Diamond Hawaii 4-1-08 where ship docks

[gypsylady]

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!

[f-mattox]

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.

[RichC]

F-mattox

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.

[just having ffun]

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

[RichC]

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.

[gypsylady]

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

[f-mattox]

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

[just having ffun]

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.

[gypsylady]

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

[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.