Maui Whale watching

[winty]

Hi. On princess cruise to Hawaii, in Maui (Kahului) on 15th Dec. There are only 2 excursions with Princess which we are not interested in so looking at whale watching.  We are looking at getting the bus from  the port to Maalaea (which looks pretty straightforward) and going with the Pacific whale foundation on a 2 hour cruise. Has anyone does this ? We have never been to Hawaii before so would love to do this. Thought it was a bit far to try to get to Lahaina as wouldn’t drive (from the UK) and unsure whether there will be more cruise excursions added. Any advice appreciated. Thanks 

[CruiserBruce]

There are several discussions about your proposal...it is definitely doable, and is recommended here frequently.

 

Got to ask about where you are coming ashore. Can you tell us about which Princess cruise you are going on? Princess typically tenders at Lahaina, rather than docking at Kahalui.

[winty]

1 minute ago, CruiserBruce said:

There are several discussions about your proposal...it is definitely doable, and is recommended here frequently.

 

Got to ask about where you are coming ashore. Can you tell us about which Princess cruise you are going on? Princess typically tenders at Lahaina, rather than docking at Kahalui.

Hi, on the crown princess leaving LA on 7th Dec. docking at Kahului on 15th, rather than Lahaina which is a real shame as that seems to be the best port to stop at. In from 7 to 6 so we thought if we took an 11.30 tour which lasts for a few hours, would be ideal which gives us time to get a bus rather than a taxi to save some pennies!  
I can only see one tour  from here but they look good, but also unsure what the probability of seeing any whales are, as think this is still early in season?  
any help appreciated, thanks 

 

 

 

 

[CruiserBruce]

Hmmm...you are correct, it does list docking at Kahalui. That is too bad.

 

Dec 15th is usually the day the whale watch vendors start their whale oriented operations. However, the whales start arriving a while before that...a couple will probably be there late in October, and the number just increases. 

 

A lot of the whale activity focuses on birthing and mating, so early whale watches may have a few less babies around, and baby frolicking is a key part of the viewing fun. So, I would still recommend going on a whale watch, but you won't be at peak season on Dec 15th.

[princeton123211]

5 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Hmmm...you are correct, it does list docking at Kahalui. That is too bad.

If the ship anchored off Lahaina the OP wouldn't have even needed a whale watch-- could have just sat there from the ship. 

[93yearsyoung]

The Maui Bus runs once an hour to and from Maalaea Harbor so know the schedule well.

[mirglip69]

On 9/4/2022 at 9:12 AM, winty said:

Hi, on the crown princess leaving LA on 7th Dec. docking at Kahului on 15th, rather than Lahaina which is a real shame as that seems to be the best port to stop at. In from 7 to 6 so we thought if we took an 11.30 tour which lasts for a few hours, would be ideal which gives us time to get a bus rather than a taxi to save some pennies!  
I can only see one tour  from here but they look good, but also unsure what the probability of seeing any whales are, as think this is still early in season?  
any help appreciated, thanks 

 

 

 

 

Can you share from where you see at which dock any cruise ship docks on a specific cruise?

[CruiserBruce]

51 minutes ago, mirglip69 said:

Can you share from where you see at which dock any cruise ship docks on a specific cruise?

It should be on your itinerary. Most tender at Lahaina, as Kahalui can only handle one ship, and Pride of America takes the dock for 2 days per week. Recently there has been some construction at the Lahaina pier, so the few ships that will be there in the next month have been going to Kahalui.

 

Pre Covid, Pride of America and Carnival ships were the primary customers docking at Kahalui. One or two other ships occasionally. Everybody else goes to Lahaina.

[winty]

13 hours ago, 93yearsyoung said:

The Maui Bus runs once an hour to and from Maalaea Harbor so know the schedule well.

Great thanks. That looks like the way to get there, better than a taxi. 

[shiner6]

I will be on the Crown Princess in January.  When tendering in Lahaina (it is a Tender Port, correct?)  How long does it take to disembark from ship if you do not purchase ship excursion?  We want to do a private tour and are trying to Guestimate timing. Thank you for any advice you may give.  Is it reasonable to get to Whalers village by 10:30 by bus if your ship arrives at 7 and begins disembarkation at 8am?

[CruiserBruce]

Yes, Lahaina is a tender port. If you arrive at 7am, why is the ship not scheduled to start tendering until 8am? That sounds odd.

 

You shouldn't have a problem getting to Whalers Village by 10:30. But if you really don't start tendering until 8am, I would suggest you grab a cab or Uber to get to Whalers.

[princeton123211]

13 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

But if you really don't start tendering until 8am, I would suggest you grab a cab or Uber to get to Whalers.

Agree with you on taking an Uber-- its only a 10 minute ride to Whalers Village from where the tender is dropping you off and costs $14 for up to 4 people. You could wait twice that for the bus to show up. You're on vacation-- spend more time at the beach. 

[shiner6]

Excellent advice! thank you both!  This is exactly what I was looking for.

[lovecruzin]

21 hours ago, shiner6 said:

I will be on the Crown Princess in January.  When tendering in Lahaina (it is a Tender Port, correct?)  How long does it take to disembark from ship if you do not purchase ship excursion?  We want to do a private tour and are trying to Guestimate timing. Thank you for any advice you may give.  Is it reasonable to get to Whalers village by 10:30 by bus if your ship arrives at 7 and begins disembarkation at 8am?

There are several options for tours in Lahaina perhaps you wont need to go to Whalers village.

[princeton123211]

2 hours ago, lovecruzin said:

There are several options for tours in Lahaina perhaps you wont need to go to Whalers village.

Unless they want to go to Whalers Village.