car rental in hawaii

i need a bit of advice. in october i am taking the circle hawaii cruise on hal's statendam. while i have taken many other cruises, i have never rented a car in port -- for a variety of reasons. hawaii seems different; language, driving customs, currency, etc. tours,, besides being pricey, have obvious limitations. some places one might like to visit are just drive-bys, other places are not included in any tour. in honolulu the ship is in port for seventeen hours, and a car rental would seem to be a good idea. but are cars available at the dock or does one have to get out to the airport? are there some rental companies which are better or more reasonable than others. what think the good folks at cruisemates? or other cruisers with rental experience in hawaii. how about a rental in hilo? i am a solo traveller. thanks for your help.

[Anne Campbell]

Driving in Hawaii is the same as driving in any other US state. It's so Americanized you can buy souvenirs from Cosco and Walmart.

We rented a Budget car directly from the company at a price of $30 per day. The ship sold the same thing for $70 per day. Gasoline is astronomical in price, but you probably won't need more than a tank.

It's easy, the roads and the laws are the same.

thanks so much, anne. i've just about decided to ditch the ship's tours and go with a rental. are the rentals available right at the dock or close by, or does one have to trek to an airport? also, would there be rentals in hilo and kona as well as honolulu? again, i really appreciate your help.