UGH! Flight home doesn't leave 'til 9 PM!!

[norcalgal]

Okay - so NCL booked our cruise home at 9 PM, of course getting off the ship in the AM. We are spending 3 days before the cruise in Honolulu, so what should we do from 10 AM - 7 PM on Oahu to "kill time"? We are planning on doing the Pearl Harbor Memorial, Polynesian Cultural Center and the North Shore on the days before. We don't want to take an NCL-sponsored excursion, because that will still get us to the airport waaay before we need to. Should we rent a car for the day? What do we do with our luggage?...take it off ourselves and load it into a rental car - can you even get rental cars at the dock?...have NCL transfer our luggage to the airport no matter what we do for the day? HELP!

[donna@donnaanderson.com]

I am anxiously awaiting hearing what our flights from NCL will be. Are you on the Pride of America? We are going to be on that ship on the cruise date of 8/6.

I am expecting a red eye too. What airline did you get?

[AmyinVail]

We're on the red eye off the PO America in November. We're thinking of checking our luggage (or taking w/ us) and getting a rental car and buying a room at nearby resort for pool, nap and pre flight shower. Still haven't decided for sure.

[norcalgal]

We're on the POAM 7/23 (the first "go-round" of the Islands for her!) We are on Aloha Airlines from Oakland through LA and onto Honolulu. Not surprised that we didn't go straight from OAK to Honolulu, but it would have been nice!

 

Not sure what to do on that day....

[Suebee]

You can easily rent a car and have a nice day. It all depends what you would like to do really....some would want to hang out on the beach that one last time. Some might like to take in a museum, the sea life park or do shopping.

 

You would have to take a taxi to the airport (20-25 dollars) to get a rental. Put the luggage in the trunk and make sure not to go in and out of the trunk when you park (thieves might see you and know where to go for valuables).

[donna@donnaanderson.com]

I figured out the best thing to do in this case for us was to book one day post cruise; I just booked it and it was at the Marriott for 1 night and cost $297 for 3. I am guessing we will get a red eye and I could not bear to get off the ship, rent a car all day and go on the plane all night; I never sleep during red eyes and you know unless you are in first class it is hard to bear after a wonderful cruise; it is just too much of a let down. So this way I can get off the plane; get the transfers to the hotel; lounge around the pool etc and the next day ask for a late check out. I have heard some past cruisers have been succesful getting late check outs at the Marriott.

If you do this you do not have to pay a flight deviation fee and NCL will change the date of of your plane departure to the next date.

I hope this was helpful.

[donna@donnaanderson.com]

Get a hotel through priceline; only bid about $65 and you may get the Radisson which is supposed to be pretty good; just use it for the day; hotel pool is supposed to be good; it is a few blocks from the beach etc.

[Hawaiian Eye]

Ever been to the Bishop Museum? :cool:

[wishkc]

Our flight was at 10:25 pm. It was good, though, because I slept quite alot. On Hawaiian Airlines, they keep the noise to a minimum on that flight.

[jlines]

NCL put us on AA for our Wind cruise. We took the transfer to the airport and saw about 2 hours worth of lines to check in and have luggage taken by security. A skycab asked where we were flying to and had us out of the airport within 15 minutes. We then took a bus back into Waikiki to enjoy the beach one last time before leaving. AA in Honolulu let us check our luggage in 7 hours early but Delta in Boston said no more than 4 hours so if we hadn't have had friends who could fit our luggage we would have had to sit in Logan for 6 hours before we could even check in. Check with your airline and see if you can check bags early if this is an option you'd like to try.

[worldsbestcandles]

norcalgal,

 

What day do you dock? You can get your transfer to the airport early and then go in and see if you can check your luggage early, I know some people who have done this, then you will already have your boarding passes and can just walk in to security when you get back. From there you have a couple of options:

 

1)Check to see if you can fly standby on an earlier flight, this is usually done at no charge (if you don't confirm it) and worst they can do is say no, BUT WHO WANTS TO LEAVE HAWAII EARLY!!! :D

 

2) Get a rental car (if the airline won't let you check your luggage then tkae with you and put in trunk as recommended above). If you dock on a Sunday or Wednesday then you could drive to the Swap meet at Aloha stadium and get all of your souvenirs for other people in one shot. Or as mentioned above, the Bishop museum is wonderful to learn more about the Hawaiian culture. You can hit the beach, climb diamondhead, go see Pearl Harbor, drive up to the Dole Pantation, do anythign you didn't get to do on your first 3 days there (or do something again that you loved!)

 

3) Once you make it back to the airport order a case of pineapples to be sent home with you. Last time I was there it was actually cheaper to order right at the airport than it was to pre-order from Dole. It is an extra piece of luggage and you pick it up when you land at the airport. Good stuff! Trust me when I say that once you have had Hawaiian pineapple, you will become a pineapple snob and won't be able to handle the Coata Rican stuff that is in the grocery stores on the mainland.... no disrespect, but just my opinion! I have my family in Hawaii send me pineapple periodically throughout the year just for this reason....

 

Good luck, whatever you decide and I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

Steph

[donna@donnaanderson.com]

Let us know what you plan to do after all these suggestions.

Thanks,

[cruzercat]

Norcalgal,

I just took a 10:30 flight out of Honolulu last week. It's not that bad. Ask if the cruise ship terminal can hold your luggage, I once did this in Genoa, Italy (you don't know if you don't ask) AND find out from your airline if the airport will check your luggage early. It's a hassle, but you can take a cab from the port to the airport to drop your luggage off (if the airline will take it early) OR, come back to the port to get your luggage (if the cruise terminal will hold it). I think the best deal would be to get NCL to transfer your luggage for you. Then, don't bother to rent a car. www.thebus.org goes everywhere you want to go on the island. You could begin by shopping at the International Marketplace in Waikiki, where you could also have lunch. On our last day, we tried to not to get sweaty or sandy because of our 10:30 flight, so we avoided the ocean or the hikes. You could take the bus to "Punchbowl", which is nice for history buffs and the view is incredible.

 

"Frommer's" has a good website with stuff to do.

 

 

 

Costa, Mediterranean, 2000

 

Royal Caribbean, Caribbean, 2002

 

Alaska, Celebrity, 2003

 

Panama Canal, Celebrity, 2005

[Kayelache]

We got off the Wind June1, and had a 9PM flight home. We checked our luggage at the pier ($5 per piece) got a rental car, drove to a Safeway where we got sandwiches, pop, chips etc., (The excellent Safeway sandwiches, by the way, are $4.95 here in Arizona, but were $3.95 in Hawaii. Must have been a special.) and headed up the coast til we found a super beach, where we had a picnic! Not another soul there but us! Time for a last swim. A gallon sized ziplock held the wet suits, but by the time we were ready to go, they were nearly dry. It was the perfect way to end a wonderful time in Hawaii. We allowed plenty of time for the horrendous Honolulu traffic back to the airport. There was no food served on the plane (well, pretzels) so we really should have picked some extra food for "dinner." The airport food concessions wanted $12 for a hamburger or sandwich. Consider yourself blessed to have an extra day in Beautiful Hawaii!

[donna@donnaanderson.com]

It is refreshing to find some who can get off the ship and have a red eye flight and have such a wonderful day their last day in Hawaii. Your picnic idea is wonderful. Afer all why do most people love Hawaii; because of the beaches, so why not relish enjoying the beach your last day!!

And you were giving a great word to the wise to pick up some food for the plane; after all, now unless you are in first class even if you are flying 7+ hrs they will only give you drinks and pretzels. Can not imagine an airline doing it and people still flying, but hopefully, someday soon that will change.

Glad you had such a nice vacation!

[norcalgal]

I imagine we'll rent a car and see the sites we didn't have a chance to see before the cruise. We have less than 3 weeks 'til vacation!

[donna@donnaanderson.com]

As long as you rent a car I think you will have a great day- and maybe you will get tired out so you can sleep during the flight. That would be great!

Have a wonderful trip!

[breeding]

The day we got off our whole family of nine rented a stretch hummer and did the express walk off. We were off the ship by 8:00 am. The hummer got us to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona about 9:30 but show tickets were not until 12:40. We explored the bowfin and the museum and ate a snack and it was time for the movie. Half of our family was taken to Wikiki beach for some fun in the water while the others were taken shopping. After 2 hours we were picked up and taken to Shorebirds to eat. We had a wonderful huge meal. Then the Hummer driver took us to a mall because the girls wanted to find a sweatshirt really fast to wear home. They each got one in about 30 minutes and then he took us to the airport. Our plane left at 9:30.

[nerisews]

Our flight home isn't until 9:30 PM. I had been toying with the idea of taking the North Shore excursion. It will get us to the airport @4:00 or so. I guess that is a little early. I like the idea of getting a hotel room for the day via Priceline.

[donna@donnaanderson.com]

Start now and bid $65 for 3 stars; if you do not get it; you can try again in 3 days I believe. Hopefully you will get the Radisson which is supposed to be pretty good and only 2 blocks from the beach.

If I did not do a day post cruise, this is the route I would take for sure.

Of course you will have to pay for transportation to the airport, so the car rental may be worth the extra money that it would cost for transportation fr the hotel to the airport.

Let us know how you make out!

[spleen93]

Just remember that when you book a standard hotel room, check in time is usually around 3 pm. Which means, that if you come in sooner, you MIGHT be able to get access to your room sooner but I wouldn't bet on it. This, of course, is the advantage of getting a "day room" versus getting a standard room - unfortunately, not many places in Hawaii offer day rooms.

 

Spleen

[norcalgal]

Looks like we'll be taking a circle Island tour with the cruise line. We won't have time to see the North Shore on our days before we board the ship, so this seems like the perfect solution (also solves the problem of what to do with our luggage.)

'Course my husband thinks that NCL booked us on such a late flight so that they can squeeze one more shore excursion out of us!!

[IBEW1]

Just remember that when you book a standard hotel room, check in time is usually around 3 pm. Which means, that if you come in sooner, you MIGHT be able to get access to your room sooner but I wouldn't bet on it. This, of course, is the advantage of getting a "day room" versus getting a standard room - unfortunately, not many places in Hawaii offer day rooms.

 

Spleen

 

Spleen,

 

First let me say thanks to you and everyone else for the tremendous amount of advice and info you provide. I know these boards have made our planning so much easier.

 

I was wondering if you're close to the pier, I think you could make a killing on storing luggage for all of us on the red eye home.

*SPLEEN'S STOW & GO* Picture it in blinking neon ;) Time to clean out that garage!

 

Seriously though, I'm not having any luck on day rooms. Called the Honolulu Airport Hotel and no day rooms for July and August.

 

I think someone mentioned "hostels", haven't a clue.

 

Bob

[spleen93]

Bob - sorry, not even anywhere close to the pier. I like the idea of the neon sign though. :D

 

Did you try the Best Western as well? There's also the option about going into Waikiki or town and getting a regular hotel room there. Even if you can't use the room until closer to regular check-in time, you could at least store your luggage with the hotel which would probably be safer than carting it around. Also, did you check with Aloha Tower to see if they offer luggage storage on the day that you disembark? That might be a good option as well. Since you're on the PoAm, NCL usually makes storage available for their passengers.

 

Spleen

[IBEW1]

Spleen you deserve a commendation.

 

I Called Best Western. Yes they have day rooms. $69.00 9AM - 6PM, may be able to get a later checkout.

 

Close to the airport,

Best Western - The Plaza Hotel

3253 N Nimitz Highway, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, 96819-1907 Phone: (808)836-3636

http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=12008&sob=c12

 

Bob