Kona snorkeling choice

[CC Help Michell]

Well, our itinerary is shaping up well! Once I get it confirmed I'll post the whole thing for ideas/comments/"improvements" from the community. :) In the meantime, I'm dithering (a constant state of affairs for a Libra) over our Kona excursions. We likely will not take ship excursions in any other port, but since Kona is a tender port, we will here -- it's just our preference when we're at the mercy of a tender.

 

We definitely want to snorkel, and have narrowed the choices to two: Captain Zodiac, and Dolphin Snorkel Sail (on the catamaran Kamanu). We are experienced snorkelers, and I've read all the great Captain Zodiac reports here. I know that Zodiac visits the Captain Cook monument area, while the Kamanu goes to Pawai. Based solely on the snorkeling and destination, Zodiac wins -- but I'm concerned about some other issues. One of us is a large person -- within the Zodiac weight limits, but still large. We're worried about ease of access into the raft from the water. Second, one of us is very fair skinned -- it's normally quite manageable with sunscreen/hats, etc, but the Zodiac is basically a black (heat-absorbing color?) rubber tub without a speck of shade -- at least the catamaran has a shaded deck.

 

Last, what about water/hydration? I know the catamaran offers plenty as part of the excursion (and has a meal) -- does the Zodiac have anything? I'd love to hear from travelers who have done either of these as to your impressions -- and a large person (or family member of one) who has done Zodiac would be awesome.

 

Thanks in advance for any input!

[QARandy]

we did this excursion and it was my favorite snorkling trip ( we have done 7 cruises in the Carribean- snorkling on them all, Hanauma bay and Molokini crater). we also snorkled at Pu uhonua O Honaunau on our own after renting a car at the hotel by the peir (Thrifty) not the airport.I think it was King Kamaha something.We were there for back to back cruises.

 

The zodiac had drinks and a snack but no meal.

 

It was not difficult to exit the boat but my wife said it was slightly hard to reboard.

 

HTH

Randy

[rjscott]

We did a Zodiac tour with SeaQuest. I have no upper arm strength, due to shoulder problems, and didn't have a difficult time getting back in. The crew gave me a bit of help. Also, our zodiac was yellow, so not terribly hot. I am very fair-skinned, and so loaded up on sunscreen b/f we left. I did reapply once we were out of the water and headed back to shore, but did not burn at all for all those many hours in the open and in the water.

 

Have a great time!

[mitsguy2001]

I did the Kimanu Catamaran Dolphin Sail and Snorkel excursion, and enjoyed it very much. You can read more about it in my cruise review if you're interested. I never did Captain Zodiac, so I can't comment on it, but I have heard that it is excellent. My girlfriend and I just thought that we'd prefer being on a catamaran. You probably can't go wrong either way. There is also a Body Glove snorkeling excursion. It is more expensive than Kimanu and is on a larger catamaran, and it also went to Pawai Bay, the same place that Kimanu goes to. Maybe someone can comment on that excursion.

[KKCruisers]

Does anyone know if there is a snorkel excursion that goes to Captain Cook Monument other than the Zodiac? It doesn't have to be through NCL. My husband really wants to snorkel in Captain Cook, but I just found out you can only get to it by a water tour, so now I'm debating whether we should bother to rent a car in Kona because the tour will take up a good part of the day if we do that. Some friends of ours were in Hawaii 7 years ago and they remember doing Captain Cook snorkeling and they don't remember it being the Zodiac that they took, just curious if anyone knows of another tour that goes there. Thanks

[CC Help Michell]

Try the Fair Wind II (www.fair-wind.com). Even though we were "definitely" going to be ship excursion people, I've spent about 30 hours now reading these boards and researching, and we want THAT cruise (not their Hula Kai later in the day that stops at Kealakekua Bay for no snorkeling, then goes elsewhere) -- so we are planning on early morning on our Kona day being filled with getting up early and "timing angst" and hoping to get a good tender ticket and prompt cab so that we can do THIS snorkel to Kealakekua Bay. As the OP on this thread, I'm willing to eat some crow -- FWII seems to be exactly what we want. We also booked the Zodiac tour on board as a back up -- if as the cruise progresses and weather conditions dictate, Fair Wind seems like a bad idea, we'll go with the NCL option -- and if not, we'll use the 24 hour cancellation on board and go for Fair Wind II.

[Bucky3]

We have done the Fairwind several times and really like it - the last time was on May 4th this year. You do have to be sure to get off early and catch a cab to their dock - about 20 minutes from the tender pier. It's a wonderful day and highly recommended. Don't try to rent a car and drive there - not enough time to meet their 9AM departure time. They leave promptly. Enjoy and Aloha!

[jerseyjk]

We have done the Fairwind several times and really like it - the last time was on May 4th this year. You do have to be sure to get off early and catch a cab to their dock - about 20 minutes from the tender pier. It's a wonderful day and highly recommended. Don't try to rent a car and drive there - not enough time to meet their 9AM departure time. They leave promptly. Enjoy and Aloha!

 

Ditto to Bucky's comments ... don't rent a car. Better to grab a cab to get there. We had no problems getting to their checkin on time. We were actually like 30 minutes early (an hour early for the departure time). People were arriving and checking in as late as 8:50am so if you're held up a little bit, don't worry too much. Arrange with your cab driver to have someone meet you after the tour because Kehoe Bay isn't a place where cabs line up and wait for passengers.

 

We loved the fairwind tour. It was a highlight of our week. I'm sure you will too.

[beachchick]

Ditto to Bucky's comments ... don't rent a car. Better to grab a cab to get there. We had no problems getting to their checkin on time. We were actually like 30 minutes early (an hour early for the departure time). People were arriving and checking in as late as 8:50am so if you're held up a little bit, don't worry too much. Arrange with your cab driver to have someone meet you after the tour because Kehoe Bay isn't a place where cabs line up and wait for passengers.

 

We loved the fairwind tour. It was a highlight of our week. I'm sure you will too.

 

IMO, better to be early than late because they won't wait for stragglers.

 

KKCruisers: One thing you need to know is that the Fair Wind folks aren't thrilled to book cruise passengers because of the fact that it is a tender port. In the past, they did not require a credit card to guarantee the booking; now they do. They have a 24-hour cancellation policy and will charge you if you "miss the boat" without cancelling. Part of this is because several times cruise pax didn't get off the ship in time or get a taxi right away or what have you, and they missed the excursion. It was usually too late to "resell" the spaces on the boat to others, so they were out the money. They will ask you if you are on a cruise; you may have to lie and say no that you don't know where you're staying yet and give them your cell phone number as a contact. They will require the CC to guarantee the reservation.

 

I am not mentioning this to discourage you--Not at all. I think you should book it. We are looking forward to doing the Fair Wind one of these days because it sounds like the best one for us. I just want you to be aware that you will need to be ready to get off the ship as soon as you are able, grab a taxi, and scoot down to the Fair Wind departure point. You'll likely be early, but that's okay. Keauhou Bay is pretty. I doubt you will be bored if you have to hang around for a while. They are very serious about leaving on time and don't hold up the boat for latecomers. As long as you are there to check in before 9 am, you'll be fine.

 

Very rarely the ships aren't able to anchor at Kona. It's highly unlikely to happen to you. However, even though it's a teeny-tiny risk, you do need to consider it. I seriously doubt that you will need to worry about this.

 

Have a wonderful cruise and great snorkel at Kealakekua Bay. It should be fabulous. I've heard nothing but good reviews about Fair Wind.

 

beachchick

[simonv]

Fairwind is a good choice. They are the only big boat operator with the license for the Kealakakua Bay. We make a point of going to the kealakakua Bay with them at least once whenever we are on the Big Island. We've gone with them since the days of the Fairwind I, a smaller wooden ship. The Kealakaua Bay is the best snorkeling spot in the islands, though I've noticed the corals there seemed stressed the last time we were there. I'm afraid snorkeling has gotten too popular.

The Fairwind people are quite careful about conservation. Also they don't wait for any late comers. Being the only game in town, they don't have to. They got the afternoon tour to meet.

[mitsguy2001]

One thing to be careful of: NCL gives people who booked an NCL excursion and people staying in suites priority debarkation at tender ports. I have been told that you often can't debark until noon if you don't have an NCL excursion booked and are not staying in a suite.

 

I liked booking excursions through NCL, since I liked having the security of knowing that I won't lose my money no matter what happens, and being able to get priority tendering (since I was not staying in a suite). I would personally never book a non-refundable excursion, especially at a tender port.

[CC Help Michell]

One thing to be careful of: NCL gives people who booked an NCL excursion and people staying in suites priority debarkation at tender ports. I have been told that you often can't debark until noon if you don't have an NCL excursion booked and are not staying in a suite.

 

I liked booking excursions through NCL, since I liked having the security of knowing that I won't lose my money no matter what happens, and being able to get priority tendering (since I was not staying in a suite). I would personally never book a non-refundable excursion, especially at a tender port.

 

Wow, I've not read any posts here about anyone not being able to debark at Kona until noon without an NCL excursion or staying in a suite!! Did that happen to someone on your cruise, Mitsguy? That might change my risk analysis for my plan!

[mitsguy2001]

Wow, I've not read any posts here about anyone not being able to debark at Kona until noon without an NCL excursion or staying in a suite!! Did that happen to someone on your cruise, Mitsguy? That might change my risk analysis for my plan!

 

I thought I read on a post on this board that people who didn't book an excursion and aren't staying in suites often can't tender until noon. Maybe I read it wrong, or maybe it was just someone that wants people to be safe rather than sorry. I wouldn't change your plans based entirely on my posts. Maybe someone else can get some insight as to what time non-excursion non-suite passengers can expect to tender at Kona.

 

In any case, I would always book an excursion in Kona, since I would not be comfortable with the level of risk of booking on my own. I would also never book any non-refundable tour on my own on any cruise, since I would not want to lose the money if the ship is late or doesn't dock or if I get delayed tendering. I'd rather pay more for an NCL excursion, and think of it as insurance.

[ElsieToo]

We did RCI's Kayak and Snorkel last time we were there, and had a marvelous time. I'm fair skinned and I just loaded up on the sunblock on our drive over to the kayak spot and brought along a visor I was fine, even though the day was a scortcher. My husband, however, who has lovely olive skin forgot to apply any sunblock and got a horrible burn since we were on the water for around 4 hours. We ended up getting him a rash guard shirt, like the surfers wear, and now he wears that any time we're in the water. Your fair skinned friend may wish to consider something similar if s/he plans to spend more than a minimal amount of time snorkeling. I know I'll definitely be getting one before we go this fall...

[Christy330]

We just returned from our cruise and loved Captain Zodiac! We snorkled in several areas and it was definitely our favorite, with Shark's Cove (on the North Shore, Oahu) coming in 2nd.

 

I'm fair, as well, and was worried about the sun, but was fine with reapplying a good sunblock. A long sleeved t-shirt might be helpful. It really wasn't hot at all on the boat because you are going at such a high speed, so I don't see heat being much of an issue. They had refreshments on board and I'm sure they'd give extra water, if needed. Entering the boat wasn't too hard, although it was hard to be lady-like when you have to hoist your leg over the side of the raft to get on and you sit there for a few seconds while they hose you off with fresh water. :) They were helpful though and gave good instructions on how to enter and exit. BTW, A bit of upper body strength is helpful during the ride out and in as it took about 45 minutes to get back to the dock (each way) and he was going between 40-45 mph most of the way. Sitting in the back of the boat was a bit less bouncy. I woudln't have missed it for the world though....hated to leave all that underwater beauty! I highly recommend it, and as a side note, I was surprised and saddened by how many didn't tip these guys after our trip. (We were the last ones off, so I could tell). Don't forget a bit of cash to show your appreciation! They really were great and did a fantastic job.

 

p.s. We saw tons of Spinner Dolphins, as a bonus!

[wrk2cruz]

Hi,

We heve never cruised Hawaii but have been to the islands 9 times...

The absolute best place to snorkle is FREE!!! And it's only about 3-4 miles from the tender dock in Kona, just drive down Alii Drive (main road thru town)the beach is past magic sands beach...This is the best place, they have changing rooms, food, and snorkle rentals....You will swim with turtles and many, many other fish!!!

Much Much better than Molikini and Hanauma !!!

We go to this beach every morning when we are there...but if you go do try to get there early....You could probably get a taxi there pretty cheaply,Have fun!!!

[beachchick]

Wow, I've not read any posts here about anyone not being able to debark at Kona until noon without an NCL excursion or staying in a suite!! Did that happen to someone on your cruise, Mitsguy? That might change my risk analysis for my plan!

 

I haven't heard that either. Although we had VIP tender tix last December, we didn't bother to rush off the ship. We went down about 8:45 and there was a line, but they were well past the excursion and VIP tenders, and there really wasn't a crowd. They did move us to the head of the line, but that probably only put us one tender ahead of where we would have been anyway. They had three or four tenders running at that time and each holds about 100 pax. They're actually pretty efficient with it. I can't imagine that pax would have to wait until noon.

 

I do recommend going down to get tender tix as early as possible in order to be on one of the first non-excursion/non-VIP tenders.

 

beachchick

[Minoushka]

What is the actual name of this beach to tell the taxi driver or clear directions

Can we get a taxi back to ship after?

Need more info

Thanks

[simonv]

What is the actual name of this beach to tell the taxi driver or clear directions

Can we get a taxi back to ship after?

Need more info

Thanks

 

Kahaluu Beach Park. Very popular with local families on weekends. It's the only beach with decent amount of sand along Ali Drive. There are resident turtles, lots of them, who come in to feed on sea weeds during high tide. Morning before the wind kicks up is the best time to snorkel there. If you go out to the breakwater, coral and fish life is better. It's a very well protected spot for snorkeling.

The Keauhou Beach Hotel next door has a beach restaurant. You can buy good lunch there. The park is not far at all from the pier, maybe 15-20 minutes?. I don't know about taxis. You might ask the driver to pick you up later, or maybe you can get one next door at the Keauhou Beach Hotel.

[wrk2cruz]

What is the actual name of this beach to tell the taxi driver or clear directions

Can we get a taxi back to ship after?

Need more info

Thanks

 

Here is a website that will tell you about Kahaluu Beach

http://www.letsgo-hawaii.com/beaches/kahaluu.html

 

We think that this is the best snorkle beach in Hawaii !!

[txadmin2]

Has anyone done this by taxi? Sounds great but don't want to get stranded.

[jerseyjk]

IMO, better to be early than late because they won't wait for stragglers.

 

True. I didn't mean to imply that they should take their time. Rather just that if things were to deviate slightly from their timetable, that they shouldn't have a nervous breakdown. For sure, if you are booked on the fairwind, you should make sure to make your way off the ship as early as possible.

 

KKCruisers: One thing you need to know is that the Fair Wind folks aren't thrilled to book cruise passengers because of the fact that it is a tender port. In the past, they did not require a credit card to guarantee the booking; now they do. They have a 24-hour cancellation policy and will charge you if you "miss the boat" without cancelling.

 

I booked online and it didn't mention anything about not wanting you if you were a cruise pax (in fact, the choices of "where are you staying" included all three pride ships). They did make the 24 hour cancellation policy very clear. I checked weather reports the day prior to be relatively comfortable that nothing would go wrong. I did not want to miss the boat and get nailed for 5 reservations. I was in the tender line at about 7:10am and was on the first tender which did help the blood pressure a bit.

 

One thing to be careful of: NCL gives people who booked an NCL excursion and people staying in suites priority debarkation at tender ports. I have been told that you often can't debark until noon if you don't have an NCL excursion booked and are not staying in a suite.

 

I'm sorry, but that's impossible. That would mean that after a 7am arrival, it would take them 5 hours to offload suite pax and tours. They are way more efficient than that. Either there were extenuating circumstances, or some embellishment has occurred.

 

I do recommend going down to get tender tix as early as possible in order to be on one of the first non-excursion/non-VIP tenders.

 

Now this confuses me a bit. We were on POAloha in April and there were no tender tix. I was told to "just go down and get on". Are the tix for the other (bigger) ships? Just curious because we asked our room steward, reception and shorex and all stated there were no tender tix. Our room steward did say it could get pretty crazy around 9am or so, but insisted there were not tickets.

[mitsguy2001]

 

Now this confuses me a bit. We were on POAloha in April and there were no tender tix. I was told to "just go down and get on". Are the tix for the other (bigger) ships? Just curious because we asked our room steward, reception and shorex and all stated there were no tender tix. Our room steward did say it could get pretty crazy around 9am or so, but insisted there were not tickets.

 

They definitely required tender tickets on the Pride of Hawaii if you didn't have an excursion booked. Also, they said that you are exempt from tender tickets only if your excursion ticket listed Stardust Theater as the meeting place (mine did). If the ticket listed outside on the pier as he meeting place, you needed a tender ticket.

 

Does anyone know which excursions met in Stardust, and which ones met at the pier, and needed tender tickets? What about the car rentals through NCLA? (or does no one do that in Kona?)

[suziehmkr]

Very rarely the ships aren't able to anchor at Kona. It's highly unlikely to happen to you. However, even though it's a teeny-tiny risk, you do need to consider it. I seriously doubt that you will need to worry about this.

 

I would personally never book a non-refundable excursion, especially at a tender port.

 

Although it is very rare - it does happen. It happened to us. This was the port we were looking forward to the most. The weather had been great all week and was beautiful when we pulled into the area. However, high surf was the culprit and by the time we would have been tendering back, it would have been too dangerous.

 

Be vary careful with excursions that do not have a "No port, No pay" policy. Missing the excursion because you didn't get off in time is one thing, but many will charge you if your ship doesn't even port. I remember very vividly a cruiser who got charged a lot of $$$ for helicoptor tours when her ship wasn't able to get into the harbor at Kauai. Being a businessowner and a consumer, I can see both sides of the situation.

 

Although it is rare - keep it in the back of your mind as a possibility. Only you can decide if it is worth the risk to lose the $$.

 

The upside for us is that we instantly knew where we would be going on our land vacation next Christmas... Kona, without hesitation since we didn't want to miss out completely! :) We will be visiting as many places as possible to snorkel... one of the most recommended is actually at Place of Refuge.

[beachchick]

True. I didn't mean to imply that they should take their time. Rather just that if things were to deviate slightly from their timetable, that they shouldn't have a nervous breakdown. For sure, if you are booked on the fairwind, you should make sure to make your way off the ship as early as possible.

 

Your explanation makes perfect sense. Yes, they shouldn't panic if they're not the first ones off the ship or if they're a few minutes later than they planned.

 

I booked online and it didn't mention anything about not wanting you if you were a cruise pax (in fact, the choices of "where are you staying" included all three pride ships). They did make the 24 hour cancellation policy very clear. I checked weather reports the day prior to be relatively comfortable that nothing would go wrong. I did not want to miss the boat and get nailed for 5 reservations. I was in the tender line at about 7:10am and was on the first tender which did help the blood pressure a bit.

 

This is a change from last year then. They asked us repeatedly several times. We originally were planning on the excursion for the PoH cruise in 10/06 we had planned, but we cancelled that one. Then we decided just to wait until our next land trip and not fuss with it on the PoH cruise we took last December. Others had also mentioned this, but again that was in 2005 and 2006. I guess perhaps they figure that as long as they have the 24 cancellation policy, they're covered financially, so why not go ahead and book cruise pax--and that way they'll know you're coming from the ship. They still won't delay departure, but at least they'll know if your ship is there.

 

I'm sorry, but that's impossible. That would mean that after a 7am arrival, it would take them 5 hours to offload suite pax and tours. They are way more efficient than that. Either there were extenuating circumstances, or some embellishment has occurred.

 

Absolutely.

 

Now this confuses me a bit. We were on POAloha in April and there were no tender tix. I was told to "just go down and get on". Are the tix for the other (bigger) ships? Just curious because we asked our room steward, reception and shorex and all stated there were no tender tix. Our room steward did say it could get pretty crazy around 9am or so, but insisted there were not tickets.

 

Exactly as mitguy2001 wrote. Tender tix were required for anyone not on a ship excursion or who did not have VIP priority tix (those were delivered to our suite the day before). I'm sure at some point in the morning they stopped requiring tix because everyone was pretty much already off the ship early. There wouldn't be any need later.

 

beachchick