Rental Car Or Tour In Hilo

[BIGFOOT9100]

We Are Travaling On The Wind In June And Would Like To Know If I Would Be Able To Rent A Car And Tour Volcanos National Park On Our Own Or Would It Be Better To Book The Lava Seeing Excursion From Ncl We Are Concerned About The Short Time We Are There Only 7.5 Hours And Was Wondering If This Is Enough Time To See The Park And Still Get The Car Back And Board The Ship. Any Help Is Greatly Appreciated

[Jim and Robin Lincoln]

Hi Bigfoot9100

 

We are on the same cruise and are doing the shore excursion. There have been many others who rent cars and have plenty of time. I just like the security of the boat being there when I get back and lots of times the tour guides have knowledge you would not gain by just looking on your own. So theres my 2 cents :) I just wish they would get the excursions listed so we can book them,,,,,,heck I am already packed!!! :D

Robin

[mshe]

We Are Travaling On The Wind In June And Would Like To Know If I Would Be Able To Rent A Car And Tour Volcanos National Park On Our Own Or Would It Be Better To Book The Lava Seeing Excursion From Ncl We Are Concerned About The Short Time We Are There Only 7.5 Hours And Was Wondering If This Is Enough Time To See The Park And Still Get The Car Back And Board The Ship. Any Help Is Greatly Appreciated

 

 

Yes, this is enough time. You can drive the Crater Rim Drive in about 1 - 2 hours. Or if you're more adventerous, you can drive Chain of Craters Road in about 3 hours.

 

The national park is only ~45 minutes away from Hilo, so you should have plenty of time :)

[Daybreak]

We sailed ***** POA on February 27 and rented car on each Island.Rent before you go. The car shuttle buses come to Hilo port and pick you up. Roads are very good and easy to drive. Plenty of time to do Volcano National park.

Kona rental was a bit more complicated. The only car companies that shuttle to and from the port are Hertz and Thrifty.Thrifty only has one return time at 230pm. Hertz is more expensive , but the best way to go. The cars are located at the airport 6 miles from the Kona port. To get back by taxi would be around $15.00 to $20.00 .

It is so easy to see the Island by car, you can come and go and make all the stops you want.

[OregonDuck]

There is plentyof time to see the Volcanos National Park with a rent a car. We went with Thrifty ( much cheaper than the others) we took shuttle to airport, set out for the park. Stopped at the Lava tube and walked thru to the other side, also the lookout across the street. We had so much time that we stopped and had a picnic and then stopped at the Macademia Nut Factory which is on the way back, and also Hilo Haties in Hilo. We returned the car by 3:15pm took the shuttle back to the ship. If you don't want to rent a car, there is a city bus for $1 (maybe more now-we went in 2004) that takes you so many places and gives you commentary too. The bus comes right to the dock and returns. Good luck.

[leaf fan]

Last year my wife and I rented a car. You should have no problem...my only suggestion make sure you have the car reserved in advance and you get to the rental agency early. This was the only port we didn't have a car rented (we couldn't decide if we wanted to take an excursion and which one was best). By the time I called around, we rented the car and stopped at Wal-Mart for water (take lots of water) and snacks it was around 10:30. When we got to the park we watched a short video on valcanoes and THEN spoke to a park staff who said we didn't have time to do both Crater's Rim and see the lava. We chose to take our time driving the crater. Word of caution- since we finished the drive alot quicker than they advised we started down the road to see the lava. We heard a funny noise - FLAT TIRE. Thank god we had time on our side. My cell phone wouldn't pick up a signal so I had to change the tire myself - no problem! We then headed back to the ship stopping at the Flower Nursery and Hilo Hatties with tons of time left.

 

If you do go to the lava make sure you have good shoes and long pants - The lava is very sharp!