Car Rental or ship excursion?

Just came back from a Princess cruise to Hawaii. We rented cars through Dollar in both Kauai and Oahu. No problem with Kauai but the Waikiki location in Oahu was not the best. Because I had read on here about issues I signed up for their loyalty program so I could get in the shorter line. I reserved my car through Discount Hawaii car rentals so got a good price. I did this many months in advance. At that time I was told that the last shuttle back to the pier was 7 pm and they closed at 8 pm (our ship left at 11 pm). When we got to their Waikiki location we were told they changed things recently and only had shuttles at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm. Not pleased. Apparently they used to have them every hour. Now if you just missed a shuttle you have a 2 hour wait!!! They are not an inside location so you have to wait outside and only one small bench. We ended up waiting for about an hour for the last shuttle.

Just thought people should be aware so they could plan accordingly.

In Kauai they are close to the pier (not walking distance) and will bring you back when you get there or shortly thereafter. They were nice to work with although our car ran rough. Probably transmission issue.

Now if you just missed a shuttle you have a 2 hour wait!!!

Would a taxi have been an option ... I think it's just 3 miles or so?

Curious if you would share your day on Oahu...we are renting a car also and trying to get an idea of the traffic...we plan on going to Diamond Head first thing in the morning to climb to the summit and then circle island tour on our own....

Thanks for any input.

Taxi wouldn't have been good for us. There is lots of traffic. I don't know the mileage but I would have felt bad that I had to pay for a taxi and tip when I wasn't expecting it. You can kill some time if necessary at Ala Moana Center which is very nearby and then drive over to Dollar. there is a gas station right across the street. Oh… they didn't give us a car with a full tank of gas. It was just above a quarter. We were to bring it back that way. Hard to judge when filling up. We brought it back with a bit more. I wouldn't rent from them again if I had to do it over.

Their shuttles to the Princess pier are at 8:30 and 10:30. We were on the 8"30 shuttle although it left late. We were on the road I think by about 9:45. We brought our GPS because we wanted to go to Costco first. Bought some macadamia nuts. Then we started to drive around the island up to the north shore. It is a nice ride. We stopped at a Subway around Kanehoe for lunch and continued our trip up. We were on the highway that cuts through the island to go back to Waikiki. It was around 3:45. Bad traffic heading out of town. We figured we wouldn't make it back for the 4 pm shuttle so we went to Hilo Hattie's flagship store and a very short time at Ala Moana Center (didn't realize it was as close to Dollar as it was. We would have stayed longer there).

We will be on the Veendam in April, overnighting in Oahu. We have a car reserved through

Dollar but based on your review, I would like to switch to another rental company. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks.

We will be on the Veendam in April, overnighting in Oahu. We have a car reserved through

Dollar but based on your review, I would like to switch to another rental company. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks.

sorry, but I don't have any suggestions as not familiar with area nor where your ship will berth.

We rented from Dollar last November when on Oahu. It was absolutely horrible!!! The cars were in such poor shape, damaged or dirty that it was the third car before we said o.k. The agent said "Well, they're rental cars so they aren't taken care of." Really? I am used to rental cars being in great shape and well maintained. We have rented from Dollar before but never again in Honolulu. Cherie

We will be on the Veendam in April, overnighting in Oahu. We have a car reserved through

Dollar but based on your review, I would like to switch to another rental company. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks.

Have you checked the various rates on Discount Hawaii Car Rental.com? It might give you an idea of other options for your dates. Cherie

We used Thrifty on Oahu and were very satisfied. We rented pre and post cruise. They just told us to call when the ship arrived and they would send a van to pick us up. This was a few years ago, so I don't know if the policy ahs changed. Same for when we returned the car, no set time for the shuttle, they had some one ready to take us to the ship when we returned the car.

Cheers

Len

If it were convenient, I think I'd take TheBus back instead of waiting so long.

I rented from Enterprise in Honolulu, and I could walk to the rental office from where my ship was docked (about 10 minutes). The car was in good shape and clean, and the staff were pleasant and helpful. I didn't drive much in Honolulu itself - took it across the island to the windward coast, then around the island up to the North Shore and back down to Honolulu at the end of my day, returning the car about 4:30 for our 6pm departure from the port.

After trying all the car rental companies over the years we now only rent with the green guys National, they are fantastic. Not always the cheapest but you get what you pay for,with the other guys.

Many of the locations we were 1s off the lot compared to others who arrived at the car rental desks the same time as us. New cars, very quick service picking up the cars and dropping them off.

We rented on all the islands, except Kona, and had great experiences with National in Hawaii.

Was there a National Car Rental at all the ports - Hilo, Lahaina Maui, and Nawiliwili Kauai?

After trying all the car rental companies over the years we now only rent with the green guys National, they are fantastic. Not always the cheapest but you get what you pay for,with the other guys.

Many of the locations we were 1s off the lot compared to others who arrived at the car rental desks the same time as us. New cars, very quick service picking up the cars and dropping them off.

We rented on all the islands, except Kona, and had great experiences with National in Hawaii.

Was there a National Car Rental at all the ports - Hilo, Lahaina Maui, and Nawiliwili Kauai?

In Hilo there was. It's bundled with Alamo. Quick little drive there.

In Kalahui Maui there's one across the street at 40 Hana Hwy from the POA dock.

Kauai I booked with Avis, but it seemed like everybody and their brother had a shuttle somewhere, so National was probably there too.

-jarrod