Hi curmar1,
First and foremost welcome to Cruise Crazies!! Glad to have you aboard! Secondly Congratulations on your up coming 30th Anniversary!
I tend to start my research for a cruise alomost a year and a half out, there are others that will book last minute and have no qualms, so....
Many people have different opinions as to which cruise line to cruise with, whether or not they want a balcony or an inside cabin, whether or not they enjoy a party atmosphere or a laid back expierence.
For me those are the first questions to be answered, then comes the budget, how much do you want to spend from the time you leave your home till you put the key back in the lock on your front door upon return.
I would suggest doing a basic Hawaiian search on one of the major travel sites.. Travelocity, expedia, Orbitz ..etc.. and get an idea of what’s available for your time frame.
Once you make that decision .. get hold of a reliable TA, if you don’t have one already, there are a couple of members here that would be glad to help you out ..no doubt.
For us the bottom line in any Vacation, is tailoring it to meet OUR expectations.
Hope that gives you a start.
Good luck