Ports on our own...Doable?

[cod]

We are retired and excursions are high and so we normally just do our own thing in cruise ports. Is that possible in the following ports?...

 

Kahului Maui

Hilo Hawaii

Lahaina Maui

Nawiliwili Kauai

 

I do know that in one of the Maui ports we are going to go to the Aquarium but I haven't looked to see which it is better to do it from so if you know that already please advise. (Thanks)

 

Any advice on what not to miss in these places that won't require a small loan would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!!!!!!

[lambs2]

Do these ports on your own with a rental car. There is much information on these boards concerning the ease and low cost of doing this. You and your wallet will be much happier. But be sure and DO YOUR RESEARCH beforehand!!

ALOHA!!!:)

 

 

In Maui the Road to Hana and/or the trip along the "forbidden" road on the western coast are what we did and THOROUGHLY enjoyed! Alo go see Iao Valley and the Iao Needle. A free state park and incredible!

 

In Kauai take the drive along the coast up to Kee Beach and stop at the lighthouse. Also the drive to Waimea Canyon and then to Poipu Beach and the Spouting Horn blow hole is great! We did all this in ONE day but started very early in the AM.

 

In Hilo definitely drive to see Volcano National Park on your own! We also went to see Rainbow Falls, Peepee Falls and the Boiling Pots, Akaka Falls Park and Banyan Drive.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I did everything on my own with a rental car or walking. I didn't book anything thru the cruiseline. If you don't plan to get a rental car, you may have trouble at some ports.

 

Kahului Maui & Hilo, there isn't much near the pier. There is a Hilo Hatties shuttle that will take you to Hilo Hatties and you can walk from there to Walmart & a couple other shops nearby. Shuttle is free but tip them.

Lahaina Maui - are you driving to Lahaina from Kahului or arriving by ship? I'm not familiar with the ship port in Lahaina but there are lots of things to do there including the banyan tree which is cool. Lots of places to walk & see.

Nawiliwili Kauai-lots of things within walking distance but the beauty is a drive away. Definately get a car & go for a drive either direction and you won't be disappointed. Staying near port isn't bad either. There is a nice beach/cove in front of the Marriott which you can see from the ship which has snorkel rentals. Marriott is really nice too & worth checking out. Lots of shops there all within walking distance and there was even a little shuttle that took us back to the ship terminal when we were tired of walking. Don't buy from the first shop you come to. Pretty expensive. Other shops a little further down had things for a lot cheaper such as shark tooth necklaces.

 

Have fun. Nothing you do will disappoint you.

[Sally Forth]

Totally do-able on your own. This is the major advantage to being in the US on a cruise. You can use US dollars, they speak your language, the road signs are in a familiar format, and you drive on the right hand side of the road.

 

The best part is that it's hard to get too lost. There's the mountains and then the water.

 

Viv

[Bucky3]

The "Aquarium," I believe you are referring to Maui Ocean Center?, is most easily reached from Kahului on Maui. Iao Needle park is also in Kahului, and it's really a beautiful place,

[Ka Honu]

My recommendations aren't any more valuable than anyone else's but they are based on a few (30+) years living here. Get a car for at least one day of each stop -

 

Maui - You have almost two days in Kahului so use the time for any trips you decide on such as Haleakala (for sunrise if you can make it), Hana (gorgeous drive), Paia (fun old "hippie" town on the way to Hana), Iao Valley, Maalaea (Maui Ocean Center). Save the shorter Lahaina stop for Lahaina itself where there's lots of historical stuff within walking distance and a ton of great shops & restaurants. In season (approximately Nov - Mar), the cheapest ways to whale-watch in Lahaina Roads are either from shore or on the ferry to Lanai.

 

Hilo - Go to the volcano! You may not see the "live flow" but you'll never see another place like it in the world. Everything else takes second place.

 

Kauai - Another two-day stop so take a day and go west and up to Waimea Canyon & Kokee (for a great view over the top of the Na Pali coast). Going east/north around to Hanalei & Princeville is scenic with stuff to see all along the way, but secondary to the Waimea/Kokee option.

 

We're doing POH during Thanksgiving week (beats cooking turkey at home). Hope you have as much fun as we're planning on!

[cod]

Thanks everyone! I've printed out all your recommendations to bring along.

 

And Ka Honu, sounds like a plan. We were on a cruise once that returned ON Thanksgiving Day and, by the time we drove the 6-7 hours from the port to home, we found the kids had cooked a great meal. Loved it!!

[C-Ked]

These ports are absolutely doable on your own! My husband and I just got back from the Hawaiian islands, where we rented a car and did our own thing on Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island, and we had such a blast!

 

One thing I'll add to the advice up above -- make sure to reserve your rental cars in advance! On most of the islands, we saw people at the rental car desk who were stuck because they hadn't made a reservation. In Lahaina, the shuttle driver picking us up to take us to the West Maui airport rental cars wouldn't even pick up some of the cruise passengers who hadn't made a reservation ahead of time. So just go on Expedia or a similar site and make your reservations before you go -- you won't actually have to pay until you return the car, so it's no big deal if you end up getting to the island and deciding you don't want to use a rental car after all.

[cod]

Hi C-Ked,

I showed my DH the earlier 'print out' and we were discussing being "big spenders" and renting a car on - at least - Hilo and Lahaina when I saw your post. So...I went to a booking site and it's like choosing wall-paper...too many options. Anyway...we've used Alamo in the past although it doesn't really matter which one we with go with. My main question to you and those who have gone this route, is there more than one pick-up location in these two islands or is just the city name enough to get us where we should be. And which have you used and was it a good experience?

 

I appreciate everyones help and for your taking the time to answer all this. I can count the number of times we've rented card in our lifetime on one hand and have a couple of fingers left over!

 

Thanks!

[beachchick]

Hi C-Ked,

I showed my DH the earlier 'print out' and we were discussing being "big spenders" and renting a car on - at least - Hilo and Lahaina when I saw your post. So...I went to a booking site and it's like choosing wall-paper...too many options. Anyway...we've used Alamo in the past although it doesn't really matter which one we with go with. My main question to you and those who have gone this route, is there more than one pick-up location in these two islands or is just the city name enough to get us where we should be. And which have you used and was it a good experience?

 

I appreciate everyones help and for your taking the time to answer all this. I can count the number of times we've rented card in our lifetime on one hand and have a couple of fingers left over!

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, there are multiple locations on both islands, and those locations are on opposite sides of the islands, so it's extremely important to rent from the correct location. On the BI, you have Hilo or Kona; on Maui you have, Kahului or the Lahaina side. For Maui, don't use the Kahului airport if you are tendered in Lahaina because the rental companies will not shuttle from Kahului to Lahaina because it's nearly an hour's drive one-way and cost prohibitive in terms of personnel, fuel, and time. Of course, it's even more so on the BI because Kona and Hilo are a few hours drive across the island from each other.

 

For Hilo, use the Hilo airport designator ITO. Those are the closest (and pretty much only ones) in Hilo. It's less than 10 minutes by shuttle and you can even see the ship from the airport!

 

For Lahaina, you have a few choices. Most companies' locations are just south of the West Maui Airport (designator JHM) and are considered airport locations. So your best bet is to enter JHM first. The "auto rental row" for the airport is about 10 minutes by shuttle. Enterprise has a location at the Sheraton in Ka'anapali, which is a couple of minutes closer to Lahaina. Also, Hertz has a location in Lahaina on Papalaua, which is about 15 minutes walk from the tender pier (but they send a shuttle).

 

We used National, Thrifty, and Alamo for our PoH cruise last December. No problems. We've also used Avis and Budget for land trips. Also no problem. As recommended, you really must reserve in advance because they do often sell out of cars. Cruise pax are competing with the thousands of land visitors every day of the year. There are no rental locations at the piers (due to security, space, personnel, and logistics), so you have to shuttle (or in a few cases, walk). In Hilo and Nawiliwili, the shuttle drivers had lists of pax who had reservations, and they would only shuttle those pax to the rental locations. We picked up our car in Nawiliwili at noon, and they had almost no cars left.

 

beachchick

[mct]

My husband & I are undecided if we should rent a car and go to Iao Valley and Maui Tropical Plantation on our own or go thru the ship excursions. Is this something that would take up most of the day and is the driving fairly easy for seniors?