Are the ports convenient to the sights?

[lysolqn]

Taking our first cruise to Hawaii next month (have already been there on a land vacation) and will be calling at Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Kona and Kauai. How convenient/inconvenient are the ports where the ship will dock or tender to the "downtown" area of the respective islands? Also, it appears lots of cruise passengers opt to rent cars in each port; are there rental facilities at the ports? Thanks.

[sasset]

Maui (Lahaina) you tender. You are right in the center of Lahaina, so you could walk the town. Other than that you need wheels. Rental car shuttles are available to the airport. There is a No-name rental agency, mostly exotic cars, but also Jeeps and Mazda Miatas walking ditance from the tender dock.

 

Kaua'i (Nawilili). About the only thing in reasonable walking didtance is Hilo Hatties. Rental car shuttles are available to the airport (only about 10 minutes).

 

Oahu (Honolulu) you dock pretty much downtown, again rental car shuttles are available to the airport. Some agencies have rental sites in town. Ours was about a 10 minute ride (National)

 

Hawaii (Hilo) you dock in an industrial area, not really near anything. Rental car shuttles are available to the airport, but this is a longer ride...maybe 20 minutes).

 

Hawaii (Kona) you tender. Again rental car shuttles are available to the airport, but this is also a longer ride...maybe 20 minutes). We got out of town in our renatl right away. I don't recall how much there was to do walking distance form the tender dock, but there is a town area there.

 

Re: the shuttles. They fill up quickly so you may need to wait a bit. The shuttle drivers will ask that only the person renting and driving the car use the shuttle to allow for more renters to get to the rental desk, but this was clearly ignored, with all 5 or 6 of many groups getting on and only making the wait longer.

 

Regards

[dbh62ark]

I hope you will opt for the rental car option because I think it will add a lot to your trip. For example, on Oahu, we didn't care that much for Waikiki Beach (it's not that pretty compared to other beaches on the island, and the architecture of the buildings is pretty ugly) but loved other beaches and the stunning coastal scenery while driving around Oahu. There are wonderful driving tours to see the sights and some of the scenery in all of your ports. We chose to rent our car through the shore ex department on our ship because it was easier; rentals during our postcruise stay in Maui were only about $5 per day less, and it was worth the convenience to do the paperwork on the ship to save time and have the car literally waiting for us as we walked off the ship. You might want to check with your cruise line to see if the same option is available to you because you will save at least an hour going that route.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[lysolqn]

Thanks so much. Your answers have been very helpful.

[sasset]

I should have mentioned that we rented everywhere but Lahina, Maui. With a 3PM scheduled sail and allowing for tendering, getting to the airport to get a car, etc. we didn't feel comfortable with that limited amount of time. You didn't say which line you are on. You may have more time than we did.

 

Renting is definitley the way to go.

 

Regards

[Nancyquilts]

We usually walk around in Kona. Town is right at the dock. Nancy