Hilo Help

[beeandkmon]

Making a decision about Hilo. We are coming in on the POA We would really like to see VNP. I had reserved a car for this day but now am having second thoughts! After google mapping I realized how far the airport is from the park and this is a short day. Was thinking about the Mary Lou tour. Any suggestions?

[AlanAllyn]

We used Mary Lou and had a wonderful excursion.

[mich70]

We use her too last year and she is really nice with a great tour.

[honeymooner27]

We rented a car and drove ourselves. It really wasn't that far (took us 30-40 minutes) and we like having the freedom to stop along the way and on the way back. We spent most of the day at VNP but didn't feel rushed at all to get the car back. We fit in a few extra stops on the way back to the airport and still caught one of the last shuttles to the ship. If you're up for an adventure I highly suggest researching yourself and stopping at every stop that you want :) it's absolutely amazing so I'm sure no matter what you decide it will be a great day!

[beeandkmon]

Thanks I think we will stick with the car!

[mnchkn11]

We rented a car and had plenty of time. We even went past VNP to Punaluu Black Sand Beach (highly recommend). We were worried about time too. We got down to the disembarkation point early- before the captain even announced that people could get off the ship. We were some of the first people off the ship, and when we got to the car rental pickup location the driver waited a few minutes but then took us to the car rental location at the airport before anyone else even got off the ship! We avoided long lines that way. We rented from Hertz at Hilo. We also planned out every stop we wanted to make at VNP, and drove to the end of Chain or Craters Road before stopping (we made stops on the way back). We made it back to the ship in plenty of time.

[allesonwonderland]

We rented a car and had plenty of time. We even went past VNP to Punaluu Black Sand Beach (highly recommend). We were worried about time too. We got down to the disembarkation point early- before the captain even announced that people could get off the ship. We were some of the first people off the ship, and when we got to the car rental pickup location the driver waited a few minutes but then took us to the car rental location at the airport before anyone else even got off the ship! We avoided long lines that way. We rented from Hertz at Hilo. We also planned out every stop we wanted to make at VNP, and drove to the end of Chain or Craters Road before stopping (we made stops on the way back). We made it back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

 

Glad to hear you fit both in without a problem. We were trying to decide if we wanted to drive straight to Pulaluu and then just watch the clock at VNP on the way back, or go to VNP first and possibly have to skip the beach if sightseeing was taking too long.

[cr8tiv1]

I was in Hilo in February (9-5) and had plenty of time to drive up to the National Park but didn't do it all. It was cold and very wet. I would suggest renting a car from Enterprise Hilo Town. You will avoid the airport tax, crowds, and it is a straight shot from the agency to the volcano. They will pick you up and drop you off at the cruise terminal. Here are some must do's (pick and choose): Jaggar Museum, VNP visitor center (near entrance), Volcano NP Hotel and view into Halemaumau Crater (recently renovated), Thurston Lava Tubes, Chain of Craters road (long drive), if you can get up there by 10 AM....a ranger walk to Kilauea. The movies in the Visitor's Center are also worth watching.

 

In my opinion, Hilo is one of the best ports and there is just not enough time to do her justice. There's a great farmer's market on Wednesday and Saturday, beautiful waterfalls, Queen Lilioukalani Gardens/Coconut Island, the Tsunami Museum, Lyman Museum, The Palace Theater on Wednesdays, and much, much more. Flying over the lava flows in a helicopter with the doors off was awesome. Would love to do the Lava Boats and/or walk along Kalapana Coastline. Southpoint is the furthest point south in the United States. There is the Hamakua Coast with lots of small towns. A drive to Mauna Kea...and the list goes on and on.

 

Enjoy,

Displaced Local Girl

[Budget Queen]

I too, have driven to Volcano National Park several times. Very easy to do in the port time. Benefit over a tour, is to pick and choose your areas of interest and activities. A tour is going to be fixed. A couple trips I had plenty of time to drive to the end of the Crater Road.

 

Key is to not waste time in the morning and get an early start.

[elhenry]

Just off the POA (7/6) sailing. Used Mary Lou's tours and our family toured with her DH Ken both days on the Big Island. Cannot recommend them highly enough. Sure, you could drive yourself, but they will tailor the tour exactly to your request, have great insights into "should sees" and "can skip", and I found the pricing quite reasonable. Either way, you'll have a great time.

 

el henry