Rental cars

Looks like I'm renting cars from Discount Hawaii car rentals for each island. They don't book with a credit card and I was wondering did anyone have any problems with this company? I want to make sure my car is ready to go when we get to each island. Are cars in good shape? Trying to use cars from Enterprise if I can.Should I stay away from a certain car company?

Looks like I'm renting cars from Discount Hawaii car rentals for each island. They don't book with a credit card and I was wondering did anyone have any problems with this company? I want to make sure my car is ready to go when we get to each island. Are cars in good shape? Trying to use cars from Enterprise if I can.Should I stay away from a certain car company?

You see Discount Hawaii recommended often on this board. When you book on their website, you are routed directly to the rental company site so you are actually booking with them. Nice that you have to pay nothing upfront as you can then cancel or rebook if you find a cheaper rate or plans change.

We booked through the site last August and had no issues. Print your reservation confirmation info and take with you on the cruise, just in case. We used Thrifty. Just look for your shuttle at the cruise dock. It helps to sign up for the Loyalty Program for the company you are using. Gets you into the fast track line.

Thank you so much for the information!! I just love cruise critic boards!

No troubles here. We used Thrify on Maui and Kauai and Budget in Hilo.

Looks like I'm renting cars from Discount Hawaii car rentals for each island. They don't book with a credit card and I was wondering did anyone have any problems with this company? I want to make sure my car is ready to go when we get to each island. Are cars in good shape? Trying to use cars from Enterprise if I can.Should I stay away from a certain car company?

No problems with Discount Hawaii Car Rental (DHCR)... used them last year for our reservations on Oahu, Maui & Kauai. On Oahu we used Alamo; on Maui we used Avis; and on Kauai we used Thrifty.

Last month, DHCR hooked us up with Budget for our week on Oahu. FYI - gas prices ranged from as low as $2.88 to $3.04 per gallon.

90 % of the cars on the roads in Hawaii are rentals....you should have no issues with any!

If I can get the same price or better with DHCR as with the rental car company directly I always go through DHCR. Often they offer some perks that are not offered on the rental car company website, like 2nd or 3rd driver at no charge. This is a really nice perk. And...as often mentioned on CC do join the loyalty program for all of the companies you will be using. This will save soooooooo much time. Cherie

I agree. We've rented through DHCR several times and have had zero problems. As said, you're actually renting from major companies, so it's no different really except you often get that free extra driver or 2. They are great people to work with and I highly recommend them or CostcoTravel.com if you are a member. Very similar great pricing and free drivers most of the time. Just be sure to READ before you book to see if it includes the extra driver.

We used them as well.

The only issue we had was we wound up with Thrifty on Kuai and it was, literally, the dirtiest car I've ever been in in my life. I asked for a different one and they told me that was all they had. You would not believe how much mud was on the inside of this car.

No problems with Discount Hawaii Car Rental (DHCR)... used them last year for our reservations on Oahu, Maui & Kauai. On Oahu we used Alamo; on Maui we used Avis; and on Kauai we used Thrifty.

 

Last month, DHCR hooked us up with Budget for our week on Oahu. FYI - gas prices ranged from as low as $2.88 to $3.04 per gallon.

Hi,

Are there shuttles at all the cruise ports for car rental pickups?

Thx Geo

DHCR can have some deals but I won't focus just on them, look for deals elsewhere too. Through Orbitz we got an Avis Rental for Kauai next April for $23.59 and currently on DHCR it's $49.78.

Do you have to go to the airport to pick up a car in Hilo?

Yes, but most have shuttles that come to the ship.

Hi,

Are there shuttles at all the cruise ports for car rental pickups?

Thx Geo

Not sure what the procedures are for Lahaina. Never docked there. At Kahului Maui and Nawiliwili Kauai they are definately available. In Kona, I believe there is an option to walk to the King Kamehameha hotel very near the dock and get your car instead of taking the airport shuttle. There are two different options at the hotel, I don't recall which they were. You can go straight to the hotel's website to book. We did not book in Hilo, but I believe shuttles ran to the airport locations there as well.

Not sure what the procedures are for Lahaina. Never docked there. At Kahului Maui and Nawiliwili Kauai they are definately available. In Kona, I believe there is an option to walk to the King Kamehameha hotel very near the dock and get your car instead of taking the airport shuttle. There are two different options at the hotel, I don't recall which they were. You can go straight to the hotel's website to book. We did not book in Hilo, but I believe shuttles ran to the airport locations there as well.

Thanks for the info...2 ports out of the way

ALL the ports have shuttles for the mainline car rentals, except for Kona- you do NOT want an airport rental there. In the past Enterprise has also been an option- but you will be waiting for their shuttle. Dollar used to be at the King Kam hotel? (have been using the airport location for my travels there recently, and just tours, from cruise ships, last several trips)

Thank You, now 3 down

Looks like I'm renting cars from Discount Hawaii car rentals for each island. They don't book with a credit card and I was wondering did anyone have any problems with this company? I want to make sure my car is ready to go when we get to each island. Are cars in good shape? Trying to use cars from Enterprise if I can.Should I stay away from a certain car company?

I used their "Hawaii Car" iPhone App to make reservations for Honolulu and several ports of call at great rates and had no problem at all. Used different companies at each port of call based on best rating and everything was ok. I even booked a car at the port itself only one hour in advance without problem.

There's no login setup and it's so simple and cheap that sounds as some trick, but it is not.

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I used their "Hawaii Car" iPhone App to make reservations for Honolulu and several ports of call at great rates and had no problem at all. Used different companies at each port of call based on best rating and everything was ok. I even booked a car at the port itself only one hour in advance without problem.

There's no login setup and it's so simple and cheap that sounds as some trick, but it is not.

 

 

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Interesting. I assume you are not talking about Discount Hawaii but another company?

How was the trip to the rental office handled? Did you use the pier shuttles to the airport locations, or did they send a shuttle to another location?

Interesting. I assume you are not talking about Discount Hawaii but another company?

 

 

 

How was the trip to the rental office handled? Did you use the pier shuttles to the airport locations, or did they send a shuttle to another location?

I was talking just about "Discount Hawaii Car Rental". Their iPhone app is named just "Hawaii Car" and it works fairly well.

This is not a rental car company, they just do the price comparison and reservation service for the main car rental companies at Hawaii (Budget, Thrifty, etc).

They conveniently offer the option "Cruise Ship" at each island as the pickup/return location. And you can use de car rental company shuttle service from and to the pier. It's quite easy to find as all the cruise ship dock locations has signs for the car rental shuttle services.

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I was talking just about "Discount Hawaii Car Rental". Their iPhone app is named just "Hawaii Car" and it works fairly well.

 

This is not a rental car company, they just do the price comparison and reservation service for the main car rental companies at Hawaii (Budget, Thrifty, etc).

They conveniently offer the option "Cruise Ship" at each island as the pickup/return location. And you can use de car rental company shuttle service from and to the pier. It's quite easy to find as all the cruise ship dock locations has signs for the car rental shuttle services.

 

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OK. I wasn't aware Discount Hawaii had an app. I may check it out. Good to know you can do it last minute, you never know when other plans might fall through. But I like to make reservations well in advance so I can scope out prices.

Good explaination of how DHCR works in case some are not aware. They make price and car comparisons easy by doing all the legwork for you. And, it provides a few extra perks like 2nd driver free.

Budget Queen, could you please explain why not to rent a car in Kona. I'm just in the planning stages. Thank you.

Budget Queen, could you please explain why not to rent a car in Kona. I'm just in the planning stages. Thank you.

It's about 8 miles to the airport and she mentions that the rental agencies don't provide shuttles (so you'd have the extra cost of a taxi each way - plus the time involved in getting there/back.)

However, she does mention using Dollar at Kona King Kamehameha Hotel (which is across the street from the pier) - worth the higher price than the airport rentals.

Another option (lower price than Dollar at the King Kam) is Enterprise on Luhia Street - about a mile from the pier. They provide shuttles, but note BQ's comment re waiting for them.

For Kona, I have a reservation with Hertz. According to their website, they're also at Kona King. Can someone confirm this?

For Kona, I have a reservation with Hertz. According to their website, they're also at Kona King. Can someone confirm this?

According to the hotel's website, yes. I wonder if it's just one rental facility there under the Hertz, Dollar & Thrifty names, since they are all under the same ownership.