Hawaii Cruise FAQ -- Answers to Your Hawaiian Cruise Questions

Usually when you travel to Hawaii, you book a hotel and spend all your time on one island. With a cruise, you get to visit several destinations, and you only have to unpack once.

Here's a look at some of the common ports of call:

1. Kona (Big Island)
   
2. Hilo (Big Island)
   
3. Honolulu (Oahu)
   
4. Nawiliwili (Kauai)
   
5. Kahului (Maui)
   
6. Lahaina (Maui)
   

Hawaii cruises fall into two categories:

1 Week Around-the-Islands Cruises

Norwegian Cruise Lines offers a 7-night Hawaii cruise that visits four different ports on different islands. You fly to Hawaii and start the cruise in Honolulu. This is great if you like being in ports frequently and you only have a week to spend on vacation.

2 Week To-the-Islands-and-then-Around-Them Cruises

Other cruise lines offer Hawaii cruises that are about two weeks, give or take a couple days. These usually start in Los Angeles or San Diego and the cruise across the Pacific Ocean is part of the trip. It takes about three days to get there and three days to get back, and there won't be any ports of call during that time. Once you're there, you'll spend a week cruising around the islands.

A two-week Hawaii cruise is a good idea for anyone who can get away for that long and who likes the relaxation of long days at sea just enjoying the food and entertainment aboard the ship (don't worry--there are plenty of activities on board, so it's hard to get bored!)

There are a few different cruise lines you can choose from when it comes to Hawaii cruising. They're all a bit different, so it depends on what is important to you. Here's a short overview of the major ones that sail the Hawaiian Islands:

Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL)

NCL is a very mainstream line and generally has the best prices. They often feel a little less upscale than other lines (the Hawaiian ships have all American crews, and some say other nationalities are better at providing service), and the food is described as fair, but first-time cruisers frequently enjoy NCL.

I actually prefer them because I'm a very casual gal (formal attire, what?) and NCL specializes in "Freestyle Dining," which means you can eat at any time you like and you don't have to dress up unless you want to.

NCL is also the only line that offers cruises starting and ending in Hawaii. This is good if you'd prefer to fly there and spend a week cruising as opposed to leaving from the west coast and sailing across the ocean to get there (longer cruises overall). This is also good if you don't have a passport or don't want to deal with the hassle of getting one.


View Cruises on Norwegian Cruise Line


Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival is another one of the main stream cruise lines, but it sails from the west coast to cross the Pacific and reach Hawaii. The cruises are therefore longer, but if you love the idea of spending some relaxing days at sea (and avoiding a long plane flight), then this cruise option may appeal to you. Also, they offer some one-way cruises in which you depart from the west coast of the U.S. or Mexico or even Vancouver, BC and then cruise to Hawaii and fly back (the trip can go the other way too).

Past cruisers generally report that the service, food, and overall cruise experience is a little better with Carnival than with NCL.

Their Hawaii cruise itineraries will always start or have a port of call in a country outside of the U.S., so a passport is required.


Browse Carnival Cruise Line Deals




Holland America Cruise Line

Holland America is another line that features cruises to Hawaii. They tend to be more expensive but of higher quality than NCL or Carnival.

Holland America prides itself on having more than 100 years of industry experience and having one of the best staff-to-cruise-guest ratios.

They offer several 15-day cruises that leave from the west coast and circle the Hawaiian islands, and they also have a luxurious-sounding 30-day cruise that visits Hawaii, Tahiti, and the Marquesas Islands.

You can browse their cruise offerings through Travelocity:


Holland America Cruise Line Sailings

I'm fortunate enough to work from home, so I have a lot of flexibility in my schedule. I always wait to book my cruises until prices drop way down.

Prices drop the closer you get to embarkation because cruise lines do not want to sail with empty cabins--they do everything they can to get those cabins filled with bodies, even if that means significantly discounting prices.

Recently I scored a 7-day cruise to Mexico for $234 per person. Not bad considering cruise prices include room, board, and entertainment!

If you have flexibility in your schedule, you too can get great prices. (Of course, you can also get good deals if you book way in advance, too, so it can pay to plan ahead.)

Check below for awesome discounted cruise deals at Travelocity:

Incredible Deals on the Best Cruises! Last-Minute Sailings from $199!