Excursions/Rental questions...

[jasejase]

Hello... We are taking our first cruise to Hawaii in March on NCL... And had a couple questions.

 

1) Should we be lining up excursions already?? Seems like alot of people do (helicopter rides, biking, etc...). We usually don't, but I'm not sure if Hawaii is different in that way.

 

2) Same for rental cars... Is this something that we really need to book two months out?

 

3) Dress attire and recommendation for the best luau! I have heard good things about the "ncl one" and great things about the others... And what do people where to one of these things?! Never been!

 

Since we will be going in March, I would THINK that we wouldnt have any problems finding excursions while there - without booking in advance.

 

Thanks for your help!

[melika091900]

book the car rentals now,, it might be busy when you are there, and you might not get the car that you want..

 

we rented from hertz in lahiana, maui

and in honolulu...

 

we did it online.

or you can check www.discounthawaiicarrental.com

[jasejase]

Thanks...

 

We were thinking about getting our rental straight from the airport upon arrival to HNL... as our boat spends the first two days in honolulu (PO aloha). Assuming that there is a place to park close by to the ship...

[CC Help Michell]

Hello... We are taking our first cruise to Hawaii in March on NCL... And had a couple questions.

 

1) Should we be lining up excursions already?? Seems like alot of people do (helicopter rides, biking, etc...). We usually don't, but I'm not sure if Hawaii is different in that way.

 

2) Same for rental cars... Is this something that we really need to book two months out?

 

3) Dress attire and recommendation for the best luau! I have heard good things about the "ncl one" and great things about the others... And what do people where to one of these things?! Never been!

 

Since we will be going in March, I would THINK that we wouldnt have any problems finding excursions while there - without booking in advance.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Aloha and welcome to the Hawaii board! :) I'm going to suggest that you spend a little time here on the board reading, to get some idea of the amazingly huge number of options that await you in Hawaii. You might start with this post -- http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=651950, and with your ship's list of shore excursions.

 

To answer your specific questions:

 

1) Yes, you should be lining up excursions already if you are counting on popular things like heli tours, whale watches, ziplining, limited capacity sunrise bike excursions, etc. In general, Jan - March is among the busiest times in Hawaii, not just for cruise pax but for land-based visitors, so unless you plan to take only ship-based excursions (which most of us here don't recommend, as independent tours and renting a car are often "the way to go" when possible), you are competing against those folks and should take steps to guarantee your spot.

 

2) Yes, you should reserve rental cars now, as soon as you know when/where you will want them. You can cancel them later if need be, but Hawaii is a chain of islands -- there is a finite supply of rental cars and when they are gone, they are gone.

 

3) You are on NCL -- resort casual is ALWAYS appropriate on NCL. All dining rooms except one permit jeans at night, even. There is NO "formal night," though there is a "dress up if you want to" night. As for luaus, that's just a huge topic. There are tons of posts here about luaus on Oahu, luaus on Maui, and the NCL luau on Kauai, as well as some about luaus in/near Kona on the Big Island. As for luau dress, "Hawaiian" dress is appropriate and that's a fun place to wear it -- tropical/flowery sundresses and collared shirts, for instance.

 

Overall, I'm afraid I just have to recommend you do some reading/research and then post some questions based on what you and your party want to do. Sorry to give you such "bad news" (tongue in cheek -- you'll "have" to read a bunch of amazing reports about doing fantastic things in paradise ;) )

 

I will say that Hawaii is the place I've found more than any other (except maybe Alaska, which I've just begun to dip my toes into) that rewards the planner/researcher, both in terms of the money you'd spend and in terms of the experiences you can have for that cost.

[beachchick]

MichellP: Nice post with good advice (as usual). I'd ditto what you've suggested.

 

beachchick

[jasejase]

Thanks for the help! We have done a ton of reading... This is such a diverse vacation, after a while it tends to blend together!

 

We have been on NCL before, so I think we're ready from the 'ship aspects'...

 

Good advice on the rental and the excursions though. For the most part we plan on going with car rentals and exploring with maps, guidebooks, and recommendations... But for somethings we will utilize an organized excursion...

 

One more question for those that may be afraid of heights... Since my wife is afraid of heights... Any excursions (aside from the obvious helicopter rides, etc) that may have scared the daylights out of you?! We want to possibly do some of the hiking, or biking excursions, and we dont want to get half way in and then realize the trail hugs a 2000 foot drop!

 

thanks again - your help has been greatly appreciated!

[CC Help Michell]

Thanks for the help! We have done a ton of reading... This is such a diverse vacation, after a while it tends to blend together!

 

We have been on NCL before, so I think we're ready from the 'ship aspects'...

 

Good advice on the rental and the excursions though. For the most part we plan on going with car rentals and exploring with maps, guidebooks, and recommendations... But for somethings we will utilize an organized excursion...

 

One more question for those that may be afraid of heights... Since my wife is afraid of heights... Any excursions (aside from the obvious helicopter rides, etc) that may have scared the daylights out of you?! We want to possibly do some of the hiking, or biking excursions, and we dont want to get half way in and then realize the trail hugs a 2000 foot drop!

 

thanks again - your help has been greatly appreciated!

 

Hmmm, "hugging" big drops (and a few "gulp" moments involving heights) come to my mind when I recall: driving up and biking down Haleakala; the Road to Hana; some of the switchbacks on the way to Waimea Canyon on Kauai; and the lower levels of the Pali overlook on Oahu (not to mention the unbelievable winds there that "push" you around). I can't say any of those scared the daylights out of me, but I'm only moderately fearful of heights, not extremely. Hope that helps!

[beachchick]

Hmmm, "hugging" big drops (and a few "gulp" moments involving heights) come to my mind when I recall: driving up and biking down Haleakala; the Road to Hana; some of the switchbacks on the way to Waimea Canyon on Kauai; and the lower levels of the Pali overlook on Oahu (not to mention the unbelievable winds there that "push" you around). I can't say any of those scared the daylights out of me, but I'm only moderately fearful of heights, not extremely. Hope that helps!

 

Those and I'd also avoid the zipline tours and hang gliding.;) As well, the route around north Maui--much more so than the road to Hana as far as sheer drops and narrow, winding roads. There are several hikes on Kauai that would be out of the question considering that the (often unsafe) so-called paths can be about 2 ft wide and several 100 ft up. (Not to be too grim, but several people have fallen and died trying to navigate some of those unsafe hikes.)

 

Otherwise, you should be fine. There are plenty of places for hiking and biking that do not involve heights.

 

beachchick

[jasejase]

excellent - thanks for all the great info!

[jasejase]

excellent - thanks for all the great info! you guys offer a wealth of information!