amyj23

Ok great! I booked a reservation for Dukes' brunch yesterday. I'm excited for a beautiful day with great food! And low stress. 😃

Thank you both. You've given our group something to think about. I really want to see Poipu Beach. I just keep reading and seeing rave reviews about it. But of course, we'd use time retrieving our rental vehicles, and then it's about 30 min to drive down there. I just looked up Kalapaki and it looks gorgeous. We are probably not hitting Duke's in Waikiki so this could be my chance to go! Let me pass on your wisdom to our group and see what they say. I appreciate your advice! 😃

Our cruise recently eliminated our stop in Kona and replaced it with Kauai. We will only be there from 10am to 4pm. I say 5 hours b/c I never count on being off the ship until about 30 min after we pull in, and we have to be back on board by 3:30pm. We had a snorkel excursion planned for Kona and were really disappointed that we will miss that. It was the only port where we were going to snorkel. Carnival is not offering a snorkel excursion, and it looks like the private outfits either don't go out on Sundays, leave before our ship gets in, or they don't go out close to the port. I considered a helicopter or plane ride, but the prices are just too much. I've been researching online and watching Youtube videos with suggestions for Kauai all evening. My current idea is to simply rent a car from Turo and go to Poipu Beach and walk around the area there. I just don't think we have the time to really get a good day of sightseeing in. And I don't know that we're going to be at a beach to swim in any other port we go to. So I thought maybe this was our chance. My biggest concern is that I've read parking fills up fast, and to get there early. Well, we can't get there early. We can't go any earlier than we get off the ship and get our car. I've read there's ample parking, and I've also read that it could be completely full. Since it's a Sunday, I'm especially concerned. I'd hate for us to rent a car and then not even be able to go to the beach. Any locals on here or people who have spent time in Kauai who can advise? I just want to make the best decision so we make the most of our day. Thank you!

Hello! We will be in Honolulu off the Carnival Miracle from 11am-11pm on Friday, Oct 21st. I have been researching for several days now, and am less overwhelmed now, and feel like I'm getting my bearings. I'm reading a lot of great advice from some of you and have learned a lot, but still want some more guidance/advice. Our group's one ABSOLUTE must-do is Pearl Harbor/USS Arizona and Punchbowl Cemetery (my great uncle is buried there so this is non-negotiable for me). I'm having a hard time understanding how long it will take to do the Pearl Harbor/USS Arizona portion. It says you have to be there an hour before your timed entry to the Arizona. It sounds like the whole thing will take several hours. After then doing Punchbowl, I feel like it will practically be evening. I wanted to do Diamond Head but I see that they close around 6pm, so I think we'll have to drop that. So I thought maybe we could go to Waikiki, see the beach, go to dinner and drinks and just explore that area until we decide to get back to the ship. Is my concept of time accurate here? Am I overestimating how long it will take to do Pearl Harbor? I have other things on my wish list: I wanted to see the Iolani Palace (just the outside, no tour necessary) and King Kamehameha statue. I'd love to see the capital and maybe go inside. A scenic overlook would be nice. But I understand our daytime hours there are limited. The second part of my question is about transportation. At first I wanted to hire a tour operator to shuttle us around. It would cost $800 for our group. But I just priced rental vehicles and can't believe how cheap it is for the day. But then I'm overwhelmed by how long it will take to get to the car rental agency, do the paperwork, actually get the car and then get to Pearl Harbor. I want to be as efficient as possible without spending tons of money on an Uber... I saw that parking is free at Pearl Harbor and the Punchbowl. But Waikiki parking sounded difficult and expensive. I'm asking so many questions, I realize! I'd love some insight from some of you Hawaii experts. TIA