The Bus to the North Shore?

[calliopecruiser]

My future cruise will make a 24 hour stop in Honolulu, and I'm considering taking The Bus on an island circuit up to the North Shore. It's a long route, but it looks like an visually interesting route too. I have no interest in a lot of the common tourist stops (Pearl Harbour, Iolani Palace, Diamond Head), and I thought it would be an interesting overview of the island with a view of the sunset on the North Shore.

 

Anyone with experience taking The Bus all around Oahu?

[CruiserBruce]

Have done it twice. Fun ride, good way to get a quick look around. Do you have specific questions I can try to answer?

[calliopecruiser]

No specifics, I was just looking for general experiences.......hoping no one would say "Ick! It was a horrible time!". Glad to know it's a worthwhile trip.

[CruiserBruce]

As we did it twice about 15 years apart, "ick" is definitely not in our review...

[Susan-M]

No experience taking the bus there (we rented cars on both trips.)

 

Looking at your itinerary, I see that you're on Oahu from 4 p.m. one day until 6 p.m. the next. To see the sunset from the bus, you would have to do the ride on your arrival day, but sunset is at 6 p.m., which means that you would be seeing much of Oahu after dark. If you go the next day, you might have your eye on your watch more than on the scenery ... and with so few roads (a lack of alternative routes), hopefully there are no traffic problems.

 

Also, do you really want to sit on a public bus for 4 or 5 hours when you have one port day on a 15 day cruise? If nothing else appeals to you, suggest heading to Waikiki and enjoy the ocean.

 

Here's an article that might be of interest.

[calliopecruiser]

Also, do you really want to sit on a public bus for 4 or 5 hours when you have one port day on a 15 day cruise? If nothing else appeals to you, suggest heading to Waikiki and enjoy the ocean.

 

Here's an article that might be of interest.

 

Thanks for the article! The idea of spending 2 or 3 hours at the beach is very unappealing. I am considering just wandering around Chinatown or Downtown the afternoon we arrive, but I probably won't make up my mind until I'm actually there - right now I'm just collecting ideas. We may arrive early or late, etc., and I agree it is a shame that the sun will be setting so early. Generally speaking, though, I find taking public buses are a good way to really get a feel for the place I'm visiting, and that's what I like most about traveling.

 

As for "only" 1 port on a 15 day cruise -- I'd rather there be no ports, but that's just not practical from the ship's point of view. So, since I'm in Honolulu anyway, I'm just perusing ideas of things to do.....many of the things I'd first chosen to do are not available (closed on Monday).

[Susan-M]

...I find taking public buses are a good way to really get a feel for the place I'm visiting, and that's what I like most about traveling.

 

 

We really like using public transportation too when we travel ... have used it mostly in Europe, South America and Asia - while on cruises and land trips.

 

Hawaii is a great destination for renting a car ... not sure if that is something that you are open to, if exploring the island ends up being your choice for that 2nd day? Rentals are very reasonable and you'd be able to stop and enjoy some sights, scenic views, etc. along the way. (I would get it early on the morning of your 2nd day there and return it around 4 p.m.)

 

The bus on Oahu is good if you're staying in Honolulu and don't want to deal with traffic there. Going around the island on the bus seems kind of sad if you can't even get out to enjoy some sights.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Susan-M

[EllieinNJ]

We took the bus from our hotel in Waikiki to Diamondhead. There were at least 25-30 stops and took about 1/2 hr. that a car would do in 5 minutes. So we took the Grand Oahu Circle Island excursion tour on our last day. We stopped at a few beaches, a few stores to sell us things and lunch. It took about 7 hours. Was definately not worth the $103pp we paid.

[Nancyquilts]

I had the perfect off-beat tour for you - a visit to Shangri La, the home of Doris Duke, the tobacco heiress, but it's only open Wednesday through Saturday.

Edited May 21, 2014 by Nancyquilts

[alibabacruisers]

We did that on one of our trips to Honolulu...take the round the island bus (public transport) I mean. I think it takes about 4 hours, if you don't get off anywhere. On our first full day we decided to pay, at that time, $2.00, and just rode around to see the island. It was a nice way to get an overview of the island and cheaply too. In case you wanted to get off somewhere though, make sure to ask the driver for a transfer (think that was what it is called) ticket...he won't automatically give you one. One suggestion I would make is to open your window on the bus to get some fresh air. The bus did feel a bit dirty and like it had never been cleaned though, so I wished we would have had some hand sanitizer with us.

 

Another good idea is to rent a car and drive yourself as it is fairly easy to do. You can stop and take in the views at your leisure.