Princess Hawaii Excursions

DH and I are returning to Hawaii and are planning different excursions than what we took before. We would like any comments or experience you have regarding the excursions listed below. Thank you in advance.

Kauai - Tubing the Hanamaulu Ditch System

Hilo - Akaka Falls, Nani Mau Gardens & Macadamia Nut Farm

Honolulu - Diamond Head Crater & Summit Hike

DH and I are returning to Hawaii and are planning different excursions than what we took before. We would like any comments or experience you have regarding the excursions listed below. Thank you in advance.

 

Kauai - Tubing the Hanamaulu Ditch System

Hilo - Akaka Falls, Nani Mau Gardens & Macadamia Nut Farm

Honolulu - Diamond Head Crater & Summit Hike

For Hilo we easily went to Akaka Falls & the Mac Nut farm plus Rainbow Falls, a plate lunch in town & shopping using a rental car. It costs us about $35 for a rental car & they picked us up from the pier...a very easy option that you may want to consider.

I've hiked a couple of times to the top of Diamond Head & there are amazing views from Koko Head on the south to the Wainae mountains in the north. I've read that it was recently refurbished but there's not much they could have changed with the trail. It can be hot & tough for some but for most it shouldn't be a problem. You'd want to bring water & maybe a flashlight for going through the old bunkers access to the top. You probably could get there for a $2.50/pp/ow ride of The Bus & you could check their website to see if that's an option you may want to consider.

I don't know about the ditch tubing in Kauai but we rented a car & easily toured the island after they picked us up at the pier for about $35.

You might want to check the Hawaii ports board for more information:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=62

We always rent a car in Hilo and Kauai, but I must admit I've never tried "ditching".

We've done the Hilo port with ships' tours and liked them all.

Pat

You are going to love this cruise! We were on it exactly a year ago and found so much to do on the sea days.

Since it was our second RT cruise (we were on the Island five years before, and both of us have been on two previous land trips to Hawaii), we decided not to bother with any excursions -- and since we booked the cruise just weeks before the sailing date, it may sense to us. I had ordered brochures for each port and gave them to our teen with post its so she can help us plan what we would do in each port. Hubby didn't want to do any driving so renting a car was out. We relied on taxis, city buses, shuttles and our feet in the ports. The only port that we did almost exactly the same thing was in Kauai, catching the shuttle to the little shopping center nearby and walking to the beach behind the Marriott. We ate lunch at a little coffee shop in the shopping center and checked our email at an Internet cafe.

In 2005, we did go on three excursions booked thru Princess, including a tour of the waterfalls on the Big Island, as well as going up the north east part of the island. Snorkeling off of Maui and going to Sea Life Park on Oahu.

Patty, when did you go in 2005? That was our first time. That was actually the cruise that got DH hooked on 14 day cruises. LOL!! This is a repeat for us. It will be the first time for my BFF, et al. so they are very excited. We were advised not to go to the volcanoes so we are going for greenery, scenery and water.

We recently did the Diamond Head hike. This was our second time doing the hike. The hike is well worth the views when you get to the top. Bring your camera. You'll get some amazing pictures and videos.

They added another set of stairs and landing which has more room for viewing. The trail is a little beat up so wear tennis shoes or hiking shoes.

The hike up takes most people 30 to 45 minutes. There are plenty of places to stop and catch your breath, drink some water and enjoy the views.

Four of us are in our mid 60's and had no trouble making it to the top. However, I got a kick out watching some of the younger folks huffing and puffing, wanting to turn around by the time they made it to the stairs.

Patty, when did you go in 2005? That was our first time. That was actually the cruise that got DH hooked on 14 day cruises. LOL!! This is a repeat for us. It will be the first time for my BFF, et al. so they are very excited. We were advised not to go to the volcanoes so we are going for greenery, scenery and water.

Janet - I'm curious as to why you were advised not to go to the volcano? We are visiting Hawaii in February on the Sapphire, and one of the trips we plan on making is to the Volcano in Hilo. Is there something I'm not aware of????

Thanks! :)

This was our favorite tour for our cruise. We were able to see waterfalls and volcanos on the same tour, not one or the other. I did alot of research on this tour before we booked it. Our ship did not offer the waterfalls and the volcanos together and we also didnt want to go on a motorcoach tour on a big bus so booking with the ship wasn't an option. I checked with other companies, Big Island Volcano tours, Lava Tour, Ricky's and a few more. They either started before my ship was in port or ended after i needed to be back at the ship. Not to mention alot of these guys wanted over $100 for their tours. The tour that we booked was http://hawaiicruiseexcursions.com/BigIslandVolcanoIslandTour.htm What i really liked about this tour was that tour times matched my ship port times, and that they guaranteed that they will schedule your tour to match your ships port times. If your ship is late coming in, they will adjust their tour times to work for you. I talked to an agent on line before we booked and i really appreciated the customer service. We paid $70 each and it was worth it.

Janet - I'm curious as to why you were advised not to go to the volcano? We are visiting Hawaii in February on the Sapphire' date=' and one of the trips we plan on making is to the Volcano in Hilo. Is there something I'm not aware of????[/quote']

 

The person told my DH a volcano is like looking at a big ash tray. I do understand they can be quite spectacular and impressive to see so I'm not slamming them. Others we have talked to have said seeing the volcanoes was the highlight of their cruise. It's a personal choice for us. We would rather see waterfalls and greenery.

If you like greenery and waterfalls I would suggest you should take a tour in Kauai. If you can swing it this one place where you should consider taking a helicopter tour. One of the best things we ever did. The Napali coast is just totally amazing and you can only see if by air. Kauai has some incredible waterfalls.

This was our favorite tour for our cruise. We were able to see waterfalls and volcanos on the same tour, not one or the other. I did alot of research on this tour before we booked it. Our ship did not offer the waterfalls and the volcanos together and we also didnt want to go on a motorcoach tour on a big bus so booking with the ship wasn't an option. I checked with other companies, Big Island Volcano tours, Lava Tour, Ricky's and a few more. They either started before my ship was in port or ended after i needed to be back at the ship. Not to mention alot of these guys wanted over $100 for their tours. The tour that we booked was http://hawaiicruiseexcursions.com/BigIslandVolcanoIslandTour.htm What i really liked about this tour was that tour times matched my ship port times, and that they guaranteed that they will schedule your tour to match your ships port times. If your ship is late coming in, they will adjust their tour times to work for you. I talked to an agent on line before we booked and i really appreciated the customer service. We paid $70 each and it was worth it.

I have seen this tour group on quite a few threads. The DW and I are going on the Golden Princess's April 11th cruise and I booked this tour yesterday because of the good reviews. Thanks for all the info!

Mike

The person told my DH a volcano is like looking at a big ash tray. I do understand they can be quite spectacular and impressive to see so I'm not slamming them. Others we have talked to have said seeing the volcanoes was the highlight of their cruise. It's a personal choice for us. We would rather see waterfalls and greenery.

the tour we took for the volcanos was waterfalls, botanical gardens, a black sand beach, we walked through a lava tube and we saw the volcanos park.

We saw very dramatic contrasts to what the big island is about, and how amazing the destruction is from the biggest volcano on our planet.

you might want to rethink skipping it! yes kauai is amazing for waterfalls and greenery, but what you can see in hilo you won't see anywhere else in the world!

Patty, when did you go in 2005? That was our first time. That was actually the cruise that got DH hooked on 14 day cruises. LOL!! This is a repeat for us. It will be the first time for my BFF, et al. so they are very excited. We were advised not to go to the volcanoes so we are going for greenery, scenery and water.

Sorry, just saw this post.

We went on the 12/22/05 cruise on the Island Princess and then exactly five years later on the 12/22/10 cruise on the Golden Princess. We can only travel when school is out.

If you have never been atop an active volcano before, I can't imagine not doing it when in Hilo. While it's not greenery, it's still an awesome place to be just once in a lifetime as part of a 3-4 hour tour. And as part of the tour, you get to walk through the Thurston Lava tube. To get to it, you walk through a rain forest!! There's your greenery!

VNP is an amazing experience whether taking a tour or to easily drive there. Experiencing the awesome power of nature as it destroys & also creates new land is rarely experienced anywhere else. Places we've visited during the past 30 years no longer exist while areas that were once ocean are now new volcanic land. For me, it's like experiencing the birth of our planet.

The contrast with the rain forest area around the Thurston Lava Tube & the remainder of the park is amazing. If anyone with a rental car wants to see more lush area then the Akaka Falls area north of Hilo is an option.

Even in Maui it's possible to see over 200 year old lava flows from dormant 10,000 foot high Haleakala in the La Perouse Bay area of South Maui.

DH and I are returning to Hawaii and are planning different excursions than what we took before. We would like any comments or experience you have regarding the excursions listed below. Thank you in advance.

 

Kauai - Tubing the Hanamaulu Ditch System

Hilo - Akaka Falls, Nani Mau Gardens & Macadamia Nut Farm

Honolulu - Diamond Head Crater & Summit Hike

Tell me about the ditching......was this through Princess or a private guide??? :)

Tell me about the ditching......was this through Princess or a private guide??? :)

All excursions I mentioned are through Princess.

I agree, we are going to do the volcano and waterfall tour for Hilo. I can't imagine being that close to an active volcano and not checking it out!

Now we are trying to decide on Kauai. We did the cave tubing in belize which i liked, but how does ditch tubing compare to cave tubing? Anyone done both?

Hilo - Akaka Falls, Nani Mau Gardens & Macadamia Nut Farm

Akaka Falls and nut farm are great to see but the Nani Mau Gardens is a disgrace!

You can read recent reiews at tripadvisor, here is the link

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60583-d131370-Reviews-Nani_Mau_Gardens-Hilo_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html

the 2nd review down is mine "January 17Th"

We even complained to the tour operator and they have since dropped it and replaced with Akatsuka Orchid Nursery.

The tours that jenlowen100 mentioned are also available with Marylou's Big Island Tours. We have booked her company for our cruise, she has lots of choices to choose from, making up a day trip of the places you are interested in. Pretty good reviews on Trip Advisor, can't wait to get there.

In Kauai we have chosen to take the "Wings over Kauai". Owners were great to talk to and the price is about half the price of a helicopter. Loved the trip helicopter trip we had in Alaska but are anxious to try the plane this time.

Akaka Falls, Nani Mau Gardens - I loved Akaka Falls but the gardens wasn't my thing so much. The gardens were very relaxing, weren't bad but it was kinda boring for myself. I currently am 27 y/o and athletic/adventurous but also love photography. I don't do extreme adventure tours but I like a nice balance between adventure and relaxation.

Akaka Falls has many great places to take photos and was an enjoyable hike. I loved it, hands down was my favorite excursion in Hawaii.

I don't know if I went to the macadamia nut farm, I don't think I did as I don't remember it.

I am on the Golden in February. I reserved a car so that I can stop at some of my favorite eateries in Hilo. Hilo is my most favorite city of all the islands.

Planning on driving to Volcano National Park (remember to bring along your Golden Eagle Senior Pass). Haven't done the Thurston Lava Tubes in a very long time. Bring a flashlight with you. I was there when Kilauea Iki erupted (1959?). It was a spectacular show then and nothing has compared to it since. I can not take credit for this video, but it is one of my fondest memories.

I've done a walk into Halemaumau Crater to watch the moon rise. Only caution is the sulfur vents if you have asthma or any other respiratory problems. I have flown over the park in a helicopter with the doors off...that was thrilling. And I have seen the lava flowing into the ocean at night (Princess needs to put this back into the cruise by).

It would be a shame for you to visit the Big Island and not stop by Volcano NP. There is a current vent hole in Halemaumau Crater that you can see from the hotel.

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/kilaueastatus.php

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cams/

There is a beautiful park (Queen Liliuokalani Park and Coconut Island), the Lyman Museum, and the Tsunami Museum near the pier. I am going to Akaka Falls (there's also Rainbow Falls if you time it just right) and the Boiling Pots just up the street.

I have been researching private tours to the "ditch" on Kauai. That sounds like fun and very refreshing. If you are very adventurous, I would take the NaPali Zodiak or Kayak tours and snorkeling. I have also taken a helicopter tour of Kauai. That wasn't as thrilling as the Volcano flight, but very scenic. My daughters Kayaked the River in Hanalei but came back very sun burnt.

If you've been to Maui before, take a ferry over to Lanai. This is a very undeveloped island and worth stepping back in time.

What ever you do, enjoy the islands. Each island has something very different to experience.

Renee (displaced local girl)

We did the boat and beach day in Kona too, it was great fun! we were able to get so close to the dolphins i could almost pet one!

sorry, wrong spot, i'm new!