inexpensive tours

Hello,

Are there any inexpensive tour companies we can take from the ship. We are on Star princess Feb. 17th till March 4.

Thanks

Truthfully - no. I have never seen what I would call an inexpensive excursion in Hawaii. It's NOT like the Caribbean where one may be able to grab a less expensive tour at the dock. Most tours/excursions are booked in advance.

If you want to keep costs down rent a car. If you decide to rent a car book it in advance. We have used discounthawaiicarrentals in the past and were pleased.

Define "inexpensive". That is key, as your expectation of prices may not match reality.

But, generally, Hawaii isn't cheap.

Hi cruisingluv. It depends what you are looking for on your port days. If you are just as happy not doing as much touristy stuff, it can be very reasonable. We like beaches & local food...bus tours...not so much. If you want tours to the volcanoes, snorkeling etc it won’t be cheap. Car rentals are possible in each port for sure, but picking up and dropping off the car eats part of your days.

Honolulu...the city bus (called “The Bus”) goes to Waikiki and you can go all around the island. It’s $5.50 USD for an all day pass.

Lahaina. The tenders from the ship right in the middle of Lahaina. It’s a really cute town to walk around and there are beaches within walking distance. Also, there are usually some local tours offered when you get off (though not cheap)

Kauai. There is a great beach a short walk (or free trolley ride) away. The big hotel at the beach has a beautiful Hawaiian garden behind it to walk through. Also there are free shuttles to Kmart/mall from the port (great for souvenir shopping & has a Costco just behind it...also handy for shopping)

Hilo.. there is a free shuttle to the farmers market where some other tours are offered (they will drop you back at the ship), but there is also a “hoppa on hoppa off” bus at the cruise port that stops at a bunch of cool places around Hilo (rainbow falls, gardens, beaches, town) with narration by 5he driver & is only $20/person.

thank you for the information

I am cruising Hawaii 12/1 for the first time and an open to all suggestions for what my husband and I need to see and do on this trip. We booked with NCL and are doing 3 nights in Honolulu with guided tours prior to boarding the Pride of America. My husband definitely wants to do snorkel as well as sight see. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

Denise

My best recommendations:

Rent a car in each port (reserve ahead of time)

Do a lot of research to determine what interests you on each island

My personal favorites(strictly my opinion):

On Maui - Drive up Haleakala (Note it is NOT necessary to do this at sunrise or sunset - it is impressive any time of day.) Stop at all the viewpoints and the visitors center. Also go to a beach - Maui has great beaches.

Hilo - Drive up to volcanoes National Park

Kona - this is particularly good for snorkeling

Kauai - Waimea Canyon and North Shore.

I am cruising Hawaii 12/1 for the first time and an open to all suggestions for what my husband and I need to see and do on this trip. We booked with NCL and are doing 3 nights in Honolulu with guided tours prior to boarding the Pride of America. My husband definitely wants to do snorkel as well as sight see. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

Denise

Zeno provided good information about things to do in Hawaii & I can add a couple of suggestions to consider.

• Car rental: Great idea to pre-reserve cars on the neighbor islands & Costco had cheaper rates than the often recommended HDCR (https://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/). With the traffic on Oahu & expensive parking fees in Honolulu would recommend using their great public transportation option...The Bus...if you want to get around when not on your guided tours during your precruise Oahu visit.
  
• Kauai: I think you’ll overnight here & I’d recommend either going to the south shore area (Waimea Canyon) & the north shore area (Princeville) on different days.
  
• Maui: If going to Haleakala & beaches, both are best earlier in the day. On most days I can see clouds at the summit area of Haleakala from our house by midday; also beaches generally have more wind & choppier water conditions by midday. I would recommend South Maui beaches from the ship in Kahului because it’s a shorter drive with less traffic & there are less crowded beaches in Wailea & Makena. There are several easily accessible good snorkeling sites in this area & could make a couple of suggestions.
  
• Hilo: Volcanoes NP or driving north along the coast for a scenic drive & Akaka Falls.
  
• Kona: Great snorkeling/diving not too far away by car. Be aware that we’ve had heavy traffic returning to Kona when returning the rental car. Being a tender port don’t miss the last one back to the ship. It’s been discussed on this form that there is a public bus that goes to a good beach and I believe snorkeling area south of Kona. But there are few sandy beaches resulting in mostly crystal clear water conditions.
  

By searching this forum you’ll discover a lot of useful information & the Hawaii Visitor’s Bureau website can provide some information about each island.

https://www.gohawaii.com/

Thank you for your suggestions

Sorry to say that Princess does not stop in Kona, so some of the best snorkeling won't be accessible. We rent cars, especially in Hilo and on Kauai - cheap (check Costco car rentals as well as DiscountHawaii), shuttle pickup right at the pier, easy to get around, relatively little traffic. Our Costco car rentals in September in both ports cost us under $50 for the day. I'd personally avoid car rental in Honolulu unless you are very comfortable driving in horrendous traffic and can handle the stress of delays and big city driving. Maui is probably another place to do car rental, though the information I found says it's about a 4 mile taxi or shuttle ride from the pier (that's assuming the Star goes to Lahaina as it did for us).

check out Robertstours. We used Roberts in Kauai, very nice. We were on Star in Jan.

Your cruise is almost over now.....please post here what you decided to do and how much you enjoyed it.

Sorry to say that Princess does not stop in Kona, so some of the best snorkeling won't be accessible. We rent cars, especially in Hilo and on Kauai - cheap (check Costco car rentals as well as DiscountHawaii), shuttle pickup right at the pier, easy to get around, relatively little traffic. Our Costco car rentals in September in both ports cost us under $50 for the day. I'd personally avoid car rental in Honolulu unless you are very comfortable driving in horrendous traffic and can handle the stress of delays and big city driving. Maui is probably another place to do car rental, though the information I found says it's about a 4 mile taxi or shuttle ride from the pier (that's assuming the Star goes to Lahaina as it did for us).

How do you rent the car from Costco and get a shuttle to pick up the car. (Kauai) I just went on line and they gave me two locations, the airport and a hotel.

How do you rent the car from Costco and get a shuttle to pick up the car. (Kauai) I just went on line and they gave me two locations, the airport and a hotel.

All rental car agencies that I am aware of are at Lihue airport and apparently at some hotels. There are free shuttles to/from the airport (about 10 minutes) and they come to the pier. Have the local office’s phone number in case it’s necessary to call for pickup.

After making a reservation through Costco will directly contact the location to confirm the procedure. Costco is just another booking source and each rental agency determines their procedure.

Hello,

Are there any inexpensive tour companies we can take from the ship. We are on Star princess Feb. 17th till March 4.

Thanks

So, what did you do with your time on the islands? Any tips?