Ship excursions? Or not?

[mrobstad]

I rarely take ship excursions anymore. Typically, I haunt my roll call and see what other CC members have to say. But, there's no roll call for my Hawaiian cruise yet!

April is not that far off!

So I'm asking, when. Getting off the ship...POA...are tour operators there? and are they better quality and price?

[CruiserBruce]

Have you read down the board? There are many threads on each port, with tons of ideas, including renting cars as a very doable option.

[mrobstad]

I've read down, but nothing pops out as much as it has on my other cruises. FOr example, if you look at Italy, you'll see RIL mentioned all the time. In the Caribbean, same thing. Here, nothing seems very clear, so if you know the answer , please share! I can't even get a roll call started....very frustrating!

[CruiserBruce]

Roberts for tours. Renting a car, doing it on your own...I wouldn't expect tour services to be standing outside the ports. That is the Caribbean, not Hawaii.

 

There are some individual guides on various islands recommended. But renting a car is very common.

[puddles99]

Like another poster said, you won't find a lot of tour operators waiting at the docks like in the Caribbean. You're best bet will be to do some research and make some plans in advance. A rental car is a great option - but its really up to you. Since I wanted to have a vacation from DH's road rage, we left the driving up to the professionals ;). I did book a few things through NCL, but the bulk of our excursions we booked privately (but in advance).

 

You can read my full review & details of our trip via my review that is linked in my signature, but some highlights for us included:

• Snorkeling in Hanuama Bay (Oahu), Molokini (Maui), & Kealakekua Bay (Kona)
  
• Germaine's Luau (Oahu)
  
• Ziplining (Kauai)
  
• Jurassic Falls Helicopter Landing Adventure (Kauai)

If you have any questions, ask away!

[thefamilycruisers]

We rarely take ships tours but for Hawaii we are taking a couple.

In the Caribbean almost all the tours revolve around the cruise ship schedule - in Hawaii it is not like that. I did find it a little challenging to coordinate somethings because the ships times didn't match excursions.

 

We are using Ricky's tours in Hilo and Kauai Photo tours in Kauai.

 

Trip advisor is another good place to look for things to do.

[mrobstad]

Thanks everyone! That's the info I've been looking for. Didn't know if tour operators would be waiting....are car rental companies typically near port?

[CruiserBruce]

Thanks everyone! That's the info I've been looking for. Didn't know if tour operators would be waiting....are car rental companies typically near port?

 

As mentioned many times here, there will be shuttles to nearby rental locations in all ports....

[Widebay]

MROBSTAD - we did the Pride of America cruise a few years around the Hawaiian Islands, and loved it. The cruise ship apparently has some association with a tour operator company, I think they own it. (Sorry I just can't think of the name)

 

We booked another company called "Roberts of Hawaii" who were cheaper, and just as good as the other company I believe. Polynesian Adventure Tours I think is owned by the Cruise Company.

 

We had an native Hawaiian guy called, "Ken" who was our tour guide for the day on Maui - who drove the Roberts of Hawaii Bus, and he drove us to Hana, then, Ken would stop the bus, walk over to a native bush, pick berries which explained is a berry the native Hawaiians used to eat, we all tasted the berries. Ken was wealth of knowledge on ancient Hawaiian sites, etc. He even stopped the bus so I could buy some bananas from a stall holder at near Hana. If I could get Ken again as a driver, I would use Roberts of Hawaii at the drop of a hat.

[mrobstad]

Thanks wide bay"

[Budget Queen]

Thanks everyone! That's the info I've been looking for. Didn't know if tour operators would be waiting....are car rental companies typically near port?

 

With so much to see and do in Hawaii, this isn't the place to "pick up tours" on the dock. Far better to have your plans AND reservations, in place BEFORE you get there.

 

You DO have to reserve cars in advance, they sell out. Yes there are shuttles from the ports. Kona is an exception, there are car rentals from inside the dock King Kam Hotel, Enterprise also has a shuttle to their cars, but various reports on times of wait.

[Ilovesailing]

Roberts Hawaii is one of the best for all the island and you'll save 40% by booking off ship. And yes Polynesian Adventure Tours is owned by NCL.

[mrobstad]

Roberts offers a smorgasbord of choices....tough call....

[Ilovesailing]

Roberts also has combo pkgs of 3/4 excursions for further discount.

[mrobstad]

The 3/4 packages are very attractive....hard to choose!

[HiloSunshine]

I don't know about other islands but in Hilo, you head off the ship and there are some tour operators standing in front of the Aloha Room. They are only allowed in two at a time and only for 20 minutes. They aren't allowed to hold "tour" signs because of solicitation rules at the pier but easy to spot because their vans are their advertisement. But there are taxi drivers that are allowed to hold up "tour" signs and your charge will be metered. I've heard horror stories about them from cruise guests so I'd be skeptical. Mary Lou's is excellent, Gecko Tours and C Big Island have great feedback also. Go to TripAdvisor for their reviews.

Polynesian Adventures is owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines. If you want a bus tour, I'd go with Roberts Hawaii. If you want a helicopter flight, make sure you book it far in advance. The cruise ship usually has blocks on most of the seats. Van tours are usually more expensive ranging from a low of $50 to a high of $85. Usually the later times will be cheaper as the operators are trying to fill seats.

[withkindregards]

I don't know about other islands but in Hilo, you head off the ship and there are some tour operators standing in front of the Aloha Room. They are only allowed in two at a time and only for 20 minutes. They aren't allowed to hold "tour" signs because of solicitation rules at the pier but easy to spot because their vans are their advertisement. But there are taxi drivers that are allowed to hold up "tour" signs and your charge will be metered. I've heard horror stories about them from cruise guests so I'd be skeptical. Mary Lou's is excellent, Gecko Tours and C Big Island have great feedback also. Go to TripAdvisor for their reviews.

Polynesian Adventures is owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines. If you want a bus tour, I'd go with Roberts Hawaii. If you want a helicopter flight, make sure you book it far in advance. The cruise ship usually has blocks on most of the seats. Van tours are usually more expensive ranging from a low of $50 to a high of $85. Usually the later times will be cheaper as the operators are trying to fill seats.

 

 

Thank you all for sharing the valuable information.It will be much easier for us to do some research and find out what to do on the islands.

Still is the other end of the world to us which we only "know" from tv books etc!!:D

[scotty2]

Just for off the Star last month and we did a couple of excursions from the ship and booked Mary Lou and Ken's Tours in Hilo. One nice thing about Mary Lou she likes small groups and that being said you can go to more places and have more time at each with a small group.Hilo was the best excursion.

[CactusFlower527]

We are DIY-ers and just rent cars on Kauai and Maui (overnight ports for POA)... the other days we'll likely do shore excursions (offered by NCL) so we don't miss the ship...

the first day in Kauai we've hired a private tour guide (Jay Dorrance/Tread Lightly Kauai)... it was around $500 for 4 people .. all day tour. He provides transportation, too.

 

 

check out some travel books @ the library or B&N.... talk to others who have been. Read reviews (take some with a grain of salt though)...............

Edited November 11, 2013 by CactusFlower527

[Ronnieslady]

I rarely take ship excursions anymore. Typically, I haunt my roll call and see what other CC members have to say. But, there's no roll call for my Hawaiian cruise yet!

April is not that far off!

So I'm asking, when. Getting off the ship...POA...are tour operators there? and are they better quality and price?

 

Go with Mary Lou's Tour. You can not go wrong with them for Hilo & also Kona. We did a tour with Ken from Mary Lou's tours in Hilo last April. We loved it. You do not pay in advance. It was one of the best tours we have ever been on. I would not go with a private company that wanted a deposit ahead, but that is just me. The price was right also:D

Grace:)

[DTW Cruiser]

We just returned from a B2B on Pride of America and want to share the wonderful excursions that we set up as a result of our research here on the CC boards! Many thanks to those who provided suggestions and we want to return the favor!

 

For the Road to Hana, we selected Valley Isle Tours. Our guide was Charlie and we feel that this was one of the best tours we've taken in close to 30 cruises!! Their van was very comfortable seating for 12 passengers and Charlie was the perfect combination of information and humor! He was organized, provided a cooler of beverages and a nice lunch...all included for a very reasonable price and SO much better than the larger busses! They responded promptly to inquiries and were very thorough with meeting instructions, complete with photos! We highly recommend Valley Isle Tours and especially Charlie!!

 

In Hilo, we selected Ricky's Tours for Volcanoes National Park and many other sights on the island. He clearly knew his history, was very proud of his heritage and was very interested in making sure that we enjoyed his tour! He responded to our inquiry within an hour and was very organized and prompt at pick up time! Again, so much better to be with 12 people that on a large bus with 50 passengers! You will not regret taking Ricky's Tours!!

 

We are not helicopter people, so we opted for an small airplane ride over Kauai with Wings Over Kauai! We cannot say enough good things about this company!! They picked us up at the convenient meeting point, were efficient and thorough in their pre-flight instructions and the flight was informative and completely memorable with a wonderful pilot! We all had a window seat and the commentary was perfect! It was truly a highlight of our trip!!! Again, extremely nice people who run their company and want to be sure you enjoy your experience! Simply excellent!!!

 

Be aware that Roberts of Hawaii often uses the big 50 passenger busses in some locations and smaller 20+ vans in other places so be sure to ask specifics if you want the smaller group experience!

 

We also rented cars for other locations. Be aware that some islands will sell out so make sure you pre-reserve! Also your internet prices will be much better than the prices you will get if you just call or (worse) just show up without a reservation! It is also worthwhile to join Thrifty's Blue Chip or Dollar's Express so that you don't have to stand in line which will waste your precious island time!

 

I plan to write a review of our cruise when I recover from jet lag and catch up from being away. Frankly, we were concerned about some of the negative comments we read about POA on these boards but selected this cruise for the itinerary. We couldn't have been more surprised and pleased with so many aspects of this cruise, most especially the friendly and helpful crew!! We would take this cruise again rather than spending so many days at sea with very few ports of call on the other cruise lines! Very, very favorable experience!!

:)

Elaine