Car Rental in Lahaina, Maui

[sandman82]

I have reserved a Thrifty car rental in Lahaina, but they do not provide pier pick up. I have to pick the car up at Kapalua airport. What is the best transportation (and reasonably priced) to the airport from Lahaina? Are there any rental companies that provide pick up at the pier? I tried National and Budget without any luck.

[Bucky3]

We rented through Enterprise at the Sheraton when we were there in fall of 2005. They provided pick-up at the pier and shuttle back to the ship. We have them reserved for December this year. Hope all goes well as it did last year.

[bobsydney]

All rental companies are based on the highway at Kanapali near the airport. From memory, all had shuttles to/from the pier. From memory we used Dollar and the shuttle was there waiting when we disembarked.

Only issue is that the last return shuttle goes at 4pm (even though our ship was in Lahaina to 9pm) so was necessary to get a $20 cab ride back to Lahaina. Not sure whether this applies to other companies.

Bob

[ACruise4us]

I booked all rental cars through Thrifty except Maui in lahaina I went with Dollar since they are located there I was told by Thrifty that Dollar is their sister company. Like someone else said the last shuttle back is 4:00. Also found that the midsize car there is $74.47 which is about $20.00 more than Thrifty at all the other ports I reserved a car at.

[Allis154]

I am looking at renting a car for two days while we are in Lahaina. Is there parking at the pier? What is the cost and is it safe to park there?

[obriendan]

We just returned from the Zaandam Circle Hawaii Cruise, Oct. 7-22, 2006. We rented cars in Hilo, Honolulu, Kona, and Lahaina. The rental in Kona was called due to earthquake.We had made an advance reservation with Dollar for Lahaina. They claim to have a pier shuttle. Upon arrival at the pier, we called for a pickup. When noone from Dollar showed up after 30 minutes, we called again. The responder, probably in Bombay, played the earthquake card, saying “You know they had an earthquake there yesterday, don’t you?”. We replied, “Yes but other shuttles, Hertz and Enterprise, are running!”. We asked the Enterprise shuttle driver (he was the manager of the agency) if he had cars available. He did and we rented from Enterprise. The Enterprise agency is at the Sheraton, perhaps a mile closer to the pier than the Dollar agency and closer still than the airport. The service was excellent and $2 less than the dollar price, $47 total for a full size car. When we returned the car about 3:30 PM after about six hours of touring, we were returned immediately to the pier by the manager. I would highly recommend Enterprise.

[ACruise4us]

Thank you so much for the info on Enterprise. I am starting to think I am paying too much for a mid size car with Dollar $74.47, plus do not want bad service either. Did you have shuttle service after 4:00 p.m.? Because with Dollar was told last shuttle went back to pier at 4:00.

[lbrooks34]

Ok. Just to be sure. Thrifty, Hertz, and others will pick you up at the pier and return you to the pier after you turn in the car?! My TA is telling me that we will have to taxi back to the ship. That there is no return shuttle to any of the ports (which obviously is not true for Lahaina) Someone please clarify...again.

[obriendan]

ACruise4us,

The Enterprise manager wanted us back no later than 4 or 4:30 (I can't remember which) and asked that I drop my wife at the pier before coming back to the Sheraton because he expected several cars being turned in at that time and wanted to accomodate all in the shuttle. However, we got back early and were both taken back immediatly to the pier. And yes, you are paying way too much for a mid size. Our $47 bill was for a full size.

[beachchick]

Originally Posted by ACruise4us

Thank you so much for the info on Enterprise. I am starting to think I am paying too much for a mid size car with Dollar $74.47, plus do not want bad service either. Did you have shuttle service after 4:00 p.m.? Because with Dollar was told last shuttle went back to pier at 4:00.

Goodness! Is that for a 1 day rental? If so, you are paying far too much. You should be able to get a 1 day mid size on the Lahaina side for less than $50--and that's kind of the high side.

Sounds like you should look into Enterprise (or really any other rental company on that side).

sandman82: I'm really surprised to hear that so many companies don't have pier shuttle pickup to the Kapalua airport locations. That's so weird. I know that at least some do because many have reported being picked up; sorry, I've no idea which ones, you might try an advanced search for "lahaina car" or something like that. You're going to need a $20 (each way) taxi ride to get the car. That's no good. There really isn't any alternate (or cheaper) transportation from the tender pier to the car rental locations. I suggest you check around for companies that offer a shuttle.

Allis154: I believe that a couple of people have mentioned the Hilo Hattie's parking lot, but other than that I don't know. There is no overnight parking right at the pier, but there are several lots (pay) close by.

beachchick

[bobsydney]

I used Dollar in Lahaina and on the recommendation of various CC correspondents, booked it through www.hawaiidiscountcarrental.com . I paid around $30 per day plus tax (insurance was of course extra) for an economy car that was upgraded to intermediate without asking.

You have to enter jhm as the pickup location. They provided a shuttle back to the pier, but as mentioned by me and a couple of others, this was only available until around 4pm. After that, they said you have to get a cab for about $20. As someone else said, they asked to drop passengers back beforehand as they get a rush of people wanting that final shuttle.

Cheers
Bob

[ACruise4us]

I checked with Enterprise and all cars are rented for the day we will be there. I checked other places and found them to be the same price as this is holiday prices I guess.
Thanks for your help.

[beachchick]

ACruise4us: Ouch! I'm sorry car rental will be so expensive for your visit. It's true that holiday prices are usually significantly higher and 1-day rentals are rarely as inexpensive as longer term ones, but still...

Have you tried the hawaiidiscountcarrental site? We did find some of their prices lower than others.

I'm sorry I can't help you with the shuttle timing. I'm guessing they probably all close fairly early and won't have late shuttles, but I honestly don't know.

beachchick

[sandman82]

Thanks everyone for the information. I called Enterprise and found that they do provide pier pick up. I reserved a car with them for only a little more than what Thrifty was charging and cancelled my Thrifty reservation. I'm all set to go!!! Thanks again for your responses and help!

[uomograsso]

We are on the Pride of Hawaii and will be at Kahului on Maui. I have reserved a car from Thrifty. Since the port is close to the airport there shouldn't be a problem getting a shuttle from Thrify. Or are the no Thrify shuttles for any port on Maui?

[ACruise4us]

Yes, I did check with Hawaiidiscountcarrental. The prices are the same. I used the code I saw on CC when I booked all the ports. All ports I have Thrifty except for Maui was told by Thrifty that their sister car rental (Dollar) has the cars there at this time. I may just cancel the Dollar one at Maui. I have the Old Lahaina Luau booked for this night. Was thinking may be walk around Maui that day and go to the Luau at night without renting a car at all. What do you think? Would that work is there walking around Maui near the peir in Lahaina?

[beachchick]

ACruise4us: You could certainly do your day without a car, but your options will be limited. What's within walking distance of the Lahaina tender pier is, well, Lahaina. We love Lahaina and find it a fun place to hang out, walk Front St., people watch, etc. There are several often overlooked historic sights in town.

Unfortunately, there's really no such thing as "walking around" Maui. There is a shuttle that runs from Lahaina up to Ka'anapali beach (with several stops along the beach; you'll want either Whaler's Village or the Sheraton stop if you do that). Ka'anapali is a lovely beach with quite a lot to do and various "areas" (some with their own names). There's good snorkeling down at Black Rock (in front of the Sheraton) and Whaler's Village is a shopping/dining center with access to the beachwalk which runs most of the length of the beach. All beaches in Hawaii are public, but the resort facilities and resort beach equipment is not. So, feel free to pull your mat or towel up on the beach right next to the resort cabanas.

Without a rental car or ship excursion, Lahaina and the shuttle to Ka'anapali are pretty much it. Taxis around the island would be prohibitively expensive--making your rental car price seem like a good deal. You can't walk to Ka'anapali, or rather I should say, you can, but it's about 4 miles and at least 2 miles would be along the shoulder of the main (and only) multi-lane road.

For the luau, you could either walk, take the shuttle (to, not from because the shuttles stop running before the luau would be over; you'd get off at the Lahaina Cannery Mall stop and then walk toward the ocean, cross Front St. and OLL is pretty much right there), or taxi. It's only about 1-1/2 miles from the tender pier, but after you pass the neighborhoods beyond the Front St. stores and restaurants, it's a pretty boring walk (IMO). I would NOT walk back at night in the dark because there are sections with no lights and no sidewalk. It's just not really safe, IMO. A taxi ride would be about $5 o/w.

I have to recommend that you keep the rental car, even though it's pretty expensive. I just realized that our 1-day Maui rental is going to be close to $40, whereas our Maui 1-week rental comes out to less than $30 per day. I sometimes forget that short rentals cost more. Still, I have to admit that $74 is the most I've ever heard of. I'm sorry you can't find something less costly.

With a car, you can explore whichever parts of the island appeal to you and go at your own pace. If you like beaches, head north to Ka'anapali, Kapalua, Napili; if you're a snorkeler, Honolua marine preserve is at the north end of the accessible beaches. Airport beach is also good snorkeling and has facilities. Kapalua is a gorgeous beach with sometimes pretty okay snorkeling (right side when facing the beach is usually best). Ka'anapali has Black Rock and tons of options. The south beaches aren't our preference, but there are a few good ones down in Wailea/Makena.

If you want to see some of the "rain forest," drive across the island and spend an hour at Iao Valley/Needle. There's a nature center and walking trails. Really quite lovely and will give you an easier (and less time-consuming) idea of what the road to Hana can be like. On the way back, you can stop at the Maui Tropical Planation for island made food (great sauces, red alaea salt which has a great flavor, honey, etc.). Many will say it's not worth the stop because it's a tourist trap, and I can't disagree about that part. The shop is touristy, but the food section is excellent. You can get an ice cream too, should you need a "pick me up." Don't, don't, don't take the tram ride unless you like touristy, gimmicky stuff. Some people like it, but I never recommend it, especially for cruisers with limited time on the islands.

You could drive up to Haleakala, but that would take more than 2 hours (closer to 3) just to get to the summit from Lahaina. However, it's pretty spectacular. It's not at all like VNP on the Big Island. Again though, with limited time, I'd choose to spend my Hilo day at VNP and do other things on Maui. You definitely want to make sure you don't just rush, rush, rush all the time. And make sure you're not exhausted from your day and can't enjoy the luau.

I hope this helps you decide what will work best for you.

beachchick

[ACruise4us]

Thank you so very much for all the information on Maui!! It was so nice of you to take the time to write that for me. I am going to print it out and use it while we are there.
Again thank you so much for your help!!!!

[beachchick]

ACruise4us: No trouble at all. DH and I love Maui; it's our favorite of the four main islands. (Although we love the BI and Kauai too, and Oahu is a perfectly lovely island, just not our fave.)

Are you snorkelers? If so, I highly recommend that you take the time (less than 30 minutes) to drive up to Honolua Bay/Slaughterhouse Beach. Slaughterhouse (don't worry about the name) is the next cove down from Honolua itself and is part of the marine preserve. Neither have any facilities, plus you need to park up at the top (which can be a buggah at times) and hike down. Honolua has no beach, but the entry is easy and the snorkeling is great. Slaughterhouse actually has a small, but comfy beach most of the time (with some shade too); however, the beach comes and goes with the seasons (not so much beach in winter). Entry there is quite easy and the snorkeling can be very good. Again a however, the water at Slaughterhouse can be cloudy/murky because of runoff from a stream or creek (or something similar, I just can't remember exactly) that's at or near the south end of the cove. If you prefer a place with facilities, I'd suggest Airport beach, Ka'anapali beach (Black Rock), and Kapalua (depending on conditions); in that order. Snorkeling is almost always best in the morning because the winds and waves kick up in the afternoon.

If you let me know what your fave activities are, I'll be happy to give a recommendation if I can--and completely my opinion, of course.

beachchick

[NKArch]

All this info is super helpful. I am going to Hawaii on the Pride of America in two weeks and I am renting the cards I need right now. I have gone through Thrifty because of their Blue Chips program, but it seems like they don't have a shuttle at one (maybe both?) of the ports on Maui. our ship docks at Kahului. I called and they said to call half an hour beforehand and they will send a shuttle. I have also heard that a. cell phones don't work on the ship, b. they are really expensive to use and c. the room phones are expensive to use.

Should I jus go with another rental company? One that does have a shuttle at Kahului?

Thanks!

nkarch