Do I Need to Rent a Car?

We will be in Waikiki for 4 nights before our cruise in December. One of the days includes a sightseeing tour to Pearl Harbor. We have 3 other days. Should I rent a car to do some sightseeing or should I plan to do some organized tours? We are staying at a place called the Waikiki Resort Hotel. We have a group of six, which includes 2 adults, 2 seniors and 2 kids (aged 9 and 10). I don%26#39;t want to waste money but I also don%26#39;t want to waste precious vacation time.

Do I Need to Rent a Car?

I would rent a car at least one day. The cost should be less than it would be for six people touring, besides giving you flexibilty. I think you can get a minivan at most of the rental places,giving you enough room for everyone.

Do the circle island drive, stopping at whatever interests you, get lunch from one of the North Shore shrimp trucks, watch the surfers (huge waves on the North Shore in December), enjoy any of the many beaches.

Just remember not to leave anything of value in the car since theft is a big problem. Putting it in the trunk isn%26#39;t the solution either, just slows them down a couple minutes! We learned the hard way on our first trip eighteen years ago, haven%26#39;t had a problem since then.

Do I Need to Rent a Car?

Here%26#39;s another vote for renting a mini-van for at least one day on Oahu. Once you leave Honolulu and environs you%26#39;ll get to see the rest this beautiful tropical island.

You might consider renting a mini-van on one or more of the other islands the ship touches. It would be considerably less expensive than paying six fees for each of the ship%26#39;s tours. You can choose what YOU want to see and do, and do it at your own pace.

Have you read up on the islands you%26#39;ll visit? ';Hawaii for Dummies'; is a good resource. (Part of the ';Dummies'; series on many topics.)

dianemom2,

I second the idea of renting a car/van for a least one day. You can make a leisurely day/evening of the whole Island. Much more fun than a organized tour in my opinion.

Depends what you want to see %26amp; do on those 3 days! I do just fine without a car, but I stay only in the Waikiki/Honolulu area, no tours, traveling solo or with just one person, and get around OK on the bus or on foot.

But with a group of six, I think having your own transportation would be better. I%26#39;m not a big fan of group tours (and that could get expensive quick), and things are easiest to arrange on your own on Oahu.

It looks like I will probably rent a mini van for at least one day. Do you know if the hotels in Waikiki have rental cars available there or will I need to go back to the airport area?

Thanks for the recommendation of the Hawaii for Dummies book. I love that series. It simplifies things quite nicely. I used it to help plan our vacation this summer to some of the National Parks in the Western USA.

I have just started to read up about what we want to do on the different islands. We may want to rent cars on some of the islands just because it is so expensive to pay for the ship%26#39;s tours. Plus, we have quite a bit of time in some of the ports. Are there car rental places that are pretty convenient to the ports on most of the islands?

I also think it%26#39;s a great idea to rent a car, especially to make it more convenient if you%26#39;re going to explore the rest of the island. It%26#39;s also a LOT more convenient if you decide to check out some of the GREAT places to eat outside of Waikiki. I%26#39;m not totally sure about your hotel, but most hotels will have a car rental place.

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