Maui car rental ??? Airport?

[Roziewear]

Ok decided in renting car in Maui. I have a Couple of questions new to cruising! I plan on renting a car through discount hawaii rentals. Assume there is a shuttle there to take u to get rental car??? Are all cars rented from airport and if so how far from Kahului dock to rental agency?

 

Also going in September. I hear parking may be tough. We will probably return by 6:00 pm. any current information welcome. Actually debating on renting and returnng and renting again following day if parking issue.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Roziewear

[Astro Flyer]

I am not familiar with Discount Hawaii rentals but most rental agencies are at the Kahului airport & maybe a 5 minute shuttle ride. I think Enterprise is on Hana Hwy & only a couple of blocks from the pier...do you have an address for your rental agency?

[cruzn single]

Discount Hawaii uses the major rental companies. Shuttles to various agencies right at the dock. Airport is right there. We sat on deck of ship and watched (and heard) planes land and take off.

[Bluemlynn]

Going through discount Hawaii rentals was cheaper than going directly through each rental agency. The airport is about a 5-10 min ride to the pier. Your rental car agency will have a shuttle to take you to their location and back. Before you leave home, print your reservation for each island and write the local rental agency ph number on it. If the shuttle is not at the pier when you are ready to leave, call them and let them know to come pick you up.

One hint that I found here on cruise critic that helped us: sign up for Thrifty blue chip program or other rental program, It allows you to bypass the regular line and get your car much faster. So convenient!!!

Parking overnight wasn't a problem for us. There was 2 parking lots, one was much closer to the ship than the other but still within walking distance. I think you can still park in the shopping mall nearby, but you have to move the car before 8 am. If you plan on getting back around 6p you should be fine in one of the 2 parking areas.

[greatlakesgirl]

Another vote for DHCR! Super easy - shuttle from ship to airport and also on the return. There's free parking at the pier, and also an overflow lot a short distance away. We didn't keep our rental overnight, so I can speak to the parking personally, but many on here have done so. Maybe they will chime in.

[Astro Flyer]

Good to learn about DHCR & will have to remember it the next time someone visits us on Maui.

[cccole]

Totally agree with Discount Hawaii Car Rental and joining the rental car loyalty programs. It saves a lot of time. One other benefit I have noticed with DHCR, even if the total cost is the same with the car rental agency, is that they often give you one to two extra drivers at no extra charge. That is really nice. Cherie

[punkincc]

The lot for parking right next to the ship in Maui is very small. You might luck out of you return at 4 or 5:00, but I would not count on it. It was full when we got back late afternoon. When you pull up to the guard station, they will let you know if the lot is full and will give you very good instructions on what to do next.

 

The overflow lot is just down the street, probably less than 2 blocks. It is very well lit and has a guard stationed there as well. There is a fenced in and well lit walkway back to the ship. I was with DH but would have felt safe even on my own.

 

If you plan to use a rental again the next day, much more convenient to just do a 2 day rental, park overnight and then you can make a quick getaway the next am. On the day you pick up the car, the various shuttles run continuously. If you've just missed yours, you might have to wait 10 min or so. And you are not allowed to ride to the agency to make your res there. Must have a res when you get on.

[sotiris]

If you are a member of Costco, you might want to check their rates. They use Alamo, Avis, Budget and Entreprise. We are getting an intermediate SUV for less than an economy car. We have used Costco many times and have always been pleased.

[Astro Flyer]

If you are a member of Costco, you might want to check their rates. They use Alamo, Avis, Budget and Entreprise. We are getting an intermediate SUV for less than an economy car. We have used Costco many times and have always been pleased.

 

And if a Costco member bring your membership or Costco AmEx card because their price for gas is the best price and is near the airport drop off location.

[PCWalton1]

If you are a member of Costco, you might want to check their rates. They use Alamo, Avis, Budget and Entreprise. We are getting an intermediate SUV for less than an economy car. We have used Costco many times and have always been pleased.

 

In April we are renting a car for our two days in Lahaina and so far Costco has giving us the lowest price. Just a few dollars lower but every bit counts. :)

[CruisnDeb]

The nice thing about DHCR (besides the cheap rates) is you don't pay until you get to the rental counter--you don't give a credit card or anything to hold your reservation. So if you miss port, get sick, etc. you don't pay anything. Win-Win :D:D:D:D:D:D

[PCWalton1]

The nice thing about DHCR (besides the cheap rates) is you don't pay until you get to the rental counter--you don't give a credit card or anything to hold your reservation. So if you miss port, get sick, etc. you don't pay anything. Win-Win :D:D:D:D:D:D

 

It is that way with just about every company that rents cars, nothing up front.

[PCWalton1]

The nice thing about DHCR (besides the cheap rates) is you don't pay until you get to the rental counter--you don't give a credit card or anything to hold your reservation. So if you miss port, get sick, etc. you don't pay anything. Win-Win :D:D:D:D:D:D

 

Also they don't update their website. If you select Maui Lahaina Harbor the first choice is Dollar. But Dollar is not longer on that side of the island so it automatically switches to Hertz who is also no longer on the west side of the island.

[Lucky2326]

We have used Costco rent a car many times. They are really good. We are renting from them in Waikiki.

[jordanaire]

I used Thrifty when we docked in Maui. Their shuttle was waiting right there at the port and took us to their office, which was about 5-minutes away. Rented a Mustang convertible for 15%-20% less than all of the other rental agencies. After returning the car, their shuttle took us back to the ship. Worked out perfectly! No better way to see the island than in a Mustang convertible!

 

:cool:Bill

[ransrider]

We just booked a rental convertible for day one on Maui. Glad to hear you thought it was worth it. What time did you return the car? Where did you go?

 

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[DwayneG]

The walk from the overnight lot isn't bad for an able-bodied person, but it's at least several blocks. And you can't drive your rental to the ship to pick up others unless you have a handicapped tag, you'll be stopped at security. This was a problem for one in our party who could walk but not that far.

[Silver Sweethearts]

The walk from the overnight lot isn't bad for an able-bodied person, but it's at least several blocks. And you can't drive your rental to the ship to pick up others unless you have a handicapped tag, you'll be stopped at security. This was a problem for one in our party who could walk but not that far.

 

Just to note that if you do have a disabled parking placard from any state, bring it along. Hawaii will honor placards from all states.

[jordanaire]

We just booked a rental convertible for day one on Maui. Glad to hear you thought it was worth it. What time did you return the car? Where did you go?

 

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We got off the ship and walked to the parking lot outside of the terminal. There was a shuttle bus that took us to the Thrifty rental office at the airport. It took less than 10-minutes to get our Mustang convertible (even got to pick the color), then we were off to Lahaina, on the other side of Maui. It was a very beautiful drive. Had a great time. We pulled off the road several times to take pictures.

 

Once we arrived in Lahaina, we soon found out that parking was at a premium. We drove around for 30-minutes or so looking for a place to park. We finally found a public parking lot that had a 2-hour limit. So I parked alongside several other cars with the intention of coming back and moving to another spot in 2-hours. When I went back to move the car, I found a $56 parking ticket on the windshield! It stated that I was parked in a "bus only" spot. The only thing that indicated that was the very faded painted stripes on the asphalt that you could barely see at all. When I parked there, there were 12 other cars in the same area! After returning home, I sent a letter to the city of Lahaina, complaining about the lack of notice in the parking lot. They threw out my ticket!

 

We booked a "whale watching" tour prior to the cruise that was fantastic! Got to see a mother whale and her calf up close (15-ft from our boat). It was truly something to remember forever. Note: I booked this tour online for $32 per person before leaving home for the cruise. I met a couple on the tour that booked it on their Princess ship, and he told me that he paid $94 per person! So keep this in mind when choosing your excursions!

 

We left Lahaina and headed back to the airport to turn the car back in. They shuttled us back to the ship for free. I highly recommend using Thrifty, as they were the lowest priced rental for a Mustang convertible.

[Trend]

What month where there to get such a great view of the whales?

[Silver Sweethearts]

What month where there to get such a great view of the whales?

 

The season generally runs December through April, but we have seen some (at least off of Maui) in November and May.

[Astro Flyer]

I've read good things about Pacific Whale Foundation: http://www.pacificwhale.org/cruises/whale-watches

[jordanaire]

I've read good things about Pacific Whale Foundation: http://www.pacificwhale.org/cruises/whale-watches

 

This is the tour that we booked prior to leaving for our 15-day cruise to Hawaii back in 2012. We visited Maui on April 19th (I believe) and caught the tail end of the whale watching season. We managed to get within 15-ft of a mother whale and her calf. Very exciting!

 

While waiting for this tour at the Lahaina harbor, I met a couple that had arrived on a Princess ship and they booked the exact same tour on the ship. He asked what I had paid online for the tour and I told him it was $32pp. He stated that Princess charged him $94pp! So it's much better to plan ahead instead of paying higher prices for the same tour/excursion!

Edited August 14, 2015 by jordanaire

[FunCruiser56]

Sounds great what whale watching company did you book with, we want to do a tour in April .