Hi, My husband and I will be on the March 23rd Celebrity/Infinity to Hawaii. I'd appreciate any opinions on choosing shore excursions in Maui. It's our first time to Hawaii and both my husband and I will have our eyes in camera and camcorder viewfinders so we decided to leave the driving up to others this time. Has anyone done the Maui Whale Watch, Molonkini & Turtle Arches Snorkle Picnic, Rainforest and Waterfall Hiking Adventure, Ahihi Kinau Lava Field Hike and Snorklel,9 1/2 hr tour on Adventure to Hana, or the Lanai Wild Dolphin and Snorkle? I wonder if 9 1/2 hr Hana Adventure is too much or is it really worth the 9 1/2 hrs. I think I eliminated the Haleakala Crater because we are going to see Waimea Canyon, and Kilauea. We like to snorkel but heard it is not as good as the caribbean. We are in our early 40's and save up to go every 2 to 3 years. We are active but like to relax too. I know we can't do them all. If you will also allow me to indulge with one other question....... Since the ship is in the same port for overnight, are passengers allowed to get off an on during the night? THANK YOU and any comments greatly appreciated. Monica

Hi Monica,<BR>My husband and I are also booked on the 3/23 sailing of the Infinity. Sure hope it is out of dry dock by then. Don't know if you heard or not, but the ship had some problems with the ball bearings in the propeller and is out of commision until March 3. They had to cancel 3 of the cruises for Hawaii and the Panama Canal. Hopefully, all will be repaired for the 23rd. We have sailed Celebrity before and loved it. We have done this Hawaii trip twice before having enjoyed it so much decided to do it again with friends. Do not get discouraged with the transfer from San Diego to Ensenada. Most people arrive in Mexico tired and cranky. Once you board, just forget about the transfer and enjoy the ship. We are arriving in San Diego 2 days prior to sailing and are taking a Contact tour to Ensenada to avoid the transfer. As far as Maui goes - We have seen Haleakala and done the ferry to Lanai. Both of these we did on our own. We always make arrangements to have a rental car on each island as it is fairly easy to find your way around with a AAA map. Rental rates are reasonable if you do them ahead of time. Everyone speaks English and the Hawaiian people are the nicest people you will meet on any island. I have never done the trip to Hana as it is a full day and highly overated from what I am told. The whales should be migrating in March so we should be able to see them. I understand that the Molikini trip can be rough if seas are not calm. After snorkeling the Great Barrier reef and several locations in the Caribbean we have found Hawaii to be just OK. I think that you will enjoy the hiking in Kauai which is our favorite. Waimea canyon is awesome. We also ejoyed Princeville, (north side of Kauai) and Poipu Beach on the south side of Kauai. Because the islands are so small, you can generally drive the whole island in one day. That is, if you keep moving, get off the ship as soon as it docks and return close to sailing time!! In case you are interested, Alamo gave me the best rates for rental cars. We have never done any of the organized ships tours as we find you waste too much time waiting for everyone, shopping stops, bathroom stops and lunch breaks. That is only our opinion though. We are 54 and 60 years of age and I consider us to be quite adventurous. Whatever, you do you will love this cruise. The sailaways are beautiful. Kilauea was flowing the last time there (2 years ago) and it is a site. In Maui, we will be tendering and tenders run just about 24 hours a day. So if you decide to go back into Lahaina after dinner a tender will shuttle you into port. When you are done, just go to the pier and wait for the next tender to return you to the ship. It is really quite efficient and simple. Sure hope I have been of some help - any other questions let me know I would be happy to answer. See you on board. Gail &amp; Nels<BR>Don't forget your snorkel gear

Monix,<BR>Gailmarie was right about the road to Hana. My husband and I rented a car and did it on our own. In our opinon it was very over rated. It took over 5 hours roundtrip(you have to come back the way you came). The roads are very narrow and curvey and alot of times you can't see whats coming from the other way. <BR>I have to admit we're a little spoiled. We live in Michigan and take alot of our summer vacations in the Upper Pennisula. Where it's very scenic with all the trees and lakes and especially the nice waterfalls! On the road to Hana we saw 1 or 2 waterfalls that were more like trickles of water.<BR>We did't get a chance to do anything else on Maui so a can't help with any of the other attractions.

Hi Gail and puppydog,<BR>Thanks so much for the great info you gave me. Sorry it has taken so long to respond back to you. Work and life in general keeps me busy. After reading your messages, I have decided to hold on the trip to hana drive. After seeing Hawaii on the cruise, I'm sure Ill want to go back again just as I have for the caribbean. My husband and I live in upstate NY with lots of snow and we are definitely looking forward to Hawaii.Thanks again! P.S. Maybe only here say, but I heard the ship was supposed to be back to sailing March 9th. I'm saying my prayers.

Hi Monica,<BR>We too had the snow in Massachusetts. The Infinity is supposed to sail again March 8 like you said. Let's hope. Be sure to check www.celebrity.com and join the cruise critic party..So far there are over 60 people.

Hi Gailmarie,<BR>The city about 1/2 hour from have 123-125 inches of snow. We are in that range +. Hawaii looks soooo good. I think we'll rent a car in Oahu to see the sights. Our flight doesn't take off till 11:30 pm on the last day of the cruise so the last day is long. Our flight gets us into Albany 8:30pm the next night. What is the best way to rent a car? At the dock? Take the transfer to the airport and rent a car there? Any suggestions on rentals or sight seeing? <BR> P.S. I'll have to check out the cruise critic party? I've read about it from the background but have maintained focus on the sights first. What's it all about? Thanks Monica

Hi Monica,<BR>We have already rented our cars for each port. We went with Alamo because they will pick us up at the piers and also because they had some of the best rates. We have done this Hawaii cruise twice before and I did keep a journal so I would remember not to rent from Avis as they do not provide any pier pickups. You have to get yourselves to the airport, usually by cab. Hertz only offered pier pickup in a couple of the ports. So after the last incident I promised myself to jot down in my journal who did and who didn't. In Honolulu, most ships will dock at Aloha Tower so that is where you would want to pick up your car. If you cannot get one to pick you up there just cab to the Ilikai Hotel. (About a $10-15 cab ride) That is where Alamo is. It is quicker than going to to airport for your car. You can drop it off at the airport when you are ready to depart. yhou . Seeing that you have that much time there, you could do Pearl Harbor or just a circle island tour to the north shore. It is a very scenic drive through the pineapple plantations and the coast is just beautiful. You could also stop at Na Pali for a few photos. Whatever you do, don't go to the airport to wait for your late flight. I am sure you will enjoy your day in Honolulu. We are staying another 4 evenings at the Hale Koa and will return on April 7. Becuase we are flying on miles we could not get out any sooner so decided to stay put on Waikiki Beach. As for the Critics party, can't tell you much as we only sailed with Celebrity once before. I know you have to sign up before you board though. We finally had our dinner seating changed from late to early dining. We had been wait listed for some time. Hope this helps.

On Maui, the sugarcane train is fun.<BR><BR>By March, many of the whales have left for Alaska. <BR><BR>Honolulu is just one more big city…..interstates and all. Pearl City is interesting, although I believe the monkey bar has given way to a shopping maul<BR>

March is prime whale viewing season in the waters off the coast of Maui. They are especially plentiful in the channel between Maui and Lanai. The Pacific Whale foundation site gives daily sighting reports: http://www.pacificwhale.org/adventures/whale_log.html<BR><BR>Some years they can be seen as late as May. This is refering to humpbacks of course. There are many other species of whales that frequent the waters around Hawaii.

Thanks Lew and Patty, My husband and I are not shopping nuts, although we love music and book stores. We are more into nature, wildlife, sights, scenery, culture, and the whales. I'll check out that sight suggested. Presently checking into a clean, safe, but reasonably priced hotel to put our heads for approx 5 hrs before going back to airport to catch shuttle to port. We are flying in the day before but I suspect with the long flight and time change I'll need some shut eye and won't be interested in lots of amenities. Thanks Monica

National Car Rental does pier pickups.<BR>Not the one located at the airport, but the one in Waikiki. I know from experience. We rented from National in Hilo, Kona and Maui. Just call their 800 number if your interested.