Cruising with POA for the itinerary - a different TR

I (65) & DH (66) (living in Israel) took this trip with my sister (61) and BIL (62), living in Frankfurt, Germany. We r retired, they still work as physicians, and took full advantage of the Easter Holiday.

I'm the planner and they rely on me for an enjoyable and relaxing holiday.

Sister arrived more than a week pre-cruise, stayed at Sheraton Princess to enjoy the warm weather and the beach. Luckily, their resort fee included free parking, so we parked the car at their hotel.

We flew from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles direct (15.5 hours), since it's the only one to the West Coast. Stayed 3 days at Residence Inn Marriott LAX, very handy, cheaper than Waikiki…

Flew AA to Honolulu on Thursday, used Johnny's cab for airport pickup (25$ flat rate + tip, highly recommended), stayed at Hyatt Place Waikiki, since we didn't need the proximity to beach, also got a very good "senior rate".

Rented a car (Alamo) with DHCR, which provided (through their Waikiki branch only) free shuttle from hotel to rental, and from rental to pier.

For Friday I've planned a whole day of touring: Hanauma Bay, Lanai, Makap'u Lookout, Nu'uanu Pali, Byodo-In Temple, Kualoa Park, Laie, Kahuku (ate at Giovanni's schrimp truck – tasty, but the only place in all our visit that the restrooms were filthy), finishing in Waimea and then coming back to Honolulu by another route.

In the end, we finished at Kahuku and came back by the same way, due to my BIL wanting to stop for a proper lunch, and taking zillions of pictures. Oh, well, that's family traveling together.:)

All the stops had amazing, breath taking views. Byodo-In Temple was a very spiritual experience. The grounds were so peaceful and quiet.

For Saturday (embarkation day), we split up: sister went to Pier, and we went to Pearl Harbour. Very moving experience. I've reserved tickets online and planed to get to Pier at around 3PM, after returning the rental. We managed to get in early, so were at Pier by 2PM, thinking the lines will be very short. WRONG.

First night we ate at Liberty – nothing memorable.

Maui – 1st day morning – rented a car through DHCR, in the shuttle the driver explained where is the parking for POA, we marked it on the GPS, and off we went to Road to Hana (until mile 6.5) and saw the amazing color eucalyptus trees. The plan was to explore 2-3 hours, then go back to ship for lunch and a rest, before heading to the Old Lahaina Luau.

When we got to the "assigned" parking, turns out the gate was closed. Drove to harbor entrance, the security guard told us the "assigned" parking is no longer available, and warned us not to park on streets. I asked for his help, telling him that only this morning the Alamo guy showed us where to park, and that we didn't have plan "B". He told us with a smile "I can't tell you to park at the Mall, can I"? Told him, "thanks, I didn't hear you", and off we went to park at the Mall and begin the long walk back to ship, like 15 min in blazing sun.

Grabbed a bite, took a short nap, and off we went again, the same walk back to the Mall, to fetch the car.

Afternoon – drove to Luau – enjoyed it very much. Left 15 min before the end, to beat the parking crowd.

Parked at the Mall again, near the Long Drugs entrance… walked back to ship, and luckily, in the morning, the car was there… again.

Maui – 2nd day – drove Upcountry, beautiful, to Haleakala Volcano, it was cloudy and misty. Got until the entrance and decided to head back, if u don't see anything around u. Also DH felt it was very dangerous to drive in this "soup".

Strolled through Makawao and then Paia, returned the car.

Ate at Skyline, 15 min wait. Seated us at a big table for 8, above the engine's room, could feel the vibrations, very noisy. Were not happy, asked to be moved to a table for 4, in a different part. Took some minutes, but was done. Had a nice waiter named Eric. Made a mediocre meal very pleasant.

Hilo– Richardson Black Beach (beautiful), and then to Volcano National Park – very interesting. Ate at Skyline, nothing memorable.

Kona – the only place I've rented a car from Israel, with Dollar, since DHCR could offer us only from airport, and wanted to save the hassle of shuttle back and forth. There is a Dollar & Hertz office opposite the harbor, more expensive, but convenient and quick.

The plan was to drive until the Pololu Lookout, but DH was quite tired from days of driving, and we just drove up a bit, stopped at scenic points, and were happy to be back early and do some shopping.

The line back for tenders was very loooong and I thought it was very poorly organized.

Ate fresh lobster at Cagney's. Tasty, but we found all the appetizers very expensive (184$ for 4), so decided to eat at least dessert at Aloha Café. They had crepes, which were yammy, and the ice cream was also delicious.

Kauai – 1st day – the original plan was to drive to Kilauea Lighthouse and then to Waimea Canyon. Since DH was the only driver, he didn't want to spend the day driving, so we opted only for Waimea Canyon. The highlight of our trip. All the views we've seen were amazing, but this was purely breath taking. We stopped at Waimea Canyon lookout, and then drove up up to Kalalau lookout, and from there we intended to walk to the Pu'u O Kila Lookout. Again, we were not lucky this high up. It started to rain, but for rain we came prepared. For a very heavy fog – No.

Nevertheless, we were more than happy with what we've seen, and decided that we'll have time to see the Spouting Horn on our way back, since it was an overnight, and the last shuttle was at 8PM.

The SH was very interesting, as was the way to and from this site. On our way back to Lihue airport, we travelled through a "Tunnel of trees" – very beautiful, the sheer variety of green-green-green.

Kauai – 2nd day – decided to rest & take it easy, took a free shuttle to "Hilo Hatties", were disappointed, on our way back made a stop at Anchor Cove, again, from our POV, nothing to write home about.

At 4.45PM, we were on deck 6, for the Na'apali sail by. We could hear down there the narration, but somewhere along the way, we lost track of the various kings & battles for this amazing piece of land. My English vocabulary will not do justice to describe this beauty – u HAVE to see it.

In the evening, we dined at Moderno's. Good, but not special. The timing is off – until the waiter is coming with a new meat, the side orders r going cold, and vice versa… The dessert – grilled pineapple with cinnamon was excellent, and we asked for seconds & thirds.

We travel very light, only carry ons. Saturday morning – ate a leisurely b'fast for the last time on Aloha's aft, and at 8.45AM left our room with our carry ons, took a taxi to airport (33$), for the long flight home, again, via LA.

I've researched this "subject" many months, red all trip reports 2 years back, and also TripAdvisor.

I wish we could see more, but, while I timed all the excursions, I didn't foresee the time spent waiting for shuttles to and from airports (in ports), then waiting in line for the car with other passengers who just landed.

No, we didn't sign for loyalty in any rental company – DHCR doesn't allow it, for us it was very handy to use them, since we didn't have to pay in advance and gave our credit card details, we prefer to pay cash and save the huge commission we have to pay when converting dollars to shekels.

It took us a while to understand the GPS "wording" – bear right, keep left, everything in miles instead of kilometers…, I'm sure we've done lots of km when turning at the wrong light, etc.

Sister & BIL took naps in the back, while DH was driving and I kept an "eye" on him, the road and the Garmin's instructions, and when we stopped, they were "rested" and wanted to see this and this and this, and I wasted time explaining that we HAVE to get back to ship on time and we only have time for "this"…

Then u have the long walk inside the ports, the security checks, the "bing" on exit and entrance, take off your belt, etc. – all those things take a lot out of some hours in every port.

For example, the "non-parking" in Maui really put a damper in our carefully choreographed plans…

I'll be more than happy to answer any questions u might have.

For me, it was a trip of a life time. And, I don't know how to load pictures.

Wow! 15 hours to LA, and then another 5 or 6, LA to Hawaii. I will no longer complain about the flight time from the Mainland to Hawaii for us!

Hope you feel like it was worth the hassle to get there. It sounds like you got to see quite a bit. Thanks for taking the time to post.

I see you mentioned that DHCR does not allow a loyalty number on their bookings. You can do this. After the DHCR booking is made, you can simply call either DHCR or the company booked with and have them add it to your booking. But really, I don't even know that it's necessary to have it noted on the booking. As long as you have your loyalty card or number with you, I would think you'd be free to use the designated line. It does sometimes save a few minutes wait.

Thanks, Brenda & Vance,

Off topic - I like very much the name Brenda :)

YES, 15.30 min net from Tel Aviv, and then a bit more than 6 hours from LAX to Honolulu, we were looking at almost 22 hours flight time. We knew it will be worth it, and the beauty of all we've seen exceeded even our highest expectations.

Even Oahu, whom many say is less attractive than, say, Kauai, was very beautiful. I'd say Kauai, Maui and Oahu were the first "in line", and Kona had very interesting landscape too.

About DHCR --

They say that if u add your loyalty # to their booking, they're losing their commission. I got such an outstanding service from them, so I think their commission is so well earned. Anyhow, it's the first cruise that we rent a car, and we r not "loyal" to any company, since we pay in cash. The commission and rate exchange is so high, that I had to travel with a wad of 3500$, but we came home with zero debts on our credit cards :)

BTW - about the Maui parking at the Mall. To go back to ship or to return, u have to cross a wide and busy road. There is a 2-timed traffic light for pedestrians, which takes forever to change. So, add about 2 min to my estimate of 15 min (brisk) walk to ship :D

Thanks so much for taking the time to do a review of your trip! Sounds like you had a fantastic time. :)