departing honolulu

[appleosprey]

HI everyone, I just wanted some tips for departing honolulu

 

we are leaving in ac couple of days and have 4 suitcases, we have a hire car which we have to return to the airport.

 

I was hoping to drive to the cruise terminal and drop of the bags and then drive to the airport to return the car and make our own way without suitcases

 

Is this possible to drive up to the baggage drop off?

 

also any ideas on the best way to get back from the airport? Taxi?

 

Thanks in advance for any tips

 

Cheers

[Clarea]

You might also wish to post your question in the Hawaii forum:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=62

[emeraldcity]

I imagine it's the same terminal that the Pride of America uses (freight terminal, converted for the day). No problem with dropping off passengers in front and then heading back to the airport. Traffic will be congested ... but then that is a fact of life in Honolulu now.

 

Taxi is your best way back I suspect. Hopefully the rental car place can call you a taxi to get back. Otherwise, you'll have to take their shuttle back to the airport (about 5-minutes en transit) and then locate ground transportation.

[LeeW]

Airport is a long way from the cruise terminals - you might want to look into a rental car that has dropoffs in town. Most companies have a lot of local offices.

[emeraldcity]

Airport is a long way from the cruise terminals - you might want to look into a rental car that has dropoffs in town. Most companies have a lot of local offices.

 

That's very true. Your family is going to have a long wait for you to rejoin them.

[appleosprey]

Thanks for your help

 

We are going to just get a taxi from the Alamo locational the airport as I imagine it will be busy and hectic at the cruise terminal

 

:)

[Desert Cruizers]

My suggestions would be to drop of the car a day early and take a cab or hotel shuttle to the cruise terminal. The airport is a ways out from the Cruise terminal. We used Eno Shuttle for a Circle island Tour perhaps they will pick you up & drop off at the Cruise Terminal. Will get the link for you.

[Hawaiifrank]

Airport is a long way from the cruise terminals - you might want to look into a rental car that has dropoffs in town. Most companies have a lot of local offices.

 

Depends on your definition of "a long way". I lived on Oahu for 33 years. We left in 2008. You will probably find the airport location cheaper than the Waikiki/hotel locations.

 

The airport is 5.2 miles straight down Nimitz Highway. Traffic can be a problem, but unless you go at rush hour (7 to 9 am and 3 to 6 pm), it should not take more than 20 min or so in a cab to get back to Aloha Tower from the airport.

 

I was back there on Carnival Spirit September, 2012. Traffic was worse but not gridlocked yet. We had a friend pick us up for the ride to the airport to get the car and had the car for 3 weeks. We also used Alamo. The rental location is right there on Nimitz (actually a service road parallel to Nimitz).

 

On the map it's called State Rt. 92, but everyone uses the name rather than the number. I didn't even know there was a number till I looked at Google Maps. Nimitz runs under the elevated H-1 freeway for a ways there by the airport.

 

I would drop off the bags first about mid-day or earlier and let all but the driver browse the Aloha Tower Marketplace. You'll be back within an hour or so.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Hawaiifrank

[CGBCruiser]

My suggestions would be to drop of the car a day early and take a cab or hotel shuttle to the cruise terminal. The airport is a ways out from the Cruise terminal. We used Eno Shuttle for a Circle island Tour perhaps they will pick you up & drop off at the Cruise Terminal. Will get the link for you.

 

I totally agree here...just take it back the evening before your cruise. In Honolulu it's not about how far it is, it's the traffic! It's awful. A taxi one-way from the airport to Waikiki is $40. You can get a shuttle from the airport to Waikiki hotels for $15 p/p.

[Let'sGo!]

I was just in Hawaii this past May. Heed the advice of others... drop off your car the evening before. You might even see if there another location you can drop off the car closer to your hotel -- even if they charge you a fee for the drop off at a different location, the cost of the taxi might be so much less that it negates that expense.

 

There are lots of discounted shuttle services in Honolulu -- CC guidelines prevent me from sending you websites, but Google or check out suggestions on Trip Advisor. Will definitely be cheaper than a taxi and much less of a headache on cruise day!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Ann

[Desert Cruizers]

We came in off the Transpacific April 27, 2014 and utilized the free shuttle to travel between Waikiki and the Aloha Towers.

[MichaelCMTX]

When we went, the car dropped us off at the terminal around 3pm (just before The Real Traffic hit) and it was a total ghost town. We had every check in desk at our disposal without another passenger to be seen.

 

Our thoughts were the ship's not leaving until ___ o'clock and we'll be on it for the next 11 days. We'd rather do Honolulu for a few more hours than get on the ship as soon as possible.

[astro1861]

We were on Rhapsody of the Seas in 2014, and we boarded in Honolulu. We were on the island for several days pre-cruise and had a rental car the whole time. Out hotel was in the Ko-Olina area, which is about 45 minutes away from the dock (or longer, if there is heavy traffic).

 

On departure day, we left the hotel and drove to the dock. There is a small area to unload the car, but you cannot leave your car there. All you can do is unload and give your luggage to the porters. However, there is a pay parking lot across the street. So after unloading the luggage, we parked the car in the pay lot. We then proceeded with getting checked-in and boarding the ship. Once we were aboard, I got off the ship to drive the car back to the airport. The others in our party could enjoy the ship.

 

I encountered some traffic going to the airport, and I also had to allow time to fill up the tank. In fact, I allowed plenty of time just in case of unexpected delays. From the airport, I took a cab back to the dock. It all worked well.

 

By the way, leaving the ship and getting back on were easy. You simply walk out the same way you came aboard. When I was done dropping off the car, getting back on board was fast because I already had my sea pass card.