How EXPENSIVE is Hawaii? Waikiki Weekend Getaway - Costs and Budget April 2024
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- čas přidán 6. 07. 2024
- How Much Money Should You Budget for Hawaii?
We stayed in Waikiki for 3 days in April of 2024, went to a luau, Spam Jam, had several meals and several rounds of drinks, and our hotel was one of my favorite hotels anywhere on the planet. But how much did it cost? #hawaii #waikiki #travel
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I like watching your “numbers” vlogs. Let’s go through numbers and talk about budget! It gives me an idea of costs once I’m at a location. That’s something easy to forget to factor in when planning, but is very important.
And you missed an opportunity to note the Spam Jam is the biggest spam festival IN THE WORLD!!! I didn’t quite catch it because you didn’t say it in all caps. 😜😎
Congratulations on 70K Morgan.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for this detailed breakdown! All I ever hear is "oh my gosh Hawaii is so expensive," but you never hear what the prices actually are. 😊 I think you did a great job of treating yourselves but not going overboard.
Love your take on these adventures!
Congrats on 70k! Love your stuff 🎉
Great information. Congratulations on the 70K!!
Thank you so much 😀
We went to Hawaii in March 2023. Went in the NCL Pride of America inter island cruise. Stayed at the Marriott on the North Shore in Laie. Loved the north shore and not a fan of Waikiki. When we got done with the cruise we got a day use hotel in Waikiki because we had an 11 pm flight home. That was more than enough time in Waikiki. Beach was packed. Our total budget for the 11 days, which included hotel, flights, cruise, rental cars, excursions, food & souvenirs was about $21,000 for 2 people. Could definitely do it cheaper but we saved for 2 years and wanted to do everything in case we never go back. Having been we want to go back and spend more time exploring all the islands.
I am like you, I don’t have a lot of favorite places, but there are places I like to go back to. That shave ice looked blah, but noodles looked delicious. Thanks for sharing the info.
Take the Metro Bus into Waikiki for $3 unless you have a ton of luggage. Honolulu's bus system is one of the best in the world. Weekly passes are $7 unlimited. Bus is fine from the airport.
My daughter has been to Hawaii twice. Oahu the first time and the big island the second. She wanted to move there until the second time. But I guess she kinda got a “you’re not welcome” vibe. She went to Florida and got mad about the money she spent on Hawaii. I guess her idea of what Hawaii was, is actually what Florida is. 😂
Great video, yes , Hawaii has always been very expensive, we went for the first time in 1983, spent a week in Waikiki and another week in Maui, fell in love with Maui , have been back a few times, has always been very expensive!!!
We did rainbow shave ice on north shore. Delicious.
That's not a too bad price, considering it includes your hotel and all of your food and drinks ❤❤ and in Waikiki it's really good price ❤
I’m a big fan of Waikiki. Muragame Udon is the best!!
The best shave ice in Hawaii is Ululani’s on Maui but they also have a shop in Kona.
I think it was a great budget for this time in Waikiki,,,and you did so much right in the middle of it!!
Hawaii is the most expensive State in the U.S. Everything is imported there (freighter ships, cargo planes) except the pineapples, which you can ONLY get in Hawaii. I've been to Hawaii 6 times -- once in Oahu. Yes, Waikiki is a classier version of Miami Beach. As it is a "Miami Beach of the Pacific", I didn't want to go back and prefer staying in Maui, which is where I own a timeshare.
Thanks...I was in Hawaii for two weeks prior to my cruise last year on Celebrity. I went with my husband. In September I am going back t Waikiki to spend three days before my cruise to Australia. This one I am doing solo...should be fun..
As an Aussie with our current crappy exchange rate its frightening! lol! We're there for a cruise from Hawaii to Australia in Oct 2025.
Great recap! Looks like you had a fun time. We loved Hawaii. You did a good job with the budget.
We were in Maui last summer - food is very expensive.
Loved this video. Brought back fond memories. We stayed at Moana Surfrider and ate breakfast mostly at Dukes. I love Spam so would have enjoyed the Spam Jam. Was amazed how many ABC stores there were in close proximity.
The hotel for my nephew's wedding in very not-exotic Rockaway, NJ is $263 a night so yeah, the hotel rate is pretty darned good for Hawaii! And really, the food prices don't seem outrageous, either, especially for Hawaii. I'd say y'all did really well.
Thanks, Karyn! There used to be a small amusement park in Rockaway called Playland, with a roller coaster called the Atom Smasher.
@@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides I think that's New York. I grew up 10-ish miles from the Rockaway in Jersey. Definitely a smaller place!
I bought a resale timeshare to save on Waikiki, so can stay 10 nights for about $1,500. With a kitchen, we can buy food from Costco or Target. We actually spend half the trip in Kona, then switch to Waikiki, using airline miles for all flights involved. Our favorite place is a block or two away from the International Marketplace, a big hit for dinner (and Japanese snacks).
Thanks Morgan great video looking forward to the tubing video.
I keep all receipts for any expenditures because I love knowing what I've spent to the penny. Bookkeeping is my career and my jam 😂
I’m not a bookkeeper, but I am interested in what I spend on trips. This year I went to Europe with a tour company and spent more than I thought I would.
That’s great! I thought it would be less. There were 3 of us. We had a kitchenette inexpensive breakfast. The hotel that we stayed at offered large rooms. it has since been bought by another company my friends dad help construct it. I don’t recall the cost, but it was inexpensive for five nights.. our big expense was a buffet with seafood at Pagoda floating buffet to celebrate my friends 50th birthday! What are the best places that we went? Was aloha swap meet get lots of really cool local souvenirs worse than we did was took a tour with this company. It was not honest about what was included. We were part of another group and our entrance was not paid for all the sites we went to. in addition, there was an issue with the driver of the vans insurance and we are held up for an hour and a half at least!! we had a car and in hindsight, we should’ve just done the route ourselves!
Found best Shave ice is on Maui and big island of Hawaii
Piublic buses from the airport don’t take you to your hotel, so a cab or uber/lyft is always a good idea on a first visit
Exactly. Until you get to know your way around a little bit.
I would definitely love to take this trip and also do the cruise! You made some great memories!❤
Thats how much my Hotel cost for 3 nights :( plus private transfer from the airport. We booked Ocean Front at the Hilton so that's a bit expensive and not really necessary :) We're also jumping on a cruise April 2025 from Honolulu. I Would have liked to hear.. total cost with air fare, cruise (including tips and packages) Its a big bill im sure.
No matter where you go, if you're staying in town and at a major city, you will be burning money like no tomorrow. Honolulu is like New York City,San Francisco, Seattle.
My Dad who wasn't much of a traveller, loved Waikiki because "it was just like home"...meaning they drove on the same side, money was the same, food was "normal"...
Spent $7.50 on a loaf of bread in an ABC store in Waikiki in Feb 2024.
Good Morning, wishing you a Super Sunday
Thanks, Douglas! You, too!
Congratulations on hitting 70K...
Thank you!
You did well, about what I spent 16 years ago with a week there with my 12 year old grandson. Our hotel was in the same area, we too went to Pearl Harbor. However rather than a luau, we did the VIP day at the Cultural Village (money well spent). Also took a tour bus to another location on the island known for its snorkeling . ABC was a budget saver, even bought a boogie board there. 😂 Ate far more than our share of shave ice, would suggest the mango with milk. I know it sounds strange, but is delicious. Spent a fair amount of time and money at the international market, 12 year old boys eat a lot! I enjoyed my share of the local adult drinks. After all of this we took a quick flight to the big island and spent a week there. Took a helicopter tour, hired a boat to take us up to the lava flow and did every legal thing there was to do at the volcano. Hawaii is definitely worth the money! BTW the year before that trip I did a solo trip much like yours and did the 7 day NCL cruise.
We spend Much more you did a Great Job and it sounds like you got a Fantastic Deal on the Hotel.
Morgan, I have been wanting to mention to you, your hair is looking great!
Thanks, (whoosh whoosh).
I read that dolphins escort ships to ride their extremely strong wakes. Maybe like the Flo Rider but for dolphins?? 🤔😂
14:31 I can ask my friend Cal who lives out of town. I’m sure they’ll be able to tell me. They took a drive by on the hotel my parents had picked (Aqua Bamboo) and said it was in a safe area and looked good.
Got that 70k subs! Just 30k More till that 100k..
Oh and seeing how much a land vacation cost now makes me love cruising even more! Just the price of food alone at any tourist location makes me sad.
Can't wait!
It is smart to spend more for an Uber after unfolding yourself from an economy seat flight to Hawaii. Who wants to crawl into a possibly overcrowded bus and spend even 15 more minutes to get to your hotel.
It would be possible to save a few dollars one place but spend more somewhere else. Life is filled with choices.
Posting my guesses before finishing the video:
Hotel is $330 a night
Food is $60 per person per day, not counting the luau
Transportation is an Uber from the airport and a few city busses, not much
Maybe $200 on activities and shopping
Edit: mostly lower, especially with the price of the hotel.
This was a great video. Hawaii is on my bucket list. I definitely thought the total would be much higher. While yes, the prices are a little higher than other places, this video made me think it is definitely doable if you budget accordingly. Kind of like going to Disney, you know every is going to cost a little extra.
Yes, we could have shrunk the budget even more if we had just eaten at the Maragume Udon for every meal :-P
I’ve spent more in Murfreesboro, TN than that & we don’t drink alcohol.
That’s not too bad , before our cruise last year to Alaska, we stayed at the Old Fairmont in Vancover for 4 days hotel it was 2400 Australian dlrs it did include breakfast thank goodness by the time we did sightseeing eating lunch dinner it did raise substantially but we did do things that we probably won’t get to do again , travelling from Australia is so expensive that trip for just two weeks was over 15thousand Aust dlrs, , but I don’t regret any of it it was truly spectacular🇦🇺🇦🇺 but that was a good insight if we do a relocation cruise from Hawaii to Sydney which is a bucket list trip hopefully this year in October
I just switched to White Sands for our trip, for about 60% less that the hotel I booked a while back. Thanks.
Oh geez, I feel under pressure now. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! What category room did you get?
@@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides
Balcony King on 2nd/3rd floor.
No pressure. I loved it on the videos, even the noisy people. lol
Don't do the Food Court way overpriced. Look for Local places to eat ( much less costlt). 7-11 stores are a great option for tasty food at a reasonable price. Also Foodland has some really great deals like Poke bowls for $8.99;( top notch) and a buffett.
You should try "Banan Waikiki Shore - Fort Derussy" for the shave ice. It was excellent. We had the strawberry coconut ( it was of course strawberry and coconut bit also pineapple...) and it was set on banana ice cream (made with only bananas)
Thanks for the tip!
Luau's are tourist traps. I recommend going to restaurants off the beaten path to get a better taste of local food.
Yes it is very expensive in Waikiki. We rented an appartement that was good, but supermarkt prices were so high like 10 dollars for bread, 14 dollars for 10 eggs. If you drive a little further away it gets cheaper also for restaurants that are not on the main street or in the food courts. Had to pay 30 dollars for 2 burgers at Burger King on the main street and they were horrible. Did you had a Hula pie? We had a big one at Hula Grill and they also offered good Mexican food. Lahaina Shave ice was very tasty for us.
Did not get any hula pie this time.
@@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides You can try next time 😀
@@summerbee4351 They were selling Spam-topped Hula Pie at the Spam Jam. How do you feel about that?
@@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides Uhhh that sounds really crazy, not sure if I would try...
After ever trip, I run the numbers.
I tend to spend more as I get older.....
That shave ice looked like the kind you get in Japan. Only half the size, LOL
That same luau used to be 89.95 for adults and 59.95 for kids when my daughters family lived there 10 years ago. And they got a military discount, which made it even less expensive. And there was a roasted pig in the ground and an endless Buffett of sides. You didn’t include the price of your flight to get there.
Roasted pig in the ground? Mmmmmm, delicious! hehehe
Alot cheaper than I thought it would be
"It should not be $30 for two acai bowls"
Me looking at my Uber eats receipt
My budget would not allow for this. We have an upcoming Hawaii cruise on Princess and the shore excursions are more expensive than the Caribbean.
Waikiki is not real Hawaii. It never ceases to amaze me how people spend their once in a lifetime vacation and never leave Honolulu. 😢
dont miss the great gay bars on your next trip. easy to spend 4 hours and have a super time
That seems really reasonable. Your Hawaii videos make me want to go there, but I'm so conflicted with the colonialism political issues!
I lived on Oahu, why would you stay in the Tourist trap known as Waikiki...if you wanted real authentic food and see the best beaches on Oahu you go to The North Shore such as Sunset Beach...that is a beach not Waikiki....