POA: Nervous about Rental Cars

HI!

My mom and I will be cruising POA in February. Everyone is telling us to just rent cars, instead of doing tours. I even talked to an NCL rep - I had a question about Pearl Harbor tours - and even he suggested renting a car!

So...OK...I'm a little nervous about renting a car, because I don't want it to be a big hassle, but everyone says it is the best way to go...so...

For both Maui and Honolulu, I think we would want to keep the car overnight. We arrive in Honolulu on Friday afternoon - I'm thinking we would pick up the car at the airport when we land, use it Friday night, park it at our hotel ($30), then use it to drive to Pearl Harbor Saturday morning. THEN what? Drive back to the airport, drop it off, and somehow get from the airport rental car desk to the Port, to get onto the ship? Is that what people do?

Same sort of thing for Maui. I'm thinking we rent the car morning of day 1, drive to Lahaina, watch some whales, walk around, drive ourselves back to the ship {{park somewhere overnight??}} then the car will be waiting for us the next day - I'd like to see the National Park on day 2.

I guess I don't have a specific question, just...IDK...does this sound like a good plan? Can you reassure me that renting a car on two or three different islands makes sense?

Thanks for your help!!!

At Honolulu, I would dop your bags off at the port with your Mom, and take the car back. Then either catch a cab (probably around $20), a city bus (2.50), or see if the rental company has a shuttle.

At Maui, you can park for free at the port.

Renting a car absolutely makes sense, particularly as you have multiple days in those locations.

HI!

 

My mom and I will be cruising POA in February. Everyone is telling us to just rent cars, instead of doing tours. I even talked to an NCL rep - I had a question about Pearl Harbor tours - and even he suggested renting a car!

 

So...OK...I'm a little nervous about renting a car, because I don't want it to be a big hassle, but everyone says it is the best way to go...so...

 

For both Maui and Honolulu, I think we would want to keep the car overnight. We arrive in Honolulu on Friday afternoon - I'm thinking we would pick up the car at the airport when we land, use it Friday night, park it at our hotel ($30), then use it to drive to Pearl Harbor Saturday morning. THEN what? Drive back to the airport, drop it off, and somehow get from the airport rental car desk to the Port, to get onto the ship? Is that what people do?

 

Same sort of thing for Maui. I'm thinking we rent the car morning of day 1, drive to Lahaina, watch some whales, walk around, drive ourselves back to the ship {{park somewhere overnight??}} then the car will be waiting for us the next day - I'd like to see the National Park on day 2.

 

I guess I don't have a specific question, just...IDK...does this sound like a good plan? Can you reassure me that renting a car on two or three different islands makes sense?

 

Thanks for your help!!!

It's going to be a lot easier than you think (or worry).

Here's my experience from this past November. In Honolulu a shuttle takes you right to the Rental Car lots. We rented from Hertz using cruiseshipcar rentals at $26.99 per day. You'll be in your car and on the road within 30 minutes.

Now, drive all over the island and enjoy yourself. When you return it to the Rental Car lot at the airport. Most rental car agencies provide free shuttle to the cruiseship pier. Herzes does, and I've heard others do to. Just call and ask if your rental car company provides that service.

On the islands we used Avis at all stops except Kona. Again very easy process. You walk off the ship and free rental shuttles will take you to the airport car rental lots. When you return the car, they all provide free shuttles back to the ship. On all the islands our avis rental was $26.99 per day ($39.02 with taxes and fees).

I do think you'll better off with rental cars. It's saves you a lot of money over the tours, you come and go when you want. And you'll see a whole lot more.

So have fun and enjoy your trip...I know you will....

Hope this helps?

Here's the company we used for rental cars..

http://www.hawaiicruisecars.com/

HI!

 

My mom and I will be cruising POA in February. Everyone is telling us to just rent cars, instead of doing tours. I even talked to an NCL rep - I had a question about Pearl Harbor tours - and even he suggested renting a car!

 

So...OK...I'm a little nervous about renting a car, because I don't want it to be a big hassle, but everyone says it is the best way to go...so...

 

For both Maui and Honolulu, I think we would want to keep the car overnight. We arrive in Honolulu on Friday afternoon - I'm thinking we would pick up the car at the airport when we land, use it Friday night, park it at our hotel ($30), then use it to drive to Pearl Harbor Saturday morning. THEN what? Drive back to the airport, drop it off, and somehow get from the airport rental car desk to the Port, to get onto the ship? Is that what people do?

 

Same sort of thing for Maui. I'm thinking we rent the car morning of day 1, drive to Lahaina, watch some whales, walk around, drive ourselves back to the ship {{park somewhere overnight??}} then the car will be waiting for us the next day - I'd like to see the National Park on day 2.

 

I guess I don't have a specific question, just...IDK...does this sound like a good plan? Can you reassure me that renting a car on two or three different islands makes sense?

 

Thanks for your help!!!

As to Pearl Harbor. Have you thought about doing the Missouri Battlehsip tour? We really enjoyed that. While Pearl Harbor is free, the Missouri tour is around $20 a person. A bus picks you up right on the Pearl Harbor property and takes you over to Mighty Mo. We spent hours walking on and inside the ship. If you've never been on a battleship its very interesting....

If you have any questions about the Pearl Harbor tour or anything else about the island or cruise feel free to ask...

I was nervous at first too- normally we have drivers wherever we go.

However after doing some reading I decided to go for it in two ports.

We are renting in Hilo and first day in Maui.

I have a GPS app on my iPhone which helps and the cost is less than a cab (we used Thrifty) one thing I thought of that you should check is call your car insurance company that you use at home.

I found out we are covered for any accident or theft by our regular policy, the agent just told me to bring my policy number with me and her phone number and email. Not that I intend on having to use it but its good to know I don't have to purchase additional coverage. We are paying with all taxes about $40 per day- used the link already mentioned.

The GPS app is called GPS Nav 2 if you want to get it. The cost was only like .99 but I also got the world maps to download so when we are in Europe I don't have to be online using data- that was $9.99 more.

My husband and I are cruising on the POA in April, 2012. Even though people say rental cars are the way to go, we are booking a variety of tours (one NCL, one private, and others with Robers). We are from a small town and do not like traffic (I realize that Oahu is the only island that would have a lot of traffic.)

:) Whether to drive or not is certainly a personal preference....we would not enjoy the trip as much if we had to worry about driving. No matter what you do, it will be a wonderful cruise!

Aloha! My Mom and I were on the POA in early December. We rented a car in Maui and Kauai.

Traffic in Honolulu and Waikiki is awful, I wouldn't even attempt it - there are plenty of shuttles you can arrange ahead of time to get you to and from your hotel, the port, Pearl Harbor. Taxis in Honolulu aren't too swift and like to run up the fares.

Driving in Maui is very easy. There is free parking right at the port and if you get back early enough you can park next to the ship overnight. I loved that. Cars are pricey in Kona so we did a tour which worked out well since it can be a lot of driving. We also took a tour to VNP in Hilo, but probably could have driven it just fine. Kauai is easy to get around on too. We returned the car the first evening since we didn't need it the next day and didn't want to pay the overnight parking fee at the little shopping mall.

Have a wonderful trip.

I was nervous too but me and my mom rented cars in all the ports except Honolulu. It's the USA so it is easy to drive there. Just be careful on giving yourself enough time when returning the rentals. We encountered many traffic jams and we were biting our nails a few times.

As a previous poster said Maui has free parking at the port. Just don't arrive back too late as the parking can fill up.

Have fun!!!

Just got back last week from POA and we rented cars in all the ports and it was pretty pain free as shuttles meet you at the pier. We arrived the Friday prior to our cruise as well in Honolulu and we rented a car at the airport through Thrifty and when we were ready to board on Saturday, we just returned the car and they shuttled us to the pier.

It's going to be a lot easier than you think (or worry).

 

Here's my experience from this past November. In Honolulu a shuttle takes you right to the Rental Car lots. We rented from Hertz using cruiseshipcar rentals at $26.99 per day. You'll be in your car and on the road within 30 minutes.

 

Now, drive all over the island and enjoy yourself. When you return it to the Rental Car lot at the airport. Most rental car agencies provide free shuttle to the cruiseship pier. Herzes does, and I've heard others do to. Just call and ask if your rental car company provides that service.

 

On the islands we used Avis at all stops except Kona. Again very easy process. You walk off the ship and free rental shuttles will take you to the airport car rental lots. When you return the car, they all provide free shuttles back to the ship. On all the islands our avis rental was $26.99 per day ($39.02 with taxes and fees).

 

I do think you'll better off with rental cars. It's saves you a lot of money over the tours, you come and go when you want. And you'll see a whole lot more.

 

So have fun and enjoy your trip...I know you will....

 

Hope this helps?

 

Here's the company we used for rental cars..

 

http://www.hawaiicruisecars.com/

Great information, but I have another question: Everyone keeps mentioning Thrifty having shuttles at the ports, but never Avis. Avis is our preference and wondered if we rented one on Maui, if you are saying a shuttle would be there to take us to the Avis office? Thanks for your help.

B. Cole

We rented cars for Maui, Hilo, and Kauai through Thrifty. Join their Blue Chip Express program and you go to the front of the line for the rentals. You pre-load all your info and you don't have to fill out new paperwork each time. It has been covered on these boards before, and if you search the threads you will find extensive info on the process. We never waited long, and found all their shuttles to be fast and efficient. We loved exploring on our own time and found the island driving to be fairly easy although if you want to do the Road to Hana and are not used to curves and hills you may want to book an excursion. Good luck making the decision. Enjoy! There is so much to see and do and I would go back tomorrow if I could.

Great information, but I have another question: Everyone keeps mentioning Thrifty having shuttles at the ports, but never Avis. Avis is our preference and wondered if we rented one on Maui, if you are saying a shuttle would be there to take us to the Avis office? Thanks for your help.

We used Thrifty so I only paid attention to their shuttles but as far as I recall there were shuttles for all the major car rental companies in ports - it was not just Thrifty.

Great information, but I have another question: Everyone keeps mentioning Thrifty having shuttles at the ports, but never Avis. Avis is our preference and wondered if we rented one on Maui, if you are saying a shuttle would be there to take us to the Avis office? Thanks for your help.

B. Cole

Yes, Avis has a shuttle at the Pier in all ports(not sure about kona). If I recall they partnered with Budget on the shuttle. We rented Avis cars on Maui, Hilo, and Kauai. Thrifty did not have a location at the pier, they to had a shuttle to the airport like the other companies.

Another nice thing about Avis, they do not charge a credit card deposit on their rentals. Only the cost of the rental. Some companies charge up to $250 to $300 per rental.

can anyone help me out? If we rent a car late, 10pm, where can we leave it overnight when we r on ship> Want to go to Pearl Harbor early the next am. And, is there a cost to park near PH? thanks alot

sorry deleted posted

Resurrecting a very old thread here, but same topic. We will be on POA this September and, with three of us, the cost of the excursions can quickly add up. I have tentatively reserved Avis cars in each location AND have the following questions for those who've already experienced this:

1 - on islands where there is more than one Avis site, how can I be sure I've booked the one closest to the ship?

2 - on all overnight stops, I've reserved the car for two days. Is this a good idea?

3 - anything I should know that you learned along the way?

4 - in hindsight, would you DIY or book the excursions?

Hi!

The funniest advice I kept hearing, which I'm now going to pass along to you, was, "It's just like driving in the US." Funny because - um, yeah, you *are* in the US! But really, we rented cars on maybe 3-4 islands, and had NO problems. Zero. OK, once, I remember waiting in line for a little bit - but we were waiting in line in paradise, so it was all good.

Can't help you with the Avis question, except to say, these folks are good at their jobs, and if you rented from the "wrong" location, they will help you out. Also, most islands probably don't have more than one location, so I think the odds are with you.

On Maui, we rented for two days, and just left the car overnight in a lot near the ship. It was free, convenient, and again - no problem. I asked the guy where to park, and he gave me instructions. No problem. You aren't the first person to need a spot overnight.

Seriously - we had SO much fun driving ourselves around. I was nervous before we left, because I like to have all of my ducks in a row, and all of the details are taken care of. You're just going to have to trust me - renting cars was easy and fun. We only did maybe two ship excursions (A luau one night, and a bus trip to the falls) -- they were fun, and I'm glad we did them, but the car was more fun.

When I think back to some of my favorite moments - actually, if you asked me to list 10 of my favorite moments from our POA cruise - they would all be as a result of having the car. We were able to explore and find things we wouldn't have found otherwise. For example: would you believe, the damn volcano was mostly closed for road work the day we were there! But, on the way, we stopped at the coolest little coffee shop (they **grew** their own coffee!) and on the way back, we stopped at a botanical garden which was absolutely fantastic!!! OK, yeah, if we'd done the Volcano bus tour, we would have seen more of the Volcano -- and more of the inside of a bus. Having a car, we really saw so much more. Oh - that garden was fabulous...

ONE TIP: we totally got ripped off with the gas fee in Honolulu. We arrived one day early, rented a car, and drove to Pearl Harbor. Had a wonderful time!!! But, when we went to return the car, we were charged for the FULL TANK OF GAS. We had only used maybe 1/8th of a tank. It was almost $100!!! Now, clearly, this was my fault - I wasn't really paying attention when I picked the car up, and I selected an "option" that said something like, "It's cool - you don't need to fill the tank before you return the car." -- which sounded convenient at the time, but I really paid for that convenience! Because it was my first day, and first of four rental cars, I didn't make that mistake again.

So. Don't be afraid to rent a car. You'll have a great time!!!

Ike another poster said, check with your car insurance agent before you go. Rental companies now will charge for "lost usage" which could be substantial. Most often you have Comprehensive and Collision coverage so don't need to duplicate that when you rent. The lost usage is if there is damage that keeps the. From renting the car for a period of time. While one day would not be bad, more than that not so good.

Good point also about filling the car yourself before returning. With phones/iPads etc now, not to mention GPS, you ca. Find a station pretty easily.

Have a great time. We did last July.

We just came off the POA, and rented cars in every port except Honolulu (where we did not stay long enough to justify renting a car).

I'll have a complete report posted on renting cars on this cruise tomorrow or the next day..please check back for that on this board.

However, the quick answer is that it's easy and straightforward to rent a car in all the ports the POA visits. It's also easy to keep the car overnight in both the 2 day port stops, although the overnight parking location on Kaua'i isn't the best or the closest.

More to follow when I can grab a chance to write it up.

While we are on the subject, has anyone rented from Fox Car Rental in the Cove shopping mall which is within walking distance of the ship in Kauai, rather than take a shuttle and rent from the airport?

We will be doing a helicopter tour the am of our first day, and will be needing a rental for the rest of the day. We did not plan on renting for the second day. Not sure how late we could return the car to that location however.

Is there a cut off time for shuttling back from the airport?

While we are on the subject, has anyone rented from Fox Car Rental in the Cove shopping mall which is within walking distance of the ship in Kauai, rather than take a shuttle and rent from the airport?

 

We will be doing a helicopter tour the am of our first day, and will be needing a rental for the rest of the day. We did not plan on renting for the second day. Not sure how late we could return the car to that location however.

 

Is there a cut off time for shuttling back from the airport?

The Lihue airport Hertz operation is open until 10:30 each night. They don't run a scheduled shuttle service to the pier, they just take you when you show up and ask, and I imagine that would still be the case even late at night. However, if they refused, you could go to the airport terminal and get a taxi to the pier.

I imagine the other major companies run about the same hours, as it's usually based on airport operations hours.

As for the Fox operation, I can only say that while they're probably fine, I'd be very careful when you check out to make sure any prior damage to your car is documented before you leave the lot. Also check your contract very carefully...a cheap come-on rental rate can be subject to lots of add-ons. Just sayin'.

We rented cars in every port except Kona. Our first port (Maui) was a little confusing with the waiting areas for shuttles....but rental car shuttles were all the way at the end. Make sure you are in the correct line. All the major rental agencies had shuttles there. We just picked the airport location for each port. It was very easy. We kept the car overnight in Maui and there are 2 lots to park in overnight (both free), but the one offsite was a little tricky to find. We didn't keep the car overnight in Kauai because we had to be aboard early on 2nd day and we really had no plans for 2nd day but overnight parking is available at the shopping mall just up the street from the ship. Renting a car was definitely the cheapest way to see the islands and we liked being able to stop at Kmart or Walmart to buy drinks and snacks on the way. We filled up at Costco on way back to airport in Maui to return car (saved about 30¢ gallon).

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While we are on the subject, has anyone rented from Fox Car Rental in the Cove shopping mall which is within walking distance of the ship in Kauai, rather than take a shuttle and rent from the airport?

 

 

 

We will be doing a helicopter tour the am of our first day, and will be needing a rental for the rest of the day. We did not plan on renting for the second day. Not sure how late we could return the car to that location however.

 

 

 

Is there a cut off time for shuttling back from the airport?

I'm not sure about a cut off time per se, but I have read it is best to have the rentals back about 2 hours prior to when you need to be back on board. Everyone returning cars and shuttling back at the same time may create a back log at the return area.

We started out with rentals in all four ports, but decided to take organized tours on Oahu (private) and Kauai (CL). We are still renting in Hawaii/Hilo where we have a 12 hour stop and in Maui for an overnight stop. Kona is still up in the air. GL with your plans.

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.....We didn't keep the car overnight in Kauai because we had to be aboard early on 2nd day and we really had no plans for 2nd day but overnight parking is available at the shopping mall just up the street from the ship......

Just a note that the parking lot at the Anchor mall referred to above is not free. They want to charge you $20 for overnight parking.

However, when I brought our car to the lot at around 10:00 pm, there didn't appear to be anyone around to collect. I left the car, figuring someone would hit me up for the fee when I returned to the car in the morning, but no one did.

Space is limited in this lot, too. When we got there at 10:00 pm, we snagged what was probably one of the last 2 or 3 spaces open.

We rented a car on Maui, and it was wonderful. Easy to drive, and see the island. I posted pictures on my family blog.

http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com/2012/09/maui-wowi.html

Enjoy your trip!