OT-Has Anyone Vacationed In Hawaii?

[Soupermom]

Bumping and hijacking! Our family of four would like to go to Hawaii but I really have no idea how to begin. I'm hoping one of my fellow Disers can point me in the right direction. To begin, I have the following questions...

DH and I both work in the schools (principal, sp. ed. teacher) so we have to work around breaks. Would it be better (cheaper????) to go during the summer or during spring break in March (if Easter is in April)?

We would like to see/do the following for certain: Pearl Harbor, view/tour a volcano, simple adventure things more than every day at the beach. 1-2 beach days would be plenty. Maybe a luau... Where should we stay? Is there an island that has all of the above? We are more the rustic (clean) adventure type than the fancy hotel type...

How much should I realistically expect to spend, including airfare from Indy? I just need a ballpark figure because I am clueless!!

Any suggestions on a guidebook??? Love my UG for WDW; anything like that?!

THANKS!!!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Bumping and hijacking! Our family of four would like to go to Hawaii but I really have no idea how to begin. I'm hoping one of my fellow Disers can point me in the right direction. To begin, I have the following questions...

DH and I both work in the schools (principal, sp. ed. teacher) so we have to work around breaks. Would it be better (cheaper????) to go during the summer or during spring break in March (if Easter is in April)?

We would like to see/do the following for certain: Pearl Harbor, view/tour a volcano, simple adventure things more than every day at the beach. 1-2 beach days would be plenty. Maybe a luau... Where should we stay? Is there an island that has all of the above? We are more the rustic (clean) adventure type than the fancy hotel type...

How much should I realistically expect to spend, including airfare from Indy? I just need a ballpark figure because I am clueless!!

Any suggestions on a guidebook??? Love my UG for WDW; anything like that?!

THANKS!!!

We've been reasearching going to Hawaii and the best deal I've found is to do the 7 day cruise around the Hawaii Islands on Norweigan Cruise Lines - that way you get to see all of the islands and attractions. The cruise would be around $1,800 - $2,000 for the four of you. The killer is the airfare. I've never found airfare to Honolulu under $500.00 per person.

 

[TxDisFans]

I grew up in Honolulu as a child, and have been back many times! We love all of the islands, and you're sure to have a great time!!

My biggest piece of advice is to look at lots of photos online to get a sense of each different island... because, IMHO, they are VERY different from one another! The topography, flora, developments, etc. vary more than you might think. Get a map, and just look up some preliminary info... it often seems to me that there's a lot of confusion here on the mainland about what's actually on each island.

Honolulu (where Waikiki is) is a busy city, with all that a city has to offer - great shopping, cultural events, tons of restaurants, etc. It also has all of the down-sides of a big city - rush-hour traffic, crowds of tourists, high-rises, lots of development, etc. That said, it was my home and there are phenomenal experiences to be had there... you just have to carefully consider your own expectations for a "Hawaiian vacation" and see if this fits the bill. The first time I brought him to visit, my DH was shocked to realize that... um... it's a city. Note: Honolulu is on Oahu, also the location of the base and Pearl Harbor.

Maui is topographically different - with one major crater dominating the center of the island. It's become very developed at the coastline, so sections of it can resemble Waikiki in that regard - elbow-to-elbow hotels, many very high-end.

The Big Island (also referred to by tourist guides as "the Island of Hawaii") is... well... big! A PP pointed out that it's so big, you can end up spending lots of time in the car to get around to various sites. It's really different in its look and feel - lots and lots of volcanic rock, rather than the lush vegetation one associates with Hawaii. Of course, the resorts have added plenty of vegetation... but the center of the island is still rock (it's the newest of the islands, created the most recently geologically, ergo less vegetation). To my DH, it looked rather stark and moon-like. The big, BIG reason to go is Volcanos National Park - this is where you can experience a "real" volcano. It's pretty amazing.

Kauai is my personal vacation favorite. It's just simply beautiful! The south side of the island has most of the bigger resorts - the "Poipu" side - while the north has the Princeville and more amazing, lush vegetation. It also rains a lot up there - not typically the downpour we get on the mainland, but a lot of drizzle. When we go, we spend a few days on each part of the island. However, it's small enough that you can easily drive to where you want for the day. There is *AMAZING* hiking and snorkeling! The Na Pali coast is truly stunning... maybe my favorite place on earth!

The smaller islands like Lanai are beautiful but far, far less developed. You'd have very very few options for hotels, but what's there is lovely (I hear).

We would like to see/do the following for certain: Pearl Harbor, view/tour a volcano, simple adventure things more than every day at the beach. 1-2 beach days would be plenty. Maybe a luau... Where should we stay? Is there an island that has all of the above?

So.. just as an example, you can't really see an active volcano and tour Pearl Harbor on the same island. Volcanos: Big Island. Pearl Harbor: Oahu.

Good luck everyone and HAVE FUN!!!

 

[holden]

I haven't read all of the responses, but here's a small additon:

Honolulu has a great Children's Museum! It's a "hands on" kind of museum. DD7 loved it when we too her (she was 3, but she would enjoy it now too).

 

[PearlySwan]

The place I would recommend in Kauai is the Princeville resort. It was absolutely beautiful! Very upscale and not as expensive as you might think. If you are definitely staying in Kauai, make sure to take a helicopter ride over the Na Pali cliffs. Breaktaking!

 

[rparmfamily]

I haven't read all of the responses, but here's a small additon:

Honolulu has a great Children's Museum! It's a "hands on" kind of museum. DD7 loved it when we too her (she was 3, but she would enjoy it now too).

Children's Discovery Center, it's 3 stories, right on the ocean, in an old pineapple cannery building. AWESOME rainy day activity!
http://www.discoverycenterhawaii.org/

 

[mom2faith]

Hi all!! I am also Hijacking

Here is our plan so far:

Jan 2011 - 10 days
Aqua Bamboo Hotel and Spa

I went to Honolulu in 2006 for 5 days to complete the Honlulu Marathon with DSis and DSIL. We had fun, but given that the marathon was a full day (yes it took me a full day!! 9 hours 11 minutes and 32 seconds to walk it) and then recovery was another full day - we did not see that much of the Island. We pretty much stuck to Waikiki and the Ala Moana area.

The questions i have are about the Luau's.

I was planning to do the Polynesian Cultural Center, but now I am drawn to Paradise Cove. The PCC we were going to do the whole day tour and really take in the culture. But, should I also consider Paradise Cove or are the Luau's going to be similar?

Thank you for your feedback!!

PS We are also doing Sea Life Park and heading to the north shore - I am getting excited!!

 

[rparmfamily]

The PCC is alcohol free (ran by the Mormans) so if that is of concern, stick with Paradise Cove, which is at Ko'Olina.

 

[lurkernj]

We took our kids(9 and 12 then) to Hawaii three years ago and are planning to go back next year. The first time we went we flew into honolulu on Oahu. We only stayed there two nights so we could see waikiki beach and pearl harbor. We stayed at one of the Aqua resorts(across from Hilton Waikiki village). It was cheap, clean and fine for two nights, I would stay here again for a short period of time, but not if I was planning to spend a lot of time at my resort. Then we hopped over to maui and stayed on the northwest shore (Napili). This wasn't as built up, we stayed in a condo on a turtle cove and snorkeled 30 feet from our door. I would recommend renting a condo if you are going with kids as eating out is VERY expensive. We grocery shopped for breakfast/snack items/beverages and mostly got take out for dinner and ate on our lanai (best seat on Maui), and just liked the extra space. We also went to Kauai(also stayed in condo), which was stunningly beautiful, but for some reason we liked Maui better. I felt Kauai was more "adult", and Maui more "fun", just my personal feel. Also, most condos will come with boogie boards and beach chairs.

Next year we are going back to Maui to the same condo since it was the best place on earth to our family. We are also goin to the big island, which we will split up by staying on the Kona side for four nights, and the Hilo side for three nights.

We really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of just getting in our car and doing whatever each day. We drove to snorkel spots and just hopped in, we drove the road to Hana and had random stops along the way, we went hiking on our own. We did almost everything on our own (just get some guidebooks, the Revealed books are great, as is tripadvisor dot com for researching. We did do Paradise cove luau one night and felt it was very cheesy and touristy, I have heard the Old Lahaina laua is more authentic, but I think we will skip it. We did a helicoptor ride on Kauai also that was phenomenal.

 

[Disney_Ohana]

Aloha!

I'm Pua I live in Hawaii & I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have (or come up) when planning your visit here. (Just PM me )

I'm on Oahu but I'm familiar with Kauai, Big Island & Oahu (where I live). I live in the small beach town where Obama stays when he comes . It's gotten real popular.

I recommend VRBO too. I've used them on our last trip to Kauai.

 

[Soupermom]

Thank you everyone for your information! Disney Ohana~ I may be sending you messages in the future, thanks for offering to help!

 

[Soupermom]

I'm waiting for my "Revealed" guide books to arrive

Until then, I'm wondering... How do you get from Island to Island? Flying only? Do you have too book those way in advance, or just once you get to the islands? How much $$$ does this cost?

 

[Kat&Dom]

I'm waiting for my "Revealed" guide books to arrive

Until then, I'm wondering... How do you get from Island to Island? Flying only? Do you have too book those way in advance, or just once you get to the islands? How much $$$ does this cost?

We are going to Hawaii next month staying for 6 days on the Big Island then flying over to Maui for 4 days. The inter-island flight cost about $90 per person with taxes and one suitcase included.

I guess that there used to be an inter-island ferry that was super cheap but they went bankrupt last Spring so from my research, flying was the only way to get from island to island.

 

[LuLuO]

Subscribing.

We are beginning to plan a trip to Hawaii in late October 2011. My mom's dream has always been to go to Hawaii and she will be retiring in Sept 2011 so we are wanting to make this a family trip...mom, me, DH, DD and DS. Definitely going to Big Island for Volcanoes National Park. This is a non-negotiable part of our trip. So we're looking at 5-7 days on Big Island. Then I'd love to head over to Kauai for 5-7 days if possible.

 

[Soupermom]

Can you only fly back to the mainland from one airport, are is there one on more than one island?

 

[lurkernj]

There is a main airport on Kauai, Maui, Big island, and obviously Oahu (not sure of the smaller islands). Not sure about where you live, but direct flights from NJ are not very plentiful (have only seen them to/from Oahu.) We always use Continental, so I haven't looked at other airlines, but Continental flies into those four islands. There are also smaller airports at some of the islands that are great for doing those island hopping trips (Kapalua on Maui was absolutely awesome - we had to pick our luggage up off a table after they wheeled it off the plane on a cart - and only ten minutes from our condo on the westside).

For our trip next year, I am eyeing up flying into Big Island from Newark (one stop in Texas), doing a puddle jumper to Maui, then flying from Maui to Newark, also one stop (I think in LA). Minimizes the amount of time in airports. Last trip we flew into Honolulu and out of honolulu, plus a flight from honolulu to Kauai, Kauai to Maui, and Maui to Honolulu. We used Island Air for our interisland flights and they were great and on-time, although while I am looking now, I see they don't have as many flights available throughout each day. I don't think the flights are available until about 6 months out, but I would definitley book in advance - at least 3-4 months out so you get the flights you want.

 

[alyssa810]

My brothers and I took my mom (and our families, dad, SIL's parents) to Maui for mom's 60th birthday in 2005. We planned 3 years in advance. We were fortunate to have an abundance of frequent flyer miles and were able to fly out on miles, saving tons of money; we all did fly separately due to personal schedules. One of my brothers lives in Seattle, and he and his wife and 2 kids flew out the same day as my parents, and I believe they ended up getting in around the same time. My DH and I flew together (duh) the next day, and my other brother, his wife, and their 3 girls and my SIL's parents all flew together from the Boston area, arrived the day after. We all flew into the Maui airport.
We were also fortunate to have accumulated a ton of Starwood points and were able to use those to pay for our rooms at the Sheraton & Westin. My parents and my Seattle brother booked a package through the embassy suites timeshare that was fairly inexpensive, and the rooms there were great too.
Some of the things we did -either separately or as a group- included the road to hana, the pineapple plantation, the winery, the crater, and a luau at the Hyatt. We -my DH and I- also took my parents to Honolulu for a day. We wanted to go to Pearl Harbor, which was incredible! We took a flight out of the west maui airport, which was very close to our hotels, and flew right into Honolulu. It was great! We also spent a lot of time playing in the waves and in the pool.

The only thing with going with a big group is that there can be lost of conflicting agendas...some people are planners and savers; other people make no plans and don't account expenses and miss out on what could be really great plans. The other thing was that we went before we had our DS while my brothers both had children with them and used that to sort of knock down some of the plans we suggested. Also, my brothers and one SIL had been to Maui before, so there was a lot of "we did that last time..." (but as usual, I digress) My DH always wanted a jeep so we rented a jeep (and hated it)...there's so much that we didn't do and I'd love to go back, but I wouldn't go with the whole family again, for sure!

 

[Soupermom]

Can you take photos at Pearl Harbor/USS Arizona? I thougth I read somewhere that you cannot...

 

[lurkernj]

hmmmm, I hope it was ok to take photos as I do have some. They are only of the outside. I don't remember anything about not taking photos, but maybe that's why I don't have any inside.

 

[rparmfamily]

You can take photographs on the memorial. You can NOT take photographs of Pearl Harbor, of the subs and ships in port. It's an active Navy base and there is fencing around the parameter stating no photographs. In fact, on 4th of July on base, security threatened to take my camera because I had taken a picture of all the ships "decorated" for the 4th of July.

Luckily the memorial is at Ford Island, so you'll have no problems with pictures of it or the USS Arizona below. You can take pictures inside the memorial. The only thing they ask is to be respectful in terms of your voice and actions, and only whisper if you must say something.