POA Dec. 31-Jan. 7 Trip Report

[HoopsandYoYo]

Thanks, Helga! I checked out the Canon G11; it looks great but looks a little bulky for what I'm wanting. We have our big DSLR (which DH usually uses when we travel), and I have a Nikon P90 I use when I want a better zoom and something between a point-and-shoot and a DSLR, but I also like something really compact that I can keep in my pocket and look less "touristy."

 

By online photo albums, do you mean those photo albums you can make online and have printed through photo companies (Shutterfly, Snapfish, Picaboo, etc.)? If so, yes! I've recently started doing that because I haven't printed any of our photos in years, I just keep them in digital folders, but it's amazing the kinds of books you can produce now. I just had our wedding album done through Adoramapix, and I would highly recommend them! I think I'm going to do a Hawaii album with them next.

 

When do you leave for Hawaii? I want to make sure I have our last Honolulu day posted before you go. We went to Kualoa Ranch, the North Shore, Dole Plantation, and Hilo Hattie's that day.

 

 

 

I will have to check that one out! Is it this one, by any chance?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-FH25K-16-1MP-Digital-Stabilized/dp/B004NBZ8DQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1331144071&sr=1-3

 

If so, great price! And it even comes in purple like my Nikon.

Lacy,

After writing a couple of travel reviews on Trip Advisor I received an offer of a free photo album from Shutterfly. Since then I have been using that company. I like using their (new) customized version rather than the "quick method", as it allows more creativity. Before I discovered online photo albums, I would print the photos with good intentions of placing them in albums, but somehow they never got done.

 

That was the case with our Mediterranean cruise photos. First of all it took over a year to compile. And even though I have an "expandable" album cover that cost $40 (bought from the Ship's gift shop), it is now completely useless as the album became so big and heavy that the pages (I bought extra) won't fit. I am seriously considering re-doing it to an online album.

 

My most recent online album is of the Caribbean, in a 12" x12", 92 page book that is only about 1/2 " thick on beautiful quality paper where the photos will not discolour or fade.

You can even chose to include pages formatted for writing, but that's not for me unfortunately.

 

As for the Canon G-11. A newer smaller version is now out, the Canon G-12, which appears to have similar features and probably more! :)

 

We are arriving in Honolulu on the 16th of April and will have 6 days there before we board the ship - so lots of time to explore and discover! I see that you did a lot there. I've recently heard about Hilo Hattie's being a "must see" but am not familiar with it so it will be interesting to hear your report on that and your other experiences in Oahu.

 

:) Helga

[lacyspring]

Lacy, a couple of questions....................

 

Duke's in Waikiki - did you sit inside or out? Did you make reservations for any other restaurants in Waikiki either before or after cruise?

 

When you rented the cars, did you use as your "reserve" time, the time the ship docked ? That's what I did but I'm second guessing myself. Was the convertible worth it? Thought I might surprise hubby. Would Maui be the best weather for that or perhaps Ohau?

 

You mentioned parking underground in Lahainia for the Feast & the next day, cost? Landmark as to where the parking was in relationship to the Feast?

 

Still debating Maui................thought we'd do a little of the "UpCountry" and then "wing it".

Thanks for all your help !!!!

 

We technically sat "inside" at Duke's I guess, although even that is open air. We booked the reservation about two weeks before we got there. That's the only reservation we made because we only had two nights before the cruise, and I wasn't sure if we would feel up to going out for a nice dinner after traveling all day on the first day. We ended up in the hotel terrace restaurant that night, which was perfect for us. There are so many wonderful restaurants in Waikiki, though, we would have loved to try others. I was actually dead set against going to Duke's until just a few weeks before we left, but I'm actually really glad we tried it. It was much nicer than we thought it would be.

 

Yes, I think I used the docking time as my pick-up time. It was never an issue. We used Blue Chip, and our cars were always waiting for us when we got there. The Mustang was definitely worth it. We loved having it in Maui, and DH loved it so much I'm sure he wished I'd reserved them in other ports. When we go to Mexico we usually rent Jeeps, which we love, but they just aren't practical in Hawaii (we learned the hard way). With a convertible, you can enjoy the open air, and when it suddenly starts raining, pull over and have the top up in seconds. Very convenient.

 

I don't know how to upload images on here either, but if you look at the last picture in my Maui Day 2 post, you will see the little shopping area where Feast of Lele is. This is the street view of the shops. (I was on the sidewalk when I took it.) The underground parking was directly under these shops. The night when we went to the Feast there was a sign in front of it for a "Luau Special $5," but I'm pretty sure it was that price at any time of day and that price was for all day. There is also a regular parking lot across the street. I'm not sure how much that one cost, but we didn't want to have to cross traffic (not that the street is that busy), so we preferred the underground lot.

 

We enjoyed the "UpCountry" drive immensely! Be sure to buy or download the Maui Revealed book if you haven't done it already. Having it on the iPad (although the iPhone probably would have worked just as well) really helped us "wing it."

 

Well, that didn't work. You can adjust the mp from 3 to 16 on the settings...............I took at 16, not able to upload to CC. If you want to see a sample, I will email it to you. :o

 

Thanks for trying anyway! I don't know why they have to make photo uploading so complicated on here...

 

Lacy,

After writing a couple of travel reviews on Trip Advisor I received an offer of a free photo album from Shutterfly. Since then I have been using that company. I like using their (new) customized version rather than the "quick method", as it allows more creativity. Before I discovered online photo albums, I would print the photos with good intentions of placing them in albums, but somehow they never got done.

 

That was the case with our Mediterranean cruise photos. First of all it took over a year to compile. And even though I have an "expandable" album cover that cost $40 (bought from the Ship's gift shop), it is now completely useless as the album became so big and heavy that the pages (I bought extra) won't fit. I am seriously considering re-doing it to an online album.

 

My most recent online album is of the Caribbean, in a 12" x12", 92 page book that is only about 1/2 " thick on beautiful quality paper where the photos will not discolour or fade.

You can even chose to include pages formatted for writing, but that's not for me unfortunately.

 

As for the Canon G-11. A newer smaller version is now out, the Canon G-12, which appears to have similar features and probably more! :)

 

We are arriving in Honolulu on the 16th of April and will have 6 days there before we board the ship - so lots of time to explore and discover! I see that you did a lot there. I've recently heard about Hilo Hattie's being a "must see" but am not familiar with it so it will be interesting to hear your report on that and your other experiences in Oahu.

 

:) Helga

 

We actually used a Shutterfly photo book for our wedding guestbook! I like the customizable feature too. I was actually working on a Shutterfly album of our Hawaii pictures when I realized it was going to be close to $75 to print it and I could print one from Adoramapix for $30 more. I like Adoramapix because you get lay-flat binding with no gutter--so you can cross the center with images and not lose any of the image. They print on really thick, archive-quality type paper, too, so the books look like professional albums. If you're interested, check out this review to see pictures of one of their albums: http://www.photobookgirl.com/blog/my-lay-flat-diy-wedding-photo-book-a-review-of-adoramapix-photobooks/.

 

I'm jealous that you will have so much time in Oahu! I will definitely have my final reviews up before you leave. I will say I wasn't as impressed with Hilo Hattie as I thought I would be. The Honolulu location looked huge from the outside (and there was plenty of parking) but wasn't nearly as big inside as it appeared. We picked up a few things (99 cent calendars made good cheap presents for co-workers back home), but the t-shirt and magnet selection was really poor. We found much better in other places and on other islands. We did find a couple of pieces of local art that we liked enough to purchase, though (a small vase and a decorative plate).

[debster818]

Don't know if you are interested, but we heard good things about House Without a Key and Shorebird in Oahu. House Without a Key does not take reservations, but we heard it is a great location for sunset and for the entertainment while eating. Shorebird is a place on the ocean where you can grill your own food, while being supervised by chefs. We made a reservation for there. We are going to go to Dukes for a drink before we eat at Shorebird on Friday. Thursday 4/19 is House Without a Key...hoping we arent' too tired from traveling.

[HoopsandYoYo]

I found this by clicking on Cruise Critic Message Boards, then click on "Need Help Using the Boards? Ask Here!

Scroll down to: how do i post my photos and then from Host Kat "Just trying to help"

1. When you post a photo as an attachment to a Cruise Critic post, Cruise Critic "hosts" the image for you. The vBulletin software allows only up to six images to be attached to one post. They appear as thumbnail images. The thumbnail is clicked and a larger image appears.

After you click the Post Reply button and the Reply to Thread screen appears, scroll down a bit to the Additional Options section. Note the Attach Files box. Click the Manage Attachments button where you will then be able to upload from your computer or from a URL. Note the Attachment Key for important information.

2. For posting a photo in a Cruise Critic post you need to find a photo hosting service on the Internet. In particular, one that will allow "hot linking" so that your photo can be displayed inside a web page that belongs to someone other than the hosting service. You upload your photo there, and get the URL of the photo. Then use the Insert Image icon to insert the image link into your post. The photo will appear in the post, not the link. Again, vBulletin allows only up to six images in a Cruise Critic post and this includes smilies.

But please be considerate if you choose to do this, as big image files take time to download. Particularly for your fellow Cruise Critic members who are on dial-up connections. Very large photos will distort the appearance of Cruise Critic pages, especially for those Cruise Critic members with smaller screens. Please re-size your photos to a smaller size before posting. Remember, not everyone is speeding along on DSL or cable modems, super-fast processors etc. so keeping your images to a reasonable size will help speed all of us along!

Please feel free to use the TEST FORUM at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=225 to your heart's content. That is the ONLY place where test posts should appear.

I hope this information will be helpful!

Kat

__________________

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(Please send from your Cruise Critic e-mail address of record and mention your User Name.)

In line 2 it says that you need to find a photo hosting service on the internet. At first this was confusing but then I did a search and found Photobucket.

It took a while but I finally managed to post a photo on one of the forums.

I did use the TEST FORUM first as recommended by the Cruise Critic boards before going "live" which was helpful, and it can be found in the same place I found the above information.

And if I can do it, anyone can as I am fairly new at anything like this.

Helga:D

[Tyskie]

Don't know if you are interested, but we heard good things about House Without a Key and Shorebird in Oahu. House Without a Key does not take reservations, but we heard it is a great location for sunset and for the entertainment while eating. Shorebird is a place on the ocean where you can grill your own food, while being supervised by chefs. We made a reservation for there. We are going to go to Dukes for a drink before we eat at Shorebird on Friday. Thursday 4/19 is House Without a Key...hoping we arent' too tired from traveling.

 

Thanks Debbie...heard about Housew/o key, wasn't aware they didn't take reservations. Will check out Shorebird. :-)

[HoopsandYoYo]

Lacey,

Thanks for the latest post, I will check out the link you suggested. And I'll waiting with much anticipation for your upcoming review!

 

Helga

[HoopsandYoYo]

Don't know if you are interested, but we heard good things about House Without a Key and Shorebird in Oahu. House Without a Key does not take reservations, but we heard it is a great location for sunset and for the entertainment while eating. Shorebird is a place on the ocean where you can grill your own food, while being supervised by chefs. We made a reservation for there. We are going to go to Dukes for a drink before we eat at Shorebird on Friday. Thursday 4/19 is House Without a Key...hoping we arent' too tired from traveling.

Thanks Debbie,

 

I've copied and pasted your post and will check it out. How did we ever manage before computers??

Planning and researching trips has become almost a full time job! But I love it!

;) Helga

[Teacher_91]

I never in a million years thought I would yearn to fly in a helicopter WITHOUT doors, but your gorgeous pictures makes me want to do it! :eek:

Even though we are going to Alaska in July and I'm super excited about the trip, I can't help but wish now we were going to Hawaii THIS summer!

I'm definitely going to put together a photo book and may go back and do some for our past vacations too. Thanks for sharing the info!

Needless to say, I'm lovin' your trip review! I'm anxiously awaiting your next post! :)

[Tyskie]

I found this by clicking on Cruise Critic Message Boards, then click on "Need Help Using the Boards? Ask Here!

Scroll down to: how do i post my photos and then from Host Kat "Just trying to help"

 

In line 2 it says that you need to find a photo hosting service on the internet. At first this was confusing but then I did a search and found Photobucket.

It took a while but I finally managed to post a photo on one of the forums.

I did use the TEST FORUM first as recommended by the Cruise Critic boards before going "live" which was helpful, and it can be found in the same place I found the above information.

And if I can do it, anyone can as I am fairly new at anything like this.

Helga:D

 

Thanks Helga, I'll give it a go ! I never had a problem posting pictures until I got this new camera. I was told since my pictures were "too big" (because I was taking them at the maximum mega-pixel) they wouldn't post. I can post to Facebook and email them. For regular snapshots I lower the mp but for most part I keep the setting high for quality photos. Others on our last cruise had the same problem. There is a program to change the size, alas, I don't have it............hum, maybe I should look into it !:)

[avez007]

Congratulations on your wedding! I have spent the last two days reading your review from your honeymoon. What a great review!!!

 

My BF and I are taking this cruise in September for our birthdays :D (his is in Aug and mine in Oct) and there is SOOOOO much helpful informaiton on your review.

 

I think we were thinking of just doing the cruise related excursions, but it looks like you guys were able to do so much more by winging it on your own with a rental car and GPS.

[Freckles_51]

Thanks Helga, I'll give it a go ! I never had a problem posting pictures until I got this new camera. I was told since my pictures were "too big" (because I was taking them at the maximum mega-pixel) they wouldn't post. I can post to Facebook and email them. For regular snapshots I lower the mp but for most part I keep the setting high for quality photos. Others on our last cruise had the same problem. There is a program to change the size, alas, I don't have it............hum, maybe I should look into it !:)

 

 

When uploading photos from your computer to Photobucket, the files are automatically resized if they are bigger than the allowed max. :)

[Tyskie]

When uploading photos from your computer to Photobucket, the files are automatically resized if they are bigger than the allowed max. :)

 

Good to know, that will be my project for tomorrow morning. Thanks !

[HoopsandYoYo]

We actually used a Shutterfly photo book for our wedding guestbook! I like the customizable feature too. I was actually working on a Shutterfly album of our Hawaii pictures when I realized it was going to be close to $75 to print it and I could print one from Adoramapix for $30 more. I like Adoramapix because you get lay-flat binding with no gutter--so you can cross the center with images and not lose any of the image. They print on really thick, archive-quality type paper, too, so the books look like professional albums. If you're interested, check out this review to see pictures of one of their albums: http://www.photobookgirl.com/blog/my...ix-photobooks/.

 

Lacey,

 

I'm not sure how the other photo album websites work, but the one I use has sales all the time. What I do now is work on a project and don't send it for publication until a sale notice comes up. My last one worked out to be about $1. per page (one side only). If you compare online albums to the standard type, this is a much better deal all things considered.

I would also like to make a calendar at some time using photos and use them as gifts.

 

Helga

[lacyspring]

Oh, my goodness! I left for one day and suddenly this page exploded! I will try to answer everyone, but if I missed a question somewhere, please let me know.

 

 

I'm not sure how the other photo album websites work, but the one I use has sales all the time. What I do now is work on a project and don't send it for publication until a sale notice comes up. My last one worked out to be about $1. per page (one side only). If you compare online albums to the standard type, this is a much better deal all things considered.

I would also like to make a calendar at some time using photos and use them as gifts.

 

Helga

 

Oh, yes, I definitely wait for sales and check Groupon all the time. It's funny that you mention the calendars because I made one for my DH for Valentine's Day last year, and today he called me at work while he was cleaning his office to say I dropped the ball by not getting him one this year! LOL It just ran out at the end of February, I guess, so now he needs a new one. Guess I'll be making a wedding/honeymoon themed one on Shutterfly tonight! For Valentine's Day this year, though, I made him a photo mug from Snapfish. Used a coupon and got it for only $4 (just don't tell him that :) ). It's black until you put a hot beverage in it, and then the pictures appear. He really loved showing it off at work.

 

Congratulations on your wedding! I have spent the last two days reading your review from your honeymoon. What a great review!!!

 

My BF and I are taking this cruise in September for our birthdays :D (his is in Aug and mine in Oct) and there is SOOOOO much helpful informaiton on your review.

 

I think we were thinking of just doing the cruise related excursions, but it looks like you guys were able to do so much more by winging it on your own with a rental car and GPS.

 

Thanks! I'm so glad you are enjoying it! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. When DH (then BF) and I first started cruising together, we were a bit reluctant to rent cars too and usually booked with local tour companies. We always had great success with that, and if you aren't up to renting a car, I would suggest doing that. On the few cruise-run tours we've been on, we've always felt like cattle being herded around, and you pay way more and see way less on those cruise-ship tours, it seems. We started renting cars more when we travel, though, and I have to say Hawaii was one of the easiest places we've ever rented. The roads are good, the traffic is light, and having your own vehicle is so much more convenient. You can explore things at your own pace (which for us is usually much faster than tours) and try to hit the most popular locations when tour groups aren't there, so you can enjoy them in near solitude. I would highly recommend the independent route!

 

I never in a million years thought I would yearn to fly in a helicopter WITHOUT doors, but your gorgeous pictures makes me want to do it! :eek:

Even though we are going to Alaska in July and I'm super excited about the trip, I can't help but wish now we were going to Hawaii THIS summer!

I'm definitely going to put together a photo book and may go back and do some for our past vacations too. Thanks for sharing the info!

Needless to say, I'm lovin' your trip review! I'm anxiously awaiting your next post! :)

 

Glad you are enjoying the review! Trust me; DH would NEVER have considered a doors-off experience (or even doors-ON experience) if I hadn't made him go. But he loved every minute of it! After doing it doors-off, I couldn't even imagine taking an enclosed helicopter in Kauai (sorry, Blue Helicopters). The great thing about going with Mauna Loa, though, is that since you are the only people on the flight (no other couples or families), you can choose to have one door on and one door off if you want! So if one person in a couple doesn't want the wind in their face and clear views as far as the eye can see ;), s/he can keep their door on. You just have to let Mauna Loa know ahead of time, I think. It does get pretty chilly up there, though, and the wind is fierce, so dress accordingly.

[lacyspring]

I found this by clicking on Cruise Critic Message Boards, then click on "Need Help Using the Boards? Ask Here!

Scroll down to: how do i post my photos and then from Host Kat "Just trying to help"

In line 2 it says that you need to find a photo hosting service on the internet. At first this was confusing but then I did a search and found Photobucket.

It took a while but I finally managed to post a photo on one of the forums.

I did use the TEST FORUM first as recommended by the Cruise Critic boards before going "live" which was helpful, and it can be found in the same place I found the above information.

And if I can do it, anyone can as I am fairly new at anything like this.

Helga:D

 

Thanks for the info, Helga! That's really helpful. Not sure if I will be utilizing it anytime soon because it would require me to upload my pictures AGAIN to a photo hosting site (as if uploading to my blog and multiple photo printing sites wasn't enough), but it's good information for the future in case I start putting my reviews actually on Cruise Critic and not just linking to my blog.

[planningdiva]

We left our big camera in the van. The van stays right behind you almost the whole way down, and you can leave anything you want in it. We shed clothing the whole way down as we moved into warmer areas and left all our extra clothes in the van. When we stopped for that photo opp at (where we are on the bike overlooking the northern end of the island), we were able to get into the van to get our cameras. I kept my point-and-shoot Nikon Coolpix in my coat pocket on the way down, but I couldn't really use it. You're going too fast on the way down and there are so many tight turns, you really have to hold on to both handlebars. If you are a really confident bike rider, though, you might could take some with a point-and-shoot once you reach some of the less-steep areas.

 

Thanks for the info, my DH said he'll keep his big camera in the van nice and safe and he'll keep my canon elph300hs power shot in his pocket:D

 

I really enjoyed your kauai review and can't wait for the first day in kauai to come out;) I'm going crazy trying to think of what I want to do in kauai and I really enjoyed the views from your doors off helicopter tour. I convinced my DH not to do the helicopter tour in Hilo as it was $500ea. But I'm gonna try to see if we can squeeze this into our budget.;)

 

Thanks again

[HoopsandYoYo]

Hi Lacey,

 

As I was reading through my 20 pages of "cut & pastes" on Honolulu, I came across one of your reviews on the Dole Plantation and their Waffle Mix!

Let me know if you are still interested and I will try to get some for you while we are there.

 

Helga

[lacyspring]

Thanks for the info, my DH said he'll keep his big camera in the van nice and safe and he'll keep my canon elph300hs power shot in his pocket:D

 

I really enjoyed your kauai review and can't wait for the first day in kauai to come out;) I'm going crazy trying to think of what I want to do in kauai and I really enjoyed the views from your doors off helicopter tour. I convinced my DH not to do the helicopter tour in Hilo as it was $500ea. But I'm gonna try to see if we can squeeze this into our budget.;)

 

Thanks again

 

$500 each for helicopter in Hilo does sound excessive, especially since there is no guarantee you will see any lava flow, and that's the only reason to do a helicopter tour there, IMO. Our helicopter tour in Kauai was only a little more than $500 for both of us, and that was with doors off and a private tour. If you can work it into your budget, it's definitely worth it. I think it was the best money we spent in Hawaii, hands down. There are so many places in Kauai that are impossible to get to on foot or by car (or even by boat); a helicopter is truly the only way to see them, and flying over Kauai was such a different experience from driving it, although I loved both and the first day in Kauai was actually my favorite day of the whole trip. (Helicopter day was DH's favorite.)

 

I'm working on first day now. Still have more pictures I need to add, though.

 

Hi Lacey,

 

As I was reading through my 20 pages of "cut & pastes" on Honolulu, I came across one of your reviews on the Dole Plantation and their Waffle Mix!

Let me know if you are still interested and I will try to get some for you while we are there.

 

Helga

 

Helga! That would be AMAZING. DH actually tried to surprise me with some for Valentine's Day. He called the Dole Plantation and asked them if they would ship it even if it isn't on their website, and they said they would, but they wanted a minimum order of eight bags and wanted to charge $50 to ship it overnight because it's "perishable"! As if bags of waffle mix are going to go bad over night! We just finished off our bag a couple of weeks ago, and that was two months after we bought it! Even our fresh banana bread took three days to get here, and it was still fine when we got it. If you could get us some, we would be ever so appreciative, and compensate you of course.

[Teacher_91]

Helga! That would be AMAZING. DH actually tried to surprise me with some for Valentine's Day. He called the Dole Plantation and asked them if they would ship it even if it isn't on their website, and they said they would, but they wanted a minimum order of eight bags and wanted to charge $50 to ship it overnight because it's "perishable"! As if bags of waffle mix are going to go bad over night! We just finished off our bag a couple of weeks ago, and that was two months after we bought it! Even our fresh banana bread took three days to get here, and it was still fine when we got it. If you could get us some, we would be ever so appreciative, and compensate you of course.

Awww... what an amazing Valentine's Day surprise that would have been. You've got yourself a 'keeper'! :)

[Tyskie]

:

 

:

 

 

If you click on the picture...................it will come up in my Photobucket. Much clearer than on CC. Hope it helps !!!

[HoopsandYoYo]

Lacey,

 

I will do my best to get that Macadamia Nut Waffle Mix for you. We are looking forward to visiting the Dole Plantation. I found out why the pineapples are so expensive...about $10. or more for one here in Vancouver...it takes a pineapple plant 2 years before it produces 2 pineapples and then that's it for the plant! :(:(

 

Helga

[planningdiva]

Hey Lacy

 

:D..So my DH is very excited about doing the doors off helicopter tour and is telling me to book it already...lol

 

We just have a few questions for you, assuming the ship docks on time the first day (or do you recommend going the 2nd day), how long does it take to get from the ship to the Mauna Loa office? Did you have to pay for the Harbor Mall trolley? and how much? in general, can you give a more specific timeline of your morning from wake up to lift off as we don't want to be late (and I am not good with time management:o )

 

Thanks :D

[lacyspring]

Awww... what an amazing Valentine's Day surprise that would have been. You've got yourself a 'keeper'! :)

 

I sure think so!!! :)

 

 

I will do my best to get that Macadamia Nut Waffle Mix for you. We are looking forward to visiting the Dole Plantation. I found out why the pineapples are so expensive...about $10. or more for one here in Vancouver...it takes a pineapple plant 2 years before it produces 2 pineapples and then that's it for the plant! :(:(

 

Helga

 

Pineapples require a lot of work too, because they have to be harvested by hand. They can't use machines to pick them, so it's a very labor-intensive job and most Hawaiians (like most Americans) don't want to do that kind of work anymore. Our bike guide took us to a see a pineapple field when we were in Maui and explained how they are grown and harvested. Growing them is so expensive and difficult that I'm surprised there are any pineapples growing in Hawaii at all! There aren't nearly as many pineapple plantations as there once were, but Dole is a good place to see them.

[lacyspring]

Hey Lacy

 

:D..So my DH is very excited about doing the doors off helicopter tour and is telling me to book it already...lol

 

We just have a few questions for you, assuming the ship docks on time the first day (or do you recommend going the 2nd day), how long does it take to get from the ship to the Mauna Loa office? Did you have to pay for the Harbor Mall trolley? and how much? in general, can you give a more specific timeline of your morning from wake up to lift off as we don't want to be late (and I am not good with time management:o )

 

Thanks :D

 

I can't remember exact times because that morning was much more leisurely than our others. It does not take long to get to the Mauna Loa office. It's probably a 10-15 minute walk at most, if you chose to hoof it. It didn't look like a particularly pedestrian friendly walk, though, so we chose to take the Harbor Mall trolley. The trolley is free; it picks up in the same place the shuttles to Wal-Mart, Hilo Hatties, etc. pick up. That was the longest part of our trip. I think we waited 15 minutes for it, then it was a short 5 minute ride. You will need to get to Mauna Loa at least 45 minutes before your scheduled helicopter ride, I believe.

 

Which day you choose to go is based entirely on what you want to do while you are there. If you are doing a morning helicopter ride on the first day, know that you probably couldn't book one earlier than 10:00, and that your whole morning would be spent on the tour. Then if you wanted to rent a car, you'd still have to go back to the ship, get the rental car shuttle, and go out to the airport, so you might as well add an hour. Plus you might just choose to eat lunch on the ship at that point, so it might be 2:00 in the afternoon before you can go do anything else. And the second day you'd be limited as well because if you have a car you will need to have it to the rental car place by 1:00 (all aboard at 1:30). So you are limited that day too in terms of how far from port you'll probably want to go.

 

We chose to go on the helicopter tour on the second day because I wanted to maximize our time in Kauai. We drove pretty much the whole island the first day (all the way to the end of the road in Waimea Canyon, then all the way to the end of the road on the North Shore at Ke'e Beach), but there's no way we could have done all we did if we took our helicopter tour on the first day. A part of me wanted to schedule the first day just in case it rained and we needed to reschedule, but Mauna Loa told me that was pretty much impossible with cruise ship passengers--if a tour gets cancelled, there isn't much chance of rescheduling because all the tours in that short window are usually booked. I actually called two weeks before we left to see about switching to a slightly earlier time and discovered that they were already booked for both days except for a few odd times throughout the day that did not work with our schedule. (All the best times were taken, in other words.)

 

 

 

If you click on the picture...................it will come up in my Photobucket. Much clearer than on CC. Hope it helps !!!

 

Thanks for sharing! I will definitely look into the camera more. That stained glass window is gorgeous! And it is so hard to get good pictures of them usually.

[planningdiva]

Hey Lacy,

 

Thanks VERY much for all your info, answering all our crazy questions:o, review and pictures....you've been a great help to DH and I with our planning!!!:D