Haleakala at sunrise questions

[caserko]

Thinking tentatively about this...but would like to hear from those who have done it. I could have sworn the "biking" part of the excursion was offered by NCL but now I don't see it under that page on their website--they have a $65/pp tour that says nothing about biking. Is it worth getting up in the middle of the night to see? Is the biking a necessary part of the experience? When are you back to the ship? Any reviews, advice, tips, etc. are greatly appreciated!!

[cruzegirl]

My friends did it on our cruise last year.... I couldn't as I had been diving the day before.... They both got up for it and were ecstatic that they did..... They loved it..... They did not do the biking, just took the bus tour...... But they said it was awesome.... They did it through NCL.......Hope that helps.....

[Spikesgirl]

Something you should also consider is that not every morning has specualar views from Haleakala. If it's cloudy and/or raining, the view from the mountain isn't as fabulous.

 

Downhilling is fun and well worth the getting up at the crack of dawn to do. We didn't do it as part of a cruise, but the company picked us up at the hotel, drove us to the top, where we waited for sunrise and then biked down the mountain. We had breakfast in Pukalani (I think) and were back at the hotel by about 11:30 a.m. Out of all of our trips up the mountain, this is the one that has stayed with me...and we didn't even have a 'sunrise' that morning due to heavy cloud coverage.

 

 

You have to decide whether or not you will feel gipped if you spend the money to go up the mountain and don't get to see the sunrise. The biking isn't an integral part of the experience, but it sure was fun!

 

Charlie

[karfest]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=287386

 

Here is a link that includes my review. We really enjoyed this ride, but it's not for everyone.

[spleen93]

Something you should also consider is that not every morning has specualar views from Haleakala. If it's cloudy and/or raining, the view from the mountain isn't as fabulous.

 

Downhilling is fun and well worth the getting up at the crack of dawn to do. We didn't do it as part of a cruise, but the company picked us up at the hotel, drove us to the top, where we waited for sunrise and then biked down the mountain. We had breakfast in Pukalani (I think) and were back at the hotel by about 11:30 a.m. Out of all of our trips up the mountain, this is the one that has stayed with me...and we didn't even have a 'sunrise' that morning due to heavy cloud coverage.

 

 

You have to decide whether or not you will feel gipped if you spend the money to go up the mountain and don't get to see the sunrise. The biking isn't an integral part of the experience, but it sure was fun!

 

Charlie

 

I'd have to agree with Charlie - I've been up Haleakala a number of times and the last 3 times I've gone, it's been cloudy or overcast for the sunrise. It's convinced me to never bother trying to go for the sunrise any more. :D It's still a worthwhile trip - but as to whether you want to wake up in the middle of the night and make the drive in the dark is only a decision that you can make. Personally, I'll go later in the day.

 

Spleen

[caserko]

Thanks everyone. I think we'll skip the sunrise and go during the day with our rental car. Don't feel like ending up in the ER or screwing up my sleep schedule any more than it will be already with the jet lag. It's just so hard to resist the adjectives for the sunrise, ya know? :D

[GidgetGirl]

Thanks everyone. I think we'll skip the sunrise and go during the day with our rental car. Don't feel like ending up in the ER or screwing up my sleep schedule any more than it will be already with the jet lag. It's just so hard to resist the adjectives for the sunrise, ya know? :D

We did this excursion in September and it was worth getting up at 2:30 am! We did have a fairly clear day so the view we spectacular but if you decide to do it - a bit of advice....be prepared for the cold! It was maybe mid 40's with high winds! We had sweatshirts and jeans but that was not enough! We huddled together taking turns blocking the wind from each other!

 

We did the bus tour but the bikers were there with snowsuit type things on to block the wind. You knew who was biking because even in the dark waiting for the sun rise to start you could hear them walking by swoosh, swoosh....They bus up and ride down. We did a tour after and were back to ship before 10 I believe.

[npeters]

Unfortunately, seeing the sunrise is hit or miss. If you're lucky, it's an once-in-a-lifetime experience. If it's cloudy, well, it's still a great experience. 2:30a is so early, but you can sleep on the tour bus. There are indigineous plants that only grow at Haleakala.. I think the bike ride sounds like a lot of fun!

[dgaston]

I drove up in our rental car. Drive up was ok, drive down harrowing when I could see those steep cliffs. We had a beautiful sunrise, back at ship at 9:30 with everyone else leaving and spent a "sea" day at pools.

[beachin']

With an overnight on Maui, you also have the option of sunset at Haleakala, which we recently did. Sunset definitely has advantages - not as cold, minimal amount of people, and you don't have to get up at a ghastly hour.

[Ocean Spirit]

We did the sunrise.... left the ship at 3:00am. We had parked are rental car at the dock. Driving yourself is Soooooo much cheaper.

Now it doesn't take you hours to get to the summit.... the only reason to leave so early is to get a good spot to take pictures. We had to wait for a very long time until the first sight of the sun became visable.

 

The area up at the vistors center is very small and everyone is pushing to get up front. (The center isn't open till later)

 

One thing you should know is it is COLD and windy up there. there was ice on the ground when we went up there. So dress warmly, take gloves. I might try to sneak a blanket out with me the next time we go.

 

It was beautiful but isn't for everyone. We are taking my mother in law this time and so we'll go up the mountain but also plan to take a nap later in the morning.