Kona: Car Rental Questions? NCL Tour "Historical Kona"?

We will be on the NCL/POA in July. I have been reading some posts on renting cars in Kona. One post concerned me, but it was written in 2011 and things may have changed since then.

The post read that one is probably better off doing a cruise tour while in Kona because of the fact that the ship tenders. The person went on to say that persons who have NCL excursions board these tender boats first. Then the rest AFTER that.

More time is lost, the writer said, in getting to the airport to rent the car. [This was not a one-time experience....the writer had dealt with this three different times].

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Perhaps there a things within walking distance of the "port" area that might even be better than one of the ship's excursions. [We are looking at a ship tour "Historical Kona" and it looks somewhat interesting].

Yes, it is true that cruisers with a ship excursions get the first tenders, but it goes very fast. If you just plan to get off a little later than the first batch, it will go smoothly. When we took this cruise before, we were able to tender and be at the pier a little before 8am and there were no tender lines.

If you do decide to rent a car, there are two places within walking distance. There is Thrifty/Dollar just across from the pier in the King Kam Courtyard. There is also an Enterprise that is a few blocks from the pier.

We will be on the NCL/POA in July. I have been reading some posts on renting cars in Kona. One post concerned me, but it was written in 2011 and things may have changed since then.

 

The post read that one is probably better off doing a cruise tour while in Kona because of the fact that the ship tenders. The person went on to say that persons who have NCL excursions board these tender boats first. Then the rest AFTER that.

 

More time is lost, the writer said, in getting to the airport to rent the car. [This was not a one-time experience....the writer had dealt with this three different times].

 

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Perhaps there a things within walking distance of the "port" area that might even be better than one of the ship's excursions. [We are looking at a ship tour "Historical Kona" and it looks somewhat interesting].

I think all cruiselines take early ship booked tours first. It's a big reason why people that don't normally take ship excursions consider them at tender ports.

We rented our car from the Courtyard Marriott car rental agency and since it's a two minute walk from the ship it really saved us time and was very convenient both at pick-up and drop-off.

We took the first tender that was offered to non-Celebrity tours so we had no wait to rent our car. There is no guarantee so you have to plan for the best experience and go with things don't go your way.

The King Kamehameha and the Marriott Courtyard are the same hotel. It is indeed a very easy place for a car rental, possibly more expensive than the airport location but worth the convenience. The restaurant and bar at the hotel plus those surrounding it would be nice spots to sit and relax if you have time before going back to the ship. If you are not already a member, join the loyalty program of the rental car company you will be using which will speed up your pick up and drop off. Kona is easily walkable. The Hulihe'e Palace is very interesting. It was the summer palace for Hawaiian royalty. I think the docent led tours are very good. Across the street is the Mokuaikaua Church, which is the oldest Christian Church in the Hawaiian Islands. You can probably download a walking tour of Kona, or search Trip Advisor for recommended private tours. Of course, if you have a car you can drive to the City of Refuge which is a National Park, an incredible place to tour. Hope you have a great time. Cherie