Planning a Hawaii timeshare trip for 2022. Any advice accepted.

[melpollard]

We’d like to plan a 2-week timeshare trip to Hawaii for 2022 for four people. First time in Hawaii.

My wants list:
Want to see as much as possible of all islands in that time without killing ourselves. We are in our 60s.
Want to see the volcano, Maui, and Kauai. All others things are optional.

We have weeks to trade through Interval International. We have a Mexico elite resort that trades well.

I know nothing! Lol. Thanks in advance.


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[Luanne]

If you want to see the volcano that means you'll want to stay on the Big Island for a period of time. You could do one week on the Big Island, then one week on either Maui or Kauai. With two weeks two islands is the most I would suggest. If you really want to see both Maui and Kauai can you extend your stay so that you could do 4 to 5 days on the Big Island, then split the rest of the time between Maui and Kauai?

Are you particular about the time of year you go?

 

[zentraveler]

I would advise sticking with two islands unless you want to spend a lot of time in airports and packing and unpacking. If the volcano is a priority I would suggest finding the other wonderful things on the Big Island, and then picking either Kauai or Maui and exploring them as well.

[Advice from learning the hard way ]

 

[melpollard]

If you want to see the volcano that means you'll want to stay on the Big Island for a period of time. You could do one week on the Big Island, then one week on either Maui or Kauai. With two weeks two islands is the most I would suggest. If you really want to see both Maui and Kauai can you extend your stay so that you could do 4 to 5 days on the Big Island, then split the rest of the time between Maui and Kauai?

Are you particular about the time of year you go?

We were thinking sometime
Jan through April.


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[Luanne]

The whales are in town usually from late November through March, sometimes early April. That makes Maui very attractive during that time. Also, you can run up against Spring break. If you try for April you will likely find more availability.

 

[csodjd]

I'd do it a bit differently. I think 3 days on the Big Island is plenty, especially if you can get in by noon. You want 7 days in Maui in my opinion. So you either go to the Big Island first, then Maui, then Kauai for 4 days, or the other way around. Try and avoid a flight that stops and changes planes in Honolulu... that's just wasting time. From Kona to Maui is a short flight. So, for instance:

Monday -- fly into Kona, morning flight so you arrive mid-day
Tuesday -- Drive to Volcano, visit that area of the Island
Wednesday -- Plan a late afternoon flight so you can spend much of the day in Kona before heading out. Fly to Maui
Thursday - Wednesday in Maui
Wed - mid-day flight to Kauai.
Thur-Fri-Sat in Kauai.
Sunday - leave back to the mainland.

You'll get a good feel for three very different islands and will be planning your return trip on your flight home.

 

[alwysonvac]

We’d like to plan a 2-week timeshare trip to Hawaii for 2022 for four people. First time in Hawaii.

My wants list:
Want to see as much as possible of all islands in that time without killing ourselves. We are in our 60s.
Want to see the volcano, Maui, and Kauai. All others things are optional.

We have weeks to trade through Interval International. We have a Mexico elite resort that trades well.

I know nothing! Lol. Thanks in advance.


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I would either do
(1) A Hawaiian cruise from Honolulu (NCL Pride of America) followed by a week exchange on Maui or Kauai.
(2) One week exchange on Maui with a day trip to the Volcano (during your stay on Maui) + one week exchange on Kauai.

NOTE: Hawaiian Airlines has a non stop flight between Maui (OGG) and Hilo (ITO).

 

[melpollard]

I would either do
(1) A Hawaiian cruise from Honolulu (NCL Pride of America) followed by a week exchange on Maui or Kauai.
(2) One week exchange on Maui with a day trip to the Volcano (during your stay on Maui) + one week exchange on Kauai.

NOTE: Hawaiian Airlines has a non stop flight between Maui (OGG) and Hilo (ITO).

View attachment 30748

Yes, I was considering the NCL cruise. You just hit so many spots in such a short time, nice.


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[Luanne]

If you really want to see he volcano you need more than just a couple of hours. We like to spend at least one night in Volcano Village so that we can get a night time viewing.

 

[alwysonvac]

Our very first visit to Hawaii 20 years ago was on a cruise from Honolulu. We also wanted to see the various islands. I haven’t been on the Pride of America.

There was a recent discussion on TUG a few months ago. Here’s what TUG member tompalm stated in this thread about the Pride of America (see this link for the full thread)

“...That seven day cruise around the islands is not a highly rated ship and if you are a cruiser, you will be better off jumping on a ship departing Hawaii for the west coast. They stop in Maui and the big island. I like Celebrity or Princess. The Norwegian ship that goes around the islands does not have very good service. But, it takes you to all the islands and worth doing if your objective is to see all the islands. I recommend renting a car at each port and not doing the herd tours. Most rental car companies will pick you up at the ship and drive you to the airport. Wait until next year to reserve your cruise. ....”

 

[melpollard]

Our very first visit to Hawaii 20 years ago was on a cruise from Honolulu. We also wanted to see the various islands. I haven’t been on the Pride of America.

There was a recent discussion on TUG a few months ago. Here’s what TUG member tompalm stated in this thread about the Pride of America (see this link for the full thread)

“...That seven day cruise around the islands is not a highly rated ship and if you are a cruiser, you will be better off jumping on a ship departing Hawaii for the west coast. They stop in Maui and the big island. I like Celebrity or Princess. The Norwegian ship that goes around the islands does not have very good service. But, it takes you to all the islands and worth doing if your objective is to see all the islands. I recommend renting a car at each port and not doing the herd tours. Most rental car companies will pick you up at the ship and drive you to the airport. Wait until next year to reserve your cruise. ....”

Yes, thank you. I would view the NCL ship as a means of transportation with some inexpensive meals. We would not expect our usual ship experience. But you can’t beat the itinerary. I’m just not willing to spend 4-6 days at sea getting to the islands and back. Not in the middle of the Pacific anyway.


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[alwysonvac]

If you really want to see the volcano you need more than just a couple of hours. We like to spend at least one night in Volcano Village so that we can get a night time viewing.

We’ve flown from Oahu and stayed three nights at Volcano Village Lodge (link) years ago.
However anyone can stay longer than a couple of hours if they don’t want to stay overnight (see sample weekday flight below - getting into Hilo at 9am and leaving Hilo at 8pm).

 

[ared505]

We go to the Big Island and Maui, a week each, nearly annually (except this year) for ~20 yrs. Been to Kauai once and never Oahu. I agree with the advice not to overdo. Think about what you want to see or experience. I see Maui as stereotypic Hawaii, for better or worse, and the Big Island as more laid back with a very different look. Both have good whale viewing opportunities. Swim with manta rays and/or dolphins (any water excursion becomes a whale viewing opp in season). Maui may be better for swimming from shore than BI. Getting to Kilauea on the BI takes serious time; you may want to stay in Kona or south for that, but there's also terrific sights to see at the far north of the island and east to Hilo...it's a <big> island. On Maui, don't take the time for the all-day drive to Hana. You'll have to hit a luau (so many choices!); a sunset cocktail cruise is also lovely. Venture beyond the major cities on each island. Take time to relax with a tropical drink in hand and your toes in sand (there are restaurants to provide just that experience). So much time to enjoy the anticipation!! (We should have been flying to the BI this Saturday - Alice

 

[jacknsara]

Aloha,

The volcano recently resumed erupting after a long pause following a massive flow covering much of the Puna area and all of Kapoho (formerly one of our favorite places in the state). https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/volcano-updates You should be mindful of VOG in your planning. https://vog.ivhhn.org/ If you wish to minimize your risk of staying in a timeshare subject to VOG, I recommend focusing on timeshares north of the airport (i.e. not Kona). Besides, those are a bit closer to the volcano if you are planning day drives. It’s a long drive. The Big Island is bigger than all the other Hawaiian Islands added together. Either buy or check out a guidebook for planning. I recommend https://www.revealedtravelguides.com/big-island/

It is not unusual for first time visitors to the Big Island to remark at how barren the landscape is as they leave the Kona airport. You might be happier spending a full week (or perhaps just 6 days each) in a timeshare at both Maui and Kauai and then just two nights on the Big Island (potentially flying into the Hilo airport) to see the volcano. Keep in mind that it might be raining much of the day hard enough to reduce long range visibility.

Jack

 

[Luanne]

We’ve flown from Oahu and stayed three nights at Volcano Village Lodge (link) years ago.
However anyone can stay longer than a couple of hours if they don’t want to stay overnight (see sample weekday flight below - getting into Hilo at 9am and leaving Hilo at 8pm).


View attachment 30753

Correct. But the suggestion was to fly into Kona, drive to the volcano and back the same day. That's a lot of driving and not much time in Volcano National Park. We did that on our first visit there. After that we always stayed over a night or two.

 

[DeniseM]

I like Jack's plan the best. Also, it's easier to book timeshare stays in increments of 7 nights. Or, you can make two 7 night reservation, and only use 6 nights of each, so you can spend 2 nights in the middle on Hawaii Island/Big Island. I'd do the two, 6 or 7 night stays on Kauai and Maui.

 

[Luanne]

I like Jack's plan the best. Also, it's easier to book timeshare stays in increments of 7 nights. Or, you can make two 7 night reservation, and only use 6 nights of each, so you can spend 2 nights in the middle on Hawaii Island/Big Island. I'd do the two, 6 or 7 night stays on Kauai and Maui.

Yet, in the OP's first post the order in which he mentioned what they wanted to see was: "Want to see the volcano, Maui, and Kauai."

 

[DeniseM]

Yeah, but they have never been to Hawaii, so I based my answer on my favorites. YMMV

 

[alwysonvac]

Correct. But the suggestion was to fly into Kona, drive to the volcano and back the same day. That's a lot of driving and not much time in Volcano National Park. We did that on our first visit there. After that we always stayed over a night or two.

oh, sorry.
Yes, I agree that’s a lot of driving. It’s why we flew directly into Hilo and stayed overnight in Volcano Village for three nights.

 

[NiteMaire]

We’d like to plan a 2-week timeshare trip to Hawaii for 2022 for four people. First time in Hawaii.

My wants list:
Want to see as much as possible of all islands in that time without killing ourselves. We are in our 60s.
Want to see the volcano, Maui, and Kauai. All others things are optional.

If you decide to stay on the Big Island for a week as suggested by @Luanne check out this thread from my time there. I asked for day trip recommendations and tuggers came through with many great suggestions.

Big Island: Day-trip Recommendation/Experience (from Waikoloa)

We are staying 13 nights on the Big Island. We arrived yesterday and will split our time between The Bay Club and Kohala Suites, both in Waikoloa Village. We've read most, if not all, threads regarding the best activities/places/restaurants to visit on the Big Island, so we have lots on our...

tugbbs.com

 

[cowboy]

My favorite islands are Kauai and Big Island. There are a lot more good things to see on the big island in addition to the volcano. Trying to plan on seeing the volcano erupt is like planing on it raining on a certain day in the future. The volcano just started erupting after a 2 year interlude and could stop just as suddenly. There is evidence of the other older volcano eruptions that are the same as the recent lava flows from Kilauea, just lava that has cooled and solidified. I would suggest not making the volcano the center piece of the trip but something to see along with the other wonderful things the islands have to offer, especially Kauai, if they ever open up to travel.

 

[BingoBangoBongo]

What kind of activities do you see yourself doing on this vacation? We're pretty active vacationers and have done a bunch of different things in HI. We've golfed, hiked (trails and inactive volcanos), spent time at the beach/resort pool, taken coffee tours, Vanilla Lunch etc. I think the three Islands you're interested in offer some very similar activities but also have somewhat different vibes. I prefer Maui and the Big Island, but that's just me. I do agree that I'd only do 2 islands with two weeks. The last two trips we've taken only took us to one island, one trip to Maui we did 10 nights and our last trip to BI was 9 or 10. I have flights booked for another trip to BI in October that is also 10 nights. For us there is plenty to do on one island and spending time packing, going through airports, renting cars just doesn't appeal to me.

 

[Dean]

We’d like to plan a 2-week timeshare trip to Hawaii for 2022 for four people. First time in Hawaii.

My wants list:
Want to see as much as possible of all islands in that time without killing ourselves. We are in our 60s.
Want to see the volcano, Maui, and Kauai. All others things are optional.

We have weeks to trade through Interval International. We have a Mexico elite resort that trades well.

I know nothing! Lol. Thanks in advance.


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I'm not aware of any MX resort that truly trades well, at least by HI standards. You'll likely need a Xmas/NY week to even come close. For 2 weeks I'd only do 2 islands if all done on timeshares though II. For first time I'd chose Oahu and Maui. Oahu to do the Tourist things and Maui because it's overall the island many people prefer early in their trips to HI. Those of us who have been more often have different preferences. I would not try to do 3 or 4 islands in 2 weeks. Now if you can do 2.5 weeks you might consider the cash portion for Oahu and chose 2 other islands.

 

[Luanne]

I'm not aware of any MX resort that truly trades well, at least by HI standards. You'll likely need a Xmas/NY week to even come close. For 2 weeks I'd only do 2 islands if all done on timeshares though II. For first time I'd chose Oahu and Maui. Oahu to do the Tourist things and Maui because it's overall the island many people prefer early in their trips to HI. Those os us who have been more often have different preferences. I would not try to do 3 or 4 islands in 2 weeks. Now if you can do 2.5 weeks you might consider the cash portion for Oahu and chose 2 other islands.

I've been to all of the islands and personally would never recommend Oahu, except to see Pearl Harbor. I know many love it, and return time after time. BUT, the OP said they want to see the volcano, Kauai and Maui. So why throw Oahu in there?

 

[Dean]

I've been to all of the islands and personally would never recommend Oahu, except to see Pearl Harbor. I know many love it, and return time after time. BUT, the OP said they want to see the volcano, Kauai and Maui. So why throw Oahu in there?

Because of the historical things that most people want to see on a first visit, there's a lot more than just Pearl Harbour.