Hawian Cruising

[Wolf19]

Hi My husband and I are going on the Carnival Miracle in December I have been looking at excursions the ones through Carnival are pricey. We are beach people we are happy just lying on the beach, does any one have any suggestions on beaches to go to in Maui, Honolulu ( we will be going to Pearl Harbor for some of the day), Kauai, Kona and Hilo. We would like to be able to take a taxi and sit back a relax on the beach.

Thank

[leaveitallbehind]

Welcome to CC. You may want to redirect this question to the Hawaii port of call board at the following link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=62

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[XBGuy]

It's an easy walk to the beach at Nawiliwili, Kauai. Just follow the crowd.

 

In Maui, if you are going to Lahaina, it is, again, an easy walk to the beach from the tender dock.

 

In Hilo there is a beach that is walking distance--I'm going to say 15-20 minutes. Exit the port, turn left and go up the road a bit. It seems to get a lot of family visitors. It is not a destination for most cruisers. I do not remember any amenities--i.e., food vendors--there.

 

There is a beach within walking distance in Honolulu, but it will take a while to get there. You might as well just take a cab to Waikiki.

 

I have no experience cruising to Kona.

 

Have a great cruise.

[CruiserBruce]

Carnival docks in Kahalui. No beach close by.

 

When you are researching on the Hawaii board, look at all the other things you can do, and most importantly the ease of renting a car on all the islands so you can go to some beaches.

[champagne123]

We are beach people...but found the beaches to be sub par to the Caribbean beaches. Waikiki? Very disappointed. Not just the beach, but it reminded me of Rodeo Drive. All high end stores...etc. Loved Pearl Harbor. Very emotional. Honestly, I would not even attempt beaches. There are so many excursions and things to do. Do a little research. Save the beaches for Bermuda and the Caribbean. Have a great cruise.....Hawaii is beautiful. :)

[MCC retired]

As previously posted , save beach days for the Caribbean and Bermuda .

There are too many other things to see and do that you won't have see anywhere else .

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[SuiteTraveler]

There are gorgeous beaches in Hawaii - I used to live there, I should know. Take a look at this slideshow:

http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/best-beaches-in-hawaii

 

Here's a more detailed list:

http://www.hawaiigaga.com/hawaii-best-beaches.aspx

 

The thing you want to do is hang out at the beach and have a "plate lunch" from a food truck or beach shack. No way to know what it will be but it is ALWAYS good!

http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/hawaii_today/2014/1/15/top_five_favorite_Hawaii_plate_lunch_menu_foods?webSyncID=ec7d294e-4700-2de3-e3cc-2d3be4c86be8&sessionGUID=3303b01d-a6d1-6117-7201-b857d05ba8dd

 

http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/reader's_choice_2015_plate_lunch

[cb at sea]

You need a guidebook on Hawaii...libraries have them, if you don't want to buy one. It will show you ALL the beaches, shopping, food/drink, transportation, etc.....there is seldom a need to pay for excursions, but you HAVE to know something about where you're going in advance! Get a guidebook!

[Cruisin' Chick]

You need a guidebook on Hawaii...libraries have them, if you don't want to buy one. It will show you ALL the beaches, shopping, food/drink, transportation, etc.....there is seldom a need to pay for excursions, but you HAVE to know something about where you're going in advance! Get a guidebook!

 

These guidebooks will tell you which are the better beaches. If you decide to beach it, you can look on google maps and see where are they in relation to where your ship docks (Kona, also Lahaina for those on Princess, are tender ports). One good thing is that all of the beaches are for the public.

 

As someone said above, in Nawiliwili, you can walk to the beach that's behind the Marriott (If you see Duke's, that's by the beach). You can also take a free shuttle to the Anchor or Harbor Malls, and walk over from either.

 

On Maui, there's Ka'anapali beach that's on the NW corner of the island. Since we were coming from Lahaina, it was a quick taxi ride. Don't know about the other port. That beach is next to Whalers Village, which is a nice outdoor mall. Waikiki is pretty close depending on which dock you're at (closer to 2). We didn't go to the beach on Hilo - we heard it's not the best for beaches.

[Beachdude]

Hawaii has the most beautiful beaches in the world. Most are just a walk away because the beaches surround the islands.

 

We are beach people but we found ourselves renting cars to search for beaches. Because the islands are made from lava, each beach has it's own personality and we just kept wanting to see more. I can't say one island has better beaches than another.

 

However, renting a car would be best in Oahu because a 45 minute drive is required to get out of the city of Honolulu where the ship is docked. It's no so much distance as it is slow city traffic.

 

Oahu has dozens a beautiful beaches around the island that will take your breath away. But first timer visitors never forget their first experience of seeing the North Shore. There are no beaches like them in the Caribbean. You will talk about the experience for a long time.

 

Burt

[lostchild]

Haven't been to Maui for 10 years, but back then, we love the beach near the Black Rock by Sheraton. Snorkeling is great there. But Snorkeling is even better at Lanai island which is a ferry ride away from Maui. Lanai was where Bill Gates got married. :p

[sfaaa]

You can always take a free tour at Walmart on your own.

[Flatbush Flyer]

It's an easy walk to the beach at Nawiliwili, Kauai. Just follow the crowd.

 

 

 

In Maui, if you are going to Lahaina, it is, again, an easy walk to the beach from the tender dock.

 

 

 

In Hilo there is a beach that is walking distance--I'm going to say 15-20 minutes. Exit the port, turn left and go up the road a bit. It seems to get a lot of family visitors. It is not a destination for most cruisers. I do not remember any amenities--i.e., food vendors--there.

 

 

 

There is a beach within walking distance in Honolulu, but it will take a while to get there. You might as well just take a cab to Waikiki.

 

 

 

I have no experience cruising to Kona.

 

 

 

Have a great cruise.

 

 

How anyone does a first trip to Kauai without a NaPali Coast helicopter tour is beyond me.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[leen50]

We did Miracle/Hawaii last year. Booked all of our tours with Roberts. The BEST thing we ever did. They are the largest tour co. in Hawaii & have tours tailored to your schedule.

https://www.rhshorex.com/ http://www.robertshawaii.com/

[XBGuy]

How anyone does a first trip to Kauai without a NaPali Coast helicopter tour is beyond me.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

FF, is there any reason why you quoted me? I was only responding, to the best of my ability, to the OP's specific question.