DIY Excursions, Uber and government shutdown questions

[magtom2017]

I'm going to be on Pride of America in February. I'm currently looking into excursions and deciding between NCL ones and Robert's Hawaii ones. I came across a few questions. 

 

1. For a few excursions, I realize we're just going to existing tours. If I book directly with those tours (ie. whale watching, plantation tram), it's cheaper and I get to potentially make a better combination of tours. Am I losing out on any thing by not traveling there with a tour guide on a bus?

2. I know people drive to various sites, but is it possible to use Uber? I'm traveling as a group of 4, so an UberX is relatively affordable split 4 ways (compared to excursion prices). Can I get an Uber close to the cruise terminal (specifically for Maui)?

3. Some of these pre-packaged excursions take you to national parks (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Historic Kona, etc.). With the government shutdown, anyone know how these are effected? Is it worth going on these?

4. How many of these excursions are just trying to sell you something? ie. Stopping by a wine shop/chocolate shop/coffee shop/gift shop with the promise of sampling goods, but really just trying to sell you things.

 

And if anyone has any good DIY excursion ideals for any of the islands, let me know. 

[seattle_sarah]

We used private tours - there isn't much advantage to going with the ship.  Maybe on the second Kauai day, when all aboard was 1:30 - it was tight getting back in time. 

We rented a car in each of the ports.  It was pretty easy to get the car rental, and we had lots of flexibility.  I didn't try Uber, it should be available, but it might cost a lot depending on what you plan to do.  Some things are a significant distance from the port.

For Volcanoes NP, I recommend signing up for a tour.  There were 3 rangers on staff in the whole park, from what I heard.  So having a guide will be very helpful. 

[Beachiekeen]

I guess with a tour, the advantage of using NCL could be that they provide the transportation. The island forums on Trip Advisor have some info on government shutdown but I would also check the park websites or email the tour operator if you’re going with a private one. I’m also concerned about excess stops on the tours which is why we will rent a car everywhere except the Big Island. We should have enough people to do a private tour in Hilo and Kona which I’m hoping will help. With ship excursions, there’s not as much freedom.

[JStar]

Government shutdown not effecting much. Pearl Harbor still operating as the navy runs the boats. Volcano national park visitor center is open. Most of the affected areas are due to last summers eruption and subsequent damage and changes caused by it. Still plenty accessible to see.