I just located another picture of our starting point, Great Bay. There are many shops and restaurants on Great Bay and it is a short walk from the ship's pier. We have done that before. We also took a ship's excursion where we took an America's Cup Challenge. With enough participants, two racing ships took to a course in a competition, with eager guests taking an active part in some of the 'work' on the sailing craft. It was a great day. Another time, we rented a jeep and drove around the island without a plan! That was fun, too!

I looked at the shore excursions available at the ports you'll be stopping at, and here are my suggestions: Hilo: I wouldn't book any activities in the Hilo area until you get there, as it will probably be raining (at least in the morning). I'd skip the Volcanoes National Park, unless there is lava flowing. Otherwise, there's not much to see. Thurston Lava Tube is interesting if you've never been in a cave, but it's only a few hundred yards long (if you take a flashlight, you can go another 1000 feet). Akaka Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Pe'epe'e Falls are nice--I was there in 1993, all in the same day. Kona: I've not been to Place of Refuge, St. Benedict's church, Parker Ranch, or any coffee farms, so I can't give an opinion on any of them. While in Kona, I'd probably go snorkeling or on some kind of boat trip. Deep sea fishing is good there, if you like that sort of thing. We went fishing in 1993 and our boat caught two 60-pound striped marlin. If you go snorkeling on your own, try Captain Cook Monument, Honaunau, or Kahulu'u Beach Park. Honolulu: Honolulu is just a huge city that happens to be on the beach, so you'll probably want to get out of town. I recommend snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, which is not far from Honolulu. But you'll want to get there early if possible. We got there at 8:15 in the morning and there were still parking spots, but by 9:00 they were gone. The hike to the top of Diamond Head is tiring, but the view is great. The "famous" north shore is OK, but nothing spectacular. There will be people surfing most likely, but they are pretty far away. I haven't been to the Polynesian Cultural Center, but I'm sure you'll find lots of reviews and opinions on Tripadvisor. If you don't have enough time to drive very far, visit Pearl Harbor (I've never been there) and walk around the International Market Place. Kauai: The Waimea Canyon is spectacular! A helicopter ride would be a great way to see it, as it would take a while to drive there from port. I have kayaked up the Wailua River, (but not all the way to Fern Grotto) and I recommend that if you want physical activity. If you'll be on Kauai for a while and want to hike, I can recommend a couple trails. Snorkeling on Kauai is good in Poipu. Keep in mind that it may be rainy on Kauai, especially in the northern part of the island. Maui: Great views of the crater on Haleakala; definitely worth the trip. Iao Valley is real pretty, but I don't think I'd go there if I had only one day on Maui. The road to Hana is a nice (but very twisty) ride. We did not go all the way, as it takes a long time. Lots of waterfalls along the way. Maui has too many beautiful beaches to mention. You may want to spend your day just beach hopping. We went on a whale watching trip on Maui. It was fabulous! The whales (a mom and her calf) swam right under the boat! I'll never forget it! If you want to see whales, Maui is the best place, as they come closer to that island. I have found that Webshots is a great place to see photos of just about any tourist attraction, so do some searching there. I'm sure there are photos of all the popular waterfalls and beaches, as well as the volcanoes. Here is a link that might be useful: Webshots

Please don't take this as spam, it is a personal recommendation. This company is very good because they are excited about every trip they plan. It is not just a job for them, they genuinely love what they do. They are a little more expensive than the competition in our city but it is for extra nice accommodations. If you go to a large city anywhere, they have a step on guide to show you the sights of the city and give you the history. On a ship one of them is in the atrium coffee shop 95% of the time to answer question during the cruise. I don't know where you live but if you want to go with them, they arrange your flights and you meet them at the international airport. If you live far away you could not do the bus tours which are great also. I quit because I don't care for cruises and I can't do the long bus tours anymore. Getting on and off the tour bus so many times during the day is to hard on this old body. I would like to go on their Tahiti/Hawaii cruise early next year. You fly to Tahiti, spend 2 nights there I believe and start cruising. You will find it on their sight. Here is a link that might be useful: Kansas group

Hhireno, I have done two 7-day cruises on Royal Caribbean Oasis and Allure and that might be a possibility for you all. They do Eastern or Western Caribbean - we only did Western. The ships are ginormous and have lots of nooks for those tired of crowds as well as some nice specialty restaurants. Lots of places to explore on ship. I really enjoyed the central “park” garden and took a garden tour, spent lots of time there in the evenings listening to (okay) classical music ensembles. On the mega ships the ship is as much or more an attraction than the itinerary. The three stops in Western are labadee (strictly a beach day), Falmouth (lots of choice from historical tours to waterfall jumping), and Cozumel (we went to Chichen Itza once and did a fun Jeep/snorkel tour once). My inlaws have largely switched to celebrity from RC now I believe. i really enjoy cruises much more than I thought I would. I absolutely love the water and find it very soothing to look out on the ocean. My inlaws are going back to the Mediterranean this fall with their teen grandkids and I so wish we could go! FIL knew MIL would just want to baby wrangle the whole time instead of sightseeing. We got to go on an Asia cruise with them a few years ago so it’s more than fair they are doing the med with the other half of the family.