Hawaii on a Budget

Hawaii is one of the most popular vacation destinations for the United States. It's the way to be "away from it all", but basically be in your back yard. It's the tropical beauty of the United States, and you won't even need a passport to visit. So you want to visit one of the most beautiful places in the world but you don't want to break the bank? Don't worry about that because I have you covered.

During my research I actually found that it is actually going to cost you less to visit five of Hawaii's magnificent cities than to spend just one week in Honolulu. Don't get me wrong Honolulu is a wonderful place, and probably one of my personal favorites place to visit, but there is so much more to Hawaii that you just have to see to believe.

Don't believe me that it is friendlier to your wallet to visit all five cities I have the math to prove it. During the month of June an average 7 day stay in a hotel is going to cost you $920, a car rental will be $264, about 3 fill ups during the week $91.02 (gas in Hawaii right now is at about $3.04 per gallon, and usually goes higher when we get further into the summer) and dinner for two 7 nights comes to $210. That means just to stay in Honolulu for a week is going to cost you about $1485.20. Ok so it is Hawaii, and honestly that is not too bad, but let me show you the way to get the biggest bang for your buck.

Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of Aloha. Just the name sounds beautiful doesn't it? This ship is one of the only American flagged vessels. This means that Norwegian is the only cruise line in Hawaii that does not have to stop at a foreign port. This is great because you can see all of Hawaii in 7 days. If this was not an American flagged ship you would have to spend one of your days traveling to a foreign port, and miss out of some of the best parts of this beautiful state.

As with all cruise ships the rooms are quite small, but let's be honest you are not going on the cruise to see the room. For those of you who are visiting from a large city like New York, this will be no problem for you. The restaurants are great, and dinner is included. Why would you want to go out to eat off ship when the price of the food is included in your ticket price? Plus you absolutely have to visit the Outrigger lounge with in my opinion has the best view of the ocean.

Lets review the cities that you will visit:

Your embarkation will take place in Honolulu. The ship actually ports just down the street from the world famous Waikiki beach. You have to try swimming in the warm waters of Waikiki beach! There are plenty of stores if you like to shop, the ship ports right at the Aloha Towers shopping pavilion.

First stop is Nawilili on the garden island of Kauai. You actually enter the port at about 7am, and it really is a beautiful thing. I would defiantly recommend that you get up early to see it in all its glory. Just outside of Lihue there is so much to do! If you are a beach person, you can head over to Poipu Beach to see one of the nicest beaches in Hawaii. Koloa Town has great shopping and plenty of places to eat if you choose to eat off of the ship. The Koloa Broiler has been one of Kauai's most popular resturants for generations. This "cook you own" steak and seafood restaurant is so much fun! It isn't fancy, but the food and the people are awesome.

Hilo is the second port that you will enter. The views while cruising along the big island are amazing. Hilo is not a large town, but the people as well as the weather are warm and inviting. There is a great market not too far from the ship where you can stroll about, and maybe purchase some fruit to eat before getting back onboard. When leaving Hilo you sail past the beautiful glowing volcanoes of the big island.

On Thursdays you visit the magnificent Kona. Yes the place where the wonderful coffee comes from. I personally thought that you could just smell the bold coffee aroma, but others said that I was just crazy. Now the port is Kona is not big enough for the ship so you get to tender out on smaller boats. Kona has great little shops that will draw you in.

You also get to spend two days in Maui. This place is so romantic. My favorite thing to do is just take a walk near the water and enjoy the views. You can visit the Napili Kai Beach Club up on Napili Bay and spend some time down by the water. Or if you are an adventurer you can go further inland and go horseback riding.

After Maui, you are on your way back to Honolulu. Hawaii is such a wonderful, magnificent, beautiful place. Everyone should get to see her in all her glory. Make sure that you get the most for your money. You can explore the entire state, and you don't have to break the bank in the process. Aloha.