Maui Hawaii car rental

[MSTEG]

I posted a similar message on my roll call board but I'll repeat it here.

 

We are booked on a Celebrity Solstice cruise to Hawaii in 2016. We will be in Maui overnight. When we are there we would like to rent a car to explore that island for the two days we are there. Can anyone provide details from you experience about car rentals in Maui?

The ship calls near Lahaina and we are tendered there. Will we be able to rent a car near where we are tendered or will we need to go to a nearby town / airport to get the rental car? Once we have a car, can we park it near the tender dock overnight and use it again early the next day? We hope to visit Haleakala before dawn to see the sunrise. Thanks

[WALKER1313]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2275365

[ClaudiaB]

We rented in Maui when we did an overnight there. I recall it was a little bit out from the port. The first day we drove the road to Hana (and back), stopping all along the way. We used the Maui Revealed (I believe that's the name) travel guide. What a wonderful day. Long day, but we didn't have to be back at any certain time. We had read about getting car sick and that it was a rough ride. We had more fun, no problems, and I would highly recommend it.

 

Next day we got up 2:30 a.m. and left the ship for our independent excursion with Maui Downhill. So much fun riding down Haleakala from the cold top at sunrise to the beach 38 miles by bike. After that we drove around in our rental and turned it in before heading to the ship.

 

We also rented a car for our overnight in Oahu and spent most of the day on the north shore.

 

When we took our cruise in 2001 on Infinity there was a day in Kauai which I believe isn't offered now. We loved that day so much that we flew to Kauai the next year and stayed a week up on the north shore in the Princeville area in a private condo.

 

You're going to have to much fun.

[MSTEG]

We rented in Maui when we did an overnight there. I recall it was a little bit out from the port. The first day we drove the road to Hana (and back), stopping all along the way. We used the Maui Revealed (I believe that's the name) travel guide. What a wonderful day. Long day, but we didn't have to be back at any certain time. We had read about getting car sick and that it was a rough ride. We had more fun, no problems, and I would highly recommend it.

 

Next day we got up 2:30 a.m. and left the ship for our independent excursion with Maui Downhill. So much fun riding down Haleakala from the cold top at sunrise to the beach 38 miles by bike. After that we drove around in our rental and turned it in before heading to the ship.

 

We also rented a car for our overnight in Oahu and spent most of the day on the north shore.

 

When we took our cruise in 2001 on Infinity there was a day in Kauai which I believe isn't offered now. We loved that day so much that we flew to Kauai the next year and stayed a week up on the north shore in the Princeville area in a private condo.

 

You're going to have to much fun.

 

Thanks ClaudiaB for your report. When you said you left the ship at 2:30 am, does that mean you were able to take a tender boat from the off-shore Celebrity ship to the pier at that time of night? Can I assume that tenders run all through the night in Maui?

[jjk9946]

The name of the book is Maui Revealed. There is one for each of the islands. Absolutely the best guides for the islands. They are updated each year.

 

I know there is a Budget along the highway. Googlle car rentals in Lahinina Town.

 

Judy

[PCWalton1]

Most car rentals for Lahaina are out of Kapalua Airport. They will have shuttles the morning the ship arrives but they are usually for drivers only so you would have to go back and pick up passengers. It's about a $25 cab ride to the airport if you do not want to go through the shuttle hassle. We used the shuttle last year and it was a nightmare. My wife had to stay in Lahaina and because of where I was sitting on the shuttle I was the last one off so last in line (which took an hour). Then I still had to head back to downtown Lahaina to pick up my wife so we wasted most of the morning and had to change our plans for the day. Lesson learned, next time I will spring for the cab.

 

Overnight parking is limited in Lahaina and you will normally have to pay. The closest lot for overnight parking is behind the cinema. Entrance to that lot is on Luakini Street. There is also a lot at the Lahaina Center up by Hilo Hattie's and Hard Rock Cafe. Be warned, we parked overnight there last year and it cost about $40 for the night. :eek:

 

As for getting off the ship early they normally run the tender boats all night though late night it may just be once an hour. Check the ship's schedule. :)

 

Also if you are looking for a guide that shows directions including highway mile markers, this site is handy. The pictures are missing but the driving directions are still good. :)

 

http://www.alternative-hawaii.com/byotgdxm.htm

Edited November 2, 2015 by PCWalton1

[BourbonNBluesLuvr]

Thanks ClaudiaB for your report. When you said you left the ship at 2:30 am, does that mean you were able to take a tender boat from the off-shore Celebrity ship to the pier at that time of night? Can I assume that tenders run all through the night in Maui?

 

Hello,

 

Yes, the Celebrity shuttles run all night, tho on a much less frequent schedule. We also did the Sunrise Bike Ride when we overnighted on Celebrity a couple years ago...and when we left the ship about 1:30am we were the only 5 passengers on the tender...along with 2 bartenders who had just finished their shift...We found out that night that they hadn't found anything open, and returned to the ship almost immediately !! :D

 

The sunrise bike-ride was spectacular...we had great weather...started quite cool with warm clothing on...and we were stripped down to shorts and t shirts by the end !

 

Enjoy

 

BBL

[KeepCalmBearOn]

The name of the book is Maui Revealed. There is one for each of the islands. Absolutely the best guides for the islands. They are updated each year.

 

Locals on Maui call the book Maui Reviled. If you buy it and take it don't let anyone see it, cover the distinctive blue cover with a book jacket of some kind. Seriously, not kidding at all.

 

The earliest editions encouraged people to trespass and even led to some physical confrontations.

 

Try Googling "Maui Reviled" or "Maui Revealed problems" and you will get a lot of links.

 

The issues have been revised to stop encouraging illegal behavior (after threats of lawsuits and legislation from the Hawaii government), but a lot of anger remains, especially in the more out of the way places.

[cccole]

The book that we have used for MANY years is Driving & Discovering Hawaii, by Richard Sullivan. There is a Maui and Molokai edition. The photos are fantastic and the driving details fabulous. You can take a look on line. Cherie

Edited November 3, 2015 by cccole

[Budget Queen]

There are a few car rentals available in Lahaina, NEVER rent from the airport. Why would anyone waste their time, additional- the above post is way off with cab fare. IF they happened to get that rate- they were extremely lucky. At this time, I wouldn't be surprised at double that fare.

 

Avis is one vendor that does have cars. Don't get caught up with looking for a "cheap" car, since it likely is going to be at the airport. Well worth the time savings and ease of pick up getting one in Lahaina.

[cccole]

If you are referring to the PCWalton1 post, the taxi fare is from Lahaina to the Kapalua airport, not the Kahului airport. A July Trip Advisor post indicates a fare of $15-$20. Besides regular taxi fares Uber fares may also be available. Cherie

Edited November 3, 2015 by cccole

[iceleven]

There are a few car rentals available in Lahaina, NEVER rent from the airport. Why would anyone waste their time, additional- the above post is way off with cab fare. IF they happened to get that rate- they were extremely lucky. At this time, I wouldn't be surprised at double that fare.

 

Avis is one vendor that does have cars. Don't get caught up with looking for a "cheap" car, since it likely is going to be at the airport. Well worth the time savings and ease of pick up getting one in Lahaina.

 

When was the last time you rented a car with Avis in Lahaina and where are they located? We'll be there next week.

[Jojiboy]

When was the last time you rented a car with Avis in Lahaina and where are they located? We'll be there next week.

 

 

Unless things have changed since the last time I was on Maui, there is no Avis location in Lahaina. The closest one I know of is in Kaanapali. It shares a location with Budget.

[Silver Sweethearts]

Unless things have changed since the last time I was on Maui, there is no Avis location in Lahaina. The closest one I know of is in Kaanapali. It shares a location with Budget.

 

The zip code area for Lahaina actually stretches all the way to Kapalua, so everyone is correct here. The location is in the Kaanapali area but uses a Lahaina zip code. Google Avis cars Kaanapali for exact location information and directions.

[Jojiboy]

The zip code area for Lahaina actually stretches all the way to Kapalua, so everyone is correct here. The location is in the Kaanapali area but uses a Lahaina zip code. Google Avis cars Kaanapali for exact location information and directions.

 

 

Ah, now that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying. I was just worried that somebody might think there's an Avis location near Lahaina Wharf where the tenders drop cruisers off. Do you know if there are any rental car companies in Lahaina?

[Silver Sweethearts]

Ah, now that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying. I was just worried that somebody might think there's an Avis location near Lahaina Wharf where the tenders drop cruisers off. Do you know if there are any rental car companies in Lahaina?

 

If you mean in the Front Street area, not as far as we know. Don't let that stop you from researching though. In checking the internet we find that Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National are all located almost on top of each other on Halawai Drive. We know exactly where that is because we have driven past it many times. It is up the highway (30) from Lahaina, and you would be best put to see if any of the companies offer a shuttle because a taxi would be costly. You could take your whole family with you with a taxi though and not leave them at the tender dock. Shuttles sometimes will only take one person (whoever is going to be the driver), so you would possibly have to leave your family to cool their heels until you could come back for them. Hopefully others will know of better options.

[iceleven]

Ah, now that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying. I was just worried that somebody might think there's an Avis location near Lahaina Wharf where the tenders drop cruisers off. Do you know if there are any rental car companies in Lahaina?

 

Hi, I'm on the same cruise as you are and have come up with this same dilemma before. I'm pretty sure there are no rental agencies in town and we will need to cab to Kaanapali or keep our fingers cross there will be a shuttle scheduled to take us there. We will be more than happy to share a cab there and can hook up with you at the Meet & Greet next Thursday. Maui seems to be the only port that doesn't accommodate the tendered cruise ships for taxis to car rentals. It's doable but just a bit more work.

[Susan-M]

I'm pretty sure there are no rental agencies in town and we will need to cab to Kaanapali or keep our fingers cross there will be a shuttle scheduled to take us there.

 

Enterprise provides a shuttle - details are shown at the bottom of this link.

[Barbs44Travels]

Hi, I'm on the same cruise as you are and have come up with this same dilemma before. I'm pretty sure there are no rental agencies in town and we will need to cab to Kaanapali or keep our fingers cross there will be a shuttle scheduled to take us there. We will be more than happy to share a cab there and can hook up with you at the Meet & Greet next Thursday. Maui seems to be the only port that doesn't accommodate the tendered cruise ships for taxis to car rentals. It's doable but just a bit more work.

 

When I checked all the agencies about 6 weeks ago, one had closed and all the others said they had no cars available on Dec. 3rd. Maybe something has changed since then but we have decided to use the dollar bus to get to Kanaapali like we always do. The beach is beautiful, the Whaler's Museum is right there and there are several restaurants. If you want directions to the bus, just follow some of the crew. The stop is behind a shopping center & I always forget where it is, so I just watch & see where the crew is headed for the beach. There is always a group on the bus.

 

Barb

Edited November 20, 2015 by Barbs44Travels

[Susan-M]

Barb,

 

There are lots of rentals available with Alamo, Budget and Enterprise for Dec. 3rd. The location code for the west Maui rental agencies is JHM. You might have difficulty booking a rental if you're looking for one outside of the opening hours - they have limited hours at the W. Maui rental offices - 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

Also, just a note that the dollar bus is now the two dollar bus.:)

 

p.s. Rates are usually lower by booking through Costco travel (if you're a Costco member) - or through Discount Hawaii Car Rental.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Susan-M

[Jojiboy]

If you mean in the Front Street area, not as far as we know. Don't let that stop you from researching though. In checking the internet we find that Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National are all located almost on top of each other on Halawai Drive. We know exactly where that is because we have driven past it many times. It is up the highway (30) from Lahaina, and you would be best put to see if any of the companies offer a shuttle because a taxi would be costly. You could take your whole family with you with a taxi though and not leave them at the tender dock. Shuttles sometimes will only take one person (whoever is going to be the driver), so you would possibly have to leave your family to cool their heels until you could come back for them. Hopefully others will know of better options.

 

 

Yes, I meant the Front St. area. Thanks for the info Silver Sweethearts. We have a reservation with Budget and figured we would probably just take a taxi to pick it up even if there was a shuttle available. Thanks again!

[Jojiboy]

Hi, I'm on the same cruise as you are and have come up with this same dilemma before. I'm pretty sure there are no rental agencies in town and we will need to cab to Kaanapali or keep our fingers cross there will be a shuttle scheduled to take us there. We will be more than happy to share a cab there and can hook up with you at the Meet & Greet next Thursday. Maui seems to be the only port that doesn't accommodate the tendered cruise ships for taxis to car rentals. It's doable but just a bit more work.

 

 

Hi iceleven. Sharing a cab would be terrific. Which rental agency is your reservation? Ours is with Budget. Yes, let's try to hook up at the M&G.

[Silver Sweethearts]

Yes, I meant the Front St. area. Thanks for the info Silver Sweethearts. We have a reservation with Budget and figured we would probably just take a taxi to pick it up even if there was a shuttle available. Thanks again!

 

If iceleven has a reservation with any of the car rental agencies we mentioned, that is great. They are all practically (if not literally) right next door to each other, so you can indeed split the taxi fare there. Bon voyage!!