36 Hours in Honolulu - Thoughts?

[San10s]

 

Greetings CC Cruisers!

 

This is our (3 couples) first cruise to Hawaii.  We will be on the Royal Princess.  I am thinking since we now have an overnight in Honolulu that we will rent a 7 passenger van for 36 hours.  Our first priority is to spend time at the Pearl Harbor Memorial.  We will make those reservations when we hit the 2 month out mark.  After that, we all want to see the beauty of the island, spend some beach time, enjoy some Hawaiian food, etc.  

 

I have a couple questions if anyone here has done this on a past cruise.

 

1.  Is there an overnight parking lot near where the Royal will be docked? 
 

2.  Is there a shuttle to the Inouye International Airport from the pier? Uber’s?
 

3.  Any thoughts on itineraries including sights to see, off the beaten path gems, great restaurants, etc.?
 

4.  Any pros or cons to this idea?

 

Lots to plan for San Francisco, Hawaii … and on board!! 😳😉

 

Thanks for any and all input!

 

Judy

Edited June 23, 2022 by San10s

[princeton123211]

1 hour ago, San10s said:

I am thinking since we now have an overnight in Honolulu that we will rent a 7 passenger van for 36 hours.

Rentals are scarce and parking in Honolulu, and Waikiki specifically, is extremely expensive, especially for a larger vehicle like that. Personally I would pick the day that you want to explore outside of town and rent for 24 hours and then use something like Uber to get to close by things like Pearl Harbor where you really don't need a rental. 

 

1 hour ago, San10s said:

1.  Is there an overnight parking lot near where the Royal will be docked? 

Assuming you are going to be docked near the Aloha Tower, yes there are a few garages within a few block walk. 

 

1 hour ago, San10s said:

2.  Is there a shuttle to the Inouye International Airport from the pier? Uber’s?

Ubers and local taxis are very easy and relatively inexpensive. Personally we Uber most of the time when in Honolulu. 

 

1 hour ago, San10s said:

3.  Any thoughts on itineraries including sights to see, off the beaten path gems, great restaurants, etc.?

I would rent for one day and drive up to the North Shore-- have lunch somewhere at or near Turtle Bay Resort (they have nice dining options where you can view the large surf or there are a ton of food trucks where the locals eat which are very good). Then take meandering route 83 back along the coast to Honolulu. 

 

I'm sure others will chime in with some other things to do but thats a good rough outline. 

 

1 hour ago, San10s said:

4.  Any pros or cons to this idea?

The pro is that you get to get outside of Honolulu/Waikiki which a lot of tourists don't. The con is that 3 day rental is way overkill for what you need and will cost a ton more than if you just Ubered to Pearl Harbor one day, rented to drive around the island another day, and then just stayed put in Waikiki and enjoyed that for the other day. 

 

 

[San10s]

3 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

I'm sure others will chime in with some other things to do but thats a good rough outline. 

 

Thank you so much for your insight… and so quickly too.  

 

Since 3 couples will be splitting the cost of the  ‘family van’ for the 36 hours, it makes a very affordable option and will probably give us the best access to do the sightseeing.  I love the idea of seeing other areas near Honolulu.  Right now, via Priceline, the 2 day rental price is $315.  I’m sure gas is crazy expensive but we are prepared.

 

Again, thank you for taking your time to answer and point me in some direction.

 

Judy

 

 

[princeton123211]

25 minutes ago, San10s said:

Since 3 couples will be splitting the cost of the  ‘family van’ for the 36 hours, it makes a very affordable option and will probably give us the best access to do the sightseeing.

Obviously your choice but driving in and around Honolulu can be a nightmare with traffic and congestion and parking is limited and expensive. I would only rent for the day(s) you plan to spend out of town. It will be a frustrating experience driving yourself around the downtown and beach areas. 

 

26 minutes ago, San10s said:

I’m sure gas is crazy expensive but we are prepared.

Around $5.40 for regular when we were there 2 weeks ago.

 

27 minutes ago, San10s said:

ight now, via Priceline, the 2 day rental price is $315.

Personally I would book directly with a reputable rental car agency. There is still a bit of a shortage of rental cars in Hawaii (not as bad as it was a year ago) and when push comes to shove, the third party bookings like Priceline are the first to be cancelled by them when they need to honor direct bookings. 

 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

Gas at Costco Honolulu (and Lihue and Kahului) is cheaper than Costco in So Cal. How is that even possible.

 

There is a good chance the Royal will dock at Pier 2. I'd use a parking app to find nearby parking.

 

Sure go to the North Shore to see it, but for dining I'd stick to Waikiki and surroundings; that is where you find the best options.

 

Personally I'd head to Halekulani for cocktails at the House Without A Key followed by dinner at Orchids Restaurant. Hard to beat the setting and quality.

 

There is really not much of an "off the beaten path" on Oahu, especially on a short stay. If you were on Oahu for two weeks with a car, maybe you spend some time in Kailua, Kaneohe, etc where tourists don't get as much, but Oahu is still a small island with close to a million residents. While it isn't exactly Hong Kong, it isn't Tahiti or even Kauai.

 

I'd do some research and see what it would cost to have Charley's Taxi or Johnny Cab do an island tour one day and then cab/Uber to Waikiki for dinner on the overnight. It might not wind up being that different when you add in the overnight parking and cab ride to and from the rental agency.

Edited June 24, 2022 by scottca075

[Expressman]

My advice is to get out of Honolulu/Waikiki. North Shore is lovely as well as the koolina area. A visit to Pearl Harbour and then a drive to Koolina would make for a great day.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

57 minutes ago, Expressman said:

My advice is to get out of Honolulu/Waikiki. North Shore is lovely as well as the koolina area. A visit to Pearl Harbour and then a drive to Koolina would make for a great day.

 

Sorry, but Ko Olina is anything but "lovely", it is a completely manufactured area with artificially made lagoons.

 

A trip to the North Shore or Windward Oahu will show the natural beauty of Oahu, not a drive to a fake Hawaii.

[cruising twosome]

Just booked a HOHO day pass for all lines for when we end our cruise there in October.