KeepCalmBearOn

Princess does a lot of Hawaii round trips out of Los Angeles San Pedro. In 2023 Viking and Seabourn are adding Hawaii RTs in late 2023. Carnival does Hawaii RT out of Los Angeles Long Beach. HAL does Hawaii RT from San Diego. I've done Princess quite a few times and HAL once. They've all been great, but I am partial to Princess.

The answer depends on many factors; how many people, are there mobility issues, what is your budget and maybe other considerations. The first place to start is talking about LAX to San Pedro where all the cruise lines except Carnival share terminals. LA is not like Miami or Fort Lauderdale, the airport isn't ten minutes from the cruise terminals, It is more like a 35-55 minutes away. The time difference is all about LA traffic. In general taxis and ride share can't pick up curb side, you have to ride a shuttle to a secondary lot to get a ride. If you want curb side service you need a premium service like Uber Black, a private town car and the like. A regular Uber is like $40, Uber Black is more like $90.

It is not a very good cruise. Maybe it's improved. We did it once and thought it was bad, but 10 years later we figured the first time was a fluke. Nope. It was still bad in terms of service and food. The ship was nothing to write home about either.

Agreed. Maybe I didn't notice, but I don't remember a lot of "come choose me" vendors at any of the ports in Hawaii in October. I definitely remember such vendors in Mexico and Central America. If you want to "wing it" I would wing it in advance.

Ha ha, oh yeah, we've had those "discussions" in CC before and there are people who passionately believe it is a GREAT law, even though it has far outlived its purpose.

The one way trips are only 3-5 days shorter than the round trips and the only one ways I know originate or terminate in Vancouver. I'd rather do the RT out of San Diego or Los Angeles for the best weather.

Ah, missed that somehow, even though it was the title. MUCH easier.

Good to know, but it would help to know which ship you were on and what time you got the all clear to disembark. Also airline; Southwest at Terminal 1 is much faster than United at Terminal 7.

Look at Vancouver Shuttle & Charter. https://www.vancouvershuttlehire.com/ You could also do an Uber SUV.

Then you were not "winging it".

The hardest job in the travel industry is hotel revenue manager. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/18/exactly-when-to-book-a-hotel-to-get-the-best-deal.html

So you arranged to get a Turo car after the ship docked in Kahului?

It depends on when the cruise is and what you consider "warm enough". We did a 15 day Hawaii trip in Oct and there was only one day I'd say it wasn't warm enough.

Celebrity's Hawaii cruises are one way, starting or ending in Vancouver BC, which I think is the OP's issue with Celebrity. June is not hot in Vancouver. There are no passenger ferries in HI besides the one between Lanai and Maui. MOST of the planes that fly interisland are Boeing 737 or Boeing 717, not small planes.

Curious, have you sailed on both Celebrity and Princess before in premium suites?

I COMPLETELY disagree on the POA. I think it is the worst way to visit Hawaii via a cruise. The ship is below average. I'd either to the 15 or 16 day round trip from the mainland or the 9-12 day one way cruises to and from the mainland. Curious why the Celebrity itineraries do not appeal? I've done the 15 day round trip several times and it is one of my favorite itineraries. I like Princess a little better than Celebrity, but I think the MDR on Celebrity is a bit better.

I can't speak to "most of the Waikiki rental counters". I use Hertz or Avis for 90% of my rentals. The only times I've used the Hertz and Avis Waikiki rental counters has been when my car I picked up from them at the airport has had an issue. I was able to exchange at the Waikiki rental counter rather than go back out to the airport and in every case Hertz and Avis Waikiki rental counters opened at 8AM.

In So Cal it is never about distance, it is time. No one asks "how far is XYZ" it is "how long to get to XYZ". Very few companies do flat rate because it is so unpredictable how long a trip will be. You can get quotes from shuttle companies, but they change commiserate with time of day, day of the week, etc.

Try Charley's Taxi. https://charleystaxi.com/services/

Where on Hawaii Island? To go where and do what? If this is for Hilo or Kona as part of a port stop, you will have issues with availability.

The OP has 8 people in their party. I think two healthy Gen Z - Gen Y maybe could do it in an hour; my nephew's cross country team (Iolani) could do it in an hour, but a party of 8, I'd plan on the 90-120 minute range. I do agree on doing it as early as possible. We usually plan 20 minutes after opening to let the crowd get out of the way. And a point worth noting again, Diamond Head Hike now requires a reservation. https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/parks/oahu/diamond-head-state-monument/

The Koningsdam stops at Lahaina for Maui and there is Kamehameha Iki Park literally 500 yards from where the tender lands. I like Kalapaki Beach (Kauai) a lot, but Kamehameha Iki Park is a lot closer. https://goo.gl/maps/K46WEWMbR7tKtm1W8 There is also a local bus (Ka'anapali Islander) from the tender dock area to Ka'anapali, which is a great beach. https://www.mauicounty.gov/1310/Maui-Bus-Route-Maps The Waikiki District has several great beaches and that is an easy, not too expensive Uber ride. Unh hunh.... Don't be fooled, they are there.

You are right, it is not a good answer, it is a great answer.

Did I miss a question i there someplace?

There are two "plus" packages now, Princess Plus Package and Princess Premier Package. I think the extended "Black Friday" deal is a great one for those with the flexibility to take advantage.