Splendor to Hawaii, what are the best tours?

We are taking the Splendor to Hawaii in October 2018 for our honeymoon. I am wondering what tours are the best to take? Have you booked through outside companies before? If so, where and what tour company? We have been on cruises before but we really want to have a ton of fun on this one since it will be our honeymoon.

 

TIA!!

Road to Hana was excellent and was one of the rare occasions we did it thru cruise line since it was so far from the ship.

Which island or islands? In general see a waterfall, go to a beach, see North Shore, go to a volcano, do a luau, climb Diamondhead, do an island tour by private tour guide or rent a car. Hope you like pink! Stay away from ship tours.

 

 

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We had an overnight in Honolulu, so that morning we went Shark diving! We rented a car the day before and just stored it in an overnight garage. It was thru Hawaiian Shark Encounters and was the highlight of the trip. One of the most amazing experiences of my life!!!

 

 

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Road to Hana was excellent and was one of the rare occasions we did it thru cruise line since it was so far from the ship.

We did this as well, but just rented a car. As long as you abide by the car rental rules, they will come get you if there is a problem.

 

Roads are heavily traveled and your cell phone works because you are in the USA.

 

A rental car provides the maximum freedom and is cheap. For a newlywed the bonus is you don't have to share your experience with a bus load of strangers.

 

We also got to do some things the cruise excursion probably won't do, like go visit Charles Lindbergh's grave.

We are looking at renting a car but have never rented one. Do you recommend any car rental places? Someone said dollar rental, but it looks like the one at the cruise port is booked and nothing is available.

We booked a Mustang convertible in Maui and Oahu with Thrifty car rental. Put the top down and had a fantastic time! In Oahu, a visit to Pearl Harbor is not to be missed. The road to Hana is remarkable. Go to a luau! So much to see and do in Hawaii. Our 15-day cruise in 2012 was our favorite one of all.

 

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We did this as well, but just rented a car. As long as you abide by the car rental rules, they will come get you if there is a problem.

 

Roads are heavily traveled and your cell phone works because you are in the USA.

 

A rental car provides the maximum freedom and is cheap. For a newlywed the bonus is you don't have to share your experience with a bus load of strangers.

 

We also got to do some things the cruise excursion probably won't do, like go visit Charles Lindbergh's grave.

 

Glad renting a car to Hana worked out for you but that is the curviest road we have ever seen with quite a few bridges that were one lane. No way would I want to drive it. Besides tour guide told us lots of interesting and fun stories during the day.

If you ware not interested in seeing Volcano Nat park the hop on hop off bus works well. Dropped us off at quite a few interesting places including waterfall and black sand beach.

We are looking at renting a car but have never rented one. Do you recommend any car rental places? Someone said dollar rental, but it looks like the one at the cruise port is booked and nothing is available.

It was eight years ago, but we found a Thrifty car rental office at every port. One on the Big Island was inside of a hotel, but all were within a couple blocks of where the ship docks.

 

You can reserve online and get the keys in a few minutes. Then you are free.

 

On Maui, we drove to the top of Haleakala volcano to see the sunset. Sunrise there is a popular excursion but obviously you have to get up really early and contend with traffic. It's so high that the scenery is stunning and there are some plants up there that grow no where else on earth.

 

We also drove up Mauna Kea, which is so high it actually snows sometimes. We only went as far as the ranger station, because the car company rules say if you have a problem up in the stratosphere they will not come and get you.

 

If you are planning to visit the summit, we highly recommend that you stop at the Visitor Information Station (VIS) at 9,200 ft to receive a current weather update, safety information, and to adjust to the change in altitude. Maunakea is one of the only places in the world where you can drive from sea level to 14,000 feet in about 2 hours, so altitude sickness is a high possibility. At 14,000 feet, there is 40% less oxygen than at sea level, so visitors should acclimatize to the altitude before proceeding further up the mountain. Anyone in poor health should consult their physician before planning a visit to Maunakea. We do not recommend anyone who is pregnantto go further than the VIS. People under the age of 16 should not go any further because their bodies are still developing and they are affected more rapidly when going to a high altitude. If you plan to scuba dive, do not plan to go up to the summit within 24 hours after your dive.

 

We had all the places we wanted to see pre-planned, and we saw a TON of stuff, but also did a lot of driving. Maybe driving a lot is not for everyone, but we absolutely loved it.

 

One word of caution... do not attempt to drive around the Lahaina side of Maui clockwise. The roads are great until you get to the north tip of the island, but then it turns into a goat trail clinging to a steep mountain slope with no guard rail. Most terrifying drive of my life.

Glad renting a car to Hana worked out for you but that is the curviest road we have ever seen with quite a few bridges that were one lane. No way would I want to drive it. Besides tour guide told us lots of interesting and fun stories during the day.

The Road to Hana was a walk in the park compared to the other side of Maui! :D

 

The main thing to look out for was the one-lane bridges but they are pretty well marked. Just have to stop, look, and listen before driving across them.

We are looking at renting a car but have never rented one. Do you recommend any car rental places? Someone said dollar rental, but it looks like the one at the cruise port is booked and nothing is available.

Look on Costco Travel dot com or Discount Hawaii Car Rental dot com. Both are excellent sources to rent cars at a reduced rate from all the major car rental companies. I really love cruising but Hawaii, particularly Maui, now gets the majority of my vacation dollars. If you are near the airport, typically the rental car locations and Costco will be close and they're always the cheapest place on any island to refill your gas tank before returning the car.

 

The Road to Hana is not about getting Hana, it is about the journey to get there. Download the gypsy app if you decide to drive it. They have the whole island, and you can get information about wherever you are as it tells the story of different locations. But it will tell you great points of interest as you go along Hana. If you are going to drive it, I would really research what you want to do and see within the timeframe allowed. It can take 12-14 hours if you are docked near Lahaina and unless you are doing an overnight, I would pick something else or take the ships excursion so you know the tour operator will get you back on time. All of the islands are very drivable - and worth it to have time for the 2 of you to do exactly what you want. Trip Advisor has a great forum for each island and many great contributors too. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and honeymoon.

The Road to Hana was a walk in the park compared to the other side of Maui! :D

 

The main thing to look out for was the one-lane bridges but they are pretty well marked. Just have to stop, look, and listen before driving across them.

 

Hmmm. Wow.:)

The Road to Hana was a walk in the park compared to the other side of Maui! :D

 

Did you drive the Kahekili Highway around? It is scary enough once you're almost to the blowhole, I can't imagine going all the way around!! :o:eek: I read a very funny (yet terrifying) report on TA that made me know it's not a road for the faint of heart!! Did you do it on purpose or just got too far down the road and decided to stay the course?

Some personal recommendations:

 

Hilo - Ricky's Tours / http://www.rickystourshawaii.com/ - (rickystours@yahoo.com)

 

Kona - Kona Island Tours / http://www.marylousbigislandguidedtours.com/ - (kensmet@hotmail.com)

(Ken and his wife Marylou conduct tours in Hilo and Kona)

 

Maui - Road to Hana Tour by Valley Isle Excursions / https://www.tourmaui.com/tours/road-to-hana-tour/

(A bit pricey and long, but a very good tour. We did visit Charles Lindbergh's grave)

If you do nothing else, break open your piggy bank and do a helicopter tour of the NaPali Coast on Kauai.

 

 

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Did you drive the Kahekili Highway around? It is scary enough once you're almost to the blowhole, I can't imagine going all the way around!! :o:eek: I read a very funny (yet terrifying) report on TA that made me know it's not a road for the faint of heart!! Did you do it on purpose or just got too far down the road and decided to stay the course?

Yes, we did. Never again. We got so far it would have been too long to turn around, so we were committed if we wanted to make the ship on time. Let me tell you how bad it was.

 

One lane road, no guard rail and a cliff straight down to the ocean on one side and a solid rock cliff on the other. We encountered a school bus coming the other way and of course there is no way to pass. So we had to back up until we found a hole in the cliff, pull the car into the hole, and the other vehicle can pass.

 

I could not drive more than 5 miles per hour, nor could I take my eyes off the road right in front of me. Wife looked out ahead and alerted me if anyone was coming so I could start looking for a cliff hole to pull into. It worked Ok. We knew we had about 10 miles of that stuff, and every time we passed a mile marker we let out a sigh of relief and cheered. We were honestly worried about getting back to the ship on time but it all worked out.

 

I just don't see how the people who live out there ever get used to that, but I guess they do.

If you do nothing else, break open your piggy bank and do a helicopter tour of the NaPali Coast on Kauai.

We did not do the helicopter but you can drive right to the top of that cliff and look down. It is called "the wettest spot on earth" and is just past the grand canyon.

 

The NCL Pride of America sailed past those cliffs and it was stunning. Lots of rainbows too.

We did not do the helicopter but you can drive right to the top of that cliff and look down. It is called "the wettest spot on earth" and is just past the grand canyon.

 

 

 

The NCL Pride of America sailed past those cliffs and it was stunning. Lots of rainbows too.

 

 

 

Are you talking about the Kalakau lookout (route 550)? Nice view but nowhere near the experience or spectacular beauty as with the helicopter.

 

 

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Some personal recommendations:

 

Hilo - Ricky's Tours / http://www.rickystourshawaii.com/ - (rickystours@yahoo.com)

 

Kona - Kona Island Tours / http://www.marylousbigislandguidedtours.com/ - (kensmet@hotmail.com)

(Ken and his wife Marylou conduct tours in Hilo and Kona)

 

Maui - Road to Hana Tour by Valley Isle Excursions / https://www.tourmaui.com/tours/road-to-hana-tour/

(A bit pricey and long, but a very good tour. We did visit Charles Lindbergh's grave)

 

Have always wanted to see the Waimea Canyon in Kaui. On two cruises booked helicopter and mother nature objected and rides cancelled at last minute. In January went back and did it by van and was well worth the trip.

Roberts tours booked with them and found out carnival used them but cost more. Been a few years but liked them on all the islands visited they got us in quick to pearl harbor too

We are taking the Splendor to Hawaii in October 2018 for our honeymoon. I am wondering what tours are the best to take? Have you booked through outside companies before? If so, where and what tour company? We have been on cruises before but we really want to have a ton of fun on this one since it will be our honeymoon.

 

TIA!!

We are on this cruise with you.we booked old Lahina luau and have booked a snorkel trip so far.are you on the roll call. Patrick and Jackie

The port in maui is on the part of the island opposite of where the best luau is found. We rented a car and booked a room since our carnival trip was in port overnight. It was a lot of fun. Just watch the drive to hana. They call it the drive to divorce because it is so curvy. :halo:

Best luau anywhere in Hawaii?

Any local high school fundraiser.

 

 

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