How to tour in Hawaii (5 islands worth)

[golfadj]

Going to Hawaii in December on Carnival Miracle.

 

it seems like most people will rent car and do a self guided tour. also looks like when couple of thousand people get off a cruise ship could take forever to get the car you reserve.

 

Wondering why the people posting on here do not talk about tour companies they have used.

 

See that Island Marketing offers tours and we have had good success with them in the Caribbean.

 

Any thoughts on this?

[punkincc]

Going to Hawaii in December on Carnival Miracle.

 

it seems like most people will rent car and do a self guided tour. also looks like when couple of thousand people get off a cruise ship could take forever to get the car you reserve.

 

Wondering why the people posting on here do not talk about tour companies they have used.

 

See that Island Marketing offers tours and we have had good success with them in the Caribbean.

 

Any thoughts on this?

 

 

All 2,000 people do not get off the ship at the same time, nor do they all rent a car. Many book private tours or book one of the ship's excursions. The airport locations on Mauai and Kauai are very close to the ship terminal, at least for the POA, not sure where Carnival docks, and it is simply a matter of walking to the shuttle area and waiting for your companies shuttle to arrive. They run continuous loops. In Maui, for us it was a 5 minute wait for the shuttle, a 5 minute ride to the airport, and no waiting when we got there. On the big island, i believe the situation is a little different. I believe many rent from a hotel location close to the port as the airport is not as convenient, at least for one of the ports. We did not rent at all there, but the information is easily found.

 

I don't believe you are allowed to simply start a post here, good or bad, recommending a particular tour due to the difficulty in determining whether the poster is a customer or merely someone from the tour who wants some advertising. You can talk about your tours in a posted review, and many do, or you can post a response to a specific question about tours with your own experience.

 

We did book 3 tours on our POA cruise, none with the ship. We booked direct with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters in Kauai, Fair Winds snorkel trip to Kealakekua Bay in Kona and Mary Lou's Tours for the Valcano Natnional Park, etc. in Hilo.

 

If you are looking for a particular tour or type of activity, or if you want to know if people have used a particular vendor, just post your question and people will respond. As far as Island Marketng, I don't believe they are actually running any of these tours, just acting as a booking agency, sort of like TicketMaster. Unless you are getting a good price break, I would rather book direct with the tour vendor rather than through a third party.

Edited September 23, 2014 by punkincc

[CruiserBruce]

Agree. I don't think "most" rent cars. And 2000 don't get off all at once. The ship's excursions do just fine, from what we have observed.

 

There are several companies that get mentioned, Roberts being the largest by far.

[punkincc]

There are also some excellent small group tours, 6 people or less, especially on the big island, Hawaii if you don't care for the big ship excursions or the big ones like Roberts. Prices are comparable. You can find reviews on the sister site, Trip Advisor.

[golfadj]

Thanks for the suggestions. Didnt think of trip advisor.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Agree. I don't think "most" rent cars. And 2000 don't get off all at once. The ship's excursions do just fine, from what we have observed.

 

There are several companies that get mentioned, Roberts being the largest by far.

 

We have taken the Hawaiian cruise three times on Princess, and haven't rented a car on any of them (actually we have never rented a car during any of our cruises). We did rent a car on our second time to Hawaii on our honeymoon, but we were staying in Kauai for a few days so that worked for us. We walked when we were staying in Honolulu after that.

 

Most of the time (and this is for our cruises in general), I research what would be interesting to us in the ports and then we DIY. But most of any excursions we book, we do so through the cruise line. And I don't think there has been that much of a difference in price between a similar one done independently and the cruise line's. And we actually have been in vehicles with ten people or less on a couple of them. So this image of herding a whole large group isn't necessarily so if you do your research.

[gusandgidgetsmom]

We rented a car on each island. Found it very easy. When you dock the shuttles for the different car rentals are waiting for you. I research like crazy, take my gps and all my info and we go it on our own. I am not one that likes having to go on a tour bus with many that I do not know. I will if have to but prefer it on my own.

If you are from the U.S. it is so easy as most auto insurances will cover you in a rental and since Hawaii is part of the U.S. the driving rules are the same.

[Susan-M]

 

See that Island Marketing offers tours and we have had good success with them in the Caribbean.

 

 

They are the reason for the first sticky on this message board.

 

Re rental cars - Hawaii is a very easy place to explore on your own ... without the issues that you'd have on some Caribbean islands with a rental car.