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Hawaii Cheat Sheet

ROCruiser

By ROCruiser,
in Hawaii

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Cruisin Angel

Cruisin Angel

Posted
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We are going to Hawaii in just 77 days.. These hints have been very helpful!!! Thank you all :)

 

We have Fairwinds booked for Molokini while in Maui, and we'll be doing an ATV excursion as well.. possibly Maui ATV. Then when we fly over to Honolulu to catch our ship (Carnival Spirit) we'll be driving to the NOrth shore, seeing Pearl Harbor Memorial, Diamond head, Pali Highway??, Meeting a bunch of CC friends at Dukes too!! Can't wait!

 

ON the big island, we'll be touring with Green tours.. read great reviews on here and we get to see VNP and many other sites.. Then in Kona we'll be using Dolphin Discoveries to snorkel K-Bay and see Capt. Cook Memorial. :)

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Callandre

Callandre

Posted
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If you rent a car from Thrifty, they give you great Drive Guides that have a lot of very useful and relevant information, as well as some local coupons that are for places easy to find and simple to redeem. Save your ABC store receipts too, they were doing a "free gift" for every hundred dollars you spent. We got a couple of nice coffee mugs for "free"! But, the ABC stores are great places to pick up almost anything you can think of, and a hundred dollars just doesn't look like it used to!

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bug_dan

bug_dan

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This Week magazines are found on the major Islands in airports, hotels and along the streets of Waikiki. Here's their web site http://www.thisweek.com/ They have maps, coupons etc.

 

Another coupon book for the Islands is the Spotlight series

http://www.spotlighthawaii.com/

 

The drive guides given out at the car rental agencies are also available on line, price I think is $4 each, but at the rental agencies they are free.

http://www.driveguidemagazines.com/

 

I'd also suggest if you want to learn about things to do in Hawaii, Hawaii Magazine has great info and articles on the Islands. Only published 6 times a year. http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/

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Zeno

Zeno

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Thank you! Thank you! Great information!

 

Zeno: Maui Taco is the name of a restaurant or an item?

Name of a restaurant/takeout (really a small chain - very casual - picnic tables and takeout - they have a couple of locations)

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spleenstomper

spleenstomper

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A friend of mine told me to absolutely, positively do NOT waste your time at the polynesian cultural center.. that it was a ridiculously expensive, boring, staged, unauthentic going-through-the-rehearsed motions place. Really, she couldn't say enough bad things about it. She said if you are driving and see it, keep on going....

 

Just passing one person's opinion on....

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fun2travel

fun2travel

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A friend of mine told me to absolutely, positively do NOT waste your time at the polynesian cultural center.. that it was a ridiculously expensive, boring, staged, unauthentic going-through-the-rehearsed motions place. Really, she couldn't say enough bad things about it. She said if you are driving and see it, keep on going....

 

Just passing one person's opinion on....

 

As another's point of view,the polynesian cultural center is one of just a few things I would recommend on the island of Oahu. We have gone a couple of times when we have a new person visiting the island. Otherwise we avoid Oahu. The others islands are much nicer.

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fun2travel

fun2travel

Posted
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A friend of mine told me to absolutely, positively do NOT waste your time at the polynesian cultural center.. that it was a ridiculously expensive, boring, staged, unauthentic going-through-the-rehearsed motions place. Really, she couldn't say enough bad things about it. She said if you are driving and see it, keep on going....

 

Just passing one person's opinion on....

 

As another's point of view,the polynesian cultural center is one of just a few things I would recommend on the island of Oahu. We have gone a couple of times when we have a new person visiting the island. Otherwise we avoid Oahu. The others islands are much nicer.

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suziehmkr

suziehmkr

Posted
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A friend of mine told me to absolutely, positively do NOT waste your time at the polynesian cultural center.. that it was a ridiculously expensive, boring, staged, unauthentic going-through-the-rehearsed motions place. Really, she couldn't say enough bad things about it. She said if you are driving and see it, keep on going....

 

Just passing one person's opinion on....

I couldn't disagree more. Although we had problems with our tour bus and our guide, I still love to think about our visit to PCC and hope to return someday. The villages are very informative and the show is fantastic!! There is a reason that it is THE top paid attraction in Hawaii. Our visit to PCC is what got me interested in Polynesian dancing here at home and I am soon entering my own first full show season. So when a place can literally change your life, I certainly wouldn't consider it a waste of time. I felt everything was well done and you could tell that everyone enjoyed working there.

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suziehmkr

suziehmkr

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The trail is closed after the recent earthquake. The only approach is from the sea.

 

Can anyone tell me how long the boat ride is or how stable the boat ride is? DH gets seasick in smaller vessels, but this sounds like something that shouldn't be missed. He can tolerate tenders to some extent, but when I took him on a snorkeling trip in Cabo, he was sick the entire time after the snorkel.

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beachchick

beachchick

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As another's point of view,the polynesian cultural center is one of just a few things I would recommend on the island of Oahu. We have gone a couple of times when we have a new person visiting the island. Otherwise we avoid Oahu. The others islands are much nicer.

 

I'll say for the record that Oahu is not our favorite Hawaiian island, but I disagree with the statement that the others are "nicer." The others are different. Each has it's own vibe and tempo. We don't like flying into HNL, but then we don't like flying into JFK, LAX, or O'Hare either. DH loathes driving through Honolulu and Waikiki. The urban thing is not something we enjoy. We probably won't visit Oahu again until the Pacific Aviation Museum has been fully completed in 5 years or so. That doesn't mean that Oahu isn't a nice island; it's just not our personal taste.

 

We've not been to PCC and have no intention of going, so I can't weigh in here one way or another. However, there are more than a few things I would recommend on Oahu:

 

Drive the north shore for the waves in winter or the scenery and snorkeling at Shark's Cove during other seasons.

 

Kailua Beach Park is hands down one of the best beach parks in Hawaii for swimming, sunning, and also windsurfing. The swimming section is for swimming only and marked, so no worries about getting run into by windsurfers. It's a long beautiful stretch of sand with warm, clear water. Good facilities and very relaxed atmosphere.

 

There are other excellent beaches close by, such as Lanikai.

 

Hanauma Bay is excellent for beginning snorkelers (and good for experienced snorkelers if you go early and go out further).

 

The blow hole is fun to watch when the seas are up. (Don't go out and stand on the lava shelf where the blow hole is though. It's a no-no for a reason!)

 

The Pineapple Plantation is fun for kids and has great frozen pineapple whip (that's the only reason we stop there).

 

Ko'olina up the west coast is lovely and can be nice in winter when other areas are too rough.

 

I've heard that Sea Life Park has been completely renovated and is a good place for families with kids.

 

Many people enjoy hiking up Diamond Head.

 

Driving the east coast is beautiful with jagged cliffs and long waterfalls which remind me of the Na Pali coast on Kauai.

 

Waikiki Beach is usually crowded and hectic, and parking in Waikiki is a buggah, BUT it's a fun beach for people watching, the water is clear and warm, the slope is extremely shallow (great for keikis or those who don't like to actually swim), surf lessons are available, there are numerous places to eat and drink (Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai Bar, Duke's, and House Without a Key are three faves), the HHV has a fireworks display on Friday early evening, and there's plenty of nightlife. Staying in Waikiki is not our cup of Kona (although we just stayed at the RH last December because it was on our "must do once" list). We prefer staying in quieter places which are out of the way (such as Kailua). However, Waikiki is fun to visit.

 

For first-time visitors, the Bishop Museum is excellent, and the Iolani Palace tour is well worth the time and money.

 

And of course, Pearl Harbor and all that is available there is a must do. The Arizona Memorial and the PH exhibits; the Bowfin; the Missouri; the new Pacific Aviation Museum.

 

There are many other things to see and do on Oahu that I don't recommend simply because they're not of interest to us.

 

As always, JMHO.

 

beachchick

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Luvsailing

Luvsailing

Posted
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There's far more to do at Hawaiian ports than Alaskan or Caribbean ones, that's why these overbroad questions tend to fall to the bottom unanswered by us locals. :)

 

You can write a guide to seward in half a page, but maui or oahu you've got to be kidding it's a book even written concisely. I guess you could do one for Kona and Hilo, but from there the scope is intimidating. I've lived on Oahu decades and haven't done half of it. It's funny and sad so many people fly in and out of Oahu the same day of their cruise and barely see anything. I thought of writing a concise tourist oriented circle oahu guide but there's so many options. Plus if I told you guys the less touristy awesome spots they'd get mobbed and my buddies would firebomb my house. I recommend the revealed guides. If you have a more specific question I'll give it my best shot.

 

Hi. We're going to Hawaii on March 17th on a Celebrity Cruise. I read somewhere that snorkeling is wonderful in the lava pools in Hilo. That is the only island that we haven't booked an excursion and wonder how we can get to the lava pools. Do we have to rent a car? Is it far from the pier? Your answers are greatly appreciated. Mahalo.

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ImMom

ImMom

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what a great thread, thank you for all the great info! I read on another thread about using the entertainment book in Hawaii so I did some research on it; there are a lot of 2for1 attraction coupons, restaurant discounts, etc. I ordered mine last week and they should be here sometime this week. When I get them I will be able to see a bit more but I think for the price of $27 (sale price reg. $37) even if I use just a few of the coupons it will pay for itself.

 

Here is the link... just find the city or state you need.

Home - Entertainment

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GoldieAZ

GoldieAZ

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Going to Hawaii twice this year....The Entertainment Book was a good suggestion. Just ordered one. Will use it for the cruise with Mom in May and then again with DH in Kauai in October when we visit our new timeshare. You folks have some awesome input on vacations. Thanks so much

 

Goldie AZ:)

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whale-watcher

whale-watcher

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An excellent reference for the Hawaiian Island can be found at the following website:

 

http://www.101thingstodo.com/ this website lists 101 things to do on each major island. Some are free, others are not but are excellent reference material.

This is a great website! Very easy to navigate, and lots of wonderful ideas for each island...

thanks for posting!

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Bucky3

Bucky3

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We've been visiting Hawaii, our favorite place, for many years. Best reference books I've seen are the Revealed series - one paperback for each island. There is a website that keeps information updated. They are wonderful detailed guides. Check this website: http://www.wizardpub.com

 

Tip: I posted this on another thread but perhaps it fits here. There are not places to rent chairs on most beaches in Hawaii. Our first purchase is usually a beach mat! Any ABC store will have them. They are cheap and come in the roll-up or fold-up variety. Take your towel from the ship, get a mat, and voila! you're ready for any beach stop.

 

From this board we learned of the Giovanni Shrimp Truck. If you are driving to the North Shore it is on the road between the PCC and Turtle Bay. Oh, my, if you like garlic and shrimp they have the best lunch plates. It's just a van by the side of the road with picnic tables and it's probably a place you would never stop unless someone had told you about it!!!

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