Pre-Cruise stay on Oahu

[Luv Cruising Land or Sea]

As I was reading your ideas and questions about your trip to Hawaii, I was hoping that you came back and answered what worked and what didn't with your plan. We are thinking of going Feb. 2017 and will use your review and suggestions. Thanks again for the review.

 

Glad I could help - there are so many great suggestions and ideas on these boards but I found after a while it got very confusing. I love doing the research for our trips but it can be overwhelming as everyone has different tastes - so I started by making a list from each review of "suggestions" then I do the research on those things that sound most interesting to me and make my plans.

 

Because of the cost and time it takes to get us to Hawaii (coming from MA) we wanted to spend more time there than just the cruise - we arrived on Wednesday and had 2 1/2 days to see Oahu and then boarded the ship for the 7 days - we also went to Maui for 4 days after the cruise so we had a full 2 weeks there. We felt like we did everything we set out to do.

 

We were busy but not exhausted - it's very hard not to try to "see it all"!

 

There are some great tour books out there but I also went to my local AAA and got maps and guides from them before we went - the trick there is to remember to PACK them! I'm an oldie and I like a map in my hands not on my GPS! An idea I picked up from another CC member on the trip - she had mapped her places to go on google maps so she knew exactly where she wanted to go and how long it would take and printed her maps - we were a little bit freer with our timing and the driving guide books with maps that the rental car gives you work great.

 

Happy planning - and ask away - everyone on these boards are a wealth of information!

 

Cindi

[pattyj 1204]

This will be our first trip to Hawaii and our first non-celebrity cruise. Was it easy to find your way around to the sites? What about the costs for those, reasonable. We are thinking that the precruise offer with tours from POA might be cheaper. Looking forward to seeing PH, Waikiki, Volcano park, Guess I really need to get the books out. Thanks again for all your ideas.

[punkincc]

This will be our first trip to Hawaii and our first non-celebrity cruise. Was it easy to find your way around to the sites? What about the costs for those, reasonable. We are thinking that the precruise offer with tours from POA might be cheaper. Looking forward to seeing PH, Waikiki, Volcano park, Guess I really need to get the books out. Thanks again for all your ideas.

 

 

The POA cruise package is discussed often here. Be sure to check out hotel and tour prices individually. My opinion, and others feel the same, is that you pay a huge premium for letting the cruise line book these things for you. You really can do it much cheaper on your own. Rental cars are very inexpensive and for many things, you really do not need a booked tour. Driving in Waikiki and Honolulu itself can be a challenge, but once you get out of Honolulu, the driving is very simple.

[Luv Cruising Land or Sea]

The POA cruise package is discussed often here. Be sure to check out hotel and tour prices individually. My opinion, and others feel the same, is that you pay a huge premium for letting the cruise line book these things for you. You really can do it much cheaper on your own. Rental cars are very inexpensive and for many things, you really do not need a booked tour. Driving in Waikiki and Honolulu itself can be a challenge, but once you get out of Honolulu, the driving is very simple.

 

 

 

I agree with punkincc There are a number of great tour companies out there in addition to the pre-cruise package and they are all discussed on the port forum for Hawaii but we compared what we did on our on with another couple on our cruise who went with the"pre-cruise package and the only thing different beside the cost was that we were free to spend as much or little time at the various places rather than be on someone else's "clock". Check out the Hawaii port forums for tips on getting the best car rentals, etc. We did what is referred to as The circle tour for about a third of the cost by doing our own thing and probably saw more

 

 

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[pattyj 1204]

Sometimes when you go on an organized tour you get more information than you can on your own. That is also to be considered. We did book our cruise and an extra day in Honolulu. If we don't like or feel like the offered tours are something that we aren't interested in we can just cancel that tour. Then we will be able to substitute. Once again thanks for all the ideas.