geeko1

wouldn't it be easier just to answer a question rather than send someone searching through 2 or 3 gazillion posts to find what they are looking for, since you know there are so many, you could just answer these folks questions. Right? jus sayin

The easiest thing would be to use the search bar

I finally found my trip logs from that trip and we left Lahaina at 9am and got to the summit just after 11AM, left at 11:30 and stopped for lunch and was back in Lahaina at 1:40. This is why 3.5 hours was shocking to me and why we weren't planning on that at all.

 

Has there been a lot of traffic congestion or road work in the last ten years that makes the trip go from 2 hours to 3.5 now? I know my husband can drive on the faster side of things, but I wont let him drive crazy over the speed limit, so I know he couldn't have been going crazy that day. ;)

 

I think we are still going to take it off our list to make sure we have time to see other things, but it never would have occurred to me it would take 3.5 hours as we did it round trip in 4.5 hours lol

it is 38 miles from Kahului to Haleakala summit

GO TO CANCUN........

Cancun is a purpose-built tourist trap

if you want to see pictures just use youtube?

Belize had some beheadings a few years ago...so be careful

this comment is paranoid. drug dealers are the ones that have a crime problem.

people take a cab there frequently. the cost is about 50.00 USD but depends on your negotiating skills. The cab will wait for you. The ride is about an hour.

You can look at altun ha on the Belize app on fire stick and Roku. Altun ha is about an hour from Belize City just negotiate with a cab driver

There's only one hotel in that area with 4 stars on trip advisor with 1000-1500 reviews, a restaruant and a pool. Hilton Garden Inn New Orleans Convention Center...which has previously been a 3* on Hotwire.

The problem with TripAdvisor reviews is that so many of them are fake

We actually agree on something?

One added note, if you decline the CDW coverage and are involved in an accident or cause damage to another vehicle or other property you may not get back on the ship and back home to file a claim if you don't have lots of cash. The insurance is very cheap and you do want it. And Margarita, the owner of ISIS, is very good to work with. We just rented from her nephew in Playa, very honest people!

I was trying to find a nice way to say that you seem to have Miss worded your comments about insurance a bit

I am not going to put words in Blue Waters mouth about rental car insurance but I would always always always take the rental car insurance in Mexico. Your credit card insurance is pretty much useless down there the damage has to be paid for before you leave Mexico and your credit card insurance is something you claim against once you get home

The only real Mexico that will be accessible from the cruise port is cenotes or ruins. The coastal cities like Playa Del Carmen and Cancun are all purpose built tourist traps so really not indicative of the real Mexico. Cities like Merida and Valladolid are difficult to get to and from a cruise stop but they are really fascinating beautiful and interesting cities. Driving in Mexico is really not all that hard a thing to do and renting a car in Mexico is not all that hard a thing to do.

you can see videos on youtube of the drive

Playa is much more popular then Coz. I dont think it has a most visited spot but seems like the south end of 5th is more congested.

You get on the streetcar you ride three miles and you get off the streetcar

Bringing the thread back from the dead lol. My wife and I will be on the Dream Oct 1st and will be staying in the Metairie area the night before the cruise. My problem is trying to find a hotel for the 2 nights post cruise. My wife has never been to New Orleans and it's been years since I've been back in my hard partying days.

She is interested in the cemeteries, the gardens and mansions. I'm interested in the WW2 muesem, seafood and of course a little craziness of the quarter. A trip to the casino would be great as well. Looking for something that would be convenient to all that by a combination of walking and street car. I know that may be a tall order, but any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Btw, we will be parking at the Fulton during our cruise if that makes any difference. Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.

 

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More convenient to stay in NOLA?

The poster may not like PdC, but we have also been offered drugs more than once in a single stroll down 5th, and on multiple trips. It's just annoying to be hissed at from the side of the street by seedy looking guys, when really what I'm looking for is a quick way to pick up a few cheap souvenirs and bottles of liquor for friends. The local shopping street back and over a few blocks is much more interesting.

Actually I never said I didn't like PDC I was just describing it so the OPer can make their choice.

Prior to Paul Prudhomme the best NOLA restaurants all had chefs from France. Paul started the eat local movement in the 70's which is the basis for most all food in NOLA today. Paul has passed but his restaurant and ideas continues. K-Pauls Louisiana Kitchen is at the heart of it all, it is in the quarter. http://www.kpauls.com/

Too many people selling drugs for my taste

Like I said you can actually look at 5th Avenue on G Maps street view to see what it's like. If you do spend time on 5th Avenue be really careful of the jewelry stores a lot of fake crap in there.

go for a camel ride http://www.wowexcursions.com/destino-playa-del-carmen-riviera-maya/camel-safari#.WVze1ojytPY

Geeko do you have a bettter recomendation

You don't really say a lot about what sort of thing you're looking to do and what sort of thing you want to see but 5th Avenue in playa can be just fine if you want tourist shopping. The idea of staying on coz and renting a car from Isis and driving around the island is an excellent one. The beach at Tulum is one of the best beaches in the Caribbean and is about an hour from Playa del Carmen.

You can use G Maps street view to look at 5th Avenue and PDC and if that's the sort of tourist trap you want to spend time at

the beach at tulum has some topless areas

go to the New Orleans forum, there are gazillion and gazillions (estimated) of threads on the same topic. Cant beat cafe Du Monde for beignets and hot chocolate. take the charles St street car out to the garden district

On May 30th I was on the very first ferry from Harvest Caye to Placencia Belize... I purchased the ticket from the Shore Excursions desk on embarkation day. We boarded at the same dock that all of the other NCL excursions leave from on HC. It takes about 15 minutes or so to reach the dock in Placencia in a boat that holds around 50 passengers. Once at the dock, I set out on foot exploring, first on the concrete footpath that leads north on the beach side of the island. I then headed inland towards the main road to Brewed Awakenings, a coffee house that serves seaweed shakes of several different varieties. I then explored some of the off the main road neighborhoods, where the locals looked at me suspiciously, but I never felt in any kind of danger...

There are a few rustic roadside restaurants and food stands along the way. I tried having lunch at a place called Dawns Grill, but they were still serving breakfast when I arrived. Further down near the dock, I found a small shack serving conch chowder and jerk chicken by the roadside. A lot of the locals seemed to hang out there, so I had some food and fresh juice for pretty cheap.

The time on the island is about 3 hours, and I was happy to escape the sterile corperate island of Harvest Caye. If you're the adventurous type, I would recommend this excursion, if only to experience some authentic Belizean culture.

If anyone has any questions about the experience, I will be happy to answer as best I can...

Placencia is a tourist area with expats so your Belize cultural experience will be very limited, sort of like going to cozumel and expecting to experience Mexico.