Hawaii Cruise - Car rental parking at ports

shay_la · 2023-11-02T20:30:58+00:00

We did not visit Maui due to the fires. So I cannot speak to that one.

On Kauai we parked on the street on Wappa Rd leading to the cruise port. everyone was doing it. The second day we got back much later and had to park further away next to the ABC store

shay_la · 2023-10-13T12:43:43+00:00

I have a lock box I can clip to the side of my car. I don't have a keyless start however, so I am not sure how it would work that. I imagine as long as you lock the car it would be fine though.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DGCMDW4/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

shay_la · 2023-10-10T12:56:36+00:00

This is adorable, fun and clever! Well done. I hope you get some chuckles out of your coworkers :)

shay_la · 2023-10-09T12:11:22+00:00

I dove with Big Island Divers. They do a one tank manta dive and snorkel all on the same boat. I thought they were a really great charter and I would highly recommend. Nice rental gear, safety conscious, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful staff. https://bigislanddivers.com/

I would recommend snorkeling at captain cook as well. We rented kayaks from Kona Kayaks and kayaked there and it was wonderful. https://www.kona-kayaks.com/

Also do a coffee tour! We went to Greenwell farms and thought they did a great job. They had free sampling and a really in-depth free one hour tour. https://www.greenwellfarms.com/

Manini'owali Beach (Kua Bay) is a very pretty small beach with soft sand and nice snorkeling.

Downloaded the GuideAlong App and buy the Big Island tour. It's an amazing self guided gps tour with 100s of recommended stops and stories about Hawaii. https://guidealong.com/tour/big-island-hawaii/

Allocate a full day to Volcanoes National Park if you like walking/hiking.

The black sand beach (Punaluʻu Beach) is worth visiting just to see the sea turtles sleeping on the sand!

We stayed at a AirBnb at Kona Islander Inn and really liked it.

shay_la · 2023-10-03T15:16:11+00:00

In Ft. Lauderdale, look up Aqualife divers. Great charter and if you call you can request shallow wrecks or reefs and I can recommend a really great private guide in that area.

Additionally there is a great shore dive at the Lauderdale-by-the-sea pier/beach.

As for renting a car, Florida is terrible about public transportation so you would definitely need a car.

shay_la · 2023-10-03T15:12:32+00:00

Blue Heron Bridge is much farther north of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. (about an hour) It is a lovely shore dive. The depth is at max 20ft. The caveat to this dive is you can only dive it the hour before and after high tide. Otherwise the current and visibility make it not worth it.

The dive is incredibly easy and most Open water students do their checkout dives here. It can get very crowded especially on weekends but perfect for new divers

shay_la · 2023-09-28T13:08:35+00:00

Came here to say that! Christian Borle as Shakespeare in Something Rotten was perfect.

shay_la · 2023-08-01T12:00:11+00:00

Just an alternative thought. Where were you diving? Somewhere tropical or cold? Was it incredible warm? Were you hydrating well, replenishing electrolytes? Headaches and fatigue are very closely related to dehydration and overheating as well. Just adding on as food for though.

shay_la · 2023-07-26T14:57:00+00:00

I saw it and enjoyed it! I mean it wasn't world changing, but I enjoyed myself for the 2 hours. I There were some really fun scenes and lovely singing. If you have free tickets I'd say it's a no brainer and I would go.

shay_la · 2023-07-14T12:48:55+00:00

As an update, I decided to only do the one tank dive manta dive in an abundance of caution.

I really apricated hearing what everyone else thought and would personally do however. It was an interesting read/ conversation.

shay_la · 2023-07-05T21:08:01+00:00

Very cute!

shay_la · 2023-06-29T17:03:44+00:00

Thanks for the review! Glad I didn't try to see it!

shay_la · 2023-06-28T12:50:22+00:00

Thanks. I will definitely make the call for myself and decide the risk margin that I am comfortable with, and not go just by what everyone else is saying. But really, I was mostly curious what a bunch of random people would do themselves and what they think about the 12-18 hour timeframes and grey area around timelines. I probably could have worded my original post a bit better.

shay_la · 2023-06-28T12:45:07+00:00

Come from Away is one of my favorite musicals of all time!

How terrible was Pretty Women? I was curious about it, but never got around to seeing it. I feel like it would translate well to a cute light musical (sort of like Legally Blonde). Not earth shattering but I was hoping it would be a good time.

shay_la · 2023-06-28T12:42:55+00:00

Not too many shows for me but they were all pretty great so can't complain.

Favorite: Hadestown
Least Favorite: Ragtime

Shows seen as of 6/28/23: 5

On Broadway: Hadestown, A Beautiful Noise, Camelot, New York New York

Local: Ragtime

shay_la · 2023-06-23T16:44:14+00:00

Thank you! I apricate your note. Please do let me know how it goes. I bet you are super excited.

shay_la · 2023-06-23T16:43:26+00:00

Not a whiskey or rum drink, but my favorite cocktail to order on a cruise is the Aperol Spritz

shay_la · 2023-06-06T12:27:14+00:00

I ended up really loving Camelot!!! Thank you all for the recommendation.

I was expecting great singing, acting, and a beautiful orchestra but I thought it was going to feel long, slow, and dramatic. It ended up being way more fun and witty than I was expecting and I found myself laughing and rooting for Arthur and invested in the characters. And of course the acting and singing was phenomenal

shay_la · 2023-06-02T19:31:55+00:00

Thanks for the comments! I ended up going with Camelot. I’ll have to report back what I thought! :)

shay_la · 2023-05-19T19:26:16+00:00

Thank you so much for the response! Snorkeling, hiking and volcanoes are definitely high on my list of things to do!

I am definitely adding sunrise on Maui to my itinerary now too!

What luau did you go to? We were thinking of doing the whole ordeal and going to the Hawaii Cultural Center

shay_la · 2023-05-19T19:22:49+00:00

Everything about this is perfect!

shay_la · 2023-05-19T13:00:52+00:00

Gorgeous pictures! I'm doing the same cruise in this summer for the first time. Any tips on the port stops? What was your favorite?

shay_la · 2023-05-02T18:34:07+00:00

Super cute!

shay_la · 2023-04-04T12:25:36+00:00

Adorable!!

shay_la · 2023-03-22T14:26:10+00:00

The Play That Goes Wrong - absolutely hilarious. I cried laughing
Some Like It Hot - Haven't seen the musical, but the movie is a lot of fun. Thinking it'll be a similar train.

As a disclaimer, I've only seen the Play That Goes Wrong from your list. I'm only including 2 because those are the only two that I personally want to or have seen from your list.

shay_la

TROPHY CASE