Advice for full vs partial days in Oahu

Hi all. we're celebrating our tenth anniversary with a Hawaii cruise on POA. we're flying in Thursday at 6pm, ship Sat-Sat, and out at 7:30pm Sat. so we have all day Friday, part of Saturday before embark, and part of the next Saturday before flight. we are not planning to rent a car.

Pearl Harbor & the related museums, Punchbowl, etc. are at the top of our list. our trip is in May and we've missed the window on free tickets online, so to avoid having to be there at 7am, I think our best bet is to book a tour (with Roberts or with NCL, I think)

Iolani Palace and the State Capitol are next.

Polynesian Cultural Center is another strong interest.

we're also considering Dole Plantation, Diamond Head, Chinatown.

if you've seen these sights before, how would you break down what you'd do with your full day Friday vs the Sat before embark and the Sat before flight? we're finding really varied answers regarding how long people spend enjoying different sights.

other must-do suggestions welcome, as long as we fit in our top 3, we're open-minded!

The one thing I can tell you from doing a lot planning for our trip in August for our 20th anniversary is times these places are open and the location of the places you want to go. We are coming in on a Thursday afternoon and renting a car so we have the freedom of going when we want to go. If you book a tour go with Roberts much cheaper.

The circle the island tour includes some of your top interest. Make sure you go to pearl harbor to its a must see. FYI most things close at 5:00pm and remember we have to be on the ship before the muster that's at 4:45pm . Hope this helps

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update: so after more research, we think we're going to book PCC with Island Circle for Friday. With the State Capitol not open on weekends, we're thinking of doing a hike the Sat before we embark and saving Pearl Harbor things for the final thing we do after getting off the ship. But now we're faced with the issue of what to do with our luggage! Renting a car only solves part of the problem, as we won't have early tickets without booking a tour with a company (less than 60 days so stuff is sold out online). new ideas?

Hi all. we're celebrating our tenth anniversary with a Hawaii cruise on POA. we're flying in Thursday at 6pm, ship Sat-Sat, and out at 7:30pm Sat. so we have all day Friday, part of Saturday before embark, and part of the next Saturday before flight. we are not planning to rent a car.

 

Pearl Harbor & the related museums, Punchbowl, etc. are at the top of our list. our trip is in May and we've missed the window on free tickets online, so to avoid having to be there at 7am, I think our best bet is to book a tour (with Roberts or with NCL, I think)

Iolani Palace and the State Capitol are next.

Polynesian Cultural Center is another strong interest.

 

we're also considering Dole Plantation, Diamond Head, Chinatown.

 

if you've seen these sights before, how would you break down what you'd do with your full day Friday vs the Sat before embark and the Sat before flight? we're finding really varied answers regarding how long people spend enjoying different sights.

 

other must-do suggestions welcome, as long as we fit in our top 3, we're open-minded!

This is my opinion only, but there are two things you should cross off your list, Dole Pineapple Plantation and Polynesian Cultural Center. Dole is simply a store sitting along the highway selling nuts and trinkets, nothing Plantation-like about it. I do not have a a high opinion of the PCC. Make sure you read the reviews.

I'd book Pearl Harbor with Roberts for the am of the cruise. Ours included the Punchbowl and a city tour on the way back to our hotel. The hotel held our luggage and we took a taxi to the ship arriving early afternoon. Or you could do an NCL tour the day the cruise ends, either to Pearl Harbor or a Circle Island. Your luggage goes with you, and they will drop you at the airport.

O'ahu is as beautiful as any of the other islands, it would be a shame to only see Waikiki. On Friday, you could book a tour which follows the beautiful coastline east of Waikiki and then turns north along the Windward coast between the sea and the Koolau Mountains. Or do the full circle up to the North Shore, but minus the PCC.

Kualoa Ranch is just north of the PCC and has areas used in many movies like Jurassic Park. They have many tours available including 4x4, horseback and vehicle which gets you up into these areas. Their tours can include pickup in Waikiki.

This is my opinion only, but there are two things you should cross off your list, Dole Pineapple Plantation and Polynesian Cultural Center. Dole is simply a store sitting along the highway selling nuts and trinkets, nothing Plantation-like about it. I do not have a a high opinion of the PCC. Make sure you read the reviews.

 

 

 

I'd book Pearl Harbor with Roberts for the am of the cruise. Ours included the Punchbowl and a city tour on the way back to our hotel. The hotel held our luggage and we took a taxi to the ship arriving early afternoon. Or you could do an NCL tour the day the cruise ends, either to Pearl Harbor or a Circle Island. Your luggage goes with you, and they will drop you at the airport.

 

 

 

O'ahu is as beautiful as any of the other islands, it would be a shame to only see Waikiki. On Friday, you could book a tour which follows the beautiful coastline east of Waikiki and then turns north along the Windward coast between the sea and the Koolau Mountains. Or do the full circle up to the North Shore, but minus the PCC.

 

 

 

Kualoa Ranch is just north of the PCC and has areas used in many movies like Jurassic Park. They have many tours available including 4x4, horseback and vehicle which gets you up into these areas. Their tours can include pickup in Waikiki.

I tried asking Roberts if they will do the tour on the day we get back from the cruise but so far no answer. We have transfers included with the pre cruise stay, but the ncl tour won't be dropping us off at our hotel post tour

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I tried asking Roberts if they will do the tour on the day we get back from the cruise but so far no answer. We have transfers included with the pre cruise stay, but the ncl tour won't be dropping us off at our hotel post tour

 

 

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Hi

I had been looking into the same thing, what to do on the Sat we get back from the cruise, I decided to rent a car in the morning, drop my luggage off at the airport, and do the Island Circle tour. Before I decided I did see that Roberts has 3 tours you can do when you get back from the cruise - go to their website they are listed, or I was thinking of doing the tour from NCL. There are also some companies you can pay by the hour to take you around but it was more expensive and I would have gotten to the airport way too early.

Renting a car seems the way to go, you can reserve a car now (you don't have to pay until you get the car) and then always decide later on what you want to do.

I tried asking Roberts if they will do the tour on the day we get back from the cruise but so far no answer. We have transfers included with the pre cruise stay, but the ncl tour won't be dropping us off at our hotel post tour

 

 

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Not sure what you are saying here re the NCL tour, "but the NCL tour won't be dropping us off at our hotel post tour". Surely they are not returning you to the ship. I'm pretty certain the debarkation day tours provide drop off at hotel or airport. No reason to return to the ship as your luggage goes with you on the tour.

Not sure what you are saying here re the NCL tour, "but the NCL tour won't be dropping us off at our hotel post tour". Surely they are not returning you to the ship. I'm pretty certain the debarkation day tours provide drop off at hotel or airport. No reason to return to the ship as your luggage goes with you on the tour.

Hi punkincc. To clarify, the post cruise tour to Pearl Harbor by nCL mentions airport drop off or hotel (but the only hotels they will drop off at is at the marriott Waikiki or the Hilton Hawaiian village). We already have reservations at the outrigger reef hotel. Roberts still hasn't gotten back to me if their post cruise tour will drop at airport only or variety of hotels

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Hi punkincc. To clarify, the post cruise tour to Pearl Harbor by nCL mentions airport drop off or hotel (but the only hotels they will drop off at is at the marriott Waikiki or the Hilton Hawaiian village). We already have reservations at the outrigger reef hotel. Roberts still hasn't gotten back to me if their post cruise tour will drop at airport only or variety of hotels

 

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Ah, OK. The drop off location may not be a deal breaker. Your hotel is practically next door to the HHV for instance. Where the tour drops off you will be in close proximity to taxi after taxi lined up for fares. The fare all the way out to the airport is @ $25, so it should only be a few dollars to a nearby hotel. Just pick the drop off location which is nearest your hotel and take a quick taxi from there.