astridwilson

We did 4 days post cruise.

When doing your research, check the rates for renting from the airport also. You will have to taxi to the airport, but the rates are much cheaper and I assume you will have to get a taxi to the airport at some time also.

Check out autoslash.com. AutoSlash offers cheap car rentals, discounts and coupons from top brands like Hertz, Avis, National, Enterprise, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty and others. They keep checking for lower rates. No credit card needed up front.

Hanauma bay is lovely. I actually found the snorkeling better at the bay than at sharks Cove. Sharks Cove is a much longer drive and can also get very crowded with no where to park and the walk down and up is full of tree roots and is a big climb. At the bay, there is a paved road and a shuttle that will take you up. I would stick to your original plan and visit the blow hole and sandy beach after the bay.

The Royal Hawaiian is an amazing hotel. Great location, great beach, easy access within walking distance of many restaurants and usually has an offer for free buffet breakfast.

Honolulu

the Royal parking garage rates are:

4 hours or less is compliments of The Royal Hawaiian, with a $35 minimum purchase at one of the Royals restaurants or bars.

$6 for 4-12 hours

Also after Hanauma bay, stop at Halona Blowhole/lookout for the views before heading back to Waikiki.

Maui:

Park at the airport. One rental is all you need. Shuttles will take you back and forth from the airport to the ship.

For Snorkeling: Kapalua Bay, is a lovely beach on the west side.

Or try the Ahihi Kinau Natural Area/The Dumps/Ma'onakala “The Dumps. This location is not for beginners as there was a current and a very rocky entry. The beach was not as pretty as the West shore beaches, but the coral was healthy and I loved the isolated feeling to the location. Saw lots of fish and the water clarity was excellent. This location was one of our best snorkeling spots on the trip.

Directions to the dumps:

Ahihi Kinau Natural Area/The Dumps/Ma'onakala. Follow Wailea Alanui Drive to the south - it will turn into Makena Alanui Drive, and once that comes to an end, it will be Makena Road. Past Big Beach, the road gets a bit narrower. A short ways past a large bend in the road, you'll see the signs welcoming you to Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve. You'll pass a popular cove for snorkeling that's maybe 100 yards or so from the signs you just passed. If you're looking for "The Dumps" then keep on driving. After another 100 yards or so, you'll pass a long stone wall on your right, you will go up a hill and the large gravel parking lot will be close to the top with bright yellow gates on your right. THIS is the parking lot you're looking for. It is a rough parking lot, not paved. After parking walk toward the water to the end of the parking lot. You will see a short trail on your left.

Hilo:

Volcano national Park, rainbow falls and the boiling pots. This will fill the day. Do not try to add Akaka Falls or any beach time. Akaka Falls are further to drive and it takes at least 45 minutes to walk thru the rain forest and admire the falls.

Kauai:

There are shuttles from Anchor mall to the ship.

Fridays plan may be tough as the ship may leave at 2PM but you must be back on board at 1:30 and you need to return the car.

It is an hour and 10 minutes drive to Kee Beach, so that is 2.5 hours or driving. That leaves very little time to enjoy beaches. You could swap Thursday and Friday and just do the Canyon on Thursday and maybe add Spouting Horn Blow hole if you leave early.

If you do North Shore on Thursday. Add Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. The views are amazing. The refuge is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. $5 per adult. 45 minutes to 1 hour visit time. Also add Opaekaa Falls – Plunges hundreds of feet- can be viewed from overlook. I thought they were prettier than Wailua Falls.

If you are only in Maui for 2 days, you can rent a car and snorkel many beaches and see much more of Maui if you are not on an excursion.

Kapalua Bay, is a lovely beach on the west side.

If you like to snorkel; try the Ahihi Kinau Natural Area/The Dumps/Ma'onakala “The Dumps. This location is not for beginners as there was a current and a very rocky entry. The beach was not as pretty as the West shore beaches, but the coral was healthy and I loved the isolated feeling to the location. Saw lots of fish and the water clarity was excellent. This location was one of our best snorkeling spots on the trip.

Directions to the dumps:

Ahihi Kinau Natural Area/The Dumps/Ma'onakala. Follow Wailea Alanui Drive to the south - it will turn into Makena Alanui Drive, and once that comes to an end, it will be Makena Road. Past Big Beach, the road gets a bit narrower. A short ways past a large bend in the road, you'll see the signs welcoming you to Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve. You'll pass a popular cove for snorkeling that's maybe 100 yards or so from the signs you just passed. If you're looking for "The Dumps" then keep on driving. After another 100 yards or so, you'll pass a long stone wall on your right, you will go up a hill and the large gravel parking lot will be close to the top with bright yellow gates on your right. THIS is the parking lot you're looking for. It is a rough parking lot, not paved. After parking walk toward the water to the end of the parking lot. You will see a short trail on your left.

I believe it was in August when the Lava actually reached the ocean, not positive; however we were there in August and then again in early September. It was not until September that we saw the lava lake in the summit crater, Halema'uma'u.

Try autoslash.com. Autoslash uses the major rental car companies, no credit card required and after you make a reservation, they continue to check for lower prices.

If you sign up for the programs, like Thrifty blue chip program, you can pick up your car very quickly.

Taxi from the Airport to the cruise ship is around $30 with tip for 2 people. I assume as you will be staying in Waikiki for a few days, you will be renting a car from the airport.

Maui: Kapalua Bay, is a lovely beach on the west side. But that is a hour of driving from the pineapple tour.

If you like to snorkel; try the Ahihi Kinau Natural Area/The Dumps/Ma'onakala “The Dumps. This location is not for beginners as there was a current and a very rocky entry. The beach was not as pretty as the West shore beaches, but the coral was healthy and I loved the isolated feeling to the location. Saw lots of fish and the water clarity was excellent. This location was one of our best snorkeling spots on the trip.

The Dumps are 45 minutes from the pineapple tour.

Directions to the dumps:

Ahihi Kinau Natural Area/The Dumps/Ma'onakala. Follow Wailea Alanui Drive to the south - it will turn into Makena Alanui Drive, and once that comes to an end, it will be Makena Road. Past Big Beach, the road gets a bit narrower. A short ways past a large bend in the road, you'll see the signs welcoming you to Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve. You'll pass a popular cove for snorkeling that's maybe 100 yards or so from the signs you just passed. If you're looking for "The Dumps" then keep on driving. After another 100 yards or so, you'll pass a long stone wall on your right, you will go up a hill and the large gravel parking lot will be close to the top with bright yellow gates on your right. THIS is the parking lot you're looking for. It is a rough parking lot, not paved. After parking walk toward the water to the end of the parking lot. You will see a short trail on your left.

Hilo: Rent a car to do the Volcanoes National Park but NOT Tropical Botanical Gardens.

Volcano Park is a 5 hour visit and the driving is 1 hour 1/2 hours round trip. The gardens take a hour at a minimum to fully enjoy. If you have extra time after the park you can stop at Rainbow Falls and the boiling Pots in Hilo.

Don't ever feel that you have to book excursions thru the cruise line. You can always do excursions tons cheaper if you do it on our own. Review the excursions offered to give you an idea of what you would like to do and then rent a car to do it on your own. Just be careful with your time.

Second port: Kauai (Nawiliwili). Plan at least six hours for Waimea Canyon park, Kalalau Lookout, Pu'u O Kila Lookout, & Spouting Horn Park.

Start with Spouting horn, It is a lovely drive thru the trees and the blow hole is very cool. Don't hurry thru the park as my husband said "Standing at the Pu’u O Kila lookout (last lookout in park) in the Waimea Canyon is the closest he has ever been to realizing Gods amazing touch on this earth"

The Opaekaa Falls & Wailua Falls are in the opposite direction of the Canyon. This will add an extra hour 1/2 of driving. I would skip the falls and just spend the rest of the day at Poipu Beach.

Do a little snorkeling. It is a lovely beach. Snorkeling is great for beginners. I actually saw a turtle in 2 feet of water in the cove.

There is no secure parking in Maui other than the airport.

In Maui, park at the airport. It was $13 for overnight. The rental car shuttles will take you back to the ship at night and back to the car in the morning. When you return the car on the second day, they will take you back to the ship.

In Kauai, you park at the Anchor Cove Mall and pay $20. There is a shuttle that will take you back and forth.

Na Pali coast can be seen port side and lava flow starboard side. The lava flow started again in September of this year. If you have a balcony starboard room you can watch most of the coast cruise from your balcony and the head to the aft dining bar area for the buffet dinner and watch the starboard side.

You could always do this on your own.

buy the tickets in advance from http://www.recreation.gov/showPage.do?name=landing&landing=/htm/pearlharbor/home.jsp&contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72369

Rent a car from the airport

The advance ticket price is $1.50. You can rent a car for maybe $30 and a taxi to pick up the car for $30. So the cost for 2 is approximately $63 versus the much higher excursion fee.

We kept our bags, were off the boat by 9am and had 11am tickets for Pearl Harbor, but they had early openings so we walked right in.

is this your first night on the ship?

You can always just plan a nice dinner and walk around Waikiki beach. Lots of shops if you want last minute souvenirs. We stayed at the royal Hawaiian after our cruise and there was a lot of shops and restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. Parking is high. There is public parking decks and traffic is manageable. Just plan enough time to get back to the airport. The google maps app gives you time estimates that include traffic delays.

As this is a frequently asked question on this board, when we went on our cruise in August/September I made a point to check the better views on each side of the POA ship at each port. In the Maui and the Kauai ports the views from the starboard side where much nicer. As you stay over night there it may be important to some. Sitting on the deck with a view of the dock was not the greatest view. It was fun to watch the folks run to catch the ship on the last night at each port.

We stayed on deck 9. But I noted the views in the mornings.

I never saw the price drop on the cruise we booked in August of 2016. I booked very early as I wanted a specific cabin.

What is the cancellation policy? Can you book now and then cancel and rebook if price drops?

Book a balcony room. The Port side is better for the Na Pali Coast and Hilo Port. Starboard is better for the possible Volcano night viewing, Maui port view & Kauai Port view. Either side is good in Honolulu. I felt the balcony was worth it. We spent at least two hours on our balcony each day. Almost an hour early mornings before breakfast and an hour before dinner each evening. Do not book an 10th floor aft balcony as the 11th floor bar overlooks the balconies and therefore there is no privacy.

Per trip advisor forums, the green sand beach is not worth the time, effort or money when there is so much more to see on the big island that is easy to rent a car and do on your own.

Forgot to add that our balcony was the very front of the ship on the port side. We had a large balcony category. There was no cabin on the right side. It was very quiet, being that no one walked past our cabin.

Book a balcony room. The Port side is better for the Na Pali Coast and Hilo Port. Starboard is better for the possible Volcano night viewing, Maui port view & Kauai Port view. Either side is good in Honolulu. I felt the balcony was worth it. We spent at least two hours on our balcony each day. Almost an hour early mornings before breakfast and an hour before dinner each evening. Do not book a 10th floor aft balcony as the 11th floor bar overlooks the balconies and therefore there is no privacy.

Google maps app works excellent on all the islands. No needed for a printed map as long as you know where you want to go.