Hi everyone. I have never been on an excursion before. I took a cruise on carnival that i won and took my mother in 1999. But this time i am going with princess to hawaii for our 40th anniversary with my husband. So far i have booked the luau with the ceremony and also a whale watching one. Any ideas on what else i could book. I would appreciate any help. Thanks so much

Hello Murphy123; I think you will really love the Luau and Romantic Ceremony on Kauai; and I'm assuming you are doing the whale watching out of Lahaina. Save a little time for strolling around Lahaina, shopping, and maybe lunch at one of the seaside restaurants. If it's your first trip to Hawaii I would suggest a visit to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Honolulu; you might prefer the one that includes the city tour instead of the Mighty Mo; the latter is a lot of standing and walking--pretty exhausting, especially if it is a warm day.

At Hilo, a visit to Kilauea Volcano is a must--assuming you have not been before. That leaves Kona. We did the Cloud Forest Botanical Walk--facinating; we loved it, but it was rather strenuous. The guide took us at a leisurely pace, but if you are not use to walking, you might want to do some preparation. We walked laps around the Promenade deck each day after a light breakfast in our cabin; and then a full breakfast mid-morning. Kona is also great for leisurely shopping, browsing and seaside restaurants.

I hope this gives you a few ideas. We loved our trip so much we are going back in a couple of years.

When you are on Maui, see if you can book an excursion, either through the cruise ship or private, called Trilogy. They do a catamaran sail to the island of Lanai, which also has an underwater preserve. Fantastic excursion. They give you great cinamon rols on the trip over, serve you lunch, give you a tour, lots of beach time etc. YOu can look them up online and call them. They can take a look at your schedule and see if it will fit. It was without a doubt the best excursion I did while staying in Hawaii.

My dad and sister are going to Hawaii this spring on NCL, and Trilogy is offered through the cruise line for them, so you might be in luck with Princess.

Other great excursions on Maui are the Road to Hana, and the early morning visit to see the sun rise on Haleakala. Have fun!

If you like snorkeling Hanauma Bay on Oahu is great snorkeling. Like f-mattox said, the Arizona and the Punch Bowl, to me are a must see. There is so many beautiful excursions on the islands and so little time. I wish my brain could remember the falls we went to see on the big island, it was on the way up to Kilauea. Both the volcano and these falls were awesome. Try some Kona coffee there as well. Have a light jacket if you go up to Haleakala for the sun rise, it's usually pretty chilly there.

My wife and I travel to the Islands every couple of years and have done many of the activities. On Mauii we have done the Trilogy trip several times, but have switched to Pagon Sailing smaller boats, same snokel sights and beaches, fewer people, a blue water dive and great mai ties.

On the Big Island if you like to snokel do Kahalu'u Beach just South of Kona. This protected bay is easy snokelling with lots of fish and turtles. Lots better than Hanoma Bay on Ohahu.

Don't mis the volcano park from Hilo

Kaui is a great place for a helacopter trip if you can afford it. Lts of beautiful scenery.