Are Hawaiian Cruises The Best Way To Experience Hawaii?

The state of Hawaii comprises the eight main islands of Hawaii, Lanai, Maui, Oahu, Niihau, Kauai, Molokai and Kahoolawe. It is widely acclaimed as the most isolated population center on the face of the earth and is blessed with beautiful beaches, thick and lush tropical rain forests, pristine waterfalls and majestic volcanoes. Spend time at the beach or take a trek into the natural rain forests. Explore the volcanoes or take awesome pictures of the waterfalls. With so much to do and see, it is a challenge to plan an unforgettable Hawaiian vacation.

Of late, Hawaiian cruises have become more and more popular and fast becoming a hit with those who have yet to experience the islands. Are Hawaiian cruises the best way to experience Hawaii? To choose whether taking a cruise to Hawaii is a wise vacation option, these are some pros and cons you should consider:-

Pros:

You don’t have to plan your Hawaii vacation. The cruise company deals with all the difficult work of planning for your itinerary, meals, entertainment, logistics and possibly, land accommodation. In most cases, with their economies of scale, cruise companies are able to get good deals for you.

See all. Experience all. Cruising can be a good option to see and experience as much as possible in one single cruise trip. Many cruise companies arrange ways for you to visit at least three of the Hawaiian islands in one itinerary. Usually, the cruise ship travels whilst you are asleep and that saves you valuable time allowing you to feel afresh when you hit the shores the next day.

It is most common for Hawaii cruise vacations to plan local sampling of food and to allow you to experience the traditional Hawaiian Luau. Moreover, there is plenty of things to do onboard.

Cons:

Well, if the cruise company plans the itinerary one way, that’s the only way you will be experiencing Hawaii. Check on your sightseeing time allocation. Some Hawaii cruises have limited time on shore and this make reduce a full experience of what the Hawaiian islands could offer.

Hawaii islands are beautiful but the ports are a disappointment. If you could look past the port, then you will be alright.

Though you will have a sampling on great Hawaiian dishes, most of the meals will be onboard the cruise. And that said, some of the food on Hawaiian cruises could fare much better.

Evaluate the pros and cons of taking a cruise for your Hawaii vacation and see if a Hawaiian cruise is the best for your Hawaiian vacation.

Why A Cruise To Hawaii Is Better!

If you’re trying to decide whether a cruise to Hawaii is really better than an air and land expedition, there are a few reasons why a cruise is so much better – unless of course you are prone to sea sickness.

Get To See All The Islands

You can get to see the four main islands of Hawaii in a 7-10 night round trip Honolulu sailing aboard one of the cruise liners, such as Norwegian Cruise Line, staying a day or two on each island, which would be adequate time to explore the tropical forests and active volcanoes, relax on the beach and partake in all the other activities on offer before moving on to the next island.

Trying to cover the the same itinerary yourself by air and land would take you longer than 10 days and you might not even get to see much of the islands depending on how much vacation time you’ve got. Not only that, the costs of flying and staying in hotels would work out to be much more than the cruise package cost. Additionally, you would be spending your vacation days packing and unpacking as you travel from one island to another, not to mention the times you would spend waiting at the airports for each flight.

All Exclusive Vacation

A cruise to Hawaii on one of the lines will be based on a package that covers transportation, accommodations, meals and entertainment. Additionally, the cruise line can arrange airfare (if you’re coming from mainland USA), pre or post cruise land packages and shore excursions for you at a reasonable charge.

However, if you were to arrange all of the above on your own, your total costs for the whole vacation might actually come up to double the cruise package cost.

The only time an air and land expedition might even begin to make sense is if you have a lot of vacation time to spare, can afford it and all you really want to do is relax on the beach without getting caught up in all the activities that other holidaymakers engage in - but wouldn’t that be boring?

Planning A Hawaiian Holiday Itinerary

Planning your itinerary for a holiday in Hawaii shouldn’t be difficult if you already know what you want to see and do while on your cruise to Hawaii.

There are basically 3 options to choose from:

Roundtrip from Honolulu

Only the US-flagged ships, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of Aloha and Pride of America, are permitted to offer intra-island cruises*. The ships offer the cruise industry’s only week-long, port-intensive option, sailing 7-night round trips from Honolulu.

*The foreign flag Jones Act requires that ships that are registered in foreign countries must call on at least one international port.

Roundtrip from the U.S., Mexico or Canada

These are round trip voyages of up to 15 nights from San Diego or Vancouver offered by Princess and Holland America, amongst other lines.

Repositioning Tours

These cruises only take place once or twice a year when the ship is moving from one cruise region to another and are usually available at a bargain price as the cruise lines are keen to fill them with fare paying passengers.

They sail between the U.S. and the Far East and /or Australia / New Zealand, calling on Oahu and Maui and sometimes the Big Island (Island of Hawaii) as well as islands in French Polynesia.

Check the cruise calendars to see when you can book to travel on these tours as they are only available for a limited time.

Activities:

If your plan is to engage in surfing, scuba diving, hiking, etc, while on your cruise to Hawaii, it is worth mentioning that some activities are particular to certain islands.

Where To Hike

i. Kauai - Waimea Canyon
ii. Kauai - Na Pali Coast (only in the summer)
iii. Big Island - Mt. Kilauea

Where To Scuba Dive

i. Big Island - West Coast

ii. Maui - Molokini
iii. Maui or Lanai - Lanai Coast

Where To Windsurf / Kite Surf (Only In The Summer)

i. Oahu - Kailua Beach
ii. Maui - Hookipa Beach Park

Where To Go For Snorkeling

i. Oahu - Haunama Bay
ii. Maui - Black Rock
iii. Kauai - Lydgate Beach & Tunnels

Where To Go For Nude Sunbathing

i. Maui - Little Beach in Makena
ii. Kauai - Secret Beach in Kilauea
iii. Big Island – Various Locations

Where To See An Active Volcano

i. Big Island

Where To See Waterfalls

i. Kauai
ii. Maui

Anything else you may want to do, can be done on just about any of the 6 Hawaiian islands.