then go to another island and hang out at a b uh that island in a hotel and then pay for food there. Like it's it's not you're not gonna, it's it's too expensive to do that. That's why I said most of the people that I talked to that have been to Hawaii go to one or two islands when they go, they don't even see all four. Right? Most people don't. And so this is the way to do that and get an idea of the differences, what Marie was saying earlier, between each of the islands. They all have their unique thing.

SPEAKER_00 34:20

Was there a moment when you thought we should just scrap this whole vacation and just go home?

SPEAKER_02 34:26

Well, no, no, not really. I mean we were we were getting by the end of the cruise we were like getting tired because it was just go, go, go, go, go, go, go. But it wasn't like this isn't awesome. We it was awesome. You know each day it was oh my god, this there's a giant ravine, there's a volcano, there's a low waterfall, there's you know so no and well, and the kids, the kids were tired.

SPEAKER_01 34:52

The kids were tired, but like I said, it's it's hard to build in a rest day when you don't have those days and because you're on the ship and it's go, go, go. So you're seven days, you're seven days, you're going. And we we did fly in a day early, which I highly recommend just in case things happen with flights. So we we did fly in early, and and you do experience jet leg because it is uh you're you're flying over a few time zones, so you have to take that into consideration as well. So the kids, the kids were exhausted when we first uh when we first arrived as well. So that's something to keep in mind.

SPEAKER_02 35:35

The first first couple days I wasn't myself. I was really tired. It's a long flight, but it's something to see. That's what I tell people. It's something to see.

SPEAKER_00 35:45

Yeah, and I guess at at the end, because you had a couple of days at a hotel at the end as well. That probably was helpful too. Uh since the I guess, yeah, the cruise was rigorous. So having a couple of days where uh where were you at the end?

SPEAKER_01 36:00

You were in We were in Waikiki.

SPEAKER_00 36:03

In Waikiki, yeah, we were in Hikeki.

SPEAKER_01 36:05

What hotel were we in there? We were at the Hyatt Regency. So we were at the Hyatt Regency and we loved the hotel. The location was uh was fantastic, and the kids really enjoyed that, and I think because we we could go on our own, like Chris and I went out and had some coffee, and they went to the beach and they you know enjoyed that uh and swam and suntanned and did their thing and we got to do our thing too. And that's the one thing about traveling with older kids is that you can give them that independent time because while they love us, I think they do appreciate a you know a little time to themselves as well. So uh and we enjoyed it too. And Chris and I would go for coffee and take our take our time.

SPEAKER_02 36:52

Really good thing that we did because Maria is we were in Oahu four days. We came into the cruise port, go to the hotel. At the hotel, we rented the car from the airport. So I went back out to the airport via a taxi, which is a half-hour drive, rented the car there and brought it back. And then the next days when we were at walking by the car rental place in our hotel, it was rammed. And so I'm like, oh my god, thank God I went to the airport. Because then at the last day, we drove the car to the airport, dropped it off there right on the plane. Totally worked out. Yeah, great tip.

SPEAKER_00 37:26

Yep, agreed.

SPEAKER_02 37:27

It's much more economic from the hotel, basically.

SPEAKER_00 37:30

Yeah. And I do I always find renting uh cars from the airports and returning them to the airports is the cheapest way to go.

SPEAKER_02 37:37

Yeah, it was cheaper too, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:40

Yeah, and and Steven, a key part is when you're traveling on each of these islands, you are so the port is so close to the airport. So it's so easy to get a car from these locations. And a lot of what you don't consider, and we didn't know, was uh certain car companies have transport available for you free of charge from the cruise port to the airport to pick up your car, and some don't.

SPEAKER_02 38:11

And so some people from the cruise port to your car to the car rentals to the island, right?

SPEAKER_01 38:17

Which is which is attached to the airport. So uh in in in each case, so um you do really need to research which car rentals to use when you're you know stopping in Maui, uh Hilo or Kauai. Kona Kona, you don't need a car. That's a key piece of information. Because everything is right there. So if you're you know wanting to do the excursions on your own and you know not be bound by uh by the times of the tour operators, and then uh you you really don't need a car in in Kona. So that's something to consider as well.

SPEAKER_00 38:58

Was there a moment when you thought this is why we came to Hawaii after all? This is great. Self-awareness. You're like, what a great idea this was.

SPEAKER_02 39:08

Yeah, I mean, sure. I mean, we were the one of the last days we were in Oahu, Honolulu. We rent we had a Jeep, which was parked at our hotel, and that day we went to this huge waterfall that was about an hour hike to and from. And it was in j in the jungle, and then a half hour later we're on the nicest beach you'd ever be on. You know, we left there, we got in the car, half hour, and so it's like it's crazy. You're in this jungle, then you're on the beach, and you just pass McDonald's, you know, on the way, because it's it's still America, but it's not. So it's um it's really kind of cool that way.

SPEAKER_01 39:53

Yeah, you have every amenity, even though you're on a remote island.

SPEAKER_00 39:59

Um, if you could teleport your family back to this one moment right now, you can get in a teleportation device and and head out. Where are you going?

SPEAKER_02 40:08

Well, for me and Maria, it would be it would I don't know if it'd be the family, but for me and Maria we'd go to that. There was one coffee shop in wherever I get their names mixed up. Was it Kona? It was Kona. And then and then there was one on uh on an Oahu, too, that was really nice. And it's a chain there, the Hawaiian coffee co.

SPEAKER_01 40:26

Honolulu coffee co.

SPEAKER_02 40:28

Honolulu coffee cup, yeah. I'm not good with these names. So yeah, that that's what me and Maria like just sitting there and like, oh my god, awesome.

SPEAKER_00 40:38

So it's back to the co back to the coffee again.

SPEAKER_02 40:42

There comes a time in your life where you just like spending time with your spouse, you know.

SPEAKER_00 40:46

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:47

And just simple things.

SPEAKER_00 40:49

You don't need all the just imagine in the future you're gonna go away without the kids. Yeah, I look forward to it. Some one at one time, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:56

Me too. Me too, Chris. But but literally just it, you know, it shows uh it shows you how busy our lives are. But we really enjoyed having, you know, half an hour to ourselves just having some coffee and just you know, having a conversation and relaxing in a beautiful uh, I want to call it a country, even though it's part of the US. It it really feels so different, but you know, on a beautiful island. Um yeah, but I have to say, uh, as much as I enjoyed having coffee with you, Chris, I I I there's a lot that I really enjoyed, but if I had to transfer back, it would probably be to Volcano National Park or even just sitting on the ship and watching the sunrise and the sunset. And it's just a moment of peace. And while the volcano is incredible, and we were very lucky to see the eruption take place. And and what was great about that was when we first got to uh Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, was there was just a slight eruption. So it's like it had just started. And an hour into uh our hike around it, it just got bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. And the eruption was just, you know, it was it was pouring. And it was crazy to see how you know the eruption could go from something so small to something so massive in a short amount of time. So yeah, the sunset and the sunrise were were pretty incredible.

SPEAKER_00 42:41

Yeah, you you took me back to when we were in the Mediterranean, my wife and I, and we had a uh cruise with a or a cabin with a balcony as well. And uh we were pulling into Santorini and it was early, early in the morning, and we were sitting on the balcony. In fact, my wife woke me up because it was it was that early, but the sun was just coming up, and we looked off the balcony and the sun started rising up over the back of the island, so to speak, and coming up over the island, and and and the sun rays were starting to come across the water. It looked magnificent, and then all these bells started ringing. They were ringing bells in all the churches across the island to welcome the morning. What a magical moment that was, right? And it's like that's like kind of what I like about vacations and traveling and so on. It's those moments that stick with you when you're with somebody special, and that's a memory, you're making a memory that you never forget, right? So those are those are memories you guys are talking about. Things a simple thing like sitting in in the cafe in Kona with with a coffee. Wow becomes this thing that you you just go back to, right? And you remember. Wow. Or or it's something spectacular like the the volcano, but these wow vacations are so full of these moments. And then you you just go back and you remember them in your mind revisiting them so often. And so yeah, you're you're telling me about the sunrise reminding me of my own vacation in the in the med. So there you go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:06

You know, and that's it's so nice to have those experiences. And like Chris said earlier, I I had been to Hawaii uh before we had kids, and I remember hiking up uh Diamond Head, which is right in Honolulu. And when I did it, when we did it again this time, I thought, I don't remember it being this hard. So because it's the elevation, like it's just a constant incline. So you are, you know, you are climbing up a mountain literally for like 45, 50 minutes an hour. And and I I don't remember it being that hard 20, 23 years ago, right?

SPEAKER_00 44:48

So yeah, and the higher up you go, the air gets thinner, right? So then it's harder to get the oxygen in. Yeah. I've been nervous nice up there.

unknown 44:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:57

Yeah. And the beauty of you know, just accomplishing that and then just the view and enjoying the view. It's just it's breathtaking, right? Yeah, it's breathtaking.

SPEAKER_00 45:11

Well, our our main question was is taking a Hawaiian cruise a good idea for a family vacation? I'll ask the question, but I think the answer is probably obvious. What's your answer?

SPEAKER_01 45:22

Uh I'll have to say first, save your money. Like it's expensive. It's expensive. So in the end, we knew we could we we could afford it. And that's the the rationale for you know taking taking such a a big trip at this point in our lives.

SPEAKER_02 45:41

Little kids aren't gonna be able to do it. Like a lot of walking parts and yeah. So, you know. Yeah. But uh the older teenagers and tweens, no problem.

unknown 45:52

So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:53

Although I they love that.

SPEAKER_01 45:55

Yeah, although I do know a family that likes to vacation in Hawaii, but they do more resorts. Like there's the Disney Alani resort that is on Oahu, that is, you know, a vacation in a and of itself. And it's more like it's probably more like a comparable Caribbean uh vacation, right? Where you you get to experience a beautiful resort um and all that it has to offer. But it's it's pricey too, so you do really have to budget. Uh so and and know your budget and plan ahead. That's the that's the key.

SPEAKER_00 46:34

Yeah. But it sounds like it was worth it.

SPEAKER_01 46:37

So if you can do it, absolutely, every penny. I I wouldn't I wouldn't change it for another holiday, would you, Chris?

SPEAKER_02 46:45

No, no, no. I'm just gonna be perfect.

SPEAKER_01 46:49

Now to plan the next one, Stephen Payne. So you have you have planned a lot of our holidays and our cruises. So um we will be looking to you to help us plan our next adventure. Um, probably family, even though we did say this might be our last. It's probably not our last. Our kids are still wanting to vacation with us.

SPEAKER_02 47:13

We'll see.

unknown 47:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:16

Yeah. Well, you always gotta have something to look forward to, right? That's uh I I I hate it when I'm in a situation where I haven't got a vacation planned. Because half the fun is is is thinking about it and anticipating for it and planning for it, you know. I find that's as much fun as going on the vacation sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 47:34

Well, I agree. We can plan for Christmas.

SPEAKER_00 47:37

Yeah. Okay, well, that sounds like uh an upcoming discussion for us, eh?

SPEAKER_01 47:43

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 47:44

Thank you so much for for joining me today. I uh I I think we got a real good insight into what that vacation was like, and it just makes me have vacation envy. I'm uh I'm envious of your vacation now. Appreciate you taking the time out because uh, you know, we're we're staying up a bit late tonight, and uh, but I appreciate you uh sharing your ideas, and I think it'll really help people who are listening. Well, thank you, Stephen.

SPEAKER_01 48:08

Yeah, and thank you. It was a trip of a lifetime, and we appreciate you booking that holiday for us, and um, we look forward to planning the next one with you and Expedia.

Outro

SPEAKER_00 48:21

Thanks once again to Chris and Maria for sharing their ideas about a Hawaiian vacation, cruising on the pride of America. And thanks to you for listening today. Next week we will resume our regular format with new segments of Mouse Minutes, Park Posts, Cruise Contemplations, the Canadian Travel Tip of the Week, and Deals Disco. If you're enjoying the information and inspiration provided in this show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or any other podcast reviewing platform. Links to the show's page and to Apple Podcasts can be found in the show notes. And also feel free to follow me on Instagram. Just search up at the travel agent. Remember, that's within EH. If you want to respond to anything I've talked about on the show, or if you want to offer topic suggestions or ideas, please send an email to stephen at the travelagent.ca. You can be part of building the content for our community. And that's all for this week. Time to start planning for some of the fall parties that are fast approaching for Halloween and oh my twin grandbabies have their birthday coming up too. So we'll be talking travel again soon. But until then, keep dreaming, keep planning, and keep exploring.