Beach day in Maui and trip to ?

[POHherewecome!]

Am considering doing the beach day in Maui but the price is $40 a person if booked through NCL.

Any cheaper way of getting from the port of Kahului to Ka'anapali Beach.

At the same time, I thought I could combine this with a visit to Lahaina seeing its also on the way (NCL charges $29 for transport to Lahaina).

Because I am from Australia, I am not that keen to hire a car and drive on the (wrong or) right side of the road.

Any advice from experienced travellors?

[beachchick]

The only cheaper way of getting to Ka'anapali beach is to rent a car. A taxi r/t would be well over $100; commercial shuttles (there are some) about $40 p/p (don't know if that's r/t or o/w).

 

You might want to consider booking the Lahaina On Your Own through the cruiseline. Then take the public shuttle up to Ka'anapali (it runs throughout the day and costs just a little $). Here's one link to a basic schedule:

 

http://www.lahainacannery.com/shuttle_schedule.html

 

If you get off at the Sheraton stop, you'll be right where the cruise excursion goes. Beach excursion (not Lahaina excursion) pax also have access to some of the Sheraton facilities and (I think) get a chair and umbrella rental. However, all of the beaches in Hawaii are public, so you can pull up your mat or towel anywhere you like on the public areas. You can also walk the beachwalk, which goes along most of the Ka'anapali. There are several resorts and several beach sections. The umbrellas/lounges/cabanas owned by the resorts are almost always for resort guests only (as they should be because guests have already paid for the priviledge), but there are a couple of kiosks that do have some equipment for rent to the general public.

 

After your beach time, take the shuttle back to Lahaina, walk around and enjoy Lahaina, and then catch the NCL Lahaina shuttle back to the ship for your return trip.

 

It is a 45 minute to 1 hour drive from Kahului to Lahaina/Ka'anapali, which is one reason that finding cheaper transport is pretty challenging. I know that there is a new public bus schedule, so you might be able to walk out to a bus stop (a bit of a hike from the ship) and take the bus over to Lahaina and Ka'anapali. I don't know what the routes are or the current schedule, and you'd have to keep in mind that you may lose some time with the stops the bus makes. (I'd rather spend a bit more and have more time to enjoy the beach, but that's a personal choice.)

 

Hope this helps.

 

beachchick

[POHherewecome!]

Thank you Beachchick. That's very useful info.

Would you by any chance know whether the NCL shuttle to Lahaina has many return times or is ther just one return time?

[sceptic]

POH, you might want to consider getting on the roll call thread for your particular sailing and see if anyone might want to go along with you on a car rental in Maui - it really is an island where a rental car can come in handy, what with the vagaries of weather or surf or crowds. It can give you more options, or at least the potential for a LOT more than the rigidity of a tour.

 

I have complete sympathy for your reluctance to drive in a place that is the opposite of what you're used to - I almost killed myself in Barbados several times just stepping off the curve. I would have been a menace to others behind the wheel of a car!

[POHherewecome!]

How do I get on the roll call? I'd be happy to pay the car rental if someone else drove. That would already be a cheaper option than two of us booking excursions.

[sceptic]

Go back to the cruise critic message board main page, scroll down to the Roll Calls section, and select Roll Calls - Norwegian Cruise Line. Then select Pride of Hawaii. Look for the thread for your sailing date - read it, cuz maybe someone else has already asked. Then just post your request.

 

If your sail date doesn't have a thread, start one!

 

Good luck! I bet you can find someone who'd be happy to go with you (If I was on it, I'd love to join ya)

[beachchick]

POHherewecome: I second sceptic's truly excellent idea of joining the roll call and seeing if someone renting a car might be interested in sharing the costs. I understand your reluctance. I've always been afraid of the issue of driving in Australia or England or even St. Thomas because of the "wrong" side (at least to me) issues. DH has no problem with it, but then again he worked for weeks at a time several times a year in Singapore, so he got pretty handy at it (and he's an excellent driver anyway).

 

I can't help you with the NCL shuttle schedule (and I know they say something like "varied times" or whatever on the excursion description) because we only got off the ship in Maui to walk over to the store and buy a couple of little treats. We visit Maui often and had just been there; otherwise, we would have rented a car (so I still couldn't have helped you there). Sorry to be so unhelpful. The only thing I know for sure is that there are several shuttle times to and from Lahaina. You should have no problem finding times that work for you. I'm certain other members have used the "Lahaina On Your Own" excursion and will chime in for you.

 

beachchick

[KazinSD]

As our driver Daniel said in St Thomas, "no mon, we do not drive on da wrong side of da road, we drive on da opposite side of the road. If we drove on de wrong side, we have and accident":D