Beaches in Maui help requested

[wants2cruise2]

has anyone been to Kaanapali Beach, in Maui?

 

Is it a good choice for a beach day off of the Radiance docked in Lahaina? I'm looking for easy to get to/from and maybe chair rentals, restrooms, restaurants and shade.

Pictures I'm seeing show a lovely path to stroll on.

 

Any info or alternate suggestions very appreciated.

[CruiserBruce]

First, you don't dock in Lahaina. It is a tender port.

 

There are many threads here about Ka'anapali. It is a very nice beach, good swimming and snorkeling- particularly by Black Rock. It is easily reachable by taxi or bus from Lahaina. Specific costs are mentioned in the many threads about Ka'anapali, as are discussions about beach amenities. There are many hotels/resorts there, with food, etc.

[Susan-M]

It's a nice beach, but you might find it to be a long day - although I guess you could shop at Whaler's Village, have lunch at one of the many restaurants and stroll the Kaanpaali Beach Walk between the Sheraton and the Hyatt. It's a busy area with hotels and condos packed in fairly close together.

 

I'm pretty sure that you can rent chairs & cabanas or umbrella at the Sheraton - and maybe the Westin Hotel. I don't think there's any shade on the beach, so an umbrella or cabana would be worthwhile.

 

Have you considered renting a car for the day and exploring some of W. Maui and a couple of beaches? Napili is very nice - as is Kapalua (they are beside each other). Driving from Kapalua to Nakalele Blowhole provides amazing scenery, and walking part of the Kapalua Coastal Trail (e.g. from Kapalua Beach to Oneloa Beach) would be a highlight.

Edited May 4, 2016 by Susan-M

[cccole]

If you are a beach person Kaanapali is a great day. You can rent everything you asked about, plus snorkel, SUP, surf, swim, walk, eat at great restaurants, etc. I have not been on a cruise in the Hawaiian Islands but from reading reviews, it is a very port intensive cruise. A beautiful day on the beach in Kaanapali would be heaven to me. And then, there's always the best shave ice on Maui when you get back to Lahaina. I don't know what time of year you are going but you could always include Kaanapali with a dolphin or whale watch boat from Lahaina. And then, there is always the ferry to Lanai with fabulous beaches and snorkeling. Of course, this is JMO but I think Kaanapali is a great beach day. Cherie p.s. I just noticed you will be cruising in September. A fabulous time in Hawaii but usually too early for whales. We enjoyed a zodiac dolphin/snorkel trip that was a lot of fun.

Edited May 4, 2016 by cccole

[PCWalton1]

I concur with the others on Ka'anapali Beach. Several times we have stayed a week at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel and the beach was a great place to spend time. As for getting there from the wharf in Lahaina a taxi would probably be less than $20 as last month we took a taxi from the wharf to Kapalua Airport which is further north to pick up our rental car and it was only $20 up to there.

[wants2cruise2]

Everyone is so nice and helpful.

Thank you for all the info.

 

That's why I love cruise critic.

[Dreamer115]

When we were in Lahaina on the Radiance a couple of years ago there was a free shuttle just off the ship that took you to Whalers Village. Take that and you are set for the day.

[Astro Flyer]

When we were in Lahaina on the Radiance a couple of years ago there was a free shuttle just off the ship that took you to Whalers Village. Take that and you are set for the day.

The Whalers website only shows a free shuttle from some hotels & not from Lahaina.

 

"Catch the free Kaanapali Resort Shuttle between your hotel and Whalers Village. Or take the Lahaina shuttle for just $2".

 

http://www.whalersvillage.com/visitor.htm

 

I haven't attempted to use the $2 shuttle because it only runs hourly & with a ship anchored off Lahaina it could be jammed with cruise ship passengers. Another option is to pay about $20 each way to Ka'anapali.

[Cruisin' Chick]

There's a $2 bus you can catch from the back of Cinema Wharf Mall, but it tends to get crowded so for our most recent cruise, we got a taxi to take us to Whaler's Village. That was our destination, but we did walk along that path.

[wants2cruise2]

sounds like a shuttle for $2 there, and a taxi back on our time frame, might be the best way to go.

[Astro Flyer]

sounds like a shuttle for $2 there, and a taxi back on our time frame, might be the best way to go.

Hopefully that works for you but with only hourly departures from the back of the Wharf Cinema Center there's a possibility that you couldn't get on the bus with thousands of passengers in port & have to wait another hour.

 

http://thewharfcinemacenter.com/bus-schedule/

 

http://www.co.maui.hi.us/605/Bus-Service-Information

 

That is the most current schedule info I can find but the price has increased to $2.

[smslms]

Normally when in Maui we're driving a car however, once when on a cruise we did use the shuttle behind the cinema to go up to Whalers' Village. We were surprised that it wasn't at all busy but we were on South Pacific cruise to Australia and it turned out that very few people even knew about the bus.

 

On a Hawaii return cruise it would probably be much busier.

[Astro Flyer]

Normally when in Maui we're driving a car however, once when on a cruise we did use the shuttle behind the cinema to go up to Whalers' Village. We were surprised that it wasn't at all busy but we were on South Pacific cruise to Australia and it turned out that very few people even knew about the bus.

 

On a Hawaii return cruise it would probably be much busier.

 

That's encouraging & we usually drive our car from South Maui to Lahaina & have only arrived in Lahaina twice on a cruise ship.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Astro Flyer