Attractions on Kona and Kauai

[Kymcole25]

Hi all!

My fiancé and I will be cruising on the Carnival Miracle in January, and we're trying to figure things out now. At this point we've decided on activities for 3 of the 5 islands, and could use some advice/suggestions for the others.

 

We'll be renting a car while visiting Honolulu and going to the zoo, aquarium, and the dole plantation. On Mauai we're also going to be renting a car and driving the Road to Hana. On Hilo, again we're renting a car and visiting the Wailuku River State Park, and possibly the Pepeekeo Scenic Drive.

 

We have the least amount of time in port on Kona and Kauai, so we're trying to determine whether or not there are attractions that would make renting the car worth while. Anyone have any suggestions on things to do/see on these islands near the ports? Is there anything that would be a must see that we may need to rent a car for?

 

Thanks!

[Tahitidream]

Driving to Waimea Canyon and then beyond til the road ends at the top of the Napali coast is a must. Looking down through the moving clouds to the ocean was like being in Heaven! If you only have a short time, do that!!

 

Have fun

[lovebears]

Driving to Waimea Canyon and then beyond til the road ends at the top of the Napali coast is a must. Looking down through the moving clouds to the ocean was like being in Heaven! If you only have a short time, do that!!

 

Have fun

 

Which port is Walmea Canyon?

[puddles99]

You may already know this, but Kona and Hilo are both on the Big Island (opposite sides). Kona is very walkable, but if you want to get out of town you could drive and visit coffee plantations. If you enjoy snorkeling and enjoying the underwater sights, I highly recommend Captain Zodiac (http://www.captainzodiac.com/).

 

Kauai is unparalleled from a scenic point of view. Depending on your interests & budget, I would suggest a helicopter tour (we took the absolutely AMAZING Jurassic Landing Adventure through Island Helicopters - https://www.islandhelicopters.com/). If you're not up for that, I would second the idea of driving up to Waimea Canyon.

 

Enjoy your adventure!

Edited April 10, 2014 by puddles99

[Tahitidream]

Sorry,

 

It's on Kauai.

[VideoTech]

Hi all!

My fiancé and I will be cruising on the Carnival Miracle in January, and we're trying to figure things out now. At this point we've decided on activities for 3 of the 5 islands, and could use some advice/suggestions for the others.

 

We'll be renting a car while visiting Honolulu and going to the zoo, aquarium, and the dole plantation. On Mauai we're also going to be renting a car and driving the Road to Hana. On Hilo, again we're renting a car and visiting the Wailuku River State Park, and possibly the Pepeekeo Scenic Drive.

 

We have the least amount of time in port on Kona and Kauai, so we're trying to determine whether or not there are attractions that would make renting the car worth while. Anyone have any suggestions on things to do/see on these islands near the ports? Is there anything that would be a must see that we may need to rent a car for?

 

Thanks!

 

I don't know how much time you have on Hilo, but the real *must* is Volcanoes National Park. You'll see rivers and waterfalls by the dozen on the road to Hana in Maui, but the Big Island has the active volcanoes and the closest port is Hilo. You do need a car to get up to the park, or take an excursion if you don't want to deal with the rent car.

 

Same thing with Kauai - if you have time, you really need to drive up to Waimea Canyon. It is spectacular and you really shouldn't miss it...and if the weather is good, and you have time, as suggested above, you should drive on up past the Canyon to the end of the road at the top of the Na Pali coast.

 

From Kona, you can drive south to the "Place of Refuge" which is an interesting historic site with a long Hawaiian name that I won't even attempt to replicate here. There are also many wonderful small towns and great beaches up and down the coast, but I'd also say that Kona is one of the places where you don't necessarily need a car.

 

No matter what you do, you won't be able to do it all, and I will tell you that driving anywhere in Hawaii will take you longer than you expect, so leave some extra time in your plans.

[Catlade]

I would very much recommend Mary Lou's tours for both of these ports. We did it 2 weeks ago and loved her ! Groups are 4-6 people and tailored to what you want to do. Her and her husband Ken cover both sides of the island.

[cruisnpat]

check out (Wings over Kauai) on the island of Kauai. It looks like a great tour. We have it booked on our trip in Sept.

 

A must see is the VNP while in Hilo.

[elhenry]

I would very much recommend Mary Lou's tours for both of these ports. We did it 2 weeks ago and loved her ! Groups are 4-6 people and tailored to what you want to do. Her and her husband Ken cover both sides of the island.

 

We had Ken on both Hilo and Kona, and we second those remarks : he was great.

 

If you want to go on your own, VNP is the must see in Hilo. In Kona, we went snorkeling at Place of Refuge, and skipped the park. Best highlight for me (and very near the port) Mauka Meadows, a lovely Japanese garden with estate coffee for sale.

 

Also white pineapple from the Farmer's Market. Another find, thanks to Ken...

 

happy cruising,

el henry

[Taters]

My husband and I went on our first cruise to Hawaii 10 years ago and rented a card at each of the 5 ports. We regretted it - The reason being that by that 4th day, we were tired of driving ourselves around, looking at maps and fighting in traffic in some instances. 5 port days in a row is a lot, and having to drive, drive, drive every day became tedious. I've just booked another cruise to Hawaii for this coming December and we have opted to rent a car for only one day to go see Volcanoes National Park. This plan appeals to me very much. I am looking forward to a more relaxing trip this time. :-)

 

Cheers,

 

Taters

Edited April 13, 2014 by Taters

[Beachdude]

My husband and I went on our first cruise to Hawaii 10 years ago and rented a card at each of the 5 ports. We regretted it - The reason being that by that 4th day, we were tired of driving ourselves around, looking at maps and fighting in traffic in some instances. 5 port days in a row is a lot, and having to drive, drive, drive every day became tedious. Cheers,

 

Taters

 

The only people in a hurry in Hawaii are the tourist. While we really enjoyed our Hawaiian cruise, the first visit to Hawaii should be a land vacation so that you can mellow out with the locals. There are few experiences on a ship that touch the soul while drinking a cup of coffee on the beach during the sun rise.

 

Burt

[Taters]

My husband used to live in Hawaii, so we weren't in a hurry. But spending every day of our time on shore driving around was not relaxing.

[Bomax2]

We took a helicopter tour in Kauai last week. It was excellent! We used Safari Helicopters and they provided pick up and return to the pier. Kauai was beautiful from the air! Our tour was 50 - 55 minutes. We also took a tour to Hanalei that was very nice, however, it was a long drive over to the other side of the island.

[dcikon2]

We got off of the ship early and drove to Waimea Canyon. We got there before all of the tour buses. We ended up taking a catamaran / snorkeling excursion to the Napali Coast in the afternoon. That was a great experience. Please go with Captain Zodiac if you like snorkeling. This is done in Kona.