Kauai - day 2 - what to do?

We are planning to rent a car the first day in Kauai and see Waimea Canyon, etc. However, day 2 is a short day (2 pm departure) and I don't know if it is worth keeping the car for 2 days.

I thought a beach morning would work out well with the early departure. How far is Poipu Beach Park from the port? I don't see a ships excursion for transportation, only surfing lessons. Is this something that we can do by taxi? Or should we just keep the car for the second day?

There is a very nice beach that is just a 10 minute stroll from the cruise pier. This beach is in front of the Marriott Hotel. There is also a small shopping center there and they run a free shuttle back and forth to the cruise pier. You can return your rental car on the first day and enjoy this beach on the second day. There is also a Duke's Restaurant just off the beach at the Marriott that is great for drinks and lunch if you so desire.

Thanks Kapoho2 - is that the Kauai Marriott Resort on Kalapaki Beach? If yes, that is perfect! Do you know if they offer day passes?

Take a helicopter ride, they are fabulous.

You do not need a pass to use the beach area.....it is a very nice beach, and usually gentle waves at the shore line.

Would love a helicopter, but on a budget this trip. I was interested in using the Marriott's facilities.

We strolled all around the Marriot Resort and it was lovely. However, I did not see any facilities that I would pay extra to use. I agree that the beach is lovely. Also, the Duke's restaurant is nice with a nice beach view - also a lot of shopping right there.

We did a sightseeing flight with AirVentures Hawaii which was considerably less expensive than a helicopter flight on day 2. We were also on a budget, but decided to do this just a few weeks before we left. I am glad we did as it was wonderful.

Here are my pictures from Day 1 when we strolled around the Marriott Resort and Kalapaki Beach, followed by a tour through Roberts in the afternoon of the Fern Grotto and the Smith Family Luau.

Pictures from Day 2 are mostly of our flightseeing tour and the Napali Sail-by. The link to my full review is in my signature!

Does NCL provide the free shuttle or someone else? Thanks.

I believe the shuttle to the shopping center is operated by the businesses there. It runs continuously and is free, but we always throw a tip in the basket for the driver.

Photos were great Sunny - and after reviewing what we think is important to us we have decided to do the helicopter ride on the second, shorter day in Kauai giving up the Luau in Maui to offset the cost. We should have enough time to do that in the morning and return to the ship before the 2pm sail away.

We just returned from our POA trip. On Day 2 we did a 9 o'clock helicopter tour with Blue Hawaii. Their office is a 10 minute walk from the ship, or you can take the free shuttle. We had enough time after our flight to have Hula pie at Dukes, shop the lovely shops right there, swim for 30 minutes and get back to the ship by 1:30. Forget the luau in Maui (or anywhere else!) and go on a helicopter tour if you can!

Just got back from POA cruise also. Here's what we did:

Waited until 12:30 the first day to rent the car. Then drove to Waimea Canyon and stopped by Poipu Beach for swimming and seeing the sunset. The second day left early in the morning for the North Shore and swam for a couple of hours at Waimea Bay. This area has some of the prettiest beaches in the world. Driving time was one hour each way. Reurned the rental car at 12:30. One day's rental and covered three major things we wanted to do.

Thank you all for the responses - it is good to know that we can fit in the helicopter and some of the other things close to the ship too:)

Thank you all for the responses - it is good to know that we can fit in the helicopter and some of the other things close to the ship too:)

dalgirl:

Forgot to mention in my post on this board that we did the Mauna Loa helicopter tour at 10:00 am the first day.

[quote name=Sunny AZ Girl;35720720

We did a sightseeing flight with AirVentures Hawaii which was considerably less expensive than a helicopter flight on day 2. We were also on a budget' date=' but decided to do this just a few weeks before we left. I am glad we did as it was wonderful.

Here are my pictures from Day 1 when we strolled around the Marriott Resort and Kalapaki Beach, followed by a tour through Roberts in the afternoon of the Fern Grotto and the Smith Family Luau.

Pictures from Day 2 are mostly of our flightseeing tour and the Napali Sail-by. The link to my full review is in my signature!

WOW, those pictures you took from the Airventures plane are great! Thank you for posting them, DH and I are considering them since they're inexpensive and don't have the weight restrictions that the other airplane and helicopter companies have.

The plane tour is very tempting.

Would love a helicopter, but on a budget this trip. I was interested in using the Marriott's facilities.

I did a flight (fixed-wing) with Wings Over Kauai... $125.00 per person for 60+ minute flight. The picked me up in front of the ABC store, about a 5 minute walk from the ship & dropped me off at the pier on the way back.

Roberts has a tour of just Fern Grotto?? I want to do that but seemed all day tour and then WOUOD miss Smiths luau?

We were there in April and we chose to return the car on day one. In the a.m. of day two we took a cab to the tubing excursion (I believe it's called Kauai backcountry adventures). We were back in plenty of time and it was families favorite day.

Roberts has a tour of just Fern Grotto?? I want to do that but seemed all day tour and then WOUOD miss Smiths luau?

Forget the Fern Grotto, I think you will be disappointed. It is basically a walk to a big rock overhang where there are supposed to be a lot of Fern growing from the walls. A group of people sing a song and that's it, preceded and followed by a lot of wasted time that could be much better spent elsewhere seeing things that truly are spectacular.

Would love a helicopter, but on a budget this trip. I was interested in using the Marriott's facilities.

It sounds lie you are reconsidering the heli tour. We did Blue Hawaiian. They pick you up at the ship and the airport is right next door. This is truly spectacular and full of OMG moments. Do as early a tour as you can get to lessen the chance of getting rained out or bad visibility later in the day. We did day 1 early so we would have time for a reschedule, but the weather was beautiful. Tied for top 2 of all the excursions I have ever done. This is something you do not want to pinch pennies on. You do get what you pay for.

The beach in front of the Mariott is grassy and lots of shade. You really don't need rental chairs, but there may be vendors. There are no restrictions on going into the hotel, and there is a huge pre existing garden full of ponds, waterfalls and flowers which the hotel was built around. We had drinks at the Dukes outside and watched the surfers.

Punkincc-re:Blue Hawaiian tour. Did you book with the ship or did you go direct with the company? It is certainly cheaper to book direct. I read that they have military discounts. Do you know anything about this?

We strolled all around the Marriot Resort and it was lovely. However, I did not see any facilities that I would pay extra to use. I agree that the beach is lovely. Also, the Duke's restaurant is nice with a nice beach view - also a lot of shopping right there. Here are my pictures from Day 1 when we strolled around the Marriott Resort and Kalapaki Beach, followed by a tour through Roberts in the afternoon of the Fern Grotto and the Smith Family Luau.

 

We did a sightseeing flight with AirVentures Hawaii which was considerably less expensive than a helicopter flight on day 2. We were also on a budget, but decided to do this just a few weeks before we left. I am glad we did as it was wonderful. Pictures from Day 2 are mostly of our flightseeing tour and the Napali Sail-by. The link to my full review is in my signature!

Aloha :D

I have not recommended the various air tours on Kauai because of the cost, but if it is in your budget, an air tour over Waimea Canyon and down and along the Na Pali coast would be outstanding. Kauai is not a very big island so most air tour s cover most of the island and takes much less time than driving. The tour that seems to get the best reviews is Blue Hawaiian Helicopters on Kauai. http://www.bluehawaiian.com/

At about half the price are air tours that use small planes that can fly up and over some of the valleys like Wings Over Kauai Air Tours. It's a matter of budgets. http://www.wingsoverkauai.com/

Sunny AZ Girl did the small plane tour since they were on a budget and her post is above. As I said, because the air tours are all over $100/person for a 60min. ride, it can be expensive, but I think it is worth it if you can afford it. I personally like the helicopter tour even at twice the price since they go lower and it was easier to see.

Most of the pilots are ex-military so I would ask about a discount, and marathonrunner123, it's a lot cheaper booking direct than thru the cruise line, as much as 30% less.

Aloha :D