Any POA cruisers rent a car and drive themselves to sunrise at Haleakala?

[flagger]

This question has come up in the sunrise or sunset at Halekala thread. Had anyone ever rented a car and driven themselves up the mountain to see sunrise?

 

We don't know enough about parking at the port though we know it is an industrial area so we are wondering about the logistics of even getting off the ship in the middle of the night, getting to a car and then doing the drive.

 

We are not worried about mountain driving at night though ice/fog in December are a bit of a concern. So I thought I would ask if there is anyone on here who has done it themselves and can report back!

 

Thanks!

[hexdragon]

When we were on POA my friends did the Luau and got back rather late. They had problems finding a parking space, but no trouble getting on the ship. Considering that the cruise line runs a tour leaving about the same time... I wouldn't worry about them closing up shop for the night... :)

[Krisser22]

We had no problem getting off the ship for sunrise.....there were plenty of people coming and going (yes, at 3am). It was safe and easy to get off and to our car.

[flagger]

Car rentals can be pricey, but you are on your own. Did you feel it was worth it to drive yourself? For three people., it is about a $600 excursion privately or through NCL.

[hexdragon]

For three people., it is about a $600 excursion privately or through NCL.

:eek: You have to ask???? Even if the rental is $100/day, and you have the car for two days...

[jack300s]

This question has come up in the sunrise or sunset at Halekala thread. Had anyone ever rented a car and driven themselves up the mountain to see sunrise?

 

We don't know enough about parking at the port though we know it is an industrial area so we are wondering about the logistics of even getting off the ship in the middle of the night, getting to a car and then doing the drive.

 

We are not worried about mountain driving at night though ice/fog in December are a bit of a concern. So I thought I would ask if there is anyone on here who has done it themselves and can report back!

 

Thanks!

 

Here's a great review of someone that rented a car and drove to Halekala. They didn't go for sunrise or sunset however. There are many reviews of people that did drive up in rental cars for sunset (search subject).

 

We didn't make Halekala this trip. Next visit for us...

 

http://moonprincess.com/travel/543/

 

BTW, we rented a car on all islands for $26.99 per day (intermediate) this past November. However in every stop they upgraded us. Once to a large van, and a couple of times to a small suv.

 

We used a discount hawaiian rental car service that allows you to choose the rental car agency. We chose Avis because they don't require a extra deposit above the cost of the rental. Some require up to $300 per day deposit.

[jack300s]

This question has come up in the sunrise or sunset at Halekala thread. Had anyone ever rented a car and driven themselves up the mountain to see sunrise?

 

We don't know enough about parking at the port though we know it is an industrial area so we are wondering about the logistics of even getting off the ship in the middle of the night, getting to a car and then doing the drive.

 

We are not worried about mountain driving at night though ice/fog in December are a bit of a concern. So I thought I would ask if there is anyone on here who has done it themselves and can report back!

 

Thanks!

 

Follow up...Here's the rental site we used and had no problems. Just click on the island, company you want, and put in the date. As I mentioned we got $26.99 per day ($39.02 with taxes and fees) on all islands. Even on Oahu three days prior to our cruise. Great rate you can't beat...

 

http://www.hawaiicruisecars.com/

[flagger]

Thanks for that response. I think I may be looking way too far in advance. Not seeing those same rates for next December for Thrifty and Avis is showing all sold out. :eek:

[jack300s]

Thanks for that response. I think I may be looking way too far in advance. Not seeing those same rates for next December for Thrifty and Avis is showing all sold out. :eek:

 

Yes, to early. We booked our cars two or three months out.

[debster818]

Looking for sights to see on Maui (send day). First day is road to Hana. Thinking about driving to Halekla for the sunrise. Anyone know what time we need to leave the ship and is it worth the early rise? Thanks.

[corvette1963]

We did the sunrise drive. We were one of the first cars to get to the summit and the first people to walk up the steps to wait in the little viewing hut in the freezing cold for the sunrise. Renting the car was cheap and easy as was parking it overnight and getting to it at 3:00 AM. It's a crap shoot if you get a spectacular sunrise or like us fog and rain. I think you can check the weather forecast the night before for better luck figuring that out. (We didn't). The drive down after daybreak was beautiful once we got down below the clouds. I wish we had gone for sunset the day before and had a chance to see the things that are native to only there. By the time the sun came up we were cold and just ready to get in the car and get warm.

We had driven the road to Hana all the way around the day before (on our own, 2 couples) and would have been at the entrance about the correct time, but went into one of the towns instead. If I'm ever lucky enough to go again, that is what I would do.

[Just4You]

Thanks for that response. I think I may be looking way too far in advance. Not seeing those same rates for next December for Thrifty and Avis is showing all sold out. :eek:

 

I just booked a rental for Maui through this site: Aloha Rents dot com

 

I didn't have to leave a deposit, and got a car in Maui reserved for $28 for Nov 11, 2012 (total is $40 with tax/fees).

[debster818]

I just booked a rental for Maui through this site: Aloha Rents dot com

 

I didn't have to leave a deposit, and got a car in Maui reserved for $28 for Nov 11, 2012 (total is $40 with tax/fees).

What kind of car did you book?