Suggestions for ports????

:DWe will be on the Carnival Miracle in Sept. Am trying to get ideas for our wonderful ports. We have never been to Hawaii before and want to make the very most of our time there of course! Any suggestions on what are must dos would be greatly appreciated!

Mauii (Kahului)we overnight here so 2 days and evenings

Honolulu

Kauai (Nawiliwolo)

Kona

Hilo

If you read down the board, every port is covered repeatedly, with all sorts of info.

"Must do" is strictly a personal opinion only you can decide, so do what interests you, not what some one says is a must do. What if I told you a must do was an excursion involving swimming, but you can't swim?

We rented cars in each port and it was very enjoyable for us.

We researched each island for our must do and headed there first, then we took our time driving around and stopping whenever we wanted to.

We did reserve cars ahead of time

Our must do's were the Road to Hana and the two National Parks on the Islands. The rest was just hitting as many beaches as we could in the time allowed!

Having an overnight in Maui is great. We rented a car and drove to Haleakala National Park for sunrise that was spectacular. The "Road to Hana" is a beautiful drive that will take most of the day. You will find many comments that the road is difficult to drive, but we didn't find any problem with it. You just have to go slow - which allows you to see more anyway.

In Kona, we rented a car and went to the "Painted Church" and also the Place of Refuge which was very interesting.

Kauai, we had a beautiful helicopter tour.

Honolulu. Pearl Harbor is a must. It is one of the most moving places I've ever been. There are many beautiful beaches and the hustle bustle of Waikiki if that is what you prefer.

Agree with Bruce - the "must do's" will be what you enjoy. There are a lot of sights and activities to choose from and you have a good amount of time to sort out what sounds appealing to you (and planning is half the fun:)) Be careful with choosing your activities based on others' "must do's" - as Bruce mentions, it could be entirely wrong for you.

Besides reading through the forum here, if you haven't already, suggest joining (or starting) the roll call for your cruise to share info and ideas with others who will be on your cruise.

A guide book might be helpful - there are ones specifically for cruising in Hawaii, but ones for land based trips would work well too. And lots of on line information, such as this site. I also like Frommer's Destinations.

Reading through the options for the excursions provided by your cruise ship is a good way to determine what you can accomplish in a day. Google any of the sights/activities that you think sound appealing to find out more about them. The more research you do, the better chance you'll have of enjoying your time in each port.

Finally, consider renting a car in some ports - especially on Maui, Kauai and in Hilo. I would also rent one in Kona, but it depends on what you plan to do there. It's easy to drive in Hawaii, the cost of rentals is very economical and it's fun to explore on your own. But you'll want to arrange your rentals in advance. A good site to do that is this one - they are reputable, they deal with the major rental agencies on the island, rates are good, and they provide details on shuttle arrangements in each port. (It's a bit confusing as they don't list the rental company in the rate section - but when you click on the link, it takes you directly to that agency's website - e.g. "Brand B" is Budget.)

Good luck with your plans.:)

Depends on the type of people you are....

In Maui we had a private tour with a gentleman name wade his website is called No Ka Oi Adventures, it was a fantastic tour he caters to your ability. He has reviews on trip advisor and he takes you places that you would never see on your own or on a big tour group.

We also did the Maui sunrise bike tour with Mountain Riders. That was also a fantastic tour and we had a group with all ages. They provide helmets, bikes and a columbia jacket and pants suit for the morning sunrise.

In Hilo we did another tour with Marylou's tour. She was good as well and it was nice to be with a small group instead of a bus load where you have to wait for stragglers

In Kona we just wondered around ourselves taking public transit and did our own

thing

In Kauai we did the "doors off" helicopter tour with Mauna Loa Helicopter tours. The tip for this is if you are going to do a helicopter tour in Kauai book it for 10 or 11 am because after that it gets to cloudy. We booked ours for 10 and it was perfect.

Well happy planning

Go buy the "Revealed" books for each island (Oahu Revealed, etc). You can read all about what each island has to offer and what is unique to each island.

But you most certainly should visit Volcanoes National Park Hilo (Big Island)

It's an experience you can't get just anywhere.

Oh and rent a car on each island.. They are cheap and the best way to get around!

And on Oahu, get out of Waikiki or you'll miss seeing how beautiful the island really is!! Go to the windward side.. AMAZING beauty!

Agree with Bruce - the "must do's" will be what you enjoy. There are a lot of sights and activities to choose from and you have a good amount of time to sort out what sounds appealing to you (and planning is half the fun:)) Be careful with choosing your activities based on others' "must do's" - as Bruce mentions, it could be entirely wrong for you.

 

Besides reading through the forum here, if you haven't already, suggest joining (or starting) the roll call for your cruise to share info and ideas with others who will be on your cruise.

 

A guide book might be helpful - there are ones specifically for cruising in Hawaii, but ones for land based trips would work well too. And lots of on line information, such as this site. I also like Frommer's Destinations.

 

Reading through the options for the excursions provided by your cruise ship is a good way to determine what you can accomplish in a day. Google any of the sights/activities that you think sound appealing to find out more about them. The more research you do, the better chance you'll have of enjoying your time in each port.

 

Finally, consider renting a car in some ports - especially on Maui, Kauai and in Hilo. I would also rent one in Kona, but it depends on what you plan to do there. It's easy to drive in Hawaii, the cost of rentals is very economical and it's fun to explore on your own. But you'll want to arrange your rentals in advance. A good site to do that is this one - they are reputable, they deal with the major rental agencies on the island, rates are good, and they provide details on shuttle arrangements in each port. (It's a bit confusing as they don't list the rental company in the rate section - but when you click on the link, it takes you directly to that agency's website - e.g. "Brand B" is Budget.)

 

Good luck with your plans.:)

Susan-M has provided helpful info. We found Frommer's Hawaii 2012 to be the most helpful resource. It gives suggested itineraries and highlights of each island. We also picked up Hawaii For Dummies and Hawaii By Cruise Ship, as well as a couple of issues of Hawaii Magazine from our local bookstore.

Did anyone suggest: http://www.gohawaii.com/

Of all the things you can do, pick several you most want to do and organize your list accordingly. You won't be able to do everything. Keep in mind, the weather might force you to change your plans. Clouds descended on Haleakala as we drove to the top and we could see nothing. :(

We stayed in Honolulu for a week before our POA cruise and took organized tours there rather than rent a car due to the traffic. We rented a car in the other ports except Kona. In Kona we just walked around town and sat on the beach by the tender pier. We were on Kauai for 2 days but only rented a car the first day. We sat on the beach in front of the hotel near the port on the short second day.

Lots of people post their planned itineraries on this board and ask for opinions. Reading those threads may help you.

And watch Hawaii Life on HGTV and Buying Hawaii on the Destination Channel in HD on your flat screen TV to get a taste of all the beautiful sights you will see to get you even more excited!

Enjoy your cruise!!!! :)

cruising january 2015 to hawaii on miracle, wondering if you have to book excursions through carnival or if you can get off ship and book tours then. heard most ports are industrial so it is better to book through ship. other cruises I have been on most times there were people offering tours on the port piers. any suggestions?

cruising january 2015 to hawaii on miracle, wondering if you have to book excursions through carnival or if you can get off ship and book tours then. heard most ports are industrial so it is better to book through ship. other cruises I have been on most times there were people offering tours on the port piers. any suggestions?

You can get a guide book and find many ideas on places to explore on your own. We've done this cruise three times on Princess and each time, I'll google each port and find many tourism sites and even the official port site. Some people will rent a car, but my hubby's policy on cruises: no driving. We did honeymoon on Kauai (where we rented a car) and in Honolulu years ago so we either just wing it or get an excursion from Princess. There are excursions you can book close to the port in Honolulu -- if you're in docking at terminal 11, you can pick up one of those little coupon books inside the terminal and there will be plenty of shuttle drivers vieing for your business outside the door. You'll be near downtown. If you're docking at 2, you'll be closer to Waikiki.

For Hilo, that is an industrial area. They were still working on the terminal building our last time there, but if it has reopened, there could be tour operators there (that's where you would catch the cruise line tours). There's free buses to Hilo Hattie's and Walmart in the front, but there were long lines to board last time (it was pouring rain that day so that could have increased the interest for them).

Outside the Kauai terminal, there's many free shuttles (some go to the nearby Harbor and Cove malls -- you can even walk there), and there's a nice beach there. There's other shuttles (Hilo Hatties, Walmart, etc.) to downtown Lihue. I'm guessing there may be tour info inside the terminal, but the first two times we went to that beach and the third time, we had a wonderful tour we had booked through Princess, which loaded right outside the terminal.

We were in Lahaina for our Maui stop. I don't know about Carnival. This was a tender port. If you go over to Front St. (within walking distance of where the tender stops), there's a tourism stand by the Wharf Cinema Center which can book you tours.