Advice for Hawaii cruise

[dhutchin12]

Hi. I have booked a last minute Honolulu - Vancouver cruise on the Wonder. I am trying to figure out what I want to do. I'm thinking I want to rent a car at the airport near Kahului and then go out exploring. We have an overnight in Kahului and then a day on the Big Island. Do you have any suggestions for where to go in Kahului and how to park the car overnight? Also, do you have any suggestions for the Big Island?

Thank you!

 

[shosh1530]

I have not done this cruise, but just got back from a week on the Big Island. Are you wanting to do a tour or rent a car out of Hilo? Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is about 45 minutes away by car and it looks like several tours go there out of Hilo.

The Kīlauea Volcano is currently erupting (we had an amazing experience seeing it at night). No idea if it will still be erupting come February (it has been starting and stopping since Dec 23, 2024 most recently). If it is that would amazing to see but also brings more traffic. You can see a live stream here: https://www.youtube.com/usgs/live. Even when there are no eruptions the national park has plenty of things to see (overlooks, lava tubes, scenic drives, hiking).

Closer to Hilo there are a few different waterfalls (Akaka falls, Rainbow falls, Boiling Pots) you can see easily and black sand beaches where you can see sea turtles. We enjoyed a visit to the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in downtown Hilo (museum focused on the marine areas/life) and there is also the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center if you like museums.

Two places we wanted to go to but didn't make it to were the Waipi'o Valley Overlook (just over an hour north of Hilo with a view of the beautiful valley) and the Hawai‘i Tropical Botanical Garden (15 minutes north of Hilo where you can walk along lush vegetation).

Enjoy your cruise and time in Hawaii.

 

[optstud]

Hi. I have booked a last minute Honolulu - Vancouver cruise on the Wonder. I am trying to figure out what I want to do. I'm thinking I want to rent a car at the airport near Kahului and then go out exploring. We have an overnight in Kahului and then a day on the Big Island. Do you have any suggestions for where to go in Kahului and how to park the car overnight? Also, do you have any suggestions for the Big Island?

Thank you!

We did this cruise in 2022 but didn’t overnight in Maui. We rented cars at the airport at both ports. I would split a cab with other passengers doing the same to get to the airport then come back to pick up my family at the ship.

Kahului we went snorkeling at Ahihi cove. Then did a bit of the road to Hana then did the sunset at Haleakala.

Hilo we spent the day at Volcanoes national park.

Don’t miss the ship building event or the crew hide and seek on the cruise.

 

[dhutchin12]

We did this cruise in 2022 but didn’t overnight in Maui. We rented cars at the airport at both ports. I would split a cab with other passengers doing the same to get to the airport then come back to pick up my family at the ship.

Kahului we went snorkeling at Ahihi cove. Then did a bit of the road to Hana then did the sunset at Haleakala.

Hilo we spent the day at Volcanoes national park.

Don’t miss the ship building event or the crew hide and seek on the cruise.

Thank you for this information! I forgot about the ship building event. We did this on a transatlantic sailing many years ago and it's still a major highlight for us. Do you know if they offered any dance classes onboard? It was a huge thing for us when they offered ballroom dance classes and taught choreography from the nighttime shows.

I read there may be a hotel 2 blocks away from the port where you can pay to park the car overnight. I need to check into that to see if it's an option.

How was the drive to Hana? Is this a difficult drive?

I'd also love to go to more local type restaurants, if I can find them.

 

[optstud]

Thank you for this information! I forgot about the ship building event. We did this on a transatlantic sailing many years ago and it's still a major highlight for us. Do you know if they offered any dance classes onboard? It was a huge thing for us when they offered ballroom dance classes and taught choreography from the nighttime shows.

I read there may be a hotel 2 blocks away from the port where you can pay to park the car overnight. I need to check into that to see if it's an option.

How was the drive to Hana? Is this a difficult drive?

I'd also love to go to more local type restaurants, if I can find them.

I don’t recall about the dancing but you can try to search old navigators on disneycruiseblog.

We only did the beginning of the road to Hana and I don’t recall it being a challenging drive.