beeandkmon

We would like to do one of the Mendenhall glacier boat trips- either kayak, canoe, or raft. Does anyone have a recommendation for one of the trips? 

Arriving in Vancouver at 8:00 am- what is the earliest flight time you all would recommend? Any transportation suggestions to the airport? 

I've done redline rafting (twice- it was awesome- I HIGHLY recommend them) which also departs out of Kihie. We saw the blue water raft both times- it looked really fun as well. Kihie is actually a great dock to depart out of and the small boats that depart from here are very nice.

There are tons of helicopter companies that you can book for so much cheaper than what the cruise line charges. We used Safari Helicopters and they picked us up at the ship.

We used Robert's Hawaii for all our transportation and they were great. Although, depending on how many are in your group an uber or taxi may be the same price.

We used them for transportation only and can say we had a great experience with them. They were a really great company.

I believe the RCCL itinerary involves a lot of sea days as it travels back to Vancouver. Is this correct? So I think it depends on how you feel about this. I personally know I wouldn't do well on the crossing from Vancouver to Hawaii as it can be a lot of rough days at sea. However, a lot of people find these days very relaxing.

Redline rafting on Maui has been our absolute favorite. We have done it twice and had an amazing experience both times. For me, I think large crowds ruin a snorkel trip. The fact that they only take about 20 people at once makes it great. They also take you to four spots (including Molokini very early before the crowds). They also take you to the back wall of Molokini which I think is better than the inside.

You also have to be over 21 to cruise on Royal Caribbean without an older adult. This cuts out many spring breakers as well. You may get a lot of other people partying, but I doubt many of them will be college kids.

I think you can be happy and have a fabulous vacation on whatever cruise line you choose as long as you have a good attitude and plan ahead. I think some frequent Disney cruisers are disappointed when they switch lines because they are constantly comparing while on board and trying to make a non-disney cruise into a disney cruise. You have to go into it knowing it will be different and be willing to appreciate it for what it is.

I would just rent a car and see the sites on your own. We booked all of our cars through discount Hawaii.

So we had planned to do the Pearl Harbor tour from the ship before our flight. However, our trip was in 2013 when the government shut down occurred so Pearl Harbor was closed. We ended up switching to the North Shore Tour just as something to do on this day. While we absolutely hated this tour (really our fault- we are not bus tour kind of people- we should have known) we did really love the convenience of it. Doing a ship excursion the last day is so easy. Your bags are put under the bus, you get to do the trip, and then are dropped off at the airport. You don't have to worry about logistics of baggage and rides on your last day. It makes for a really relaxing last day. Could you do it cheaper and maybe get in some other sites? Probably, but on your last day you may just not feel like packing in everything you can possibly do. A less stress day may be welcomed at this point.

- One thing to consider when deciding which day to arrive is the time change (depending on where you are coming from). Especially with a small child the time change can be a bit difficult. Depending on what your plans are it may be easier to do your land trip before the cruise as I feel you are on more of a need to follow a schedule on the cruise with port arrival/departure times.

- If you are choosing to rent a car I think the airport would be your best bet to get the best deal and to be the easiest. I don't know why you would want to pay to take a shuttle to the hotel and than have to get a car rental. A shuttle/taxi alone may cost your party of 13 $200. I would think it would be much better to simply rent the car at the airport than to pay this.

-We booked all of our rentals through Discount Hawaii Car Rentals. They were great. I would explore to see what your options are for where to rent. Keep in mind that traffic in Honolulu can be horrendous. The driver should be prepared for this.

I don't see the kayak trip we did on their website anymore- sorry it was a few years ago.

I know the Captain Zodiac is very popular and liked in Kona

If you book through Robert's you will basically get a ship excursion for a little cheaper (big bus- more people). I know for us this is not something we are really in to.

HOWEVER- I do highly recommend Robert's if you are looking for transportation needs. We used them pre-cruise for our airport to hotel ride and day of cruise for transportation to the ship. We were really pleased with the service and price for the transportation.

I would contact the company you are booking with and ask them about timing. Explain your time constraints and see what they suggest. When contacting companies about our flights I found that they were very familiar with cruise ship passengers and their needs.

When we did our helicopter tour with Safari Helicopters (who I highly recommend) they were 100% booked for everyday so they couldn't afford to be late- we had to take off right on the hour as they had flights every hour booked all day. When we finished they drove us back to port within 20 minutes.

I had also heard that booking the first day lets you reschedule if it gets cancelled. However, I am not sure how much that would even help. The flight before ours actually did get cancelled but with the company being so booked they could only reschedule people for later in the week not the next day.

Some Ideas:

Maui: I would recommend renting a car

Snorkeling- There are many places in Maui that you can snorkel right off the beach. Research ahead of time so you know if it is a safe place and that there is good snorkeling. Searching through this thread you can find recommendations of places to rent snorkel gear inexpensively. This way you can experience snorkeling without having to rely on a boat and worry about sickness.

Iao Valley: For a great VERY EASY kid friendly place to see some great scenery. You can go for a SHORT hike and still see some pretty scenery. Although it was damaged by a flood earlier this year.

Surfing: I don't know if your kids would like surfing but Maui Surfer Girls does a great job teaching people of all ages and abilities. We really enjoyed our lesson with them.

Hilo:

I would most definitely rent a car and drive to Volcano National Park.

Kona:

This is honestly the only port where you don't have to have a plan. It was a good walk around shop and have lunch (and Kona Ice!) day. Make sure you walk all the way down to the farmers market.

Kauai:

On the first day we drove up to Kalalau trail. This is an 8 mile (fairly strenuous) hike that ends at a water fall. Depending on your kids ability the whole trail may not be an option- HOWEVER just about a mile in there are great views of the Na Pali coast. The trail also begins and ends at a beach.

Your kids may also love the Waimea canyon.

If you are looking for a beach day here you can also walk to a fairly good (not awesome) beach. However for an hour or so it is enjoyable. You can also rent paddle boards and things here so they may enjoy that.

We typically don't book excursions through the ship as a rule as we tend to find them more expensive and more crowded than when we book on our own. When we did this cruise we rented cars in most ports and did our own thing. We did book an NCL excursion in Kona as it is a tender port and we felt more comfortable having it through the ship in case we had to wait for a tender. We booked the Kayak/Snorkel trip and actually had a great time. There were only about 9 people on the trip and we really enjoyed it.

The port is right down town so honestly you don't need an excursion in Kona; however, we did enjoy ours. Also, while in the other ports we felt perfectly comfortable going out on our own in a car; it was really nice not to have to worry about arrangements and trying to get on an early tender in Kona as NCL arranges your tender time if you are on their excursion.

I know some people have found booking a luau through the ship to be worth it (if you are planning on doing one) as they would rather not drive back to the ship at night. We didn't do one so I can't comment.

To answer someones question from before- We did Safari Helicopter in Hilo. Honestly, we booked them for no other reason then being so much cheaper than other companies. We ended up having a fantastic experience with them. They picked us up on time and were very nice. They did ask us if we wanted to pay more for the "better" seats and we did not. We ended up being really glad we didn't waste the money to do that. I had the window and my husband had the seat next to me. Sitting in the middle was not a problem for him- especially since I had the window so he was perfectly comfortable leaning over me to see. Our pilot was great and we had a great tour.

I went into it trying to figure out how they were so much cheaper than others and I honestly could not figure it out. Perhaps the helicopters they use are not as "new" and "flashy" as some of the others I have seen but the ride was smooth and we felt very safe.

I would rent a car. Our car rental was very quick in every port and its nice to have your own way to get around.

We did Safari Helicopter (booked on our own). They were by far the cheapest we could find and we had an amazing time with them. They pick you up at the port and the tour was wonderful. We saved so much money with them and did not feel that the tour was any less for what we paid.

No I decided the Road to Hana was too much driving, and no water time.

 

I am really not a fan of guided Snorkel Tours. Would Love to find a Dive tour that goes to the back wall of the Molokini Crater, but no one seems to do it on a Sunday or Monday. I have read on Scuba Board forums, that folks are disappointed with the Dive to the bowl of the crater.

We snorkled the back of Molokini with "Redline Rafting." They also took us to the front side, Turtle Town, and Turtle Arches. There were only about 18 people on the boat so it wasn't a huge snorkle tour.

Honestly if you are coming in from the east you will probably wake up REALLY early your first day. It is really easy to make it to Diamond head for sunrise your first day and that is a fantastic view.

We rented a car for $19 for this day. I would recommend just getting a car.

We did not do much on the second day; however, I think it depends on how early you are willing to get up. The good thing about the overnight docking is that you can get off the ship at 4 in the morning if you choose. When we were in Maui we got off the ship at about 5:45 on the first day and got an early start. Yes we were tire when we got back on the boat, but that was fine. I would say if you are willing to get up really early go for it- make the most of your vacation!