Pride of America - Dec 10th Hawaii Cruise

[Kruz Guys]

We are thinking about joining this cruise - It looks terrific and this would be our first adventure in Hawaii. However, we have a couple of questions. Perhaps those of you who have been before can help us out :)

 

Does anyone know if there are any noise issues with the Suites on Deck 12 which appear to be directly beneath the Diamond Head Auditorium and the Lanai Bar and Loung? We've been in a suite (on a different cruise ship) that was right below a popular Cafe and we had scraping noises from chairs and food carts being rolled around. It wasn't impossible but it sure damped our suite experience. Don't want to repeat that experience this time.

 

Also, for those who have been to Hawii before, is there a lot to do for travelers who are elderly and not into swimming, snorkeling, or scuba diving? We are pretty laid back and easy going and would love to see the beautiful scenery, flowers, people, etc. without a lot of rough roads and climbing.

 

Would appreciate any help and information you can share.

 

Thanks.

[pizzalady1]

Also, for those who have been to Hawii before, is there a lot to do for travelers who are elderly and not into swimming, snorkeling, or scuba diving? We are pretty laid back and easy going and would love to see the beautiful scenery, flowers, people, etc. without a lot of rough roads and climbing.

.

 

That was the exact situation that my husband and I were in. There are many, many scenic areas to see and non-streneous things to do by renting a car on each island. Take a look at the Revealed series of guidebooks www.wizardpub.com which should also be available at your library. If you decide to rent cars, do so early (you can easily cancel) because the prices go up as you get closer to your trip.

 

I would go in a heart beat if it didn't involve a loooonnnnggg flight.

[Kruz Guys]

That was the exact situation that my husband and I were in. There are many, many scenic areas to see and non-streneous things to do by renting a car on each island. Take a look at the Revealed series of guidebooks www.wizardpub.com which should also be available at your library. If you decide to rent cars, do so early (you can easily cancel) because the prices go up as you get closer to your trip.

 

I would go in a heart beat if it didn't involve a loooonnnnggg flight.

 

 

Thanks so much for this information and the link. We will definately investigate.

 

Stephen & Tom

Kruz Guys :D

[sha88]

Take the helicopter tour over Kauai. Wow, it was so amazing!

 

Sunrise at the Haleakala Crater was spectacular in Maui.

 

I think Hawaii was the most memorable adventure I have ever been on and I thought nothing could beat Alaska.........

 

Have a wonderful time planning!

[Kruz Guys]

Take the helicopter tour over Kauai. Wow, it was so amazing!

 

Sunrise at the Haleakala Crater was spectacular in Maui.

 

I think Hawaii was the most memorable adventure I have ever been on and I thought nothing could beat Alaska.........

 

Have a wonderful time planning!

 

That does sound great! We'll put it on our list. Thanks.

 

Stephen and Tom

Kruz Guys

[mcmomny]

We were are deck 11 balcony and had no noise from above but our neighbors were pretty noisey the last night, they had a party in there!

 

We rented a car on each port, very easy to do and we really enjoyed being able to do things at our own pace. Super easy to drive and so much to see. We were not interested in the swimming, snorkeling thing either so just took our time!

 

You have plenty of time to drive and see things, we stopped at beaches to walk around, went to the waterfalls which had paved paths to get to, saw lots of flowers, stopped at little out of the way places to eat and shop. Really enjoyed it!

[Kruz Guys]

We were are deck 11 balcony and had no noise from above but our neighbors were pretty noisey the last night, they had a party in there!

 

We rented a car on each port, very easy to do and we really enjoyed being able to do things at our own pace. Super easy to drive and so much to see. We were not interested in the swimming, snorkeling thing either so just took our time!

 

You have plenty of time to drive and see things, we stopped at beaches to walk around, went to the waterfalls which had paved paths to get to, saw lots of flowers, stopped at little out of the way places to eat and shop. Really enjoyed it!

 

 

Thanks so much for your response and information. Sounds terrific. I was a bit concerned about driving but you make is sound easy and fun. Will have to seriously consider doing that instead of hiring a tour guide or doing a ship tour. Thanks again :D

[Halongbay]

That was the exact situation that my husband and I were in. There are many, many scenic areas to see and non-streneous things to do by renting a car on each island. Take a look at the Revealed series of guidebooks www.wizardpub.com which should also be available at your library. If you decide to rent cars, do so early (you can easily cancel) because the prices go up as you get closer to your trip.

 

I would go in a heart beat if it didn't involve a loooonnnnggg flight.

Hello,

Will the rental car company pick up at the port, or we have to get to there company ourselves?

Did you rent a car on this cruise? Please share. Thanks

[pizzalady1]

Hello,

Will the rental car company pick up at the port, or we have to get to there company ourselves?

Did you rent a car on this cruise? Please share. Thanks

 

At all ports except Kona, we rented from Thrifty, using http://discounthawaiicarrental.com/. In all cases the shuttle was there at the port to pick us up to take us to the office and then to take us back to the pier after dropping the car off. You should join the affinity club on the Thrifty website before starting the rental process so you can put in your club number. This saves time at the rental office since your paperwork will already be prepared. All you do is sign and go.

 

In Kona, you should either rent from Dollar or Thrifty at the King Kam hotel, or Enterprise which is about 7 minutes from the pier. You can walk across the street to the King Kam hotel for Dollar, or call Enterprise and they will pick you up at the pier and drop you off after you return the car. Dollar is more expensive than Enterprise, but is more convenient, your choice. Whatever you do, do not rent from an airport location--they will not pick you up and a taxi is costly, plus it takes a good while to get there.

 

At the ports where you have an overnight, we rented for two days. There is parking at both ports, but it has changed since we were there. Just do a search on the Hawaii thread for parking and there will be information, directions and pictures of the parking areas.

 

One word of advise--rent your cars as soon as you set the dates. They go fast and as supply decreases and demand increase, the prices go up exponentally! You can always cancel a car reservation if you later change your mind.

 

So, go and have fun!

[spacepotatoes]

At all ports except Kona, we rented from Thrifty, using http://discounthawaiicarrental.com/. In all cases the shuttle was there at the port to pick us up to take us to the office and then to take us back to the pier after dropping the car off. You should join the affinity club on the Thrifty website before starting the rental process so you can put in your club number. This saves time at the rental office since your paperwork will already be prepared. All you do is sign and go.

 

In Kona, you should either rent from Dollar or Thrifty at the King Kam hotel, or Enterprise which is about 7 minutes from the pier. You can walk across the street to the King Kam hotel for Dollar, or call Enterprise and they will pick you up at the pier and drop you off after you return the car. Dollar is more expensive than Enterprise, but is more convenient, your choice. Whatever you do, do not rent from an airport location--they will not pick you up and a taxi is costly, plus it takes a good while to get there.

 

At the ports where you have an overnight, we rented for two days. There is parking at both ports, but it has changed since we were there. Just do a search on the Hawaii thread for parking and there will be information, directions and pictures of the parking areas.

 

One word of advise--rent your cars as soon as you set the dates. They go fast and as supply decreases and demand increase, the prices go up exponentally! You can always cancel a car reservation if you later change your mind.

 

So, go and have fun!

 

There was one island where the closest choice was an airport location and they did provide a shuttle back to the port for us, no cab required. I can't remember if it was Maui or Kauai, though.:confused:

[NanaJulie]

Did you book helicopter through ship?

 

 

 

 

Take the helicopter tour over Kauai. Wow, it was so amazing!

 

Sunrise at the Haleakala Crater was spectacular in Maui.

 

I think Hawaii was the most memorable adventure I have ever been on and I thought nothing could beat Alaska.........

 

Have a wonderful time planning!

[pizzalady1]

There was one island where the closest choice was an airport location and they did provide a shuttle back to the port for us, no cab required. I can't remember if it was Maui or Kauai, though.:confused:

 

The car rental locations at all the ports, except Kona, are at the airport which is just a few minutes away. In Kona, you do not want to rent at the airport.

[toyotaford]

We are thinking about joining this cruise - It looks terrific and this would be our first adventure in Hawaii. However, we have a couple of questions. Perhaps those of you who have been before can help us out :)

 

Does anyone know if there are any noise issues with the Suites on Deck 12 which appear to be directly beneath the Diamond Head Auditorium and the Lanai Bar and Loung? We've been in a suite (on a different cruise ship) that was right below a popular Cafe and we had scraping noises from chairs and food carts being rolled around. It wasn't impossible but it sure damped our suite experience. Don't want to repeat that experience this time.

 

Also, for those who have been to Hawii before, is there a lot to do for travelers who are elderly and not into swimming, snorkeling, or scuba diving? We are pretty laid back and easy going and would love to see the beautiful scenery, flowers, people, etc. without a lot of rough roads and climbing.

 

Would appreciate any help and information you can share.

 

Thanks.

In Hilo we hired a guide at the dock when we got off the ship. His name was Frank and he was great. I wish I had his number and I would share it with you. There were 6 of us and he charged $25 a person and it was so worth it.

 

In Kauai we took a tour done by a photo studio which took us to breathtaking sights. They picked us up a short walk from the pier. We found them online. You are in Kauai 2 days and if you rent a car you should definitely visit the Grand Hyatt. The trip will take you through the "tunnel of trees" which is unique and gorgeous. One of our waiters at breakfast told us we should ride out to the hotel and walk around. We loved it so much we have been back 3 times to stay at the Hyatt. You can self park your car and walk around and enjoy the scenery. At 6 every night they have free Hawaiian entertainment with the ocean as the backdrop.

 

Hawaii is such a unique place. You are going to love it.

[sha88]

Did you book helicopter through ship?

 

No, we booked Jack Harter Helicopter through this web site:

 

http://www.adventureinhawaii.com/kauai_helicopters.htm

 

What a wonderful ride!

[Halongbay]

We were are deck 11 balcony and had no noise from above but our neighbors were pretty noisey the last night, they had a party in there!

 

We rented a car on each port, very easy to do and we really enjoyed being able to do things at our own pace. Super easy to drive and so much to see. We were not interested in the swimming, snorkeling thing either so just took our time!

 

You have plenty of time to drive and see things, we stopped at beaches to walk around, went to the waterfalls which had paved paths to get to, saw lots of flowers, stopped at little out of the way places to eat and shop. Really enjoyed it!

Hello,

I believe you pre-booked your rental car for each port,

I tried to pre-booked my rental car, but not sure about the location of the rental car company to pick from their website.

In Maui, I selected the Kahului

In Hilo, I selected the Hilo International airport

In Kaui, I selected the Lihue Airport.

Please confirm, if not I still have time to change it.

 

Did you drive up to the road to Hana, how was it?

Thank you

[magroo]

My DH and I did this cruise in 2009. It was wonderful. We're 40-somethings. If you want to do an authentic Hawaiian luau book the Old Lahaina Luau on Maui. We rented a car using the hawaii car rental link that someone gave you. We booked the luau through OLL's website. http://www.oldlahainaluau.com/flash.html You can choose from matt seating where you sit on the ground (these seats are in front) or table seating with chairs. All seats have a great view of the sunset and the show which is a traditional type show. If you want the fire dancing (which is Polynesian, not Hawaiian) this is not the luau for you. The food was WONDERFUL!!

 

The helicopter ride at Hilo is very cool. We booked through Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. http://www.bluehawaiian.com/ Very professional and the pilot was very knowledgable. I was a bit nervous, but the flight is so smooth. You can buy the video of the tour if you want, but we opted not to. I think it was something like $25.

 

This is a port focused cruise that gives you a great taste of Hawaii.

[lv2bgoofy]

We are taking this cruise in February and I have already gotten the Revealed books and read them cover to cover...booked our helicopter tour with Blue Hawaiian and have signed up for Blue Chip but not booked our cars yet......still debating on whether or not I want to drive the Hana Road or use Valley Isle...you might also want to get maps from

http://frankosmaps.com/ - I have read that they are VERY helpful