Hawaii September 22 on Solstice

We are wondering if anybody has any recommendations for shore excursions

For Hawaii or Vancouver? We are traveling on the same ship😊

We have never been to Hawaii so any tips would be appreciated.

If in Hilo try the Volcanoes national park and Macadamia Nut farm.

Maui I recommend the Ocean Center

Kauai - Waimea Canyon

Honolulu Pearl Harbor and the Big Mo.

Should we hire Local cabs/tour companies?

We love hiking so we thought Hawaii would be perfect for this.

Pearl Harbour, The Grand Circle Island Tour - Oahu

Volcano National Park, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm - Hilo

Make sure to go to a Luau, lots of fun

We've been told the Road to Hana is supposed to be nice in Maui and if you like coffee go to Kona while in Kailua. Never been to these places though.

Should we hire Local cabs/tour companies?

We love hiking so we thought Hawaii would be perfect for this.

If you go out on your own and not through the ship for excursions, make sure you come back on time cause the ship has a schedule to keep and you might be left behind. If you book an excursion on the ship they will wait for you.:)

We are planning on staying a few days post cruise in Honolulu so we will be renting a car for a day to explore the island.

Wondering if it would be worth renting a car for the day in the other ports

Come on over to our roll call. Lots of ideas

In Honolulu, the Waikiki aquarium is fun, if you have snorkel equipment, the bus to Hanauma Bay. In Kona, the hop on hop off bus to Kahaluu beach, again for snorkeling. This what we did in Apr 2016

Visit the "Hawaii" forum under "Ports of Call". Spending an hour or two browsing posts there will give you loads of ideas and different things to do, car rentals, etc., or you can ask your own specific questions or use the 'search forum' feature for specific topics.

Oahu,

Pearl Harbor of course, Honolulu has the hop on hop off that is ok. We also like to get a car and go to the North Shore.

Big Island,

Waterfall tour in Hilo

DONT DO THE SECRETS OF PUNA! that tour blows! In Kona we usually get a group and take a taxi to Wiakaloa beach. There is a nice beach with lounge chairs you can rent kayaks, paddle boards etc. Snorkeling is good if the water is clear and you can eat on the beach at Lava Lava (great food). taxi ride is about $100 each way so you need a group of 6 to make this reasonable. (or rent a car)

Maui

My favorite is the bike ride down the Volcano on Maui. Fantastic. Not thru the ship tho you have to book on your own. They do pick up and drop off at the pier. The Old Lahina Luau is very good if you are overnighting in Maui. It's a short taxi ride from the pier. We also usually go to Ka anapali beach that's a short taxi ride from Lahina.

If in Hilo try the Volcanoes national park and Macadamia Nut farm.

Maui I recommend the Ocean Center

Kauai - Waimea Canyon

Honolulu Pearl Harbor and the Big Mo.

I agree with these as well as adding whale watching or snorkeling in Maui ... lots of excellent places to see turtles and tropical fish. Oh ... and you can take a small boat over to Lanai / Molokai and there are spinner dolphins everywhere. I also like a day trip to the Iao Needle (sp?) and visitors center there.

In Oahu, if you don't get out to Pearl Harbor, you can try to get to Hunama Bay or the Polynesian Cultural Center for very touristy attractions .... touristy but well worth it. Or, if you are up for a good hike, you can climb to the top of Diamond Head. There are some awesome views from up there.

If you go out on your own and not through the ship for excursions, make sure you come back on time cause the ship has a schedule to keep and you might be left behind. If you book an excursion on the ship they will wait for you.:)

While this argument is mostly a hollow fear tactic it has the least weight in Hawaii. If you miss the ship, as long as you are still in the Hawaii portion of the cruise, all that's needed to catch up to the ship is an island hopper flight which run all day long. Not an international flight so don't even need a passport.

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While this argument is mostly a hollow fear tactic it has the least weight in Hawaii. If you miss the ship, as long as you are still in the Hawaii portion of the cruise, all that's needed to catch up to the ship is an island hopper flight which run all day long. Not an international flight so don't even need a passport.

 

 

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Exactly. If ever there was a cruise where you didn't care about making the ship, this would be it.

Go on Trip Advisor and find the best recommendation for helicopter tours. I HIGHLY recommend one in Kauai, as early in the morning as you can get yourself off the ship. It's memorable.

In Maui look for Maui Downhill (or some such company). You will get up at 2 in the morning and make your way down to the tenders (if you're tendered) or off the ship (yes they're open all night) and meet the company which will give you a briefing and take you up to the top of Haleakala. At sunrise you'll ride your bikes downhill about 38 miles. It's all downhill. Stop half way for a great buffet breakfast. It's a wonderful way to spend a day, not too bad getting up that early, it's worth it to see the sunrise there. When we did it it was foggy mostly at the top and below freezing - 30 degrees!! But by the time we got to the beach at the end it was about 80. The trailer followed us and as we had little stops we would shed clothes. So fun.

We also rented a car in Maui and drove the road to Hana and back. We had purchased the book about Maui Revealed (I think that's the name) and had the places marked to stop and check out little trails, waterfalls, etc. That was fun too.

After our helicopter flight in Kauai we went to the taxi stand and paid a guy about $50 to give us a tour of the island. We fell in love with Kauai so much that the next year we rented a condo on the north shore in the Princeville area and stayed there a week.

We hated Honolulu and Waikiki. We rented a car and drove to the north shore and hung out watching the surfers and found some small beaches, and we went to the golf resort at Turtle Creek. Beautiful island, but the interstate and high-rises and TRAFFIC of the downtown was crazy. I didn't go to Hawaii for THAT!

Out of Hilo we took a private tour to the Volcanoes National Park. Four of us in a jeep with a great guide. We had the same guide the next day over in Kona. Then we went to a place to hike to a waterfall. I forget the name, but it was beautiful.

Don't worry about missing the ship. Those scare tactics are likely true but the independent tour operators would be out of business in a day if they got people back late. You'll pay far less, get a better tour, and with less people. We rarely take ship tours.

Go on Trip Advisor and find the best recommendation for helicopter tours. I HIGHLY recommend one in Kauai, as early in the morning as you can get yourself off the ship. It's memorable

 

After our helicopter flight in Kauai we went to the taxi stand and paid a guy about $50 to give us a tour of the island. We fell in love with Kauai so much that the next year we rented a condo on the north shore in the Princeville area and stayed there a week.

Ship doesn't go go Kauai. Solstice is too big.

We did the Honolulu to Vancouver cruise on Solstice in May 2017, with 4 nights at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu Island pre-cruise and 2 nights in Victoria post-cruise. First time in Hawaii and on Celebrity. We truly recommend on Oahu Island, the Turtle Bay Resort (really enjoyed the location of the hotel on the north shore, the room, the view and the staff/people). We also highly recommend the Polynesian Cultural Center. (we took the super ambassador package) Our shore excursions were all taken through Celebrity and thoroughly enjoyed. On Maui, the Haleakala Crater : Wow! The Volcano National Park was also a fabulous tour from Hilo! We finally enjoyed the highlights from Kailea-Kona, the coffee shop and the Macademia nut Farm. We had a fantastic trip and I am sure you will enjoy yourself, regardless of the options you pick! Have fun!

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We are planning on staying a few days post cruise in Honolulu so we will be renting a car for a day to explore the island.

Wondering if it would be worth renting a car for the day in the other ports

We stayed a few days pre cruise. We stayed at the 'quiet end' of Waikiki beach (next to the zoo) and loved it. There were a range of prompt buses right outside our hotel and we prebooked our Pearl Harbour tour (including transport) on line several weeks before. We had initially, like you looked at car hire but to be honest we didn't find we needed it....

Which is the best Luau to go to whilst we are staying in Waikiki?

Heard there is no alcohol at the PCC one and so wanted to try the local cocktails.

Realise they will all be a bit "cheesy" but we still want to experience one.

We have rented cars for all ports. That way we can go where we want and do what we want without a crowd of people. It is a lot cheaper than booking a tour through the cruise. If you are military the luau at Hale Koa is supposed to be great.

I would also recommend renting a car and getting a good tour book. The only exception for that would be if you are on Maui and want to go to the sunrise on Haleakala. They have begun restricting access due to crowds. You now have to reserve a parking spot in advance or get on one of the limited tours that go up.

Wanted to do the road to Hana but I heard it is a really scary drive and you are better off just having professional transportation.

Wanted to do the road to Hana but I heard it is a really scary drive and you are better off just having professional transportation.

I didn't find it scary at all. If anything I found it totally overrated. Maybe I'm jaded by driving the sea to sky highway regularly. It can be lengthy as it's quite narrow over a lot of one lane bridges but I never found it scary.