Shore excursions for Hawaii

[Catmandu]

Hello to everybody,

 

I am going to Hawaii for my Honeymoon and will be on the wind for Aug 13 departure ( 11 days). Because this is very new to me mainly because this will be my first cruise can anyone here assist me on certain things with regards to excursions

 

a) Will I find excursion ashore...similar to those offered by NCL...will I have to go searching or will they be available as I get off...Are they much cheaper...any warnings...

 

b) Any "must do excursions" for the 11 day trip Hawaii...mind you we don't snorkel so that would be out of the question. Any i should stay away from becasue they are a waste of money or just boring

 

 

Thank you very much

[Hawaiian Eye]

Go to a bookstore or Amazon.com and get a tour/guide book about Hawaii. Look through it and get some ideas of things you might want to do. Then come back and I/ we will help you do those things you would like.

 

Snorkeling is easy to do and would be a big waste to not try it in Hawaii. Might I suggest you find some snorkel stuff (mask fins, snorkel) and learn how before you get here? It's easy to learn in a swimming pool.

 

Being on your honeymoon you need to do some romantic stuff. Moonlight walks on the beach. A luau.

 

Lemme think on it a bit and get back with you.

 

Congrats on your marriage. :cool:

[spleen93]

Congrats on the marriage and the upcoming honeymoon! Ditto what Hawaiian Eye said. :) I recommend the Revealed series - my favorite guide books to Hawaii.

 

Spleen

[Steamboatin]

Go to the beach at night if you can and watch the submarine races. You will enjoy them laying on the sandy beaches together at night.

[spleen93]

Submarine races? :confused:

 

Spleen

[Steamboatin]

When we were dating back in the 50's when we would go down to the beach at night and park or party on the sand we would always joke about going to watch the submarine races.

 

Everyone knew what we were doing as obviously there are no visible submarine races to see.:D

[Middleager]

When we were dating back in the 50's when we would go down to the beach at night and park or party on the sand we would always joke about going to watch the submarine races.

 

Everyone knew what we were doing

 

Actually I don't know. Can you elaborate?

 

 

Also agree with Hawaiian Eye. Definitely try snorkeling. You don't have to be a swimmer as you can wear floatation vests.

[Hawaiian Eye]

It's actually kinda hard to sink in salt water. But if you're a poor or beginning swimmer, you should wear a life vest. Even a small wave can generate a lot of force.

 

Rent a 2 person kayak. It's great to get out on the water and look back at the island. But a waterproof disposable camera to take pictures of each other or turtles. It's also a good chance to work on marriage skills, ie cooperation and communication. :cool:

[shofer]

Submarine Races, haven't heard that one for a long time! That's what we told our parents what we were doing when we wanted some time alone ;-)

If you are on your honeymoon, no reason for that!

[breeding]

Wow - submarine races sound good - I'll have to see if DH is up for that!!

 

Anyway!!

We are back from our June 1st 10 day Wind cruise and here is our review of the excursions

 

Hilo - Lava viewing adventure (through the ship)

This was great!! Hard walking and very hot but really neat to see running lava.

Fanning - Special beach

Also loved this beach. We found puffer fish to play with and enjoyed just being in totally clear knee to ankle deep water. We walked from one side of the beach clear to the other just checking out stuff. The crabs were fun to play with also. This beach is cleaner and not so many flies as the main island. We did not stick around the Fanning very long because of the flies.

Kauai - convertable and tour on our own

Not enough time but it was fun. Too many waves for good snorkeling. The botanical garden was fun to visit.

Maui - SUV and road to Hana on our own

Long day. We went all the way around. We were on the road to Hana at 10:30 and back to the starting point at 5:30. We decided to go down to Wialiaha to snorke but it was not a good snorkel spot either. We ended up getting behind a wreck that stopped traffic and almost missed the boat.

Kona - Shogun snorkel/fishing combo (they only take 6 people)

We were not allowed to get off the boat because the tendering process was too dangerous. BIG Dissappointment.

 

Jeff parents (60's with bad back and can not sit or stand long)

Hilo - Volcano National Park and Rainbow Falls (through the ship)

They loved this tour and it was just enough walking and riding

Kauai - Waimea Canyon, Wailua River & Fern Gratto (through the ship)

They had to switch to the botanical garden because My MIL did not want to ride in a car for over one hour. She was pretty sea sick. But they loved getting to see both of the gardens that they went to and were very impressed with the information that the guildes provided that you wouldn't know if you were on your own

Maui - Haleakala Zipline (through the ship)

Chickened out and went on the Atlantis Submarine at this port. They liked it.

 

 

SIL, BIL & adult niece

Hilo - Hawaiian Eco Safari (through the ship)

Really enjoyed this - and it sounded like they really got to see a lot of this side of the island

Kauai(niece) - Poipu Beach surf lessons (through the ship)

She really did learn how to surf and had a great time

Kauai (SIL & BIL) - went shopping

Plenty of little shops with a lot of shuttle buses.

Maui - Haleakala Zipline (through the ship)

They loved this!!! Said it was a blast!

 

Back at Ohau we rented a stretch hummer. He took us to Pearl Harbor. That was excellent of course but it took over 3 hours. Then he took 1/2 of us shopping and 1/2 of us to the beach to snorkel. He then picked us up and took us to Shorbirds where we had a wonderful meal. Then he stopped at a mall real quick because my little girl had not found a sweatshirt then dropped us off at the airport.

__________________

[spleen93]

Thanks for the explanation ... never heard that term before! :)

 

Spleen

[orcatek]

Hawaii has so many great tours to pick from. Whatever your interest you can find a tour to that meets your needs. Read others reviews and check a few guide books. I've done both ship tours and self booked.

 

If you do decide to book your own tours, book early and make sure that you can cancel if the ship misses port or is late.

 

Check my reviews -Star and POA for some ideas.

[Middleager]

Kona - Shogun snorkel/fishing combo (they only take 6 people)

We were not allowed to get off the boat because the tendering process was too dangerous. BIG Dissappointment.

 

We're booking our own boat combo diving/snorkeling charter tour in Kona too. Did they allow you to cancel because the ship could not tender in, or did they still charge you?

 

If the sea is too rough for tender, it sounds like it may be too rough to go out snorkeling/diving. I wonder if mine would consider it cancelled due to rough weather, or still charge us.

[breeding]

We're booking our own boat combo diving/snorkeling charter tour in Kona too. Did they allow you to cancel because the ship could not tender in, or did they still charge you?

 

If the sea is too rough for tender, it sounds like it may be too rough to go out snorkeling/diving. I wonder if mine would consider it cancelled due to rough weather, or still charge us.

 

I haven't really looked at my charge card yet but I don't think they charged us. I did e-mail the captain when we got home and told him how sad we were to miss his trip and he said that the family that was looking on the dock for someone to take them fishing was glad we were stuck on the big ship so I think that the fishing/snorkeling water was not as bad. He was very surprised when we called him and told him that they wouldn't let us off the boat also.

[cruzercat]

Congratulations! The moonlight walks on the ship's top deck are every bit as romantic as moonlight walks along the beach. Whenever I cruise, I prefer to make my own offshore itinerary and have had very good luck with that, but it takes research. For example, I've been on a yacht in the Cayman Islands, going to the same destinations that a ship holding 50 (we were 6 in all on the yacht) that was on a shore excursion and we were able to spend as much time at each dive location as we cared to. It was also less expensive than the shore excursion! You can check out a variety of guidebooks from the library to compare comments and activities. Yes, I do shop around, but hey, it's enabled me to cruise the Mediterranean, the Carribean, the Panama Canal and Alaska with my husband and two kids.

 

Oahu has a wonderful public transportation system: www.thebus.org. Hopefully your ship will dock at piers 10 or 11, adjacent to the Aloha Tower Marketplace, a bus stop. If you cannot be at Pearl Harbor by 7am, it's not worth waiting in line 2 hours, which is what you have to do if you arrive later. However, you can hike up to Diamond Head (yes, near a bus stop), but carry water, sunscreen, a hat and a camera (I was there last week, it is definitely a must-see). Too bad you're not into snorkeling because taking the bus to the North Shore and snorkeling in Doctor's Cove would be a wonderful (and NOT crowded) experience. But, if you like to Boogie Board, "The Wall" in Waikiki (by the zoo) has a place to rent boards.

If you like to shop, stop at the International Marketplace in Waikiki, where you can buy pearls, cool Hawaiian shirts, have lunch and people watch.

Also, lunch at Genki Sushi in the Ala Moana Shopping Center is a trip (the sushi comes around on a conveyor belt).

Try to find out if your ship allows you to download your photos (if you have a digital camera) to a ship computer, then burn a disk on the last night. I went to the Panama Canal in March and loved that I could do this because it allowed me to edit my photos immediately. You'll want to take a lot of photos on this trip.:)

[spleen93]

Doctor's Cove? Not Shark's Cove?

 

Spleen

[cruzercat]

Oops, Thank you, Spleen. It is Shark's Cove (near Three Tables). I was in Jamaica in March, where I spent a day at Doctor's Cove.

I think I need more leisure time. :)

[breeding]

If you cannot be at Pearl Harbor by 7am, it's not worth waiting in line 2 hours, which is what you have to do if you arrive later. However,

 

I have to dissagree with this statement! We did not get to Pearl Harbor after getting off the ship until 9:30. It was a 2 1/2 hour wait until the show but you did not have to stay in line. We went and looked at the submarine memorials, checked out the bowfin submarine, spent a little time in each of the two museums and had to hurry and grab a bite to eat to get to our Arizona movie and boat ride. WELL WORTH THE WAIT!!!!!

[Hawaiian Eye]

There's plenty to see while you're waiting as already mentioned. Don't let the timing or long lines stop you. :cool:

[spleen93]

I think the point is, though, that if you don't want to wait in a long line, it's best to get there as early as possible (around 7-8 am)

 

Spleen

[cruzercat]

Yes, my point is, if you don't tolerate lines well, then make sure you're early. My husband and son always have to tour every battleship we encounter when we're on vacation (North Carolina, California, Texas, etc.), so my daugher and I left them after arriving at the USS Arizona at 7am and completing the tour. My husband and son took their time with the other two vessels (the Bowfin and the other one) while my daughter and I took a bus to have sushi and go to the Waikiki Aquarium, something my husband and son were not interested in. Really, it's a matter of what you want to see and how much you want to see. The toughest part about Oahu is that it's hard to see everything if you're there for less than 2 weeks.

Finally, Orcatek's recommendation that you have the ability to cancel your self-booked offshore excursion is excellent. I never thought I would have to do it, but in March, I had to cancel an excursion in the Cayman Islands using our ship's internet access because the ship had to go to Jamaica instead (bad weather in port). I keep all of my reservations on my e-mail account.

[Linda]

You don't have to be a swimmer as you can wear floatation vests.

 

 

 

I don't swim, but I snorkle. With floating vest and frog shoes( Don't know the proper name to call them.) I felt like a mermaid,well, almost. I am bringing my floating belt to Road of Hana. In case the pools at the foot of water falls becomes unresistible.