Monday, April 1, 2024

25 BEST Hawaii Cruises 2024 Prices + Itineraries: Cruises to Hawaii on Cruise Critic

hawaii interisland cruise

The favorite among locals has historically been Hawaiian Airlines, as it offers the largest range of available flight times and high levels of service (plus, they’ve been around since 1929). Hawaiian Island has flights to all six major islands, with airports in Lihue, Honolulu, Hoolehua, Kapalua, Kahului, Lanai City, Kona, and Hilo. Hawaiian Airlines also has a subdivision called Ohana that includes a small fleet of smaller planes used for select interisland routes. The recent addition of Southwest to the Hawaii airline scene in 2019 brought even more interisland flights out of Oahu, Maui, Kona, Lihue, and Hilo. Why settle for seeing just one island on a Hawaii resort-based vacation when you can cruise in style and explore multiple island jewels? Sailing with Princess is a far better vacation value, and you’ll visit popular Hawaiian islands — Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island (Hilo and Kona) — without all the time-consuming hassle of island hopping by plane.

Norwegian Cruise Line unveils 50% off cruises in massive sale - Glam Adelaide

Norwegian Cruise Line unveils 50% off cruises in massive sale.

Posted: Fri, 19 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Sail Through The Hawaiian Islands

hawaii interisland cruise

The weather was perfect, and we got up close and personal with whales, dolphins, green sea turtles and many fish while snorkeling. We also got insights into life in the less visited islands of Lana'i and Moloka'i. The Pride of America, owned by NCL, is the oldie but goodie in the Hawaiian cruise industry.

Everything you need to know about inter-island travel in Hawaii

On Celebrity Solstice, head to the romantic Sunset Bar for ice-cold sundowners. The islands of Hawaii only offer a few cruise ports for ships to visit. (UnCruise Adventures is the exception, calling in a few smaller places that the big ships can't go.) All of them are top-notch, so it's hard to say which one is the best overall. You can plop down in the sand on beautifully manicured strands of white sand or find more rugged volcanic black sand beaches.

Cruises

Because many locals commuted between islands, airlines tend to raise and lower prices based on popular commuting times. If you’re on vacation, take advantage of your flexible schedule by avoiding “rush hour” times such as mornings around 9 a.m. What sets Viking apart from most of the other lines offering Hawaii cruises is that it includes a free shore excursion in every port. These include a highlights tour of Honolulu and Pearl Harbor on Oahu and a visit to a scenic waterfall and the Kilohana sugar plantation on Kauai. All are one-way cruises just before or after the Alaska cruise season (so late April or early October) between Oahu and Vancouver (or vice versa).

Destinations & Ports

A variety of cruise lines call on Hawaii -- Princess, Crystal, Holland America, Royal Caribbean -- but Norwegian Cruise Line has the only big ship based there, sailing from Honolulu. Expedition lines like UnCruise Adventures sail Hawaii's smaller islands. Cruise fare rates & offers are subject to select dates & categories, cruise only, per person, based on double occupancy, in US Dollars, & include NCCF. All rates & offers are capacity controlled, are subject to availability & confirmation, & may change without notice.

The shorter, one-way sailings are a good compromise for travelers who don't want to take a full two weeks or can't imagine 10 days at sea on one vacation but do want some relaxing time on the ship. The longer one-off journeys are more for folks wanting to explore a wide swath of the Pacific, with Hawaii being a small part of that deep dive. If you really want to get the most out of your Hawaiian vacation and have the time and budget to do so, consider taking a cruise. Cruise lines such as Disney Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line offers a variety of itineraries that take you to the four major islands — some even include overnight stays.

Kona, Hawaii

From finding the right destination to choosing the best departure date, we're here to help. Plus, our experienced travel consultants have access to exclusive vacation deals to make sure you get the best value for your time and money. What to bring on a Hawaii cruise depends on which cruise you're taking. If you're on a weeklong sailing on casual NCL, you can skip the dressy clothes and prioritize casual outfits that work with whatever beachy or sporty excursions you've got planned in Hawaii. Sun hats, sunglasses, reef-safe sunscreen and water-friendly shoes are all must-pack items.

Holland America: 17-day Circle Hawaii - Round Trip from San Diego

Visit the Maui Ocean Center to check out more sea life while staying dry. The second cruise port on the island of Hawaii, Kona is one of the best ports for visiting a coffee plantation and sampling local Hawaiian coffee. For travelers more interested in ancient Polynesian history, the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, the site of an old city of refuge, is a fascinating place to visit. Otherwise, Kona offers plenty of beaches, snorkeling opportunities and boat and submarine tours. The best cruise for you depends on how much vacation time you have, how many islands you want to visit, whether you're looking for overnight port stays and how you feel about multiple sea days in a row.

Not only do you skip the long Pacific crossing that most cruise ships do to reach Hawaii, but passports are not required for U.S. citizens, and you can tack on pre- or post-cruise stays on Oahu. Hawaii cruise options are somewhat limited — just a fraction of what's available in the Caribbean — and many itineraries involve multiday crossings from the West Coast. Only one cruise line offers Hawaii itineraries throughout the year; most others visit during specific months or when repositioning ships in spring and fall.

From the emerald mountains of Kauai to the white-sand beaches of Maui, discover the best Hawaiian Islands to visit when you sail with Princess. Additional guest favorite destinations on board include the RedFrog Pub, Alchemy Bar and WaterWorks aquapark. Expect high-voltage theater shows from Playlist Productions at night and poolside interactive contests by day. Our cruises to Hawaii operate one-way either to or from Honolulu and Vancouver (or Sydney, Australia in terms of transpacific voyages). So yes, if you pick a Honolulu to Vancouver departure, you can easily fly to Hawaii and spend a few days exploring before embarking on your Celebrity ship.

This is where international flights into Hawaii will likely land, as well as where the majority of the U.S. mainland flights operate. You can catch a flight from Honolulu International (HNL) to almost all of the major neighboring islands. If you're not sure which islands you might want to hop to on your Hawaiian vacation, it's still a pretty safe bet to book your main flights in and out of HNL. That said, don't get too comfortable and only stay on Waikiki the whole time as Hawaii gets much, much better the more you explore.

The "after" gives a chance to transition from the relaxation of the cruise to the hassle of the flight home. The passage of the Jones Act in 1917 pretty much closed the door to cruise ship competition in the Hawaiian Islands. In a move to promote American shipping interests, unless a vessel was American built, registered and staffed, it could not sail between two U.S. ports without stopping at a foreign point in-between.

We partner with cruise lines and online travel agents to deliver our visitors one location to compare pricing across the web. Cruisers can read reviews from verified members sharing their experience while cruising to Hawaii. The best Hawaii itinerary in my opinion is Norwegian Cruise Line's seven-night round-trip Honolulu sailings on Pride of America. The U.S.-flagged ship is the only big ship able to sail interisland itineraries without calling on a foreign port. If you're looking for a longer itinerary, sailing round trip from the west coast of North America, or a small-ship adventure cruise, you'll have the biggest selection of cruises between October and April.

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