Shore Activities Near Ship

[lolanm9]

I'll be sailing on the POA in June with my parents and they want to have a hassle-free vacation. They don't want to rent a car, or go on long excursions. Ideally, they would like to do things within walking distance of the ship.

 

Does anyone have suggested activities?

 

Thanks!

[cleobella]

It seems to me that there was not much to walk to in Maui or Hilo except a few stores but even they were quite a distance. In Kona you can take the ships tender to the dock and then walk about town pretty easily. There is a historic church and manor house and some quaint coffee shops and shopping there. In Kauai you could walk over to the beach and have a nice lunch at the hotel there. There are a few shops and a trolley that can take you around a bit but there is not too much to see. There are some short excursions in Hilo and Maui that may be fun and not too taxing-otherwise I don't think there was much to do right around the port.

[hexdragon]

Anything cool you have to drive to... Are you old enough to rent a car for them???? Unless they have been to Hawaii several times, they really need to get off the ship...

 

There are several things to do within a 1/2 hr drive from the ship in each port.

 

Maui: The Iao Valley / The Needle is about 15 minutes. Lahaina is about 45 minutes and has a great beach / shopping / town/ and one of the best Luaus in Hawaii...

 

Hanna: There are several waterfalls within 15 - 20 minutes drive of the port. About 30 minutes north of town is Hawaiian Tropic Botanical Gardens. And 15 minutes beyond that is Akaka Falls...

 

Kona: The town is nice to walk around in. 15 minutes south of town is Kahalu'u Beach Park. Fantastic snorkeling. Sea turtles can normally be found there (Please don't touch them, it's bad for their health)

 

Kauai: If you have never seen the Waimea canyon...

[FloatYourBoatSince2003]

You'll miss a lot of stuff if you limit yourself to the port areas... "long excursions" doesn't necessarily mean long drives. Don't rule them out without looking at the possibilities.

 

Getting to Hawaii is a big hassle - it would be a real shame not to try some exploring once you get there.

 

Good luck

[Zimomiller]

The POA does not always dock in a location that will be easy to debark and be near an attraction. In cat, tyhe ports are industrial, not scenic.

 

I totally understand the desire to keep it simple.

 

For our upcoming POA cruise we did some research here at CC and selected a local private tour guide for each port. They will meet us at the port, take us where we wan to go, and then return us to the port.

 

Much cheaper and more convenient than the cruise line excursion options.

[Angel]

Hi Zimomiller,

Can you tell us what guide you used , we were thinking of doing the same thing on kona

Mahalo

[Zimomiller]

Hi Zimomiller,

Can you tell us what guide you used , we were thinking of doing the same thing on kona

Mahalo

 

When we port in Kona, a family friend who lives there is meeting us to serve as our tour guide for the day. We have made reservations with other private guides for the other ports

[Angel]

Thanks for info, wanted to do private tours in ports, does anyone know if the tour vendors are at the ports in kona and kauai, or did you just go on line to find them?

[hrhm7]

When we port in Kona, a family friend who lives there is meeting us to serve as our tour guide for the day. We have made reservations with other private guides for the other ports

 

 

I am having trouble finding a private guide in Maui. Do you have a private guide you can suggest?

 

Thank you.

[Donray]

I'll be sailing on the POA in June with my parents and they want to have a hassle-free vacation. They don't want to rent a car, or go on long excursions. Ideally, they would like to do things within walking distance of the ship.

 

Does anyone have suggested activities?

 

Thanks!

 

Unless there is some medical reason or they have seen all the islands on land vacations already, I really think you should reconsider the car rental or at least tours (ship or private).

I guess if you want to spend the days Maui at Costco you can do that.

Why did you decide on a Hawaii cruise if you don't want to see the islands?