What is your favorite Hawaii tour?

[FrogCruiser]

Sailing on Serenade Oct 2005 - HNL to Ensenada....would appreciate any opinions about the tours you've taken in the Hawaiian Islands. What was the

best tour on each Island? Any tours from Hell (no, not Grand Cayman) to avoid? Thanks for your insight.

[Coralc]

We are booked on the same cruise for 2006. I don't know about ship excusions, but I can state a little bit about Maui, since I spent 2 1/2 weeks there as a college student, tropical marine biology.

 

Sunrise over the the Halialkia crater is supposed to be incredible. We got up at O- dawn thirty to go and see it, and the fog was so thick that you couldn't see a foot in front of your face.

 

The IO Valley (Eye of the needle) is pretty neat, even though it rained. It is a lush, tropical experience.

 

Hana is a different side of the island, black sand beach, interesting things on the way there. 7 sacred pools, botanical gardens. It's a very long drive on a windy road, though (maybe 6 hours?). I am sort of thinking about because we overnight. I would like to see Lindbergh's tomb, and he is apparently buried with his pet chimpanzee at the end of the road to Hana. ALA Michael Jackson?

[Murphy]

We cruised from HNL to Ensenada on the Legend in May 2005. We rented a car on all islands and did touring on our own. The only tour we booked thru RCCL was the snorkel tour in Maui. You have to tender in Maui and we used the excursion to get us off the ship quickly on onto snorkeling instead of waiting for a general tender to be available. The highlight of the things we did for me was the helicopter tour of Kauai. Absolutely amazing. I'm not sure what you time in ports are, but here is what we did:

 

Hilo: rented car saw Volcano National park and Macadamia Nut factory

 

Kona: rented car (this was the worst port for this as the shuttles pick you up and then you have to go to the airport for your car. The tender here was also the most unorganized) Most of our group golfed, I drove down the coast.

 

HNL: we were docked overnight here. We took a taxi to Waikiki Beach and spent the day on the beach. If you haven't seen it, Pearl Harbor is a must do.

 

Kauai: Rented car, helicopter tour, part of group golfed, rest drove thru Waimea Canyon... BEAUTIFUL

 

Maui: We were here overnight. Day one took Lanai Snorkel tour thru RCCL then rented car. Went to Old Lahaina Luau (booked on our own) for dinner. Next day went to Maui Ocean Center and unfortunately then it rained and wouldn't stop so we headed back to Lahaina and hung out in a local bar for a while after returning our rental car.

 

If you have questions about a specific tour, I can try to answer and we were traveling with others and maybe they experienced what you want to see.

[jimbulger]

Sailing on Serenade Oct 2005 - HNL to Ensenada....would appreciate any opinions about the tours you've taken in the Hawaiian Islands. What was the

best tour on each Island? Any tours from Hell (no, not Grand Cayman) to avoid? Thanks for your insight.

 

while in oahu (all good by the way)

 

hanamau bay snorkeling

the arizona memorial

the polynesian cultural center

 

The big island

VOLCANOS!!!!

[alohanails]

If able I would rent a moped and cruise the town....find "Tantalis Drive" and head up the mountain....rain forest...waterfalls...BEAUTIFUL views...and it's practically a secret...so SHHHHHH!!!

We lived there for 5 years....we did this with all of our friends who came to visit....also...if you are there over night and can do a LUAU "Germaines" was the best...the location isn't the greatest...you wonder "where the heck are they taking me?" but once inside the entertainment and food are truly authentic!

Then there is the north shore if you are into the "surf" scene...also if you pass a "huli-huli" chicken sign and see smoke head in that direction...best chicken ever!

For a "cheap meal" check out Zippys chili...

Bonnie

[jimbulger]

If able I would rent a moped and cruise the town....find "Tantalis Drive" and head up the mountain....rain forest...waterfalls...BEAUTIFUL views...and it's practically a secret...so SHHHHHH!!!

We lived there for 5 years....we did this with all of our friends who came to visit....also...if you are there over night and can do a LUAU "Germaines" was the best...the location isn't the greatest...you wonder "where the heck are they taking me?" but once inside the entertainment and food are truly authentic!

Then there is the north shore if you are into the "surf" scene...also if you pass a "huli-huli" chicken sign and see smoke head in that direction...best chicken ever!

For a "cheap meal" check out Zippys chili...

Bonnie

 

I FORGOT ABOUT ZIPPYS

 

for my wifes work I have been to hawaii a couple of times(she wont let me give up why)

 

we stay at a resort in KO OLINA but always try to find things to do away from the propert and we did discover zippys!!!!

[H20 Lover]

Murphy, what did you think about the Lana'i Wild Dolphin excursion?

[Murphy]

It was good, not great. We saw several whales which was cool since it was really at the very end of whale season. The snorkeling was good, but not great. I was actually a little disappointed with the snorkeling. It's not that it wasn't good, but it was so highly hyped, I was expecting GREAT and I had better snorkeling in Belize and St. Thomas to be honest. The guides were pretty good though and pointed out sea life and brought up things for us to look at up close. There were a couple sea turtles and an eel which was cool to see.

[AFT_LOVER]

as we own a timeshare at Embassy for 12 years, so I know what tours are worth the $$$ & our favorite is The Hana Sky Trek, a luxury van ride thru Hana with a picnic lunch of chicken & great fixins & then you board a Blue Hawaiian helicopter for the ride of Maui only you can see from the air as 80% of the island is undriveable. You will see how Haleakala carved waves of lava down to the ocean in various areas & at any time she can blow again, 212 years late! Off in the distance you can see Kileau on the Big Island blowing her top for 24 years straight.

 

If you are there for the night, then a great show from Cirque du Soleil called Ulalena at the Maui Myth and Magic Theatre has been awarded "Best Show & Best Attraction" by the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau. It's a must-see!

If you are on Maui between Dec-May, the whalewatching for $20PP is a must! Get off at Lahaina dock & step down to slip #1 for the best trip!

 

For Oahu, it is the Polynesian Cultural Center. What a wonderous place that is fun yet relaxing. You can also ride the city bus all over the island for $1.50 PP and if you get off the bus to enjoy something, just pay $1.50 again to keep riding. 4 hours to ride the whole island. Sure beats a rental car & you can talk to the locals who are so proud of their island. You will see where film the TV show in the home there on the corner.

 

Visit: http://alohatopten.com/island_pages/maui_search.cfm for more.

[Diva Onboard]

Volcano National Park.

[H20 Lover]

ebie,

 

For the VNP, did you rent a car or do an excursion? If rented a car, what was your day like, what did you do at the VNP? I don't know if I worded all this right, it's Labor Day and my brain isn't working.

[AFT_LOVER]

So 5 hours driving - the day we went flying into Hilo first flight & returning to Maui on the last flight, we had our rental on the residential area headed up to VNP, suddenly police were ahead of us blocking the road, LAVA! She sprung a new vent that morning & we were safe going back down & followin the new detour up there which made is close to 3 hours each way. So we had very little time to see steam vents & no lava.

 

Now a cruise, you see it all as the ship goes round & round for all to see the volacno at Big Island of Hawai'i.

[Mollie975]

Sailing on Serenade Oct 2005 - HNL to Ensenada....would appreciate any opinions about the tours you've taken in the Hawaiian Islands. What was the

best tour on each Island? Any tours from Hell (no, not Grand Cayman) to avoid? Thanks for your insight.

My husband and I did not cruise Hawaii, but this July we spent nearly 2 weeks there. Oahu - Check into a Circle Island Tour. You will be able to see the majority of the highlights of the island. Also, Pearl Harbor is a must if you have never been there.

 

Maui - We saw Warren and Annabelle's Magic Show and it was pretty good. The road to Hana was great! However, I would not recommend driving all the way around (the sights are not worth the time). Get a Maui Revealed book (there are books for all islands) and use it to know where to stop on the Road to Hana. These books are a MUST! We hiked a lot to beautiful waterfalls that we had to ourselves most of the time. These books were our travel bible on all of the islands.

Kauai - Our favorite by far!!! More beautiful than the Road to Hana. Do a helicopter ride here. Worth every penny. We used Island Helicopters. We also did a zip line tour with Outfitters Kauai and afterwards the group hiked to Kipu falls to swim and use a rope swing by the waterfalls. Check out tripadvisor.com for more Hawaii forums. This was the most amazing vacation we have ever had! If you have any questions email me at mollie975@yahoo.com

[Michelle!]

I agree with most here, especially Molly. The Maui revealed books is awesome and leads you places that most tourist just buzz right by. Also, do read the Hawaii boards here at CC - they are super, and the locals there are bang on about everything.

 

We did the Hawaii cruise last September - for the most part rented a car in each port. We didn't do any of the ship's tours and really didn't miss out on anything - I think we had a more enhanced experience. This is a synopsis of what we were able to do...

 

Hilo was our first stop - my son was very sick, but we did drive to the Volcanos National Park - we spent hours looking at the amazing views and playing on the lava - as I mentioned, my son was sick, so as we neared the area that the lava was flowing in it became harder to breath - we explore a bit, but turned back. We ended our day at the Mac Nut farm before heading back to the ship. Many squeezed the falls in too - I thought it was too much and just enjoyed our time at the VNP.

 

Kona - we drove to one of the many coffee plantations and enjoyed a tour and some freshly brewed Kona Coffee - from there we continued onto the Place of Refuge and an Near the Captain Cook Monument. I think we also saw the Painted Church here as well. Great spot- saw many turtles. A friend went snorkeling at the monument and said it was packed full of tourists.

 

Kauai - here we did a helicopter tour - It was amazing - the most beautiful out of all of the Islands - I would do it again in a heartbeat - we walk about town a bit then spent a good four hours at the beach watching the surfers. Others looked at the falls here as well - these are the same falls that are in the show Fantasy Island for any of you old enough to remember.

 

Next was Maui - our ship docked overnight here - we drove the road to Hana - all the way around! It was amazing, but the road was in rought shape. So much scenery to take in - you need a week on this island. The most beautiful flowers for sale on the side of the road. Oh and the smell of the flowers as you drive is outstanding. We stopped at the Botanical Garden enroute and played for a good hour or so.

 

The next day I wanted to go to the winery for some pineapple wine, but got voted down - the crew was too tired, but I will work in next time.

 

Finally, our ship docked in HNL - we didn't get a car the first day, as we planned on the USS Bowfin and Pearl Harbour. We took a taxi right from the pier and arrived before the masses from the ships by about 30 minutes - benefit of this is we were able to tour Pearl Harbour by 10 AM rather than the 1 PM time I saw on some of the tickets shortly after ours. What an amazing place. I am Canadian, but that doesn't really matter in the bigger picture, it took our breath away - earie too. The USS Bowfin was interesting as well. That was it for this day - many went to a Luau, but we saved that for after the cruise at the Polynesian Culteral Centre - now here my mother became sick, and it was a bit sour for her to feel so bad at the Luau as it was what she was looking forward to the most on the trip. Worth the admission price, but if you can purchase and entertainment book before you go, they had a coupon. (We paid 10.00 for our book and used about 600.00 worth of savings) We did pick up a rental car, at the end of the cruise and drove out to the Flea Market at the football stadium. This is the best place for your cheap souveniers - t-shirts, chocker style necklaces (shark teeth, hawaiin slippers etc) cheap luggage for all the extras - all of the good we purchased here were twice the price in all ports. Great deals.

 

Have a great time, I can't wait to do that trip again someday, it was fantastic. Rough sea days on the pacific last October - bring sea bands!

[CRUSINGFAMILY]

This is a fantastic thread...thanks to all those who have posted their experiences.

 

Michelle.....I would like to know how and where you got that Entertainment Booklet. We are a family of four from Ontario, Canada and could really use those savings. Would I need just one booklet or four?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

[SheltieLady]

I agree with Volcano National Park, amazing place to visit.

[Michelle!]

CRUISINGFAMILY, the books can be purchased online at entertainment.com

 

the book for HI covers all the islands, and I recommend previewing the coupons online before you purchase to ensure it will be a good value for you. We were able to use the airline coupons, a few restaurants, the polynesian cultural centre, MSS Bowfin and a couple others for shaved ice etc. I think it depends on your needs as to whether it will be a good deal or not. Good luck.

[Diva Onboard]

H20 Lover - We did an excursion through Royal Caribbean. We were on a tour bus. Touring through the volcanic areas was awesome. The national park visitors center was extremely interesting. There were other excursions that took in VNP - some were by helicopter.

 

You can get an idea of what the cruise line offers by going to their website and pulling up information on shore excursions for Hawaii.

[H20 Lover]

Thanks Elbie, I have the hike booked through RCCL, but was curious about the VNP outside of the ship. Just in case, we cancel our hike and have a Plan B. The VNP is definitely on our place to go that day. :D

[queenL]

Ahhh talking about this makes me miss Hawaii. (Sigh) It is such a fabulous place. We enjoyed every place we visited in Hawaii, however, hands down the Volcano would be at the top of the list. We hiked 2 feet from the lava flows, simply incredible. Also at the top of our list would be the Road to Hana in Maui and helicopter tour in Kuaui. Wherever you go it is sure to be beautiful!