Pre-cruise car rental question

[melye]

We are going to Hawaii for our honeymoon on June 8, then on POA on June 13. I'm not used to having to rent a car while I'm on vacation and I don't want to make any mistakes, as it is our honeymoon, after all !

So I think I will need your advice:

We are staying 3 nights at Turtle Bay Resort and then 2 nights at Renew Hotel in Waikiki. I don't think we need a car in Waikiki, but I'm pretty sure we need one for the North shore. Am I right? Also, what do we do with the car after the North Shore... Do we have to return it to the airport? Then, should we take a shuttle or a taxi (with our luggage) to go to the Renew? I'm trying to find the most hassle-free but also affordable way to do it as possible !

 

Thank you !

Only 25 days until our wedding and so much to do !!!

[Captain Canuck]

you will probably need a car for the north shore....not so for waikiki...if I understand this you are doing north shore first then going to waikiki...I would drop your luggage off at the hotel and then take the car back to the airport...then without luggage you can take The Bus back to waikiki....regular public transit which is cheap...then you just need a shuttle to get to the ship

 

congrats on the wedding

[Captain Canuck]

if you factor in the cost of a shuttle to the ship against parking for a rental car and a couple of extra days of rental car you may want to keep the car...you can do Pearl harbour and the swap meet from waikiki...swap meet is at the aloha bowl...lots of cheap souvenirs..tshirts etc

 

then you drop the luggage off at the Aloha tower for the cruise and take the car back....this might mean leaving one of you with the luggage while the other takes back the car and then takes the rental car shuttle back to the pier.....

 

as newlyweds you might vote for staying together...I am an old married f*rt (married in Waikiki by the way) so I have no trouble dropping she who must be obeyed off with the luggage

[Giantfan13]

Let's see if I can be of some help. We spent 5 days pre cruise in and around Waikiki. We rented a car only on the last day there as we also wanted to drive the north shore and visit several other places you can only get to by car.

To have a car in Waikiki is hard. parking is almost non existant, and if you can park overnight at your hotel, it will be expensive but you may have no choice. There is very little parking in Waikiki. We did Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and the other major attractions around Waikiki by 'The Bus' which is absolutely great.

 

We planned this out, so we would rent the car on our last day, return it the morning of our cruise, and the car rental people will shuttle you over to the dock. We rented thru Thrifty, and were very happy with them. They have several locations, one at the airport and one downtown and you can pick up a car at one and drop it off at the other. If you are already in Waikiki, you should rent from their downtown location, which is basically in the heart of Waikiki and they will shuttle you to the ship at Aloha Tower. If you decide not to rent a car at the airport, you can taxi into Waikiki or take another bus that will drop you off at your hotel.

Personally, the only time you really need a car on Oahu is to get out of Waikiki. Forget renting at the airport, just get into Waikiki and rent the car at a downtown location, return it there and they will take you to your ship that morning, or whenever you want to board.

 

Oh yes, have a very happy honeymoon. You will love hawaii.

[Nancyquilts]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. What a great place you chose for a honeymoon!

We rented a car in Honolulu for just one day from the pier, and Thrifty both picked us up and returned us to the pier.

There are two piers in Honolulu - I think POA usually uses #2, which isn't at the Aloha Tower but a bit east. Either pier won't be a problem for you.

[travelteach326]

We stayed at the Turtle Bay in April before our cruise. You WILL need a car to get to the resort. It is about a 50 minute ride to the North Shore.

We used Thrifty to rent our cars while in Turtle Bay and in the ports. I looked for coupon/corporate codes on line and just entered these codes to find the best rate. It was worth the research.

 

After arriving in HNL, we took the Thrifty shuttle to its location. It was very crowded - as were other locations in the different ports. We joined Thrifty's Blue Chip Club while on line. I had read on these posts to join ahead of time and did not listen. Once on line, I called home had daughter log on and sign us up for membership. Got off the long line and went over to the Blue Chip counter, got checked in and was on our way in no time. The drive to Turtle Bay was not difficult. Check out Turtle Bay's site for directions.

 

We enjoyed our stay at TB. The weather could have been better. Very cloudy. We had no problems or gripes while at the hotel. They offer towels at the pool and beach along with beach lounges. You will need to show you room key for the lounge chairs at the beach. The resort fee covers snorkeling equipment for each of you each day.

 

Restaurants were good - some pricey. They have a coffee cart in the lobby. They offer coffee and pastries each morning. You can get a refill for your coffee - although they do not offer this info!

 

We used the car to drive all over the North Shore. We enjoyed a lunch at Giovannie's Shrimp truck. We even went to lunch at the restaurant featured in the movie Fifty First Dates. This was the best lunch! We went twice. Great food and great price.

 

We returned the car near the cruise terminal the morning of the cruise.

 

Good luck with all your plans!

[Birdnutty]

We used the car to drive all over the North Shore. We enjoyed a lunch at Giovannie's Shrimp truck. We even went to lunch at the restaurant featured in the movie Fifty First Dates. This was the best lunch! We went twice. Great food and great price.

 

We returned the car near the cruise terminal the morning of the cruise.

 

Good luck with all your plans!

 

What was the name of that restaurant? We'll be in Oahu in August, and are interested in checking it out.

[melye]

Wow, thanks everyone for the great answers !!!

[Susan-M]

We stayed at Renew last year and parked a block away at the Waikiki Banyan. It's $10 for 24 hours and there's plenty of parking in their parking garage (you don't have to be a guest at the Banyan to park there.)

 

If you want to visit Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay while in Waikiki, it will be much more convenient with a rental car.

[travelteach326]

Birdnutty here is a link for that LITTLE out of the way place.

 

http://honolulu.metromix.com/restaurants/pancakes/hukilau-cafe-north-shore/504724/content

 

As you can see from the picture, the place is quite small. The burgers are big and the best ever! They also serve seafood combination plates along with macaroni salad and rice. We went to this place two days in a row!

[Birdnutty]

It looks like a terrific little place. We'll be sure to check it out. Thanks again.

[auducky2]

We rented a car for the whole time before the cruise (it was our honeymoon too!) and returned it before we got on the cruise so the shuttle took us to the port. We used it to visit the North Shore, Pearl Harbor, Dole Plantation, the Polynesian place (the name is eluding me for some reason), and find different restaurants and basically explore the island. It definitely came in handy!

[BLK03GT]

Sign up for Thrifty Blue Chip, it free and will save you a ton of time.

 

Take the Pali Highway to cut across the island and head north on the Kam Highway to get to turtle bay. It's a beautiful drive, make sure to stop at the shrimp shacks just north of the PCC.

 

Thrifty runs a shuttle from the rental location, near the airport, to the pier.

 

Have a great time !