Haleakala Crater Sunrise

[el820]

My wife and I, along with our 2 yrs kid, will be travelling to Maui aboard the Pride of Aloha in September, and we would really like to experience the Haleakala sunrise. The ship will be staying overnight so we would have the opportunity do this, but we'll need to leave the ship around 3 to 3:30am. Will NCL allow their passengers to leave the ship during that time?

 

I checked NCL excursion and they want $75 pp. I think it'll be much cheaper to rent a car and drive there ourselves. Is it safe to drive there during that time? Is the route fairly easy to follow? I don't want to get lost enroute and miss the sunrise.

 

Any other suggestions to experience the Haleakala sunrise?

 

Thanks

[Disneyworld]

I am sure you will not have any problems leaving the ship.

However, keep in mind that it will be dark, and my understanding is that the roads leading up to the top are very winding, you must keep an eye out for bikers on the way down, etc.

I am sure many others will have opinions on this. JMO, either skip the sunrise and go later in the day, or book a tour.

[jmo1]

I recommend renting a car and doing it yourself. Then you have a car to do other stuff the rest of the day. Of course, you will have to get the car the day before and park it near the dock. Take warm clothes. The roads are good to Haleakala, and easy to follow. No problem driving it in the dark. Everybody does it for the sunrise. There are no bikers in the dark. There will be some bikers after the sunrise, but there are plenty of opportunities to pass them safely.

[CabinForFour]

Given the age of your child, I would recommend renting a car and driving up for SUNSET rather than sunrise. It's just as spectacular but warmer and you don't have to drag the young one out so early. :)

[el820]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Has anyone actually done this while cruising with NCL. I want to be certain that we'll be able to leave the ship around 3 t 3:30am.

 

The sunset might be a good alternative as well, and I won't have to rent the car for an extra day.

[Jeepers385]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Has anyone actually done this while cruising with NCL. I want to be certain that we'll be able to leave the ship around 3 t 3:30am.

 

The sunset might be a good alternative as well, and I won't have to rent the car for an extra day.

When your docked in port the ship is open 24 hrs a day you shouldn't have any problem.

[Disneyworld]

I knew everyone would have their opinion on this. As with anything posted here, a lot is up to the individual.

Just to mention another alternative if you really want to do the sunrise, and don't want to rent a car, Robertshawaii under the gorabbitgo website has a sunrise with tax incl. for 39. each, I don't know if children are cheaper. They bring you back to the ship at 8:30 am.

[CC Help Michell]

We (2 adults) loved our sunrise excursion to Haleakala (we did the bike ride afterwards). We had no problem leaving the ship to meet our tour at 2:45 AM. I didn't think the road was too bad compared to some I've driven and ridden; you can see some photos of it in my photo album, linked below. However, I will add that it's really COLD up there in the pre-dawn -- we were lucky as the temp in July was a "balmy" 50 degrees at sunrise; often it is much colder. If you do go the sunrise route and take the little one, bring very warm clothes with you.

 

The bikers on the road down shouldn't be too much of a problem -- it takes some time after sunrise for them to get moving -- they are receiving safety briefings, helmets, fitting bikes, etc. Most of the cars of the sunrise viewers had left the parking lot before our bike group started down. The bicycle groups use a chase van, also -- they are in radio communication with the guide in front and when a car needs to pass they radio ahead so the bikers pull into a turnout to permit cars to pass.

 

Hope that helps a little!

[Sally Forth]

I would just drive it myself if I were you. We've done it a few times and it's easy to drive if you take it slow. I actually prefer the uphill trip to the downhill one. On the way down, veer off to the north and head over into the little village at Makawao. There are a couple of places there that would be good for a healthy breakfast.

 

My only concern would be how your child would handle the elevation once up there. It's is over 10,000 feet and for the first few minutes I usually feel a bit lightheaded. If your child had any problem at all with the lack of oxygen you might not know it. We didn't take our kids up until they were 6 + 7. You might want to check with your pediatrician before your trip.

 

Viv