OGG on Saturday

[10spro]

There are so many conversations about lines and wait time at the Maui airport, so I wanted to give an update. We arrived at Enterprise rental car return at 11:15am, no waiting there, up the stairs, quick bathroom stop, no wait for the tram, no wait at Ag, no wait at Alaska (their kiosks were broken so went to the counter), no wait at TSA with Pre-Check, a few minutes shopping for gifts, no wait at Ag#2, now sitting at Gate 15 by Noon. So for 2 of us today it was less than 45 minutes from car return to the gate. YMMV

 

[Luanne]

When we arrived on Monday my husband got on the tram to the car rental site right away. Got to Avis, no line, and was told the car was waiting in the Preferred section. He was back with in within minutes. I was waiting outside baggage claim with our luggage

 

[slip]

Definately a different experience than over about the last 6 months.

 

[artringwald]

Similar experience to what we had arriving and departing from OGG last month. The only delay was when some luggage jammed the conveyor belt, and they had to hand carry all the luggage to another carrousel. No wait at National's Emerald Isle and a cazillion cars to choose from. It took about 5 minutes to get through TSA when we left.

 

[Ken555]

…until you rent from Thrifty. Even if there is only a short line, they only have 1-3 check-in desks and they are ssssssllllloooooowwwww. I’ve rented from Thrifty twice here in the last year and both times there was a wait and only a few staff working. At least this time I only waited 20 minutes - last time it was 45+. And I have their blue chip program which supposedly would let me bypass the line, but this reservation must not have qualified since it wasn’t there for me.

I had a reservation with Avis (and then Alamo) but autoslash notified me of a cheaper option with Thrifty just a few days before arriving and I knew it would mean a longer wait to get the car but I figure for $100 savings it would be worth the risk.

FWIW, Thrifty also doesn’t have any midsize and very few compacts. They put subcompacts/minis in the compact aisle and expect you to take one. When I mentioned my concern for safety in such a small car upon checkout the *very helpful* staff gave me a full size car instead.


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[artringwald]

At National, I was the only one there. Since I was traveling with a group of four we needed a big truck. The agent walked with me to show me which vehicles had the biggest trunks. I picked a huge Ford Expedition. It's hard to park and has bad gas mileage, but it easily fit 4 large suitcases and 4 carry ons. With the corporate retiree rate it was $318/week.

 

[slip]

At National, I was the only one there. Since I was traveling with a group of four we needed a big truck. The agent walked with me to show me which vehicles had the biggest trunks. I picked a huge Ford Expedition. It's hard to park and has bad gas mileage, but it easily fit 4 large suitcases and 4 carry ons. With the corporate retiree rate it was $318/week.

I had one of those a few years ago when we had friends with us on Maui. We chose it for the same reason. Every time we went some where and had to park it was like parking the Titanic. We called it temperature Titanic the whole trip.

 

[artringwald]

I had one of those a few years ago when we had friends with us on Maui. We chose it for the same reason. Every time we went some where and had to park it was like parking the Titanic. We called it temperature Titanic the whole trip.

We just called it the Land Barge. Fortunately, Kaanapali Beach Club had plenty of extra parking spaces in the 2nd sub level where they used to do the valet parking (they don't do valet anymore). I would look until I found a pull through space so it would be easy to get out.

 

[Ken555]

…and even though I filled the tank before return Thrifty decided to charge me $34 in fuel fees. I received the email while waiting for the tram to the terminal so turned around and went into the office. They were rude and condescending so I insisted on a future credit for my time. They refunded the fee and provided a $50 credit. Now I just need to remember to check my credit card to be sure they didn’t charge it. Thrifty is definitely not the most consumer friendly option.


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[slip]

…and even though I filled the tank before return Thrifty decided to charge me $34 in fuel fees. I received the email while waiting for the tram to the terminal so turned around and went into the office. They were rude and condescending so I insisted on a future credit for my time. They refunded the fee and provided a $50 credit. Now I just need to remember to check my credit card to be sure they didn’t charge it. Thrifty is definitely not the most consumer friendly option.


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I'd pass on the credit.

I used them many, many years ago for my first Hawaii trip. They were very slow just like you said. It was years later that I tried again because of the price. It was better but still slow. I haven't used them in years now and don't plan on using them again.

I get a corporate rate with Hertz that hasn't been beaten in years. Otherwise I will only use Alamo or Enterprise.

 

[Ken555]

I'd pass on the credit.

I used them many, many years ago for my first Hawaii trip. They were very slow just like you said. It was years later that I tried again because of the price. It was better but still slow. I haven't used them in years now and don't plan on using them again.

I get a corporate rate with Hertz that hasn't been beaten in years. Otherwise I will only use Alamo or Enterprise.

I have a company account with Avis but it ended up significantly more expensive.

It’s just a race to the bottom with these car rental companies.


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[MOXJO7282]

…until you rent from Thrifty. Even if there is only a short line, they only have 1-3 check-in desks and they are ssssssllllloooooowwwww. I’ve rented from Thrifty twice here in the last year and both times there was a wait and only a few staff working. At least this time I only waited 20 minutes - last time it was 45+. And I have their blue chip program which supposedly would let me bypass the line, but this reservation must not have qualified since it wasn’t there for me.

I had a reservation with Avis (and then Alamo) but autoslash notified me of a cheaper option with Thrifty just a few days before arriving and I knew it would mean a longer wait to get the car but I figure for $100 savings it would be worth the risk.

FWIW, Thrifty also doesn’t have any midsize and very few compacts. They put subcompacts/minis in the compact aisle and expect you to take one. When I mentioned my concern for safety in such a small car upon checkout the *very helpful* staff gave me a full size car instead.


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I saw a Thrifty rate $300 less than others for our trip next month so was considering until I saw the reviews and this cements it. I'm not going to start my trip to paradise waiting 2-3 hours for my car as some have suggested. I stick with Alamo or Budget as they are competitive and have fastpass or whatever to go right to your car. I'm already set up with a barcode on my phone that allows me to go straight to the car and be on the move. I tell anyone that will listen this fact.

 

[Ken555]

I saw a Thrifty rate $300 less than others for our trip next month so was considering until I saw the reviews and this cements it. I'm not going to start my trip to paradise waiting 2-3 hours for my car as some have suggested. I stick with Alamo or Budget as they are competitive and have fastpass or whatever to go right to your car. I'm already set up with a barcode on my phone that allows me to go straight to the car and be on the move. I tell anyone that will listen this fact.

Yup. I dislike any of these companies that don’t have a method to just grab a car and go.


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[djyamyam]

I picked up a rental vehicle from Thifty a couple nights ago and it was almost an hour wait in line. Only had 2 people working, one on Thrifty side and one on Dollar side.

 

[gln60]

I saw a Thrifty rate $300 less than others for our trip next month so was considering until I saw the reviews and this cements it. I'm not going to start my trip to paradise waiting 2-3 hours for my car as some have suggested. I stick with Alamo or Budget as they are competitive and have fastpass or whatever to go right to your car. I'm already set up with a barcode on my phone that allows me to go straight to the car and be on the move. I tell anyone that will listen this fact.

I booked my Son and Fiance' through Alamo for their honeymoon next month to Maui and Oahu...I had looked at the dismal reviews from other car rentals and decided that Alamo had very good reviews and competitive pricing...plus accelerated Check In and Skip the Counter.

 

[MOXJO7282]

So now Avis has the best rate, but another company that seems to have terrible Yelp reviews. They say they have fastbreak to go right to your car but I'm concerned that by going through Costco you lose that. With Alamo, even through Costco they made it easy to set up fastbreak and get a barcode for my phone that grants me fastbreak.

So anyone use Avis, through Costco and used their fastbreak program?

 

[Ken555]

I picked up a rental vehicle from Thifty a couple nights ago and it was almost an hour wait in line. Only had 2 people working, one on Thrifty side and one on Dollar side.

It's really one company, and any of the agents may assist for either of those companies. When I arrived last Sunday I only waited ~20 minutes, but I arrived from Kauai and I don't think it occurred when a larger plane arrived from the mainland. Last year when I rented from Thrifty on a larger plane it took 45 minutes.

I would only rent again from them with a blue chip reservation which bypasses the checkin line.

 

[dlpearson]

So anyone use Avis, through Costco and used their fastbreak program?

We were in Maui the 2nd two weeks of February. I made auto reservation via Costco.com, but we were nervous about landing at 10:50 pm and not making it to the car rental counter before the posted closing hour of 11:00 p.m. Trying to call ANY of the onsite rental offices to speak to someone live in Hawaii is impossible. So I called Costco customer service a few days before our trip, and they said they could give the Budget/Avis counter a heads up to wait for us (that ended up not being an issue at all--despite having to sit on the tarmac for 40+ late because there was no gate available--huh? Was our flight a "surprise" to the airport?).
Anyway, I gave the Costco employee my fastbreak number to add to my record a few days before we left, which he said he did, but when I got to the fastbreak counter (at the bottom of the escalator---typically less crowded than the main office upstairs) I had no envelope in the fastbreak display stand. Luckily there was no one in line (it was past 11:30 pm at that point). The employee at the fastbreak counter started out by telling me I had to go back upstairs to the main office (which surprisingly was still open, as many of the others upstairs had closed their doors by that point), but I pushed back. She begrudgingly helped me at the fastbreak counter, even though "I didn't have a fastbreak reservation number". I think perhaps it was more Costco's fault than Avis's, but YMMV.....

On a different note--I know you've been going to Maui for years. Have you discovered The Gazebo restaurant at the Napili Shores resort (about 15 minutes north of MOC)? It's fabulous (very old school/"hole in the wall", but the ocean front location and food is to die for). People line up for breakfast and lunch --they close daily at 2:00 p.m. The macadamia nut pancakes and the fried rice plate (which are HUGE--easily shareable) are our favorites. We've learned to place an order via the to-go station (on the right hand side of the building) to bypass the wait for sit-down service, and then walk a few steps to Napili beach and eat under a tree on the sand. One of our all-time favorite things to do now.

 

[Luanne]

So now Avis has the best rate, but another company that seems to have terrible Yelp reviews. They say they have fastbreak to go right to your car but I'm concerned that by going through Costco you lose that. With Alamo, even through Costco they made it easy to set up fastbreak and get a barcode for my phone that grants me fastbreak.

So anyone use Avis, through Costco and used their fastbreak program?

We used Avis. Our booking was through Autoslash/Priceline. I am a Preferred member (Avis's program) but my reservation didn't show Preferred. When my husband picked up the car one week ago he went to the Preferred line. There was no wait and he was told the car was waiting in the Preferred section. He was in and out of there in minutes.

 

[MOXJO7282]

On a different note--I know you've been going to Maui for years. Have you discovered The Gazebo restaurant at the Napili Shores resort (about 15 minutes north of MOC)? It's fabulous (very old school/"hole in the wall", but the ocean front location and food is to die for). People line up for breakfast and lunch --they close daily at 2:00 p.m. The macadamia nut pancakes and the fried rice plate (which are HUGE--easily shareable) are our favorites. We've learned to place an order via the to-go station (on the right hand side of the building) to bypass the wait for sit-down service, and then walk a few steps to Napili beach and eat under a tree on the sand. One of our all-time favorite things to do now.

We've been going to Maui since 2002 and never tried the Gazebo. We always say next time because we've heard all the great reviews. So now with your encouragement I'm going to label this a "must do" for next month.

 

[dlpearson]

We've been going to Maui since 2002 and never tried the Gazebo. We always say next time because we've heard all the great reviews. So now with your encouragement I'm going to label this a "must do" for next month.

Joe, you won't regret it. The view (spanning across Napili Bay), and the tide pools/rocks immediately down the steps from the restaurant are worth it alone--the food is amazing (and for Maui standards, a bargain. The pancakes--be sure to get the coconut syrup--are $15.95 and the fried rice is $16.95. Each serving is big enough to share for 2 people). Here are some recent pics (the octagonal building is the restaurant). The turtle was in a tide pool in front of the restaurant. The sandy beach of Napili is just a 2-minute walk north from the restaurant. There are dedicated restaurant parking spots towards the back of the north parking lot of Napili Shores resort. (there's also a public gate from the parking lot to get to the Napili beach if you don't want to walk across the rocks/tide pools immediately in front of the restaurant). You've GOT to go--now I'm hungry AND having Maui withdrawals ......!

 

[MOXJO7282]

So now Avis has the best rate, but another company that seems to have terrible Yelp reviews. They say they have fastbreak to go right to your car but I'm concerned that by going through Costco you lose that. With Alamo, even through Costco they made it easy to set up fastbreak and get a barcode for my phone that grants me fastbreak.

So anyone use Avis, through Costco and used their fastbreak program?

So now it's Budget with the best rate that has gone down from $1800 to now $1004. Budget to me is the best Maui rental car company in my experience. Its crazy how much the pricing fluctuates even on a daily basis. I check it multiple times a day and that has paid off. just saved another $30 today after reducing by $100 the other day.

 

[gln60]

I booked a Jeep through Alamo…7 days at OGG for next month for $468…I booked a Convertible for 7 days at HNL through Alamo for the 2nd week of my son and fiancés honeymoon for $653.

 

[daventrina]

... no wait at TSA with Pre-Check ...

The wait yesterday without Pre-Check at noon was ~30-45 minutes.

 

[Ken555]

So now it's Budget with the best rate that has gone down from $1800 to now $1004. Budget to me is the best Maui rental car company in my experience. Its crazy how much the pricing fluctuates even on a daily basis. I check it multiple times a day and that has paid off. just saved another $30 today after reducing by $100 the other day.

Times have changed. When I last rented with Budget, some years ago, I waited 45 minutes to an hour just to get to the counter and then it took the inept staff at least 20 minutes to process the paperwork. Afterward, they told me I could have skipped the line due to my status but they didn’t have signage so I thought they didn’t offer it at that location.

Alamo and the others that let you just grab a car and go are the best in my book.

Of course, these days it’s about price since they all are at the same location, etc. I paid $264 after tax thanks to Autoslash for a week in Maui last week for a compact, and they gave me a full size and, due to their incompetence, a future $50 credit.


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