Hawaii Advice.

[josephml1]

Hello Everyone.

 

 

I need your experience help about what to do on each port and if you thing in some port would be a good idea to rent a car.

 

This are my ports of call:

 

Hilo

Honolulu

Kauai

Maui

Ensenada. 

 

Thank you all for your help and advice

[CruiserBruce]

Have you read down the board? Every port is covered in great detail. You would gain some important knowledge, like there are two locations you can come ashore on Maui, so what you do there, including if you rent a car, would depend on where you come ashore.

 

What you should do is what interests you. As we don't know anything about you, hard to tell you what you should do.

 

Renting a car in ports in Hawaii is regularly discussed here as a very good way to see Hawaii...depending on what you decide to do.

 

Ensenada is covered on the Mexican Rivera board.

[josephml1]

I am going to be in the grand princess, i am not sure in what port i will arrive.

Have you take this cruise before?

i am looking for most do dont miss kind of things on each port.

[CruiserBruce]

Again, you shouldn't miss what interests you.

 

Golden Princess probably tenders at Lahaina, on Maui(as opposed to docking at Kahalui). This complicates, a little, the rental car situation.

 

We have not cruised Hawaii. However, we have been to Hawaii over 30 times, never less than a week, and have a trip scheduled for October and March. For us, must do is golf and relax by the pool or on the beach. Snorkeling was must do when we were younger. Pearl Harbor, in as much detail as you have time, was a must do. The volcano on the Big Island is frequently mentioned as a must do here, and we would agree. But I have no idea what interests you.

[disneyochem]

We are on the Grand Princess in December 2019.   We have had a number of land vacations in Maui (hubby has relatives) but limited/no experience with the other islands so our priorities might be different from yours.  After extensive readings on this board, this is what we have planned for our Princess cruise:

 

Hilo—Aina Tours.  Small group tour (8 people) to go to volcanoes, orchid farm, etc.  Just booked excursion.  Don’t have to pay until on the tour.  Picked up at port.

 

Honolulu—Pearl Harbor is a must for my hubby.  Taking the public bus to the memorial and staying until he sees/tours everything.  Dinner reservations at House without Key.  Our port time is 8 am to 11 pm.

 

Kauai—car rented with Budget.  Member of their loyalty program so hopefully will expedite the process.  Taking shuttle from port to airport to get car.  Have purchased a GPS car tour and will focus on the west/south end of the island.

 

Maui— tendered at Lahaina.  We have spent many days in Maui so noth8ng is really a must do for us other than meeting an uncle for drinks.  I want to do a snorkeling trip but might do that DIY or through the ship since hubby wants to hang out at Fleetwood’s.

 

Ensenada—nothing.  We live in California and have visited/cruised to Mexico numerous times.  Will get off ship, get a margarita and be back on board for dinner.  Port time is 4 pm to 8 pm.

[PCWalton1]

On Kauai you can book through any of the major car rental companies as they all send shuttles to the pier. You need to decide whether you want to head north or south as it's too much to do in one day. South, you can take a drive up to Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. North you can see the Kilauea Lighthouse or the beaches of Hanalei Bay. 

 

We can give you random suggestions from our experience but not knowing what you likes/dislikes are our advise may be off base. If this is your first trip to Hawaii you need to take a little effort and do some of your own research. It's not hard to do. 

[josephml1]

Excellent advice, very usefull, I am tinking notes.

We will be traveling In december with 3 children. I thinkt the car will be a very good options.

 

Thanks everyone.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 8/24/2019 at 9:11 AM, disneyochem said:

Ensenada—nothing.  We live in California and have visited/cruised to Mexico numerous times.  Will get off ship, get a margarita and be back on board for dinner.  Port time is 4 pm to 8 pm.

 

Bite your tongue! Fish tacos in Ensenada of course.

[Silver Sweethearts]

2 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

Bite your tongue! Fish tacos in Ensenada of course.

 

We are sort of afraid they would come back and bite us, digestion-wise.  Where's your favorite/safest place for same?

[KeepCalmBearOn]

6 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

We are sort of afraid they would come back and bite us, digestion-wise.  Where's your favorite/safest place for same?

 

There are several discussions in the Mexican Riviera Forum under Ports of Call, but my three current favorites are Tacos de Pescado Marco Antonio, Makuko's Fish Tacos and Mariscos Bahia de Ensenada.

[disneyochem]

10 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

Bite your tongue! Fish tacos in Ensenada of course.

Hubby doesn’t eat fish.  He does drink tequila......😎

[josephml1]

Lobster burritos in Ensenada..

[Nang]

On 8/24/2019 at 12:59 PM, josephml1 said:

I am going to be in the grand princess, i am not sure in what port i will arrive.

Have you take this cruise before?

i am looking for most do dont miss kind of things on each port.

Not meaning to be rude at all but the first step in researching what to do should probably be determining what ports you are visiting.

 

If as noted above you are visiting Lahaina just exploring the town on foot is a great day. If you are into music/bars I can recommend the Hard Rock Cafe (it is more retro than most and has some good old photos) and Fleetwoods (bar owned by Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac - its has some great memorabilia in the "shop" downstairs and the bar walls upstairs).

 

A tour to the volcano and lava flows from Hilo was a great day for us.

 

From Lihue we did a zipline tour. If you are a little adventurous and reasonably active it is a real blast and the views were truly amazing but don't do if you are afraid of heights.

[CruiserBruce]

7 hours ago, Nang said:

If as noted above you are visiting Lahaina just exploring the town on foot is a great day. If you are into music/bars I can recommend the Hard Rock Cafe (it is more retro than most and has some good old photos) and Fleetwoods (bar owned by Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac - its has some great memorabilia in the "shop" downstairs and the bar walls upstairs).

 

 

Hard Rock Cafe in Lahaina closed 3 or 4 years ago. Fleetwoods is still there.

 

The one in Waikiki moved to a new location about 5 years ago. Some of the best fish tacos I have ever eaten.

[josephml1]

Thanks you very much for your advice. 

[bmar808]

On 8/23/2019 at 4:31 PM, josephml1 said:

Hello Everyone.

 

 

I need your experience help about what to do on each port and if you thing in some port would be a good idea to rent a car.

 

This are my ports of call:

 

Hilo

Honolulu

Kauai

Maui

Ensenada. 

 

Thank you all for your help and advice

Hi,

Do you enjoy history, museums, and learning?  If so, Pearl Harbor on Honolulu is always a good bet.  As a Polynesian, other suggestions I often recommend for visiting first-timers are 'Iolani Palace or even the Polynesian Cultural Center.  'Iolani Palace highlights our Hawaiian heritage, while PCC also includes villages from Aotearoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Fiji, and Samoa; and has interactive activities.  With that said, PCC is in La'ie, which is about an hour drive from downtown Honolulu, but if you rented a car you would also the beauty that lies outside of Waikiki/Downtown.  I will say this: if you make this journey and want to eat where the locals eat, stop at one of the shrimp trucks or Papa Ole's in La'ie.  Affordable and amazing!   Otherwise, if you enjoy more physical activities, the island is abundant with swimming, snorkeling, fishing, deep sea diving, hunting, hiking, etc.  I personally suggest going outside of Waikiki because it is too crowded and does not truly depict the beauty of the islands, but that may not be what you are looking for.

Without knowing what you guys like to do, I do not want to potentially bore you with my many suggestions on each of the islands but please let me know if I can be of further help.

[josephml1]

Hi, we are going to be there with children, thank you for your advice

[ell52]

13 hours ago, josephml1 said:

Hi, we are going to be there with children, thank you for your advice

 

As previous posters have noted, please provide more information if you want to get more relevant suggestions.  

 

e.g.  How old are the children? Are they old enough to enjoy and have the patience for historical tours and museums?  What are their interests? What are your interests? Do you/they like to be at the beach? Are they swimmers and snorkelers?  What have you all enjoyed as a family on other vacations?

Edited September 29, 2019 by ell52

[cb at sea]

A guidebook on Hawaii will be very helpful.  Libraries have them, or buy one.  The more you know, the better you can plan!

[josephml1]

On 9/29/2019 at 1:08 PM, ell52 said:

 

As previous posters have noted, please provide more information if you want to get more relevant suggestions.  

 

e.g.  How old are the children? Are they old enough to enjoy and have the patience for historical tours and museums?  What are their interests? What are your interests? Do you/they like to be at the beach? Are they swimmers and snorkelers?  What have you all enjoyed as a family on other vacations?

Hi, I have 3 daughters 6,5 and 3 years old

 

yes they will enjoy beach and swimming, I do not think that they will enjoy museums,

 

Thank you for your advice.

[SunshineGirl100]

On ‎11‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 11:18 PM, josephml1 said:

Hi, I have 3 daughters 6,5 and 3 years old

 

yes they will enjoy beach and swimming, I do not think that they will enjoy museums,

 

Thank you for your advice.

When we was traveling with our twin boys, I found the best tours for us were private tours. With little kids, I personally found it more stressful when we tried to drive ourselves or take a tour with other people. When we drove, we had to know where to go and what to do which always is stressful in a new place. When we went on group tours, our kids never want to wait for everyone else. they want to move at their own speed, being able to do what we want. My advice would be to enjoy a private tour with your little family where you can. Let your tour guide do all the work, and you enjoy your time with your little family 🙂 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 11/12/2019 at 11:19 AM, SunshineGirl100 said:

When we was traveling with our twin boys, I found the best tours for us were private tours.

 

I have twins and a third and my experience is 180°. Driving myself, especially on a small island is easier and lets me control everything, including what to see. I want to see what I want to see, based on my research of a place, not based on what someone else thinks I should see.

[SunshineGirl100]

On ‎11‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 2:43 PM, scottca075 said:

 

I have twins and a third and my experience is 180°. Driving myself, especially on a small island is easier and lets me control everything, including what to see. I want to see what I want to see, based on my research of a place, not based on what someone else thinks I should see.

I guess we have had different experiences! When I'm traveling in a new place, I prefer someone driving that is an expert on where we are. I don't know where the closest bathrooms are...I don't know where the best place is to get an ice cream or find an ATM. our tour guide did what we wanted and we had and expert to handle all the work. I was able to be a passenger with my children instead of being the driver or the navigator. But I am not a big fan of driving...I live someplace where we only have bikes and golf carts...so driving to me is definitely stressful 🙂

[R & T]

Trying to decide between Hanalei Valley , 4hr.30min. tour with RCCL or Waimea Canyon,5 hr. tour with RCCL in Kauai.  Any opinions  or suggestions?  Thanks

[josephml1]

Thank you very much