Actual port times (Hawaii)

[theloo]

I'm making independent touring arrangements for my July Hawaii cruise.  Could I please get some feedback on actual times I will be ashore?  In the past, I believe all aboard time was about 30 minutes before the sailaway time.  Under normal conditions, how fast can you get off the ship?  I will be on the Emerald Princess, if that makes any difference.  

 

So, if the port time is 8am-5pm, can I reasonably expect to be onshore around 8:30-4:30?  Or is it more like 9:00-4:00?  Thanks for any help!

[cr8tiv1]

Which ports?

 

This is Princess' verbiage in the Patter:

 

Arrival:  xx am   All Aboard:  xx pm

 

"We know you're excited to start exploring in port - so are we! - but wait until we announce that the gangways are open to head that way.  We promise we'll disembark just as soon as we can!"

 

The ship will need to clear customs and border patrol at its first port. Usually, Hilo is the first port.  

 

Unless there is something unusual happening, all clear is about an hour to 90 minutes after arriving in port.  Check Princess excursions for time of first excursion.  That is a good frame of reference.

 

Hilo and Nawiliwili are day time ports.  They have to leave by a designated time.  Honolulu is a very late port (10:30 ish).   Lahaina has a little more give (in case tenders are late). Princess excursions have first dibs on the tenders unless they run them independently.  Some have reported that it takes a while to get off the ship.  Getting back to the ship is another headache.

Edited May 16, 2023 by cr8tiv1

[theloo]

I mean all of the ports: Hilo, Honolulu, and Nawiliwili. 

After the first port, will it be quicker to get off ship?

I need to know before going, so I can plan independent excursions.  I can't wait until the day of to read the Patters.

I will check ship excursion times.

Edited May 16, 2023 by theloo

[SCX22]

Depends on the weather conditions, ship clearance, and the Captain.  If all is on time, you can expect to be walking off the ship shortly after the published arrival time on the itinerary.  If there are delays due to weather, medical, or clearance, you will be delayed.  The Captain gets the final say on all aboard times.  For my last cruise to Hawaii in January, the Captain decided that the last tenders in tender ports departed 1 hour prior to the published departure time on the itinerary.  There were a few passengers making a fuss at Guest Services, but they were told by the officers that it was to give enough time for the tenders to be put away and achieve an on time departure.  On previous cruises to Hawaii, a different Captain decided that the last tenders departed 30 minutes prior to the published departure time on the itinerary.

 

Below is a scan of the itinerary with published arrival and departure times and a scan of the Patter with the all aboard time.  You can compare the times.

 

 

[theloo]

@SCX22thank you.  I'm particularly concerned about Kauai.  Port time is 8-5.  Hoping to be in our rental car by 8:30 and back by 4.

Also, how likely is it that a port gets cancelled?  I heard on one March sailing, 2 of 4 ports were cancelled 😲.  Will be cruising in July and over Christmas.

Edited May 16, 2023 by theloo

[SCX22]

11 minutes ago, theloo said:

@SCX22thank you.  I'm particularly concerned about Kauai.  Port time is 8-5.  Hoping to be in our rental car by 8:30 and back by 4.

Also, how likely is it that a port gets cancelled?  I heard on one March sailing, 2 of 4 ports were cancelled 😲.  Will be cruising in July and over Christmas.

 

Hawaii has very hot, humid, and muggy weather in July and the chances for high winds and bad weather is unlikely, which means missed ports are unlikely.  December is a toss up.  Kauai is Hawaii's greenest island, so if it's going to rain, expect it there.

 

I would book your rental in Kauai with a 9:00 a.m. pick up.  It will give you enough padding to get to the car rental location.   Also, I recommend that you have a local number to your car rental agency in case you'll be late to pick up.  The rental car agencies in Kauai don't have as many cars as other locations on the islands, and if you're late, the car rental location may give your car away to someone else and not have a comparable car to give you.  I would put a 4:30 p.m. return and return it early.  It doesn't cost any thing to return a little early, but you might be charged extra if you keep it over your allotted time.

 

Remember that island driving is more relaxed--the speed limit ranges from 45 to 60 mph on some "freeways," so don't expect to cover as much ground as you could drive on the mainland.  Traffic can also be of some concern.  Many of the cities in Hawaii are one road in and one road out, so if there's a major accident, you could be "up a creek."  The police sometimes shut both directions of the freeway for hours to clear and investigate an accident.

[theloo]

7 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

Many of the cities in Hawaii are one road in and one road out, so if there's a major accident, you could be "up a creek."  The police sometimes shut both directions of the freeway for hours to clear and investigate an accident.

We are planning on driving to Waimea canyon and back.  Reading this gives me a bit of anxiety as Kauai is the last port and missing the ship will mean we have to fly ourselves back.  I'll try to find a way to monitor traffic while we're there.

Edited May 16, 2023 by theloo

[californiagirl]

We go to Kauai every even year (own Marriott timeshares).  Waimea canyon is an easy, beautiful drive.  Your risk of delay is not as great as compared to going up to Hanalei on the north shore.  (But even that should be doable.)  You can take the main highway to Waimea and then go back through Poipu on your return.  That way you can stop at spouting horn on the return.  You have PLENTY of time.  Sometimes you can see turtles swimming in the water at spouting horn.  There is a high end shopping center at the round-about in Poipu that has a great shave ice shop.  (BTW it’s shave ice not shaved ice.)  There is a pie shop called The Right Slice on the east side of the road on the way to Waimea that has delicious coconut, chocolate, macadamia nut pie.  You can purchase by the pie or by the slice.  They have other pies too but the quality of the other pies has declined over the years.  If on one of your trips you choose to go to Hanalei a great place to eat is Chicken in a Barrel.  You can get bbq or a Hawaiian plate meal.  Renting kayaks in Hanalei is amazing.  You can either kayak up the Hanalei river or go the opposite direction and go out into the ocean.
 

Are you renting your car from the airport?  Most flights from the mainland arrive after 12:00 pm so lines should be relatively short.  The majority of other customers will be your fellow cruise passengers.  A word of caution…check your rental car very carefully for damage before driving off.  If they tell you to take a photo and that will suffice DON’T BELIEVE THEM!  Have them document on the account and paperwork and sign and print their name.  We had a missing piece of plastic on a car door.  I was told taking a picture would be fine.  Well many frustrating hours later we got it resolved.  They wanted to charge us $2600!  It took several phone calls and aggravation.  I did have a time stamp picture, but I had to work up the food chain before anyone would accept it.  Hawaii is the only place we have ever had a problem like that.  
 

Have a great time, aloha!

[californiagirl]

Also to add the photo with my name was taken from our room looking out onto Poipu beach at sunset!  It’s from my iPhone and was not retouched!

[cr8tiv1]

@californiagirl has some very sound advice.  You will need to get yourself from Nawiliwili Harbor to Lihue airport to pick up your rental.  I am not sure if the rental agencies are running shuttles.  Also keep in mind that any car rented from any airport has a nice fee attached to it.  

 

The Right Slice is a great recommendation. They used to have bites too.  You are going the opposite of Lihue to Waimea.  You will miss an opportunity to get authentic saimin (not ramen) from Hamura's.  Their lilikoi chiffon pie is so much better than anything at the Right Slice.  

 

If memory serves me, Koloa Rum is on the way to Waimea....maybe you should do this on the way back (lol).  https://koloarum.com/tasting-room/

 

There's lots to see on the South end of Kauai.  But give yourself plenty of time to make it back to the airport to return your car. Head for Waimea first.  Once you are down at sea level, you will be more relaxed with your time restrictions.  There are no freeways on Kauai (highways, yes).  There are no roads that goes completely around any of the islands.  

 

And traffic in Honolulu is a nightmare.

[theloo]

Thank you for the suggestions!  We are going to try a rental from Turo in Kauai with a backup rental reservation at the airport.  I remember a great Mac nut pie near Kona, but our cruise doesn't stop there.

 

[cr8tiv1]

Mac Nut Pie?  Are you referring to Duke's Hula Pie?  There's a Dukes in Kauai near the ship.

 

[theloo]

13 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Mac Nut Pie?  Are you referring to Duke's Hula Pie?  There's a Dukes in Kauai near the ship.

 

No, I meant Kona on the Big Island.

[Mike45LC]

Last week, the one tender port on our cruise (Maui) had serious tender delays.  Two hours to get to shore (except for priority tender passengers) and almost as bad to return to the ship.  This was on the Emerald Princess.   

[theloo]

15 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

Last week, the one tender port on our cruise (Maui) had serious tender delays.  Two hours to get to shore (except for priority tender passengers) and almost as bad to return to the ship.  This was on the Emerald Princess.   

Sorry!  I hope that's not typical.  Was there bad weather?

[cr8tiv1]

2 minutes ago, theloo said:

Sorry!  I hope that's not typical.  Was there bad weather?

 

July is hurricane season.  Most hurricanes come in from East to West.  A few of them make it to Hawaii Island.  A few make it to Kauai (1982/1992).  Most of the winter storms come up from the South (or West to East).  

 

Kauai is a very tricky navigational port.  If there is any wind/weather, the ship/pilot/captain will not try to dock.  Fascinating to watch the tight S turn to get the bow facing the entrance to the harbor.

[Expat Cruise]

Did this port with Princes in January. Off the ship about a half an hour after the listed time. No Uber in the port only taxis, 20 minute wait for the taxi, lots of people waiting. No rental car shuttles.  Less than 15 minutes to get to the airport. We did  Waimea Canyon, got back with over 2 hours to spare, did a little shopping, dropped car and back on the ship. 

 

[theloo]

16 minutes ago, Expat Cruise said:

Did this port with Princes in January. Off the ship about a half an hour after the listed time. No Uber in the port only taxis, 20 minute wait for the taxi, lots of people waiting. No rental car shuttles.  Less than 15 minutes to get to the airport. We did  Waimea Canyon, got back with over 2 hours to spare, did a little shopping, dropped car and back on the ship. 

 

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[skynight]

At Hilo, Honolulu and Nawiliwili figure you can walk off about 30 to 45 minutes after arrival. There is always an initial surge of passengers. Hilo is your first port. No formalities. You sailed from L.A. and have not been to a foreign port. The ship's approach into Nawiliwili is curved "S" shaped through a narrow channel. I have been aboard sailings where this port is missed due to high winds or foul weather. Maui is a tender port. Tendering ashore is slow even if you have priority from being in a full suite or elite status. Access to the tender dock is shared by other private vessels. The ship's tenders get delayed waiting for permission to dock. Toward the end of the Maui stay the tender line gets long for the return to the ship. Those in line will be returned before the ship sails.   

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 5/15/2023 at 5:20 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

The ship will need to clear customs and border patrol at its first port. Usually, Hilo is the first port.

 

Why would you need to clear customs and border patrol coming from Los Angeles?

 

On 5/15/2023 at 5:54 PM, theloo said:

I mean all of the ports: Hilo, Honolulu, and Nawiliwili. After the first port, will it be quicker to get off ship? I need to know before going, so I can plan independent excursions.  I can't wait until the day of to read the Patters. I will check ship excursion times.

 

Hilo and Nawiliwili are VERY different from Honolulu. Hilo and Nawiliwili are different from each other. Nawiliwili is a VERY tight port. You should watch from the deck coming in. It is masterful work from the pilot to get the ship in. If any port is likely to get canceled, it is Nawiliwili. These ships sit so high now, it the winds are blowing too hard, there is not enough margin of error to risk entering the harbor.

 

On 5/15/2023 at 6:06 PM, theloo said:

@SCX22thank you.  I'm particularly concerned about Kauai.  Port time is 8-5.  Hoping to be in our rental car by 8:30 and back by 4. Also, how likely is it that a port gets cancelled?  I heard on one March sailing, 2 of 4 ports were cancelled 😲.  Will be cruising in July and over Christmas.

 

That is WAY optimistic on arrival and only Avis/Budget has a shuttle, as far as I know. No Uber to speak of and at 8:30AM the taxi line will be 40 minutes to 60 minutes.

 

Make sure you have the LOCAL number (not 800) of your rental agency so you can call them if you have to with "we've been delayed" so they don't give away your car.

[theloo]

1 minute ago, scottca075 said:

That is WAY optimistic on arrival and only Avis/Budget has a shuttle, as far as I know. No Uber to speak of and at 8:30AM the taxi line will be 40 minutes to 60 minutes.

 

Make sure you have the LOCAL number (not 800) of your rental agency so you can call them if you have to with "we've been delayed" so they don't give away your car.

Crossing our fingers, but we have a TURO rental in both Kauai and Hilo that we can pick up very near the pier.  I didn't want to have to deal with getting to the airport for a regular agency rental.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

1 minute ago, theloo said:

Crossing our fingers, but we have a TURO rental in both Kauai and Hilo that we can pick up very near the pier.  I didn't want to have to deal with getting to the airport for a regular agency rental.

 

There is a local agency, Ali'i Auto, walkable from the pier at Nawiliwili.

[theloo]

1 minute ago, scottca075 said:

 

There is a local agency, Ali'i Auto, walkable from the pier at Nawiliwili.

I looked into them, but according to their website, they only do rentals of 2 days or more.  When I looked at their cars (on Turo), there was nothing available for the day requested.  Have you used them recently for single day rentals?  I guess I could call and ask?

[KeepCalmBearOn]

1 minute ago, theloo said:

I looked into them, but according to their website, they only do rentals of 2 days or more.  When I looked at their cars (on Turo), there was nothing available for the day requested.  Have you used them recently for single day rentals?  I guess I could call and ask?

 

No, I am strictly an Avis - Hertz guy, with the occasional Alamo (but only in Orlando).

[cr8tiv1]

Here's my story.  I will try to be brief (not easy). 

 

LA to Hawaii, no foreign port.

 

One cruise:

I was taking off things for my daughter.  Her old pink piggy bank, Trader Joes, Macy's, etc.  Stopped at security.  DId I clear this with customs agents?  "NO"...I need to find an agent.  Off they went.  One hour later.  You are cleared to go because we couldn't find anyone.  NEXT TIME...clear the night before.

 

Another cruise:

Go to Customer Service Desk to declare the things I was taking off the ship.  They knew nothing...I told them I had to....they did some "research".  Finally got back to me several hours later.  I had to fill out a customs form AND meet with a CBP agent at 7 AM in the MDR.

 

Went down with my customs form AND items.  Waited, waited, waited, finally sent outside to sit at Good Spirits Bar until they process offloading crew.

 

Went back in around 8 AM.  Met with Customs agent.  Showed her my items.  She asked for receipts and documentation.  Huh????  Some of these things belonged to my daughter.  They are "very old".  Back and forth with each item.  A penguin bank, Trader Joes, wrapping paper, etc.  Finally spoke to her in "local" talk.  That did it.  Cleared to take off items.  Had to stop at security and wait for clearance.  

 

That's the last time I used Princess as a shipping agent !

 

27 minutes ago, scottca075 said:

 

Why would you need to clear customs and border patrol coming from Los Angeles?

 

 

Hilo and Nawiliwili are VERY different from Honolulu. Hilo and Nawiliwili are different from each other. Nawiliwili is a VERY tight port. You should watch from the deck coming in. It is masterful work from the pilot to get the ship in. If any port is likely to get canceled, it is Nawiliwili. These ships sit so high now, it the winds are blowing too hard, there is not enough margin of error to risk entering the harbor.

 

Nawiliwili is a fascinating port to watch the ship maneuver in to the harbor.  Recommend this to everyone.  No one ever takes me up on it.