I am sailing on the Diamond to Hawaii on April 1,2008 and would like to know where the ship docks at the ports in Hawaii? Is it within walking distance to shopping in any of these ports? Does princess offer a shuttle service? Please advise. Thanks!

Hello gypsylady (great name, by the way) and welcome to cruise-chat. We did the same cruise this last April so I think I can help you.

Princess does not offer shuttle service but Hilo Hatti's and some other big retailers do. They of course take you to their stores but that dosen't mean you have to shop there. They are usually smack in the middle of the shopping districts

Hilo--ship docks at large commercial pier; free shuttle or short cab ride to town. Flea market right at pier.

Kona--tender pier right in the middle of downtown. Easy walk to all kinds of shops and picturesque waterfront restaurants.

Honolulu--docks at Aloha Tower. Shopping and restaurants right there. Free shuttles. Half-mile walk to a nice beach/park. Good city bus systerm with many lines going to Aloha Tower. We took city bus to Waikiki Beach--very easy.

Nawiliwili--dock, or possibly tender if more than one ship. More of a sightseeing island than a shopping port. We did the Romantic Ceremony and Luau at Smith's Tropical Paridise and highly recommend it.

Lahaina--tender pier right in the middle of town. Easy walk to shopping and waterfront cafes.

Hope you find this helpful and have a wonderful cruise--we sure did.

F-mattox

quote:

Honolulu--docks at Aloha Tower. Shopping and restaurants right there. Free shuttles. Half-mile walk to a nice beach/park. Good city bus systerm with many lines going to Aloha Tower. We took city bus to Waikiki Beach--very easy.

We even used the Hilo Hatti's free shuttle to get to Waikiki Beach although it was the last one on the day & had to use the public bus to return to Aloha Tower area. We stopped to see the city light display since it was the Christmas season. If I remember correctly Wal-Mart also has a free bus shuttle on the islands.

hey F-mattox
what is this port NAWILIWILI..
you said the tour was good..I know we won`t be able to book it till dec..or even get any info till then..could you tell us a little about it ..like $,lenght etc ?? we are not leaving till april 16th..

thank you

Nawiliwili is located on the coast of the island of Kauai. If you like to see scenery, a good tour is one that includes Waimea Canyon.

Hi! F-Mattox....thanks for the compliment on my name....and the info. This is great. Gypsylady

Hello just having ffun, you can actually get all the information you want right now at princess.com; at the top of the home page click on "Learn About Our Cruises"; then "Shore Excursions"; then select a destination from the drop-down menu, in this case Hawaii & Tahiti; then select a port. All the excursions offered at that port are listed. You can't book until 120 days prior to sailing but all the information is there; lengeth, price, actifity level, what is included, highlights.

The one I was referring to was "Tropical Garden, Luau and Romantic Ceremony". You can read the description, but in short, it was a tour of a private garden by tram, a full luau, authentic Hawaiian entertainment, and a lovely ceremony with an exchange of leis and a renewal of vows ceremony. The ceremony was optional but a lot that didn't participate wished they had.

So hope this helps and please ask if I can help in any other way.

Rick

thank you thank you..very informative..am certainly going on that one..best part of the cruise for me is the days at sea..I love to just sit back and relax and enjoy..dw is a little different..she loves to shop no matter where she is...again thank you.

Hi F Mattox,
Still doing research on my 4-1-08 trip to Hawaii via Diamond Princess. Your info is most valuable. One other ? I have...in Honolulu you said the ship docks close to the Aloha Tower..and there are free shuttles, by any chance do you know where the shuttles run to? I'm wondering if they go to Ala Moana Shopping Mall. I know it's only 5 minutes away but walking may not be an option with my elderly mother. Thanks for all the info you can give. Gypsylady

Hi Gypslady, The ship actually docks right downtown at the Ala Moana Shopping Mall & there's no need for a shuttle to take you there. Even if your mom is using a wheel chair you'll be right along side of all the shops.

There are plenty of free shuttles to retailers at the ports (Hilo Hatties and Walmart to name just a couple.)

Hi Rich C and SD, Thanks so much for the info...Docking at the Ala Moana is great for my mom and myself....Gypsylady

Just off the Diamond Princess.....ship does NOT dock at the Ala Moana Shopping Center Mall. The ship docks at the Aloha Tower shopping area. The Ala Moana Shopping center is several miles down the road. A city bus will take you there for $2.00 each way, no transfers. There is a major difference between the Aloha Tower shopping and the Ala Moana Shopping Mall.

In other ports both Walmart, Kmart and Hilo Hati's offer free shuttle services from the docks or piers directly to their stores only.

Feel free to ask any questions. Will answer all questions.

Richard & Mary
Las Cruces, New Mexico USA

In a follow up to the above post, as a traveler on this cruise you will find that many of the Hawaiian type shops appear to be the same, selling Hawaiian merchandise and Hawaiian type items. All other shopping experiences can be found here in the USA.

The time spent on the sea days to get to Hawaii and the cost of the cruise warrants time seeing the islands and using the time wisely to see the island and the wonders of Hawaii, not shopping which you can accomplish at any large USA shopping mall. In fact the cruise director always made fun of those passengers taking the cruise and ending up taking the shuttle to the Walmart in each port to buy Hawaiian shirts, sodas, water etc. You can buy thoses items anywhere you go.

I highly recommend using your VALUABLE time to try to see Hawaii, the culture, nature and people of the islands. In Hilo, we rented a car for $27.00 for the day from Enterprise and spent time driving the island which was a great experience rich in culture and beauty. In Kona we rented a car drove thru the lava fields to the rich grasslands and tropics of Hawaii. In Honolulu which is long port of call, we rented a car, but the car rentals had so many renters that catching the rental shuttle to the rental lots to pick up the car would have taken several hours. Since we were getting married on Magic Island in Honolulu, we walked to the State Dept to secure the marriage license, walked thru historic Chinatown, and took the bus to the Waikiki area. On Maui we rented a car thru Enterprise and had a beautiful drive around the upper island of Maui with a stop in Paipi for lunch at Charleys, a local island favorite then back on the road for a drive on the upper Maui island back to Lahania to board the ship. In Kauai, I had clients who live there so they picked us up and showed us around the island. It was fantastic to get away from the regular shopping and see Hawaii for what it is. The time in port goes very fast so you want to use the time wisely.

For car renters, there are several websites that you can access that have pre drive tours routed with driving directions, shows points of interest, and drive times and times between stops. They were a great help. We visited many of the points of interest that had tour buses that people paid for while we visited many at no cost .....accept the cost of the car which averaged only $30 to $35 per day. Gas was priced at $3.85 a gallon as of Dec 8th to the 13th. We averaged 100 to 150 miles total per island with time to spare off and on the ship.

So use the time wisely, and see the islands. Consider a car vs the cruise tours if you can drive. All roads are very good, drivable, not crowded and if you have the DRIVE TOURS printed out, they are so valuable with time allowances and points of interest.

It's a great cruise, and suggest seeing the islands rather shopping in the malls or strip centers.

Remember Hawaii is not primative, but very commerialized with normal stores like here on the mainland. You can shop at Walmart, Kmart or Costco here at any time. Why waste time, see the islands and the culture of Hawaii. Time is very limited each day, use it wisely and be well planned. You will enjoy the cruise more.

Richard & Mary
Las Cruces, New Mexico USA

quote:

Originally posted by RichC:
Hi Gypslady, The ship actually docks right downtown at the Ala Moana Shopping Mall & there's no need for a shuttle to take you there. Even if your mom is using a wheel chair you'll be right along side of all the shops.

I apologize about the comment I made concerning the ship docking at the Ala Moana Shopping center.. I had it confused with Aloha Tower area. It's good to have someone around to correct misinformation.

HI Rich C,
Thanks for the info anyway. Yes it's always good to be corrected by others. Gypsylady

Hello Richard and Mary,
Good to hear you had a lovely time seeing the Islands. Having been to all the Islands several times in the past I would agree that one does need to enjoy all they have to offer. Fortunately for me I have other interest this time. Whether it be shopping or enjoying the local cuisine, a trip like this spent with loved ones is always special. gypsylady

Family and i are leaving on mar 17. Just wondering if anyone knew temp and weather for the four sea days? How long does it take to get warm? Thanks.

Hello therapy, and welcome to cruise-chat;

I did the same cruise last year in early April; it was cool the first two days out and the last two days back--mid 60's as I remember; by the third day is started warming gradually until we got to the Islands.

You must be getting very excited--3/17 is quite near.

Have a wonderful trip.

Rick

Yes, it can't get here soon enough. Thanks for the info. From what i've read the first and last two days are a bit colder and rough. As long as the days in between are warm and smooth thats good enough for me. Thanks again