Rental Car - Airport or Port Code?

[MPM]

Okay, I have read through several threads on car rentals, but I am still confused about one thing. I have reservations with Thrifty for cars on Honolulu, Oahu (HNL), Kahului, Maui (OGG), Nawiliwili, Kauai (LIH), and Hilo, Hawaii (ITO). In each case I used the airport codes supplied by Beachchick (Thanks Beachchick!). It wasn't until I was done that I found where there were codes for most of the ports for pick up from the port. I seem to recall reading some advice on these boards to save some money and just use the airport code, that the shuttles all end up at the same place anyway. Is this true? I would like to save some money, but I would rather spend the extra dollars then end up with a problem when I arrive! Also, I am hoping to pick up my car from Thrifty in Honolulu at 6:30am. My DW and I want to get an early start to hike Diamond Head. Does anyone know if that is too early to get a car and/or shuttle from Thrifty at HNL? We will be on POAL for a ten day cruise beginning March 26th.

 

Beachchick, or MichellP, if you happen to read this post, how about giving us a little background to how you have been able to gather all of this great Hawaii experience and advice? How do you find time in your day (and the patience) to help all of us other folks, especially when we tend to keep asking the same questions? And last, but not least, what is the 5000+ club:)

 

Thanks everyone for your help!

[RSWBADGER]

The codes you have are all correct for the cruise ship pickup, the only difference would be if you were renting a car with Thrifty in Kona, the King Kam Hotel Code is K53 instead of the airport code of KOA.

 

Is 6:30am when your flight to HNL arrives? Thrifty hours at HNL are 5:00 am to Midnight.

[MPM]

The codes you have are all correct for the cruise ship pickup, the only difference would be if you were renting a car with Thrifty in Kona, the King Kam Hotel Code is K53 instead of the airport code of KOA.

 

Is 6:30am when your flight to HNL arrives? Thrifty hours at HNL are 5:00 am to Midnight.

 

Thanks for the info! Actually we will be getting on the NCL POAL the day before, and departing the ship "early" to get our adventure started! I say early, because we are from Texas - 6:00am will still probably feel like 10:00am to us, at least that is what I am counting on!

[beachchick]

MPM: Aloha.

Beachchick, or MichellP, if you happen to read this post, how about giving us a little background to how you have been able to gather all of this great Hawaii experience and advice? How do you find time in your day (and the patience) to help all of us other folks, especially when we tend to keep asking the same questions? And last, but not least, what is the 5000+ club

 

I'm glad you found my information useful.

 

A little background is that my DH used to work in Hawaii several weeks each year, so he has lots of experience. Our first trip together (my first trip at all) was 9 years ago. I fell in love with the islands (particularly Maui and the BI). We both have physical disabilities that we didn't have in our youth, so much of the strenuous travel we used to do is out of the question. It stinks, but that's life. (Don't get me wrong; I have pity party days too. It is quite frustrating to not be able to do so many of the things we used to love.) For us, Hawaii is a beautiful (not perfect, not "fantasy island"--we're realists), relaxing place to get away, and one of the few places we can visit and come home without having to spend the next few weeks in bed sick. Our "recovery" from a Hawaii trip is usually only a few days to a week. As well, in Hawaii we can do as much or as little as we feel up to doing on any given day, we can plan the rest days we require, and we truly feel as if we are away from all the everyday health and home concerns.

 

Our disabilities are also why I have time to visit the forums most days. Sometimes it's my only "outlet" when I'm going through a bad spell. Sometimes I come here when I'm having a bad night because it helps distract me from pain and other issues. I admit to being just a tad jealous sometimes toward those who can do many of the things we used to do (zipline, long hikes, diving, long snorkel trips, sailing, kayaking, etc.), but mostly I'm so happy to hear when people have a wonderful time going to Hawaii and doing all those things. We content ourselves with visits when we can afford it (both health and budget) that include short snorkel trips, strolls instead of long hikes, and small pleasures such as relaxing in the shade on the beach and just "being" there together. We try to take each good day (or even hours) and make the most of it.

 

To be honest, I'm not always patient when someone asks a question that's been asked 100 times before. I find myself thinking, "Oh just do an advanced search on the subject, for crying out loud," but that's mostly when I know we've recently had long discussion on whatever the subject happens to be or when there are already two or three threads on the first page about that same subject. I get quite frustrated with questions such as "Tell us what to do" or "What's the best thing to do?" or "Will I enjoy fill-in-the-blank?" and all similar overly broad questions which are either impossible to answer (especially the "will I enjoy" questions--we can't possibly know, we can only speculate, and then I'd feel bad if the member came back and said, "I hated it, how could you think I'd enjoy it?") or which would take hours and pages to answer. That kind of makes me feel as if the member is basically saying, "Do all my work for me because I don't feel like doing any research for myself." I know that sometimes people simply do not realize that going to Hawaii is not like going to a Caribbean island. There are four main islands in Hawaii, there are hundreds of things to do and see, and there's no way to do more than get a little taste of each one on a cruise. (Not that that is a bad thing, not at all; although we prefer land trips, we thoroughly enjoyed our PoH cruise.) MichellP's wonderful thread about getting the most out of the Hawaii boards is a must read, IMO. It's full of excellent ideas and suggestions.

 

As an FYI, we only used the airport codes for our PoH cruise (and for our partial US Patriot cruise in 2001). We had no problem hopping on shuttles for our rental companies at the pier. We rented from the Thrifty location at the King Kam in Kona, which I highly recommend even though it costs more. The convenience is well worth the time and effort saved. Do make your reservations in advance, especially for the King Kam locations because they are quite limited. In most ports, the shuttles do end up at the same place, which is the airport location because it's also the only rental location. Lahaina is different because you can't rent from the OGG locations, but it doesn't sound like you're renting there, so it's not an issue.

 

For HNL, it can be a problem because not all companies will shuttle from the pier to the airport. You must rent from their downtown locations in order to get a shuttle. I know Thrifty shuttles to both, so you're fine renting from the airport location. I kind of doubt they have shuttles that early, but I've been wrong before! You may need to take a taxi to the airport to pickup that early. It's about $25 one-way (maybe a bit more because of fuel prices).

 

Have a wonderful time!

 

beachchick

 

p.s., The "5000+ Club" just means we've racked up more than 5000 posts yakking on the forums.

[MPM]

Beachchick,

 

Thanks for the wonderful info, and a little background. I am thankful that you have turned your disability in to an opportunity to help so many other people. Over 5,000 posts - that's a lot!

 

I first discovered these boards last year when my DW and I went on a seven day cruise on the Carnival Destiny, a cruise my wife won by the way playing bingo on our first cruise aboard the Carnival Conquest. On our first cruise, I was clueless, and mostly did the ship excursions. Generally not a lot of bang for the buck there. In one case, we picked a trip that was highly "hyped" by the cruise director, which turned out to be the most disappointing excursion we went on, at least for us. After discovering Cruise Critic, I was able to put together a "best of" for our trip to the Southern Caribbean which was a combination of things that fit our tastes, and excursions that had all received rave reviews. Some friends of ours ended up going with us at the last minute, and the whole thing turned out to be a tremendous success. I must confess that there were a lot of "tricks" such as the search capability that it took me a while to figure out. Speaking of tricks, do you happen to know how to search for threads that contain two words, with both of the words in the same post? Any time I put in two words, which would really cut down on the threads "found", I get either / or, which gives me double the threads to search through!

 

Thanks again for the great advice, and taking time to dispense it:D

[CC Help Michell]

<snip>

 

Beachchick, or MichellP, if you happen to read this post, how about giving us a little background to how you have been able to gather all of this great Hawaii experience and advice? How do you find time in your day (and the patience) to help all of us other folks, especially when we tend to keep asking the same questions? And last, but not least, what is the 5000+ club:)

 

Thanks everyone for your help!

 

Well, I have been involved in message boards in one form or another since 1993, including here at CC when it started up. We've only cruised in the Caribbean lately, and I hadn't really needed to do much research on those ports. However, when we were planning our Hawaii cruise I knew I needed a lot more information than I could find from guidebooks and websites -- I wanted the "been there, done that" scoop, so I returned to CC. I'm also a super organized person, so all the information I collected I put into a form that's still on my computer -- links, snippets, hours information I'd cut and pasted, etc., as well as in hard copy in most cases.

 

So, after I asked a zillion questions and received great input here, we went to Hawaii and had a wonderful, amazing, unforgettable time -- and brought home a "next time" folder of all the things we want to do when we go back! So that's 2 reasons why I've stayed involved here on the boards -- the selfish one is that I'm collecting information for our next time visit(s), and the "pay it forward" one is that I try to post answers for other travelers when I can. It really doesn't take that much time -- I'm on the boards less than 15 minutes per day on average, and many days don't get on at all.

 

As far as the "same questions" coming up again and again, you find that on any message board -- there are some people who even at this point in the life of the internet still won't/don't take the time to read a couple pages of posts (or even their titles) to see if what they want to say/ask has recently been said/asked. In fact, that's one reason I did the "how to get the most" post -- now I can just reply with a link to it -- when I choose to reply at all. Sometimes, like Beachchick, I do a search for recent threads and link to them -- it just depends on my mood. If I'm feeling cranky I just don't reply. ;)

[MPM]

MichellP, thanks for the insight. Nothing beats first hand experience, and someone willing to share it. I have reserved all my rental cars using the airport codes. I am not renting a car at Kona or Lahaina, so those won't be issues. I actually called Thrifty today to ask about Honolulu. I explained my situation, and she said their office at the airport is open from 5:00am to midnight, and using the airport code was fine. I never could really figure out for sure if I will be able to get a shuttle to the airport at 6:00am or not. And to be honest, after going through two different phone menus, I wasn't totally convinced that the person I was speaking to was any where near Hawaii, or that she had a good grasp on day to day activities. If anyone else has experience trying to get an early shuttle from the port to Honolulu airport to pick up a rental car, please do tell! Thanks!

[Sally Forth]

Thanks for telling us more about yourself. You give great advice and your patience is much admired.

 

Viv

[beachchick]

Beachchick,

 

Thanks for the wonderful info, and a little background. I am thankful that you have turned your disability in to an opportunity to help so many other people. Over 5,000 posts - that's a lot!

 

I first discovered these boards last year when my DW and I went on a seven day cruise on the Carnival Destiny, a cruise my wife won by the way playing bingo on our first cruise aboard the Carnival Conquest. On our first cruise, I was clueless, and mostly did the ship excursions. Generally not a lot of bang for the buck there. In one case, we picked a trip that was highly "hyped" by the cruise director, which turned out to be the most disappointing excursion we went on, at least for us. After discovering Cruise Critic, I was able to put together a "best of" for our trip to the Southern Caribbean which was a combination of things that fit our tastes, and excursions that had all received rave reviews. Some friends of ours ended up going with us at the last minute, and the whole thing turned out to be a tremendous success. I must confess that there were a lot of "tricks" such as the search capability that it took me a while to figure out. Speaking of tricks, do you happen to know how to search for threads that contain two words, with both of the words in the same post? Any time I put in two words, which would really cut down on the threads "found", I get either / or, which gives me double the threads to search through!

 

Thanks again for the great advice, and taking time to dispense it:D

 

Sometimes I think so too, but then I look at members who've only been on the forums for a couple of years and who've already surpassed me. Now that's devotion to the forums. (Plus, in the past year or two, a fair number of my "posts" have been those darn dreaded double posts, which really do not count, IMO.)

 

For searching, I never, ever use the "plain" search function. I always choose the "advanced search." Then I'll put in simple search terms, using quotes around anything I want to remain together, such as "north shore" or "maui snorkel" or "best luau" because that tends to help limit the number of threads and keep the ones that pop up more on track for what I want. Even then, I sometimes get the white screen of doom. I always start by searching back a month and then go further as necessary.

 

Believe me, my motives here are partly selfish. We simply can't visit Hawaii as often as we want to (and had to cancel this year's planned trip), so the forum here keeps me in the aloha spirit in between. We aren't able to cruise as much as we'd like to either; OTOH, the fact that we can cruise at all is a good thing! While I don't believe in the theory that we should never complain about anything ever, I do think that it's best to try to not whine all the time either. (I admit that I've become quite offended by a few members who've basically written that none of us should ever complain about any problems on a cruise, no matter how bad, because "things could always be worse." Well, duh--Of course they could. But that's like saying to someone, "You really shouldn't ever complain about having breast cancer because it could be worse, you could have terminal brain cancer" as if breast cancer isn't "bad" enough to qualify. Or when all kinds of research funding go to the "big" diseases, and especially those which are brought to the forefront because celebrities have them--as if it's somehow "worse" for them than for the everyday person who doesn't have access to all the high-cost medical treatments and publicity that celebs do. It often leaves the severe, chronic illnesses suffered by only the "little" people as the ugly step-children of medicine. As if we're not "good" (or "bad" or "popular") enough to help. End of little whiny lecture.) Mostly, we try to enjoy what we can, get through the every day problems, and endure the worst times. I mean, what's the alternative? To crawl in a hole and never see the light of day? No thanks.

 

beachchick

[hawaiilvr]

We were on the PofAm in November and I used airport codes for Maui, Hilo, and Kauai (Budget). I used the Cruise Ship pier pickup in Honolulu and Kona (Thrifty). Everything worked perfectly, other than some fuel issues with Thrifty - remember to keep you fuel receipts and check your credit card statement closely!

[NEWCRUISER176]

Hello, I'm confused - it doesn't take much - I'm renting a car from Thrifty and had originally booked the Lihue airport pickup but then saw Cruise port pickup and altered the booking. The Cruise pickup is $10 more than the airport, from what I'm reading there doesn't seem any difference in service so why would I need to book Cruise port pickup?

Thanks:)

[MPM]

hawaiilvr,

 

When you used the port pick up code on Honolulu, were you still taken to the airport (HNL?) to pick up your rental car, or did you go to an off site (not close to the airport, I realize that Thrifty is supposedly not right at the airport) location? I called Thrifty, and they said using the airport location should be fine, and it does save some money, but as I have mentioned before, I would rather pay the extra money then get in a bind - especially when I am trying to get a car very early in the morning. Thanks so much for your help!

[RSWBADGER]

Hello, I'm confused - it doesn't take much - I'm renting a car from Thrifty and had originally booked the Lihue airport pickup but then saw Cruise port pickup and altered the booking. The Cruise pickup is $10 more than the airport, from what I'm reading there doesn't seem any difference in service so why would I need to book Cruise port pickup?

Thanks:)

 

This must be fairly new, when we cruised last March they only had 1 location, maybe there are recent cruisers who can chime in on this.

 

 

LIHUE AIRPORT, KAUAI, HI, USA (LIH)

 

3120 OIHANA STREET

LIHUE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

LIHUE, HAWAII 96766

UNITED STATES

(877) 283-0898

• 
  
• 
  
• 

• Blue Chip
  
• Airport

LIHUE CRUISE PICK UP (LH2)

 

3120 OIHANA STREET

LIHUE, HAWAII 96766

UNITED STATES

(877) 283-0898

[spamwhiches]

Hello, I'm confused - it doesn't take much - I'm renting a car from Thrifty and had originally booked the Lihue airport pickup but then saw Cruise port pickup and altered the booking. The Cruise pickup is $10 more than the airport, from what I'm reading there doesn't seem any difference in service so why would I need to book Cruise port pickup?

Thanks:)

 

 

I Just booked a convertible from thrifty and used the cruise pickup option available on their website. The advertised price (winter sale) did not change, it was still $39 plus all the annoying fees, taxes, recoveries, liscenses etc etc .

 

Cheers

[Cruising_Tim]

I Just booked a convertible from thrifty and used the cruise pickup option available on their website. The advertised price (winter sale) did not change, it was still $39 plus all the annoying fees, taxes, recoveries, liscenses etc etc .

 

Cheers

 

 

Hi! - Can you give me the details on how to find this rate on the Thrifty webpage? I can't find anything about a winter sale, and the best rate I can find is $56 plus taxes/fees.

Thanks!

[spamwhiches]

Hi! - Can you give me the details on how to find this rate on the Thrifty webpage? I can't find anything about a winter sale, and the best rate I can find is $56 plus taxes/fees.

Thanks!

 

 

email me Spamwhiches@yahoo.com & I'll send you the link :)

[RSWBADGER]

email me Spamwhiches@yahoo.com & I'll send you the link :)

 

What's the big secret that you couldn't post?

 

http://www.thrifty.com/specials/16816.aspx

 

Your choice! Compact, Convertible or Minivan

 

Get a great rate on a Compact, Convertible or a Minivan when you rent from January 2 through February 5, 2008 at participating U.S. locations.

 

24-hour advance reservations are required.

 

Vehicle............Daily......Weekly

Compact car.....$34.00...$159.00

Minivan............$41.00...$209.00

Convertible.......$39.00...$189.00

 

Promotion# 8COM

[beachchick]

If I may venture a guess as to why cruise ship pick up is more expensive, and why the rental companies added the cruise piers as a second location? Land visitors who rent are picking up at the airport and airport locations. The piers are not far, but do require more fuel and personnel. The shuttle ride is typically about 10 minutes, which doesn't seem like much. But when you add it up, the cost of renting to cruise pax does raise the cost of doing business. IMO, the rental companies should simply implement a set shuttle fee for cruise pax (based on distance from the rental locations; Kona airport is much further than Hilo airport, for example) and offer it at the time of booking. The rates for actually renting the car should be the same regardless of location. Cruise pax could then decide whether to pay the, let's say, $5 r/t per rental (not per day; not per person) for Hilo and $15 r/t per rental for Kona. They would then be on a list that the shuttle drivers would carry. (Many companies do this already anyway--and they did at Hilo and Kauai when we were there. To explain the seeming contradiction, we used the airport codes to rent, and then I called the local numbers and had them note we were coming by ship, but then again, they weren't charging the higher cruise pickup rates in 2007.)

 

The small costs for picking up cruise pax (almost daily these days) adds up. Someone is going to have to pay for it; IMO, that should be the cruise pax. Land visitors shouldn't have to pay higher rates in order for cruise pax to have the convenience (because that is what it is) of shuttle pickup at the pier. A $5 r/t per rental fee is still much less than taking a taxi at any port.

 

beachchick