Hawaii - what to do in ports?

[charliemikeoh]

We're planning a trip to Hawaii on the Ruby or Grand in winter 2024.  Three adults.  What are the best things to do and eat in each of the ports?  Any MUST DO excursions?

[Essiesmom]

Have you done any reading on the Hawaii board under Ports of Call?

[Sea Hag]

7 minutes ago, charliemikeoh said:

We're planning a trip to Hawaii on the Ruby or Grand in winter 2024.  Three adults.  What are the best things to do and eat in each of the ports?  Any MUST DO excursions?

Renting a car is a good thing to do there. Waimea Canyon on Kauai shouldn't be missed (both the canyon name and the island name may very well be misspelled). 

 

We did a spectacular doors-off helicopter over the volcano on the big island once. We booked with an outside provider for this.

[Thrak]

A visit to the Arizona is always worthwhile. I would do it on my own though and not through Princess. I don't know what Princess charges these days but way back when we did this they wanted $99 per person. The actual visit is free but I paid $1 each online to reserve a guaranteed time slot rather than waiting for a turn. We rented a car for the entire day for the cost of one person through Princess and we visited the Arizona, Volcanoes, a Brew Pub, and saw a lot of scenery as well.

 

We've also visited Waimea Canyon, and did a Wings over Kauai small plane flight that was excellent. Lots to see and do in Hawaii but it's hard to do much when cruising.

Edited February 28 by Thrak

[karatemom2]

4 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Have you done any reading on the Hawaii board under Ports of Call?

 

Great advice! Here is the link:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/37-hawaii/

 

Renting cars in the ports is a great suggestion - we did that often on our trips as there is a lot to see and easy to access with your own vehicle!

[Teechur]

Perhaps try the travel review company with the initials T.A. for some hints.

[startedwithamouse]

20 minutes ago, Thrak said:

A visit to the Arizona is always worthwhile. I would do it on my own though and not through Princess. I don't know what Princess charges these days but way back when we did this they wanted $99 per person. The actual visit is free but I paid $1 each online to reserve a guaranteed time slot rather than waiting for a turn. We rented a car for the entire day for the cost of one person through Princess and we visited the Arizona, Volcanoes, a Brew Pub, and saw a lot of scenery as well.

 

We've also visited Waimea Canyon, and did a Wings over Kauai small plane flight that was excellent. Lots to see and do in Hawaii but it's hard to do much when cruising.

Is Honolulu car rental within walking distance of the ship or did you have to Uber over?

[Thrak]

1 minute ago, startedwithamouse said:

Is Honolulu car rental within walking distance of the ship or did you have to Uber over?

 

I had to take a shuttle to the car rental.

[LACruiser88]

12 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

Is Honolulu car rental within walking distance of the ship or did you have to Uber over?

In Honolulu, we found the lowest car rental prices at the airport.  We take an Uber there and back.

[memoak]

Eat some very good food 

[c-boy]

horseback riding 🐎

[Teechur]

59 minutes ago, Thrak said:

A visit to the Arizona is always worthwhile.

Visiting the Arizona Memorial reminds me of visiting the Abraham Lincoln exhibit at Disneyland in the 1960s. Upon arrival, our parents made us go listen to the primitive Lincoln robot deliver the Gettysburg Address, and we couldn't wait for it to be over to get to the E-ticket rides. 😁

 

No disrespect intended but the Arizona is very time-consuming (and boring) if you have other things to do and only one or two days in Oahu. 

[karatemom2]

1 minute ago, Teechur said:

Visiting the Arizona Memorial reminds me of visiting the Abraham Lincoln exhibit at Disneyland in the 1960s. Upon arrival, our parents made us go listen to the primitive Lincoln robot deliver the Gettysburg Address, and we couldn't wait for it to be over to get to the E-ticket rides. 😁

 

No disrespect intended but the Arizona is very time-consuming (and boring) if you have other things to do and only one or two days in Oahu. 

 

Oh my gosh - thanks for the trip down memory lane!! I live and grew up in Southern California and we spent a lot of time at Disneyland. My Mom loved that exhibit and it was always our first stop even though we were itching to just get to the rides. And E-ticket! I love that - nice to know there are those of us that still remember.

 

In terms of the Arizona, I do think it is worth a visit, at least once. I'm the daughter of a WWII vet and found it a moving experience. But I do advise getting right off the ship and doing it first thing, early in the day and before crowds to allow yourself time for the many other wonderful things Honolulu and Oahu offers. My favorite was hiking to the top of Diamond Head and also heading to the other side of the island to visit Kualoa Ranch. 

 

Nice thing is most itineraries allow for a really long day in Honolulu, so time to do more than one thing!

[LawDog61]

I always hit the beach in Honolulu and Nawillwilli

[charliemikeoh]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

Have you done any reading on the Hawaii board under Ports of Call?

Didn't even know about this.  Someone posted the link below.  Thanks!

 

[charliemikeoh]

1 hour ago, karatemom2 said:

 

Great advice! Here is the link:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/37-hawaii/

 

Renting cars in the ports is a great suggestion - we did that often on our trips as there is a lot to see and easy to access with your own vehicle!

Thank you for the link!

 

49 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

In Honolulu, we found the lowest car rental prices at the airport.  We take an Uber there and back.

Interesting!

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, Teechur said:

Perhaps try the travel review company with the initials T.A. for some hints.

 

Since that company owns Cruise Critic I don't think there is any sort of ban on posting the actual name...

[cr8tiv1]

There are many “lives” from Hawaii. Funny, I just drove into town today, and there sat the Crown Princess in Honolulu Harbor. 
 

It will be a little early for whale watching. Usually best in January or February. 
 

Food?  So many different cultures.  Stay away from the chains and explore the unusual.  Skip the luau and eat at Helena’s in Honolulu. 
 

And research, research, research.  Lots of free or low cost activities.  What are your interests:  history? cultural? outdoors? strenuous?

 

Highly recommend renting a car.  Today, it only took me 35 minutes to drive 10 miles.  Traffic can be ridiculous. 

Edited February 28 by cr8tiv1

[ColoradoMom!!]

My favorite out of the box activity was in Kauai (we had seen Weimea on a previous trip).

 

How about tubing through the canals of a sugar plantation?  It was a blast.

 

https://kauaibackcountry.com/tubing/

Edited February 28 by ColoradoMom!!

[Thrak]

35 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Food?  So many different cultures.  Stay away from the chains and explore the unusual.  Skip the luau and eat at Helena’s in Honolulu. 

 

Have some Hula Pie. One thing I have never done in Hawaii is eat Spam.

[charliemikeoh]

33 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

There are many “lives” from Hawaii. Funny, I just drove into town today, and there sat the Crown Princess in Honolulu Harbor. 
 

It will be a little early for whale watching. Usually best in January or February. 
 

Food?  So many different cultures.  Stay away from the chains and explore the unusual.  Skip the luau and eat at Helena’s in Honolulu. 
 

And research, research, research.  Lots of free or low cost activities.  What are your interests:  history? cultural? outdoors? strenuous?

 

Highly recommend renting a car.  Today, it only took me 35 minutes to drive 10 miles.  Traffic can be ridiculous. 

We're old souls.  Like to see the off-the-beaten-path "real" parts of the places we visit.  Places that the locals love and appreciate; not the touristy spots necessarily, though Pearl Harbor is a must for our nation's history (and probably a volcano on another island since we've never seen one of those).  We prefer outdoors; physical but not "strenuous."  We also like to eat the national/native dish of wherever we visit.

[Rick&Jeannie]

1 hour ago, Teechur said:

Visiting the Arizona Memorial reminds me of visiting the Abraham Lincoln exhibit at Disneyland in the 1960s. Upon arrival, our parents made us go listen to the primitive Lincoln robot deliver the Gettysburg Address, and we couldn't wait for it to be over to get to the E-ticket rides. 😁

 

No disrespect intended but the Arizona is very time-consuming (and boring) if you have other things to do and only one or two days in Oahu. 

Just my opinion...but I think *many* people would disagree with your assessment. 

[cr8tiv1]

45 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Have some Hula Pie. One thing I have never done in Hawaii is eat Spam.

 

You can have SPAM at home (not just while in the islands).  But....But...you don't know what yo are missing out on.  

 

Best SPAM musubi while in the islands can be found at 7 - Eleven.  I "asked" the experts since I won't spend the money to buy it when I can make it.  It really is on the must try list.

 

While on foods...If you have a car:

 

Hilo:  Two Ladies Kitchen https://www.facebook.com/twoladieskitchenorginal/

Nawiliwili/Lihue:  Hamura's Saimin for Lilikoi Chiffon Pie   https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60623-d493044-Reviews-Hamura_Saimin_Stand-Lihue_Kauai_Hawaii.html

Kona:  Manago Hotel Best pork chops in the islands. https://www.managohotel.com/restaurant/

Oahu:  Helena's for Hawaiian Food.  https://www.helenashawaiianfood.com/index.html

   Side Street Inn Kapahulu  https://sidestreetinn.com/about-us/

[mtnesterz]

36 minutes ago, Thrak said:

One thing I have never done in Hawaii is eat Spam.

Admitting that I like food culture, if you are the type to enjoy Pizza in Naples, ranch dressing on a salad in Alaska, Caesar salad and Margarita in Ensenada, you may be interested to try Musubi in Hawaii.

[karatemom2]

3 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

You can have SPAM at home (not just while in the islands).  But....But...you don't know what yo are missing out on.  

 

Best SPAM musubi while in the islands can be found at 7 - Eleven.  I "asked" the experts since I won't spend the money to buy it when I can make it.  It really is on the must try list.

 

While on foods...If you have a car:

 

Hilo:  Two Ladies Kitchen https://www.facebook.com/twoladieskitchenorginal/

Nawiliwili/Lihue:  Hamura's Saimin for Lilikoi Chiffon Pie   https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60623-d493044-Reviews-Hamura_Saimin_Stand-Lihue_Kauai_Hawaii.html

Kona:  Manago Hotel Best pork chops in the islands. https://www.managohotel.com/restaurant/

Oahu:  Helena's for Hawaiian Food.  https://www.helenashawaiianfood.com/index.html

   Side Street Inn Kapahulu  https://sidestreetinn.com/about-us/

 

There was a place in Honolulu that we visited that made something called "Malasadas". They were the most delicious filled donuts we have ever had. I think it was Leonard's Bakery. 

 

Of course we never come home without a big load of Macadamia Nuts of all sorts, chocolate covered, honey roasted, salted, etc.

 

And in Hilo we visited the Hawaiian Vanilla Company and had an amazing tour and lunch - and of course we brought home some beautiful vanilla.

 

And on Kauai, in Poipu, we had to get a Puka Dog. I have tried my best over the years to duplicate their spicy pineapple relish, but can never get it just right!