[quote]flipcollar wrote:
If you’re into breweries, Kona is waaaaaaaaaay better than Maui as far as beers go, and their brewpub in Kona is pretty great. Also close to the cruise ship dock. I think Maui’s beer is terrible. But to each his own I guess.
I’ve never done the plantation tour. I would assume that’s pretty fun. Never done a shark tank either. I don’t know what to say about that, lol.
Helicopter in Hilo is definitely do-able, that’s more than enough time. The helicopter tours are fairly short, and you’ll get there early enough. My wife reminded me that tours get cancelled sometimes due to weather, so there is a slight risk there, seeing as it’s your last stop.
One thing I can’t believe I forgot to mention is swimming with dolphins. This is a really cool opportunity if you want to spend time in the water and you like snorkeling. It’s generally part of the Kauai catamaran trip, but it’s also a thing to do in Kona. There’s at least 1 dolphin ride in Kona that ends at the Captain Cook monument with some decent snorkeling. I’d recommend that for sure.
1 last thing that may be useful. If you’re going to snorkel on multiple islands, and you don’t bring your own gear, go to Snorkel Bob’s before your first snorkeling. They have locations on multiple islands, and you can drop off gear at different location from where you picked it up. So you could get it in Maui or Kona, and drop off in Kauai. Might save a little cash and time.[/quote]
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
We want to spend as much time outside as possible since we will be floating in the Pacific for 8 days during the trip.
Here is the itinerary:
LA
Day 1-4 at sea
11AM - 11PM Maui
9:30AM - 7PM Kona
9AM - 11PM Honolulu
7AM - 3PM Kauai
8AM - 4PM Hilo
Day 11-15 at sea
Mexico
LA
A couple of the days are pretty short, which sucks. Helicopter in Hilo is probably doable. From what I’ve read they’re pretty short anyway. We talked about a Luau, but I think it’ll run to late? We definitely want to hike and swim of course.
[/quote]
Having the itinerary is definitely helpful, gives a better idea for what you can reach within the day’s time and still make it back.
Re: a luau, since you’ll be on Maui until 11 PM, you might be able to do one there. When I was there (2008), my family went to the Old Lahaina Luau (http://www.oldlahainaluau.com/) and it was superb. Great service, great food, great drinks, great show. You could probably do some sort of swimming and hiking during the day, make it to the luau (show runs from 5:15 to 8:15), and presumably should make it back to ship by 11 PM depending on where you have to be.
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
We want to spend as much time outside as possible since we will be floating in the Pacific for 8 days during the trip.
Here is the itinerary:
LA
Day 1-4 at sea
11AM - 11PM Maui
9:30AM - 7PM Kona
9AM - 11PM Honolulu
7AM - 3PM Kauai
8AM - 4PM Hilo
Day 11-15 at sea
Mexico
LA
A couple of the days are pretty short, which sucks. Helicopter in Hilo is probably doable. From what I’ve read they’re pretty short anyway. We talked about a Luau, but I think it’ll run to late? We definitely want to hike and swim of course.
[/quote]
Having the itinerary is definitely helpful, gives a better idea for what you can reach within the day’s time and still make it back.
Re: a luau, since you’ll be on Maui until 11 PM, you might be able to do one there. When I was there (2008), my family went to the Old Lahaina Luau (http://www.oldlahainaluau.com/) and it was superb. Great service, great food, great drinks, great show. You could probably do some sort of swimming and hiking during the day, make it to the luau (show runs from 5:15 to 8:15), and presumably should make it back to ship by 11 PM depending on where you have to be.
[/quote]
Again for Maui, I would highly recommend Makena Beach (here is a pic).
Don’t do the road to Hana, it’s a 6 hour drive (if you do the full drive), definitely not worth it.
If you get a chance, make a stop at Ono Gelato, best fucking gelato I have ever encountered outside of the motherland. They use local flavors, he guava gelato is so good, it make you want to slap yo mamma.
If you can when you’re in Maui, make a reservation for Mama’s Fish House for dinner. I had the mahi mahi, stuffed with crab with macadamia nuts. My kids loved Ululani Hawaiian shaved ice.
Helicopter ride in Kauai to look at Waimea Canyon was great.
In Kona, my wife and I took the small plane to see Hawaii Volcano’s National Park. My wife got air sick because of no air conditioning and the tight turns. We would take a helicopter if we do it again.
[quote]fnf wrote:
If you can when you’re in Maui, make a reservation for Mama’s Fish House for dinner. I had the mahi mahi, stuffed with crab with macadamia nuts.
Helicopter ride in Kauai to look at Waimea Canyon was great.
In Kona, my wife and I took the small plane to see Hawaii Volcano’s National Park. My wife got air sick because of no air conditioning and the tight turns. We would take a helicopter if we do it again.[/quote]
This might either be a silly suggestion or overly obvious, but maybe try dropping a line in HawaiiTunya’s log to get her input. Not sure where she is exactly, but she may have a different perspective as a local.
My wife and I are planning a trip to Hawaii in the fall (October). We will be spending a day at each island in this order:
Maui
Kona
Honolulu
Kauai
Hilo
Any suggestions on things to do and on which island to do them?
I am definitely interested in doing a helicopter ride. Has anyone done one?[/quote]
Outside of Honolulu there is a natural park with snorkeling and it’s cheap.
Snorkeling rental equipment is like $9 when I went and you can spend hours doing it. It’s cheap, it’s awesome and it’s not the typical tourist ripoff. The snorkling is amazing a giant ass sea turtle almost ran into me face to face. The colors of the wild life and stuff are stunning. It’s well worth doing if you want something fun that will not pound you in the ass financially…
My wife and I are planning a trip to Hawaii in the fall (October). We will be spending a day at each island in this order:
Maui
Kona
Honolulu
Kauai
Hilo
Any suggestions on things to do and on which island to do them?
I am definitely interested in doing a helicopter ride. Has anyone done one?[/quote]
Outside of Honolulu there is a natural park with snorkeling and it’s cheap.
Snorkeling rental equipment is like $9 when I went and you can spend hours doing it. It’s cheap, it’s awesome and it’s not the typical tourist ripoff. The snorkling is amazing a giant ass sea turtle almost ran into me face to face. The colors of the wild life and stuff are stunning. It’s well worth doing if you want something fun that will not pound you in the ass financially…
I second this. Especially if you only have one day. I went there a few times when I was stationed there. Just make sure its open they do close on certain days. I would recommend North shore if it was a bit later in the year just to see the surf
[quote]Aggv wrote:
I’d suggest pick one Island, and stay there for a few days. One day on each is too short.
Maui > anyplace else on earth.
X2 on Lahaina. [/quote]
I spent 10 days and island hopped. 3 days on Oahu, 3 on the big island and 4 on Maui. The next time, I’d rather do 2 islands. Even though the flights are short, it eats up your time. I would also suggest packing lightly.
My next trip I’d do Maui again and possibly Lanai. Maui and Hawaii (the big island) really had the most to offer on my first trip.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
This might either be a silly suggestion or overly obvious, but maybe try dropping a line in HawaiiTunya’s log to get her input. Not sure where she is exactly, but she may have a different perspective as a local.[/quote]
No, that’s a great idea. I haven’t seen her post much recently though.
I spent 8 days on Kauai for my Honeymoon and it is an amazing island. My 2 cents is to snorkel at Tunnels Beach…but in all honesty, nobody on this forum has given you a bad idea yet. I couldnt do everything I wanted on that Island in 8 days, I dont know how you are going to pick one at each island, lol
[quote]Chicksan wrote:
I spent 8 days on Kauai for my Honeymoon and it is an amazing island. My 2 cents is to snorkel at Tunnels Beach…but in all honesty, nobody on this forum has given you a bad idea yet. I couldnt do everything I wanted on that Island in 8 days, I dont know how you are going to pick one at each island, lol[/quote]
Kauaii is amazing. I was there for a wedding a few years back. I would recommend Lumahai Beach if you only have time for one; it isn’t heavily advertised, is very small, and is generally pretty empty. It’s just a bit further north of Hanale’e. There is no parking lot; you just pull over on the side of the road and walk through the trees to the beach. Ask your cruise tour guide for directions.
If your cruise drops you on the other side of the island, go to Polihale state park. It’s an enormous beach that is inaccessible unless you have a 4x4 truck; you have to drive along a really terrible dirt road that’s full of potholes to find the park. Its remote location makes it practically empty; you will have miles of beach to yourself.
The Napali coastline is stunning. A helicopter ride would be cool, but I took a Zodiac rafting tour along the coast. The tour takes you through sea caves and allows some snorkeling as well.
Maui is the best mix of the islands. It’s not as remote as Kauaii, but is not as over developed as Oahu. The bike trip down Haleakala volcano was my favorite part of the island. The views are incredible, and it’s exhilarating to take the corners on hairpin turns over cliffs with only a small guard rail between you and certain death. Molokini is a good snorkeling spot off the island.
Oahu is extremely touristy. Hike up Diamond Head to see the city laid out below you. Pearl Harbor is interesting. Hanuama Bay is a good place for snorkeling. The Dole Plantation is tasty. The Polynesian Culture Center is impressive.
The Big Island of Hawaii is the least explored island for me. I enjoyed Volcano National Park the most, especially when we got to walk over fresh lava fields.
