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OVERVIEW

Cruising is BIG BUSINESS in the Hawaiian Islands ... an industry that is growing rapidly due largely to the expansion that Norwegian Cruise Lines is making into this market. They've got American-flagged cruise ships that do not need to add a foreign port of call to the itinerary. This means that it is now possible to do a one-week cruise that starts and ends in the Hawaiian islands and doesn't require a two-day detour to Fanning Island or a stop somewhere in Mexico at the beginning or ending of the cruise.

We have mixed feelings about cruise vacations to Hawaii. You hop from island to island and get to see and do it all while you are here, right? Well, not exactly. Some cruise ship itineraries are so bad that you barely have a chance to see anything at all. The time in port can be so limited that your only choice for optional tours is to get on one of the cruise line's busses when you hit port and ride around with 70 other cruisers looking out the window. We don't call that "Getting to see and do it all." 

Read this sentence over and over and let it sink in. Ready???

ENJOY your cruise ship when you are on it ... GET AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE FROM YOUR CRUISE SHIP when you aren't on it.

People who get off the ship and walk around at each port of call do not see Hawaii. PERIOD. The shore excursions that the cruise ships offer tend to be mass transit oriented tours that move at the slowest pace of the oldest person in your group of 70. Get away from that crowd and make the most of your time in the islands!

The other thing you will find about shore excursions that the ships offer is that they are overpriced. The cruise ships often MARK UP the activities and tours well over the list price. This is typically done with the justification that the price includes transportation. It is not uncommon for a tour that we sell for $70 to cost $100 or more if purchased through your cruise line. Sometimes our $70 rate already includes transportation!  Other times that rate may require a 5 minute cab ride, and you still save $25 or so per person. At the bottom of this page we make specific recommendations for tours, activities, and shore excursions for each port of call. You might also consider filling out the Cruise Ship Shore Excursion Information Request Form at the right side of this page. We will email you with our specific recommendations for the tours that you can do ... we'll even check availability for you! And if your cruise is still a month or more away, we'll mail you a packet of brochures for different things that you can do on each island.

We've now added notes to the bottom of each activity page here on Adventuremaui.com to let you know what tours are possible with your cruise ship itinerary and what transportation requirements are. Don't let the cruise line box you into the tours that they sell ... transportation and tours are easily arranged independently and you'll save a lot of money and improve your vacation experience considerably.

IF YOU HAVEN'T RESERVED YOUR CRUISE YET

Talk to us ... we actually live in Hawaii. We know the islands and we know what works and what doesn't work in planning a cruising vacation. We can help you reserve the cruise that is best for you. We can plan shore excursions that will enhance your cruise itinerary.

We are destination specialists for Hawaii. Your local travel agent tries to be an expert on wherever the next client wants to go on vacation. If you call us and want to tour the capitals of Europe we don't pretend to know anything about putting together such an itinerary. If you want to go trekking in the Himalayas don't call us ... we don't have a clue. But if you are planning a cruise vacation in Hawaii, doesn't it make sense to work with someone who knows the islands and actually lives here??? Try asking your local travel agent for a restaurant recommendation in Kahului ... first thing they'll have to do is figure out what COUNTRY it's in. Give us a call and make the most of your cruise vacation!

PORTS OF CALL

There's seven inhabited islands in the Hawaiian chain and seven days of cruising ... that means you get to spend one day on each island, right? Well, not exactly. Some of the islands don't have ports that can handle cruise ships at all (Niihau, Molokai, and Lanai). You'll be spending your cruise vacation on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island.

The next variable is that some ports do not have a dock that can handle cruise ships ... your floating hotel has to anchor off-shore and you need to take a tender to get to shore. Don't underestimate how much time will be lost tendering ... or plan a tour or event that is scheduled to depart 30 minutes after your cruise ship is set to arrive in port. Sometimes it can take 90 minutes or more to get to shore ... everybody wants to be the first one off. Unfortunately, some people get off right away ... others will end up waiting. If your cruise ship has the following ports of call, you will be tendering there ... Lahaina (Maui), and Kona (Big Island).

The following ports of call have docking situations ... Kahului (Maui), Honolulu (Oahu), Hilo (Big Island) and Nawiliwili (Kauai). This is really best ... once the ship docks it doesn't take long to walk off. It makes it a lot easier to plan your shore excursions.

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CRUISE ITINERARIES

The cruise ship itinerary that we like the best is Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America.. The regular itinerary for this ship includes an overnight stay on Kauai, and an overnight stay in Kahului on Maui. This means that your best chance to get away from the ship and really see and do things is on these two islands. Please check your exact itinerary for specific details though ... once in a while NCL makes small changes to the standard itinerary.

Don't confuse those itineraries with NCL's Norwegian Wind (in 2007 the Wind will be replaced by the Norwegian Sun).  This cruise ship does not sail under a US Flag and must make the long detour to Fanning Island to add a foreign port of call. This cruise is 10-11 days long but has much less shore time in Hawaii than the 7 day itineraries of the Pride of America.

We DO NOT RECOMMEND cruises that start in the mainland and end in Hawaii, or vice versa! Hawaii is smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean ... the largest body of water in the world. It is the most isolated island chain in the world. If your goal is to see Hawaii, don't spend most of your vacation at sea ... it just doesn't make sense! If you have more than a week to do a Hawaiian cruise vacation, try taking this approach instead ... do a one-week cruise that stays in Hawaii, and then add a few extra days on Maui, Kauai, or the Big Island after your cruise. You might want to spend one full day in Honolulu prior to the start of your cruise ... this would give you time to see Pearl Harbor or Sea Life Park. We can help you arrange a "mini-vacation" at a resort after your cruise ... use the form on the right side of this page and we'll put together a custom "surf and turf" vacation just for you!

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SHORE EXCURSIONS

Kauai - (Nawiliwili)

1. Kauai is the most amazing island to see from the air ... we recommend an Air Kauai helicopter tour. You are spending thousands of dollars per person to come to Hawaii ... it only makes sense to spend another $200 to really see the islands while you are here. There is no better way to see a lot in a short period of time. Air Kauai is a short 5 minute cab ride from the harbor and their helicopters have all been modified with oversized Plexiglas windows for superior visibility. It's a longer tour in a better helicopter using a company with a perfect safety record compared to the helicopter tours the cruise ships offer. For more information go to Kauai helicopter tours.

2.  Ever heard of zip line tours? This is a blast! You wear a harness and clip onto steel cables that are stretched from one side of a small valley to the other. You soar over the jungle canopy with the greatest of ease! Backcountry Zipline is a short cab ride from the cruise ship. These are a LOT of fun ... be sure to check out this page at  Kauai zipline tours.

3. Kayak up the Wailua River and hike into the rainforest to see Secret Falls, an amazing waterfall and swimming hole. On this excursion you'll feel like the cruise ship crowd is a million miles away! For more information go to Kauai kayaking tours.

Maui - (Kahului)

1. The famous downhill bike tour - either a sunrise tour or day journey. This tour includes pick-up at Kahului Harbor, transportation to the summit of Haleakala, all the biking equipment that you need, and the guide service down the mountain. It's a 38 mile downhill coast with amazing scenery along the way. This tour can be arranged for your second day in port. Our rate for this tour is significantly less than what the cruise ships charge for the same experience. Maui Bicycle Tours

2. Pride of Maui Molokini snorkel. Only morning tours reliably get to Molokini because of afternoon trade winds. This is a 10-15 minute cab ride from Kahului Harbor and can be done on your second day in port. Molokini Snorkel Tours

3. Hana tours - instead of the larger vehicles that the cruise ship uses, you can do a small group Hana tour in a 13 passenger vehicle with pick-up at the harbor. Hana Tours

Other cruise lines have itineraries that spend the night on Maui but they do it at Lahaina. They typically run tenders all night, so you do have some flexibility ... but keep in mind that you can't reliably plan a tour or activity for the first two hours or so after your arrival on day one because it might take you that long to get to shore. There are a variety of good Maui luaus for you to choose from on the West Side. In season you can do a whale watch in Lahaina. Parasailing and Atlantis Submarines is also available.

Big Island - (Kona)

Your time in Kona is severely limited by the lenght of time it takes to tender to shore, and the fact that none of the cruise ships spend the night there. You can do parasailing or Atlantis Submarines while you are there. Other than that, you'd need to arrange something tailored to your limited time in port ordered directly from your cruise ship.

Big Island - (Hilo)

Hilo has very few tours available, other than what the cruise ship has to offer. We recommend that you rent a car and drive up to Kilauea Volcano. You'll get to see more of the park than on an organized tour ... including the possibility of hiking out to see the active flow (depending on conditions of course). The helicopter tour over Kilauea is very popular, but this is NOT the helicopter tour we recommend. Most people are disappointed with the amount of lava they get to see, and this flight is not nearly as scenic as helicopter tours on Kauai. If you have the money to do two helicopter tours, then go for it. Otherwise, fly over Kauai!

Oahu - (Honolulu)

Most cruises originate here ... if you are staying an extra day or so you might consider Sea Life Park and their dolphin interaction programs.

Cruise Ship Shore Excursions Information Request Form