Just Back from Hawaii - Itinerary & Pictures

[adventuregrrl]

I found the info on this Web site extremely helpful in planning our recent Hawaiian cruise on the Celebrity Millennium. In an attempt to pay it back, I'm sharing what we did, how we did it, and the link to our pictures.

Precruise Oahu: Rented beachfront cottage in Kaaawa (Eastern Oahu) through the Vacation Rentals by Owner Web site (http://www.vrbo.com/47077) for 3 nights. Snorkeled, kicked back, ate simple food...other than a delicious outing for fish at Haleiwa Joe's in Kaneohe. Bought treasures from a local carver named Victor Niu who sells his work at a roadside stand.

En route to the ship -- scenic drive around the North Shore...best burgers ever at Kua Aina Sandwiches and shave ice from the original Matsumoto in Haleiwa. Stopped by the Dole Plantation, but it was more about shopping than anything else. (Would skip Dole in the future.)

Checked on the beautiful Celebrity Millennium: Parked rental car across the street ($30 overnight) at the Food Court, near Ruth Chris' Steakhouse. Next day in Honolulu: early morning started with 7 a.m. drive to Diamondhead Crater for hike to the top. Drove to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling, but the park was already full before 10 a.m. Lunch back on the ship. Dropped off Dad and better half at Pearl Harbor and shopped with Mom at Hilo Hatties. Bought a wonderful Hawaiian made ukulele from Tangi Ukuleles (http://www.myspace.com/tangihawaii) for less than $200. Returned the Alamo Rental Car to the Ala Moana location.

Nawiliwili, Kauai: Booked excursion through the cruise ship on the Napali Explorer which was a wonderful way to see the Napali Coast, sea caves, and remote areas used for films like Indiana Jones. Did a little snorkeling and enjoyed learning about Native Hawaiian sites from knowledgeable crew.

Hilo, The Big Island: Rode shuttle to rental car at the airport and stopped at Island Grocery and Deli for an organic sandwich on the way to Volcanoes National Park. Toured park, choked on VOG (volcano fog), walked on 1970s lava field, visited Thurston Lava Tube, and stopped at Rainbow Falls en route back to the rental car return.

The Millennium crew made sure we had a good night viewing experience of the lava flowing into the ocean at night.

Kailua Kona, The Big Island: Picked up rental car at the King Kamehameha Hotel. Went snorkeling at the amazing Kahalu'u (Children’s Beach). Some of our best pictures of fish and turtles are from this beach. Enjoyed lunch and great views at The Coffee Shack (http://www.coffeeshack.com/menu.html) en route to Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Site (http://www.nps.gov/puho/).

Lahaina, Maui: Rode shuttle to the Kaanapali Airport (JHM). Parked at the Sheraton ($20) and went snorkeling/swimming at the Black Rock Beach where we watched people jump off the rock and saw unicorn fish. Parked rental car behind the Burger King, across from the Banyan Tree, which is about a block from the tender pier. After cleaning up on the ship, we took a taxi (about $7 plus tip) to the Old Lahaina Luau where we enjoyed an evening of tasty beverages, good food, and excellent entertainment. Returned to ship via taxi.

The next day we got up early in our rental car and drove 30 minutes to Maalaea Harbor to get on the Four Winds II (http://www.mauicharters.com/). We were supposed to go to Molokini but the water was too choppy and ended up at Coral Gardens. We had a great time and this was one of the best tours we've been on. The Captain and crew were so much fun! We saw interesting fish and coral. Some in our group tried SNUBA. They cooked burgers for us and gave out complementary beer, wine, and sodas. I would give these guys (and gals) 5 stars and would have gone back a second day if we'd been in port. We saved a few bucks by booking online.

You can see some of the highlights from our trip at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pierham/sets/72157618297421898/show/

Note about rental cars: We booked our cars through Costco’s Web site. Not only did we get great rates, but we also ended up with free upgrades for 2 out of 4 rentals. We bought a little dashboard flair (hula girl) at Hilo Hatties for our rental cars so it wasn't so obvious that it was a rental.

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

[QueenofEverything]

FABULOUS PICTURES!!! Whoever took those is a very talented photographer!! Thanks for posting them

[Deloresgardella]

The pictures are great. Did you go to Waimea Canyon on Kauai? Does the road go all the way around the Island. We would like to see the Canyon and the lighthouse, if it is possible. Thank you

Delores

[adventuregrrl]

The pictures are great. Did you go to Waimea Canyon on Kauai? Does the road go all the way around the Island. We would like to see the Canyon and the lighthouse, if it is possible. Thank you

Delores

 

We only saw the edge of Waimea Canyon from the zodiac Napali Explorer boat. My parents opted out of the Napali Explorer and went on the ship's excursion to Waimea Canyon and Fern Grotto, which the enjoyed immensely. The roads on Kauai don't make one big loop the way they do on Oahu. If you go to Google maps (http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wl) and click on map, you'll see what I mean.

[adventuregrrl]

FABULOUS PICTURES!!! Whoever took those is a very talented photographer!! Thanks for posting them

 

Thank you. It's a bit of a hobby for both of us. Some of the pictures were taken with our big Nikon camera and others were taken with our trusty, inexpensive point and shoot Olympus 770SW. The nice thing about the Olympus is that it's waterproof to 30 feet, can fit in my pocket, and takes nice surface pictures too. The top of Diamondhead pictures - Honolulu and lighthouse - are good examples of what the Olympus can do above surface while most of the fish pictures were taken with that camera.

[Littlebeachlover]

Thank you. It's a bit of a hobby for both of us. Some of the pictures were taken with our big Nikon camera and others were taken with our trusty, inexpensive point and shoot Olympus 770SW. The nice thing about the Olympus is that it's waterproof to 30 feet, can fit in my pocket, and takes nice surface pictures too. The top of Diamondhead pictures - Honolulu and lighthouse - are good examples of what the Olympus can do above surface while most of the fish pictures were taken with that camera.

 

Great pictures! Thanks for the info on the Olympus camera it takes wonderful underwater pictures. I think I may just purchase one of those before my cruise. :)

[Bucky3]

Thanks for posting your very informative review and those wonderful pictures. That cottage on Oahu looks heavenly - was it really as great as it looks? Did you feel safe there in such a what looks to be isolated area? Aloha and Mahalo !

[czechgal]

I also have to compliment you on your beautiful photos! It only makes me want to visit Hawaii more!

 

Thanks again,

 

Lisa

[bronxite]

I think I want to change my hotel reservations. This is beautiful.....Thanks for the great update.

[adventuregrrl]

Thanks for posting your very informative review and those wonderful pictures. That cottage on Oahu looks heavenly - was it really as great as it looks? Did you feel safe there in such a what looks to be isolated area? Aloha and Mahalo !

 

The cottage in Oahu was completely wonderful! And, it's not completely isolated. While we did have plenty of space between us and the nearest neighbors, the cottage is just off of King Kamehameha Hwy which is a two lane road in this area. The cottage is just across from the Kualoa Ranch (http://www.kualoa.com/) for anyone who might want more activity than just hanging out.

[monkeyinthemiddle]

I think it is so great that you found a house on VRBO. So much better than a hotel. The only way to go. We stayed on the north shore for a week last year. semi -private beach, 3 bedroom, around $200 a night. So beautiful.

And you got your face in the water to see the fish! I can never understand folks that go to a place like Hawaii and don't snorkel. :rolleyes:

[fateknows]

How was the vacation rental as far as wind is concerned? My maps indicate that it is the windward side.

[warjo2611]

LOVE THOSE PICTURES! THHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHank YOU!

 

I can't wait take our trip next year.

[adventuregrrl]

How was the vacation rental as far as wind is concerned? My maps indicate that it is the windward side.

 

The wind was fine and the water was mostly calm. We truly enjoyed the snorkeling in calm, clear water. I'm not quite sure where the "windward" name comes from. There is a bit of a pennisula near Chinaman's Hat, so maybe it served as a wind breaker.

[AprilRN]

Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos! I can't wait for my Hawaii cruise next September!

[ERAMP76]

Adventuregrrl, did the cottage have a/c? Did it get warm in the evenings?

[can]

adventurgrrrl - shoot, I'm just gonna leave my camera at home and print your pics. I'll throw in a few of my kids and be done with it. :)

 

Really - what a great job you did! I am leaving 3 weeks from today and am very (times 10) excited to go. Hubby bought me a cheaper underwater camera for Mother's Day. Can't wait to use it!

 

One question - Where is the sea cave picture taken?

[fateknows]

The wind was fine and the water was mostly calm. We truly enjoyed the snorkeling in calm, clear water. I'm not quite sure where the "windward" name comes from. There is a bit of a pennisula near Chinaman's Hat, so maybe it served as a wind breaker.

 

I too, was wondering what windward meant.

 

The rental looks beautiful. Thank-you for the review and for answering my question.

[adventuregrrl]

Adventuregrrl, did the cottage have a/c? Did it get warm in the evenings?

 

I don't think the cottage had a/c, but I don't know for sure. We did have ceiling fans, so we were very comfortable. It was a little cooler (long sleve t-shirt on the beach) at night.

 

 

can -- thanks for the compliment and for making me laugh about your kids in my photos. The sea cave pictures were taken when we were on the Napali Explorer, along the west coast of Kauai. The water colors seemed surreal in and around the sea caves.

[adventuregrrl]

I completely forgot to say anything in my original post about our best souvenirs from the trip. Perhaps it's even better now, because I can reflect on how we're enjoying our finds.

 

* Island logo reusable grocery store bags --These are great treasures...We used them through our trip to reduce our plastic consumption and now, it's been really fun to use our "Times: Spirit of the Islands" and "Island Grocery and Deli, Big Island" bags at the local grocery store.

 

* Hawaii travel coffee mugs - again, we used them on the ship and it's been a fun reminder to hold our morning coffee.

 

* Hawaiian made t-shirts - http://www.dirtshirt.com/category.aspx?categoryID=1 These are really cool. We bought lava rolled shirts and on the islands they also sell coffee dyed t-shirts.

 

* Hawaiian made shirts - from Hilo Hatties.

 

* Ukulele from Tangi. Hawaiian made at a reasonable price. It's a real treasure from Honolulu. I can now play "Wild Thing," but need to learn some Hawaiian songs.

 

* Wood carvings from street vendor in Maui and from road side stand in Oahu.

 

* Kauai Coffee Company - coffee and gear. Good coffee and their logo is really cool: http://www.kauaicoffee.com/

[monkeyinthemiddle]

Ditto on the grocery bags. They are memory you can use everyday. The prettiest I picked up was on the Big Island in Pahoa (between Hilo and Volcano) at the Malama market. A beautiful picture of bread fruit, not going to get that in LA!

 

And it is a great way to be green on a trip. As long as I am talking about being green: Don't forget you reusable water bottle! The Islands and other remore locations don't have the same recycling opportunies that we have on the mainland. Mahalo!

[Jeanny]

wicked cool pictures and great idea on the souveniers. Thanks for helping with our planning!

[adventuregrrl]

monkeyinthemiddle - your bag sounds cool and thanks for the excellent reminder about reusable water bottles. I've just learned that approximately 100,000 marine mammals (whales, dolphins, seals, etc) die every year because of plastic in the oceans. There's one study out that says that there's now more plastic in the world's oceans than plankton. That's just crazy!

 

Jeanny - thanks for the "wicked cool" comment. We did have to skip our annual trip to Maine in order to go on our Hawaiian cruise this year.

[Coolcruise02]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing!

[SUEMARKOHOH]

Thanks for the great review and beautiful pictures! Because of that, my husband and I cancelled our hotel in Waikiki and have a similar cottage rented on the north shore in August pre cruise --so excited! We will be picking up our car at the airport but would like to drop it off at the ala Moana location after we check in on the ship (Pride of America) Did you have to drag your luggage from the parking lot across the street or could you pull up to the pier first to drop it off? Thanks, Sue

PS Can't wait to get my little hula doll for the dashboard!