POA excursions

[marilla chris]

Hi, going on the POA in March, looking at the ship's shore excursions and they seem very pricey even for Hawaii. What independent tours do you recommend or is it best to stick with the ship excursions?  We have gone with other tour groups in the past and were not satisfied, but they were mostly in the Caribbean. Thank you.

[CruiserBruce]

If you look down the board, there are MANY discussions on what is available, and what to do in each port. As you will see it is very easy to rent a car on your own in each port and do whatever it is that interests you (which we don't know).

[Beachiekeen]

There are a couple of good excursion threads if you do a search for them. I haven’t been yet so I’m not supposed to recommend any. 🙂 However I am wary of ship excursions on most cruises and prefer to do my research and find a reputable local operator. CC is normally great for that so hopefully someone will chime in.

 

We do plan to rent a car at most ports and see the islands on our own. 

[cb at sea]

Hawaii is pretty easy to DIY...do some research on each port and see what's there that interests you!  As stated, rental cars are what most will use...so you can operate on your own schedule!

[trish1c]

We did everything on our own, no tour required.  It's a US state. You can figure it out.  No need to waste money on guides.  Do some internet research & enjoy.  

[lamchops]

We rented a car at every port and DIY.

I also recommend buying the Hawaii Tri-Park annual pass online for $50. (Used to be much cheaper) . It allows your family and car to visit:
Hawaii Volcanoes national park in Hilo
Pu’uhonua o Honaunau historical park In Kona  
Haleakala National Park In Maui 
All 3 parks are spectacular and so different. It was a highlight of our 2005 and 2015 cruises.