Please help. Not a lot of time to plan our POA cruise 4/16/18.

Aloha!

Oops that should be 4/14/18.

I won this cruise for two at work and don't have a lot of time to plan. As of now this is what we have planned and what we need to fill in. There is a beach day before flying home at a beach hotel in Honolulu and a luau on Kauai paid for by my company.

Maui

Day 1 - Road to Hana Tour - Deluxe

Day 2 - Is there enough time to rent a car and if so what sights could we take in and be back to the ship 2 hours before sailing? Do you really need to be on the ship 2 hours before sailing?

Hilo

We thought about just using the Hoppa on Hoppa off bus and visiting Rainbow Falls, the Botanical Gardens and hang around town. Are we making a mistake not renting a car (or taking an excursion) and going to VNP? We are not able to walk a lot to see the actual lava fields, etc.

Kona

Is there enough time to rent a car and if so what sights would you recommend seeing so that we are back on the ship 2 hours before sailing? If not, any recommendations?

Kauai -

Renting a car for both days. What sights should we not miss? We do have a mandatory Luau (company paid) the first evening in Kauai. Not sure where.

Thanks in advance. :cool:

The "two hours before sailing" rule only applies to the day you first board the ship. Not port stops.

What a great prize. I wish I have had such a generous employer!

Normally the all aboard time is 1/2 hour prior to sail away. Always look at the time to be back as you are leaving the ship.

Maui--you can drive to Lahaina or go to the Maui Ocean Center or drive to Paia to see some of the cute shops.

Hilo--Farmers Market (Corner of Mamo Street and Kamehameha Ave. Fun place to get a $10 aloha shirt! I think for a first timer, the VNP is a not to be missed, the area is sort of other worldly. Just drive around, you don't have to walk a lot.

Kona--Puuhonua O Honaumau National Park is very interesting. Also Hulihee Palace docent tours 10am & 1pm.

Kauai--Drive up to Hanalei and visit the Kilauea lighthouse on the way or drive to Waimea Canyon and go up to the end of the road where you can see part of the Napali Coastline.

First thing you should be doing is getting your rental cars. They do run out. www.discounthawaiicarrental.com is a great place to compare rates.

Overnight parking in Kauai and Maui is not real easy. In Maui, the best place is to rent from the airport agency. The best option is to park the car overnight at the airport for $13. You can take the rental agency shuttle back to the port and then back to the airport the next morning. We rented from Thrifty and there was an area with a walkway across the street from the airport lot to Thrifty. In Kauai, you can get a parking pass at Anchor Cove Shopping Center for $20. They have a shuttle to take you back and forth to the port.

What do you like to do? Do you like to snorkel, go to the beach, see historical sights? I have a lot of suggestions for your incredible prize vacation, but my suggestions depend on what you like to do. Cherie

What a great prize. I wish I have had such a generous employer!

 

Normally the all aboard time is 1/2 hour prior to sail away. Always look at the time to be back as you are leaving the ship.

 

Maui--you can drive to Lahaina or go to the Maui Ocean Center or drive to Paia to see some of the cute shops.

 

Hilo--Farmers Market (Corner of Mamo Street and Kamehameha Ave. Fun place to get a $10 aloha shirt! I think for a first timer, the VNP is a not to be missed, the area is sort of other worldly. Just drive around, you don't have to walk a lot.

 

Kona--Puuhonua O Honaumau National Park is very interesting. Also Hulihee Palace docent tours 10am & 1pm.

 

Kauai--Drive up to Hanalei and visit the Kilauea lighthouse on the way or drive to Waimea Canyon and go up to the end of the road where you can see part of the Napali Coastline.

 

First thing you should be doing is getting your rental cars. They do run out. www.discounthawaiicarrental.com is a great place to compare rates.

 

Overnight parking in Kauai and Maui is not real easy. In Maui, the best place is to rent from the airport agency. The best option is to park the car overnight at the airport for $13. You can take the rental agency shuttle back to the port and then back to the airport the next morning. We rented from Thrifty and there was an area with a walkway across the street from the airport lot to Thrifty. In Kauai, you can get a parking pass at Anchor Cove Shopping Center for $20. They have a shuttle to take you back and forth to the port.

Have fun, the cruise is amazing!!!

 

All awesome suggestions! Thanks. :)

What do you like to do? Do you like to snorkel, go to the beach, see historical sights? I have a lot of suggestions for your incredible prize vacation, but my suggestions depend on what you like to do. Cherie

Anything really that is not too active such as climbing or hiking over uneven terrain. We do enjoy snorkeling, beach, taking in the local culture, historical sites are fine but we mostly we enjoy taking in breathtaking scenery.

We will be on the cruise following yours. Our plans are:

Hilo: private excursion to VNP. I've seen mention that parking is sometimes challenging.

Kona: There is a HOHO bus. We plan to ride to the end checking out where we might want to get off on the way back. I understand there is a beach along the way.

Maui: paid excursion on Road to Hana. Second day, rent a car and hopefully drive to the summit of Mount Haleakela as I'm told it will take about five hours. If we don't make it, we will see whatever we pass along the way.

Kauai: we have booked a helicoptor tour of the Napali Coast the morning of the first day. And a rental car after the flight. We plan to keep the car overnight so need to check on the shopping center parking mentioned on this thread. We were planning to park at the airport overnight. We do not yet know where we are going on Kauai.

We rented through DiscountHawaiiCarRental so we could be sure to book with companies that have a shuttle to the port.

There is a lot of confusing information in these threads. Lots of different posts about how far apart things are, what's along the way, where to park, where to eat, who has a shuttle and who doesn't, etc. And it appears that sometimes things just don't happen today like they did yesterday. The shuttle that drove one person to the airport never showed up the next day for someone else. Just have to get on Island Time and don't worry. And we have also talked about arriving too late to board the ship....we will be in the USA, just find a flight to the next island and meet the ship there.

Anything really that is not too active such as climbing or hiking over uneven terrain. We do enjoy snorkeling, beach, taking in the local culture, historical sites are fine but we mostly we enjoy taking in breathtaking scenery.

If you like snorkeling, check with https://www.bodyglovehawaii.com/. They are mentioned very highly on this board.

Some of my favorites would be:

Maui: A Road to Hana tour which you have planned.

Rent a car and drive to Lahaina, then continue to Kaanapali for lunch and a swim/snorkel if you have time before returning. An alternative would be to take a snorkel trip to Molokini, or whale watching trip.

Hilo: Mary Lou's is a tour company that is often recommended here. If they do an Akaka Falls and VNP tour it would be my choice.

Kona: A snorkel trip or visit to the City of Refuge/Puuhonua O Honaumau National Park. There is a really good snorkel beach next to the park.

Kauai: Waimea Canyon and a drive up to Hanalei. If you have time after sightseeing on your first day you can enjoy some beach time at Kalapaki, the beach close to the harbor. If possible a helicopter ride would be fabulous.

If you plan on snorkeling on your own you can rent gear from Snorkel Bob's on one island and return it to another so you do not always have to spend time renting and returning equipment. If you have your own put it in your suitcase.

If you have time to visit the Iolani Palace before you begin your cruise it will give you a beautiful history lesson on the Hawaiian Islands. As with Pearl Harbor, it is best to make reservations for your tour ahead of time.

You will get many good suggestions on this board if you have other specific questions, re restaurants, private tours, and places to visit. Have a great time!!! Cherie

Thanks to all fo rthe wonderful suggestions! I am honestly overwhelmed with all the amazing things to do and see, you have made it easier. Gonna have to keep the Hawaii time attitude in mind! :)

In Hilo either rent a car or do a tour, but go to VNP. Make sure you go to Jaggar museum. That's where you can see lava flaring up. Not to be missed. Take binoculars.

There's always people coming and going at Jaggar. If all parking spaces are taken, wait a minute or two...one will open up.

Congrats on your cool win!!

We rented cars in each port through discount hawaii. In Maui, we drove up to the top of Haleakela enjoyed the views (its cold up there) then we drove down to Wailea Beach. Its a beautiful less crowded beach set between a Four Seasons Resort and A Waldorf Astoria Resort. Really, Really nice beach. I would say we could have skipped renting the car in Kona as it was such a nice town to explore. On the plus side, Kona was the only place where you can get off the tender, walk across the street to the Marriott Hotel and pick up your rental car there. No need to get a taxi to the airport, simply rent with Hertz at the Marriott Courtyard King Kamehameha's Hotel. Was perfect to drop off the car so close to the ship. After dropping off the car we still had time to browse the shops in town.

The one thing I would say not to miss on HILO is: Volcanoes National Park. Buy the shaka guide app and let him guide you through the park. We would have drove by things without knowing it only for that app. At first I thought it was neat to see the steam vents at the beginning of the park, then to see lava spurting up out of the volcano was more amazing, but better than that was to drive through the lava fields. It was like being on Mars. Absolutely not to be missed! Rent a car at Hilo for sure.

On Kauai, we only rented a car for one day and that was enough. We drove up to see Waimea Canyon, another site very different from others. Very much worth seeing. I believe they call it Hawaii's Grand Canyon! We also drove up to the town of Hanalei, but it was raining all day. There was road work on the road which had us sitting in traffic stopped for a long time and the road you take to Hanalei is the same road you take to get back. We drove up, had shave ice and drove back. We stopped in Lydgate Park on the way back but again it was windy and rainy so it took some of the thrill away. The second day we hopped on a free shuttle outside the ship and went to the Anchor Cove Shopping Mall. It's only about a mile from the ship and the beach is right behind it. It was there I was able to go in an outrigger canoe (this was unplanned, but fun!) No need for a car on the second day as the ship departs at 2pm.