Help me plan my Hawaii Excursions

My wife and I just booked our first cruise (April 2018, Star Princess round trip to Hawaii from Vancouver) and I'm looking at the possible excursions. Our adult daughter and my mother in law are coming with. I read that for our first cruise we should only book excursions with the cruise line (Princess), but I'm only interested in one specific excursion, and the others are like 4 hours during a 9 hour port day. So I figured if I rent a car for the other port days, we can do what we want and fill our time.

I'm looking for some insight. First, is it a really bad idea to plan my own excursions? I understand the importance of getting back on time.

Second, have a look at my tentative excursion list and tell me what you think. Would you do anything different? We'd like to get some beach visits in, but I don't know how long to allow at each beach. Or if there are any other must-see destinations. I'm going in pretending that this is our one and only time to do this cruise so I'd like to maximize what we see. We can relax on the sea days going home.

First Port: Honolulu (16 hrs in port). Booking the Polynesian Cultural Centre & Luau through Princess because of the tight time schedule leaving the Luau and getting back to the ship. They say the excursion is 10.5 hours, so I'm not sure what we do before we leave. Any thoughts without venturing too far from the terminal?

Second port: Kauai (Nawiliwili) (9 hours). Rent a car to go to Waimea Canyon Lookout, Kalalau Lookout, Pu'u O Kila Lookout, Spouting Horn Park. Then maybe Poipu Beach, Wailua Falls and Kalapaki Beach. If we spend an hour on both beaches, I estimate this all to take 6 hours including travel time, which should be enough time left at the end to get back.

Third port: Maui (Lahaina) (11 hours). Rent a car to do the Maui Pineapple Plantation & Distillery Tour, then Costco/Walmart for some shopping, maybe some beaches. This is where I need more help because other than beaches I still have 4-5 hours to fill here. Recommend some beaches or anything else to do?

Fourth and final port: Hilo (9 hours). Rent a car to do the Volcanoes National Park and Tropical Botanical Gardens. I estimate this total to be about 7 hours, which should be enough time to get back.

On a side note, for half day excursions booked through Princess (or the cruise line in general), what do people do with the extra time in port?

We will be on a March 2018 Hawaii cruise out of LA with Princess.

We will probably do all independent tours except maybe on Maui as we do not want to rent a car.

The key to Princess tours is to look at the excursion itinerary details section where it gives you the timing at each location.

Regarding Oahu (Honolulu) we have spent a week there in the past so our needs are different than yours. The tour you have chosen is fine --it's an exhausting day.

Days may not be as long as you think. You may not leave the ship exactly at the time stated for arrival and are required to be back onboard at least 30 minutes before the time in port --we always allow an hour as it sometimes can be a long walk from the port entrance to the ship. I think you need to cut about two hours out of your estimated times in port. Also look at how long it will take to pick up and return cars.

The ship will always wait for their excursions to return but not those done independently. However the highly recommended tour operators do not want to lose business so are acutely aware of timing.

Often you will find folks on your roll call who would like to share in the cost of an independent excursion. Is this yours http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2369941

We are doing this in Hilo http://www.marylousbigislandguidedtours.com/hilo-cruise-ship-tours.html

In Honololu http://www.hawaiirealnature.com/oahu-snorkeling-tour/ and then dinner somewhere on the beachfront at Waikiki

Thank you Alaskanb. I took Princess' timings for most of the stops as that would be the high end (since there are just 3 or 4 of us loading into a car, not rounding up a whole busload). Based on my rough estimates, the tightest itinerary would be Hilo where I have 7 hours planned and a 9 hour port stop. Worst case is we can not do the Botanical Gardens and instead opt for the beach. I tried to account for extra time to leave the ship and to be back in time, while leaving activities that can be cut short or cut out.

I haven't taken into account pickup and drop off of the rental cars yet. I read that some places will meet you at the cruise ship. Some will pick you up and take you to their office. Some tell you to take a cab to their office. That's something I'll work out when I'm finalizing the details.

Third port: Maui (Lahaina) (11 hours). Rent a car to do the Maui Pineapple Plantation & Distillery Tour, then Costco/Walmart for some shopping, maybe some beaches. This is where I need more help because other than beaches I still have 4-5 hours to fill here. Recommend some beaches or anything else to do?

Do keep in mind that Lahaina is a tender port. The Star Princess carries 3,100 passengers and about 1,200 crew. Those on Princess tours will probably get the first tenders, and then other passengers and whatever crew, so getting on a tender is going to take more time than you probably think. Standing in line to get a tender back to the ship will also take time (make sure you have hats and water because it can get rather warm standing out there if the day is sunny).

Do keep in mind that Lahaina is a tender port. The Star Princess carries 3,100 passengers and about 1,200 crew. Those on Princess tours will probably get the first tenders, and then other passengers and whatever crew, so getting on a tender is going to take more time than you probably think. Standing in line to get a tender back to the ship will also take time (make sure you have hats and water because it can get rather warm standing out there if the day is sunny).

What is a reasonable or average amount of time it takes from when the ship is scheduled to arrive (7:00 am) to me stepping foot on land? If I'm not on a Princess Tour, that is. I understand it varies, but ballpark? Also for returning, if it's schedule to leave at 6:00 pm, what time should I be back waiting for the tender?

Put it like this I do not plan independent excursions with a timeline at a tender port. Only one of you needs to get off the ship to pick up a car and drive it back to the dock to pick up the others. I think it's a good question for the general Princess forum.

What is a reasonable or average amount of time it takes from when the ship is scheduled to arrive (7:00 am) to me stepping foot on land? If I'm not on a Princess Tour, that is. I understand it varies, but ballpark? Also for returning, if it's schedule to leave at 6:00 pm, what time should I be back waiting for the tender?

That is really a hard set of questions to answer, as leaving the ship will depend upon when it is cleared; how many people will be going on Princess tours; the sea and weather conditions; boat traffic at the harbor (Lahaina is a small harbor); how many passengers have tender tickets numbered before yours, etc. As to returning to the ship, you really can't project how many people will want to return to the ship at any given time.

Hawaii is very EASY to DIY...get a guidebook, figure out what you want to do....we always do our own thing. Research is key, tho...don't just hop off the ship and hope to find something...Hawaii doesn't work that way! Make plans in advance....it's NOT like the Caribbean, where you can find guides at your port!

Don't think diy in Hawaii is a bad idea at all. For sure want a general game plan, but be flexible in case it takes longer than expected to get off and get your car. I try to be back on the ship an hour early. They request 30 minutes, but want to leave buffer time for traffic. Good thing about Hawaii is unlike other areas you a. Don't need to worry about ship time vs port time, pretty sure the whole area is in the same time zone, and b. If you were to miss the ship (except for the last port), you'd only be out an island hopper plane ticket and a hotel room, then can easily meet the ship the next day.

Lots of good ideas here. My question is a bit different. We are from the UK and don't want the hassle of hiring a car in Hawaii. I don't much like organised excursions unless there is something we really want to see that would be difficult to get to on public transport. My dh is too nervous to take non ship excursions. Our favourite thing to do is to just potter around the port and absorb the atmosphere. We are calling in Lahaina, Maui; Hilo; Nawiliwili, Kauai;, Honolulu; Kona. This is likely to be our one and only trip to Hawaii. We are interested in seeing volcanic regions, waterfalls etc. So are any of our ports of call ones where we can just potter? We are tendered in Lahaina and Kona so does that mean we will be dropped in the centre of those two places?

Any advice gratefully received. Thank you.

What is a reasonable or average amount of time it takes from when the ship is scheduled to arrive (7:00 am) to me stepping foot on land? If I'm not on a Princess Tour, that is. I understand it varies, but ballpark? Also for returning, if it's schedule to leave at 6:00 pm, what time should I be back waiting for the tender?

I've never done Hawaii on a Princess ship, but we have found that our ship is usually docked well before the stated port time on the itinerary, and that General debarkation usually seems to start within 30 minutes or so of the stated arrival time if not sooner. Excursions may not necessarily be the first to leave. It all depends on their tour start time. I would ask on the Princess board for specifics and tips on the process, especially for Lahaina, which I believe is your only tender port. For instance, do you need a tender ticket, and if so what is the process of getting one.

All aboard time is usually 30 minutes prior to the stated departure time. We usually plan to be back in the vicinity at least an hour before departure time. The ship should inform you of the "last tender" time if you don't find the info on the Princess Board. Unless there is something specific you want at Costco, I'd just plan to end the day in Lahaina and do your shopping there. There is tons of shops there as well as waterfront restaurants and tours which leave from the dock. I know nothing about the tour you mentioned. Kaanapali Beach is a quick drive away. You could park in the vicinity of the Whalers Village mall. If you want to head out on your own ( most things are simply 'drive up' in the islands), the Road to Hana ( several hours) and Upcountry and Mt Haleakala are two popular choices.

For all of your ports except Lahaina, car rental shuttles from most if not all companies run regularly to and from the airport pickup locations and the port. Check with the Princess board, but generally all you need is a reservation to jump on your shuttle. You'll have to read the board here for info on the procedure in Lahaina.

In fact, start at the top and read all the way down, including page two and even further back. Also read any reviews you may find. Dont be afraid to do it on your own in Hawaii. No need for tours for most things.

Lots of good ideas here. My question is a bit different. We are from the UK and don't want the hassle of hiring a car in Hawaii. I don't much like organised excursions unless there is something we really want to see that would be difficult to get to on public transport. My dh is too nervous to take non ship excursions. Our favourite thing to do is to just potter around the port and absorb the atmosphere. We are calling in Lahaina, Maui; Hilo; Nawiliwili, Kauai;, Honolulu; Kona. This is likely to be our one and only trip to Hawaii. We are interested in seeing volcanic regions, waterfalls etc. So are any of our ports of call ones where we can just potter? We are tendered in Lahaina and Kona so does that mean we will be dropped in the centre of those two places?

Any advice gratefully received. Thank you.

I understand your hesitation to drive on the opposite side of the road. I'd feel the same way in your country probably. But, this is how you get the most bang for your buck and get to see some spectacular sights if you can get over the trepidation. A full day of touring for several people for the price of a single 6 hour tour for one. Except for Honolulu, the driving is very easy.

In some ports, you will miss much of the beauty of the island if you do not get away from the pier area. Unfortunately, there is very little public transportation or shuttles available to take you to the scenic sights like Waimea Canyon or Volcanoes National Park. You would need to book a ship's tour or an independent one. You can feel very safe booking an independent tour if you do your homework here or on Trip Advisor. They are very reliable and often offer a superior experience with fewer passengers at a lower price. Read down this board and you will see this repeated often. Someone like Roberts Hawaii is not going to risk their reputations by getting someone back to the ship late.

Yes, you can putter around in Lahaina. The town is right on the water adjacent to the tender docks. You can probably pick up excursions right there for dolphin, whale watches or snorkeling tours, etc. Plenty of shopping and places to eat as well. There is a shuttle in town which goes to the Kaanapali Beach area.

In Hilo, you could take a cab or shuttle to downtown Hilo where there are shops and a farmer's market. I'd recommend a tour to the Volcanoes National Park, or the Botanical Garden.

The port in Kauai is industrial, but you can take the shuttle or walk by sidewalk about two blocks to Kalapacki Bay where there is a shaded beach and shopping. I'd recommend a tour to Waimea Canyon.

Kona is also located adjacent to the tender docks. Nice town to walk around in, but also many tours to beautiful areas via ship or independent. Except in Lahaina, do not expect to see tours offered much on the shore.

In Honolulu, many want to see Pearl Harbor, and the ships tour often works well. If your cruise ends in Honolulu, they will drop you at your airport or hotel. It would be difficult to see much on foot. You could taxi to Waikiki Beach and walk around. There are scenic circle island tours as well.

If you do only one thing in Hawaii, make it a helicopter tour on Kauai. Opt for at least an hour excursion featuring the NaPali coast. Pretty much the epitome of what nature has to offer.

If you do only one thing in Hawaii, make it a helicopter tour on Kauai. Opt for at least an hour excursion featuring the NaPali coast. Pretty much the epitome of what nature has to offer.

I could not agree more. The cruise will probably offer one, but you can book direct with the company for less money. Ours picked us up at the pier. Do your homework, and do not let price be your only criteria. You get what you pay for, and safety has to be tops. Once you see where you are flying:eek:you'll understand why. You'll see Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali coast, inside a dormant volcano, in a way you never could by any other means. Up close and personal. It's a bucket list kind of thing for sure. Since you can see most everything else in the islands for next to nothing with a car rental, we just considered the price of the heli as our "excursion money" for the whole trip.

We spent way more in Alaska for tours.

I understand your hesitation to drive on the opposite side of the road. I'd feel the same way in your country probably. But, this is how you get the most bang for your buck and get to see some spectacular sights if you can get over the trepidation. A full day of touring for several people for the price of a single 6 hour tour for one. Except for Honolulu, the driving is very easy.

 

In some ports, you will miss much of the beauty of the island if you do not get away from the pier area. Unfortunately, there is very little public transportation or shuttles available to take you to the scenic sights like Waimea Canyon or Volcanoes National Park. You would need to book a ship's tour or an independent one. You can feel very safe booking an independent tour if you do your homework here or on Trip Advisor. They are very reliable and often offer a superior experience with fewer passengers at a lower price. Read down this board and you will see this repeated often. Someone like Roberts Hawaii is not going to risk their reputations by getting someone back to the ship late.

 

Yes, you can putter around in Lahaina. The town is right on the water adjacent to the tender docks. You can probably pick up excursions right there for dolphin, whale watches or snorkeling tours, etc. Plenty of shopping and places to eat as well. There is a shuttle in town which goes to the Kaanapali Beach area.

 

In Hilo, you could take a cab or shuttle to downtown Hilo where there are shops and a farmer's market. I'd recommend a tour to the Volcanoes National Park, or the Botanical Garden.

 

The port in Kauai is industrial, but you can take the shuttle or walk by sidewalk about two blocks to Kalapacki Bay where there is a shaded beach and shopping. I'd recommend a tour to Waimea Canyon.

 

Kona is also located adjacent to the tender docks. Nice town to walk around in, but also many tours to beautiful areas via ship or independent. Except in Lahaina, do not expect to see tours offered much on the shore.

 

In Honolulu, many want to see Pearl Harbor, and the ships tour often works well. If your cruise ends in Honolulu, they will drop you at your airport or hotel. It would be difficult to see much on foot. You could taxi to Waikiki Beach and walk around. There are scenic circle island tours as well.

Thanks very much for this very useful information.

Don't ever feel that you have to book excursions thru the cruise line. You can always do excursions tons cheaper if you do it on our own. Review the excursions offered to give you an idea of what you would like to do and then rent a car to do it on your own. Just be careful with your time.

Second port: Kauai (Nawiliwili). Plan at least six hours for Waimea Canyon park, Kalalau Lookout, Pu'u O Kila Lookout, & Spouting Horn Park.

Start with Spouting horn, It is a lovely drive thru the trees and the blow hole is very cool. Don't hurry thru the park as my husband said "Standing at the Pu’u O Kila lookout (last lookout in park) in the Waimea Canyon is the closest he has ever been to realizing Gods amazing touch on this earth"

The Opaekaa Falls & Wailua Falls are in the opposite direction of the Canyon. This will add an extra hour 1/2 of driving. I would skip the falls and just spend the rest of the day at Poipu Beach.

Do a little snorkeling. It is a lovely beach. Snorkeling is great for beginners. I actually saw a turtle in 2 feet of water in the cove.

Hilo: Rent a car to do the Volcanoes National Park but NOT Tropical Botanical Gardens.

Volcano Park is a 5 hour visit and the driving is 1 hour 1/2 hours round trip. The gardens take a hour at a minimum to fully enjoy. If you have extra time after the park you can stop at Rainbow Falls and the boiling Pots in Hilo.

Maui: Kapalua Bay, is a lovely beach on the west side. But that is a hour of driving from the pineapple tour.

If you like to snorkel; try the Ahihi Kinau Natural Area/The Dumps/Ma'onakala “The Dumps. This location is not for beginners as there was a current and a very rocky entry. The beach was not as pretty as the West shore beaches, but the coral was healthy and I loved the isolated feeling to the location. Saw lots of fish and the water clarity was excellent. This location was one of our best snorkeling spots on the trip.

The Dumps are 45 minutes from the pineapple tour.

Directions to the dumps:

Ahihi Kinau Natural Area/The Dumps/Ma'onakala. Follow Wailea Alanui Drive to the south - it will turn into Makena Alanui Drive, and once that comes to an end, it will be Makena Road. Past Big Beach, the road gets a bit narrower. A short ways past a large bend in the road, you'll see the signs welcoming you to Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve. You'll pass a popular cove for snorkeling that's maybe 100 yards or so from the signs you just passed. If you're looking for "The Dumps" then keep on driving. After another 100 yards or so, you'll pass a long stone wall on your right, you will go up a hill and the large gravel parking lot will be close to the top with bright yellow gates on your right. THIS is the parking lot you're looking for. It is a rough parking lot, not paved. After parking walk toward the water to the end of the parking lot. You will see a short trail on your left.

We've been to Hawaii five times, but what we like to do isn't necessary a must do for you and vice versa. Especially as you feel you might not return (but please don't rule that out....you may want to return and concentrate on one or two islands as a land trip).

First time I went on a guided tour (one of those 3 islands in 9 days) to fill a slot when my old college roomie decided to separate from her husband. so I saw a lot of the touristy places, including the Polynesian Cultural center which is way up on the northeast corner of Oahu. I wouldn't do it outside of Princess as this would be riskiest, especially as in Honolulu, you will probably run into traffic (even at night). I also went on a helicopter tour, but the one scheduled for Kauai got cancelled due to winds so we did this over Maui instead.

Second time was for my honeymoon (hubby's second time there too) but just for Kauai (we rented a car and drove all over in the few days) and Honolulu (just walked everywhere for the couple of days there, which included visiting hubby's great aunt and her buddies who would winter there every year).

Next three times were on Princess on the RTs from LA. the last two times Elua, the musical duo who helped create the wonderful Hawaiian cultural program on Princess, were on board and that was such a treat. If you find out they're on your ship, make sure to look through the Patters to see where they will be performing (usually on the pool deck or in the Piazza) -- beautiful Hawaiian music. Dave also leads the uke classes and Leialoha the hulu classes (the two groups perform as a joint passenger show the last day of the cruise usually in the Princess theater). they also give talks about the islands. And really nice people when I rode an elevator with them.

If they're not on your ship, there may be another musical duo who perform the same duties. and I recommend having some fun and taking part in the various activities that are unique to this itinerary.

also on the Honolulu night, a group from a local hulu school will come on board and perform. Not to be missed unless you're doing an evening excursion.

As for the ports, one rule my hubby has for any cruise is no renting of cars. So when I research I keep this in mind. I still have guidebooks from my first trip in 1990 and have added to my library over the years. I also will go to the library and check out a current guide book and take lots of notes. I also will google each port and there are so many good tourism sites (for the first cruise I found the official state tourism site which sent me brochures that I used for all three cruises). Lastly, I check the Princess excursions as they'll give suggestions for fun places to visit. then I sit with hubby and daughter (she was 8, 13, and 15 on those cruises) and we come up with a plan (and often during the port time we may change what we end up doing).

sometimes we might do an excursion, which have been through Princess, just because that's been our comfort zone (and for the ones we've selected, I will compare the cost with a similar independent one and not find that much of a difference in cost). but for our second one, hubby asked that we don't do any excursions, and just wing it as we had gone through a lot since our last cruise (he lost his mother, etc).

anyway, again, not necessarily must do's for you, but this is what we did:

Hilo -- 1. a "Waterfalls and Windward tour" of the eastern part of Hilo, including 'akaka falls and rainbow falls. booked through Princess and it was less than 10 of us passengers plus the driver/guide in a van. We thought it was pretty good, and it lasted all day. He picked us at right outside the terminal.

2. we walked to a candy factory (my daughter never forgave me for that trek -- I didn't realize the mile or so from the port would be that tough, but being from SoCal, we're not used to humidity), then took a taxi to the mall (stores including Hilo Hatties, plus lunch), took the city bus back to the waterfront and checked out the farmers market and the various stores.

3. it was Christmas eve and pouring rain so we took the Hilo Hattie shuttle and got to the walmart and did some shopping (I needed a few things that I ran out of plus souvenirs, including aloha wear.

Maui -- 1. we did a snorkeling trip off of Lahaina (so we got priority for the tender as it was a Princess excursion). It included a continental breakfast and a barbecue lunch that was prepared on board. We also saw a ton of whales, especially male ones who were showing off for a female whale, according to a guide. this was in December. After we got back to the pier, we walked into the town and did some shopping and checked out the historic banyon tree.

2. my daughter wanted to see the Lahaina jodo mission so we took the city bus (you can catch it behind the Wharf cinema center) to the Cannery Mall and walked from there. We returned to the mall, shopped. we ate a late lunch at the Wharf cinema center mall at a fun hamburger place.

3. it was Christmas day so I found out ahead of time that Whalers village shopping mall would be open. We decided the city bus (from 2 years prior) was too crowded so we got a taxi to Ka'anapali beach. If you want to beach it, consider this one...easy to get to via bus or taxi. we walked along and it seemed a nice area. The mall was a pretty little outdoors mall with two restaurants (one was closed for christmas, the other open). You can get drinks there, too. There's a whale museum at this mall,but it was closed for the holidays. Our taxi driver had given me his business card so when we were ready to return I called and his sister picked us up.

Honolulu -- 1. hubby and I had been to Pearl Harbor our first times there (and I figured that maybe my daughter would appreciate it more when she's older and hopefully returns) so we did booked a trip to Sea Life Park which is in the southeast part of the island. Afterwards, we walked around Waikiki, including the area behind the hotel we had honeymooned at (there's a little pond that kids enjoy playing in or around right there). we also went to aloha tower marketplace (sadly I think it's been torn down during the last few years). It seemed thriving back in 1995 when we went there during our honeymoon and bought matching aloha wear. each time we saw it on our cruises -- we were docked nearby each time -- it seemed to be sinking more and more. we did buy another matching aloha set of clothing.

2. we wanted (well I did) to go to ala Moana shopping center and we were offered a ride with some other passengers there -- I think it was about $5 each -- in a limo. after shopping and lunch there, we walked to Waikiki -- yep, to make our pilgrimage to the Hawaiian Hilton. then we came back close to the port and had a shaved ice.

3. we did the nautilus submarine excursion. then walking around, yep, you guessed it. I had to give up one museum I wanted to go to, but I got overruled by the other two. we also tried the local bus.

Kauai -- 1. this was our beach day. You can walk to the beach near the port or jump on a free shuttle to the anchor or harbor malls. then it's a very quick walk to the beach or if you want drinks, there's dukes at the Marriott. then we got on a Hilo Hattie's shuttle and made our first trip ever to this store (used to be on every island but they've closed most of their stores). Hubby loves to wear tropical shirts so he enjoyed shopping there.

2. the same beach. we had lunch at a local diner at one of the malls there. we also went to an Internet cafe so our teen can check in with her friends.

3. we did the Movies excursion -- this became one of our favorite excursions ever. the group is driven all over the east and north sides of the island. the guide will show clips from movies that were shot on Kauai, and then we would go to each site and walk around. we also saw some waterfalls (hubby is a major waterfalls fan). One stop was the coco Palms hotel (on my guided tour in 1990 we had lunch there) which was destroyed in the big hurricane in 1992. we checked out the ruins and were treated to a visit with a local icon who serenaded us (while our guide danced the hula -- she actually took dance classes from the singer's daughter when she was little). After watching the first segment of the never-aired original pilot, we saw the beach where the original opening for gilligan's island was shot. Then we had lunch at the diner featured in the movie "The Descendants" (which I've seen only about five times since it came out).

we did have a stop scheduled in Kona, for our first cruise, but that was cancelled due to high waves (it's a tender port). we were just going to walk and shop there.

Wow, great tips! Thank you astridwilson and Cruisin' Chick!

My family is comfortably relaxing knowing that I'm doing all the research and planning our excursions. The great thing about it is they won't know what we don't see. It's like buying a birthday card. You can spend hours picking out the best one, and the best one is the one you pick. They don't know what the hundreds you didn't pick said.

If you are going to rent a car I would highly recommend taking a look at a product from Gypsy Guide. These are guide apps designed for either iPhone or Android and use the GPS feature of the phone to provide directions and commentary.

We used them for several ports and it was like having your own personal tour guide in the car. At one point the app told us to pull over at the end of the guard rails and park then cross the road to a beach. Then walk to the right up the beach as there might be a sea turtle sunning itself. Sure enough there was a turtle laying on the beach.

It pointed out fruit stands where fruit could be purchased already packaged in plastic baggies ready to eat. Where to find food trucks that sold freshly prepared shrimp. If there was longer periods of driving time the app explained the history of the island.

We were able to connect our iPhone using Bluetooth to the cars radio which was great for listening.

Take care,

Vinnie

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We are planning to drive to Haleakala National Park when we are in Maui(Lahaina) with Princess next month.

We are thinking of in Hilo taking the hop on hop off bus tour of waterfalls.

Anyone done this?

In Kona, still unsure if we should do the hop on hop off bus and go to Kuhaluu beach to snorkel and the markets or ?? the ship tour to snorkel is so expensive.

Maui we want to go snorkeling at black rock. and do some shopping.

Oahu Hanauma bay and maybe the flea market

Any Ideas of tour companies that do these things is appreciated .

Maui we want to go snorkeling at black rock. and do some shopping.

 

Any Ideas of tour companies that do these things is appreciated .

You won't need a tour company to get to Black Rock or do shopping in the area. Black Rock is adjacent to the Sheraton, which is less than five miles from where your ship tenders. Lahaina is a great for shopping and dining. As you probably know, your tender will dock right in the middle of everything.

Be sure to allot enough time to pick up your rental car. Some companies pick you up and process you quickly but others take a lot of time. We were almost 2 hrs at Thrifty in Oahu due to a lot of cruisers trying to get their cars. The shuttle was overwhelmed. We finally gave up and took a taxi over to Pearl Harbor and just made our ticket appointment time. Most stressful day I ever had on a cruise.

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