Wanting to be a wahini

[dixiana]

Have a question-sailing on golden princess on 10-10-2012 to hawaii-has anybody sailed before on this ship and went to the paradise cove luau on honolulu?-since golden princess does not offer a luau shore excursion on honolulu we will have to book our own, rent a car and bring car back to agency & wait for a shuttle to bring us back to ship before 11:oo pm.

 

I am worried that ship will leave without us.

 

Anyone out there who has done this before?

 

Thank you.

[Kamloops50]

Have a question-sailing on golden princess on 10-10-2012 to hawaii-has anybody sailed before on this ship and went to the paradise cove luau on honolulu?-since golden princess does not offer a luau shore excursion on honolulu we will have to book our own, rent a car and bring car back to agency & wait for a shuttle to bring us back to ship before 11:oo pm.

 

I am worried that ship will leave without us.

 

Anyone out there who has done this before?

 

Thank you.

 

I think Princess does offer a Luau in Honolulu. Last April on the Sapphire there was a luau offered. It was part of a tour to the Polynesian Culture center. Next March the same tour is also offered.

[Cruisin' Chick]

If the ship is sailing at 11pm, you will need to be back onboard at 10:30. You may want to check again the excursions (they might not be all listed this early). If you really want to do the one you're looking at, you should consider returning your rental car before the luau and take a taxi back to the ship (I programmed my phone with taxi company phone numbers before my Hawaiian cruises as we weren't going to rent any cars, my hubby's request). Keep an eye on the clock as Honolulu traffic is wicked, and you'll be going past the airport and Hickam (not sure if those will be busy places at that time of night). Talk to those on your roll call and see if they're doing that excursion too.

 

But above all, you don't want to miss getting back on the ship on time as you'll be in violation of the PVSA and you'll probably will get fined.

 

We were on this cruise at holiday time 2010-11, and it ranked as one of my best vacations ever.

[CruiserBruce]

If you want all sorts of info on your ship and Princess, wonder over to the Princess board. In the same vein, there will be lots of info about Hawaii on the Hawaii board.

[dorisis]

We did do a Luau on one of our Hawaii cruises. But..the best luaus are held in the evening and that usually takes a land trip. Ships don't stay late enough.

 

~Doris~

[jcl410]

Definitely check the Hawaii board. Some one there explained their experience.... They used the buses provided by Paradise Cove,and were picked up at a Waikiki hotel, but dropped off at the pier afterwards with plenty of time spare..

 

Details I do not remember, but which MAY be important.

 

1) Was their ship at Pier 10/11 or Pier 2

2) What time their ship left.

 

Good luck,

 

Aloha,

 

John

[Bonnie J.]

Why do you have too rent a car? Why not get a cab which will take you right back to the ship. The ship WILL leave without you if you're not back in time. The time to be back will be in your Patter. If you take a ship's tour then they wait for the tour to get back but it is your job to get back in time if you're on your own! We alway plan to get back an hour before we have to. That way if we are stuck in traffic, cab breaks down, or whatever we still have time to get back to the ship.

[gtrisfun]

a few pointers, in regards to the traffic and car rental-

 

(oh, and i think you meant "wahine" for woman)

 

1) i believe that there's a couple car rental agencies near the port in downtown honolulu proper, but they won't be open in the evening (to return your rental).

 

2) the paradise cove luau is out at Ko Olina, which is about 25miles from downtown, and passes through some of the worst rush hour traffic on the island. depending on time of day, expect anywhere from 45min-2.5hr commute. (yes, does pass by the airport and hickam/pearl harbor)

 

3) the Polynesian Cultural Center is in Laie, which is at the northernmost point of the island (but not necessarily the "north shore" of surfing legend), expect anywhere from 1.5-2hr+ of drive time depending upon the time of day.

 

4) as someone who drives in much of the traffic on a daily basis, if there is a luau excursion available, or even if you book your own package, that it has a strict schedule and comfy buses. it might feel like a cattle call, but it'll minimize your stress about making it to and from the venue and to the ship on time. not to mention, even with using your phone GPS, it can get tricky as many visitors (and sometimes locals) get confused as it seems every other place name starts with a K or a W. lol.