sightseeing in Hawaii
 

Hi, I will cruise to HI.
Please advise places, phones, e-mails, how to reach (we don't have a car there), save and enjoy this short stops.
I want:
1. To hike Haleakala National Park, see Hana Hwy and snorkel at Molokini Crater. We will be in Lahaina, Maui only 9h (9am.-6 pm. Fri, Mar 7).
2. To hike Waimea Canyon, to see (from see or air) NaPali Coast & snorkel at Poipu Beach or Ke’e Beach. We will be in Port Allen Nawiliwili, Kauai only 9h (8:00am.-5:00pm.Sat, Mar 8).
3. To see USS Arizona & 'Mighty Mo' & Bishop mus. & see & snorkel Hanauma Bay Natural Reserve. Unfortunatly, Polynesian Cultural Center closed Sun,Mar 9 we will have 16 h (7am-11pm).
4. To hike Volcanoes NP from Hilo-7h (8am-4pm.), Tue, Mar 11.
5. To see Pu`uhonua O Honaunau NP, Air tour, snorkel at Kealakekua Bay. We will be in Kona-9h (8am.-6pm. Mon, Mar 10).

1. I don't think you'll be able to do all this on Maui without a rental car.

2. You can use The Bus (public transporation), taxis, or a guided tour to get around Honolulu. But I'm not sure you can do all this in one day. Even though you say until 11pm these are daytime activities.

For the Arizona...

Tickets to get into the museum and the Arizona are free. However, they are given out on a first-come-first-serve basis, and I wouold highly suggest you get there around 7-8 A.M. if you want to get in. They close at 3 P.M.

I don't think you could do all you want on each island, even if you had a car. Your best bet would be to see what bus tour companies offer from each port and pick the one that has most of what you want. Roberts Hawaii is one company http://tinyurl.com/ysvawf.

Only #3 is realistic.

All the others will require rental cars and more time than you have allotted to safely make it back to the boat.

You also could find all of the information you have requested in a basic guide book to Hawaii.

Maui:

The problem you will have with getting to the Molokini Crater is that you will not get tot eh harbor in time to depart. Typically an afternoon boat trip will not go to Molokini crater so you are limited to the morning snorkel trip and they leave the harbor prior to 9 am.

You could rent a car in Lahaina and then drive Hana Highway. You are getting a rather late start if you disembark at 9:00 then pick up a car and then drive. Most tour buses leave earlyin the morning for the Hana trip. Most come back between 5:30 and 6:00

You might have to rent a car to get to Haleakala and back within your time frame.

Doesn't your cruise operator offer tours at each stop?

Kauai:

What do you mena hike Waimea Canyon? Do you have a drop off point and a hike identified? I have seen tour buses up there.

You could arrange for a helicopter tour from Jack Harter to see the Na Pali coast.



When my inlaws went on their cruise their tour operator arranged for all this.

Since you're not renting a car, is there a reason you don't want to use the tours as arranged by the cruise ship?

Not enough time to do what you want in Kauai.

Either to up to the Canyon (leave as early as possible and go to the Kalalau lookout up at Kokee Park first before you go to the canyon - you can then get a view of a small part of beautiful Na Pali coast, go to Waimea Canyon afterward)

Or go up to North Shore for the day (there is a bus with VERY limited service and it only goes as far as Hanalei - how you gonna get to Ke'e and Tunnels without a car?

Or take a helicopter ride, this is the island for it.

santacruz555, you say,

"Hawaiians don't really like us, so I would rather go to central america. a little safer."

Are you serious when you say that? Please explain; it's so odd to hear a comment like that about Hawaii.

2. To hike Waimea Canyon, to see (from see or air) NaPali Coast & snorkel at Poipu Beach or Ke’e Beach. We will be in Port Allen Nawiliwili, Kauai only 9h (8:00am.-5:00pm.Sat, Mar 8)

Ummm...Port Allen is on the west side of our island; Nawiliwili is on the southeast side of our island. To which harbor are you sailing?

If it's Pt. Allen, you could easily take a tour to Waimea Canyon from the cruise ship. For all of the others, it will take an entire day of touring to do just 1-2 of them.

Due to the spate of fatal heli-crashes here in the islands, I no longer recommend helicopter tours -- but that would be the only way for you to see everything that you've got on your long list.

Thank you everyone to reply on my questions.
I realize, I should take cruise excursions even that are more expansive on "Diamond Princes" than on other ships.

You will be docking at Pier 2 in Honolulu on March 9, 2008. I don't think you can do all of those activities in Honolulu that you list, in 16 hours. The islands are a lot larger than you might think, and getting around takes time. Even if you could do it, you'd be terribly exhausted by the time you got to "all aboard."

If you do have some time, though, visit Aloha Tower Marketplace. It is an 8-10 minute walk from Pier 2 and you can shop & dine. Coupons can be downloaded here:
www.alohatower.com/promotions.html