Trip to Hawaii
 

This is rather long, sorry.... i kinda rambled..

My mom has promised that when i graduate college in feb that she will take me anway on a trip wherever i would like to go. I chose Hawaii. I have researched somewhat, but am looking for some advice from someone who has been there or knows someone who has. I am not looking for adventure like snorkeling or scubadiving. I would enjoy a swim with the dolphins or a whale watch. We were hoping to do an all inclusive but when i spoke with a rep from expedia, she informed me that Hawaii does not offer that in any of their resorts. Why???

So if you have any input as to which island we should go to, or even any good experiences with hotels or resorts. btw, My mom would like to keep the trip at no more than 3000 for hotel and flight for both us. She said we can not go if its more than that. Is that feasible?

I've done some checking on Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelworm and the cheapest ive gotten was about 1,306 per person, but that does not include the money we spend there. That was for a city view room/ 7 day stay. I could go cheaper with a standard room, thats no view at all. Any input would be greatly appreciated..... thank you so much... : )

A trip in whale season would be great. You don't say which part of the country you live so can't guess how much of the cost might be fares. $3K for two for a week is very do-able tho'.

The only all-inclusive place I've heard of there is the "Big Island" (Island of Hawaii) Kona Village Resort (v. expensive)
http://www.konavillage.com/ a search on this site might turn up some reports or try www.tripadvisor.com

Condos rent for less than a hotel and offer the advantage of more space & privacy. See the state's tourist site www.gohawaii.com lots of info and you can order planners for each of the major islands free.
American Airlines' vacation packages can give you an idea aavacations.com as well as operators like Pleasant Hawaiian
http://www.pleasantholidays.com/Plea...Web/Welcome.do

For a new grad (congrats in advance:) ) my bias would be toward Maui but there's plenty of others who'll disagree - and agree ;)
Happy hunting.

In February, you should be able to get air and hotel for $1,000 +or- per person.

I live on Oahu and have had many visitors over the years. Some have paid as little as $800 for air and hotel per person. Some as high as $1400 because they chose more expensive hotels. These were visitors from Kentucky, Minnesota and North Carolina. Another couple was going to come from Pennslvania but had to cancel. Their trip was $950 per person.

The airfare and hotels are always high for the summer. Check for rates again in September.

www.hawaii.com
www.expedia.com

There are many more websites with the same deals.

Sea life Park on Oahu has a Swim With The Dolphins Adventure.

http://www.sealifeparkhawaii.com/parkInfo/

Im sorry, Im coming from Pennsylvania.
Most flights ive seen fly to Atlanta, and then to HI.

I think Maui is out, it seems more expensive, and more for the night life. I am not the typicl college grad (springbreaker) i dont drink, and i dont go for the club scene. Id be in HI, for the sights, shopping, beach, food, Lauo and i would love to go on a whale watch.

If i was to choose to stay in Kuaui, do they have boats that could take you voer to the other islands for day trips?

Thanks,
Brittany

Brittany,

Check out http://www.pleasantholidays.com

I used them for a 6 day/5 night trip to Maui in January. We got a condo, car and airfare (from LA) for $900/person. The condo was the Maui Eldorado which was fine. Now we didn't spend time on the property because we spent most of our day on excursions...driving around the island, whale watching, luau etc. Pleasant Holidays has numerous hotel options that you can choose from, so if you want a nice pool or beach access you will have plenty of choices.



Now, we live on the east coast (Boston and DC respectively) but were able to get cheap flights to LA so we could catch our flights to Hawaii.

Congratulations on your graduation and have a great trip.

Good luck.

Hi Brittany,
If whale watching is a big priority I think you should consider Maui. There are good deals to be had on Maui, you just have to wait for a deal. Keep checking various sites like expedia, orbitz, and AAA and Costco if your mom is a member. You also mentioned wanting to take a boat to neighboring islands. Maui is ideal for this because you can get to both Lanai and Molokai via boat.

Another thing to consider, since snorkeling is not a priority for you keep in mind the Big Island or Kauai for land scenery. I have not been to the Big Island, but Kauai is very lush and green. It is not ideal for people who want a lot of nightlife or shopping, it is more laid back and less touristy than say Maui. Keep in mind that February is the rainy season so South Kauai will be more dry than the North Shore area.

The best deals (cheapest) I've found are to Oahu. There's simply more competition on Oahu so there are great deals to be had. But don't get discouraged. You can find outstanding deals to all of 4 major islands ($1000 or less) if you are persistent. I would pick your general dates and an island first, then hunt for prices.

I would suggest Oahu for most of what you are looking for. You have a lot of shopping, lots of restaurants at ALL prices and will PROBABLY get the best air and hotel deal but like others have said keep looking. I'm not sure about the whale watching from Oahu, so someone else can better advise you on that. If not Oahu, then I'd suggest Maui. The whale watching should be very good from there...I saw lots of whales just from the beach last time I was there. Maui has a good mix of everything. I know there are tons of people that absolutely LOVE Kuaui but for a first time visitor, I'm not so sure that's the best. I think maybe it's just a little TOO laid back. I've been to all the islands many times, but when I was younger and on my first visits I loved the Honolulu "buzz" and all the "touristy" stuff that now that I'm older and have been to the islands so many times, I usually try to avoid. Actually, I still like Honolulu for a few days and Oahu has so many quiet beautiful places also, that it still is one of my favorite places to go. I look at Maui as kind of a "middle ground" between Oahu and Kuaui. You've got some time so keep looking. The right trip will be there for you. Now, if it were me and my mom said I could go anyplace I wanted and I lived on the east coast, I'd be goin' to Paris!! (:Congratulations on your graduation and have a wonderful trip.

Are you looking for $3000 for just room and airfare? Food and activities are expensive in Hawaii.

<i>for the sights, shopping, beach, food, Lauo and i would love to go on a whale watch.

If i was to choose to stay in Kuaui, do they have boats that could take you voer to the other islands for day trips?
</i>

No boat day trips from Kauai (except sightseeing around that island).
From Maui you can go to both Molokai &amp; Lanai:

http://www.molokaiferry.com/molokaiday.html

http://www.go-lanai.com/

There's lots of very reasonable places to stay in Maui and it will fit with your list just fine, especially the whales.


http://www.pacificwhale.org/

My mom found a package deal where you fly to HI, and then board a cruise ship that for 7 days takes you around to all of the islands. I think she said it is NCL cruise line, and worked out to 4000 total for 2 people. Which includes everything, airfare, meals, and activities on the boat..
Do you think this is a good idea?

Noooooooo. You'll not be off the boat long enough to enjoy the terrific ambiance and scenerey of the islands.

Maui is a great island for doing the things you like. Nightlife in HI is very limited and it really isn't a party scene or anything like spring break. I've been there 5 times, 2 times with my young kids, and it's really a laid back family style place. If you are interested in the party scene you'd have to seek it out.

Stay in Kaanapali. You'll be on a great beach, within easy walking distance to restaurants and shops at Whalers Village and if you don't want to drive to Lahiana for the Old Lahaina Luau you can always go to a luau at the Marriott or the Hyatt. In the evening you can watch the beautiful torch lighting at the Sheraton at Black Rock.

I'm not going to discount the cruise out of hand, but.......there are usually a lot of older people on cruises. Having said that, when I was your age I actually preferred the company of older adults so the age thing might not be a factor for you. The possible down side to this is that with cruises, it's almost always about the cruise itself. You would have to check and see how many days at sea, do you dock somewhere everyday, how much shore time do you have etc. If you want to see any of the particular island you dock at you will probably have to take their shore excursion (is it included in the cruise cost?) or rent a car yourselves to get around and explore. So, this is something that you and your mom will have to make the decision on, but........I don't think that it's the best way to visit the islands for the first time. Just MHO.

creflors,

i just figured it would give me an oppurtunity to see a &quot;bit&quot; of all the islands so when i take a trip back and ill be paying for trip, i ll know where i ll want to go and focus all my time. Im not one for the young party scene either. Ill be content just having quality time with my mom.

In your shoes I would consider the cruise(!) definitely (and I'm not normally a cruise type). But it would give you a nice vacation and a chance to see each of the different islands, and a fixed budget so you don't have to worry about expenses.

People normally fly to get from one major island to another, not take boats.

For your budget &amp; if you don't want to do the cruise, I think a package deal on Oahu based out of Waikiki would be best. You might check Hawaiian Airlines website for ideas.

BTW- &quot;city view&quot; can mean pretty depressing. I wouldn't pay any extra for it, but might as well go with a standard, if you can't afford ocean or at least mountain facing view.

Suze..

Thanks, I was wondering about that whole city view thing.. i want a view.. so im greatful for the heads up about city view. Your only there for so long, i think the ocean view is worth some extra money. But, my mom is definately leaning towards the cruise package, and i agree that it will probably be best.

Brittany,
Skip the cruise. If your budget has just increased to $4000, you can have one great time on the island of your choice and do several side trips and still spend less than the cruise.

You should go to one island, maybe two. You can't possibly see anything Hawaii has to offer on 8 hour cruise stops at each island.

Also, I think you have the wrong idea on a &quot;party scene&quot; in Hawaii. Most of the islands are very low key and there are very few bars, especially on islands like Maui and Kaui.

Just to throw a monkey wrench in, I would never do a cruise in Hawaii. The whole fun is being ON the island - going to bed there, getting up there, exploring some of the non &quot;tourist port&quot; areas. I have managed to go to the islands five times over the past 27 years, the first time in my teens on a whirlwind package that visited four islands. If I were you, I would spend a week in Maui. You can stay in a nice condo like the Whaler and eat a few meals in. You would be near Whaler Village and not too far from Lahaina. I believe with careful planning you can do it within your budget... Get some guidebooks, look at a package with Pleasant Holidays, etc.

If you're willing to all and talk to someone at Expedia, I think it'd pay to talk to a local travel agent who's been there if I were you.

That's what I did when researching and planning my trip. In my case, it worked out better than what Expedia was offering, particularly since I wanted multiple islands. Off the cuff, I think your budget of 3 to 4 thousand for the flight/room/rental car is totally doable, probably much less than that.

Brittany: I'm with &quot;no cruise&quot; on this one. Hawaii is a place to softly absorb sitting on an island and over your lifetime. Wherever you start is great; it will grow on you over the years. The pace is slow and to be absorbed from the land; mostly by sipping a cool drink watching the sun set. Maui is my favorite and I've been going for over 20 years now - every February. I find something new each year. Whales are there roughly Jan-May and the limits on speed boats, jet skis and the rest can't be beat at that time - nothing like hearing whale calls when you are snorkeling.
Pick somewhere, stay on land and vow to go to the next island in the coming years.

Brittany -

For a one week trip to Honolulu here are some good estimates.

You are going to need $500 - $800 for high season airfare PHL – HNL in February.

“Nice” hotels run from $150 a night on up. You can Priceline hotels on HNL for as little as $50 for a three star [I just did]. But these are just crash pads, not someplace where you want to hang out by the pool for the day.

Figure at least $100 a day for food and fun.

You will definitely want to rent a car for the week, figure around ~$300 with parking and gas. You can use the bus and taxis, but it is a pain in the rear, especially when you are on vacation and will cost almost as much with airport transfers and tips.

Best guess for a basic trip to HNL your budget needs to be if all of the stars fall into place $2500 on the low end, and $4000 on the high end.

For Maui, below is a package from FunJet using Delta as the carrier, Maui only for seven days. Is just over $3000 without food or car [a must on Maui]. So using the same estimates figure another $1000, for a total budget of $4000. Average cost per day is $572.

So it looks like your $3000 budget might be a little light.

I don't want to discourage you - there are lots of ways to save money when going to HI, I am in the process of doing this now. Plus, if you are going to spend than kind of dough on a flight - my recommendation is that you should stay for at least 10 days...

A great trip would be PHL - HNL, stay three nights to experience the Polynesian Cultural Center [budget $250 for two], Climb Diamond Head [free], shop at Waikiki [budget ???], and experience the worlds most famous beach [not that great in my opinion] and the city.

Priceline the cheapest room you can get in HNL. You won't be in the room or be using the pool - it will just be a crash pad.

Then take a flight from HNK - OGG [Maui] and stay for seven days to hang loose and watch the whales.

I like West Maui; Ka'anapali and Napili. You can get a great condo for as little as $150 a night a Napili Shores [my sentimental favorite], or $200 in Ka'anapali [more to do right in the area].

I would use www.tug.com or ebay.com to find a condo. I have rented using both with a lot of success.

You will need a car for the entire stay, Priceline this as well.

If you don’t car about arrival times, number of flight legs to get there or where you sit on the plane, then Priceline the fligh. If not, watch expedia or orbitz daily for a fare sale and jump on anything below 20% of the current fare. Waiting to snag something lower and you might get burned…

For this trip on a high end budget, here are the numbers:

Flights - $800 x 2 = $1600
Hotels HNL - $65 x 3 = $195
Condo Muai - $1500
Car HNL - $150
Car Muai - $300
Food/Fun - $100 x 10 = $1000

Total $4,750

A lot more bang for you buck, average cots per day is $475

Here are a couple ways to save some money on this.

1) Get a credit card that earns miles and use it on everything. I did this and received two $500 vouchers for me next trip. Don’t get one that passes the miles to a specific airline, these miles are difficult to redeem; subject to blackouts, seat restrictions, etc. I have a VISA from Chase where I get specific credit on any airline.

2) Beg or buy frequent flyer tickets. There may be an uncle or aunt that fly’s all of the item that has a gazillion miles that they may never use. Make them an offer for two round trip tickets. You never know you may end up with one as a graduation gift.

3) Learn how to play the Priceline game. Forums on sites like http://betterbidding.com can help you a great deal.

4) Learn about the areas you want to travel. Know as much as possible so you are not disappointed.

5) Read trip reports here on Fodor’s and on tripadvisor.com

6) Post your questions…

Good luck – I am exited for you – I leave for my 14 day adventure to HI in 31 days!

Stash

Funjet Package:

PACKAGE INCLUDES: TOTAL PRICE: $3,144.10
Vacation Philadelphia (PHL) to Hawaii, Maui (OGG) Avg. Price Per Person: $1,572.05


SELECTED FLIGHT
Delta #760 Feb 18 06 - 7:10 AM to 9:51 AM Philadelphia to Salt Lake City
Delta #1760 Feb 18 06 - 12:00 PM to 3:20 PM Salt Lake City to Hawaii, Maui
Delta #1761 Feb 25 06 - 10:10 PM to 7:00 AM Hawaii, Maui to Salt Lake City
Delta #677 Feb 26 06 - 9:55 AM to 4:18 PM Salt Lake City to Philadelphia



SELECTED HOTEL
ASTON At Papakea Resort Feb 18 06 to Feb 25 06


ADD RENTAL CAR
Add a Rental Car to Your Vacation


SELECTED ACTIVITIES
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The Pro Bowl (football) is on
February 12, 2006.

Many of the events for Pro Bowl week are free (Feb 6-11).

Hotels are a little more crowded during that week, but not bad.

Wow!! I didnt even think about the Pro Bowl. Do you know if it is really hard to get tickets to the game? Id love to surprise my mom and have tickets for us to go. That is the week we were planning on going. Thanks for the heads up.

I recall seeing a good amount of empty seats during the probowl. Tickets should not be a problem.

You may want to avoid Honolulu that week and spend your time on one of the other islands.

The Pro Bowl does sell out every year. The Hula Bowl on Maui for college senior all-stars does not.

From a local newspaper after this year's game:
&quot;A sellout crowd of 50,225 ? the 25th sellout in 26 Pro Bowls at Aloha Stadium ? watched the AFC avenge last year's 55-52 loss where it squandered an 18-point lead in the final 13 minutes.&quot;

The last few years, tickets were available until a week or so before the game. Expect to pay around $75 for cheap seats. This year, tickets were not sold out until a couple days before the event.

I don't think tickets are available yet for the general public (except for ticket brokers and maybe package deals). You can check any search engine for info:
pro bowl tickets or
2006 pro bowl tickets
There are plenty of brokers that already list tickets for sale.

Don't worry about Oahu being overcrowded then. Just book your trip a little more in advance to make sure you get the type of room you want.

But, if you are not going to attend any of the events, then you should go before or after Pro Bowl week.

Usually season ticket holders have an option of buying Pro Bowl tickets. So if you know someone who is an Eagles season ticket holder, they could get the tickets.

Here is a list of events from a past Pro Bowl:
http://www.nfl.com/probowl/probowl_sked

Hula Bowl back on Oahu.

This is from today's news.

What it will probably do is take thousands of local people away from going to the Pro Bowl. Tickets for this game will be much cheaper than for the Pro Bowl game that will be three weeks later. So I suspect more tickets to the Pro Bowl will be made available.

From Honolulu Advertiser June 4, 2003:

Hula Bowl's hopes rest on return to Honolulu


By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Hula Bowl will leave Maui after eight years and return to Honolulu for its 60th anniversary game in what might be its last chance to stay in the state of its birth.

The college football all-star game, Hawai'i's longest-running sports attraction, will be played Jan. 21 at Aloha Stadium with a 2 p.m. kickoff.

&quot;We looked at a couple of other places, but the main thing was taking the Hula Bowl out of Hawai'i didn't make sense at this time,&quot; said Mark Salmans, the game's president and chief operating officer. &quot;So, we thought we'd give it another go and see if people want to get behind it and want to keep it here.&quot;

entire article:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../sp/sp03p.html

We promised to take our daughter back to Hawaii for College Graduation and we are going on Monday. She is not a partier or a drinker either. She loved both beaches. (We have been to both Maui and Oahu, and took a day trip to the Big Island.) She loved Maui,for its quieter more laid back pace. We stayed at the Kanapali Bay HOtel there it was wonderful! But, she also loved the Arizona Memorial and the Polynesian Cultural Center with the Horizons evening show..so much that we are doing both again.Its expensive wiht the Laua option but its a full day's entertainment and She says you would love it! Hawaii is a place I never really wanted to go....its expensive and the plane ride is long...this will be our third trip..:-) Need I say more? We have stayed at the Outrigger on the beach and the reef, but a freind is there now at a hotel 3 blocks off the beach, teh resort something. HEr price is much lower and she is very happy. She's 51, a single mom on a school teachers budget, and hiked up a mountain today, seeing everythign from waterfalls to cacti. You can make the trip in the off season for a better flight value. I suscribe to &quot;Travel Zoo&quot;, too. They let you know the best travel values each week. Congratulations on your upcoming graduation and enjoy Hawaii!!! No place in the world we have been is quite as beautiful!

Thank you so much for your input and the input of ur daughter. Im glad to hear that you guys had a great time. I am leaning towards the cruise, or a stay in Maui. I think im going to leadve the final decision to my mom since she is paying. I am away at school so over the 4th of july weekend when she comes to see me, we are going to sit down together and review everything over the net, or maybe with a travel agent. Ive decided against the week i originally chose b'c i forgot about valentines day and id rather not be away from mt boyfriend for that special day, and im sure there will be alot of gushing couples there during that week, so im going to go for the week after that, so the pro bowl is out. Again thanks.

Sandi, you said <i>Hawaii is a place I never really wanted to go....its expensive and the plane ride is long...this will be our third trip..</i>

Sums it up perfectly, wife wanted to go so we went on &quot;miles&quot; some years ago, <b>now</b> we finagle trips whenever we can:)
Maui is the favourite &quot;Maui no ka oi&quot;.
:0

:-) If I had more time and more money, I would go to Hawaii EVERY other year now..:-) But as it is, we must wait for -4years , but each trip gets longer. A friend of mine just went 2 days ago.Shes called twice to exclaim...&quot;I cna't believe how gorgeous it is I have been to the Carribbean and to the Mexican Riveria adn Gold Coast, but this is so vivid!&quot; No picture comes close to the beauty of it all.

Brittany, I know people who did the Hawaiin cruise too..they loved that as well. You get a little bit of each island adn the all inclusive value is good....but if you are comparing Hawaii to a carribean cruise, the comparison is null and void. At least in my opinion.....and remember, i was a convert....:-)

A researched the cruise further, and stey spend 2 days on each island. I think that is plenty of time to enjoy each island and form an opinion as to which one i would want to come back to to spend a full vacation at. (I probably want to spend 10 days at each one, lol) I figure we can schedule a shore excursion for one of the days, and just hang out the beach, or explore and shop the other day. Im very excited and i think im leaning towards the cruise. The cruise line is NCL, Pride of Aloha, i have another post on here specifically about NCL, on cruise critic. com they got very poor reviews when they first launched the ship last summer, but have signifigantly improved.

Ok.... we booked a trip.. we did not confirm the reservation yet, but they are holding it for us while we discuss, and prepare the deposit. Let me run it by you guys.

Pride of Aloha, 7 day cruise throughout Hawaii. Honululu, Kuaui, Maui, Big Island, back to Honolulu. 2 nights on each island. Airfare, food, gratuities included. This in on the 8th deck (viking) Oceanview stateroom EE, cabin 8440. This is for 3 people, my stepdad decided he also wanted to go. We would sail Feb 26th, to Mar 6th. The total cost with ins, tax and port fee came $6,111. Is this a good deal? Any input would be great, we have to have our deposit in by Tuesday. (6/21) Thanks!!! Im so excited.... : )

Someone posted earlier that Maui was targeted to the night life scene...i think that is incorrect. It is anything but. A suggestion on the &quot;delux view rooms&quot;...in my opinion, get a cheaper room with a less impressive room. You won't be spending much time in the room...and when you are there you will be sleeping. Spend the room money on activities.

having been on a cruise, and gone to maui twice...i would say CANCEL THE CRUISE. We laughed last year at all the people getting off the cruise in Maui. WE had driven all over the island to some great places and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. They however were being crammed into a cheap luau (the equivalent to a luau at Shoney's). No one was smiling, no one seemed to be having a good time. Then that night, the weather got bad and they couldn't get back to the boat. Instead the cruise company dropped them off at OUR hotel after 11 pm for them to stay the night. They they had to be back on a bus at 7am the next am to head back to the ship. I forgot to mention that they had no luggage for that night. If you are going on a cruise to maui...you might as well go to the carribean on a cruise. Plus it would be cheaper.

bebalm - I totally agree with you. With a cruise in Hawaii, there is not enough time to do anything or see any of what the islands offer.

Having been a major detractor of cruising the islands in the past, I feel I must put in a positive here. Something I learned this weekend from a well-traveled friend. When he last took a Hawaiian cruise, they passed VNP at night and got a KILLER view of the lava flowing into the sea as well as the glowing top of the cauldera. Now I've never seen that from sea! Why don't any boat operators offer a tour like this?

crazy4Hawaii - One reason may be that lava doesn't always flow into the ocean. The lava flow changes every day.

There is always lava glow though. But, anyone who wants to view that can do it with a hike of a couple of miles.

I don't know that that there would be enough overnight (or late night) visitors on the Hilo side that would be interested in a lava tour by boat to support a regular scheduled tour because of the change in lava flow. But you're right, the idea should be explored (if it hasn't already been).

I'm sure there have been boats chartered for this purpose when the flow actually reaches the ocean. I think that would be an awesome sight.

That makes sense. Basing a tour on something as unpredictable as the lava flowing would be a risky proposition... Like you, I'd love to see it though!

Well, the oceanview room was a promo, they upgraded us for the same price as the inside state rooms. We will be on each island for 2 days, and since we have never been there before i thought that it would be a good way to see a lil of each island, and then next time we go, we'll know which island we would want to focus all of our time on. I also priced hotels on individual islands, and this was the more affordable way to go considering that it includes your dining and the ship is your board. Thanks for ur input, does anyone have any suggestions as to activites on each island? Im defiantely wanting to do the whale watching in maui, a Lauo on the big island, i would like to swim with dolphins, Pearl harbor of course. Input?

Big Island (Hilo side) Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Akaka and Kahuna Falls

Oahu - USS Arizona Memorial and Circle Island Tour or Hanauma Bay snorkeling.
Polynesian Cultural Center if you have an extra day on Oahu.

Maui - Whale watching or Road to Hana.

Kauai - Waimea Canyon