1st time to Hawaii / Ideas? Musts?

[dnemke]

I am on the 11/20 cruise (Infinity). What are the musts for a first time to Hawaii? I would love an overall type thing. I am 53.

Kauai 700am - 700pm (tender)

Oahu 700am- 1100pm

Hilo 1000am- 600pm

Kailua Kona 700am-600pm

Lahaina 700am-300pm (tender)

 

I have been on many cruises and prefer not to take ship excursions. What is a good source for excursions ?

I find it strange that the ship offers a road to hana excursion (Lahaina)for a longer time frame than the ship is supposedly there. Anyone know about this? Is there a partial rode to hana trip?

Are there a alot of people offering trips at the cruise ports? Can you haggle the price?

What will the weather be like at the end of Nov. All comments appreciated. I am not a history buff (pearl harbor, etc).

[KauaiKris]

I have not cruised the islands, so I don't have much information on excursions, unfortunately. About things to not miss, of course it depends on your idea of a good time, but these are things I know are popular:

 

On the island of Hawaii -- Volcanos National Park. If there is lava flowing, it's quite a site to see, particularly at night. Unfortunately the ship departs about sunset. Hilo is the wetter side of the island and there are some nice botanical gardens. Kona is the dry, sunny side. Some nice beaches. Hopefully you can get more input from someone more familiar with Hawaii.

 

On the island of Oahu -- Some folks really enjoy hiking up Diamond Head. Others like to snorkel Hanauma Bay. Others enjoy going to the Polynesian Cultural Center, although it is on the other side of the island and you'd want to make sure you allowed plenty of time from to get back to the ship at night. In November you're starting to get some of the bigger winter waves, so hanging out up at Pipeline and watching the surfers could be interesting. The Wiamea Valley Audubon Center on the North Shore is also a lovely place to stroll or have a picnic. There's the Sea Life Park, or Mini-sub tours...

 

On Maui, it doesn't look like you have lots of time, but there's the road to Hana, or a trip to the summit of Haleakala. You could take a trip out to molokini to snorkel. November is a little early for the whales to be there, but you might see some.

 

On Kauai -- There are the "hollywood movie tours" where they take you to various locations around the island where movies like South Pacific, Lord of the Flies, Honeymoon in Vegas, Fantasy Island, etc were filmed. You can go west and take the drive up Waimea Canyon (Grand Canyon of the South Pacific) and on up to the Kalalau Lookout. You can take a helicopter tour over the island. You can go south and stroll around Koloa, or down to Po'ipu Beach Park and snorkel or simply relax. You can go north and stop a some waterfalls, the Kilauea Lighthouse, Hanalei Bay, Ke'e Beach, enjoy the beauty of the north shore... Water will be a bit rough in November around NaPali, but there will still probably be ocean tours to the NaPali Coast, which is beautiful, and maybe see some whales, dolphins or turtles along the way. (I know more about Kauai than any other island, as you can see... Go to http://kauaikris.com for some info on waterfalls, beaches, maps, driving directions and stuff.)

 

Hope this helps.

[jaynak]

great site Kris - thanks!

[ukbballfan]

A copter ride over Kauai is a MUST!!!

[orcatek]

Having done the trip twice now. There are still so many things that I still want to do. Alot really depends on your interests.

 

You can check my reviews to see what I've done. The Star was ship based mostly and the Pride of Aloha was mostly self booked.

 

I booked most things via various web sites directly with the providers. Many of the tours were small and filled up fast. Did not really see any tour operators at the ports - but didn't look either.

 

I'm looking forward to going again to fill some more wishes.

[bobnsandi]

I am on the 11/20 cruise (Infinity). What are the musts for a first time to Hawaii? I would love an overall type thing. I am 53.

Kauai 700am - 700pm (tender)

Oahu 700am- 1100pm

Hilo 1000am- 600pm

Kailua Kona 700am-600pm

Lahaina 700am-300pm (tender)

 

I have been on many cruises and prefer not to take ship excursions. What is a good source for excursions ?

I find it strange that the ship offers a road to hana excursion (Lahaina)for a longer time frame than the ship is supposedly there. Anyone know about this? Is there a partial rode to hana trip?

Are there a alot of people offering trips at the cruise ports? Can you haggle the price?

What will the weather be like at the end of Nov. All comments appreciated. I am not a history buff (pearl harbor, etc).

 

For an Oahu visit, we strongly recommend a visit to the Arizona memorial. If you

have all day, try the Roberts tour (ask for Reggie). They visit the Arizona, the

Missouri, Punch Bowl, and a bit of downtown Honolulu. You don't have

to be a history buff to experience the loss of the Arizona, it is a

very sobering experience.

 

No history, but interested in other cultures? Try the Bishop Museum, the absolutely

best collection of Hawaii and Polynesian cultural artifacts there is.

 

If you want to have a limited visit to Oahu, you can walk from the

ship to Chinatown and immerse in another culture (good food too).

 

For Maui (our town) you can rent a car and drive partially out

to Hana. The tours will take you there and back or all the

way around (rough roads, but fascinating views of the

"back" of Haleakala).

 

November weather should be quite nice.

 

Hope this helps.

[lhall85917]

We rented cars at each stop and found it a great way to see the islands. Cars are inexpensive (try Priceline) and the National Parks are incredible! We are going back next summer because there is so much more we want to see. When we went to volcano national park we didn't make it to the lava flow however, the park was still awesome. We did a helicopter tour over Kaui - fantastic! Hakalea is amazing, now we want to do the road to Hana - be sure to go to Lahaina also, we wished we had time just to sit and watch the surfers - beautiful little town!

We didn't see a lot of people offering excursions at the ports - there is usually a bus to Hilo Hatties or Walmart. I would suggest making plans before you go.

[balanceok]

Which is the best port to go see the Volcanos on the Big Island?

[sceptic]

The best port to see Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is Hilo. Hilo is less than 30 miles to the park entrance. From Kona the drive is about 70 miles. There really isn't any comparison.

[lizzy77]

Just back from Hawaii and Alaska on the Carnival Spirit. Must do is the Volcano at Hilo. Hire a car, prebook as they get booked out. No need to do any tour as the park is well set out and there is plenty of info when you get there. If you chose to do the helicopter tour this is the place also.

[candydane]

I've driven the road to Hana before and definitely do not recommend you try this on your own or with a non-ship excursion due to the limited time you have in port. Not only is the trip long and the drive tiring, but there's a lot of traffic most of the time. The ship will wait for you if you're on a ship excursion -- otherwise they'll sail without you!

 

For our upcoming trip we've booked a stretch limo for the 4 of us, but we'll be in port from 7 am to 8 pm.

[wishkc]

For our upcoming trip we've booked a stretch limo for the 4 of us, but we'll be in port from 7 am to 8 pm.

 

Would you give more info (price, company, web address, etc.) about the limo?

 

Thanks,

[candydane]

We're booked with Coastline.

 

I've dealt with Sean: Sean@hawaiiansuntravel.com. Very friendly and upbeat.

 

Stretch limo will pick us up at the Norwegian Wind tender landing dock at 8:30 a.m. and return us at approximately 5:30 p.m. The cost will be a flat fee of $525 for the stretch limo. with up to 7 passengers. Plus tax at 4% ($21). Plus a gas surcharge of about $20. Plus gratuity. Soda and vodka are included in the $525 flat fee. We can get a buffet lunch for $12 pp if we want. We will stop every 1/2 hour or so for photo ops and/or a short swim or walk.

• 
  

[bankofdad]

Here's what we did on our trip http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=93997Have a great cruise!

[ksmith]

Just returned from Hawaii cruise aboard Sernade of the Seas. Would definitely NOT do the Road to Hana on your own. Very narrow road. Some places people had to pull their mirrors in so we could pass each other on bridges. We took ship's tour and it was worth every penny. Driver cannot possibly enjoy all the wonderful scenery while driving. This road requires your constant attention. Also pull over spots are limited and crowded with vehicles. Our transmission was blown and we sat by side of road about 15 min. Driver called in for another van and we were picked up promptly. Got back to ship about 1/2 hour before sailing. If we had been on our own, we'd never have made it.

[Swice]

RENT A CAR

 

Car companies are located near the ports... and they will send someone to pick you up at the ship.

Most of the time, you will be given a number to call from a payphone (or cell) to call once you're on shore and ready for pickup. You'll have to wait 5-10 minutes for the rental shuttle to pick you up.

 

You'll have LOTS of money-- and see MORE.

[spleen93]

As a point of contrast to the above, I've done Road to Hana on my own and we stopped frequently (about every 3-5 minutes on the most interesting part of the road), got out and did short hikes, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I wouldn't say I missed anything by driving on my own and we had the luxury of adjusting our schedule depending on what was important to us. We started very early and were past Paia by 8 AM. As always, YMMV (in this case, possibly literally) :)

 

Spleen

[tinypat01]

we were in hawaii nov 28- dec 9 two years ago weather was wonderful we are from massachusetts left just before ice storm and were swimming in pacific on thanksgiving wonderful loved Volcanos park did helicopter and bus tour both great driver knew everything about all the places we went roberts tours nice people loved the submarine in lahania swa a whalw under water very huge have done whale watches this was even better not usual that they come in so close thou do a luau we did Old Lahania very nice tours are available in most ports look for the tourist info booths have a lot of literature with different companies ask the people working there very nice helpful we took a tour of the macadamia nut factory along with the thurston lava tube and rain forest really nice dress cool bring a sweater for top of volcano and rain forest can get chilly want to try snorleling next trip hopefully next year have fun and plan to go back to see whatever you miss this time we are !!

[Splinter]

I have driven the road to Hana twice, and did not find it difficult at all. Yes, you do need to slow down, and concentrate, and you do need to give way at one lane bridges, but I guess I am very used to mountain driving in California, so it did not phase me. It might be more difficult for a flat-lander than someone who is used to the Sierra Nevada, Cascades or Rockies.

 

I really prefer to be able to stop and take photos when I want to...not just when the bus driver wants to stop, and you can stop a lot more places in a car. You can also turn around whenever you want if time is getting short.

[Kalena]

Is Haleakala a must see??

[spleen93]

I think it's well worth seeing. Only you can determine what's important to you and what "must be seen". I think Maui Ocean Center is well worth seeing too but I wouldn't recommend that people with no interests in public aquariums to go.

 

Spleen