Lucky Granny

We went on a Valley Isle tour, all the way around......not to Hana and back the same say. Wonderful trip. Before you take off to do this in a rental car, make sure it is allowed by the rental car company. There are some sections of the highway that some rental cars are not allowed to drive.

We flew with Muana Loa helicopters (fantastic)\ We took a shuttle from the ship to the shopping center where the Muana Loa office is located (there are three shopping centers nearby so pay attention to the name of the one you need) The girls at the office drove us to the airport for our ride and then, after the ride, dropped us off at the Dollar office at the airport instead of bringing us back into town. We were lucky, because we assumed we would stay at the airport for our car, without even thinking it might not be possible. We didn't realize how spread out the various rental places are around the airport and thought we would walk. So our experience won't help you. If Blue Hawaii can't do that, where will they bring you? If they bring you back to the ship, does Thrifty have a shuttle at the port? You might think about trying to get your car before you do Blue Hawaii. Take the Thrifty shuttle to pick up your car and then drive to Blue Hawaii. Have a great trip!

We did exactly what you are asking about, but I have forgotten exact time we left Lahaina. We picked up our Thrifty auto at 9 am and returned it at 4 pm, with plenty of time to return to the ship. There was construction going on which could possibly be completed by the time you arrive, but I don't think that was the reason our return trip was so slow.....there was just a lot of traffic on a two-lane highway. We drove to Lahaina and rode around town a bit to orient ourselves. Then we found a parking lot somewhat near the Banyan tree. We walked around town, saw the Tree, shopped a bit, spent time eating a meal and also shave ice. When we left, we realized we had arrive via the by-pass, so we left on the old road along the beach. I'm not sure, but I guess we left around 2 pm. Before your trip, someone can probably give you more recent news about construction, but you do have time to go to Lahaina if that's what you want to do.

I was on the POA in April. Our first day on Maui was the Road to Hana. The second day we rented a car and drove to Lahaina. So you might be just where you need to be.....stay there and skip the car. We had no trouble driving from Kahului to Lahaina, but the return trip was very slow on a packed two-lane highway. You could spend your whole five hours sitting in traffic. And you need to see that Banyan Tree.

If you decide on POA (which I have done twice and thoroughly enjoyed) there is a debarkation excursion available which takes you from the ship (with your luggage) to the airport by way of touring Oahu for as many hours as you have available. The POA is a floating hotel so you won't have to pack and unpack like on a land tour. The food is not a gourmet experience but good enough when you are tired from getting up early and anticipating doing the same the next day. Save your sea days for when you are on a luxury cruise where the ship is the focus.

I was there on the POA this past April, 18-28. It was cooler than we expected, but, since it was not too hot, it was delightful. We did not, however, go there to swim and vegge on the beach, in which case we might have preferred warmer. One day of the whole trip was rainy. There were rainy occasions on other days, but not constant. We would have brought more sleeves had we known. Whether you should wait for a warmer May depends on whether you prefer warmer or less warmer weather activities. Of course, next April might be altogether different.

We were on the POA and booked one of their end-of-cruise excursions. When we left the ship, we claimed our luggage and put it under the bus we were going on. Then the bus rode around all day with us enjoying having someone else doing the driving, even though we went on some roads we had traveled on our own earlier. The view is different from high up in a bus and the driver told us different information than we had learned earlier. We were dropped off at the airport later that day (the excursions are scheduled depending on flight time) with our luggage. We still had to wait a couple of hours but it was so easy to not have to worry with luggage all day. Don't plan to wait at the airport longer than you have to. We arrived about 7 pm for a 10 pm flight. Lots of stores and eating places were closed and we thought the wait was going to be miserable. But later, closer to flight times, the stores opened up. They apparently lock up when there aren't many flights and open only when crowds arrive. Wouldn't want to stay all day.

Amazon sells a USB rechargeable fan that is not too large or heavy to carry with you. It can be recharged from the same charger you might carry with you for your phone. If it's not needed you can leave it in the van or bus. It really helps a lot to have a breeze blowing in your face if you feel overheated.

We rented our cars through Discount Hawaii because I understood they could tell you which rental brands have shuttles. Now I know it's just as easy to call the brand you want to use and ask. On Maui, we rented Thrifty. We walked off the ship and were directed (by signs) to the Thrifty shuttle for transportation to the airport. There was a man there trying to find the Hertz shuttle but getting no help from the Thrifty gate man. You need to be sure your brand has a shuttle. When we turned the car in back at the airport, we waited at the Thrifty office for the shuttle to return to the ship. On Kauai, we rented Dollar but we scheduled a helicopter tour first. The ship shuttle brought us to the Muana Loa helicopter office in a nearby shopping center (there are three shopping centers around the pier so pay attention to the name if you want to go to one, the shuttles go to only one or the other) and they brought us to the airport. After our flight, they brought us to the Dollar rental place at the airport instead of bringing us back to their office. We returned the car there that evening and took the Dollar shuttle back to the ship. I have read that there are rental car places within walking distance of the pier, but found lots of info posted here is confusing or outdated, so call and be sure....and ask how far the walk is.

If you are renting a vehicle. I suggest you look into the Shaka Guides. This is an app you download free onto your phone before you leave home. The app describes the available tours so you can choose which ones you want to purchase ($5-6). You play the tour as you drive and it uses GPS to know where you are and to talk about what you are seeing. When you stop, you stop the tour until you are back in the vehicle to go again. Lots of information and history in an entertaining manner. One of the Oahu tours goes to the temple mentioned by Sassyredhat. When you get there, you can stay as long as you want and start up the tour again when ready to leave.

We flew with Moana Loa helicopters because they are small and all three of us had a window. Not really since we flew doors off, but nobody had to look over another person to see outside. The bigger copters seat some in the middle and the view is not as good. You have no choice of where to sit because they use to weights of passengers to balance everything. If driving to Princeville, I again recommend the Shaka guide I installed on my phone free. The tours are purchased within the app. We used the North Shore Kauai Tour, which gave us the location of several beautiful beaches and told us how to get there. We did not get all the way to Princeville because of rain, but the Tour goes all the way.

We rented from Thrifty in Kahului and walked right to the shuttle with no problem. The shuttles were very easy to find, unlike Lihue where the various shuttles are massed across the pier roadway and it's a bit challenging to locate the one you need. Hope someone with taxi experience will actually answer your question.

Show her this if she's fearful of the volcano.

I recommend the Shaka Guide app that you download onto your phone. They have four tours on Maui, but three involve the Road to Hana. You can download free and then look at the tours before you decide to buy one. The Guide tours worked really well for us on Oahu and Kauai. They use GPS to follow you and tell you about whereever you are along the tour.

We went to Hilo Hattie's on a free shuttle on Kauai.

All rental companies are not the same. You would need to contact them directly to find out if they have a shuttle to and from the pier. You would also need to ask about overnight parking. Also find out what time the office closes and whether there is a way to return the car if the office is closed. The second day on Kauii is short and you will need to be back on board by 1 pm. We ended up returning the car we planned to keep overnight at the end of the first day to avoid the parking hassle. I can tell you that Thrifty on Maui and Dollar on Kauii have shuttles to and from the pier.

We're back.....great trip! We used the Shaka guide for the Oahu Circle Island tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. We never did lose service. At one point we missed a turn without realizing it. As we watched our blue dot move away from the tour, we understood what we had done so we kept driving and caught up with it a little later. As soon as were back on track, the narration picked up where we were. Amazing. We were able to connect the phone to our car so the narration came from the auto speakers and everyone could hear well. We also did part of the Kauai North Shore tour but turned back a bit before Princeville because of the rain. We did enjoy a couple of beautiful beaches before the rain started. I highly recommend the Shaka guides.

You need to make prior arrangements for anything you want to do. You can just walk around at Kona and Kauaii, but that is just to see some shops. There is a small beach at Kona but not a big beautiful one. Some folks have posted about walking somewhere on Maui but its a bit of a way. You need to read all the past threads about each of the ports.

We booked through HawaiiDiscount on Maui and Kauaii for our cruise in April because I understood they had information about which rental brands provide shuttle service to the pickup location. I had tried pricing a couple of brands from their own website, and also priced renting through AAA. Discount was cheaper. The agent I spoke to was not in Hawaii, but her information about shuttles was correct. We walked straight through the gate to our Thrifty shuttle on Maui while someone else discussed the Hertz shuttle with the guard. I don't know if there is a Hertz shuttle. I have read others speak of good prices through Costco but I'm not a member. Transportation from the ship to the car and back was more important to me than a few dollars. After I rented from Discount, I registered with the Thrifty and Dollar websites and found my reservation listed there. I feel like I'm repeating here because I've posted this earlier, but the people who work at the piers have one specific job to do and that is all they know about. There is no one who is there to help you figure out where you need to go to find what you are looking for. Norwegian's take on this is that you would be where you need to be if you had booked an excursion with them. They are not going to spend money to help you avoid paying your money to them.

We rented from Dollar at the airport on Kauaii with the intention of keeping the car overnight to avoid having to be back early to turn it in and also to be able to drive around a bit the next morning before our early departure on the POA. The agent at the desk told me we could park it either at Anchor Mall or the airport and that we would have to pay at either place. I did not, nowever, get more info about where to park at the mall and who to pay. We did try to park there but could not find anyone to pay or a specific place designated for rental parking, so we left to go park at the airport. Some folks are braver than we are and they just leave their rental cars there at the mall and hope to find them again in the morning. On another thread on this board, I read a post from someone who had called the police station in Lihue and was told cars parked at the mall are sometimes towed. So you need to get more information if you plan to do that. On the way to the airport to park, we realized that we would spend the next morning getting to the airport just to turn in our car, so we just turned it in that night and forfeited the next day. We were even in time to catch the last shuttle (8 pm) back to the ship.

If you rent a car, I recommend that you download the Shaka Guide for Oahu and purchase the Circle the Island tour. This tour takes you to the temple you want to see. The tour then proceeds around the eastern side of the island counterclockwise to Haleiwa and then south from there back to Honolulu. Shaka Guide is amazing, keeps up with you by GPS and talks about where you are. It is available to download free from the app store. You purchase the tours you want from within the app. You can preview before you buy.

The Shaka apps are free to download. You can look at a preview before you purchase and decide which one you want. After you purchase, the orange dots that mark sites or instruction can be tapped to hear what the guide will say, even if you are not there. We purchased the Circle Island Tour of Oahu for $5.99. The other Oahu tour is the South Shore Tour for $4.99. We never lost GPS connection. Once we missed a turn and the app went silent. It did not tell us to go back because you always have the option to skip anything you don't want to see. There is a blue dot that shows your location at all times, so we realilzed we were off the tour when our blue dot went away from the tour. Also, the telephone number of the Shaka people is readily available and they are happy to talk to you and help out. We were able to connect our phone to the rental car audio system so everyone in the car could hear well. The apps are free to download and you can then read about each tour. You only pay when you want to actually download a tour. If you decide not to use it, just delete it.

If you are considering a guide book, I do not recommend the Frommer's book.....I never figured out how it was organized and it was not used for anything. I gave it to the dining room hostess the last night. She was pleased....I hope it will help her. However, if you are renting a car, I do recommend the Shaka Guide app to install on your phone. It talks you through whatever tour you choose to buy and knows through GPS where you are.

They did the White Party two weeks ago. Great music....how many dancers there are beside the crew is variable, I guess. I enjoyed it. Another night we saw a comedian who made me laugh in spite of my really not liking comedians. It's not like a Carnival cruise, but there is opportunity to party...just bring a party group with you.

We did a private tour with Marylou's Tours. Ken was our guide and he took three old ladies everywhere we wanted to go. With a private tour, we were able to avoid nuts, coffee and orchids. We also avoided the parking problems you might encounter if you rented a car. I'm sure Ken would have been delighted if we had wanted to hike somewhere. He was a great guide and kept us touring for almost eight hours. But volcano activity might be a problem. I understand the area we went to to see lava splashing in a crater is now closed. Nothing you can do about that.