very late flight debarkation day..suggestions?

[mvcruisemom]

My husband and I have a 1030pm flight leaving Oahu on Feb 15th. Any of the tours we have seen drop off too early at the airport. We don't want to spend our last day in Paradise at the airport! The only thing that is a "must do" is Pearl Harbor. Should we rent a car and explore Oahu afterwards? Any places a must see? Is there parking at Pearl harbor? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[CruiserBruce]

Yes there is parking at Pearl. Depending on what you wish to do, Pearl could be most of a day. There are many other activities mentioned here, just read done the board. Perhaps a North Shore drive. Or got to Diamond Head after lunch and Pearl in the morning.

Edited November 15, 2013 by CruiserBruce

[Astro Flyer]

I don't know the car rental procedure from the pier but would think that's the best option. For a small fee you can reserve a tender ticket to the Arizona Memorial through the Park Service's website. As Bruce said you could spend the day at PH by visiting the USS Missouri, aviation museum & USS Bowfin (sub). They do not allow bags at the PH Visitor's Center but do have a bag check trailer.

 

Depending upon how long you're at PH, a drive around Oahu might be an option. If time is getting tight you could just do a loop around the southern end (Pali, Kaneohe, Hawaii Kai) but traffic can be quite bad. A hike to the top of Diamond Head for great views of the western & southern shores is an option.

 

Like other tourist spots around the world either carry your valuables or store them in your trunk before getting to a destination. Car burglaries can be a problem particularly when tourists leave valuables in plain sight. I saw a couple of panicked tourists who had their bag stolen from the back seat which contained a camera & their passports. :eek:

Edited November 15, 2013 by Astro Flyer

[Keith1010]

I would rent a car and then visit Pearl Harbor and enjoy the rest of the day on your own.

 

Keith

[cb at sea]

I would get a day room somewhere...anywhere! That's a LOOOOONG time to "kill".....more than 12 hours, since you'll likely be off the ship before 10am. A room would give you someplace to put your stuff....take a nap or shower....eat, use the pool, etc....

 

Having done the "drive around for 10 hours" thing before, I can tell you, it royally sucks.

[benzygirl]

What if your plane left at 4:00 PM. Would you take the NCL Pearl Harbor/city tour that drops you off at 2? Or does that suck too? lol

 

We have 2 days before the cruise that we could do Pearl Harbor, but I thought it was an easy way to get to the airport with luggage. The thing is we are not big "group tour" people. My real question is....is that NCL excursion on disembarkation day that goes to PH/city tour a long boring day? or a good thing?? Thanks for your help!

[mvcruisemom]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Great to have a few things to ponder.

[elhenry]

I don't know about anyone else's experiences, but in July 2013 HNL took an extraordinary amount of time to check in. Between the ag x-ray and the regular x-ray and the enormous number of folks, if Mom hadn't been in a wheelchair we might still be there. I would leave at least two hours to check in. We left the pier at 9:30 and did not have much time in the lounge before a 1:00 p.m. flight.

[DTW Cruiser]

We just did this last Saturday! We reserved a car, stowed our luggage out of sight, drove to the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor (pre-reserve your tickets at http://www.recreation.gov and then we drove up to the North Shore...specifically for the historic town of Haleiwa for Giovanni's Shrimp Truck and Matsumoto's Shaved Ice! Both we awesome!! We also made a quick stop at the Dole Plantation. And of course the beaches and views were the perfect ending to a memorable vacation!!

:)

Elaine

[gonefishin']

We just did this last Saturday! We reserved a car, stowed our luggage out of sight, drove to the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor (pre-reserve your tickets at www.recreation.gov and then we drove up to the North Shore...specifically for the historic town of Haleiwa for Giovanni's Shrimp Truck and Matsumoto's Shaved Ice! Both we awesome!! We also made a quick stop at the Dole Plantation. And of course the beaches and views were the perfect ending to a memorable vacation!!

:)

Elaine

 

We are sailing with the POA. It arrives back at 7AM & our flight leaves at 6:30PM. We are wanting to do the Arizona Memorial & take the North Shore drive. What time did your flight leave? Do you know Diovanni's Shrimp Truck hours? Are they just there for lunch? I am starting to think that we may do Diamond Head, the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor & Punchbowl the day we leave for our cruise. The ship departs at 7PM & they said to be there 2 hours before that. Then, do the North Shore drive the day we disembark. What do you think? Any suggestions or other must see / must do?

 

Thanks,

Alex