ARRIVAL HONOLULU

We arrived at the Pier 2 cruise terminal early and the ship was cleared before 8 am.  Today, we planned to visit the Navy Base Pearl Harbor to shop at the Navy Exchange and Commissary, then visit Waikiki.

HUI RENTAL CAR

We usually rent a car when we visit Honolulu.  We used to take a taxi to the airport or a Waikiki Hotel to get a car.  In 2022, we discovered a car rental agency called HUI, where you can rent a car for $12 per hour, up to a day max of about $125.  This includes full insurance and gas.  The selling point is that the cars are parked within an easy walk, about 1/3 mile from our cruise terminal.  While the cost of the car is higher, when you factor in the cost of a taxi and the convivence, it’s worth the higher cost to me.  More HERE.  A smartphone and experience with connecting to devices via Bluetooth are required.  You need to upload a copy of your Driver’s license and get approved in advance – so plan ahead – this is not something you can do at the last minute.

We left the ship around 1 pm and took about 15 minutes to walk to our HUI rental car.  You don’t get a key because your phone works as a key to unlock and start the car.  We were in a parking garage that used license plate readers to open the gate as we left.  The previous driver returned the car empty.  You are supposed to fill it up to at least 1/4 tank, so we reported the issue, and the previous driver will be charged $25.  We had to get gas immediately using the Hui credit card in the glove box.

NAVY BASE PEARL HARBOR

If you have Military Exchange Privileges, I recommend you stop by Pearl Harbor (about 8 miles away) and check out the Navy Exchange.  They have a wide variety of Hawaii souvenirs and everything else.

After shopping at the Navy Exchange – we headed to Waikiki.  Rush hour traffic in Honolulu is horrible, and it took us about 40 minutes to travel the 12 miles to our next destination, Bailey’s Antiques and Aloha Shirts.

BAILEY’S ANTIQUES AND ALOHA SHIRTS

We enjoy wearing Hawaiian shirts and wear them almost always in San Diego.  When we heard about a place that sold antique, specialty, and collectible Hawaiian shirts, we couldn’t pass it up.  Metered parking is available on the street in front of the store – you can use quarters or credit cards.  Bailey’s Antiques and Aloha Shirts Inc. was founded in 1980.  You can also shop online HERE.

The store is open from 11 am to 5 pm, and we only had about 20 minutes to shop.  We could have easily spent an hour or more as they have over 15,000 shirts, arranged by size, in two large rooms.  The place is chock full of shirts without much room in the aisles.  The shirts are also arranged by brand.  The friendly clerk will get you oriented and then leave you alone to shop.  I picked up four shirts, and Judy found one.

They also have Hawaiiana antiques and collectibles, including lighters (Zippos and Hawaiian), Levi and Nike items, Hawaiian LPs, figurines, jewelry, sheet music, military items, toys and postcards.

The Rainbow Drive Inn, one of our favorite local spots to get Loco Moco, is across the street.

WAIKIKI AND A HOUSE WITHOUT A KEY

Our go-to parking spot in Waikiki are the several lots around Fort Debussy.  We usually head to the multi-level garage at 2004-2036 Kalia Rd.  There are also surface lots available – more HERE  The lot is open to the public.  There is a military discount available, but you have to go over to the Hale Koa hotel to get validated.

The House Without a Key, is an oceanfront restaurant in the Hakekulani Hotel.  There is open seating for cocktails and an Aloha Show.  You can make reservations for dinner, but the open seating has better views of the show and the sunset.  Bring your wallet – it’s not an inexpensive place to eat and drink.

It was crowded when we arrived, and we almost left, but a couple at a high top near the bar spotted us and said they were leaving, so we grabbed their table.  You can order the complete dinner menu anywhere, including the bar where we were seated.  The food was OK – we got a pizza, crab cake, a starter of ribs, and a couple of drinks – $150.

Don’t worry about sitting near the view of the ocean as everyone rushes to the edge of the beach when the sun goes down blocking the view of anyone sitting at the tables.

WHOLE FOODS AMAZON

I ordered a keyboard for my Ipad Mini on Amazon and had it shipped to the Amazon Counter at Whole Foods located at 388 Kamakee Street in Honolulu.  There is free parking in a multi-level garage across the street.  Be aware that 2 day shipping is not available.  What I could have gotten in 2 days in San Diego ended up taking 2 weeks to get to Hawaii.  They will hold the item for two weeks.

HAWAII CULTURAL SHOW

Back on the ship, a local group put on a very nice show featuring a variety of Polynesian dances and songs.

MAPS