Renting car in the Hawaiian Islands

[Jimjam]

Will be cruising to the Hawaiian Islands in December and will be renting a car at each port for sightseening. Are car rentals available only at the airport terminals at each island or can reservations and car pick-up be made elsewhere near the ports? Any info will be appreciated..

[Sea Island Lady]

I am intersted in an answer also.

[Suebee]

In Honolulu, the car rental companies do not shuttle from the pier unless (like for NCL/Budget) the ship has a 'deal' with them. You would have to taxi to the airport or to waikiki where there are some satellite locations.

 

On the rest of the islands, you can rent from the major companies (National, Alamo, Thrifty, Budget, Hertz as far as I can remember) and a shuttle will meet the ship and take you to the airport. If you get off the ship late, you can call the company and they will come by within 5-10 minutes.

 

In many cases, you can get on the shuttle even if you do not have a reservation and they have cars available.

[roomgypsy]

Hi All .. We have booked a car from Thriftys (airport location) and have confirming email that they will pick us up at pier to go and get our car. And, return to pier (in our case we will be dropping it off back at airport) day of flight home. So not sure if this is just Thriftys or not, but I had read previous letter here that said there was no shuttle from pier.

 

Phyllis :) **oops meant to say this was Honolulu.

[AlohaCruiser]

So I can rent a car from Alamo on the internet, use the airport location in Kauai, and they will automatically have a shuttle at the pier? I don't have to specifically tell them I will be coming in on the POA? I really don't want to make a long distance call to hawaii just to rent a car if I don't have to.

[Splinter]

It depends on the port. In Kauai Alamo will automatically have a shuttle there at the pier. In Lahaina, you have to call them for the shuttle. In Kona, there is a charge for the shuttle and you must call (this is the furthest port from the airport). We take the Bus in Honolulu usually.

 

We book our cars on-line using the Alamo website, then call the week before to confirm. If you are taking a cell, you can call them in port from the ship, otherwise you will have to wait until you get to the dock to avoid big charges.

[cruisin-Trish]

I was in Hawaii on back to back Legend cruises in April and May. I rented from Alamo at every port. There WAS NOT a charge for the shuttle in Kona when I was there. Alamo did request to be called in Kona because the airport is 20 minutes away. However both times I called and the shuttle was already on it's way.

If you rent a car in Lahaina,Maui make sure it is the JHM location(no matter which rental agency you use). DO NOT RENT A CAR AT THE AIRPORT. It is an hour away! Some of the rental agencies wouldn't let you on their shuttle without a reservation & some people with airport reservations were out of luck! Alamo does not require a credit card to hold a car so if anyone is even considering renting a car do it! Also check your rates periodically to see if there is a price drop. Ours dropped about a week before we left.

[spleen93]

So, the moral of the story is - best to call the local offices to confirm shuttle pick up or to arrange some way to get to the rental location. Use your cell phone - most of us have free long distance on those these days, anyways. :)

 

Spleen

[AlohaCruiser]

Thanks for the info, you've all really helped. One more question: if I rent a car for a day, is there someplace to park it overnight while I am on the ship?

[cruisin-Trish]

In Lahaina there is a parking lot behind the Burger King. We expected to pay $20 for overnight but if you park after 5pm it was only $5 for 24 hours. Hope it is the same when you are there! :)

[royaloakie]

I wanted to share with those of you planning car rentals a tip I received from these boards months ago. National Car Rental is the only company that will pick you up at the Pier. They will transport to and from the pier to their in- town office on Ala Moana Blvd. This was about 2 blocks from the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We used them both before and after our Cruise. They told us after the cruise to take our luggage to the trolley stop at the pier and call their office for a pick up. They told us to drop passengers and luggage at the ship and then return the car before the cruise. This worked well for us and saved us a taxi ride to the airport to pick up and drop off the car. This is only for National rentals in town, and not for the airport. They did not transport to the airport. Coming into Honolulu we rented at the airport and dropped on Ala Moana Blvd, and going we rented after the cruise on Ala Moana Blvd and dropped at the Airport.

[cruisin-Trish]

Just a few things I'd like to add! :) There are free Hilo Hattie & Walmart shuttles in most ports. In Lahaina there is a free shuttle every 20 minutes to the Whalers Village shopping mall until 2:30. The bus & local trolley is $1 each way until 10pm. I don't know the schedules but they are available in town.

 

We rented a convertible most of the time using the 6T code. Cost was around $48 total except in Hilo where it cost $20 more. I have no idea why. In Maui we rented a convertible for 2 days on the first cruise at a total cost of $89.29. We also used the code PB for a minivan rental in Maui on the second cruise. Cost is around $45 total for one day. Our 2 day rental was $83.72 total. This code is good for Sunday through Wednesday pickup. In Honolulu I used the code Q1 for weekend rental for 2 days and the cost was $65.16 for a Buick century. I had an entertainment book but I did not find the coupons in the entertainment book helpful for car rentals. The codes I mentioned always cost less.

 

There are no shuttles to the airport in Honolulu. A cab to the airport is about $30. There is a shuttle to the Alamo in the Ilikai Hotel which is close to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We actually had our car rented at the aiport & were pleasantly surprised to find an Alamo shuttle waiting as we exited the ship & they honored the price we had at the airport ! I understand the cab ride to the airport is about $30. If I had not planned on exploring the island I wouldn't have rented a car. I have read Honolulu has an excellent bus system & some of my fellow cruisers used the bus to go to the Arizona memorial & were very satisfied.

 

Driving on most of the islands is a relatively painless experience. However, the traffic in Kona is so bad Alamo's last shuttle is at 3:30 & the ship leaves at 6! We were kind of miffed about this until we drove in Kona! Then we understood! However, one of the CC people used Thrifty in Kona & it's last shuttle is 4 or 4:30.

 

I never put a pick up time earlier than 9am on any of the reservations & had no problems. Gas prices ranged from $2.13 to $2.33. We never spent more than $20 for gas, usually less.

 

I used 2 different websites to book cars & find the specials for the different agencies.

 

http://www.rentalcars.com/

http://www.autorentalguide.com/

 

In Hilo walk through the building at the pier and go to your right. There is a section where all of the shuttles stop.Make sure you get on the right shuttle! Alamo and National somtimes share shuttles. We got on one that said Alamo on the outside but on the inside said National! We didn't notice this until we'd left the pier and the driver had to call and get permission to drop us at the Alamo location since it was not in the same place as National.

 

In Kona the shuttle stop is in front of the square. It's directly in front of you as you get off the pier.

 

In Kaui there are some locals selling Leis, flower arrangements,trinkets, etc. in a building as you get off the pier. The prices are reasonable. As you start outside the building a driver may ask which car rental agency and your name. If your name wasn't on the reservation sheet you didn't get on the shuttle! All the shuttles are parked directly outside the building.

 

In Maui the shuttle stop is to your right as you get off the pier, directly across from the courthouse. Again, I can't stress enough if you are even considering renting a car do it! They will not let you on the shuttle without a reservation! You are out nothing if you don't use the reservation! In Maui they also want to only take the driver to get the car! If there were several in the party they had to wait for the driver to come pick them up.

__________________

[PGcruiser]

Thanks for the great info Trish.

[thecleave]

Trish, thanks for the great car rental links. You've saved me $20 off my car rental in Honolulu!!

[cruisin-Trish]

Always glad to help fellow cruisers! :D Glad the links saved you some money Andrea!

 

Trish

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Always glad to help fellow cruisers! :D Glad the links saved you some money Andrea!

 

Trish

 

Thanks for the information - Will be on Serenade of the Seas October 7th from Honolul to Ensenada - can't wait!!!

[roomgypsy]

Hi all.... not to beat a dead horse here, :) , but I have read here that there is no shuttle from pier, honolulu for car rental, if I am reading this correctly. We have reservation with Thriftys, which provides pier to pier shuttle. I used this recommended site, http://www.carrentalinhawaii.com/ and after reading posts here, I sent another email to confirm shuttle service would be available when we disembark in Honolulu, and it was confirmed. Hope this works out for us, will let you all know :) , Regards ~phyllis~

[cruisin-Trish]

Hi Phyllis! Haven't talked to you in awhile! ;) There was an Alamo shuttle at the pier that took me to the Ilikai Hotel which is an Alamo location. They honored the price I had for a car reserved at the airport. Is your Thrifty shuttle service to a hotel? Aren't you staying in Honolulu a few days after the cruise? I seem to remember that from the Infinity roll call.(before I changed to the Legend cruises :D). There doesn't seem to be shuttle service from the pier to the airport.

 

Trish

[roomgypsy]

Hi Trish.. nice to hear from you again. You are correct, we are staying 3 days post cruise. Thriftys say they will pick us up at pier and take us to their location at airport to get the car.

 

Then, we are going to drop it off at airport on our way home. I double checked the mails I received from them to make sure that is case. I know I keep reading that some do not, so I actually sent another mail to the Thrifty's to confirm same.

 

About 7 weeks more and we will set sail. Starting to get more excited. Goes in waves. I know my hubby must be tired of my chatter about the boards here and info I have gleaned.

 

Hope you are having a nice summer.

 

Regards ~Phyllis~

[orderby]

I just reserved with National at their Ala Moana location. They will pick us up at the pier after our cruise. Then, I can return the car at the airport when I am leaving, without an additional charge. This way I will save shuttle fare, and will not have to go all the way out to the airport after the cruise, just to turn back around again to head to Waikiki. At least, I hope it works out that way! I used a 2 class upgrade coupon from the Entertainment Book, and I believe the rate was $32 for a midsize before junk fees.

[Senior Moment]

This site may help. Just click on any Island hula girl.

http://www.spotlighthawaii.com/

[travelling mom]

I just reserved with National at their Ala Moana location. They will pick us up at the pier after our cruise. Then, I can return the car at the airport when I am leaving, without an additional charge. This way I will save shuttle fare, and will not have to go all the way out to the airport after the cruise, just to turn back around again to head to Waikiki. At least, I hope it works out that way! I used a 2 class upgrade coupon from the Entertainment Book, and I believe the rate was $32 for a midsize before junk fees.

 

We just returned from our POAM cruise and once we disembarked, I called National and they came to pick us up at the pier very quickly. They dropped us off at the Ala Moana location. We rented the car for 2 days and they allowed us to drop the car off at the airport without an extra charge. We got a full size using the same Entertainment coupon you have and we paid $57.00 for a 2 day rental. A word of advice, when the Thrifty driver lets you off in the garage area, its best if someone can stay with the luggage where they drop you off. We were told to go to their office which was on the 1st floor and had to use the elevator to bring our luggage up only to have to bring it down again when we went to pick up the car. It would have been easier to just have one person go to their office.

[Hoosier Gal]

Sorry to ask so many rental car questions but I want everything to go smooth. I am confused.. You talk about Enterprise and then about Thrifty.

[morriscats]

I Honolulu we initially rented a car from Hertz for our cruise this October. They said to call them and they would pick up at pier but since we are there on a Saturday their office closes at 4PM and if we were after that we would have to take the car to the airport and they would shuttle us back or give us a voucher for a cab. We have since changed to National because they are open until 8PM and we plan on having the car back by then. They will pick up at pier and take us back upon returning the car. This is the only island that we have rented a car so far. Call the local office at AlaMouna location for National. Hope this helps.

[momofdsc]

Wow, thanks for some GREAT info! Will definitely visit back here!