Pride of America Advice...

[maddmaxx]

Heading out on the POA in a couple of months... been on POA and Pride of Hawaii in years past so you would think I might know this. With that said...

 

Doing our own air fare thing... is it pretty easy grab a ride from the airport to the pier?

 

Believe I can arrange transfers through NCL but can do it myself... anyone know the averae airport to pier fares?

 

Seems to me NCL I recall that NCL will get your luggage from the boat to the airport on embarkation day... since we booked a very late flight home and are going to spend the day on Oahu before flying out, it would be great to have them truck our stuff to the airport. Do they still offer this service?

 

Has anyone booked the Hilo to Mauna Kea excursion? Was going to make the trip myself while on the BI prior to the cruise but I might shell out the bucks and let them do the drive leaving more time to do stuff while we hang out on the BI before the cruise.

 

Sincerely appreciate any info you might be able to offer?

 

Mahalo

[phillygirl63]

When are you sailing? We are booked on the 4/30/11, and I have a roll call, but it is a little slow to get started.

[Kylie]

Maybe if you post this on the Hawaii Port of Call section there will be someone there that knows this answer.

[spacepotatoes]

Heading out on the POA in a couple of months... been on POA and Pride of Hawaii in years past so you would think I might know this. With that said...

 

Doing our own air fare thing... is it pretty easy grab a ride from the airport to the pier?

 

It's a pretty easy ride and if you're planning on taking a cab, they are pretty easy to find outside the terminal. They're just lined up waiting and it's first come, first served.

 

Believe I can arrange transfers through NCL but can do it myself... anyone know the averae airport to pier fares?

 

Seems to me NCL I recall that NCL will get your luggage from the boat to the airport on embarkation day... since we booked a very late flight home and are going to spend the day on Oahu before flying out, it would be great to have them truck our stuff to the airport. Do they still offer this service?

 

They did it when we sailed in July '09, I haven't heard about any changes to the service.

 

Has anyone booked the Hilo to Mauna Kea excursion? Was going to make the trip myself while on the BI prior to the cruise but I might shell out the bucks and let them do the drive leaving more time to do stuff while we hang out on the BI before the cruise.

 

We did the Volcano National Park & Rainbow Falls excursion. But honestly, you might have more time to hang out if you just rent a car. A lot of time gets eaten up on the bus tours with getting on/off and waiting for people.

 

 

Sincerely appreciate any info you might be able to offer?

 

 

 

Mahalo

 

Hope that helps!

[mking8288]

Cab fare between HNL and Cruise Pier is around $30 or $35 as I recall, unless fares gone up - and they have mini-vans that can easily take 4 pax plus luggage - spliting & sharing the fares will made it a great deal as you don't have to wait for the shuttle bus/van to get filled up before it leave and/or making other stops along the way.

 

NCL's Easy Fly/Bags Program is still available at HNL - but apparently, fewer airlines participating nowadays - just AA, DL and UA(CO) and its code-shared flights - subject to certain restrictions, etc. and at $19.95 p/p + HI state tax, for up to 2 pc. of luggage each is a good deal if you can take advantage of it. Charges are billed to your onboard account, need to decide whether to join/participate at least 48 hours before disembarkation, and once "accepted" by BAGS, you will get special luggage tags to be attached, leave it outside the cabin on the final night - it will be collected & taken directly to the airport. The next time you see your luggage will be at your destination airport's luggage carousal. No need to worry about storing them & returning to retrieve them and then drag it to the airport for check-in. Your flight will be reconfirmed & checked-in and you can head straight to the terminal with just your carry-ons (keep all your valuables, medications & other important items with you at all times)

 

For Hilo & other island tours, it's easy for a do-it-yourself tours with a confirmed car rental at discounted rates - and will save money too. We saved hundreds and with a portable GPS mounted with pro-programmed POI, never got lost & travel at our own pace.

 

Mahalo !

[0106]

Looking for a car rental company that will pick us up at the port.

[spacepotatoes]

Looking for a car rental company that will pick us up at the port.

 

Which port? Most of the companies have shuttles that will come to any of the ports and pick you up (I think Hilo and/or Kona might be an exception - try the Ports of Call - Hawaii boards to find out for sure). We used Alamo and Thrifty on our trip, good experiences with both of them though we preferred Thrifty.

[scrapgeek]

Regarding Mauna Kea, we went several years ago, on our own (not on a cruise). If you intend to go up to the top of the mountain, you should be aware that the driving is difficult. They told us not to even attempt it without 4-Wheel Drive. Interestingly, we never made it to the top. They closed down the mountain due to a snow storm. That was too funny -- a snow storm in Hawaii!

[Budget Queen]

I am just off the ship last week. They do still have the Bags program. Thrifty does have a port shuttle in every port, except a walk up in Kona. I used them in every port, plus an additional week in Honolulu on both ends of the cruise.

[odblnt]

Regarding Mauna Kea, we went several years ago, on our own (not on a cruise). If you intend to go up to the top of the mountain, you should be aware that the driving is difficult. They told us not to even attempt it without 4-Wheel Drive. Interestingly, we never made it to the top. They closed down the mountain due to a snow storm. That was too funny -- a snow storm in Hawaii!

 

We were just over there last month and took a tour from Kona up to the summit. As we were headed up, we saw a new (with dealer plates) Hyundai coming down. There were a few other small cars up there, but it's not something I would inflict on a regular car.

 

We were in a four-wheel drive extended van and had no problems, but the other van from the same company got a flat while pulling in to the visitor's center (9000') and they never made it to the summit. They were able to enjoy great viewing through the telescopes set up there, though.

 

The other disadvantage in driving yourself to the summit is that most people don't have the clothing with them to appreciate the view, while the tour companies provide big quilted coats.

 

My recommendation - If you are set on going to the summit, go through a tour. If you really want to see the stars or really want to do your own thing, you can drive a regular car to the visitor's center. You do still need to take some warm clothes, though.