REALISTIC ? :1. LAHAINA DOCK@8am 2.Rent Car 3.By 9:30 be at Maui Dive Shop

[JOMOPE]

HI,

In April we will be coming to Lahaina-pier with the Tahitian Princess (8:00).

We have to rent a car (Which company?) and go to Kihei by 9:30 to take the Maui Dive Shop's tour to Molokini.

 

Is this doable and realitistic (time wise)?

 

Thanks,

 

Jose

[Retired not Expired]

HI,

In April we will be coming to Lahaina-pier with the Tahitian Princess (8:00).

We have to rent a car (Which company?) and go to Kihei by 9:30 to take the Maui Dive Shop's tour to Molokini.

 

Is this doable and realitistic (time wise)?

 

Thanks,

 

Jose

 

You're cutting it close. First, you will not dock in Lahaina. That is a tender port. Therefore, you will have to be on the first tender to even have a shot. Some of the others can give you more on the car rental and time to Kihei.

[bug_dan]

I'd have to agree with "retired". If your arrival time is 8 am, the tenders have to be "launched", then loaded with passengers and it's about a 15 minute trip to the dock. We've only visited Lahaina on the Infinity, but first priority for the tenders is given to passengers who have arranged shore excursions through the cruise line. I'd also guess that some of the crew would have to also be on the first tender to handle the dockside activities.

 

The car rental agencies are located at the West Maui Airport just on the edge of Kaanapali Beach, which unfortunately is the opposite direction of Kihei. The rental agencies do have shuttles from Lahaina but a taxi may be a better option. I'd guess and it's only a guess, but it's at least a 45 minute drive or longer from the rental agency locations to Kihei. Roads for the most part are two lanes with little opportunity for passing and since it's a resort area, traffic can be heavy.

[spleen93]

And I'd have to make it 3. It's a little tight to make it there in time. It's about 45 minutes to an hour to get to Kihei and Lahaina assuming no traffic.

 

Spleen

[beachchick]

I also agree. You would be really tight timing-wise. Absolutely nothing could go wrong for you to have a shot. The ship will have to anchor on time or early, the tenders will need to be launched and filled immediately and you will have to be on the first one, the rental car shuttle will have to be waiting and leave immediately, you will need to get through the rental process immediately and get on the road, and there will have to be absolutely no traffic delays. That's a bunch of "ifs," but if you are comfortable with that than you should go ahead. Does MDS have a pier shuttle? (I'm thinking no because they are a smaller operation, but you never know until you ask.) A taxi would be extremely expensive (IMO), but you would save the time of renting the car. OTOH, if you want to see the island, a rental car is really the only way to go. You might want to talk to MDS directly. I'm sure they must have other cruise pax. Perhaps they have something in place to accomodate that, like allowing 15 minutes leeway getting to the orientation.

 

Sorry we can't say, "sure, no problem," but that's simply not the case.

 

beachchick

[daWoods]

They've said it all very well. I've been to the MDS in Kihei, and I've driven from above Lahaina to the airport at that time of day. Your chance of making it by 9:30 is slim. (very) Can you arrange a slightly later excursion? Or one out of Lahaina?

[candydane]

I've been told that there's a car rental in downtown Lahaina, but don't know which rental agency. Maybe if you called the Lahaina Chamber of Commerce they could tell you. That would certainly save the shuttle time out to the airport.