| Rental
Cars on Kauai |
|
DAILY
RATES |
|
RATE |
|
compact |
|
$39 |
|
midsized |
|
$51 |
|
full sized |
|
$63 |
|
mini van |
|
$77 |
|
jeep wrangler |
|
$77 |
|
convertible |
|
$71 |
|
|
|
Our rental car program is great
for clients who are spending a short period of time on
different islands or who are arriving via cruise ship. Cars
are arranged with one of the major nationwide rental car
companies and they are located at major airports on each
island. These attractive daily rates are offered in
conjunction with a wholesale packager which opens up volume
pricing for shorter rentals.
If you are a cruise ship
passenger, free shuttle service is provided to and from
your cruise ship at ALL ports EXCEPT for Kona. All rentals on Kauai are from Lihue Airport, and a free
shuttle operates to Nawiliwili Harbor. For
cruise ship passengers on Maui, those who are on NCL ships
that are in port in Kahului (Pride of Aloha, Pride of Hawaii,
Pride of America) you should select Maui-Kahului as your
rental city. Those who are on cruise ships that are tendering
in Lahaina, you should select Maui-Lahaina as your rental
city. In Hilo the shuttle ride
from the dock to the airport is very short ride and we highly
recommend your own car there so that you can drive to see the
volcano.
Honolulu is slightly more
complicated. The rental car company services the cruise ship
dock from their Waikiki location, not the Honolulu Airport
location. Shuttles are available between the cruise ship dock
and the Waikiki rental location. If you pick up the car at the
Waikiki location, and return it to the airport location, a $30
drop fee will likely apply. The same thing is true at the
beginning of your cruise ... if you pick up a rental car at
the Honolulu Airport and return it to the Waikiki location so
you can catch a shuttle to the cruise ship, the drop fee will
likely apply. Drop fees are paid directly to the rental car
company at the conclusion of the rental.
CAB FARE ADDS UP QUICKLY!!!
Rental cars open up the possibility for cruise ship passengers
to arrange their own tours and activities independently rather
than using excursions arranged by the ship. This will often save
you a LOT of money as the cruise lines tend to mark up the
cost for shore excursions or offer ones that are done in large
buses instead of smaller groups. We don't know of a better way
to improve your Hawaii cruise vacation than to gain some
independence from the cruise ship during the time that you are
in port.
For clients who have already
arranged airfare to another island for a day or two or three,
this is a quick and easy way to arrange transportation. If you
are thinking of flying to another island (say from
Kauai to Oahu to see Pearl Harbor) and you don't have airfare
arranged yet, you should check out our fly-drive page for packages
that include both airfare and rental car.
Parties of 2 adults and 2
children can comfortably be accommodated in one of the
compacts (they are all 4 door). Midsized is fine for 4 adults.
Parties of 5 require a full-sized car because smaller cars
only have 4 seat belts. Minivans will
hold a maximum of 7. Jeeps and convertibles hold 4 maximum. If your party is more than 7, simply fill out more
than one rental car request form.
Some fine print ... which we
will leave regular size type so you can really read it
...
- Rental cost is pre-paid
and charged 5 days prior to the beginning of your
vacation.
- The driver must be 25
years old or older with a major credit card in his/her
name. Drivers 21-25 may also rent, but will need to pay an
underage driver charge of $25 per day.
- Rate quoted is per 24
hour rental period and includes unlimited mileage.
- You are responsible for
whatever liability and vehicle damage insurance you decide
to take out on the vehicle, as well as the gasoline
consumption and the rental car tax. These are all paid
directly to the car rental company at the end of your
rental. The tax rate varies slightly from location to
location, but generally ranges from $4 to $7 per day
depending on the size of the vehicle.
- Cancellations made after
the rental has been charged but at least 72 hours prior to
pick-up will be refunded 90%. No refunds for late
cancellations and/or no-shows.
Activity Tips
We
recently watched passengers disembarking from an NCL cruise
ship and when they arrived at the dock they walked over and
climbed on board a shuttle bus that had the following words
painted on the side. "WALMART EXPRESS."
Please, for the love of God, don't spend thousands of dollars
coming to Hawaii on a cruise and then end up spending your
time in port at WALMART!!! There is so much to see and
do, and renting a car will open up options for you that you
wouldn't have if you are dependent on your cruise line to
arrange all your tours and excursions.
Throughout
our website you'll find notes about activities that work for
cruise ship passengers if they have a rental car. This is true
of the tours featured here on Adventureinhawaii.com,
as well as our sister website http://adventureimaui.com
(the latter is a very extensive site that focuses just on the
island of Maui). We often give the advice "Enjoy your cruise
ship when it is at sea; get as far away from your cruise ship
as possible when it is in port." Renting a car is a great
way to add independence and improve your cruise vacation.
Luaus
are a good example. If you attend a luau arranged by the ship,
you'll be charged up to $100 or more to be driven by bus to a
luau, and you'll be attending with 600 or more other people
from your same cruise ship. You'll have no control over where
you sit, and you could end up so far from the stage that
you'll wish you brought a pair of binoculars. The same luau
that the cruise ship sells on Monday night for $100 is
available from us on Tuesday night for $69. The difference in
the price of a luau for two people will pay for a rental car
for 24 hours! If you are driving yourself to the luau and you
don't have reserved up-front seats, you can at least arrive
early and get better seats. If you are dependent on the cruise
ship's buses to take you to your luau, you have no idea where
you sit and no way to improve your seats.
How
about overnight parking for Maui and Kauai? Well, in
Nawiliwili on Kauai there are several parking lots a block or
two from the cruise ship that charge $7-8 per night to park
your car. On Maui there is a small lot that is free right
across from the security gate. Other parking is nearby; ask
your rental car company for more specific parking instructions
when you pick up your car. Of course you don't have to use the
rental car for the entire 24 hour period ... you can take it
back early if you like.
These
rental cars aren't exclusively for cruise ship passengers.
This rate works well for short rentals if you are island
hopping. Unfortunately we don't have weekly rates available,
so rentals of 6 days or longer are better serviced elsewhere
... call us for suggestions.
What
about the rental vehicles? Are these older, unreliable
vehicles??? Absolutely not ... we recently rented a vehicle
using this program on a trip to another island and the
odometer read "5" when we picked up the vehicle.
There's something very special about being able to rent a car
with 5 miles on it and then bringing it back three days later
with 500 miles on it! Hey, what can I say ... we were visiting
the Big Island and it IS a Big Island! The rentals are
arranged through one of two different national car rental
agencies.
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