Hilo - what was your experience?

[rbakker]

Greetings! As a resident of Hilo, I was wondering how cruise ship visitors experience our town.

 

Please let me know what you think, and maybe you could also answer some question I have.

 

1) About what percentage of people prefer to just stay on the boat when it's in Hilo, or does just about everyone get off?

 

2) Is it easy to make your way around? Is it easy to get a taxi into town and what does that cost (I've never taken a taxi here).

 

3) Why do we see so many cruise ship passengers at Walmart? Is it a popular bus pick-up point, or do people ask to be taken there?

 

thank you

[Sea Hag]

We were only there once, and it was raining pretty hard. We'd booked a helicopter flight, but it was canceled. We stood around outside for quite a bit before they canceled it, so then we just went back aboard the ship. We're looking forward to visiting your island again in Feburary 10, and, hopefully, seeing more of it. :)

 

I can't ever figure out why people head off to the Walmart on shore days! Maybe some of them forgot things they need? I sure wouldn't spend any time in a Walmart when I could be sight seeing!

[karatemom2]

Greetings! As a resident of Hilo, I was wondering how cruise ship visitors experience our town.

 

Please let me know what you think, and maybe you could also answer some question I have.

 

1) About what percentage of people prefer to just stay on the boat when it's in Hilo, or does just about everyone get off?

 

2) Is it easy to make your way around? Is it easy to get a taxi into town and what does that cost (I've never taken a taxi here).

 

3) Why do we see so many cruise ship passengers at Walmart? Is it a popular bus pick-up point, or do people ask to be taken there?

 

thank you

 

We love Hilo. It is a lovely port and we would never even think about staying on the ship. We rented a car both times we visited and it was very easy to get around. We drove to Volcanoes National Park one year, and just recently when we were there in December we visited the Hawaiian Botanical Gardens (gorgeous), Rainbow Falls and Panaewa Rainforest Zoo. There are stilll many things I want to see in Hilo and the surrounding areas, and so when we come back next year I have a whole new list of sites to discover.

 

I think the reason you see passengers at Walmart is that they have a free shuttle that goes back and forth between the cruise ship dock and Walmart, so people use it as a way to get into town and back to the ship, and while they are there they pick up needed sundries and inexpensive souvenirs.

[sptrout]

rbakker,

 

I have visited your lovely town several times (never by cruise ship though) so I cannot answer your questions about passengers. I cannot believe that people would just stay on the ship unless it is raining (it never rains in Hilo;))

 

I will say though that one possible reason for so many visits to Wal Mart is the great prices they have for T-shirts! My wife and me bought a bunch the last time we where there for a fraction of the prices at more tourist-type stores. Also, folks may be going there just to restock on basic travel supplies (but it is really for the T-shirts:))

[Deloresgardella]

rbakker, I was just wondering if you can tell me something about VNP. We will be coming in a cruise ship, the Spirit from Vancouver BC. Is it hard walking. I have a slight mobility problem, because of my age, but would really like seeing the Park. Also the best way to see it. Thank you

Delores

[CRUZBUDS]

We have been several times and enjoyed it, except for one time that the rain was just too much.

 

We have done the petrified rain forrest Akaki Falls, an ATV tour, tour of the Valley of the Kings, the huge hot swimming pool, and Walmart.

 

The hot pool is in a county park. A sea wall was built to provide protected swimming. It's built over a volcanic area and the water is often in the 90's. The pool is about the size of an olympic swimming pool.

 

We'll be back in March and are going to the Volcano. We did it years ago from Kona, I know it will be a much shorter drive from Hilo

 

Walmart has the shuttle and you'll find a great many of the crew stocking up on necessities.

 

Aloha

[CC Help Michell]

Hilo was our favorite cruise stop in Hawaii! We rented a car and drove to VNP, and wound up spending our entire day there apart from a quick stop at Mauna Loa macadamia plant on the way back to the ship. However, what we saw of Hilo convinced us beyond doubt that the Hilo side of the BI is our top priority for when we return for a visit by land. We want to tour VNP again, and now that lava is flowing once more go see that -- but we also want to roam Banyan Drive, visit the Pacific Tsunami Museum, go to Richardson Beach and maybe Punalu'u Beach, and so on. I have a list as long as my arm to do in Hilo and can't wait to have a chance to do it. :) To us it felt like a place where "real people" live, eat, shop, go to school, and so on -- and we're considering retirement options in the next couple of decades, so Hilo definitely grabbed our attention.

 

I couldn't care less about visiting a Wal-Mart, apart from maybe souvenir shopping, and maybe supply shopping if we are staying in a condo/rental home. :)

[Duffys wife 1957]

We also did VNP, and really loved it. The Macadama Nut Factory was fun also. Our tour guide was from a little town north of Hilo and was great. She told us all how much she loved to live there and the people were so nice. I didn't think many people stayed on the ship the day we were docked. Hilo is a nice port.

[GillCC]

love the sound of the hot pool - where was that in relation to the ship?

[Duck Duck Cruise]

love the sound of the hot pool - where was that in relation to the ship?

 

 

Hi GillCC,

I was interested in this also and found the following link to the park.

 

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/hawaii/html/beaches/ahalanui_park.html

 

It appears to be south of Hilo and you would need a car which we are not doing so we will miss it this time around. I will put it on the list for next time though.

 

Look forward to meeting you on the cruise!

 

Lin

[JulieMcCoy]

[rbakker, I was just wondering if you can tell me something about VNP. We will be coming in a cruise ship, the Spirit from Vancouver BC. Is it hard walking. I have a slight mobility problem, because of my age, but would really like seeing the Park. Also the best way to see it. Thank you

Delores ]

 

We just came back from Hawaii and Volcanoes National Park. We did the basic driving tour of the park, stopping at the primary viewing spots. The only place I think would be difficult for someone with mobility issues was the lava tube, which involved a kind of steep downhill walk. Most things were close to the road.

[CRUZBUDS]

You do need a car and follow the directions carefully - it's off the beaten path. It is worth visiting if you have the time.

[beachchick]

Greetings! As a resident of Hilo, I was wondering how cruise ship visitors experience our town.

 

Aloha. My DH and I are not your typical cruise ship pax because we do almost all of our Hawaii visits as land trips. Take my responses with a grain of Alaea salt.

 

Please let me know what you think, and maybe you could also answer some question I have.

 

1) About what percentage of people prefer to just stay on the boat when it's in Hilo, or does just about everyone get off?

 

On our cruise, nearly all pax went off the ship for at least part of the day. I'm going to make a WAG of 75% to 80%. There's so much to do and see around Hilo, plus VNP and the Puna district, that even pax who've cruised before seem to find reasons to disembark. As we had spent several days at Volcano House a couple of years back as well as having a couple of day trips around Hilo, we chose to tour the Puna district for the entire day. It was fabulous, especially looking back and seeing how the end-of-the-road parking area out of Kalapana where we parked our 4-w/d and hiked out a bit has now become part of the surface flows last year. Reminds you that Madam Pele and mother nature are very powerful forces.

 

2) Is it easy to make your way around? Is it easy to get a taxi into town and what does that cost (I've never taken a taxi here).

 

We saw many buses, shuttles, and taxis (as well as private tour vans), but always rent a car so I don't know.

 

3) Why do we see so many cruise ship passengers at Walmart? Is it a popular bus pick-up point, or do people ask to be taken there?

 

I would love to know the reason for this too. Beats the heck out of me. Walmart, et al hold no appeal for us.

 

thank you

 

Mahalo for sharing your lovely town and island with us.

 

beachchick

[makai 7]

Aloha!

We visited by cruise ship several years ago, and will be spending 10 days on the Big Island this year at the beginning of March. We much prefer to visit Hawaii as a land vacation (this will be my 3rd visit excluding the cruise) since we feel that you just cannot experience the islands well with the partial day stops.

 

We are renting a house in the Puna district and would love any recommendations or tips you have to offer! We chose to stay on the Hilo side because we want to experience the 'real' Hawaii, not the tourist version.

 

When we visited for just the day we went to VNP with a few additional stops on the way back to port (with a local tour guide).

 

I can't imagine why anyone goes to Walmart while on a cruise unless they are picking up some items cheaper than they can get them on the ship (bottled water, for example).

[GillCC]

Hi GillCC,

I was interested in this also and found the following link to the park.

 

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/hawaii/html/beaches/ahalanui_park.html

 

It appears to be south of Hilo and you would need a car which we are not doing so we will miss it this time around. I will put it on the list for next time though.

 

Look forward to meeting you on the cruise!

 

Lin

 

 

Hi Lin

 

We certainly seem to have similar tastes in excursions! lol - doesn't that pool look lovely....

 

We are not getting a car either - neither of us can face the driving on the "wrong" side of the road lol

[sassyredhat]

We have taken 2 cruises to Hawaii, and are booked for the third in 2010.

 

We always get off the ship. The one thing I didn't like is the building where you wait for your tour guide. It's not very comfortable and smells of creosote sp??

which I am allergic to.

 

As far as touring, we have been to VNP, tsunami museum, macadamia factory, the waterfalls, and I can't remember what else. We enjoyed it all.

 

Pat

[Bucky3]

Aloha!

 

My husband traveled for several years to all the Hawaiian Islands and called on every high school and some of the colleges for a textbook publishing company. I traveled with him on many of those trips. Our love for all of Hawaii began then, and it is still our vacation destination of choice.

 

I will admit that Hilo was not my favorite destination on those trips. That was mainly because we weren't there very long, and it was usually during the winter months. To this day, when we have a really really heavy rain here at home in California (almost never unfortunately!), I will remark, "You'd think this was Hilo!"

 

Now that we are retired we travel by cruise ship, and and even though our shore time is short, we have been able to really absorb the beauty and "real Hawaii" atmosphere of Hilo. Each time we visit we explore a new area.

 

We always rent a car and look forward to each Hilo port call. First stop - one of the flower stands in the main terminal for a beautiful flower arrangement that the vendor will hold for us until our return to the ship later in the day.

 

We have visited VNP many times, the lovely Botanical Gardens, the Macadamia Nut Factory, Akaka Falls, the Waipio Valley, Richardson Beach, the Puna area, and more. Next visit there will be more places to explore and favorites to revisit!

 

We have always been made to feel welcome by Hawaiian residents and always enjoy visiting with those we meet. Once we had an unfortunate situation occur when my husband passed out while we were visiting a store in the Akaka Falls vicinity. The lady there was wonderful, the paramedics who responded to our call were wonderful, the Hilo hospital was wonderful, and the doctors there on a busy Saturday afternoon were so attentive and efficient in doing necessary tests to get us back to the ship in time for the sailing from our last port of call!! So that I could ride in the ambulance with my husband to the hospital, the rental car company (Thrifty) sent someone out to pick up the rental car. I left the keys with the lady in the store. There was never a charge from Thrifty for this service. We will always be grateful to all those who assisted us that traumatic day. They all went "above and beyond" the necessary, and we'll never forget them.

 

Can't answer as to what percentage get off the ship as we are always about the first to go down the ramp and the last to board! We spend our time ashore wherever we are. Never have been to Walmart in Hilo either. The only time we would go is if we needed something to use on the ship or to pick up last minute souvenirs - like mac nuts!! Though we will always rent a car (Thrifty, of course!), we did see taxi service and tour guides for those who want to choose that service.

 

We're looking forward to our next visit in the fall of this year! We'll be on our way to Sydney, but I know Hilo will be a favorite port.

 

Wonderful and lucky people live in Hawaii! Mahalo for your hospitality and, again, Aloha!

 

Bucky3

[karatemom2]

 

Wonderful and lucky people live in Hawaii! Mahalo for your hospitality and, again, Aloha!

 

Bucky3

 

Bucky can I go off topic here for one moment and say that you are like a ray of sunshine. I love reading your posts. You are always so positive and upbeat it is positively inspiring. I hope I get the opportuninty to cruise with you again one day because you are just an amazingly lovely person.

[Belle]

Would you please give me information

about the Botanical Gardens. Know

it's beautiful, you walk down, is the

walk back up steep? The ocean view

I hear is spectacular.

Thank You

[Tallcruiser]

I have enjoyed sailing to Hilo 3 times and am returning in just a few days. I can't say what percentage stay on board. Like Bobbie said, I am off the ship early each time to enjoy beautiful Hilo. I have seen the VNP, Puna, the many Falls and downtown and still can't wait to see more! I have not yet been to Walmart in Hilo. I can only surmise that people need sundries after 4 days at sea:rolleyes:.

I have not used the taxi service yet. Pretty easy to get around Hilo with a rented car. I have also used the ships excursions.

Love Hilo!

Hi Bobbie/Bucky3 I agree with Karatemom2! Have a great cruise in Sept!!;):D

[kapoho2]

We live just outside of Hilo (Puna) and have done the NCL interisland cruise several times. On many of the ship's itineraries, Hilo used to be the first port. There was one time when we forgot batteries for our camera and rather than paying the high price onboard, we hopped on the Walmart shuttle in Hilo and shopped for what we needed. We were just hoping and praying that we did not run into anyone we knew. We would have been so embarassed if they had spotted us in Walmart while we were supposed to be relaxing on our cruise vacation :eek:

 

We were able to complete our Walmart mission without being spotted and then returned to a virtually empty ship and relaxed by the pool for the rest of the day ;)

[Bucky3]

Mary and Robin - My goodness, thanks for your thoughts! Mary, you know I'd be on that Christmas cruise if I could, but after just getting home from our l-o-n-g cruise to Sydney, we won't make it again this year. And Robin - I'm so envious! I know I should be spending my time researching all the dozen or more ports we'll be visiting, but you know how Hawaii calls - I keep dropping in on this board! You know I wish you as smooth a trip as our PC cruise, plenty of Mai Tais, and tons of fun! Aloha!

 

PS - Robin - by chance will you be posting "live" from the Golden?

 

Bobbie

[Tallcruiser]

Mary and Robin - My goodness, thanks for your thoughts! Mary, you know I'd be on that Christmas cruise if I could, but after just getting home from our l-o-n-g cruise to Sydney, we won't make it again this year. And Robin - I'm so envious! I know I should be spending my time researching all the dozen or more ports we'll be visiting, but you know how Hawaii calls - I keep dropping in on this board! You know I wish you as smooth a trip as our PC cruise, plenty of Mai Tais, and tons of fun! Aloha!

 

PS - Robin - by chance will you be posting "live" from the Golden?

 

Bobbie

 

Yes, Bobbie I plan on it ;):D We sail Feb. 4th on the Golden Princess. Should I post live here or under Princess ? Wish you were going too or I really wish I was sailing with You!

 

rbakker, do you work for Wally world? I might stop in if there is time... if Wally World has some nice Hawaiian print fabrics for sale........

 

kapoho2, anything going on in Puna in the next couple weeks?

 

How has the weather been?:)

[Bucky3]

Belle - Yes, re Hawaii Botanical Gardens, it is a rather steep uphill walk coming back. My SIL and I rode both ways in one of their golf carts. We had a rental car, so we were not in a big group. In fact, we were the only four people there at the time. This was about 2 years ago. You may want to contact them to see if this is still a service they provide. As I recall, there was a nominal charge - it was worth it to us! It's a lovely place. Aloha!

 

Robin - I'll watch both places for your "lives" and bump them up when necessary. Seems posts get buried pretty quickly on the Princess board, but that one might get more readers. Hawaii on Princess seems to be very popular these days. Maybe you can find a roomie and join us on the Star to or from Sydney. We visit Lahaina and Hilo going and Lahaina and Honolulu coming back. Aloha!

[karatemom2]

Belle - Yes, re Hawaii Botanical Gardens, it is a rather steep uphill walk coming back. My SIL and I rode both ways in one of their golf carts. We had a rental car, so we were not in a big group. In fact, we were the only four people there at the time. This was about 2 years ago. You may want to contact them to see if this is still a service they provide. As I recall, there was a nominal charge - it was worth it to us! It's a lovely place. Aloha!

 

I agree Bucky. It was one of the favorite places we visited on our trip a few weeks ago. It is so lush and beautiful, and the ocean and waterfall views are amazing. It is a pretty steep walk back up the hill but they are still offering the golf cart rides both up and down. We opted to walk, but it was quite a climb on the way back out.