Car Rentals On The Islands

[KeiEdy]

We will be on POA leaving 1/9/05. Arriving in Honolulu on 1/7. We are planning to rent a car at the airport and return near the pier. Can anyone tell me the closet car rental to the pier? Also any suggestions for the other islands. We are planning to rent a car at most of the islands since daughters coming on vacation with us it will be cheaper than a shore excursion through NCL.

Any info please??

Edye:)

[bug_dan]

The pier is about halfway between Waikiki and the airport, but the Waikiki rental offices are at the western edge of Waikiki, around the Ilikiai Hotel. I suspect those offices would be closer than the airport, although not by much. Many of the rental agencies charge a drop off fee of $20 to $30 if you pick the car up in one location and drop it off in another. National doesn't mention any fee when you reserve the car on line.

 

On the other Islands, the rental offices are usually near the airports and the companies do provide shuttles, although there are mixed reports on Kona. Some users say they've been charged $20 for the shuttle, while others say they paid no fee.

On Maui, I believe National has an office near the pier, at least I thought one was listed on their website.

 

You can get a ton of infor on car rentals just by using the forum search and using the key words of hawaii car rentals.

[bobnsandi]

On Maui, I believe National has an office near the pier, at least I thought one was listed on their website.

National's office is a five to ten minute walk from the Kahului pier. All of the rental agencies, including National, have shuttle busses to their offices. The shuttles take about five minutes from the Kahului pier to the airport.

[Ka Honu]

I'd check with Enterprise - they usually come get you wherever you happen to be (and are usually very competitively priced).

[KeiEdy]

Thanks for the info. I usually use Enterprise. They usually have the best prices along with the Entertainment Book coupon.

[kimmiejo]

To get the best rates possible, I started by going to the Alamo website and making reservations for each of the dates. Then went to the Thrifty website - if I found a cheaper rate, I made a reservation (then canceled the Alamo one) - then went to Enterprise, National, Dollar and Hertz. These are the cheapest rates I found:

 

Honolulu: 10/3 – 10/5 Mini-van thru Thrifty @ $47.99/day – total with taxes $107.09

 

 

Kauai: 10/6 Mini-van thru Thrifty @ $48.99/day – total with taxes $57.14

 

 

Kona: 10/7 Mini-van thru Enterprise @$40.84/day – total with taxes $45.54

 

 

Hilo: 10/8 Alamo Premium 4 door (Pontiac Bonneville or similar) – supposed to seat 5 adults & 1 child $52.00/day – total with taxes $61.92 (upgraded to minivan at same rate)

 

 

Maui: 10/9 – 10/10 Mini-van thru Enterprise @ $48.95/day – total with taxes $117.41

[meadcher]

Did you have shuttle pick up at all these places at the port? Do you have to call ahead for pick up?

[kimmiejo]

Did you have shuttle pick up at all these places at the port? Do you have to call ahead for pick up?

Yes, there were shuttles at all the ports. The only one I had trouble at was Kona with Enterprise. I saw the Enterprise VAN and went up to them. He told me he was there to pick up certain people and that another shuttle would be coming. I called them just to make sure. When the next VAN arrived, they only took the drivers. This guy did take one person who didn't have a rental reservation already though. It's not too far from the pier though.

 

Kim

[Sammy]

Kimmiejo....

 

Didn't I read that the Enterprise office is in town (not way out at the airport)? You said it wasn't too far. If that's the case, then Enterprise is the ticket because it's not nearly as far to the office if you don't get a shuttle. The bus probably runs right up there.

 

True?

 

Thanks

Sammy

[kimmiejo]

Kimmiejo....

 

Didn't I read that the Enterprise office is in town (not way out at the airport)? You said it wasn't too far. If that's the case, then Enterprise is the ticket because it's not nearly as far to the office if you don't get a shuttle. The bus probably runs right up there.

 

True?

 

Thanks

Sammy

True - in Kona the Enterprise office is in town (I believe there may have been 2 offices to choose from though so there could be one at the airport as well as the one on Luhia - but I don't recall).

 

The WalMart is not too far from the Enterprise office either. I'm not sure which way the shuttle buses run, but my guess is they will go straight up Palani Road. To get to Enterprise, you take Alii Drive out of the Pier - which turns into Palani Road. You make the first left at Kuakin Road, then make a right onto Kaiwi, then a right onto Luhia Street.

 

It's in a little shopping "plaza" on the left, but you have to go up and around the building, then go down the sidewalk along side of the building (next to the hardware store) to the front. Looking at the front, Enterprise is on the 2nd floor and the only way there is to take this sidewalk. They said they plan to move, but don't recall when.

 

If you pass Luhia Street, you will end up at the Route 11 intersection where you can only go left or right. If you make a right, you will see the Enterprise sign on the upper left of the building.

 

One thing we found was there are not any directional signs in Hawaii. I asked the rental car shuttle guy about it and he said they have strict sign laws. They are only allowed a sign on the building and one sign within 10 feet of the building. They also have to be specific colors and sizes. So, don't expect to see a sign at the intersection telling you where the Walmart is or how to get there. We ended up at the Safeway, then trying to get out of the Safeway parking lot, we found the WalMart - it was tucked away. This is true on all of the islands.

 

Kim

 

P.S. You can get awesome maps from http://www.driveguidemagazines.com/hawaiimaps.html - if you click on the Big Island, then the Kailua-Kona map, you can see my directions from above.

[Host Karen]

Kim, thanks for the link to those excellent maps. We're sailing Infinity next month and are planning to do lots of driving. I've been printing like mad this morning. :)

[kimmiejo]

Kim, thanks for the link to those excellent maps. We're sailing Infinity next month and are planning to do lots of driving. I've been printing like mad this morning. :)

 

You're welcome! Here's another site to visit too.....

 

Alternative Hawaii's Be Your Own Tour Guide:

http://www.alternative-hawaii.com/byotg.htm

 

They have directions for different tours you can do on your own for Oahu, Maui, and Kaui. They didn't have any for the Big Island. They say they'll have them Winter of 2004 (but, that could be January or February).

 

I printed off the different tours and then highlighted the things that I wanted to see. Some things we didn't want to do because we were limited on time, and we had some places on one that we wanted to see and some on another, so I took the directions from multiple and combined into my own little guide.

 

I know what you mean! I had a huge notebook filled with all my maps and directions and sights to see, separated with a tab divider for each island/port. Pretty anal, but it worked!

 

Kim

[Host Karen]

We returned a week ago Monday from our 15-night Infinity cruise to Hawaii and just wanted to reiterate that those maps came in very handy.

 

Also, most of the passengers who rented cars on the islands rented through Alamo, so anyone using them should anticipate long waits for shuttles and long lines at the check-in counters (most didn't offer Quick Silver service). We saw shuttles for National, Alamo, Hertz and Thrifty at every port, and Budget and Dollar at a few. We don't recall seeing a shuttle for Avis anywhere. In Kona, we called Enterprise when we arrived on land and someone came to pick us up.

[hallpau]

olliekl...

I travel on business and have some "free" rentals with Hertz and Avis. I found that Avis doesn't provide pier pickup any longer (which you confirmed in your post), but I would like to use a free rental coupon with them. Would you tell me which port was closest to the airport. Based on my research I think Kauai (LIH) airport is only 2.2 miles away from the pier....do you agree this is the closest airport to pier at the different ports for HAL Statendam 15 night cruise. Thanks in advance for your reply.

[iamwatiyam]

We will be on POA leaving 1/9/05. Arriving in Honolulu on 1/7. We are planning to rent a car at the airport and return near the pier. Can anyone tell me the closet car rental to the pier? Also any suggestions for the other islands. We are planning to rent a car at most of the islands since daughters coming on vacation with us it will be cheaper than a shore excursion through NCL.

 

 

Any info please??

Edye:)

We sailed Dec 4th NCL Wind. Picked up National car at airport 4 days prior. Priceline for four days, $20 a day. Lot girl upgraded at no charge to large 4-dr Saturn when I asked if I could get 4-dr instead of 2-dr Cavalier. I dropped off at their Waikiki office at *no* drop-off charge and they took me and my wife and two little girls along with 12 pieces of luggage and two boogie surf boards right to the pier. Free!:D

Got a National 4-dr Cavalier at Kahului for $22. Just walked up to their airport office taking a Hertz shuttle there. Since Kahului port had long day (sailaway was 10:30pm) was the only place we rented car. Other ports not enough time to make it worthwhile.

At all ports you can get free shuttles to shopping centers or to Hilo Hatties. We rode there but did not buy anything. Instead just walked a few feet to Wal-Mart. Great prices for Hawaiian souvenirs. Oh, Kahului has no free shuttles. One shuttle service costs $7.50 per person to nearby shopping mall.:mad: Cheaper to rent for all day.

Eddie

[Host Karen]

hallpau, lucky you! The port in Nawiliwili (hope I spelled that right) was about five minutes from the airport and probably the closest of all the ports we visited -- although I can't speak for Maui since we didn't rent a car there. The next closest was Hilo, which was less than 10 minutes from the dock. We rented from downtown Honolulu rather than the airport and that was about 15 minutes away from the terminal. I would guess the airport is about 20 minutes in the opposite direction. I believe the airport in Kona was the farthest away, which is why we rented from Enterprise in town.

 

Hope this helps. Have a great time!

 

Karen

[hallpau]

Thanks Karen for the rental car information. I'll use my Avis coupon in Kauai since you confirmed that is the nearest airport (and Avis doesn't provide shuttle) and I'll use my Hertz "free rentals" in the other ports since they do provide free shuttle. I don't understand why Avis quit providing shuttle service, but I'm sure it will cut into their rentals.

 

Thanks again for the well wishes and the help...hope your cruise was wonderful also and that you have great memories to share with your friends and family.

[Host Karen]

hallpau, you're very welcome. That's one of the best things about these boards: cruisers gain a lot of information before they sail, and with luck they share information when they return.

 

I have never rented from Avis, so I can't guess why they stopped shuttle service. I will say that sometimes it's better to pay a little more (Hertz) or get yourself to the rental agency (Avis) because it cuts down on the crowds at the pier and at the counter. When we go back to Hawaii in March 2006, I can guarantee we will not be renting from Alamo regardless of the cost.

 

We had an awesome time in Hawaii and thought the islands were beautiful, picturesque and clean, and the people friendly and helpful. We came home with tons of photos, several hours of video, and lots of stories to share with our family and friends. I hope your experience is as good or better. Bon voyage!

 

Karen

[Bucky3]

Thanks so much for all the great rental car info - a great list to use when comparing rates. Lots of good information from everyone here.