Oahu is where all the tourist stuff is, Maui is more of a laid back atmosphere.
Really depends on your parents activity rate health wise and what they love to do on a vacation. You mentioned that they will need day trips and sight seeing and that is perfect for Oahu, Pearl Harbor, Pacific Cemetery, Diamond Head, Polynesian Cultural Center, Kualoa Ranch (Movies shot here) etc. You can actually spend 2 weeks and never do anything on the beach just touring.
My wife went with her daughter when she was get married on the Big Island (Volcano right now) and they spent a week there and she said she would never go back as she has seen it once and nothing to do that interested her. A few things she liked but that was it.
When we got married (both second marriages) we went to Maul for a week and it was ok but again she was bored after the 5th day and it is more of a laid back relaxed atmosphere. She is not a swimmer and it is all I can do to get her to wade up to her waist in the water.
Last month I finally convinced her to go to Oahu because I had been there lots of times and loved it as a kid. I booked 2 weeks at a friends house and she absolutely loved it, she didn't want to come home. We are both in our late 50's and we have had plenty of time on the beach, we want to see something. If I want to lay on a beach I can go to Pigeon lake.
Have they ever been on a cruise? Where they happy with the ship entertainment and laying out on a beach chair reading a book and doing ship activities with the day trips to islands? If this sounds like them they will do fine on Maui. If they got bored after the 3rd day and couldn't wait to get to port and do something then Oahu would be more their style.
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