Which port tender in Hawaii?

[NORMAN8]

I forgot which ports are tendered in Hawaii? Also can you walk around near the ports of call and do some last minute shopping or do you really need a rental car?

[electricron]

I forgot which ports are tendered in Hawaii? Also can you walk around near the ports of call and do some last minute shopping or do you really need a rental car?

 

The only tender ports in Hawaii are Lahaina and Hilo. The rest have piers that the ships dock at. Most of the Hawaiian piers are located in industrial port areas. Many will have free shuttles to shopping areas nearby, so it isn't necessary to rent a car.

[mitsguy2001]

The only tender ports in Hawaii are Lahaina and Hilo. The rest have piers that the ships dock at. Most of the Hawaiian piers are located in industrial port areas. Many will have free shuttles to shopping areas nearby, so it isn't necessary to rent a car.

 

Hilo is not a tender port, at least not on most cruises. Kona is the tender port that you are thinking of. And yes, Lahaina is also a tender port.

[PDAZ]

Yeah, it's Kona, not Hilo. There's plenty of shops at the pier in Kona, and several within walking distance on Kauai. If you have your Maui port in Lahaina, there are a lot of shops there also.

[flag fan]

Lahaina may be a tender port, but for the Pride of Hawaii cruise I was on the port for Maui was Kahului, at which the ship docks at the pier, so there was only 1 tendered port.

[PDAZ]

Lahaina may be a tender port, but for the Pride of Hawaii cruise I was on the port for Maui was Kahului, at which the ship docks at the pier, so there was only 1 tendered port.

 

Same with the seven day Pride of Aloha, but some of the new, longer cruises on the Pride of Aloha will also include a stop in Lahaina, and I think most of the cruises out of LA/SD stop in Lahaina.

[mikaula]

We went on the Pride of Hawaii in April. There were several shuttle busses at all the ports so you won't even have to walk if you prefer to ride. They had one for Hilo Hatties, WalMart, and various other shops. They were all free so you might want to take advantage of some of those. By all means, do plan to so some excusions too! There are so many things to see and do away from the ports. We loved Hawaii so much we are scheduled to go on a land based trip in July. Can't wait!!!

[NJOY2CRUISE]

OK.. If you don't pre=plan any excursions, when you get off the ships (Pride of Hawaii) at each port, can you tell me if there are tour operators, companies ready to fit you onto one of their curent excursions -- and if there are- are they more in certain ports than another?

 

In each port, if you were to rent a car, do most passengers try to connect with you to share rides/tours....

 

O late 1

 

 

Cheers.:)

[beachchick]

OK.. If you don't pre=plan any excursions, when you get off the ships (Pride of Hawaii) at each port, can you tell me if there are tour operators, companies ready to fit you onto one of their curent excursions -- and if there are- are they more in certain ports than another?

 

In each port, if you were to rent a car, do most passengers try to connect with you to share rides/tours....

 

O late 1

 

 

Cheers.:)

 

There are some tour operators at the pier, but Hilo was the only one where there were bunches of small vans lined up offering various island tours. If you wanted to do something like a snorkel excursion or a helicopter ride or anything like that, you'd need to make reservations in advance, and most of the commercial excursion companies do not offer transportation from the pier. There are tour/excursion companies that are consolidators, which do include packages (but of course usually cost more than booking directly because they include transportation, etc.). Robert's Hawaii is offering more tours than they used to, but I don't know if they have last minute openings at the ports.

 

No, we really didn't see passengers getting together and arranging to share car rentals, tours, or anything. However, in Hilo, most of the vans seated at least 12, so there were definitely groups of passengers together. In a couple of cases, I saw some passengers discussing getting together to fill a van, but in many/most cases, it was just random people who happened to choose the same tour/van. Most passengers seemed to have their days pretty well planned. This is not to say that you couldn't try to find ride/tour/taxi sharing, just that we really didn't see it at any of the ports.

 

In Kona, there are many tour/excursion kiosks and store fronts along Ali'i Dr. Turn right from the tender pier and you're on Ali'i. Beware though--Many of the "cheap" prices (e.g., $80 snorkel excursion for $20) require that you attend a minimum 2 hour time-share presentation. You can often purchase tours/excursions without the time-share, but at only a small discount ($80 snorkel excursion for $70). If you're tendered at Lahaina, the harbor is right there and there are many small boats offering various excursions. Some require reservations, many do not or have some last-minute spaces available. As well, there are many, many tour/excursion kiosks and store fronts along Front St. The same time-share warning applies.

 

Hope that helps a bit.:)

 

beachchick

[NORMAN8]

Thanks Beachchick. I've read many of your replies and they'll very helpful. At this point I haven't considered any excursions. I was going to take each day one at a time and if there were some interesting excursions, I would join the private tours. Having read these threads on the good and bad of NCL and that it's really the islands which are the highlight of the cruise, I'm a bit disappointed. The last time I went to Hawaii with island hopping was 12 years ago on our honeymoon which was fantastic. And to be honest, I just remember only a few sights. Don't worry when the time for us to go in August, I will be all psych up ready to have a good time.

[milolii]

Aloha!

 

Visit gohawaii.com. Vendors on this site do not have the real estate componet tour attached. Many have e-mail address so you can inquire about pick up points. Also visit the Hawaii board on CC.

 

Much shopping/dinning within walking distance in Kona and Lahaina. ABC stores/General Whaler stores everywhere. Vans to Walmart are also available, but the other two stores/flea market/local vendors (may need cash for last two) probably have what you want in the way of souvineers. You can also visit some historical sites/churches for free or nominal donations

 

 

Kona has a flea market, as well as, a beach in front of the the King Kamechamecha Hotel. All beaches are open to the public (state law). you can rent beach/snorkle gear also. In Kona/Lahaina can do water excrusioons from the dock/port. In Lahaina, you can even get a ferry/boat trip to Lanai if you want to see another Island.

 

Hilo is an industrial port and you would need transporation to anything. Hawaiin Volcanos National Park is about 1 hr.

 

Mahalo and enjoy the islands :o

 

Milolii

[NORMAN8]

Thanks. Sounds good. Lots of things to do. By the way, 15 years ago I took some volcanic rocks as souvenoirs. Later I heard it's bad luck. Does anyone know if that's true?

[Droopy_Sails]

Thanks. Sounds good. Lots of things to do. By the way, 15 years ago I took some volcanic rocks as souvenoirs. Later I heard it's bad luck. Does anyone know if that's true?

 

Well, that's a little like saying, "Does anyone know if X or Y religion is true?" You either believe it or you don't...

 

But many Hawaiians believe that all volcanic rocks belong to the goddess of the volcano, Pele, and removing them from the island will bring the bearer bad luck. Every year the rangers at Volcanoes National Park get many packages from people returning lava rocks because they've had a run of bad luck.

[Droopy_Sails]

On another note, I see a lot of posts about shuttles to Wal-Mart. I avoid Wal-Mart like the plague here on the mainland, so I'm not too objective, but for those who like it, what is the attraction of going all the way to Hawaii and then spending your time in Wal-Mart? Do they have something special there you can't get at any other Wal-Mart?

[NORMAN8]

At Walmart, would you get better prices on Macadamia nuts, Taro chips, Aloha shirts, etc?

[milolii]

Best prices, ABC and General Whalers, not Walmart

 

ABC even has an online site, you can look at merchandise and prices. Sales tax about half of CA.:o I think it is ABC.com, but you can do a search.

[PDAZ]

Well I hate to admit that we went there (it was my stepmother's fault ;) ), but Walmart did have an extensive selection of Hawaiian shirts at great prices. They also had fresh flower leis available -- we had trouble finding these on our cruise in March (other than in Hilo).

[Retired not Expired]

Thanks. Sounds good. Lots of things to do. By the way, 15 years ago I took some volcanic rocks as souvenoirs. Later I heard it's bad luck. Does anyone know if that's true?

 

I don't know. Have you had good or bad luck the past 15 years???:D

[Retired not Expired]

On another note, I see a lot of posts about shuttles to Wal-Mart. I avoid Wal-Mart like the plague here on the mainland, so I'm not too objective, but for those who like it, what is the attraction of going all the way to Hawaii and then spending your time in Wal-Mart? Do they have something special there you can't get at any other Wal-Mart?

 

It's a good place to restock soda and water without trying to carry so much on board at the beginning plus, who says you have to shop there. You can take any of the shuttles to get to areas where you can do other things or shop other places. It's not a timed thing, shuttles run all day. Some take a Walmart to get there and maybe a K-Mart or Hilo Hatties to get back.

[NORMAN8]

The closest Walmart where I live is at least 10 miles away and I went to one last weekend as a curosity. For some reason, it was so crowded and the lines to the cashier were way too long. The place gave me a headache and I couldn't continue going further in the store. If the store in Hawaii is like that then I don't want to go in. I'm looking for good prices on good selection of Aloha shirts. On formal nights, won't you feel out of place wearing a suit or tux? Also, the tax here is 8.25%. I'm curious what is the tax in Hawaii.

 

As for the Hawaiian rocks. I'm trying to find them and return them when I get on the cruise. Since the 15 years when we got them, I would say I haven't had too much bad luck (I did have a car accident but we got out unhurt). I'm happily married with two kids, and the kids love to go on cruises which is why we'll be going this summer. I always wanted a BMW and Mercedes and I got it. We're living the American dream and love the United States. That's why when I hear reviews about the American crew not up to par with the international crew in other cruise ships, I don't like it and we shouldn't accept it. Look at Disneyland, the workers are American and our family love going to the "happiest place in the world". Anyway, I'm getting off track and I'll continue looking for those darn lava rocks. We moved to our large house several years ago and I still haven't opened the many boxes in my garage and basement. Maybe those rocks are good luck?

[lvcruises]

Hi Beachchick - maybe you can answer this for me on Kona, you seem to know so much about Hawaii. I have 2 excursions booked that day. The first one is the Historic Kona that leaves the ship at 7:15 it is suppose to be about 4 hours long. I then have the Captain Zodiac Raft at 12:45. I thought we would have enough time to go back to the ship and change. Since it is a tender port I'm wondering if we shouldn't just stay on Kona and dress for the snorkeling. I'm afraid we could get into a real mess if we try to go back to the ship, we only have a little over an hour between excursions. What do you suggest?

[beachchick]

NORMAN8: I know in VNP, you are told not to take any lava rocks. For Hawaiians, it's a pretty big deal. You'll find residents even shaking out their towels and scraping off their sandals at the black sand beaches so as not to remove it.

 

The bottom line is this: It doesn't matter to me whether I believe it or not. What matters is that the Hawaiian people do. Out of respect for them and their culture and religion, we wouldn't take any lava rock home. It would be like taking home holy water from a cathedral or snacking on the hunk of bread up on the alter at the Episcopal church or anything similar with other religions. My mom snuck home a piece of lava about 30 years ago, and my father made her mail it back. (Now, my mother is pretty strong willed and my father rarely tried to "order" her to do anything, but that time he absolutely insisted. He didn't believe in the Hawaiian religion, but that wasn't the point.)

 

So, good for you for trying to return it. (IMO, you get points just for the effort.) That shows concern and respect--even if it has seemed to bring you good luck.

 

For aloha shirts, and such, Sears has a really good selection (especially the stores on Oahu) at usually excellent prices. Name designers in high-quality fabrics at 20% to 40% or more less than the list price (which is what Hilo Hattie and the ship's stores charge). They've also got non-designer attire in basic fabrics at even lower prices (or at least, they seem to from what I remember).

 

beachchick

[beachchick]

Hi Beachchick - maybe you can answer this for me on Kona, you seem to know so much about Hawaii. I have 2 excursions booked that day. The first one is the Historic Kona that leaves the ship at 7:15 it is suppose to be about 4 hours long. I then have the Captain Zodiac Raft at 12:45. I thought we would have enough time to go back to the ship and change. Since it is a tender port I'm wondering if we shouldn't just stay on Kona and dress for the snorkeling. I'm afraid we could get into a real mess if we try to go back to the ship, we only have a little over an hour between excursions. What do you suggest?

 

Well, by late morning the tenders should not be a problem. However, if your morning excursion is late getting back and you don't have what you need for your afternoon one, you could have a problem. Captain Zodiac leaves right from the tender pier area, is that correct? If so, then you would have less worry than if it left from somewhere you'd actually have to taxi to get to.

 

What about bringing what you need for your snorkel excursion, just in case, but then heading back to the ship for lunch if there is time?

 

My true suggestion is to dress for your snorkel (or have what you need with you in your daypacks or whatever you're bringing) and not try to go back to the ship. You'll have an hour or so to wander a bit on Ali'i Dr., where you'll find shopping, dining, coffee places, great views, etc. Grab a bite to eat at one of the local spots and just relax for an hour. Then you'll be all refreshed and ready for your afternoon adventure. You could probably change clothes in one of the restrooms if you don't care to wear your swimsuits under your clothes during your morning excursion. In Hawaii, it seems like the only times we don't wear our swimsuits under our clothes (or coverup or sarong for me) is when we're wandering somewhere early morning and planning to rest after breakfast, going somewhere specific that doesn't involve water (and where we know we won't make other stops), or in the evening. Otherwise, I've usually got on a swimsuit, tank top, shorts, and maybe aloha shirt (or sleeveless sundress in aloha print in lieu of the shirts/shorts) because you just never know when the opporunity will come up to take a swim.:D

 

beachchick

[lvcruises]

Thanks for the advise Beachchick. After my DH and I talked we kind of came to the same conclusion. Be prepared for both in case we can't get back to the ship. Seems like the best way to ensure we don't miss out on the snorkeling trip.

[Lauraloha]

Please don't take rocks or anything from our islands. It is not good for your karma or our aina (land).

 

Cheap kine souvenirs at Long's (across from docks at Maui) and Wal-Mart. Long's is more Hawaii style.

 

Laura

Maui