Taking a Hawaii cruise - things to do in Kailua Kona and Hilo

[priya08]

Hello, me and my husband are taking a cruise to Hawaii in Rhapsody of the Seas on Apr 27th, 2010. We are wondering what is there to do in Kailua Kona and Hilo. RCI offers various shore excursions but they are pretty expensive and does not sound great at all. Any suggestions?

[RSWBADGER]

Hello, me and my husband are taking a cruise to Hawaii in Rhapsody of the Seas on Apr 27th, 2010. We are wondering what is there to do in Kailua Kona and Hilo. RCI offers various shore excursions but they are pretty expensive and does not sound great at all. Any suggestions?

 

Hilo, take a tour or rent your own car and visit Volcano National Park, it's a must see.

 

Here's a link to the park website:

 

http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm

 

Kona, rent a car and drive up the Kohala coast about 1/2 hour to the Waikoloa area, park at the Marriott Waikoloa and shop at the King's Shops or walk on the beach and enjoy a drink of your choosing.

[bluegirlum]

I've only been to Hilo, and agree that Volcano National Park is a must! It's amazing.

 

The only other thing I could recommend it going to the Mauna Kea hotel. Every hotel on Hawaii must allow a certain amount of public access to its beaches, and the beach at the Mauna Kea is one of the most amazing I've ever seen.

[emeraldcity]

in Kona ... if you like to snorkle, take a look at Capt. Zodiac. Absolutely the best shore excursion I've ever taken was Capt. Zodiac to Kealakekua Bay. Incredible snorkling, wonderful guides, and the zodiac boats were so much fun. Both my teen DD and myself rate this one the very best excursion of any cruise we've ever been on.

 

In Hilo you will probably be best served to rent a car (unless you'd rather do a helicopter tour). Volcanoes National Park is a one-of-a-kind experience and my preference was to see it at my own pace, up-close and personal.

[Desert Cruizers]

For Hilo, deffinately the Volcano Park, We were there Oct 16th, rented a car and drove all over. The only differance from when we were there last, we were not able to travel the Crater Rim Road due to the new Vents. We got as far as the Observatory and Restaurant but it was closed from there except for some side roads we went on.

Kona, we did the Dolphin Tour, here is a photo of Dolphins taken from the Tour Boat

[RSWBADGER]

For Hilo, deffinately the Volcano Park, We were there Oct 16th, rented a car and drove all over. The only differance from when we were there last, we were not able to travel the Crater Rim Road due to the new Vents. We got as far as the Observatory and Restaurant but it was closed from there except for some side roads we went on.

 

This from the NPS website:

 

http://www.nps.gov/havo/closed_areas.htm

 

 

Current Closures are listed below (use links to see details on closures):

• A portion of Crater Rim Drive, between Jaggar Museum and the Chain of Craters Road junction, is closed indefinitely due to the new vent that opened within Halema`uma`u Crater in March 2008. Note: Chain of Craters Road remains OPEN. Lava flows are flowing to the ocean both inside and outside the eastern boundary of the park. However, lava is very far (9 to 11 miles roundtrip) from the end of Chain of Craters Road within the park. The easiest access for visitors is outside the park, via Hwy 130. For more information visit: Lava Flows to the Ocean
  

 

This map shows the area of the current lava flow.

[Tim,n,Sue]

Desert Cruizers is right. In Hilo rent a car and do the Volcano Nat Park and a must do is the chain of Crater Drive. The airport is a few minutes away and the rental car vans comes every 10 minutes or so. We rented a convertible (4 of us) and had a great time.

 

If you are in for a little local cuisine the MacDonalds serves a Spam, rice and eggs b'fast.

 

[cyscopup]

We would agree with everyone else when it comes to Hilo-- definitely go to Volcanos National Park. You can easily spend the entire day there and see some very cool scenery.

As far as Kona goes we took a waterfalls hike thru RCCL and had a great time, it was just a couple of miles but the sights were out of this world.

 

We rented a car at every port and it was very affordable and definitely the way to go.

[RvrCrzr]

I agree:

HILO: Rent a car and go to HVNP. It really is spectacular! Rentals are a good price...the drive isn't that far. You can walk across old lava flows, thru lava tubes, jungle, you name it. Trails everywhere. How many chances do you get to look into the crater of the world's most active volcano?

 

KONA: You can rent a car and drive up and down the coast. Go visit an infamous coffee farm! The Capt. Zodiac trip is fun as hell. The snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay is unbelievable! I saw a giant Manta Ray there! It's historic, and beautiful...you can't go wrong. The zodiac bounces around a lot, so if you have a bad back I'd take a more sedate trip over to the Bay though.

 

Have fun. A cruise of Hawaii is like no other. Amazing.

[robtulipe]

I agree when in Hilo, rent a car and go to Volcanoes Nat'l Park. The Hilo airport is not far from the cruise dock and the car rental companies provide a free shuttle pick up service for cruise passengers.

When we were last in Kona, in May/08, when on the Radiance of the Seas, we again went to our favorite local beach. It is in a protected cove with a barrier reef and is about five miles south of Kailua town on Alii Dr which is the coastal road. Here in addition to seeing lots of colorful fish you can swim with green sea turtles that hang out there to feed on the sea grass. These turtles are use to having people around them and regularly sleep on the beach there. They are protected so you are not suppose to approach within 25 feet of them. In the water you can stay put and the turtles will approach close to you. This is allowed but you are not allowed to touch them. It's name is Kahaluu Beach Park or turtle beach as it is known locally.

In May/08 there was free tourist trolley shuttle that did not stop at the beach but at to the resort right next door to (south of) this beach which was, at that time, one of the main sponsor of the shuttle. The driver will tell you where to get off if you tell him/her you want to go to turtle beach. You can walk through that resort's grounds as there was a beach access gate at the back of the property. We also saw several mongooses scurrying across the path while going through the garden in back of that hotel. The beach has toilets, change rooms, showers and several snack bars

If you go to the hotel directly in front when walking away from the tender pier in Kailua-Kona, back in May08, there was a tourist office on the side facing the tender pier that had the free shuttle schedule posted in the front window. This schedule was also available as a hand out on the shuttle. It was not a regular schedule as there was a long trip (about 75 minutes) and a short one (about 45 minutes) to the different resorts south of Kailua. Both trips went south but one went further than the other.

We spent a few hours here then took the free shuttle (then on the long run) to the Keahou Shopping Center, which is a regular stop and the short trip turn around point, about 1/2 mile further south on Alii Dr where there is a Long's Drugs and many other stores where you can get cruise supplies like bottled water and soda. We had about a 1/2 hour to shop before catching the shuttle to return to Kailua town. Just check the schedule for when you can do this.

You can also take a taxi there for about $20 each way. In May/08 the problem with car rental in Kailua Kona is that you have to go to the Keahole Int'l airport which is about 8 miles north of the town center to pick up and drop off the car and they don't provide shuttle service so you had to add the cost of a taxi both ways. We were also there on a Sunday and many of the attractions like the coffee factories were closed so I canceled the rental car and did the above.

[Desert Cruizers]

RSWBadger, this was Oct of 2008, and at that time we couldn't go past that Museum overlooking the crater. We could see the huge plume off in the distance. What amazed us, was the new vents leading into the area. It had been 20 yrs since our first trip to the Islands. Thank you for the Links, I will check them out. We did enjoy the Lava flow at night after we left Kona on our cruise.

[scottbee]

Hello, me and my husband are taking a cruise to Hawaii in Rhapsody of the Seas on Apr 27th, 2010. We are wondering what is there to do in Kailua Kona and Hilo. RCI offers various shore excursions but they are pretty expensive and does not sound great at all. Any suggestions?

 

HILO: We rented a car (from Dollar, they operated a shuttle from the pier to the airport), then drove to Volcano National Park for a great day of exploring. Also a trip to the black sand beach (about 30 miles past the park). Ended up sharing the car with a couple from our dinner table, so we split the cost. I think the car was about $100 (expensive, but way cheaper per person than the cruise line)

 

KAILUA KONA: We rented scooters and rode around (down toward capt cook monument). Quite beautiful, and out of the way.

[hpreece]

When we went to Hawaii we were on a strict budget, so we did not do the Volcano tour w/ the rest of the group in Hilo...big mistake! They came back with wonderful pictures and stories though. It was very windy...I'm not sure if that's typical for the area.

In Kona the beach seemed too rocky for snorkeling so we did the Atlantis submarine tour...wonderful!

-Heather

[emeraldcity]

For car rental, check out hawaiidrive-o.com. Any island ... mid-size car ... $30/day. We rented cars on all 4 islands we visited. When I tried to book through Thrifty, the prices on the Thrifty site were $40-60/day, depending on island. When I went through the hawaiidrive-o link, it patched me directly into the same Thrifty web site and suddenly the prices were $30/day.

[cleophus12]

I definitely agree with the car rental. The islands are so easy to get around. We were upgraded to a convertible and it was great! And like the above poster said, if you can pair up with another couple, the cost will be minimal. Almost anything is cheaper that doing it through the ship--and you are on your own time. We went to a coffee plantation on the Kona side. Not much to see, but we did buy some great coffee.

[clarkie138]

Definitely Volcano national park. I didn't go there on a cruise, I was married and honeymooned there so not sure how much time you have. We decided (very late I might add) to climb the lava rocks to go to the volcano. We never made it there, we were hiking for about 2 and ah alf hours and somehow veered to the left and got lost, lol. We decided to turn back because we heard when we saw someone it was at least another hour or so and it was getting dark. I did not want to be in the middle over there in the darkness, it's pitch black, no lights. the second we stepped off the last lava rock, we can see the lava flowing right down the mountain. IT was spectacular. If I ever go again, I will definitely do the helicopter ride over the volcano to ensure we can get up close. Have fun. Hawaii is my favorite place to be.

[priya08]

Thank you all for your great replies. It seems like we are definitely going to the Volcanic park in Hilo (so many people can't be wrong, haha). We are still debating about Kona, will let you guys know when we finalize something. Btw, we have parasailing and renting the scooters in mind for Kona.

[CRUZBUDS]

Kona - rent from Dollar at the King Kamehameha Hotel. It's at the foot of the pier. The rest of the rental locations are at the airport 1/2 hour away. This is a very good tip!

 

Drive to Kahaluu Beach Park to snorkel - the best in Hawaii! It is a rock entry, but great snorkeling and usually lots of turtles.

 

Hilo -- rent from anyone - all of the locations are next to each other at the airport - 10 minutes away. Drive to the Volcano

[waterbug123]

If I ever go again, I will definitely do the helicopter ride over the volcano to ensure we can get up close. .

 

I have done a helicopter ride from Kona and it was absolutely SPECTACULAR!! Yes, it is very pricey, but IMO, if a Hawaiian cruise is going to be a once in lifetime type of thing for you, try to do it. We flew all over Volcano National Park, and saw flowing red lava, steam coming out of the vents, huge craters etc. We saw where previous lava flows had gone over nearly an entire neighborhood, flattened houses blocked roads and spilled into the ocean. You can really see so much more from a helicopter because you go over so many places that you simply can't access by car. We also got right up close to quite a few very large and amazing waterfalls...the kind of thing you only see in movies!

The tour we did was with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. We did a tour with them in Maui also, and both times the pilots were extremely professional and informative.

[Shak]

The helicopter trip was the best in Kona for me.

 

On note on this subject there is a weight restriction on the helicopter trip and they do weigh you before going. There was a few that either gained a lot of weight before arriving for the tour or chose to disregard the restriction.

 

Shak

[priya08]

My husband and myself are very tempted to do helicopter ride but they are so expensive. As said above, it is worth it and I totally trust that so I am trying to convince him to do this tour. Will let you all know what we decide.

[waterbug123]

My husband and myself are very tempted to do helicopter ride but they are so expensive. As said above, it is worth it and I totally trust that so I am trying to convince him to do this tour. Will let you all know what we decide.

 

For what it's worth, I've done the helicopter tours over both Maui and Hawaii (from Kona), and felt the Kona one was better. (although Maui was amazing too, don't get me wrong) The waterfalls we saw on the big island there were bigger, and of course the volcanos were there. Since you're talking about the Hawaii one, maybe this will help as you try to convince hubby. ;)

[hawaiibound24]

In Kona, there are beach snorkling parks not to far from the ship. You can snorkle right off the beach. There were sea turtles within 30 feet of shore and the water was probably only 10ft deep at the most.

[JandBR_PHX]

If you are in for a little local cuisine the MacDonalds serves a Spam, rice and eggs b'fast.

 

 

YES! Paniolo Breakfast! Jack In The Box has somemething similar. Interesting, it looks like you got Spam and Portugese sausage...Mmmmm. It has been a few years since I was there.

 

Hilo - Volcano and Ken's House of Pancakes for French Toast with coconut syrup. If you have time, go up the Hamakua coast a few miles to Akaka falls. Rainbow falls is less spectacular, but closer to town.

Kona - Snorkeling at Disappearing Sands beach (?) or Kealakekua Bay (a few miles south). If you head south, don't miss the Kona coffee plantations or the City of Refuge. Or, Anaeahoomalu beach near the Mauna Kea for a beach day.

[SamLH07]

My husband and myself are very tempted to do helicopter ride but they are so expensive. As said above, it is worth it and I totally trust that so I am trying to convince him to do this tour. Will let you all know what we decide.

 

My fiance and I are doing a helicopter tour in Kauai. We chose this island for the tour due to what we would be seeing. I hear this is the best island for scenary and waterfalls and the views from this tour will be breathtaking. So if you wanted this from a tour, go with Kauai (Don't know if you are even stopping at this island). As they are very expensive, I have always wanted to do a helicopter tour in Hawaii and will never know when I'm going back so this is something we had to do.

 

I'm going to VNP for Hilo on my cruise in September and in Kona my fiance will be playing golf at the Waikoloa Beach Resort, which someone mentioned on here regarding their shops and beaches. So when he is playing golf I will most likely be shopping or at the beach.