Need some advice for Aussie tourist...

[aussie mim]

Hey Guys my hubby and I & my elderly parents in their 70s,will be doing POA in March, need help never been to Hawaii before.(excuse spelling)

1. What will weather be like mid to late March? 2. Best Loua at Waikiikii stayin at Hilton hawaiin village, Best way to get around waikikii, bus-taxi etc, 3. On cruise definately want to do a few excursions bout 3 or so narrowed it down to Haleakala crater- in Maui, volcanoe national park and rainbow falls in Hilo, and waimea canyon- in Kauai. Can you suggest some good tour companies. and definately want to do some beach days but didnt want to pay for tours can you tell me which islands have great beaches not to far from ports say walking distance or taxi or easy bus. and what bout shopping I heard that some ports have free shuttle service to town for shopping etc, can you tell me what we can do at the other ports 1 extra day in Maui, 1 extra day in Kona and is it worth doing anything last 1/2 day in Kauai. thanks for all your help really appreciate it.:)

[kgymn]

I can't answer of your questions but can answer some! The weather may vary from island to island but you can expect high 70s to low 80s. Lows in the high 60s, maybe, more likely low 70s. However if you do Haleakala and volcano national park it will be significantly cooler, bring a heavy sweatshirt or a light jacket for those days.

As far as Waikiki itself, it's not very big and you can want much of it. There is a reasonable bus system (The Bus) which is good for getting places outside Waikiki itself. As far as Luaus, most are in other parts of the island rather than Waikiki. Each luau has it positives and negatives... Some have better food, others better entertainment. Paradise Cove typically gets good reviews. Or you can make it a day and go to cheifs luau in the evening and sea life park and the nearby beaches during the day, or Polynesian cultural centers luau and enjoy the day exploring the cultural center. I believe most luaus have transportation options to/from Waikiki. I know paradise cove does.

I highly highly recommend if you get a chance, since it sounds you are a beach person, to check out beaches away from Waikiki. Waikiki is OK, but the natural beaches are so much nicer and on weekdays especially so much less crowded. I've been to 37 beaches on Oahu so far and would happily point you in the right direction if you want to check one out. Many will be close enough to bus routes, but may take some time to get to via bus.

Honestly all the islands have so many things to see, if you aren't going to make it back to Hawaii get as many excursions in as you can! Then go to sleep early.

 

~Katy

[Susan-M]

Haleakala, Volcanoes National Park and Waimea Canyon are easy to do on your own with a rental car. Many people rent cars on their port days and it's a very economical way of touring ... is it something that you'd be comfortable doing? It does involve doing some research ahead of time to plan your day, so if time or interest prohibits that, then excursions are a good idea.

 

When in March are you going? Private tours are frequently mentioned here on the forum, but might be booked up by now, in which case, the cruise line excursions might be a good option (if you don't want to rent cars.)

 

Have you looked at the Roll Call for your cruise here on TA to see if others are organizing tours and looking to fill spaces? If you don't know how to find the roll calls, let us know the date of your cruise and we can post a link to it.

 

Good luck with your plans.:)

Edited February 20, 2015 by Susan-M

[aussie mim]

Thanks will look into car hire, but as we drive on other side of road and back seat drivers dont know if It would be easier to go with organised tours, we leave on March 21st, and havent looked at roll call yet,Do you recommend Haleakala crater just looking at some other post and they are saying not really worth it, if we could only do 1 volcano tour which one would you guys recommed Haleakala crater or volcano national park,and what else can we do on the other days in Maui kona,and kauai, I did read here someone said kalapacki bay beach at walking distance from ship, does all ports have free shuttles into towns , is the shopping or markets near any ports and what are Taxi like at these ports, and can you suggest nice beaches at these stops nothing like laying on a beach relaxing, and im from Queensland home of the beaches in OZ, so cant wait to try out Hawaii islands beaches.:).

[punkincc]

Thanks will look into car hire, but as we drive on other side of road and back seat drivers dont know if It would be easier to go with organised tours, we leave on March 21st, and havent looked at roll call yet,Do you recommend Haleakala crater just looking at some other post and they are saying not really worth it, if we could only do 1 volcano tour which one would you guys recommed Haleakala crater or volcano national park,and what else can we do on the other days in Maui kona,and kauai, I did read here someone said kalapacki bay beach at walking distance from ship, does all ports have free shuttles into towns , is the shopping or markets near any ports and what are Taxi like at these ports, and can you suggest nice beaches at these stops nothing like laying on a beach relaxing, and im from Queensland home of the beaches in OZ, so cant wait to try out Hawaii islands beaches.:).

 

Haleakala and VNP are both worth seeing. They are totally different. Haleakala is a dormant volcano, lush and green. It's the drive up that's the best part. Gorgeous vistas. My favorite place in Maui. Of course, it's best done in your own car and it is a very easy drive through a mostly rural area after you leave the port.

 

VNP on the other hand, is an active volcano, so is a totally different experience. We did a tour highly recommended here and on Trip Advisor with Mary Lou's Big Island Tours. Only 6 people per van and only Mary Lou, her husband Ken and son Kyle conduct the tours, so only 18 people max can book. Very reasonable for a full day tour including VNP, Lava Tube, Rainbow Falls, Turtle Beach and more, but they may be booked up already.

 

In Maui, you might consider the Lahaina On Your Own Tour which basically gets you to Lahaina, a quaint little town on the ocean with lots of shops, restaurants and water type tours that leave from the dock. In Lahaina, you can catch a shuttle bus which takes you down the road to the Whalers Village shopping area which fronts Kaanapali Beach, one of the most famous in Maui. Just walk through and you are on the beach.

 

On our second day in Kauai, we just walked over to Kalapaki Bay and had lunch on the patio at Dukes at the Mariott Hotel right on the beach. Or there is a shuttle bus which runs from the port to the shopping, and then you just walk through to the beach. Very calm water and lots of trees for shade. Waimea Canyon is very beautiful, again, easily driveable on your own, or take a tour.

 

Kona is very walkable from the port, or Mary Lou's also comes to this side of Hawaii and does tours for Kona as well. We did a snorkel tour from an area about 20 min away by taxi, with Fair Winds to Captain Cook's Monument. Can't recall the name of the Bay, but absolutely gorgeous water and the spinner dolphins sleep there during the day.

 

One thing you might consider if you sign in on your roll call. If you find a like minded couple while you are chatting there, you might suggest offering to pay for a rental for the size of your group if they will volunteer to do the driveing. You would be able to see and do so much more.

Edited February 20, 2015 by punkincc

[Susan-M]

If you can only choose one, then I'd choose VNP over Halekala - there's more to see there and you could easily fill a day.

 

Haleakala is very impressive too- sunrise tours are popular, but it means getting up in the middle of the night to go and it's really cold at the summit. I really like going in the daytime (we drive up ourselves) - great scenery on the way up and down, good hiking at the summit and spectacular views, and it's warmer once the sun comes out ... but you still need to be prepared with some warmer clothes than you'd need at sea level (it can be as much as 30 degrees F cooler at the summit than at sea level.)

 

Re the "not really worth it" comment that you read ... it's better to do some research to see if it's of interest to you. People often say here that they've read that something is a "must do" or "not worth it" and immediately feel that they should do the "must do" and rule out the "not worth it" ... but someone else's "must do" could be your worst experience and their "not worth it" could be your best.

 

There are lots of options for things to do in Hawaii ... they've been listed often in the message board here and the list is too long IMO to summarize them all here without producing a complete guidebook in the process;) If you have time, suggest reading through some of the threads here ... also look at the Port section here on CC where there's an excellent summary of each port that you'll be visiting, e.g. here's the one for Kauai .. and a guidebook on Hawaii is an excellent investment (or borrow one from the library). Even going through the shore excursions offered by NCL will give you some great info on possibilities ... you don't have to do their excursions, but looking at them will probably give you some good ideas.

 

I think the thread that you read re Kalapacki Bay is this one, and there is very good info in posts #23 & 24 there.

 

p.s. I was composing this post as PunkinCC posted ... one of the posts that I referenced re the thread on Kalapacki Bay was by them.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Susan-M

[chengkp75]

One of the problems with Haleakala is that most people want to do the sunrise thing, and even going in midday, it is a totally different ecosystem from the rest of the island, so many times there is fog.

 

You probably won't experience it in March, but there is frequently snow on top of Mauna Kea. I know some folks from the big island who went surfing in the morning and then skiing in the afternoon.

 

The only caveat I have about Kauai is that walking to Kanapaki beach is nice, do it only during daylight. There is a county park immediately adjacent to the pier area, I think its Nawiliwili Park is not safe after dark. We have had many problems between locals and crew in this park after dark. During the day it is nice and quite safe. But since there is an overnight there, I make this observation.

[Susan-M]

Agree that Haleakala can be clouded in, but VNP can be cloudy and rainy as well. Of the 4 times that we've been up Haleakala, 3 were beautiful, sunny days (it's not unusual to drive through some clouds on the way up, but then have gorgeous skies once up there) ... and 1 time it was so cloudy we couldn't see 50 ft. in front of us ... it was a mistake to drive up that day thinking we might break through the clouds because the whole island was in a low pressure system.

 

I don't think the OP mentioned Mauna Kea on the Island of Hawaii (and it wouldn't be recommended on a cruise stop IMO because it's better to go for stargazing), but she did mention VNP ... and that's a good choice.

[paluni]

This was a while ago, but in Lahaina on Maui we enjoyed the Sugar Cane Train, an old plantation train ride through some nice scenery. It wasn't real long, but I really enjoyed it. It's not far from the main part of Lahaina.

As far as luaus in Oahu, I've done the Paradise Cove luau two or four times, and enjoyed it. But next time I want to try Germaine's luau, which has very good reviews. I read a review from someone who did it and just loved it.

Lahaina is a fun town to walk around. Lots of good places to eat. Have a shaved ice for sure.

[aussie mim]

Thanks for all your responses, I liked the sound of Lahaina, but thought POA pulled up on the other side of the island, so how do we get to there, and how long of a trip is it, and whats the shuttle like to the towns from the ship do they all have them

[Susan-M]

One of the excursions listed for POA is Lahaina on your own - @$39. pp.

 

"Lahaina On Your Own - Round-trip

 

This round-trip motorcoach transfer is a convenient and cost effective for you to travel to historic and charming Lahaina. The ride takes approximately 45 minutes each way, along a scenic route. Your motorcoach will make two stops – at Hilo Hattie’s, shopping mecca for all things Hawaiian and at the flagpole next to the Lahaina Wharf. Dozens of boutiques, shops, restaurants, and historical sites are within easy walking distance from both locations.

 

 

Note: Some shore excursions can be combined with this later return transfer, allowing for free time in Lahaina at the end of your morning tour. Check with the on board shore excursion desk for details. The return transfer departs the meeting location at 3:00 pm.

 

Just to add ... I've read reports here of people taking a Hilo Hatties (store) shuttle to their store in Kihei from Kahului (the port where you'll be) but some Hilo Hattie stores have or are in the process of closing, so I'm not sure if that's an option still.

 

Other than Lahaina and Honolulu, the towns in Hawaii aren't enough of a highlight to spend a day in them (and even a full day in Lahaina would be a long one for some) ... the scenery and beaches are the real attractions in Hawaii. Re cruise shuttles ... none, just tenders to the dock in the ports where you're anchored off shore.

 

The Sugar Train Cane mentioned above closed last summer ... website says they are planning to reopen late this year.

Edited February 21, 2015 by Susan-M

[punkincc]

Thanks for all your responses, I liked the sound of Lahaina, but thought POA pulled up on the other side of the island, so how do we get to there, and how long of a trip is it, and whats the shuttle like to the towns from the ship do they all have them

 

There is really not much around the ports which is why many are suggesting a rental car to get out and see the scenic sights, or booking a tour if you do not wish to drive.

 

In Maui, there is nothing walkable that I know of. There may be a couple of shuttles to a Costco or Hilo Hattie's. The ships tour "Lahaina on Your Own" is your best bet to get there if you don't want to drive. It is basically just a shuttle. The drive there will be beautiful.

 

In Kauai as mentioned, you can walk or shuttle to the Kalapacki Bay and Beach area about two blocks away.

 

For Hilo, we were touring VNP etc all day, don't recall if there was anything walkable. Does anyone else recall?

 

For Kona, you tender in and arrive right in town. Many people just spend the day walking around or do a tour first and then walk around before re boarding the ship.

Edited February 21, 2015 by punkincc

[agabbymama]

I understand your hesitancy to rent a car. We have done 7 weeks in Australia and preferred not to rent a car because of driving on opposite sides of the car & road. My husband watched our friend in Sydney and thought he might try to drive, but we never actually got up the nerve to try it.

 

I'd check out the ship excursions for time structure (they wouldn't let you book something there wasn't time for), check Roberts of Hawaii (they do a good job), and I also like viator dot com for ideas of what is available to do in each port (no matter where I go, not just Hawaii). Check what is included, and the price comparison, and go with what you feel comfortable with.

 

Everyone travels differently, we did rent cars on the Islands, but we are from the US and sometimes had difficulty following maps and road names.

 

Have a great trip!

[Budget Queen]

It certainly depends on the person, so figure out if driving is for you. I wouldn't recommend a car on Oahu but all the other islands is easy driving. All of your list is simple drive up which is significantly cheaper than any tour.

 

In Kauai, there is a very walkable beach that many enjoy, or easy to take a short shuttle bus.