NCL Hawaii 7 day cruise - shore excursions vs car hire at own pace

[BrookeJ75]

Hi All

 

Interested if car hire in each port is achievable vs spending money on the shore excursions.  When travelling we always do our own thing and never take arranged tours.  Very confident in setting itinerary and navigating places/maps.

 

Travelling on the POA in September for the first time!! TIA

[Crazy planning mom]

For us, we did a combination.  We were glad we took the Haleakala at Sunset excursion.  It was one of the highlights of our cruise.

We did rent a car one day in Kauai and one day in Maui.  In Kauai, we downloaded the gypsy app and used it to go to Waimea Canyon.  It was like our own personal tour guide for five bucks.  Cars do sell out so reserve in advance.

We rented through Discount Hawaii Car Rental website which we learned about through the Hawaii Cruise Port Message Board.

[rhapsodybluezz]

We did mostly car rentals. We rented a car one day in Oahu before our cruise. Then rented a car for both days on Maui and one day on Kauai. On the big island we took an independent tour with Ricky's Tours at Hilo and just walked around Kona. I'm retired from Avis so I get the employee rate of 25.00 a day - so it was an easy choice for us.

[mcmomny]

We rented a car on every island but booked Road to Hana with a tour company and not thru NCL.

Found driving so much more enjoyable as we could stop when we wanted to and do whatever fit our fancy that day!

[Crown Vic]

14 hours ago, BrookeJ75 said:

Hi All

 

Interested if car hire in each port is achievable vs spending money on the shore excursions.  When travelling we always do our own thing and never take arranged tours.  Very confident in setting itinerary and navigating places/maps.

 

Travelling on the POA in September for the first time!! TIA

Go online to the tour company Roberts Hawaii. Last time we were on the PoA, the Roberts’ tours mirrored (almost) the NCL tours and at an attractive price. Worth a ‘butchers’. Cheers!

p.s. Hope you were not affected by the flooding.

Edited May 21, 2022 by Crown Vic

[MNcruisingcouple]

In Dec 2019, we rented a car in every port and were so glad we did.  More time spent on the actual activity and much more personalized.  We used primarily Hertz because of price and convenience at that time.  

[Travelling2Some]

We rented a car for each island BUT that was before the current rental car shortage, which I have read is particularly acute in Hawaii.  Before you make a decision, check to see what the rates are now.  We have put off or modified several vacations over the past year due to sky high car rental prices.  Also, if you do decide to rent cars then don't wait - book as soon as possible.

Edited May 22, 2022 by Travelling2Some

[oz61]

We have been on this cruise twice and both times we hired cars on certain days. For both cruises we hired a car on the first day in Maui, as there was no limit on what time we returned. We did have trouble on the second cruise getting picked up outside the port and two of us ended up walking to the depot which was not too far away. Make sure you book from Kahului (the first time, our travel agent nearly booked us a car at Lahaina). The first time we went zip lining at Kaanapali and golfing at Kapalua. The second time we drove to Iao Needle and then on to Lahaina.

 

The first day in Kauai is the other good day to book. The first time we drove around to Waimea, stopping along the way. The second time we drove in the other direction to Hanalei Bay and stopped along the way at the various falls.

 

The driving on these islands is fairly easy for Australians not used to the other side of the road. We took out full insurance cover so we didn't have to worry about anything!

 

We hired a car in Oahu the first time we were there and did our own "Circle" tour which was good.The GPS even had sights preprogrammed into it e.g. Chinaman's hat, etc. It was a little stressful returning in the afternoon with all the traffic. If I had the time, I would split it over two days.

 

It depends what you want to do on the other days. There are good excursions from Kona and being a tender port, we went with the ship zodiac boat trip to Kealakekua Bay (where Captain Cook died) - fabulous snorkelling! Kona is an easy port to walk around without a car if you don't want to go anywhere.

 

We went to the Volcano National Park the first time in Hilo. The second time we had a really fun kayak excursion which was through the ship.

 

 

[df5250]

We took the Hawaii cruise 6 years ago. There were 4 of us and we rented a 4 door Jeep in all of our ports. We loved having the freedom of touring on our own.  From the road to Hana (all the way around) to surmise on Haleakala to tubing in an irrigation ditch and a doors off helicopter tour, plus the national parks (we had an annual pass that saved us some money)… we had a blast driving around!

[Magnetchief]

We just returned. 

There was no issue renting a car in every port including the 4 day pre cruise trip.

Most rentals were from the closest airports. 

Only 1 port had a shuttle, rest of the time we used a taxi to collect and return the cars.

Parking overnight was available when we booked 2 days. we parked near to the ship.

 

We exclusively used the 'Shaka app' for guides. Excellent value, about $20 per tour.

If I was to go again we would do exactly the same.

 

 

https://www.shakaguide.com/

[opshannon]

10 hours ago, Magnetchief said:

We just returned. 

There was no issue renting a car in every port including the 4 day pre cruise trip.

Most rentals were from the closest airports. 

Only 1 port had a shuttle, rest of the time we used a taxi to collect and return the cars.

Parking overnight was available when we booked 2 days. we parked near to the ship.

 

We exclusively used the 'Shaka app' for guides. Excellent value, about $20 per tour.

If I was to go again we would do exactly the same.

 

 

https://www.shakaguide.com/

What were the rates like? I'm seeing insane prices for Kauai.

[Gracelyn]

11 hours ago, Magnetchief said:

Only 1 port had a shuttle, rest of the time we used a taxi to collect and return the cars.

P

Can you tell me what port had the shuttle and did you preorganize taxis?

gracelyn

[Sailing12Away]

Our trip on POA was several years ago, but on the 1st day in Maui we rented a jeep. When you get off the ship, there were shuttle buses to take you to the car rental place right there, so that was easy. Had to take a taxi back to the ship though, but that may have been because of the time we ended our day - I'm not sure if a return trip is available up to a certain time point. But at the airport it was quick and easy to get a taxi for the 5 min ride back. You must have your ship card to show to gain entry into the port.

 

With the car, we drove halfway to Hana on our own, stopping when we wanted, and staying as long as we wanted. Went to a bunch of hidden beaches to dip our toes in the sand and stopped at a few places for banana bread and shave ice. Drove into Lahaina town for some beers and lunch at the Maui brewery, then headed up Haleakala to watch the sunset. It gets crowded there fast and parking gets a bit precarious if you're not there very early. Bring a warm sweater/jacket in the car as the temperatures drop quick once the sun starts to set. But beautiful views above the clouds. Headed back down the mountain before the crowds all left, and returned the car to the airport.

 

2nd day in Maui we took an NCL snorkeling tour along the Molokini crater.

 

For the rest of the ports we did tours either through NCL or private tours. We also did a tour on Hilo with Riki which was lovely, and in Kauai we did a private tour on one day and the mud buggy tour through NCL the other day. Especially with the 2 overnight stops, it's very easy to do things on your own without having to worry about missing the ship.

 

But as others have said, book your car rentals NOW. For our 1 day jeep rental it was about $100 after tax, gas, etc - that was pre-Covid times.

[BrookeJ75]

Thanks all for confirming its a good way to go with car hire.  Just trying to think about what time to book the cars for and drop off times, are you able to confirm which ports are tender and how long that process usually takes to get off?

 

We arrive Maui 8am, Hilo 8am, Kona 7am and Kauai 8am

[rhapsodybluezz]

When we went in February 2020, Kona was the only tender port. I don't remember any issues with getting off. Kona was the only place we didn't do a tour or rent a car. Instead we just walked around, shopped and ate lunch before returning to the ship.

[pupntaco]

We rented a car in Kona, , Maui, and Kaua'i. We used the GyPSy guide on each island which was basically having our own local riding in the car along with us and point out where to stop and what to skip. You can purchase the apps in a bundle or individually in the app store.

 

Audio Driving Tours App Bundle for Hawaii | GyPSy Guide