Pride of Am 9/29, Our plans, your suggestions?

[eringg]

Day 1 We are flying out of Portland Maine on Wed the 26th arriving in Honolulu that afternoon at 2:50 WE have arrange for an ABC pick up at the airport.

Plan to hang out at our hotel Resort Quest Waikiki have dinner and sleep.

Day 2 Roberts Tour of Pearl Harbor and City 6:30 am- 1pm. Hang out at beach .Possibly got to Creations Luau that evening. considering just the show and cocktails.

Day 3 Friday- Renting a convertible and plan to drive around the island stopping as we feel like, swimming and heading to the North Shore.

Any great spots for lunch on the way?

Possibly doing a Sunset Catamaran cruise if we get back in time. Dinner at Dukes on the beach.

 

Day 4 Hang out at beach and get to ship by 2pm

 

Day 5 Hilo. Renting a car. First heading to Panalulu Black Beach then back to Volcano National Park, closer to ship will try and see Rainbow Falls ect if we have time.

 

Day 6 Maui. Renting car will probably do the north shore drive stopping when we want, taking our time. WE have no dinner plans so are thinking we may get to the fire divers at the Sheraton and dinner someplace in the Whalers village area. Suggestions?

Day 7 Maui No set plans may head down the south coast and check out more beautiful beaches. Any suggestions?

 

(we decided after a ton of back and forth not to do the Road to Hana in this short amount of time) It will give us another reason to go back.

 

Day 8 Kona WE have a car again and at this time we are planning to head north up the coast stopping to snorkel and beach it. WE have talked about doing a snorkel trip here and not getting a car so we change our minds. Again, I welcome anyones suggestions!

 

Day 9 Kauai Doing an Air Ventures one hour tour over the island at 10. Then getting dropped off to our car and heading north again. I really hope that by doing the fly over we will not feel like we missed the canyon. My research says that the north shore of Kauai towards Haena State Park is somewhat similar to Road to Hana so we are heading there. Again we have no plans for the evening, thinking of doing our Anniversary dinner on the ship that night.

Day 10 Kauai Driving to a beautiful beach WHICH ONE ?,and just relax for the morning until we have to return the car.

Day 11 BAck to Honolulu. Doing Easy fly with at least 2 of our Bags and then getting a car. WE may just hang out in Waikiki or maybe head up the west side of the island if we didn't get to see that prior to getting on the ship. Need to back to the airport by 4pm for a 5:45 flight.

 

I have appreciated all the information I have received on this board. It has certainly become an addiction over the past few weeks to check it out several times a day. Thank you to everyone who has helped me to plan our trip. I will share my experiences when we get back.

 

Feel free to offer any imput you may have on my above plans.

[beachchick]

Day 1 We are flying out of Portland Maine on Wed the 26th arriving in Honolulu that afternoon at 2:50 WE have arrange for an ABC pick up at the airport.

Plan to hang out at our hotel Resort Quest Waikiki have dinner and sleep.

 

Perfect start to your trip. You might want to take a walk to stretch and get out the travel kinks.

 

Day 2 Roberts Tour of Pearl Harbor and City 6:30 am- 1pm. Hang out at beach .Possibly got to Creations Luau that evening. considering just the show and cocktails.

 

You'll be awake early, no problem, so this is a good plan for your first full day. I don't know the Creations show, so I can't comment on that, but I'm sure it would be a good choice as others have had positive reviews of it.

 

Day 3 Friday- Renting a convertible and plan to drive around the island stopping as we feel like, swimming and heading to the North Shore.

 

Kailua beach on the east side is hands down my favorite swimming beach on Oahu and right up there for all of Hawaii.

 

Any great spots for lunch on the way?

 

Well, many will recommend Giovanni's or one of the other shrimp trucks, but they simply aren't our favorite style of food. We really don't have any particular favorites on the east or north shore, but I'm sure others will chime in. What about packing a collapsible cooler and picking up picnic supplies at a deli or one of the groceries? Then you could picnic at one of your beach stops. If you do that, don't forget to pack plenty of ice to keep things fresh and safe.

 

Possibly doing a Sunset Catamaran cruise if we get back in time. Dinner at Dukes on the beach.

 

IMO, packing a sunset cruise into the day would really be pushing it. Just take your time and explore the island, then head back to your hotel to swim/rest/freshen up before heading to Duke's (the crab-mac nut wonton appetizer is wonderful).

 

Day 4 Hang out at beach and get to ship by 2pm

 

Hanging out on the beach is never a bad idea.

 

Day 5 Hilo. Renting a car. First heading to Panalulu Black Beach then back to Volcano National Park, closer to ship will try and see Rainbow Falls ect if we have time.

 

Good that you've left the falls as an "if we have time" activity. There are plenty of waterfalls throughout the islands, but there's only one VNP. Punalu'u is the quintescential (sp?) black sand beach and definitely a good choice.

 

Day 6 Maui. Renting car will probably do the north shore drive stopping when we want, taking our time. WE have no dinner plans so are thinking we may get to the fire divers at the Sheraton and dinner someplace in the Whalers village area. Suggestions?

 

Are you saying you plan to drive the north route from Kahului to Lahaina? If so, I really can't recommend it. You're on the outside lane (when it's two lane) of a narrow, winding, and fairly challenging road that often runs along high cliff edges. Even excellent drivers (such as my DH) tend to prefer driving it the other direction. It's a gorgeous scenic drive and well worth it, but it is more challenging and, in some places, more difficult than the road to Hana. Of course it's totally your call, but if you go the Kahului to Lahaina direction, please be extremely cautious and drive carefully.

 

Dinner possibilities: Hula Grill at Whaler's Village if you definitely want to stay on Ka'anapali after the fire divers. If you drive down to Lahaina, Lahaina Fish Company, Kimo's, Cheeseburgers in Paradise, Aloha Mixed Plate, and even Bubba Gump's are all good choices depending on your mood and what kind of atmosphere you want. Those are all on the waterfront. There are a few other fun places we like, but they're not on the water. You could drive up to Napili to Sea House restaurant or down to Ma'alaea and eat at one of the places there. You can always decide what looks appealing once you get there.

Day 7 Maui No set plans may head down the south coast and check out more beautiful beaches. Any suggestions?

 

I suggest you do an advanced search on this forum only for "maui beach" because there have been several detailed threads about the subject over the past few months. We prefer the Wailea and Makena area beaches over Kihei, but that's simply personal preference. (To be honest, I've written it out so many times that I'm just too lazy to detail our favorite beaches again.) Do you have the Revealed books? Their descriptions and reviews are usually spot on.

 

(we decided after a ton of back and forth not to do the Road to Hana in this short amount of time) It will give us another reason to go back.

 

Great decision. You've got the right attitude about "Gosh, we'll have to come back to Hawaii to see some of what we missed this time. Wonderful.

 

Day 8 Kona WE have a car again and at this time we are planning to head north up the coast stopping to snorkel and beach it. WE have talked about doing a snorkel trip here and not getting a car so we change our minds. Again, I welcome anyones suggestions!

 

A snorkel excursion to Kealakekua Bay would be an excellent choice. There are several options (different companies, different types of boats, etc.) which have been reviewed and discussed recently because, as you can imagine, it's a common question. Going up north, we like Mauna Kea, Hapuna, and Anaehoomalu Bay (just call it "A-Bay" or "A-Beach") are faves of ours. There are other good ones. Again, the Revealed books are an excellent resource for this. If you want to snorkel and don't care about a beach so much, you could drive down to Honaunau Bay and snorkel there. It's usually excellent and one of our favorite spots. You could visit City/Place of Refuge while you are there. It's well worth a stop.

 

Day 9 Kauai Doing an Air Ventures one hour tour over the island at 10. Then getting dropped off to our car and heading north again. I really hope that by doing the fly over we will not feel like we missed the canyon. My research says that the north shore of Kauai towards Haena State Park is somewhat similar to Road to Hana so we are heading there. Again we have no plans for the evening, thinking of doing our Anniversary dinner on the ship that night.

 

Yes, the east and north shore of Kauai is wonderful with numerous places and beaches and bays to stop and enjoy. But I wouldn't compare it to the road to Hana. IMO, it's a completely different type of drive. Both are scenic and both encompass a variety of tropical sights, but that's about the only similarity.

 

Day 10 Kauai Driving to a beautiful beach WHICH ONE ?,and just relax for the morning until we have to return the car.

 

Poipu beach park and the part of Poipu fronting the Sheraton (30 minutes or so from the pier) or Lydgate to the north and east (also about 30 minutes; watch the traffic here as it can get really backed up and there aren't alternate routes to make it easier). We'd choose the Poipu area. You could also simply return the car and walk over to Kalapaki beach fronting the Marriott. It's not the best beach in the world, but it is nice, pretty, and can have good swimming (watch for recent reports of a water quality issue; it's been reported at resolved). At Kalapaki, you wouldn't have to worry about watching your watch, but Poipu is a better beach and better snorkeling. (Disclaimer: We've only walked along Kalapaki and haven't tried to snorkel or swim there. We have stayed in Poipu and spent quite a bit more time at Poipu and in that area.)

 

Day 11 BAck to Honolulu. Doing Easy fly with at least 2 of our Bags and then getting a car. WE may just hang out in Waikiki or maybe head up the west side of the island if we didn't get to see that prior to getting on the ship. Need to back to the airport by 4pm for a 5:45 flight.

 

That's a weekend day, correct? If so, then traffic shouldn't be too huge an issue, but do leave at least 30 minutes extra for slow downs, accidents, etc. Also factor in time to return your rental car and take the shuttle to the terminal.

 

I have appreciated all the information I have received on this board. It has certainly become an addiction over the past few weeks to check it out several times a day. Thank you to everyone who has helped me to plan our trip. I will share my experiences when we get back.

 

Feel free to offer any imput you may have on my above plans.

 

Hope you have a wonderful vacation in the beautiful islands.:D

 

beachchick

[judyf]

More great ideas and tips!

[wmbjr]

As always, Beachchick gave you some great advice. I want to reaffirm her recommendation of not going Kahalui to Lahaina, but instead driving across to Lahaina and then back to Kahalui. One couple on our cruise tried the East to West route and had to turn back because it was just too much. Also, I would recommend Wailea beach in South Maui. Gorgeous beach with lots to do. Finally, for snorkelling on Kona, We went south t othe Place of Refuge and Honaunau Bay. We ended up becoming fascinated by the Place of Refuge, so we spent more tiem there than planned, but the bay had lots of aquatic life to see (turtles, fish, and some kind of eel were what we saw while there).

 

I think the best recommendation Beachchick made was to get the Revealed series of books. There is one for each island and they are a great resource! Other than that, use the advance search on this forum and read away. There are numerous posts with people's itenararies and recommendations.

 

William

[eringg]

Beachchick and William, Thank you to both of you for your comments and suggestions.

I actually did mean crossing over west towards Lahaina and then driving north. I think we will go as far as we like and then just retrace out steps back as we want to have dinner in the Whalers Village area after. I am hoping by having a loose plan we will have a relaxing vacation as well as amazing. (the tense driving is one of the reasons we are saving the Road to Hana for another trip)

I have the book Hawaii by Lonley Planet and also the Hawaii by Crusie Ship book. Both have been very helpful and along with these boards I think we are in pretty good shape.

Beachchick, regarding your comments on trying to do the Catamaran cruise on Friday and being to busy. I thought that too. I am wondering if we should do the catamaran sunset cruise on Thursday and just skip the Creations Luau. I know about the free Hula shows ect. on the beach in Waikiki. Or should we try and do a sunset Catamaran cruise in Maui or Kauai?

Thanks for all of your help.

2 more days:)

[beachchick]

Beachchick and William, Thank you to both of you for your comments and suggestions.

 

My pleasure to help when I can.

 

I actually did mean crossing over west towards Lahaina and then driving north.

 

Phew...(wipes brow)...I'm glad to hear that.

 

I think we will go as far as we like and then just retrace out steps back as we want to have dinner in the Whalers Village area after. I am hoping by having a loose plan we will have a relaxing vacation as well as amazing. (the tense driving is one of the reasons we are saving the Road to Hana for another trip)

 

Couple of things. There really aren't a whole lot of places along the narrowest part of the north route to turn around. I suggest that you plan on doing the whole route all the way back to Kahului. Then, head back over to the Ka'anapali/Lahaina side by the cross-island route. Yes, it's some "retracing" of driving, but the north route is worth driving the whole thing, IMO. Take your time and plan 3 to 4 hours Lahaina to Kahului, plus factor in 50 minutes or so to get back to Ka'anapali. Dining in the Whaler's Village "area" can encompass many things. If you want to eat at Whaler's Village, then Hula Grill would be our pick, but there are other restaurants there. Of course all the resorts along Ka'anapali have restaurants, but we don't usually eat at the resorts. You could just walk along the beachwalk and see what looks/smells good. There are a few other restaurants in Ka'anapali, but not by the water/beach. For more non-resort choices, you could drive the 10 minutes down to Lahaina and eat at one of the many places on the waterfront there.

 

I'm a bit concerned by this: "the tense driving is one of the reasons we are saving the Road to Hana for another trip." Although the north route is shorter and is not so much of a time investment, it is more difficult in many ways than the road to Hana. There are quite narrow one-lane sections of road where your only turnout is going to be pulling as close to the mountainside as possible, basically in the vegetation by the side of the road. That's certainly not the whole north route or even most of it, but there is about a 6 or 7 mile stretch that is not for the timid, nervous, or anxious driver. You will need to know one-lane passing etiquette and keep your eyes open for drivers coming toward you in case you need to find a spot to pull over. I'm not trying to convince you not to do this drive; in fact, we think it's wonderful. But if you are worried about tense driving, then you may want to rethink it. If your only "tense" issue is time (and having to rush), then you'll be fine if you allow 4 hours to go from Lahaina to Kahului.

 

I have the book Hawaii by Lonley Planet and also the Hawaii by Crusie Ship book. Both have been very helpful and along with these boards I think we are in pretty good shape.

 

Super. Those are good resources too. We simply prefer the Revealed books over all others; it doesn't mean they're the only good guides out there.

 

Beachchick, regarding your comments on trying to do the Catamaran cruise on Friday and being to busy. I thought that too. I am wondering if we should do the catamaran sunset cruise on Thursday and just skip the Creations Luau. I know about the free Hula shows ect. on the beach in Waikiki. Or should we try and do a sunset Catamaran cruise in Maui or Kauai?

 

That's a toughie. It depends on what is most important to you. We dont attend commercial luaus, so I can't be of any help there really. Sunset catamaran cruises are really nice. I guess I'd probably choose that over Creations; OTOH, those who've seen Creations say it's very good. For us, it would simply be personal preference. The more "casual" free shows are more our cup of Kona if we want to see hula. Again though, that's what we enjoy. How about the catamaran cruise Thursday and then going to the free hula show on the beach Friday, as well as watching the Hilton Hawaiian Village Friday night fireworks show? Then you could head down to Duke's for a nice supper. That might allow you to see and do the things you want, while still allowing you to relax and not cram it all into one day.

 

Thanks for all of your help.

2 more days:)

 

Have a great time.

 

beachchick

[eringg]

Thank you all, we leave in 11 hours. We will report when we get back.