Pre-cruise Hotel

[nightnurse]

Can anyone recommend a medium-priced hotel in Honolulu for our two night precruise stay?

[CruiserBruce]

And what do you define as medium priced? Hawaii is more expensive than the mainland. And you probably will want to stay in Waikiki, which isn't usually cheap.

 

A little reading down the board would reveal many threads discussing hotels. We have stayed at Embassy Suites Waikiki a few times. Great location, good hotel

[sfaaa]

Equus Hotel Honolulu offers 12% discount to cruisers. 20-30 minutes from cruise terminal or airport. Nothing fancy but clean and in a decent location next to Ala Moana shopping mall.

Edited January 6, 2019 by sfaaa

[SissyFace]

Budget, please?  In USD.  

There are a ton of hotels on Waikiki.  None, really that are handy to the cruise dock.

Your cruiseline may have a hotel discount package - so check it out and share with us what they are promoting.  

I agree, the Embassy Suites is an excellent choice.  

Also, there are handful of hotels right on the beach, if that is what you want.  

Be careful!  Hawaii hotels have 2 layers of taxes - and often a "resort fee" which is also taxed.  Hotel parking is expensive ... and also taxed.  

[Tarheel_Cruiser]

If you are a military veteran I would recommend the Hale Koa. You can google it for the rates which are very reasonable and the hotel is right on Waikiki. (You must have a active/reserve/retired ID or a DD214)

[cccole]

Hale Koa is fabulous if you are military.  Queen Kapiolani and Park Shore Waikiki are great. And Waikiki Shore.  All are on, across the street, or close to the beach.  I love Waikiki and like being able to see the ocean and walk everywhere.  Have fun.  Cherie

[SissyFace]

Start by identifying your nightly budget.  How much are you willing or comfortable paying per night?  "Medium" does help us much. 

Is being right on the beach important to you?  Across the street?

Do you have a good map of Waikiki?

[PCWalton1]

15 hours ago, cccole said:

Hale Koa is fabulous if you are military.  Queen Kapiolani and Park Shore Waikiki are great. And Waikiki Shore.  All are on, across the street, or close to the beach.  I love Waikiki and like being able to see the ocean and walk everywhere.  Have fun.  Cherie

 

I love the Hale Koa too but the OP's signature shows Canada so they most likely do not qualify. 

 

[delaware32]

We are staying at the Marriott Waikiki . With fees and tax it's $293 a night for an ocean view . We considered that reasonable for Oahu . Our stay is April 11-13 2019.

[pink845]

We are staying at the Courtyard by Marriott Waikiki.  I have read good and bad reviews.  Cost we got and we booked moons ago includes parking and no resort fee is $179.00 plus tax for a king non smoking with balcony on a high floor.    Only for one little night!!!  Won't be arriving until 11 pm and heading out at 7 to Diamond Head.  What a waste of precious money.  But we are flying a long distance to get to Oahu so we need a spot to sleep upon arrival.  Not willing to part with Marriott points for such a stay.  Better served in foreign countries where the value is much greater.    Almost every hotel in Waikiki charges that nasty resort fee.

[momphoto]

Check out airbnb’s.  We booked one that was way cheaper then the hotels, parking at a fraction of the main hotels, right by the beach and wonderful ocean views.

[kccrzr]

Laylow, a Marriott Autograph hotel is several blocks from the beach but has a cute pool area and reasonable prices - especially for rooms with balconies.  $264/ per night (including resort fee and taxes) this May.

[Boxerluv]

We stayed at Embassy Suites Beachwalk and could not have been happier. Excellent service along with hot breakfast buffet. Easy for shuttle and taxi to pick us up. So good that we stayed here post cruise also. Shopping, restaurants and beach within walking distance.

[oddly excitered]

  I am also researching waikiki for a pre cruise stay. Private rentals (airbnb) are much more affordable I believe but I cant get any of the hotel rates for my stay as its too far out, May 2020. What would any of you consider to be the advantages or disadvantages of a hotel stay as opposed to a private rental in honolulu? I really just want someplace with a great ocean view.

 

[CruiserBruce]

15 minutes ago, oddly excitered said:

  I am also researching waikiki for a pre cruise stay. Private rentals (airbnb) are much more affordable I believe but I cant get any of the hotel rates for my stay as its too far out, May 2020. What would any of you consider to be the advantages or disadvantages of a hotel stay as opposed to a private rental in honolulu? I really just want someplace with a great ocean view.

 

 

Yes, far too early to book for May 2020. Figure you can't book any sooner than 365 days from your check out date.

[keishashadow]

On 3/14/2019 at 6:01 PM, Boxerluv said:

We stayed at Embassy Suites Beachwalk and could not have been happier. Excellent service along with hot breakfast buffet. Easy for shuttle and taxi to pick us up. So good that we stayed here post cruise also. Shopping, restaurants and beach within walking distance.

Glad to hear, we have booked next month for a few days, then onto Aulani pre cruise 🙂  one thing I will say is to keep checking the rate there, it’s dropped substantially via a AAA rate.  

 

OP - hotwire is another option for a good deal, pick your hotel zone, then ‘class’.  Not that many properties in each zone, easier than usual to identify the majority of the properties.  Watch out for the resort fees

Edited March 25, 2019 by keishashadow

[R & T]

On ‎1‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 8:07 AM, Tarheel_Cruiser said:

If you are a military veteran I would recommend the Hale Koa. You can google it for the rates which are very reasonable and the hotel is right on Waikiki. (You must have a active/reserve/retired ID or a DD214)

Is this for career military only or any service man with a honorable discharge?  Thanks

[Tarheel_Cruiser]

25 minutes ago, R & T said:

Is this for career military only or any service man with a honorable discharge?  Thanks

The following Eligibility Chart outlines the categories of personnel authorized to occupy rooms at the Hale Koa Hotel:

Category	Eligibility
Armed Forces and their Families	Members on Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Cadets of Armed Forces Academies. ID is Common Access Card
Other Uniformed Services	Commissioned Corps, Public Health Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps.  ID is DD Form 2, PHS 1866-1 or 1866-3
Armed Forces Retirees and their Family Members	Retired from Active Duty, Reserves, and National Guard with or without pay (gray area)  ID is DD Form 2, 1173 or 1173-1
Others Separated from the Armed Forces and their Family Members	Honorably discharged veterans with 100 percent Service-connected disability. ID is DD Form 1173 or DD Form 2765 Involuntarily separated service members under the Transition Assistance Management Program ID is DD Form 2 Personnel separated under the Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI) and Special Separation Benefit (SSB) programs for two years after separation ID is DD Form 2
Former and/or Surviving Spouses and Family Members	Unremarried surviving spouses of personnel who died while on active duty or while in retired status ID is DD Form 1173 or 1173-1 Un-remarried former spouses who were married to military members for at least 20 years while the military member was on active duty ID is DD Form 1173
Other Supporters of the Department of Defense	Military personnel of foreign nations and their family members when assigned or attached to a U.S. military unit or installation or on U.S. Travel Orders.  U.S. employees of firms under contract to Department of Defense working in the Pacific Region outside the U.S. on Department of Defense Government orders.  Other personnel on official business with Department of Defense as may be specifically authorized by the General Manager or his designee.  ID is DD Form 1173 or 2765
U.S. Department of Defense Civilians and Family Members	Current and retired (APF and NAF) Department of Defense (DoD) and Coast Guard (CG) civilian employees. DOD or CG ID card, Retired ID card, or current Leave and Earnings Statement with photo ID required for check-in.
Survivor Family Package Eligibility	The Survivors' Family Program extends to eligible Family members who have suffered a loss of an Active Duty sponsor regardless of the cause.  A DD Form 1173 with "AD" in the Sponsor Service/Status field in combination with "DB" (DOD Beneficiary) or CH (Child Beneficiary) in the Relationship field on identification cards is required.   The Survivors' Family Discount Program provides a 50 percent discount from normal room rates by applicable rate category.  The discount applies to additional occupants and up to three guest rooms.  Survivors' Family discount requires the Survivors' Family Member with a military identification card to make/confirm reservations and be the primary occupant.   The Survivors' Family Program extends to sponsored guests accompanying the Survivors' Family Member with a DD Form 1173.  Stays under the Survivor Family Program are limited to a maximum 14 nights in duration.  Discounts are applicable on guest room(s) only, cannot be combined with any other offer, and may be limited to certain locations and time periods at the discretion of the General Manager.

[Travelexpert35]

On 3/18/2019 at 8:19 PM, oddly excitered said:

  I am also researching waikiki for a pre cruise stay. Private rentals (airbnb) are much more affordable I believe but I cant get any of the hotel rates for my stay as its too far out, May 2020. What would any of you consider to be the advantages or disadvantages of a hotel stay as opposed to a private rental in honolulu? I really just want someplace with a great ocean view.

 

We have been to Waikiki many times and have stayed in various hotels but in April we’ve booked with Waikiki Beach Rentals. They have studio condos at the Ilikai with great ocean views. They are very reasonable compared to a hotel room. The Ilikai is tucked behind the Hilton Hawaiian Village and their beach as well as Fort Derussy’s beach is the widest on Waikiki. Check it out...

[Jiminy1955]

We re looking at the Coconut Waikiki hotel for pre/post cruise for 1 night for a rate between $150-$180 a night. Has anybody stayed there? If so how was it?

Edited July 12, 2019 by Jiminy1955

[KeepCalmBearOn]

2 hours ago, Jiminy1955 said:

We re looking at the Coconut Waikiki hotel for pre/post cruise for 1 night for a rate between $150-$180 a night. Has anybody stayed there? If so how was it?

 

I don't remember when your cruise is, but I'd price out the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, Marriott Waikiki and Park Shore first. They are all on Kalakaua, directly across from the beach with nothing between the hotel and the sand, but the street.

 

After that I'd check the Hyatt Place and Aqua Bamboo, nice places a half block back from the beach, but far better locations than the Coconut.

 

The Coconut is a nice enough place, but back near the Ala Wai Canal. If I could get a lot closer to the beach for close to the same price, I would.

 

You can click on each hotel name above to see the review from Hawaii Revealed.

 

 

[PCWalton1]

Is this for career military only or any service man with a honorable discharge?  Thanks

Basically active duty, retired and DoD personnel

Sent from my Galaxy S10+ using Tapatalk

[Cindy]

On 3/11/2019 at 12:56 PM, kccrzr said:

Laylow, a Marriott Autograph hotel is several blocks from the beach but has a cute pool area and reasonable prices - especially for rooms with balconies.  $264/ per night (including resort fee and taxes) this May.

 

We’re booked at this hotel for one night next April. It seemed to have many of the things we like, and our fully-refundable AAA rate includes breakfast. I’ll keep my eye on price since our trip is still a little over 9 months away, but I like having something on the books while my choices are still wide open.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

7 hours ago, Cindy said:

We’re booked at this hotel (Laylow)for one night next April. It seemed to have many of the things we like, and our fully-refundable AAA rate includes breakfast. I’ll keep my eye on price since our trip is still a little over 9 months away, but I like having something on the books while my choices are still wide open.

 

The Laylow is a nice enough as a physical place, but the location isn't what I'd want in Waikiki. For about the same, or a little bit more, this far out, you can be on the beach in Outrigger Reef or Outrigger Waikiki Beach, or across from the beach at the Marriott Waikiki Beach or Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach.

[nikel]

8 hours ago, Cindy said:

 

We’re booked at this hotel for one night next April. It seemed to have many of the things we like, and our fully-refundable AAA rate includes breakfast. I’ll keep my eye on price since our trip is still a little over 9 months away, but I like having something on the books while my choices are still wide open.

 

We are doing the same kind of thing...have a placeholder hotel for now.  Hyatt Place, also includes breakfast and is pretty close to the beach.  When I looked up the Laylow, they would only quote me non refundable.