An easier way to do a day trip while at Aulani??

[jekjones1558]

DSis and I are doing Big Island and Aulani for our trip this winter. She has never been to Hawaii so it was tough deciding which 2 islands to do (only there 12 days). Today while I was checking on inter-island flights, I thought about the possibility of sneaking in a day on Maui by hopping there on the day we had planned to move from BI to Aulani. So we would get a morning flight from BI to Maui, rent a car there for the day, then fly from Maui to Honolulu that night. A downside is that the only early morning flights from Kona to Maui actually connect in Honolulu. I really didn't want to do a day trip but since we already have to do one inter-island flight it seems like just adding the Maui leg is less time consuming.
Has anyone done this? Was it just too much hassle to even be fun? I would like my DSis to see Maui and maybe some whales but don't want to get too commando because that just spoils Hawaii IMO. Thoughts?

 

[abdgeek]

It appears that Hawaiian Airlines has two non-stop flights from KOA to OGG(Maui) a day, but they may not be at times you want. On Sept. 19th they are at 10:30am and 1:07pm. It would make for a long day, but it could be done and you could take a late non-top flight from OGG to HNL. Just keep in mind the time you will need to spend in each airport and if you'll have time to do what you want to in Maui.

 

[jekjones1558]

It appears that Hawaiian Airlines has two non-stop flights from KOA to OGG(Maui) a day, but they may not be at times you want. On Sept. 19th they are at 10:30am and 1:07pm. It would make for a long day, but it could be done and you could take a late non-top flight from OGG to HNL. Just keep in mind the time you will need to spend in each airport and if you'll have time to do what you want to in Maui.

Yes, the non-stops from KOA to OGG are too late for us. The things we would want to do will need daylight so we would be stuck with connecting in HNL. If we do that we should have at least an hour left in the morning and all afternoon. KOA and OGG are not huge airports so it doesn't take that long to get through them. There are lots of choices for an evening flight back to HNL. I just have never done this and maybe it is more trouble than I am realizing.

 

[Dean]

DSis and I are doing Big Island and Aulani for our trip this winter. She has never been to Hawaii so it was tough deciding which 2 islands to do (only there 12 days). Today while I was checking on inter-island flights, I thought about the possibility of sneaking in a day on Maui by hopping there on the day we had planned to move from BI to Aulani. So we would get a morning flight from BI to Maui, rent a car there for the day, then fly from Maui to Honolulu that night. A downside is that the only early morning flights from Kona to Maui actually connect in Honolulu. I really didn't want to do a day trip but since we already have to do one inter-island flight it seems like just adding the Maui leg is less time consuming.
Has anyone done this? Was it just too much hassle to even be fun? I would like my DSis to see Maui and maybe some whales but don't want to get too commando because that just spoils Hawaii IMO. Thoughts?

Personally I wouldn't do it. However, if you decide to, see if you can get a flight with a "stop over" in Maui, it might be a little cheaper.

 

[dianeschlicht]

DSis and I are doing Big Island and Aulani for our trip this winter. She has never been to Hawaii so it was tough deciding which 2 islands to do (only there 12 days). Today while I was checking on inter-island flights, I thought about the possibility of sneaking in a day on Maui by hopping there on the day we had planned to move from BI to Aulani. So we would get a morning flight from BI to Maui, rent a car there for the day, then fly from Maui to Honolulu that night. A downside is that the only early morning flights from Kona to Maui actually connect in Honolulu. I really didn't want to do a day trip but since we already have to do one inter-island flight it seems like just adding the Maui leg is less time consuming.
Has anyone done this? Was it just too much hassle to even be fun? I would like my DSis to see Maui and maybe some whales but don't want to get too commando because that just spoils Hawaii IMO. Thoughts?

It is certainly possible to do, but I'm not sure you would have enough actual "ground time" on Maui to make it worthwhile. FYI, the BEST whale watch we have ever done in the islands was this February on the BI! GREAT success with them very close to and even under our boat.

I'm not sure what you are planning to do on BI, but if you go up to the Kohala Coast, you will have similar sights to Maui. What were you planning to do on Maui? Hana, Haleakala, or Lahaina?

 

[dianeschlicht]

I forgot to mention that I am with Dean on this one. I think it would be a very tiring day, and you wouldn't really have enough time to enjoy it. Maui is more of a "stay" type trip than a day trip.

 

[Dean]

I forgot to mention that I am with Dean on this one. I think it would be a very tiring day, and you wouldn't really have enough time to enjoy it. Maui is more of a "stay" type trip than a day trip.

To add, better to cut one of the other stays a day short and get the better of 2 days on Maui if one attempts this. My personal opinion is 7 days or less = 1 island, 14 or less is 2 only. For weeks timeshares, it's hard to do much else, for points systems and cash it does present a little more flexibility if you can fit it together. Still, IMO, for the downtime and aggravation to be worth it, you need a certain amount of time for a given location.

 

[DenLo]

I know that there are whale watching excursions from Oahu during the winter months of December - February. I wouldn't be surprised if Aulani offers an excursion. But I know that there are some that depart from Waikiki and others on the east side closest to Maui.

BTW, on your arrival day at Aulani they have a nice changing room with lockers that you could change into swim suits and enjoy the time until your room is ready at the pool or on the beach. Or just relax there if you prefer.

Here are some photos of the Luana Lounge:

This is only half of the room. There are couches and chairs and another TV on the other side. There is a computer for printing your airline boarding passes. I think there might have been a fee though.

 

[jekjones1558]

It is certainly possible to do, but I'm not sure you would have enough actual "ground time" on Maui to make it worthwhile. FYI, the BEST whale watch we have ever done in the islands was this February on the BI! GREAT success with them very close to and even under our boat.

I'm not sure what you are planning to do on BI, but if you go up to the Kohala Coast, you will have similar sights to Maui. What were you planning to do on Maui? Hana, Haleakala, or Lahaina?

On Maui I thought we would watch the windsurfers and check out Paia, drive to Lahaina to walk around a litlle and drive up past Kaanapali and Kapalua to see some sights and maybe some whales on the way. It would mostly be just to allow DSis to see the difference between Maui, BI and Oahu. DSis is not a boat person and I don't think she will be able to tolerate a whale boat trip but she would love to be able to see at least some blows and hopefully a dorsal fin and tail.

We might end up waiting until we get there to book our inter-island flights and see how the spirit moves us once we are there. DSis doesn't know if she will ever get back to Hawaii so I'm trying to make it a good trip for her. For sure I would not consider staying overnight on Maui because it is just too much hassle. I just thought that adding the one extra leg on what would be our moving day anyway might be a chance for her to see another island without burning up a lot of extra time.