Is Lahaina worth staying overnight?

[CruisingSince2012]

I know it is on Maui but in late April/early May there are no whales to watch for. Is there enough to do in that port that is worth staying almost 48 hours? Times are 8:00 a.m. on Day 2 to 6:00 p.m. on Day 3. Seeing more Hawaiian ports like Kuaui would be better IMO so I want to know if Lahaina is worth missing out on another port. I definitely will not rent a car on the island. BTW the cruise is a repositioner to Vancouver, so I can't choose my dates.

[CruiserBruce]

We have been to Hawaii over 25 times, never for less than 7 days, commonly 10 or 11 days. We have been to all of the islands at least twice, for no less than 7 total days on each island. As we stay on the west side of Maui (a little north of Lahaina) regularly for a week at a time, including arriving there on Halloween this coming October, we can say, yes it is a great place. Great golf, good beaches, nice weather, good snorkeling and water activities, access to all of Maui. Our first choice for staying in Hawaii is Maui.

 

However, by not renting a car, you are limiting your options.

[Susan-M]

It would be a long time to be in Lahaina without venturing further than the town. Will you be doing any tours?

[capriccio]

We have been to Hawaii over 25 times, never for less than 7 days, commonly 10 or 11 days. We have been to all of the islands at least twice, for no less than 7 total days on each island. As we stay on the west side of Maui (a little north of Lahaina) regularly for a week at a time, including arriving there on Halloween this coming October, we can say, yes it is a great place. Great golf, good beaches, nice weather, good snorkeling and water activities, access to all of Maui. Our first choice for staying in Hawaii is Maui.

 

However, by not renting a car, you are limiting your options.

 

We don't have quite the experience that CruiserBruce has :( (we've been to Hawaii 4 times, covered all islands and stayed between 10 and 14 days) and agree completely with his comment.

 

If you aren't going to rent a car, will you being doing ship's excursions? The Hana Highway is breathtaking (mostly due to the scenery; sometimes due to fear :p so it is good to have someone else do the driving), the ride up to and the view from Haleakala Crater is gorgeous, and there are beautiful beaches for snorkeling and swimming.

[greatlakesgirl]

The port itself in Kauai is nothing to write home about. However, the island of Kauai is utterly stunning, and in my opinion, the most beautiful. If you don't leave the port, you will be disappointed. Maui is becoming too overdeveloped for my taste, though it is pretty amazing. Lahaina is a fun little town for a day. If you like the beach you could maybe do the beach one day and walk around the town the other day, though you will be missing so much if you don't get out and really see the island.

[cb at sea]

We saw whales in mid-April...late babies and their moms....too cool! There's much more to Maui than whales!!!!! Yes...it's worth it. Rent a car and drive around....driving is easy...and it's not a huge island...you can do about 1/2 in a day!!!

[southerngirl528]

Every other year we travel to Hawaii and spend over 3 weeks on Maui. Is Lahaina "worth it'?? Shoot yeah, it is! Now would I spend all my time right in Lahaina? No. There's a TON of great stuff to see and do on West Maui, which is where Lahaina is located. There are very famous beaches closely, including Ka'anapali Beach, Napili and Kapalua with its gorgeous beaches. Fabulous restaurants, shopping, great live Hawaiian music to be found, whether in restaurants/lounges or at Napili's weekly Masters of Slack Key shows.

 

Others have mentioned that you really need to rent a car, or at minimum do a few of your ship's excursions if you are absolutely not going to rent a car.

 

Do you snorkel? Maui has fabulous snorkeling available? Paia and Makawao are really cool and funky little towns with some great galleries and shops and restaurants, back over past Kahului. Iao Valley, mauka from Wailuku is beautiful. The Nakalele Blowhole, past Kapalua is worth a look for sure. I could go on and on and on…… consider visiting the TA Maui forums for some great ideas in addition to some great ideas mentioned here by other posters.

[cccole]

Do you like water sports? From the harbor you can take some great snorkeling trips to Molokini and Lanai, that might include dolphins and turtles. Without going to Kaanapali you can enjoy a very nice protected beach next to town, surf or learn to surf or SUP. Personally I think that two days in Lahaina without venturing outside of it's limits would not be optimal. If it means I wouldn't be able to cruise if I didn't choose this itinerary, I would go for it. JMO Cherie

[CruisingSince2012]

We saw whales in mid-April...late babies and their moms....too cool!

 

The cruise I am considering starts on April 26. Will whales still be there?

 

Cows with their calves must be the most awesome part of whale watching. I am just hoping I can see heads and tails in Alaska this summer. Having time to see humpbacks off the ship is one of the reasons I want to sail around Hawaii (as well as see younger whales than there are in Alaska, of course). No doubt if I am in Lahaina a long time, I will take the longest tour available to see whales.

[capriccio]

The cruise I am considering starts on April 26. Will whales still be there?

 

Cows with their calves must be the most awesome part of whale watching. I am just hoping I can see heads and tails in Alaska this summer. Having time to see humpbacks off the ship is one of the reasons I want to sail around Hawaii (as well as see younger whales than there are in Alaska, of course). No doubt if I am in Lahaina a long time, I will take the longest tour available to see whales.

 

When we went whale watching in Juneau in early August 2012 with Harv and Marv (great company!) we saw lots and lots of humpbacks - more than we saw in Maui in January a couple of years earlier. On the Maui trip we did have one breach right in front of the boat -- if it had fallen forward it seemed like it would have hit the boat. The captain started yelling 'tell me someone got a picture of that!' but no one had because it happened so quickly and we were so shocked.

 

Nothing beats our experience in Santa Barbara in May 2012 where there were more humpbacks than we could count in the distance and 3 circled our boat for over 1/2 hour just idly swimming, blowing whale snot (some of our fellow passengers were hit) and giving us the eye when floating on their side. That was the most incredible whale watching excursion we've ever done.

 

I hope you have an equally great experience in Alaska (we also spotted them off the ship but it isn't nearly the same as getting close to them - or more accurately them getting close to you).

Edited June 15, 2015 by capriccio

[Nodales]

Pacific Whale Watch foundation has whale watch tours running until about mid May. Went out with them in early way last year and saw humpbacks as well as bottlenose dolphins.

[sunsetsjh]

Many years ago, I lived in Kaneohe, Oahu, Hawaii. We used to love to go to Maui to relax and spend a quiet week. We stayed in Kihei. It was a wonderful little place.

 

WELL, Kihei is a thing of the past as well as Lahaina. Last October 2013, I was very disturbed with what I saw in Lahaina. One beer joint after another and the Banyon Tree that once was so beautiful has now become a Tourist Trap where people sell their their junk. My husband and I could hardly wait to get back on the ship and leave.:mad::mad::mad:

[greatlakesgirl]

Maui reminded me of a mini Oahu. It's still beautiful, to be sure, but they are slowly killing the goose that laid the golden egg. It had changed so much from the Maui I saw 25 years ago.

Edited June 16, 2015 by greatlakesgirl