what HNL sights the afternoon of day of sailing?

[Naashtezhi]

Our flight is scheduled to arrive Honolulu about a quater after eleven in the morning on the day of our departure. Since the time of departure is scheduled at eight o'clock in the evening, is there time to see sights on Oahu if we got a rental car?

[KeystoneCruiser]

You may be able to go to Diamond Head or drvie through Waikiki but that would be about it. If you don't get to Pearl Harbor by 11:00 a.m., you will not get tickets for that day so that is out.

 

With your flight arriving at 11:15, it will probably be noon before you get out of the airport and 12:15 when you get to the port. With the Lifeboat drill at 4:30 or 5:00 p.m., on board that really does not leave a lot of time.

 

The better idea might be to go directly to the port, check in, go on board and put your carry ons in your cabin, have lunch on board and then get off the ship and go into the Aloha Tower Marketplace there at the pier. (several small shops.) That way you can shop a little and be back in time for the lifeboat drill.

 

If you want to see the sights in Honolulu and not doing a pre or post stay, then take an NCL tour the day you get back before your flight out. They have several to choose from including Pearl Harbor. Your luggage is with you on the bus and the tour drops you of at the airport.

[Naashtezhi]

Ack! A 4:30-5:00 Lifeboat drill sure cuts into that 7-8 hour window. I guess that'll leave us time to memorize every inch of the ship before we sail...

 

The departing flight leaves at 1:00pm, so it looks like we'll have to skip the sites on Oahu.

 

Thanks for the info!

[Treven]

As it's on the way from the airport to the Aloha Tower, you might want to stop in at Hilo Hatties and browse for an hour or so. When I was staying in HNL for a week after my cruise in '04 I spent WAY too much money there.

[Naashtezhi]

Treven, a most excellent idea it looks like from their website:

 

http://www.hilohattie.com

 

I especially like the $5 pair of sandals. I was thinking of picking up some sort of similar footware and packing it, but if I can get them once I get there, so much the better!

 

I was under the impression we would be taking some sort of NCL provided shuttle from the airport. Is it within walking distance from Aloha Tower once we get checked in and settled some?

[Treven]

Treven, a most excellent idea it looks like from their website:

 

http://www.hilohattie.com

 

I especially like the $5 pair of sandals. I was thinking of picking up some sort of similar footware and packing it, but if I can get them once I get there, so much the better!

 

I was under the impression we would be taking some sort of NCL provided shuttle from the airport. Is it within walking distance from Aloha Tower once we get checked in and settled some?

If memory serves correctly it isn't within walking distance; but taking a cab from the Aloha Tower complex shouldn't be too expensive.

[Naashtezhi]

OK, thanks. Online mapping program lists one mile down Nimitz Hwy back towards the airport.

 

Hmmm... satellite photo shows it wouldn't be a leisurely stroll. First thought since we have a few hours to kill, "A mile isn't that far, a nice stroll along the harbor..."

 

[ArizonaTracie]

If the ship doesn't set sail until 8pm, why do they have the lifeboat drill at 4:30? What is the latest time you can board the ship? I thought it would be the customary 1 hour before sailing.

[cruiseladytexas]

Sign up for the bag check the day before you depart for home so you won't have luggage when you leave the ship ($19 per person). Take early walkoff at 8am or earlier, and take a cab over to Pearl Harbor. That will give you about three hours for Pearl Harbor. You may or may not get a ticket, but the rest is worth seeing even if you can't get over to the Arizona. Then take a taxi to the airport, a short 15 minute drive or less. When you get dropped off, make sure you have a number to call for taxi pickup, just in case there aren't any there when you are ready to leave.

 

Karen

Oh Say Can You Sea Cruises

[Treven]

OK, thanks. Online mapping program lists one mile down Nimitz Hwy back towards the airport.

 

Hmmm... satellite photo shows it wouldn't be a leisurely stroll. First thought since we have a few hours to kill, "A mile isn't that far, a nice stroll along the harbor..."

 

Once you get there, actually when you're ready to leave, there's a free shuttle service (sometimes it's a full sized tour bus & sometimes it's a trolly car) back to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. You might ask the driver if he'd let you off at the pier. You'd pick up the shuttle right outside the exit of the store. This area is covered & it's where you'd get dropped off at by cab or what have you.

[Naashtezhi]

I hear ya T&K Cruisers. We thought, "Lifeboat drill? If the ship is going down, grab the dive gear, put it on and jump off our balcony. Or just jump period gear or not." But that's just the way we are, we feel safer in the open ocean at sea level than on a sinking ship.

[Naashtezhi]

cruiseladytexas, thanks for the idea! we were thinking of doing the "we pay you $20 and you take care of the luggage" deal anyway (gawd, who wants to drag that stuff around at the end of a cruise?), so we have logged that idea on the to-do list for the last day.