Viking Scenic North Shore Drive

[mimijes]

Has anyone done this Viking Oahu excursion? 
Is it a lot of time on the tour bus?  Does it stop often for viewing?  We don’t want to spend our one day in Oahu on the bus!

Thanks for any advice. 

[princeton123211]

5 hours ago, mimijes said:

Has anyone done this Viking Oahu excursion? 
Is it a lot of time on the tour bus?  Does it stop often for viewing?  We don’t want to spend our one day in Oahu on the bus!

I haven't done this particular excursion but very familiar with its components over the years. You are reading it correctly-- it's a long day in a bus. 

 

You can easily do this on your own with a rental car if you really, really wanted to see the North Shore.

 

Frankly between Honolulu, Waikiki, and the Pearl Harbor sights there is PLENTY to do without headed to the North Shore. You'll see plenty of shoreline at other island visits on your itinerary. 

[mimijes]

8 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

I haven't done this particular excursion but very familiar with its components over the years. You are reading it correctly-- it's a long day in a bus. 

 

You can easily do this on your own with a rental car if you really, really wanted to see the North Shore.

 

Frankly between Honolulu, Waikiki, and the Pearl Harbor sights there is PLENTY to do without headed to the North Shore. You'll see plenty of shoreline at other island visits on your itinerary. 

Thanks so much for your advice!  I’ll stick with the included tour. 

[princeton123211]

7 minutes ago, mimijes said:

Thanks so much for your advice!  I’ll stick with the included tour. 

Oahu is so easy to do on your own I really wouldn't do a tour at all- included or not included. You'll see more and have more time to yourself. What are you trying to see when there?

[mimijes]

11 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

Oahu is so easy to do on your own I really wouldn't do a tour at all- included or not included. You'll see more and have more time to yourself. What are you trying to see when there?

We’ve been to Oahu a few times, most recently 2014. 
Just looking to enjoy the day on this island. Haven’t been to the North Shore before, but there is plenty to see elsewhere. Really don’t want a day on the bus. 

[DCwom]

On 8/19/2024 at 5:34 PM, mimijes said:

We’ve been to Oahu a few times, most recently 2014. 
Just looking to enjoy the day on this island. Haven’t been to the North Shore before, but there is plenty to see elsewhere. Really don’t want a day on the bus. 

Of our 6 days on Oahu (pre & post cruise), our north shore day (via car rental) was our least favorite. Timing is important and we ended up in the worst traffic, keep that in mind if you really want to do the north shore.

[mimijes]

9 hours ago, DCwom said:

Of our 6 days on Oahu (pre & post cruise), our north shore day (via car rental) was our least favorite. Timing is important and we ended up in the worst traffic, keep that in mind if you really want to do the north shore.

Thanks!  We will pass on this excursion!

[KeepCalmBearOn]

I haven't done the Viking Excursion to the North Shore, but any tour to the North Shore by its nature has to be a "most of the day" excursion.

 

If you are on a Viking round trip out of LA, or even one of the ones that visits the South Pacific too, on my Honolulu port day I'd take a cab into Waikiki, eat lunch at Halekulani at Orchids and maybe stroll down to the Moana Hotel for a Mai Tai in the Banyan Court Bar.

[mimijes]

3 minutes ago, KeepCalmBearOn said:

I haven't done the Viking Excursion to the North Shore, but any tour to the North Shore by its nature has to be a "most of the day" excursion.

 

If you are on a Viking round trip out of LA, or even one of the ones that visits the South Pacific too, on my Honolulu port day I'd take a cab into Waikiki, eat lunch at Halekulani at Orchids and maybe stroll down to the Moana Hotel for a Mai Tai in the Banyan Court Bar.

We are on the December 30 round trip from LA. We are thinking of doing the included 3 hour tour, Honolulu Highlights and Pearl Harbor. We could do that and do as you suggest afterwards. Thanks!

[Josie201]

Also to note, we found out the hard way that the large busses are not permitted to stop or enter the parking lots along the north shore.  So… lots of driving by the north shore.  

[mimijes]

Thanks to all for the information and advice. We won’t be doing the North Shore excursion!

[mimijes]

Any suggestions for excursions in the other Hawaii ports?  We’ve decided not to do the Road to Hana despite great reviews. Not up for the hundreds of twists and turns. 
We’re planning as of now (excursion signup opens for us on September 14)

Secrets of Puna in Hilo

Waimea Canyon in Kauai 

Included Scenic Maui 

Included Honolulu Highlights or  Scenic Oahu (sounds like a lot of time on the bus)

Thanks for any advice 

 

[princeton123211]

2 hours ago, mimijes said:

We’ve decided not to do the Road to Hana despite great reviews. Not up for the hundreds of twists and turns.

That's a shame because it's a wonderful day out and you see a side of Maui that is so different from the big resorts on the other side. The roads twists and turns are fairly exaggerated on the parts you'll be on-- way more twists and turns on the part of the road beyond Hana that very few tours go on (and no go to right now because the road is under construction). 

 

I live in Maui part of the year and if I had one day I would much rather go to Hana than to the more touristy side of the island where we stay. 

 

2 hours ago, mimijes said:

Included Honolulu Highlights or  Scenic Oahu (sounds like a lot of time on the bus)

Because it is. You really don't need a bus tour to do Honolulu and most of Waikiki is better done on foot anyway. Uber and Lyft are readily available if you need to get to something further off like Pearl Harbor. 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

My one day in Maui would be in Upcountry :)

[DCwom]

10 hours ago, mimijes said:

Any suggestions for excursions in the other Hawaii ports?  We’ve decided not to do the Road to Hana despite great reviews. Not up for the hundreds of twists and turns. 
We’re planning as of now (excursion signup opens for us on September 14)

Secrets of Puna in Hilo

Waimea Canyon in Kauai 

Included Scenic Maui 

Included Honolulu Highlights or  Scenic Oahu (sounds like a lot of time on the bus)

Thanks for any advice 

 

Waimea Canyon in Kauai - Yes

 

If you can walk a little, consider Haleakalā, on Maui you don't have to do the early morning sunrise thing to still experience the top of the world feel. We hiked a tiny bit down and back into the crater, its a surreal feeling like you're o n another planet.

 

On Hilo, we really liked seeing the volcano and lava fields, its something you can't really see anywhere else.