Despite having a very long day when we boarded the Disney Wonder for our long awaited Hawaiian cruise in Honolulu the previous day, I still managed to wake up like clockwork in the middle of the night due to the eleven hour time difference that was still affecting me after nearly a week in Hawaii. Thankfully as the sea was a little rough outside, the “gentle rocking” of the ship that Captain Fabian had promised the afternoon before helped me get back to sleep and I woke up again at 6:00am. I still felt tired but thankfully a cup of tea from the drinks station on Deck 9 whilst sitting in bed helped me to wake up ready for the day ahead.

Today was our first port of call on the beautiful island of Maui. We had a long port day scheduled as we were due to dock in Kahului at 8:30am and not leave again until 10:00pm that night and we had made plans to rent a car and spend most of the day exploring the island. We made our way to Cabanas which was really busy as everyone onboard was getting breakfast at the same time – it was the most people I had seen on the ship since we boarded. We sat outside in the fresh air with our breakfast and just after 8:00am we heard the When You Wish Upon a Star horn as we arrived at the dock in Kahului.

After breakfast we walked back down to our stateroom on Deck 7 and finally met Yuthapong who was our incredible stateroom host and towel animal creator extraordinaire. It was great to finally meet him as we had kept on missing each other on embarkation day. The ship was cleared by the local authorities at 8:25am so we collected our bags and made sure we had our passports, driving licences, cameras and spare batteries before filling up our water bottles and making our way down to the gangway which was located on Deck 1 Forward.

We had rented our car for the day from Alamo at Kahului Airport which was located 2.5 miles from the port. Only licensed taxis can pick up and drop off inside the restricted area at the port but we had decided to get an Uber/Lyft to the airport that morning as we wanted to try and save as much of the cash that we had with us in case we needed it later in the trip. There was a marked walkway with some great views of the ship (although with the high fences surrounding you it did feel like making your way through a Walking Dead attraction at Halloween Horror Nights) and it only took a few minutes to reach the main road at the entrance of the port. We picked up our Uber outside of Whole Foods which was located across the road from the port and the drive to the airport took just under ten minutes and cost $12.50.

On the way to the airport our Uber driver also pointed out the roads that we would need to take to get to all the places that we wanted to visit that day. He also thankfully reassured us that the section of the Road to Hana that had collapsed from the heavy rain earlier in the week had already been repaired so there should not be any problems getting to where we wanted to go.

Once we were dropped off at Kahului Airport, we could either walk to the Car Rental Center or take the cutest tram you have ever seen there instead. As we just missed the tram, we decided to walk and it took us just over five minutes to get there. There was no line at Alamo (but very long lines at some of the other rental companies) and there were also plenty of cars that we could choose from as the facility was so big. We had booked a Full Size SUV for each of our days on the islands and we had made the reservations about a year in advance (when visiting Hawaii never leave it until last minute) when we took advantage of an incredible deal which cost $85 (£71) total for each day including an extra driver, all the various insurances as well as a tank of fuel.

After leaving the airport, our first stop before we did anything else was a nearby Starbucks to get a strong coffee ready for our mini road trip. Our first destination of the day was Wai’anapanapa State Park along the Road to Hana and we had a reservation to enter between 12:30pm and 3:00pm. The driving time to there was showing roughly two hours and we did not want to miss our time slot so we decided to head straight there and make any other stops on the Road to Hana on the way back later that afternoon.

The Road to Hana also known as the Hana Highway is a scenic 64 mile long section of road with 620 (some of them hairpin) turns and 59 single lane bridges that stretches around the eastern coast of Maui. It had been on my list of places I wanted to go to for a long time and I had read many differing opinions online about how difficult it would be to drive so I was not sure how we were going to find it. The answer for us was that it was nowhere near as difficult to drive as some people have made it out to be. Yes the road is very narrow with lots of tight turns but being from the UK where we are used to driving on small and windy country roads like this, I thought it was very easy. However if you normally only drive in a straight line on wide freeways, motorways or interstates then you might find it a little more challenging.

You cannot drive fast on the Road to Hana and the official speed limit is 15mph so it is impossible to get anywhere quickly – hence why the journey to Wai’anapanapa State Park was going to take just over two hours to get there.

The best tips I can give anyone planning on driving the Road to Hana is to take your time, make sure you have a full tank of fuel before setting off as there is nowhere to fill up, download any offline maps onto your phone due to very limited mobile service, have water and snacks with you and use the pull outs on the road to let other people drive past you if needed. Also if you do suffer from motion sickness, make sure to take some non-drowsy medication as the tight turns in the road never let up the entire way – they seem neverending.

We made a quick stop about halfway through our drive at the Keanae Lookout to take a break from driving and stretch our legs for a few minutes as well as take some photos across Hahaha Bay. There were also toilets here that you could use and this would also be a great place to swap drivers if there are several of you in the car.

The whole of the Road to Hana is so interesting and photogenic and there is so much to see and do (including so many waterfalls and hikes) and I wished we could have had longer to explore everywhere but sadly we only had one day in Maui. From the beginning when we first booked this trip, we always called this our “Hawaiian Highlights” tour as we knew there was no way we would be able to see and do everything that we wanted to in the short time that we had – but that just means that we have to go back in the future which we will!

We finally reached Wai’anapanapa State Park about 12.45pm which was a lot later than Google Maps had predicted due to the few photo stops we had made along the way – see I said that you cannot get anywhere quickly on the Road to Hana and there were so many more stops we could have made along the way too!

You can only enter Wai’anapanapa State Park with an entrance ticket and parking reservation made in advance which are available online thirty days ahead of your visit and you cannot make a same day reservation. Entrance is $5 per person and parking is $10 per vehicle and you must enter and leave the park within the times that you have booked – if you wish to stay longer then you must also reserve and pay for the next time slot as well. Remember to allow for any driving times when you book your time slot so you do not arrive late as you will not be allowed entry. You will be emailed your ticket which you will need to download or print before your visit as there is no mobile signal at the park – we downloaded as well as printed it just to be safe!

After our ticket was scanned we parked our car and you can see why you need a reservation as the parking lot is tiny so it would easily get crowded and overwhelmed if there was no reservation system. Our first stop was Pa’iloa Beach (the black sand beach) and I did laugh at the people attempting to sunbathe there as it was grey and overcast that day and the beach is not suitable to sunbathe in the slightest as some of the waves come all the way up the beach. We also walked up the steps on the other side of the beach and walked along the Coast Path to get some different views.

After walking back across the beach, we walked further around to the Sea Arch and the blowhole. I would have loved it that day if the weather had been slightly better and the skies would have been blue. It was so beautiful at Wai’anapanapa State Park but the grey skies look a little dull and the photos do not do the park justice.

We also noticed a tour group from our cruise here who had paid some ridiculous amount of money for the tour – I saw the prices on the website. However I personally could not think of anything worse than being squashed together with a group of people in a small minibus for a couple of hours whilst driving the Road to Hana – especially if you cannot see the road ahead of you and you suffer from motion sickness. Renting a car in Maui is so easy and being able to explore at your own pace, stop where you want to and for how long you want to is definitely the way to go and it costs a fraction of the price.

After using the toilets at Wai’anapanapa State Park, we started driving again but due to our limited time on Maui (and this was a long port day) we knew that we could not drive any further along the Road to Hana that day as it was at least a two hour drive back to Kahului from where we were and we also wanted to go to Haleakalā National Park for sunset. We had both been concerned that there would be a lot of traffic on the Road to Hana as we were there at a weekend but it was actually very quiet the day we were there.

On our return journey we made sure to stop at Hanawi Falls by Mile Marker 24 as they had looked beautiful when we had driven past earlier in the day – there was also several pull outs on the road very close to the Falls where we could park and not block the road. We also realised at this point that we had not had anything to eat since breakfast so we stopped at Halfway to Hana where we bought some of their famous and delicious homemade banana bread to eat.

Just before we reached the town of Paia, we stopped at Ho’okipa Beach Park to see a large group of sea turtles resting on the far end of the beach which was an amazing sight to see.

We also made a quick stop to look at a surfboard wall before we encountered our first real traffic of the day as we drove through the centre of Paia. Thankfully the traffic was moving albeit slowly and it did not take long before we could see the familiar red funnels of the Disney Wonder in the distance as we got closer to Kahului.

We were both feeling exhausted at this point and I will admit I did briefly contemplate if I still wanted to go up to Haleakalā National Park as Google Maps was was showing a fifty minute drive to the summit from where we were. Thankfully that feeling quickly disappeared as I had been wanting to visit Maui and indeed Hawaii for so long and knew that if we did not go then we definitely regret it. It was only 4:45pm at this time so we had plenty of time to drive up to the summit, walk around and take photos, drive back down, return the car to Alamo and still be at the port in good time as all aboard was not until 10:00pm that night.

Again the drive from Kahului to the summit of Haleakalā National Park is not quick as it a slow and windy road uphill. When we reached the park entrance, we once again purchased the “America the Beautiful” annual parks pass for $80 which is seriously the best bargain ever when visiting the United States as it gives unlimited entry to all National Parks, National Monuments and Federal Lands for the next twelve months. I would recommend this pass to anyone especially if you are going to visit at least three of the National Parks within a year as you will very quickly break even. Our pass is only two months old at the time of writing this blog and it has currently been used for $130 worth of park fees so far with more to come.

Even though I had wanted to visit Haleakalā National Park for a long time, I will admit I had not read too much about it before our trip so after parking our car by the Visitor Center, I was left completely speechless as we looked over the Haleakalā crater in front of us. It was an absolutely breathtaking sight to see and I do not think I have ever seen anything like it before as it looked like something from another world. I was so happy that I had not listened to that little voice at the back of my brain earlier that afternoon who said they were tired – seeing that amazing view immediately gave me a second wind and I was wide awake!

One top tip I can give anyone visiting Haleakalā National Park (apart from buying the America the Beautiful pass) is to make sure to bring something warm with you to wear as even though you are in Hawaii, it will be freezing cold (especially early or late in the day) as the summit of Haleakalā is over 10000 feet above sea level. I was very grateful to have my hoody with me to stay warm whilst we were there and if we had been spending any longer at Haleakalā, I would have also made sure to bring some long trousers with me to cover my legs to stay warm.

From where we were parked at the Visitor Center, you could also walk up to the observatory at the summit of Haleakalā which would have taken about twenty minutes each way which we decided not to do as we were very aware of the time so we decided to drive to the Kalahaku Overlook to see another viewpoint instead where we could even see the Disney Wonder docked in Kahului Harbor in the distance.

When we reached the lookout, I realised how tired I had been earlier in the day as I had not even realised that I had my camera on the wrong setting so many of the photos that I had taken were completely overexposed and did not come out. This was one time I was incredibly grateful that I had also taken a lot of photos on my iPhone which completely saved the day.

As already mentioned we did not want to push our luck with timing that evening as we still had an hour’s drive to get back to Kahului Airport to return the car to Alamo so we decided not to stay at the top of Haleakalā for sunset along with everyone else but instead take a very slow drive down and enjoy it from different viewpoints along the way. This could have been the best thing we did all day as not only was it very quiet (there were no other cars on the road at this time as everyone was at the summit) but we witnessed the most incredible sunset I have ever seen in my life – it was absolutely perfect and a moment that I will remember forever.

We arrived back at Kahului Airport and dropped our rental car off at Alamo just after 7:30pm that night and thankfully as we had fuel included, we did not need to find anywhere to fill up on the way. We once again walked to the airport terminal instead of taking the tram and made our way to the taxi rank this time as we were both tired and hungry (as well as being incredibly hangry) and we knew that a taxi could take us straight to the ship and therefore get us to food much quicker than an Uber could.

There were several taxis already waiting and it was definitely $13 well spent as our amazing taxi driver drove us all the way inside the port and dropped us off right at the entrance to the terminal building. We were back onboard the Disney Wonder at 8:00pm – two hours before the all aboard time but perfect for us as we would never want to risk being late.

Despite being onboard in time for second seating at 8:15pm, the last thing we wanted to do that night was have dinner in one of the dining rooms even though there was Deep Fried Brie on the menu that night in Triton’s. We had always talked about getting quick service on deck for dinner on one night of the cruise (which we had never done on any of our seven cruises before this one) and this turned out to be the perfect night for it. All we wanted was something quick, simple and filling and for me that the Plant Based Italian Hot Dog and Fries from Pete’s Boiler Bites on Deck 9 which was absolutely perfect and exactly what I wanted to eat. We also grabbed a cold drink and took our food back to our stateroom and sat outside on our verandah to eat.

After we had finished our food (which did not take long), we took our empty plates back up to Deck 9 and once again walked around a very empty ship. As we were walking through the lobby atrium we bumped into Alberto the Hotel Director who we have sailed with many times before. It was great to see him once again and we chatted for a few minutes and found out that there was only 1200 passengers onboard (less than 50% capacity so no wonder why it felt so quiet) of which there was only 60 children – it really felt like an adult only Disney cruise at times as you barely saw any kids around the ship.

At 10:00pm we stood on our verandah in our pyjamas as we watched sailaway from Kahului. At this time we also took a Dramamine tablet each just in case the sea was rough again that night so we would be able to sleep well and I also moved our two towel monkeys that Yuthapong had made for us that day over to their new home on the sofa.

As we got into bed that night, we really felt such a sense of accomplishment at everything that we had managed to get done during our one day in Maui and we were ready to get some sleep so we could start all over again in Hilo on the Big Island the next day.

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