Guide to Interisland Travel in Hawaii
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You can plop down in the sand on beautifully manicured strands of white sand or find more rugged volcanic black sand beaches. Look for beach parks with sheltered swimming areas for families or find a secluded beach away from popular tourist areas. Some beaches can have strong currents or rough seas during certain times of the year, so always exercise caution when swimming. These Hawaii cruises are best for retirees, who have the time to enjoy leisurely ocean crossings on either end of the trip. Book select Baja, Hawaii or Galapagos small ship cruises with AdventrueSmith and unlock special exclusive savings today.
Our Experts Are Your Quickest Way to Tropical & Hawaiian Islands Cruises
Usually, Mokulele and Makani Kai Air require guests to check-in later than regular flights, and the prices tend to be cheaper as well. 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.
Hawaii Cruises
We’ve vetted the small boat options in Hawaii to offer everything from a small Hawaii yacht to an expedition ship offering luxury Hawaii cruises. These ships offer cruises around Hawaii with expert naturalist guides to interpret the destination’s unique environment and wildlife. Enjoy up-close exploration on guided shore excursions, swimming, snorkeling and sea kayaking—just to name a few activities included aboard. Forever immortalized on TV as the “Love Boat,” Princess Cruises also plies Hawaiian waters, though the cruises don’t usually originate in Honolulu.
The 8 best Hawaii cruises in 2024 and 2025
Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America is a great way to visit the islands in just a week, but fans of leisurely trips with lots of sea days should look at round-trip cruises from California. Because most cruise ships are flagged in another country, they cannot offer interisland cruises. The rest must sail long cruises at least one-way, if not round trip, from the west coast of North America. Not much beats Hawaii island hopping, but this iconic place is not our only tropical destination to small ship cruise.
Hawaii Drops COVID-19 Restrictions for Inter-Island Travel - Porthole Cruise and Travel
Hawaii Drops COVID-19 Restrictions for Inter-Island Travel.
Posted: Thu, 06 Jan 2022 01:49:39 GMT [source]
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. Another roadblock was the Passenger Vessels Services Act, dating back to 1886, which placed similar restrictions on passenger liners. But in 2012 cruise operators went to Congress and were successful in having Hawaii made an exception to both laws. The competition is heating up as well-known cruise brands vie for dock space and passengers in the Hawaiian Islands.
Top Ten Vacations
You can use a variety of airline miles to island-hop around Hawaii, but most of them bring you right back to the same Hawaiian Airlines operated flights. However, not every airline charges the same number of miles for inter-islands flights on Hawaiian, so it pays to shop around with the miles you have available. And, of course, if you are flying on an inter-island route operated by Southwest, then you have yet another set of choices.
Land Vacations
The shorter options, such as 10- and 11-night Hawaii cruises offered by Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, sail between Vancouver and Honolulu, leaving you to book a one-way flight to or from Hawaii. Longer one-way sailings from upscale brands, such as Oceania, Seabourn and Silversea, will traverse the Pacific Ocean between Tahiti (or another far-flung island) and Vancouver or Seattle. 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.
In Hilo, guests can explore waterfalls, volcanoes, wineries, and gardens on the lush coast of the Big Island. The ship cruises to Kona on the other side of the island for another two days of snorkeling or other onshore activities. The next two days are spent in Lahaina, Maui, home base for a cruise among dolphins and whales, a plantation tour, or a traditional luau. The ship cruises to the final stop in Honolulu, where guests are free to enjoy Oahu at their leisure before heading back to the mainland.
In addition to the free shore excursions, pricing includes complimentary wine or beer with lunch and dinner, specialty dining at no extra charge, crew gratuities and transfers. Specialty restaurant Manfredi's serves an extensive menu of Italian specialties, while The Chef's Table offers rotating five-course themed menus, including Asian, French and California-inspired. 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. The area is also home to numerous waterfalls you can visit, such as Rainbow Falls and Akaka Falls, as well as black-sand beaches.
Sea days offer opportunities to enjoy the chic, grown-up ambience and amenities aboard these ships. Each vessel offers multiple complimentary and extra-fee specialty restaurants. Celebrity Solstice features Tuscan Grille for Italian specialties and steak and Murano for modern French cuisine, while Celebrity Edge offers the whimsical Le Petit Chef and the international Eden Restaurant.
We enjoy hiking and getting out there, we want to experience things that others could only read about. We didn't want to completely rough it on our honeymoon but we also didn't want the resort or the 2,000 person cruise ship. Most of your Hawaiian island-hopping is likely to be done via commercial aircraft, though there are some exceptions to that general rule. You may not need to use airline miles for an inter-island trip in Hawaii if cash prices are low enough.
Princess visits Honolulu, the Hilo side of the Big Island, Kauai and Maui as part of an itinerary that includes Tahiti or other South Pacific destinations. Another option is sailing round-trip from San Francisco or Los Angeles to Hawaii and then visiting the neighbor islands, a 14-night or 15-night adventure. Six different Princess ships sail Hawaiian waters, from the massive Crown Princess to the more modest Pacific Princess and Ocean Princess. Perhaps the most important thing to remember when planning an interisland adventure is that the rules for flying don’t change just because the flights are so short.
Follow our social media and blog for the latest cruise and travel news, including our best vacation deals. A cruise can be an ideal way to explore multiple Hawaiian islands in one trip and save on costs such as dinner and car rentals. I probably don't need to convince anyone why Hawaii is an amazing vacation destination. Save 10% on any cabin category when you book your select 2024 Hawaiian Seascapes cruise aboard Safari Explorer.
Most cruise lines will offer the services of Hawaii tours sometimes included in the cruise rate. Visitors can choose from a variety of sights such as Waimea Canyon, a tour of Kauai beaches or a blend of snorkeling, hiking, swimming and maybe a fun Kauai Luau in the evening. The overnight hotel stay may or may not be included, depending on which Hawaii inter island cruise is selected. There are several ships connecting between various major island ports offering Hawaiian cruises interisland style.
Pride of America sails round-trip from Honolulu every Saturday year-round. As a U.S.-flagged ship, it's the only large vessel permitted to sail this way. 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.
You can visit Hawaii without a passport on a closed-loop sailing (one that begins and ends in the same U.S. port). Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America and UnCruise's Safari Explorer, both U.S.-flagged vessels, are the only cruise ships based in Hawaii. Other lines and ships offer there-and-back Hawaii itineraries from ports like San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. 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. That's because the line offers only two sailings per ship each year (in spring and fall) as the ships reposition between Alaska and destinations in the Pacific.
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