Honolulu cruise port to Waikiki! How to get from downtown Honolulu without a car

ALOHA!

Cruise ships dock in downtown Honolulu, and it’s pretty easy to get from the Honolulu cruise port to Waikiki, and there are several ways you can get there.

The tips below apply for getting around downtown Honolulu and Waikiki in general, whether from the cruise port or not.

The easiest way to get to Waikiki from the cruise terminal is either by shuttle (not free) or the Honolulu bus (cheap).

Since Waikiki is around 3 miles from the cruise port, you can walk if you want to, but I would say save your energy for other things and go by bus or cruise ship shuttle! (But if you do decide to walk, stop by Magic Island for a Waikiki viewpoint!)

I’ve been to Honolulu by cruise ship 2 times on Princess cruise ships (both times as part of a transpacific repositioning cruise), and I’ve spent a bunch more time on land in Honolulu.

My Princess cruise ships both times arrived at pier 11 right next to Aloha Tower. (map)

The typical cruise port for NCL cruise ships (including Pride of America) is pier 2B. (map) I have seen another Princess cruise ship docked here, so it’s not just NCL at pier 2.

While they are not right next to each other, both piers are pretty much the same amount of convenience I think, so it’s not like there’s a “better” pier. Although admittedly I have not been to pier 2… 🤪

Below I will let you know your options for getting to Waikiki from a cruise ship!

 

There are partner websites that are included below.

 

HAWAII CRUISE TIPS > HONOLULU | MAUI | BIG ISLAND

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Now, here’s what to know about getting between downtown Honolulu and Waikiki!

 

1. Cruise ship shuttle

Exiting the cruise ship, I saw that there was a cruise ship shuttle offered. I would think that every cruise line offers this.

I don’t know the details, other than seeing a sign for a $10 shuttle to Waikiki, and the line was long. 🤪

This seems like a simple way to get to Waikiki from the cruise ship, but there are other ways to get to Waikiki that aren’t that difficult to figure out either. Next!

 

👆 Some cruise ships dock in Honolulu near Aloha Tower. If you are on such a cruise ship, when you exit the cruise terminal, it will be right there!
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2. Honolulu bus

There are so many things you can do from the Honolulu cruise port on your own, and the bus is the reason why!

And there’s a bus stop near the cruise port that goes to Waikiki.

I think the bus is the best way to get to Waikiki from the cruise ship!

 

👆 There is a bus stop near the cruise port, so it’s possible to get from the Honolulu cruise port to Waikiki by bus!
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It’s easy to take the bus. Once you ride it a time or 2, you’ll feel like a pro! All you need is Google maps to navigate! Just look for the public transit icon. (map) It will tell you where the nearest bus stop is. Once you’re on the bus, you can follow along on the map live through GPS to know when your stop is coming up.

If paying in cash, you will need to have $3 in exact change for every bus ride you will be taking.

Bus fares can change. See current info.

Depending on how many individual bus rides you plan on taking when you’re in Honolulu, you might want to get the HOLO card.

This is a public transport cash card that makes it easy to take the bus. You’ll put money on the card and then when you get on the bus you’ll swipe and you’ve paid the bus fare!

Unfortunately, similar to arriving at the airport, there’s no quick and easy way to get the HOLO card before taking the bus if you are arriving by cruise ship… unless you consider walking 10-15 minutes quick and easy.

If you do, once you get off the cruise ship, you can make your first stop a store in downtown Honolulu that sells HOLO cards. It might be a 10-15 minute walk from the cruise ship. Here is a map of where to buy a HOLO card near the cruise port. On the map, you can look to the right of Sand Island for the cruise port.

Otherwise, you can also get a HOLO card easily when you get to Waikiki at any ABC Store. (ABC Stores are convenience stores and souvenir gift shops that are basically on every other block of Waikiki.)

The HOLO card itself is a one-time fee of $2. You need cash to get this, so bring as much cash as you want to ride the bus. Otherwise, once you have the card, you can also go online to load more cash onto it.

Depending on how many individual bus rides you plan on taking, you might just opt to pay the $3 in cash for every bus ride.

I have gotten dollar bills at guest services on the cruise ship. (I’ve done this on Princess cruise ships.)

Most Honolulu bus drivers are so nice. There was even one time I saw a cruise ship passenger was having difficulty understanding what the bus driver was saying to her, and the bus driver actually got off the bus to help her better understand and to point her in the right direction after she got off the bus. That is true aloha! 🤙🌺😁

 

👆 You’ll know it’s a bus stop by looking for the yellow bus sign. Google maps makes locating bus stops easy, which means it’s easy to get from the Honolulu cruise port to Waikiki by bus!

 

👆 The bus comes by near the Honolulu cruise port!
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If you are open to taking the bus, there are so many places that you can go around the island during your cruise ship visits!

The notable things I’ve done by bus during cruise ship visits are the Lanikai pillbox hike and Manoa Falls Trail.

You can also go to the beaches of Kailua, Lanikai, and Waimanalo by bus. aka some of the best beaches in Hawaii!

If you want a beach day, I highly recommend looking into these 3 beaches. They are beautiful! Again, google maps is all you need to navigate!

 

 

3. Bike sharing

For a fun way to get to Waikiki, you can bike there!

There are bike sharing stations in downtown Honolulu and Waikiki, including right near the cruise port!

 

👆 You can get to Waikiki from the cruise ship in downtown Honolulu through bike sharing!
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With bike sharing, you can take a bike from one location (aka near the cruise port) and return the bike to a different location (aka Waikiki)!

Your bike ride can be no more than 30 minutes, and it’s $5 per bike ride. You can pay by credit card at the bike station. (I paid for a single ride with a credit card at a bike station right before my ride.) See current fees.

Since it’s 3 miles to get to Waikiki, 30 minutes will give you enough time to get there.

The name of the bike sharing program is called biki. Here is the map with bike station locations.

You can get a bike from near the cruise port, and then drop it off at the location near Hilton Hawaiian Village and start walking around Waikiki from there! (You can zoom in to the biki map and see Hilton Hawaiian Village.)

Walk around the Hilton Hawaiian Village lagoon (and see the Rainbow Tower as seen on TV), then continue walking on the coastal Fort DeRussy boardwalk to the pier in front of the Outrigger Reef resort hotel. Walk out onto the pier to see if you can spot turtles! I’ve seen turtles at this pier the 2 times I’ve looked for them.

Have a look at things to do near Hilton Hawaiian Village!

You should know that you are not supposed to ride a bike on the sidewalk in downtown Honolulu and Waikiki. And always ride a bike in the same direction as car traffic.

 

 

4. Waikiki trolley

You can make it a day of riding around downtown Honolulu and Waikiki on the hop-on hop-off trolley, starting from near the cruise port.

There are several lines on the Waikiki trolley, and the one near the cruise port is the red line.

The closest trolley stop to the cruise port (either pier) is the Aloha Tower / Honolulu Harbor trolley stop. The first stop is made at 11:25am.

Among other places, the red line does a drive by of the Punchbowl Crater, which is where the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is located.

You can buy trolley tickets for just the red line, or you can buy a pass that includes multiple lines.

Aside from the red line since it’s near the cruise port, I think you’ll like the blue line since it takes you along the scenic shoreline to the Halona Blowhole lookout.

Here is a map (pdf) of the different trolley routes.

You can buy tickets at the Waikiki Trolley website.

Read the Waikiki trolley reviews.

 

👆 The red line of the hop on hop off Waikiki trolley goes through downtown Honolulu, so you can get from the cruise port to Waikiki by trolley! This can be a fun way to get an introduction to Honolulu and Waikiki.
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5. Uber

There is Uber in Honolulu. I’ve used it a couple of times to get between the airport and Waikiki. It works just as you’d expect.

Depending on where in Waikiki you want to go, it will be about a 10-15 minute drive from the cruise port to Waikiki.

So you can get from the Honolulu cruise port to Waikiki by Uber.

Even if you are not in Honolulu right now, you can get an idea for how much an Uber costs by using the app and manually setting your starting location to the cruise port.

You’ll get a better idea if you look up prices when it’s morning in Hawaii. (Assuming that’s when you’ll be going to Waikiki.)

 

 

6. Walk

I don’t really recommend walking from the cruise port to Waikiki, although you can if you want to.

It’s about a 3 mile walk to get to the part of Waikiki that’s closest to the cruise port, which is about a 1 hour walk. And then from there you’ll want to walk more of Waikiki!

You can use the walking directions of Google maps and your first “destination” in Waikiki can be Kahanamoku Beach and the Hilton Hawaiian Village. (map)

And then from there, you can keep walking another 1.5 to 2 miles to get to the other end of Waikiki. You can mostly try to follow the coast line, although there is at least one point where you might have to detour “inland” and then you can find your way back to the ocean. (I’ve done a walk from one end to Waikiki to the other a couple of times.)

Or instead of stopping by the Hilton Hawaiian Village, you can make your first major destination the Duke Kahanamoku statue. (map)

The walk from the cruise port to Waikiki is not that exciting of a walk, and I think it’s better to save that energy for other things if you do like walking!

Like take a bus ride to do the Lanikai Pillbox hike or Manoa Falls Trail, both of which I have done from a cruise ship!

At least, the first 30 minutes of the walk from the cruise port is nothing exciting, which is mostly (if not all) why I think the other options to get to Waikiki are better.

If you do want to walk to Waikiki, then you should make a detour and stop by Magic Island and the Waikiki viewpoint there. You can also stop by Ala Moana Beach. (map) This can make your walk worth it!

 

 

Where will your cruise ship dock in Honolulu?

Your cruise ship will dock in Honolulu at either pier 11 or pier 2B. You can check the Honolulu cruise port schedule to know which one you will be at!

 

 

More Hawaii travel ideas:

• Honolulu cruise port map
• Kahului cruise port map (Maui)
• Hilo cruise port map (Big Island)
• Things to do near Hilton Hawaiian Village
• Best snorkeling in Waikiki
• Best things to do in Honolulu
• Best waterfalls in Hawaii
• Best beaches in Hawaii
• Best hikes in Hawaii
• Best things to do in Maui (Kahului)

 

Is Hawaii part of your round trip cruise from California? See the California cruise tips!

Is Hawaii part of your cruise to the South Pacific? See things to do in American Samoa!

 

HAPPY GOING TO WAIKIKI FROM HONOLULU CRUISE PORT!