HNL airport to ship recommendations?

[geospyder]

We will be arriving Honolulu Airport approximately 3pm the afternoon of the Pride of Aloha's departure. Any recommendations for transportation from the airport to the ship? Something that we can reserve ahead of time where they will meet us rather than us having to search for them? We don't want a stretch limo but we rather not take a public bus either :)

[cb747]

Jim,

 

Since you're cutting it close (timewise) to the ship's departure, I'd recommend taking a cab directly from the airport to the pier. You're one of the fortunate ones that are sailing on Pride of Aloha. I booked one of my friends on POA and had to be rebooked on Pride of America. Have a great trip.

 

Chantal

[Lauraloha]

just take a cab. it's $25

[cat26]

I agree the cab is the best!

[ND23]

Since you're cutting it close (timewise) to the ship's departure, I'd recommend taking a cab directly from the airport to the pier.

 

How is a 3pm arrival "cutting it close (timewise)"? Doesn't the ship leave at 8pm, so pax are asked to be checked-in and on-board by 6pm (if we don't complete the online Advance Guest Registration form at least four days prior to sailing) or 7pm (if we do complete the online Advance Guest Registration form)?

 

I'm concerned because I too have a 3pm arrival for my flight to Honolulu (sailing on the Pride of America, which leaves at 8pm that night). I have read on these boards that it might take as much as 2 hours to get off the plane, obtain checked luggage from the baggage carousel, obtain ground transportation, and make it to the pier. But that still gets us to the terminal for check-in by 5pm, no? I realize we may miss the muster drill that day, which is inconvenient... is this what you meant by "cutting it close"?

 

I guess we had better ensure we complete the online Advance Guest Registration form at least four days prior to sailing, cuz we may need that extra hour!

[CC Help Michell]

How is a 3pm arrival "cutting it close (timewise)"? Doesn't the ship leave at 8pm, so pax are asked to be checked-in and on-board by 6pm (if we don't complete the online Advance Guest Registration form at least four days prior to sailing) or 7pm (if we do complete the online Advance Guest Registration form)?

 

I'm concerned because I too have a 3pm arrival for my flight to Honolulu (sailing on the Pride of America, which leaves at 8pm that night). I have read on these boards that it might take as much as 2 hours to get off the plane, obtain checked luggage from the baggage carousel, obtain ground transportation, and make it to the pier. But that still gets us to the terminal for check-in by 5pm, no? I realize we may miss the muster drill that day, which is inconvenient... is this what you meant by "cutting it close"?

 

I guess we had better ensure we complete the online Advance Guest Registration form at least four days prior to sailing, cuz we may need that extra hour!

 

These are extraordinarily tight flight times in this day and age, I'm sorry to have to tell you. The good news is that IF your flight lands on time, you hopefully will be fine, as the only worry then should be ground transportation delays such as a bad wreck in Honolulu closing major roads (Honolulu is one of the top ten US cities in population, and its traffic shows it, so this kind of occurrence isn't that unusual -- but the odds are in your favor it won't happen on your particular day). I'd say if you wind up on the ship with all your bags at sailaway, and all you miss is the muster drill, you were EXTREMELY lucky.

 

The BIG problem is with whether your plane will land on time. As you note, you have only ONE hour safety margin of error in your schedule. I've had a non-stop flight delayed SIX hours in the last year because the flight attendants "timed out" due to a weather delay on a prior flight, and we had to wait for a new cabin crew -- we had a plane, flight deck officers, and passengers -- but still had to wait six hours for the attendants. I'm not alone. The airlines have racked up records over the last couple of years for flight cancellations, re-routings, delays, etc.

 

Even on the mainland I don't ever book "day of cruise" air -- it's way too risky and damaging to my vacation sanity. But for a more distant port, such as Hawaii, Europe, etc.... my rule is at LEAST one day early, and preferably more. That doesn't help you now -- but maybe for future trips, and for future cruisers reading this, I hope that info is helpful.

 

And (truly I don't mean toss fuel on the fire, but from your post it seems like maybe you don't travel by air that often, and I do think you should be aware of issues that may crop up).... airlines are losing more bags now than ever. They have set records in the last year. Even on a non-stop flight there's some risk of baggage misdirection. Add a direct routing with stops, or one with plane changes, and those odds go up by a lot. Flying in a day or two early lets your bags have a chance to catch up with you if they go awry.

 

I hope SO much all goes well for you and the OP on your trips -- but the honest truth, from an experienced traveler and cruiser, is that having a one hour "safety margin" on this itinerary would be completely unacceptable to me. I would be talking to the airlines, cruiselines, TA -- however you booked, and seeing if I could at least figure out how to get in the day prior to the cruise, if at all possible.

[ND23]

Thanks for the info. I guess I've been lucky in that I haven't experienced significant delays nor lost luggage in my many years of air travel.

 

We will make sure we have a couple of day's worth of essentials in our carry-on bags, so in case our checked luggage gets lost, we'll be covered (literally!) in the short-term.

 

The change fees for changing our flight to the previous day aren't worth it. It would cost just as much to fly from Honolulu to Kahului to catch up with the ship, so we'll take that chance. Oh well, we now know better for next time.

 

Here's hoping our flight from Dallas to Honolulu really gets in at 3pm, with no luggage issues! And no ground transportation snafus!

[llachance]

flying in on the same day as our Pride of America cruise (which was the pride of Aloha) because I just don't want to take any more time off from work. Flying from the West Coast I have a chance of finding a way to get there if my flight were not to go. Lucky for me, if my flight doesn't go I have two other airports within 20 miles that have direct flights. I am on a flight that comes in at night and leaves the next morning so hopefully, if there are maintenance problems they will be handled in the overnight hours. I don't fly that often and I know there are horror stories but my husband flies regularly, internationally and domestically and hasn't run into any of the horror stories at this point....

[giraffenana]

I wouldn't stress too much about this. We just flew from Denver to Phoenix on Southwest, and then Phoenix to Honolulu on ATA. All of our luggage arrived and in less than an hour from the time the plane landed, we were checking into our hotel on the Diamond Head side of Waikiki. I know things can happen, but I would think positive. I would definitely make sure to do the online Advanced Guest Registration whether or not I was flying in on the day of the cruise. By the way, my sister flew from Florida with a change of planes in Atlanta and arrived at the ship about 4:30, using NCL transfer. Both she and her friend who was her cabin mate missed the life boat drill and never had to make it up.

[CC Help Michell]

I wouldn't stress too much about this. We just flew from Denver to Phoenix on Southwest, and then Phoenix to Honolulu on ATA. All of our luggage arrived and in less than an hour from the time the plane landed, we were checking into our hotel on the Diamond Head side of Waikiki. I know things can happen, but I would think positive. I would definitely make sure to do the online Advanced Guest Registration whether or not I was flying in on the day of the cruise. By the way, my sister flew from Florida with a change of planes in Atlanta and arrived at the ship about 4:30, using NCL transfer. Both she and her friend who was her cabin mate missed the life boat drill and never had to make it up.

 

Well, I certainly agree that if you can't change it, you need to do your best not to worry about it! :) It's also certainly true that there are many times more people, statistically, who have no problem with flights or bags than people who do. I guess it's all in knowing yourself. I used to travel extensively on business every year, and on that kind of trip the occasional 1-3 hour delay never bothered me. However, for personal travel, at my own expense, my vacation time is so valuable to me that I guard it zealously from potential sources of stress, which starts with building in time cushions. Your tolerance for that kind of thing may be different.

 

I will say that there was a thread posted here last fall about a flight from the West Coast with about 100 passengers bound for an NCL ship. The first plane had a mechanical problem, and by the time the airline got a substitute plane it was so late arriving in Honolulu (after 10 PM, if I recall) that of course everybody missed the ship, had to find a hotel, a flight to the first port of call, etc. I tried to look for that thread to link it, but search is still down. In any event, what an exhausting and stressful way to begin a Hawaiian vacation. :( That's why I chose to answer the question about why these flight times are "cutting it close."

[ND23]

We wound up being just fine. We flew from KC to Dallas, and our plane from Dallas to Honolulu was waiting for us (whew!). While we were boarding the Honolulu-bound plane, we heard an announcement about an 18-minute delay as we waited for some delayed passengers. I started to worry a bit, thinking we really couldn't spare those 18 minutes.

 

Once we were in-flight, the captain announced we would be arriving 30 minutes early - at 2:30pm instead of 3:00pm.

 

Luggage took a while to get to the carousel in Honolulu, but all four of our pieces arrived just fine. We went outside to get a taxi, and we were on the ship before 4:00pm. Didn't even miss the muster drill.

[tnrn-emt]

Glad everything went as planned. :) I will also be arriving in Honolulu the day that the Pride of America is sailing. Hope we are as lucky! How much is cab fare from the airport to the dock?

[ND23]

How much is cab fare from the airport to the dock?

 

We paid $25 for 2 people.

[CC Help Michell]

We wound up being just fine. We flew from KC to Dallas, and our plane from Dallas to Honolulu was waiting for us (whew!). While we were boarding the Honolulu-bound plane, we heard an announcement about an 18-minute delay as we waited for some delayed passengers. I started to worry a bit, thinking we really couldn't spare those 18 minutes.

 

Once we were in-flight, the captain announced we would be arriving 30 minutes early - at 2:30pm instead of 3:00pm.

 

Luggage took a while to get to the carousel in Honolulu, but all four of our pieces arrived just fine. We went outside to get a taxi, and we were on the ship before 4:00pm. Didn't even miss the muster drill.

 

I'm so glad to learn this worked out for you! :) It really just goes to show how different people react to things, and how one size really does NOT fit all when it comes to risk tolerance. As I mentioned above, for any given individual, the odds are in your favor that you won't be a victim of rampant flight delays and luggage loss... but when you are one, it's devastating. I'm happy you weren't, and I'm enjoying your posts about your experience, as well.

[DenverVal]

Luggage took a while to get to the carousel in Honolulu, but all four of our pieces arrived just fine.

I'm curious to know how long "a while" was - we are flying in to HNL, claiming our bags and rechecking them on to the Big Island. We purchased the tickets separately, and I'm sure they won't check the bags straight through. Not sure I want them to. Anyway, the airlines requires a minimum of 90 minutes between flights to do this, I added an hour more to that. How long would you say it took between landing and claiming your bags?

[ND23]

I'm curious to know how long "a while" was ... How long would you say it took between landing and claiming your bags?

 

I remember it being about a half-hour between touch-down and pulling the fourth bag off of the conveyor. My wife thinks it was shorter than that.

 

(the following won't apply to your situation, DenverVal, but I'm including it for others' benefit)

 

When you walk outside after claiming your bags, look for the green "Taxi" sign across the street. There are two one-way "streets", both going from your left to your right. You'll walk across the first (at a crosswalk) and land on the sidewalk which separates the two "streets." There's a guy in charge of hailing taxis - just tell him how many are in your party and where you're going, and he directs you to the next available cab. Literally took three minutes between walking out the door and getting into the taxi, and we were struggling with four large checked bags and four smaller carry-on bags (DW is HIGH maintenance, especially when it comes to clothes :)).

[DenverVal]

Thanks very much! I feel a bit less anxious. I appreciate the info on the taxis too - we'll be looking for a cab to take us to the ship after our week of R&R on the BI. (DEN to HNL to Hilo and then Hilo back to HNL a week later - we just have to be different, I guess!)