Hawaii cruise on the Carnival Miracle

A group of six ladies (ages 65 - 85) will be going on the Hawaii cruise on the Carnival Miracle in October. Can anyone give me suggestions as to what would be the best things to do since we have limited time in the ports. Would like to make the most of the time. Will be renting a mini van in Maui and Oahu and think we will be fine in those two ports, but uncertain about the other three. Any info will be much appreciated.

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

First, as we know nothing of your interests, budget, limitations, or anything else, very hard to give you any recommendations.

Second, each port you are stopping at (we don't know which ones) is covered very extensively on this board. So, some research will give you lots of info.

So, I would suggest making a list of the ports, and get some info from the Carnival board as to what excursions are offered. Circulate this to your group, and see what interests them. Then see what you can do on your own, what you can do thru private venders, and what you might need to do thru Carnival.

Then, some specific questions will help us help you.

Thanks CruiserBruce. Appreciate you taking the time to answer. I am new to the cruise critic board so your guidance is much needed. Will do a little more research and follow your guidelines. Thanks again.

A group of six ladies (ages 65 - 85) will be going on the Hawaii cruise on the Carnival Miracle in October. Can anyone give me suggestions as to what would be the best things to do since we have limited time in the ports. Would like to make the most of the time. Will be renting a mini van in Maui and Oahu and think we will be fine in those two ports, but uncertain about the other three. Any info will be much appreciated.

We are going on the same cruise as you. Have you been on the roll call. there are two for our cruise 1 here. We have stuff you can look at there.:)

I agree with Bruce - going through the list of excursions offered by Carnival is a good start to see what you can do in a day at each port, and also what might appeal to the ladies in your group - but I would read through them on Carnival's website. Here's the link to Carnival's shore excursions.

If you need more help, let us know how much time you have in port, and what ports you'll be at (e.g. on Maui, there's Lahaina and Kahului, on the Island of Hawaii, there's Hilo and Kailua Kona.)

p.s. This is the link to the roll call that Scott D mentions.

We are going on the same cruise as you. Have you been on the roll call. there are two for our cruise 1 here. We have stuff you can look at there.:)

Thanks Scott. I am new to all this posting but will see if I can figure out how to post on the roll call. Beth

I agree with Bruce - going through the list of excursions offered by Carnival is a good start to see what you can do in a day at each port, and also what might appeal to the ladies in your group - but I would read through them on Carnival's website. Here's the link to Carnival's shore excursions.

 

If you need more help, let us know how much time you have in port, and what ports you'll be at (e.g. on Maui, there's Lahaina and Kahului, on the Island of Hawaii, there's Hilo and Kailua Kona.)

 

p.s. This is the link to the roll call that Scott D mentions.

Susan, I have looked at cruise excursion site. I guess my main problem is that there is six of us and most do not like the idea of excursions (time constraints or cost) so was trying to figure out the best things to do so as not to miss the "must see/do" things.

We will be in Maui (Kahului) from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00p.m.

Kona from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Honolulu from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Kauai (Nawiliwili) 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Hilo 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Any info I can get from someone who has done this cruise or any cruise to Hawaii and has any tips for us will be much appreciated. Thanks Susan

Susan, I have looked at cruise excursion site. I guess my main problem is that there is six of us and most do not like the idea of excursions (time constraints or cost) so was trying to figure out the best things to do so as not to miss the "must see/do" things.

OK, sorry, I wasn't clear about the reason for looking at the excursions on Carnival's website ... per Bruce's suggestion, it's a good place to get ideas for what the highlights are on each island ... most are easily done on your own, although you would want to do some research - i.e. the Road to Hana and driving up to the summit of Haleakala might be poor choices for your group as do-it-yourself excursions.

I'll post some thoughts later re your ports ... off to the kitchen now to make dinner.:)

p.s. It sounds like you'll be the driver ... are you fairly comfortable driving on unfamiliar roads ... what about in a busy city like Honolulu? Will you want to return the vehicle before dark (some of your ports have late departure times, but sunset is quite early in Hawaii.)

Yes, I will be the driver. I am usually ok driving unfamiliar roads but would not venture out on the Road to Hana. May go as far as Twin Falls and then around to Lahaina. I do need to research that a little bit more. Honolulu's traffic does not worry me (I lived in Houston all my life until I retired) but I am concerned about parking. Also, about returning the vehicle. More research.

If you're going to rent vans on Maui and Oahu, then I would do the same on Kauai and the Island of Hawaii, unless you need a break in between driving days.

On Maui, your plan will work, but for less driving and equally as (or more) scenic, I would go to Iao Valley instead of Twin Falls, and then to Lahaina. You could drive a bit further north past Lahaina to Kaanapali or even up to Kapalua, per this route, and returning the same way. Going to Twin Falls will give you a chance to see the first part of the Road to Hana, but you would have to hike in to see the falls.

You could take in a Luau in Lahaina ... the Old Lahaina Luau and the Feast at Lele are the best in all of Hawaii - both are in Lahaina, but you would need reservations. They end around 9 p.m. and it's about a 45-50 minute drive back to Kahului, and with having to return the rental vehicle, that might be cutting it a bit close for comfort for you.

In Kailua Kona, you could head either south to Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park and afterwards visit a coffee plantation (Greenwell's is very good ... you can just drop in to participate in a tour ... they run throughout the day.) Or, a very scenic drive would be to head north to Hawi and come back down the Kohala Mountain Road, per this route, starting and ending at "D".

From Hilo, Volcanoes National Park is a highlight.

On Kauai, I would consider going to the Waimea Canyon (the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific") - stunning scenery!

There are lots more choices of things to do/see, but these are a few of my favourite places on each island.

Good luck with your plans and your trip!:)

If you're going to rent vans on Maui and Oahu, then I would do the same on Kauai and the Island of Hawaii, unless you need a break in between driving days.

 

On Maui, your plan will work, but for less driving and equally as (or more) scenic, I would go to Iao Valley instead of Twin Falls, and then to Lahaina. You could drive a bit further north past Lahaina to Kaanapali or even up to Kapalua, per this route, and returning the same way. Going to Twin Falls will give you a chance to see the first part of the Road to Hana, but you would have to hike in to see the falls.

 

You could take in a Luau in Lahaina ... the Old Lahaina Luau and the Feast at Lele are the best in all of Hawaii - both are in Lahaina, but you would need reservations. They end around 9 p.m. and it's about a 45-50 minute drive back to Kahului, and with having to return the rental vehicle, that might be cutting it a bit close for comfort for you.

 

In Kailua Kona, you could head either south to Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park and afterwards visit a coffee plantation (Greenwell's is very good ... you can just drop in to participate in a tour ... they run throughout the day.) Or, a very scenic drive would be to head north to Hawi and come back down the Kohala Mountain Road, per this route, starting and ending at "D".

 

From Hilo, Volcanoes National Park is a highlight.

 

On Kauai, I would consider going to the Waimea Canyon (the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific") - stunning scenery!

 

There are lots more choices of things to do/see, but these are a few of my favourite places on each island.

 

Good luck with your plans and your trip!:)

Thanks Susan, that is awesome info. I did not know we would have to hike in to the Falls. One lady would be unable to do that. The route you have suggested sounds much better although I would be very uneasy regarding the luau. Two of us have done a luau in Oahu and think we may do that again. Still need more discussion on that. We will all get together in a couple of weeks to finalize things. I have just one more question. We will be there the week of Oct. 23-27. About what time do you think it actually dark. I do not want to be out on unfamiliar roads after dark. Thanks again. So glad I found this site and YOU.

I agree with Bruce - going through the list of excursions offered by Carnival is a good start to see what you can do in a day at each port, and also what might appeal to the ladies in your group - but I would read through them on Carnival's website. Here's the link to Carnival's shore excursions.

 

If you need more help, let us know how much time you have in port, and what ports you'll be at (e.g. on Maui, there's Lahaina and Kahului, on the Island of Hawaii, there's Hilo and Kailua Kona.)

 

p.s. This is the link to the roll call that Scott D mentions.

Hey Susan. I went to the roll call link you provided but was uncertain as to how I should note that I would be on the cruise of 10/18/14. The only button I saw was one that said "post reply" and since I was not really replying to anything I did not think that was what I was to do. Sorry to infringe on you again but could you explain to me what I need to do. Once again I appreciate you. Beth

You're welcome...and you're not infringing ... ask any questions that you'd like & we'll try to help.:)

Sunset will be at 6 or a few minutes before and twilight is quite short...so it will probably be dark around 6:30.

Re the Roll Call ... yes, you hit "post reply" to post there, but before you do, if you have time, scroll through the posts to see if any relevant info jumps out at you ... people often share ideas & plans for ports. You'll want to have a cup of tea and an hour or so to do that as it's a lengthy thread, although a quick scan of the first few pages doesn't reveal anything too in depth in the way of info ... mostly people introducing themselves. If you don't have the time or inclination to read through those 19 pages, just do a quick introduction - something along the lines of "Hi, my name is (first name only) and I will be doing this cruise with my friends (first names only)." You can add any questions to that post as well.

You real need to get to the roll call, there is at lest 100 people there, that are on the cruise. and can answer your question. And we have a another call roll going;), that we can help you find.with a meet & greet, slot pull, mini golf. And a few other things we are working on.:)

You real need to get to the roll call, there is at lest 100 people there, that are on the cruise. and can answer your question. And we have a another call roll going;), that we can help you find.with a meet & greet, slot pull, mini golf. And a few other things we are working on.:)

Scott - the roll call that I linked has about 40 people posting, with 8 of those posting the bulk of the posts. For the most part, the thread seems light on information about specifics on sightseeing...perhaps many of those posting are first time visitors to Hawaii? You mention another thread ... maybe it has more info that will be helpful to the OP, but the :rolleyes: makes me wonder.

I think it's worth participating in the Roll Call thread (or just reading it if you don't want to post there) because there's always some useful info to be gained, and it's fun to meet others who will be on the cruise with you. Also, if you have an interest in sharing small group tours with others, that's the place to do it. But for doing research for exploring in ports, the Ports of Call forums and Tripadvisor forums contain much more information.

5 Year Anniversary to Hawaii - October 18th, 2014 (

This is our roll call. join to read and learn anyway. 37 now confirmed for the meet and greet planned.

We are using Roberts Tours as it was very affordable. I do not want to be the driver. You miss a lot having to drive. These tours are on a big bus is the drawback. That is why is is cheaper.

In both Hilo and Kona we took Marylous Tours. We had Ken as our driver and he was fantastic. He takes you anywhere you want to go, but we wanted to see the highlights of each area. He can take 6 passengers so you could have your own personal tour. Prices were reasonable too.

My last three cruises were the Hawaiian RTs on Princess from LA and I was the official researcher for our family. My hubby and I were there twice on land trips (the first time were separate as we hadn't met yet:), but the second time was our honeymoon). But it was our daughter's first times.

Anyway, I re-read some guide books that I knew had good info, as well as going to the library and getting more recent guide books (and bought some new ones). So plenty of info there. Plus I did look on the Princess website to see what excursions they offered. These will often give a detailed description of places they stop at, if a tour. To top it off, I would google each port and see what sites I come up with. For that first one (2005/06), I found some brochures that were sent to me. A great help there. And many tourism sites can be found for Hawaii.

One rule was that hubby didn't want to do any driving (we did drive all over Kauai on our honeymoon) so renting a car was out on all three cruises. When we decided to go on the second one (we had a five year period of no vacations because of a lot of things going on in hubby's life, including his mother's terminal illness), he decided we won't plan any excursions for that one. I passed the brochures (which I kept from the previous cruise) to our then 13-year-old with some post-it notes and told her to select some sites to see. Then I researched those and found one or two of them would be closed on our port day. Then I selected something I wanted to do (never had been to the Ala Moana mall) and hubby came up with a place he wanted to see, and we had our port days covered.

The last time, we did a mix of excursions and winging it. I even found one place that would be open on Christmas Day. And we went on our favorite tour ever (at least my favorite) in Kauai.

So I think it's best if your group pool together your desires and places you've heard of, and decide as a group.

Thanks to all of you for your input. Info is great. Will meeting in a couple of weeks with all ladies and will put all to use. THANKS;)