Diamnond Princess-Kauai stop

[clodhopper1969]

hello, i inquired on the hawaii board but noone answered, so those of you who have sailed on the Diamond recently perhaps you can answer.

 

We would like to rent a car and go independantly to the beaches to snorkel. Do we have enough time in port to do this as well what rental company picks you up at the port and which is the best beach to snorkel at in Jan.

 

thanks for your advice and help in advance.

[Spikesgirl]

I'll try to help, but when do you arrive and depart? Some of the best beaches are in Poipu and Princeville, but you have to be mindful of the tides, especially in the winter.

 

What you might want to do is go to your local library or bookstore and check to see if they have any of the "Revealed" series. The one of Kaua'i would be a boon for your planning.

 

Charlie

[crewsn]

clodhopper,

 

Other people on cc had posted that this is one of the most difficult Hawaiian ports on this trip to rent a car. From what I can remember the airport is about 8 miles away and the roads are slower going along with the time it takes to pick-up your car there. Also I think the last shuttle back to the ship was early - 3:30 PM?

 

There were some postings on car rentals on our roll call thread. I tried to look for them quickly but could not find them. Here is the link if you want to look. The postings were helpful.

 

Steve

[clodhopper1969]

thanks for your replies, we dock at 8 and leave at 5. so presumably we will need to be back on the ship at 4:30. I have been to my library. unfortunately i live in small town canada....which is very beautiful and peaceful....but the library has very limited info...i have been to our only bookstore as well and they do not have much. I have never heard of the revealed books...what are they. i have only seen fodors.

 

thanks again

[kubarque]

We were in Kauai last March on an NCL ship. We rented from Budget (arranged on the web). Budget had a shuttle from pier to their airport location (only about a 5 minute ride, airport is very close to port). We drove to the canyon and stopped for lots of views and photos. Ran into some traffic on the way back but were back on the ship before 2 PM after dropping off the car. Island Princess was in port with us and they were tendering. We rode back in the Budget shuttle with a couple from the IP who had also done a 4 or 5 hour car rental. Beats the cost of a ship's tour. Definitely want to head back early if going to the Princeville area as the main road gets very slow as the day goes on.

[Sillyjilly]

Don't know if this will help, but there is a small beach you can take by shuttle from the pier. I'm not sure how the snorkeling is, but it's in an alcove and we did see people snorkeling.

 

Have a great trip!

Jill

[Fredr]

thanks for your replies, we dock at 8 and leave at 5. so presumably we will need to be back on the ship at 4:30. I have been to my library. unfortunately i live in small town canada....which is very beautiful and peaceful....but the library has very limited info...i have been to our only bookstore as well and they do not have much. I have never heard of the revealed books...what are they. i have only seen fodors.

 

thanks again

 

Hello,

 

You will have lots of time to see Kauai and go snorkling. My advice is to leave Princeville for another time, and spend your time seeing Poipu (which has very nice beaches where you can go snorkling, a drive along Kauai's southern shore, and a drive up to see Waimea Canyon. Princeville is in the northwest corner of Kauai and though it is very scenic the weather can be very iffy and it is a fairly long drive back to Lihue and the cruise port. The south shore, however, is much closer to the cruise terminal and the weather is generally sunnier. You can get picnic supplies in the lovely little town of Koloa, on your way to the beach at Poipu.

 

Kauai has very good roads and it is not a very big island, but the traffic can be slow going around Lihue.

 

The morning you are in Kauai, have an early breakfast and get off the ship as early as you can. The car rental companies will take you to their facility to check you in but this isn't very far from the cruise terminal. Make your car reservation before you leave Canada, that is, have your reservation in hand. Renting a car on Kauai and the other islands is the very best way to see Hawaii.

 

As you exit the car rental facility, head west toward Poipu and do not waste your time seeing Lihue..it is a nice town but without much to see.

 

VERY IMPORTANT! Make sure that you have some type of footwear that protects your feet, because the coral can be very sharp in the ocean.

 

One of the better guidebooks is the Lonely Planet series.

 

As for time, you can do quite a lot in about 6 to 7 hours on this truly wonderful island.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Fred

[clodhopper1969]

thank you so much for your replies it really will help us decide what to do. I think we will rent a car..now off in my search for the best deal. thanks again to all who replied...it really is helpful.

[jnc411]

Don't know if this will help, but there is a small beach you can take by shuttle from the pier. I'm not sure how the snorkeling is, but it's in an alcove and we did see people snorkeling.

 

Have a great trip!

Jill

 

Hi, we went swimming and snorkeling at the beach that Jill is talking about . It is a beautiful beach , but not good snorkeling, not clear and no fish. It is right in front of the Marriott. We have been to Lydgate park up a way from the port it is near the Wialua River , it is nice safe and good snorkeling. Have a wonderful trip.

Cori

[Cruisin' Chick]

Make sure you find out if you're docking or tendering. We docked in Kauai a couple of years ago, but sometimes you may end up tendering. If you're tendering, you need to head back to the ship earlier (allow for about an hour as the line to catch a tender will get quite long nearer to the sailaway time (which is not the time you need to get back to the ship by; you need to already be back on the ship long before this).

 

We went to the beach behind the Marriott (took the ABC Stores shuttle for free), but we didn't go snorkeling there.

[coolcat12]

We rented a car in Kauai and had plenty of time to snorkel. We drove up to the lighthouse, ate an Ono burger, stopped in a few towns and snorkeled at Lydgate on the way back to the ship.

There was plenty of time to snorkel other places as well if you want. I would recommend going to Lydgate as it was unique (like a beginner's snorkeling sight but tons of beautiful fish!) and find another snorkel spot or two.

We did not have to tender but the cruise prior to us did. We rented from Budget and there was a 10 minute wait for pick up (lots of people) and they returned us promptly via shuttle. Sign up for those rental car company's preferred renter cards...saved us time at each port. We used Budget for Kauai, Avis in Hilo and Hertz in Honolulu.

 

Have a great cruise!