Chevy Uplander van rental and a group of 8

[aiminoh]

OK- Here's my dilemma:

There are 8 of us going on this vacation and I have tried my best to find a car rental place that has 8 passenger vans for rent near Lahaina, at Kapalua Maui. No such luck. I went ahead and booked a 7 passenger Chevy Uplander(or similar) and am hoping we can all squeeze in. Upon looking at interior photos online, I am a little worried and am wondering if we should just rent 2 cars instead, but we really don't want to.

Anyone familiar with this type of van? Is there space to sit on the floor? Any help would be appreciated!

[hncg57c]

We recently rented the Pontiac minivan from Alamo. If the setup is like the Chevy Uplander, there is a small pathway in between the two middle row seats so that people can get to the back row. Someone can definitely sit in this pathway. Also, the back row is a bench seat and if there are four small people, they may be able to fit in the back row.

[CarlandAndrea]

We have the same dilema - 8 passengers and we really do not want to rent 2 cars. We plan to do the same - rent a van and hope we can squeeze in.

I would appreciate hearing how it works out for you.

 

Thanks!

[win1]

On the big island you may want to check out Harper's rent a car for a van rental. I believe they have locations in both Kona & Hilo.

Sorry, I know this won't help on Maui.

Winnie

[Kiera99]

We had 8 people and rented a min-van from Thrifty. The four children sat in the back. We seat belted two kids together. They were comfortable. I did not think about having someone sit between the two bucket seats. I think it is doable, if the people are slim. The bench seat in the back is roomy enough for 4 slim people.

[aiminoh]

We went to a car dealer and asked them if we could look at an Uplander. The salesman asked us if we were interested in buying. I said no, but I need to know if it will seat 8. He said you can custom order one with 8 seats. I said no, I need to know if a 7 passenger van will seat 8. You should have seen the puzzled look on his face! Ha ha! He did let us get in one and I feel much more comfortable knowing that the space in between the front and middle aisle on the floor will definately work. We are all adults and seniors and knew that we would not be able to seat 4 in the back.

[Kiera99]

I understand what you want to do. Will you bring a stool or some luggage for that person to sit on? Most of our trips were short. The longest drive was to the North Shore and that was about an hour.

[aiminoh]

I'm not sure what I'll do for that seat. I found a foldable plastic stool that weighs only 3 lbs and folds up flat and holds 300 lbs.

http://www.opamerica.com/product_info.php/products_id/905

I'm sure that whoever gets the floor is going to want to be able to see out the windows too. What a thing to pack for a vacation! :p

[Kiera99]

It sounds workable. The space is not huge but it will accomodate a slight, petite person. Your only other choice is to rent two cars and that means parking them also. He/She can also sit on a small suitcase.

[CruisinMK]

I would never take anyone I cared about in a vehicle without a seat belt for them.

 

If I didn't care about them, hey no problem! :) Just make sure they fill out an organ donor card first.

 

There are definitely car accidents in Hawaii. Two tourist families got killed on the same day last week, one on Kauai one on Maui.