Car rental in Hawaii - Please Help!

We will be going on a 10 day cruise on NCL POA in December. This will be our first time in Hawaii so please forgive my ignorance. Also we are taking both sides of our parents with us therefore I want to make sure that everything goes right:) We will be stopping in Honolulu, Kahului, Hilo, Nawiliwili, Lahaina and Kailua. Questions:

1). Which car rental company do you recommend? Good service and value.

2). Do you book through agent or online?

3). Which pick up location to use for all these ports. If I tell them the name of the port, will they know?

4). We will be overnight in Honolulu, Kahului and Nawiliwili. Is there parking next to the cruise terminal?

Thank you SO MUCH in advance!!!

Do a search on this board. You will probably find all of your answers within the search. I know that I am going to sign up for the Thrifty Blue Chip http://www.Thrifty.com when we get ready to rent cars, the Thrifty site is pretty easy to naviate through so it should be no problem!

Aloha!

I can confirm that with Kauai, there is a parking lot in quick walking distance (1 tiny block) from the ship that lets you pay $10 for overnight parking, just need to sign up in the morning beforehand and you're all set. I rented Thrifty, had no problems, they picked me up from the ship and took me back upon returning the car. As for Maui, I did not rent a car, but talked to some people who had nothing but problems attempting to park overnight. (i.e. people were already double-parked when one guy showed up, so he returned his car and re-rented it the next morning) I think the general consensus is that Kauai's parking is much more organized than Maui, but in general Maui isn't that bad. No port has directly adjacent parking.

We have made 40 plus trips to Hawaii. We just did this cruise in June 06 and rented cars in Maui and Kauai. Kauai and Maui they picked us up at the ship. In Maui we park right at the end of the dock, no charge, but it was limited. We did National Rent a car. You should ask them. They are so close to the ship in Maui, you could park there and have them shuttle you back to the ship, if you are there two days. Really no problems getting cars in Hawaii.

I looked up the rental cars on Sidestep for each port.

If you rent in Kona, you want to be sure to rent from Dollar or Thrifty - they have a desk at the King Kam Hotel, right next to the tender pier. The airport is a long taxi ride away. Nancy

I have a follow up question on the parking in Kauai- when do you get the parking permit from the lot near the ship? If you go to the lot first, do you chance missing the shuttle to the airport to get the car? How does this work

I have a follow up question on the parking lot in Kauai. How does this work exactly- do you go to the lot first and secure a parking place and then look for the shuttle to the rental place at the airport? Do you risk missing the shuttle if you go to the parking lot first?

I have a follow up question on the parking in Kauai- when do you get the parking permit from the lot near the ship? If you go to the lot first, do you chance missing the shuttle to the airport to get the car? How does this work

I wondered if I should have gone to the place first, but turns out you need your license plate to buy the pass, and they don't sell out *that* fast. What I did was got off the ship, got on the shuttle, rented the car, came directly back to the port (very short drive), pulled into the Aloha Marketplace and went in. There was a lady waiting at the door who saw me coming and was ready to sell me the pass. Pay your $10, give them your license plate number, and you're good to go. The whole process was very simple. Out of what I estimated to be about 40-50 spots, I was the fourth person to buy a pass that day. Also, the Aloha Marketplace is the *only* business directly adjacent to the port, you can't miss it, but even so the shuttle driver pointed it out as where we need to go. I had heard beforehand they did this, so it sounds like standard procedure.

Bottom line is that it is very quick and painless to park overnight in Kauai this way. The walk from the lot to the ship is short and safe, as it's only about 50 yards from the security booth entering the port area.

I too have a car rental question. I have checked several of the car rental agencies - in fact I think all of them, online. I want to pick up a car at the end of the cruise, at the pier, in Honolulu the morning the cruise ends. Then I want to return it to Honolulu airport late afternoon. Everyplace I checked either said that they had nothing available, they did not pick up at the pier or that the car had to be returned to the same place it was rented from?

:confused: :confused:

Help?

I too have a car rental question. I have checked several of the car rental agencies - in fact I think all of them, online. I want to pick up a car at the end of the cruise, at the pier, in Honolulu the morning the cruise ends. Then I want to return it to Honolulu airport late afternoon. Everyplace I checked either said that they had nothing available, they did not pick up at the pier or that the car had to be returned to the same place it was rented from?

:confused: :confused:

Help?

I just started searching but I have this same question thanks for posting it.

I also have the same problem the day we arrive. I want to rent at airport and then drop off by pier, Or however it's done. What agancies do NOT charge a drop off fee?

Help

I looked up the rental cars on Sidestep for each port.

If you rent in Kona, you want to be sure to rent from Dollar or Thrifty - they have a desk at the King Kam Hotel, right next to the tender pier. The airport is a long taxi ride away. Nancy

I tried Thrifty, they don't seem to have the King Kam Hotel pick up option any more. Would you please direct me to the site you booked from?

We used Alamo through priceline while staying in Maui in April. Big mistake and never again. The car was total junk and full of Roaches. I would not recommend them.

I tried Thrifty, they don't seem to have the King Kam Hotel pick up option any more. Would you please direct me to the site you booked from?

I couldn't find Thrifty at that site, so we booked through Dollar and had a very clean car. I think there is a way to find Thrifty there rather than at the airport - maybe someone else can help. Nancy

I have not confirmed this yet myself, but someone else on the Board posted that Hertz does not have a drop charge for renting at one location and returning at another.

in Kauai, we showed up at about five and got a parking pass for the ten dollars. They seemed to have plenty of room. In Maui, there are 36 free spots next to the pier, but they fill up very fast - still, we got one last week at 4:30, although we may have been lucky

We used Hertz in every port. In every case, they had shuttles at the pier and Gold Number 1 service at the airport (which meant no lines). The only port that I would be wary of is Kona - the airport is a long way out, and the shuttles are therefore less frequent. I think we wasted too much time in transit and I would skip the car next time

I tried Thrifty, they don't seem to have the King Kam Hotel pick up option any more. Would you please direct me to the site you booked from?

The website is a little confusing on this point, but Thrifty has a location called "Kona Cruise Ship Pickup Only (K53)" which, I am assured, is at the King Kam. Hotel--despite the fact that the map shows the airport.

-Y

I rented from Thrifty at the cruise dock in Honolulu, and they had shuttles to their downtown office. They then shuttle you to the airport after you return the car.

I rented from Dollar in Kona- located in the King Kam Hotel.

Thanks so much for the complete explanation for Kauai! I really appreciate it-

We rented through Thrifty and couldn't have been more pleased! We rented a car in all of the ports and twice in Honolulu.

We will be going on a 10 day cruise on NCL POA in December. This will be our first time in Hawaii so please forgive my ignorance. Also we are taking both sides of our parents with us therefore I want to make sure that everything goes right:) We will be stopping in Honolulu, Kahului, Hilo, Nawiliwili, Lahaina and Kailua. Questions:

 

1). Which car rental company do you recommend? Good service and value.

2). Do you book through agent or online?

3). Which pick up location to use for all these ports. If I tell them the name of the port, will they know?

4). We will be overnight in Honolulu, Kahului and Nawiliwili. Is there parking next to the cruise terminal?

 

Thank you SO MUCH in advance!!!

Dear lisaye: Just got back last week and read this prior to leaving as well. I called this toll free number: 1 800-367-5238 HT14004118 discountcarrentalhawaii.com(Thrifty's)

I used them and prebooked car rental on each island(Maui, Big Island,Kona, hilo, Kauai) compact car for 4 of us; 2 adults, 2 children. I've been lucky 3 times with all upgrades to mid size.

Thrifty has been wonderful. They have parking lots on all ports but very small. I turned car in and next morning picked up car rental. Saved $10.00 for parking and since parking is very small didn't want to look for parking space. Pre book car rental because this lady didn't pre arrange car rental and was turned away because she had no reservations on the manifest list.

You'll be satisfied! Shuttle pickup from Hotel, Pier, Airport. I recommend you prebook reservations prior to ports. Thrifty's car rental. Thanks Cruisecritic and people such as YOU. Thanks for all the advice and service,

Questions:

Does Thrifty's charge for an extra driver?

Is there a charge if we pick up at airport in Oahu and drop off at pier? How about after cruise p/u at pier d/o at airport?

We're thinking of renting in every port also.

Judy-

We are also renting from Thrifty on Oahu. They do not have a "pier" drop-off. What I have learned here is that Thrifty will shuttle you from their airport rental car location to the pier. That is what we are planning on doing next week.

-Jerie

Judy-

We are also renting from Thrifty on Oahu. They do not have a "pier" drop-off. What I have learned here is that Thrifty will shuttle you from their airport rental car location to the pier. That is what we are planning on doing next week.

-Jerie

Thanks. I hope you come back and let us know how it went.

I think this is what we will do. Now I need to book a room. LOL

Questions:

 

Does Thrifty's charge for an extra driver?

 

Is there a charge if we pick up at airport in Oahu and drop off at pier? How about after cruise p/u at pier d/o at airport?

 

We're thinking of renting in every port also.

Just an FYI that there is no actual pickup or dropoff at any of the piers. Security, space, logistics, personnel, etc. make it impossible. However, almost all of the rental companies send shuttles to/from the pier.

Here's a little basic info on the ports:

Honolulu: The airport code is HNL. Most of the companies also have downtown locations (near, but not at the pier). Most will only shuttle to/from the pier for their downtown locations, but Thrifty sends shuttles to the pier for both their downtown and airport locations. Most companies will let you pickup at the airport/drop at the downtown location (or vice versa), but some (not all) charge a $30 or so drop fee.

Hilo: The airport code is ITO. These are the locations closest to the pier (and in many cases, the only locations). It's about a 5 to 10 minute shuttle ride from the pier. (You can actually see the ships from the airport.)

Koa: The airport code is KOA, but it is a 20 to 30 minute shuttle ride from the tender pier and not all companies send shuttles. Both Dollar and Thrifty have a combined counter at the King Kamehameha Hotel across the street from the tender pier. These rentals are for cruise pax only, are usually more expensive for the convenience, and can sell out far in advance. I don't remember the correct codes, but one of them uses K53 for the King K location. Enterprise has a location in Kona about a mile (?) from the pier.

Kahului, Maui: The airport code is OGG. Again, these are the closest and only locations for most companies. It's less than 10 minutes by shuttle from the pier to the airport.

Lahaina, Maui: This is across the island from Kahului, so pax tendered at Lahaina must not, absolutely not, use OGG. The rental companies will not send shuttles to Lahaina from Kahului because it is almost an hour's drive one way. It's prohibitive in time, personnel, and fuel. For Lahaina, use the West Maui Airport (code JHM) locations (they are a bit down the road from the airport, closer to the tender pier). Enterprise (I think) has a location at the Sheraton on Ka'anapali beach, which is a few minutes closer than the airport "row" locations. Hertz has a rental spot in Lahaina on Papalaua. It's about 10 to 15 minutes easy walk. I think someone mentioned that they send shuttles to the pier. (I've not specifically noticed this location, so this is second hand reporting.)

Nawiliwili, Kauai: The airport code is LIH. It's a 10 minute or shorter shuttle ride from the pier.

Port Allen, Kauai: I have no info for this port except to say that it's at least 30 minutes from LIH, so I'm guessing that there may be some rentals available at the commuter airport instead.

Final suggestion for everyone: Don't wait until you are there to rent. There are finite numbers of cars and they do sell out, especially in the smaller ports. Walkup prices are not a bargain in Hawaii. And in some ports the shuttle drivers even have list of pax with reservations and will not take others on the shuttle. Lastly, I do not recommend one company over another. We go by price, discounts/coupons, previous experiences (if any), and, for cruising only, whether they send a shuttle to the pier.

Hope that makes it easier.

beachchick