What is the cheapest, but fun, way to go to Hawii for 9 people next year on vacation?|177892

My family and I would like to go to Hawaii next year. I am afraid it is going to be to expensive. I would like suggestions or comments on where to stay and where to find cheap flights.

Have you ever thought about doing a cruise from San Diego or Los Angeles Port to the Hawaiian Islands?

Below is a 15 day, Holland America Lines cruise leaving San Diego and has 6 ports of call. That would be a great way to go see the Islands and have fun. It_s a great value as everyone will be in the same location. Meals, lodging and entertainment are included. Just a thought.

Found these fares on this website:

http://www.thetravelvision.com.



15 Days Hawaii

Holland America Lines-MS Zaandam
San Diego, Hilo, Honolulu, Nawiliwili, Lahaina, Kailua/Hawaii, Ensenada, San Diego

1 departure date: Apr 6 2009

Prices from:
Inside $1899
OceanView $2199
Suite $4099

Great thing is that you can set up a payment plan so it_s paid over the course of the year.

Whichever way you get there, have fun!
Aloha!

Renting a house/condo would be most cost conscious. Check out Vacation Home Rentals for checking out prices. Do a lot of comparison shopping for your flights on the major travel sites. Good starting point is pointandtravel.com. Links below to both.

If you live in an area that is a desirable place to visit, you might be able to house swap. There are a number of web sites that can help you arrange a swap.


http://www.homeforexchange.com/

Getting a vacation rental is definitely the way to go, check craigslist.org or local newspapers websites for the best deals. As for cheap tickets, try alohaairlines.com or hawaiian out of california, right now you can get one way for like two hundred dollars, this will change in peak tourist season, but aloha and hawaiian usually still have the best deals. Hotwire, expedia, and priceline are good also. hoped this helped. If you are going to Big Island, here is a website that is still under construction, but has incredible videos of the volcano.


http://www.bigisland-bigisland.com/


Aloha

On Oahu, don_t rent a house; get at least a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condo or 2 studios, which ever is cheaper, tell them that only 5 people are staying but squeeze in the rest (I_m assuming part of the 9 includes children).

On the Big Island or Maui get a vacation rental (house, townhouse, duplex, or condo). Just internet search or google _vacation rental maui,_ _vacation rental big island hawaii_ to gauge prices. Then post a question on answers.yahoo.com _where on big island, where on maui._ when you decide where you_re going.

There are direct flights from the West Coast to Honolulu (HNL), Kona, The Big Island (KOA) and Kahului, Maui (OGG). Flights to Honolulu are frequent (_20/day) and usually cheaper. Flights to KOA/OGG are 2-3x per week and may be more expensive. If you fly to HNL, stay in Honolulu, it will cost you $100 (rounded estimate) round trip per person to fly to the other islands. Oahu has more to do, and locations are more convenient than any of the other islands.