Rent cars or take tours?

[riofriotex]

Doing POA May 22 and looking for some advice. I'm the youngest (53 and in good health and pretty fit) in our group of five, which includes my 81-year-old parents, 79-year-old aunt, and 68-year-old husband. Mom and Aunt are overweight with knee problems. Dad's in pretty good shape (usually walks or treadmills daily) but currently has a stress fracture in his knee, and has also had back problems in the past. Hubby has some heart issues and can get short of breath and stamina. Only Dad and I might be interested in getting in the water, and only Aunt and I are interested in a helicopter ride. We all like history and scenic vistas. All of us are pretty cautious, in that we don't like to break the rules or take too many chances, and Mom in particular is paranoid about being left behind in a port by the cruise ship. Mom and I want to see a lot (since we've never been to Hawaii and doubt we'll ever be back), but none of us want to feel too rushed or exhausted - it's supposed to bea vacation!

 

We don't want to do just NCL excursions due to cost and Hubby's and my dislike of large tour buses and groups. I'm OK with renting a car in most places, although I will probably be the one doing all the driving. Mom, Aunt, and Hubby do not want to drive (Hubby never does when we go on long trips!); Dad would probably be willing to drive but Mom in particular hates Dad's driving. :) We are open to doing other company's excursions as long as we can be sure we'll get back to the ship on time.

 

After reading all the wonderful advice in this forum, we've come up with the following rough plan. I'm looking for suggestions and feedback, particularly on anything I might have missed.

 

Maui Day 1: Road to Hana. Not sure if I want to drive this (in a minivan) as I'd like to see the sights and not have to concentrate on the road. Have also heard of people getting carsick on this road. None of us are susceptible to that but I worry about being trapped on a long tour if one of us feels ill or uncomfortable (or just gets bored). Does anyone know of a company that would do a custom tour for a small group, if we give them some sort of guarantee of a minimum fee and number of hours?

 

If it helps, we might want to do a sunset view of Haleakala Crater that evening.

 

Maui Day 2: Interested in Iao Valley, Lahaina, Maui Tropical Plantation. Rent a car?

 

Hilo: Rent a car and go to Volcanoes National Park

 

Kona: Because of tendering, we're thinking of doing NCL excursions here, at least at beginning and end of day. Considering the Historic Kona tour (8:15AM, 3.5 hours), glass bottom boat tour on the Marian (1:30PM, 1 hour), and an outrigger canoe ride from Kamakahuna (just me and maybe Dad, 3:30 PM, 1 hour). I see Roberts has a Historic Kona tour 10 AM - 2:30 PM for $35 instead of $59, but I can't find info on what size buses they or NCL use for this tour - anyone out there know? We could do the glass bottom boat at 8 AM instead if we choose to do the Roberts tour.

 

Kauai Day 1: Rent car, take route 56 north ultimately to Hanalei, stop at Kilauea Lighthouse for sunset. Maybe do the Smith Family Luau. I'm a little nervous about driving unfamiliar roads in a rental car in the dark - how is the road from Kilauea to Nawiliwili?

 

Kauai Day 2: Rent car, drive to Waimea Canyon and back - is this do-able when the ship leaves at 2 PM, or should we do NCL's (or somebody else's) tour instead? Or should we try to go to Waimea Canyon on Day 1 too? If we go there on Day 1, any other suggestions for Day 2 (besides the helicopter ride if Aunt and I decide to do that)?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions you have to offer! It's tricky to plan the trip keeping everyone's abilities and interests in mind.

[LJH1]

Roberts Hawaii is about 40% cheaper than the POA. We used them in 2008 and have booked all our excursions for this up coming trip with them.

They are tied to your cruise date so they know your schedule etc, they are very professional, knowledgeable and always on time. Here is their link

 

http://gorabbitgo.com/ just put in ship name and date.

 

We always had the mini buses that sit maybe 15/20 people at most. No cattle herding feeling which we hate as well.

[vbmom87]

I found this tour that is private for The Road to Hana. I would suggest doing a BBB search for them, but they sound good.

 

http://www.hawaiilimo.com/maui_tours.html

 

Valley Isle comes highly recommended. Their website says they do private tours. YOu will need to contact them.

 

http://www.tourmaui.com/

 

WE booked a tour with Valley Isles for the Road to Hana. After the tour they will drop us off at the airport to pick up our car that we will use for day 2.

 

I have not been to Hawaii yet. We were considering the Glass Bottom Boat until we read the reviews. Seems like you don't see much in terms of sealife. If you are just going for the boat ride, it might be nice, but just don't have high expectations for seeing much in the water.

[Budget Queen]

For me, there is no issue with any driving in Hawaii, and road to Hana, is simple. :) Fodor's Hawaii, had a good guide with information. It's a drive to take your time, stop when and where you wish. A big advantage with a group, in my opinion.

 

You have a good itinerary, and completely doable, if you wish.

 

I rent cars in all the ports, keeping the two overnights as well. Hawaii is a super area for plenty of natural beauty and the ability to just drive up.

[dcikon2]

We visited Waimea Canyon on day 1 since we took a snorkeling excursion to the Napali Coast in the afternoon. You definately have time to see Waimea Canyon on day 2 if you leave the ship early in the morning. Make sure to drive the entire length of the road past the park to see the ocean.

 

Kona was probably one of my favorite ports ever. I love the town with its shops and restaurants.

 

I would rent a car for 1 day while in Maui to visit the places that interest you. We loved Haleakala. You could also visit Makawao.

[CruisingGoddess]

Kona was probably one of my favorite ports ever. I love the town with its shops and restaurants.

 

Would you mind sharing your favorite spots in Kona? Any specific shops or restaurants? Anything else that you think is we should do there?

[gram4haley]

We rented a car in each port and were glad we did. We were able to see and do so much more each day because we were not tied to someone else's schedule. It was cheaper to do so too. Be sure to rent a GPS or take your own and then you have no hassles at all!

 

We did everything on on the OP schedule and then some.

[riofriotex]

THANK YOU for all the great replies!

 

vbmom87, thank you for the links on possible private tours for Road to Hana - I will definitely check those out. I am booking rental cars in all ports (and Honolulu) as Budget Queen and gram4haley suggest, but still thinking I'd rather not drive a minivan on the twisty Road to Hana. Looks like some companies also have a "Halfway to Hana" tour so that might work for us.

 

vbmom87, now thinking of doing the glass bottom boat tour at 8 AM, mostly to be able to tender early, then either rent a car or do Roberts' Historic Kona tour 10-2:30. Not counting on seeing much fish with the glass bottom but it looks like no one else wants to snorkle, so it may be my only chance to see ANY underwater life. Can you tell me where you read the bad reviews? If it's here on CC I need to dig a little as I missed them.

 

LJH1, thanks for letting me know Roberts uses small buses! If we do Roberts, it seems like I'd still have time to do the outrigger canoe ride (since it's NCL) at 3:30 and get back on the PoA.

 

dcikon2, thank you so much for letting us know Waimea Canyon is do-able on Day 2 on Kauai even with the 2 PM departure! Also sounds like Kona is a fun place just to explore the shops as you suggest. Would love to hear more as does CrusingGoddess.

 

Budget Queen, I will definitely order a copy of Fodor's Hawaii, thanks for the tip!

 

gram4haley, thanks also for the tip about the GPS. I've booked it for the rental cars (where Thrifty has it) but my dad also has one - and hopefully actually knows how to use it. My friend also has a handheld one she says she will lend me (and hopefully show me how to use it first).

 

If any of you (or anyone else out there) has any additional comments or suggestions, I would love to hear them! These CC boards are great, and I will be sure to write a review after our trip.

[vbmom87]

THANK YOU for all the great replies!

 

vbmom87, thank you for the links on possible private tours for Road to Hana - I will definitely check those out. I am booking rental cars in all ports (and Honolulu) as Budget Queen and gram4haley suggest, but still thinking I'd rather not drive a minivan on the twisty Road to Hana. Looks like some companies also have a "Halfway to Hana" tour so that might work for us.

 

vbmom87, now thinking of doing the glass bottom boat tour at 8 AM, mostly to be able to tender early, then either rent a car or do Roberts' Historic Kona tour 10-2:30. Not counting on seeing much fish with the glass bottom but it looks like no one else wants to snorkle, so it may be my only chance to see ANY underwater life. Can you tell me where you read the bad reviews? If it's here on CC I need to dig a little as I missed them.

 

 

Thank you for coming back to post and give us an update.

 

I am still looking for the post I had found about the glass bottom boat on CC. It may have been part of someone's trip review. I know I have read in several places where it was posted that they didn't see much. Here is a thread I found on TA. Some posters had better experiences than others:

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29217-i268-k2816282-Glass_Bottom_boats-Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html

 

The key is to know that you may or may not see fish on the glass bottom boat tour. If you are okay with that, then it can be a good option. If you are not okay with that, then you should look for something else to do.

 

As mentioned we are booking the tour for Hana so we can legally do the full loop. I am not familiar with the Half Way to Hana. I would make sure you are going to see some worthwhile sights before I committed to that.

 

Happy Planning. I am finally getting near the end of my planning. I am in the process of writing up my daily itineraries, so everything is in place before we have to go. It has been exhausting.

[marym933]

We did the glass-bottom boat in Kona. Our tour wasn't scheduled until 11:20 a.m. The tickets say meet on the tender pier, so you have to get your own tender tickets from the ship.

[riofriotex]

We did the glass-bottom boat in Kona. Our tour wasn't scheduled until 11:20 a.m. The tickets say meet on the tender pier, so you have to get your own tender tickets from the ship.

 

Thanks, marym933. I am hoping that maybe with an 8 AM tour, an early tender ticket would be provided, but I will definitely check with NCL.

 

How did you like the tour? Did you see many fish? When did you go?

[marym933]

It was an awesome tour!! The boat wasn't very full, so we weren't crowded together. The crew was the captain, a mate and a naturalist. We saw quite a few fish. It was really just like snorkeling, but I didn't get wet. The boat stays pretty much right in the Kona harbor area. There are plenty of reefs there.

 

Here is the website of the company that NCL uses -

 

http://www.konaglassbottomboat.com/

[riofriotex]

Thanks marym933, and apologies for the long delay responding - two funerals (one out-of-town), another trip, and working a whole weekend in between.

 

On Maui we're using these guys for Road to Hana:

 

http://www.hawaiilimo.com/

 

We were concerned about doing entire Road to Hana on someone else's schedule, but did not want to drive it ourselves. This company will drive us in a Lincoln Navigator at a rate of $111 an hour and we are guaranteeing a six hour minimum. They have been extremely helpful, especially Kathy Barr, VP. Our cruise leaves this Saturday so I will try to get back on here sometime afterward and let everyone know how it went.

 

For Kona, I did have the glass-bottom boat excursion booked, but I think I'm going to cancel it. NCL no longer had an 8 AM tour available; the earliest was 9:30. Based on posts I've read recently in other threads here, it looks like you can tender off fairly early. We'd rather pick up our rental car and get going to see the stuff we want to see first. Thanks to marym933's link, it sounds like it would be cheaper to do the glass-bottom boat on our own anyway if we have time after returning the rental car (but before the last tender back onto the ship).

 

Leaving in four days...time to start packing! Thanks all for the great advice and feedback.

[annecolorgreen]

Hope you have a great time! Check back in and let us know how it goes :)