HELP! Hawaiian Cruise - Rent a car? Taxi? or book a tour?

Hi! We are planning our 7 night Hawaiian Cruise and trying to figure out our excursions. We visit Oahu, Maui, Hilo, Kona, and Kauai.

Are we are better off renting a car and driving to the sights on our own, getting a taxi or shuttle right off the ship to go to a location (if they are available, or booking a private tour with a company??? :confused: Which places are must sees?

We are a group of 6 people who do not like to start tours too early in the morning (after 9:30am would be preferred). One of the people touring with us can not climb or walk for very far distances but would stay on the ship or in the car if we wanted to do something they weren't able to do. Thanks!

Hi! We are planning our 7 night Hawaiian Cruise and trying to figure out our excursions. We visit Oahu, Maui, Hilo, Kona, and Kauai.

 

Are we are better off renting a car and driving to the sights on our own, getting a taxi or shuttle right off the ship to go to a location (if they are available, or booking a private tour with a company??? :confused: Which places are must sees?

 

We are a group of 6 people who do not like to start tours too early in the morning (after 9:30am would be preferred). One of the people touring with us can not climb or walk for very far distances but would stay on the ship or in the car if we wanted to do something they weren't able to do. Thanks!

We cruised the islands once and spent other vacations on all the islands. Here are the popular/must see places on each:

Oahu--Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head

Maui--drive up Mt. Haleakala (dormant volcano), drive Road to Hana

Hilo--since Volcanoes National Park and surrounding area is closed, Akaka Falls is a nice alternative

Kona--no particular site here; I've snorkeled at various places in the area; coffee farms nearby

Kauai--Waimea Canyon (similar to Grand Canyon, but with lots more green vegetation)

You could get a taxi to Pearl Harbor, but with 6 people I'm not sure how that would work unless it's a van taxi. Your ship will offer excursions to all the places mentioned above, which would be the easiest way to go, but not necessarily the cheapest. Again, if you decided to rent a vehicle, it would have to be a van. Roads to most of these places are 2-lane and often full of curves so take that into consideration.

I suggest you get a guidebook (buy or borrow from public library) so you can read up on the options before you leave.

Enjoy this beautiful state!

Mary Lou's Big Island tours takes up to 6 people so that would be perfect for you. We're using them when we go in September. Reasonably priced too. Right now there is a post about them posted in today - check that post for more details

Rent a van. They are fairly cheap in Hawaii. Check online guidebooks and mark where you want to go and what you want to see. Go at your own pace and feel free to change your route if so inclined.

I have been on too many excursions that stayed too long in places we didn't want to be and left too soon in places we wanted to stay longer. Wasted lots of time waiting for stragglers. Picture the 6 of you in a place that seems like Heaven and you want to stay as long as possible and then the guide says "load up, lets go".

Think of Frank Sinatra and his famous song "I did it my way".

The best way to see Hawaii on a cruise is to do your research beforehand and rent a car or do an organized tour at each port. These are not ports where you can just catch a taxi or wing it when you get there. You should all discuss what you might like to see and do and then decide.

To get you started:

O’ahu: Pearl Harbor, National Museum of the Pacific/Punchbowl/Tantalus lookout, downtown Honolulu, Waikiki beach, Polynesian Cultural Center (full day), Diamond Head Monument requires a lot of walking/climbing to get to the top.

Maui: Road to Hana (look at Valley Isle for a tour—this a long day starting 8:00 to 5 or 6 but really a must see IMO), Haleakala/upcountry, great island for a snorkel tour, closer to port Iao Valley, Bishop Museum, Maui Tropical Plantation, Paia town for lunch/sightseeing, south Maui beaches are about a 30 minute drive from port. This is also the home of one of the best luaus in the state, Old Lahaina Luau.

Kauai: this is a great port for a helicopter tour, Waimea Canyon, north shore drive/highlights, east shore waterfalls, Fern Grotto, kayaking to Secret Falls, Poipu beach/south shore, there is also a Marriott close to port with a beach and restaurant.

Kona/Hilo: Mary Lou Big Island tours is a highly recommended vendor and all the places on their Hilo and Kona tours will hit the highlights. Kona will have great snorkeling. Not sure when your cruise is but Volcanoes National Park is currently closed. Kona coffee farm, Macadamia nut farm, botanical gardens in Hilo, Rainbow Falls and Akaka Falls in Hilo.

Always, you can see and do twice as much, much cheaper with a rental car. Simple, there are numerous options. Up to you to figure out what you want to see and do.

We are sailing to Hawaii for the 4th time in October. Normally, DH does not like to drive, so we have booked ships tours. However, I really wanted to go back to the Boyodo-in Temple. Ships tours only offered the longer tour, seeing more things that we have seen. I also cannot do a lot of walking.

So, in Honolulu we booked Enterprise for the day. They will pick us up at the ship, and bring us back at the end of the day.

Very easy booking online.

The others have some good suggestions. :)

Patti

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 like to rent a car but Im concerned about getting transportation off the ship to go to pick up the car. Have you had experience getting a rental car at any of these ports. We are just 4 people now, so wed fit in a regular car.

The best way to see Hawaii on a cruise is to do your research beforehand and rent a car or do an organized tour at each port. These are not ports where you can just catch a taxi or wing it when you get there. You should all discuss what you might like to see and do and then decide.

 

To get you started:

 

O’ahu: Pearl Harbor, National Museum of the Pacific/Punchbowl/Tantalus lookout, downtown Honolulu, Waikiki beach, Polynesian Cultural Center (full day), Diamond Head Monument requires a lot of walking/climbing to get to the top.

 

Maui: Road to Hana (look at Valley Isle for a tour—this a long day starting 8:00 to 5 or 6 but really a must see IMO), Haleakala/upcountry, great island for a snorkel tour, closer to port Iao Valley, Bishop Museum, Maui Tropical Plantation, Paia town for lunch/sightseeing, south Maui beaches are about a 30 minute drive from port. This is also the home of one of the best luaus in the state, Old Lahaina Luau.

 

Kauai: this is a great port for a helicopter tour, Waimea Canyon, north shore drive/highlights, east shore waterfalls, Fern Grotto, kayaking to Secret Falls, Poipu beach/south shore, there is also a Marriott close to port with a beach and restaurant.

 

Kona/Hilo: Mary Lou Big Island tours is a highly recommended vendor and all the places on their Hilo and Kona tours will hit the highlights. Kona will have great snorkeling. Not sure when your cruise is but Volcanoes National Park is currently closed. Kona coffee farm, Macadamia nut farm, botanical gardens in Hilo, Rainbow Falls and Akaka Falls in Hilo.

Here is a thread I have in my notes. Some of the info. about parking might be outdated. I know on Maui you take the airport shuttle. I had thought on Kauai, it was within walking distance of the port but I might be wrong. If you do a search or read trip reports, you should be able to find recent information.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2014838

For Oahu there are usually tours that you can do on departure day that will drop you off at the airport, assuming you are on the Pride of America. Whatever ship you are on, I would look and see what they provide for departure day.

Here is a thread I have in my notes. Some of the info. about parking might be outdated. I know on Maui you take the airport shuttle.

Yes, the information about overnight parking on Maui no longer applies.

Do note that the shuttles belong to the various rental car agencies at Kahului Airport, and are used to carry ship passengers back and forth from the ship to the rental agency only.

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.