10 best things to do in Hawaii (from a cruise ship!) Honolulu – Maui – Hilo – Kona – Kauai 🌴 Hawaii cruise port travel tips

Hi there!

It’s possible to see the major Hawaiian islands by cruise ship!

Below I will tell you some of the best things to do in Hawaii and if you can do them on your own or if you need to rent a car or do a tour. (aka this includes: Things to do in Hawaii cruise ports on a budget!)

And even with just one day on any given Hawaiian island, you can make it totally worth it!

 

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There’s a bit of a debate whether it’s better to do Hawaii by land (hotel stay) or by sea (cruise around the islands).

The best Hawaii cruise will go to 4 Hawaiian islands (Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai) and for 2 of those islands you will have an overnight meaning that you will get 2 days each on those islands (Maui and Kauai).

This cruise will also start and end in Hawaii, which means that you can also extend your trip further by staying in Honolulu (Oahu) for a few extra days, or even fly to another island.

I believe that if you do want to do a Hawaii cruise, this is the best type of cruise.

And this is the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) Pride of America cruise ship. This is the only cruise line and only cruise ship that starts and ends in Hawaii and cruises only around the Hawaiian islands.

Other types of Hawaii cruises start from the west coast of the US and are either one-way cruises or round-trip cruises. This can include cruises from California (San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego), Seattle, and Vancouver (Canada).

You’ll be crossing (half of) the Pacific Ocean, so these Hawaii cruises have lots of sea days.

For round-trip Hawaii cruises from the west coast, have a look at Princess.

Another type of “cruise to Hawaii” is a one-way cruise that crosses pretty much the entire Pacific Ocean from one end to the other, like a cruise from California to New Zealand and Australia, with a stop in Hawaii along the way.

These types of cruises are called repositioning cruises as they are “repositioning” from the end of cruise season in one region of the world (example: Alaska) to the beginning of cruise season in another region of the world (example: Australia and the South Pacific).

I’ve been on 2 repositioning cruises that had a stopover in Hawaii! One was from Alaska and Vancouver to New Zealand, and the other was from California to Japan.

All major cruise lines in the US have Alaska cruise seasons in the summer. This includes Princess, Holland America, NCL, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Disney.

If your preferred cruise line also has cruises in Australia and/or Asia, they will likely have repositioning cruises that include a stop in Hawaii.

And so, you can make it a Hawaii-only cruise, or you can make it an even more epic cruise with more bucket list cruise destinations!

 

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Partner websites are included below. I may earn a commission.

 

 

Here is what to know about the Hawaiian islands!

 

 

1. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hilo | Big Island)

The national park to visit on the Big Island is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

This is a must-visit so you can see vast views of old lava flows (aka lava fields), a cave that lava used to flow through (aka lava tube), and hike into a what used to be a “lake” full of lava!

 

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How to visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

A visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will be worth it if you drive the Chain of Craters Road!

This is a main road in the national park.

Drive to the end of Chain of Craters Road (map), and you will see vast lava fields all around you. These are old lava flows. It’s amazing to see and think about how lava covered flowed across the expansive area.

I loved making a quick stop at Alanui Kahiko because you can actually see where the lava stopped on the road. (map)

You will also want to stop to see the volcanic sights along Crater Rim Drive, the other main road in the national park. Don’t miss a quick stop at the Thurston lava tube.

If you want to go hiking, you want to do the Kilauea Iki Crater Trail for a hike into an old lava lake.

I personally think Chain of Craters Road is more important, so I would do that first, stopping off at places that interest you for a walk around (even if there’s seemingly nothing around except lava fields!), and then see how much time you have to do the things off of Crater Rim Drive.

Ask for a map at the national park entry station, or stop by the visitor center to get one. (The visitor center is also a good place to go so you can get a basic understanding of the landscape you’re about to see! Plus, get a national park passport stamp.)

It’s a $30 per car national park entry fee. See current fees.

 

If you don’t have a car, you will want to do the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Hilo highlights tour.

 

Hilo cruise port to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

If you want to go to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park during your cruise, you’ll want to make sure Hilo is on your Hawaii cruise itinerary.

Driving from Hilo to the national park entry is a 50 minute drive. (map)

A straight drive from the visitor center (near the entry) to the end of Chain of Craters Road is 45 minutes. That is with no stops. (map)

 

 

2. Haleakala National Park (Kahului | Maui)

The national park to visit on Maui is Haleakala National Park.

Haleakala is another volcano in Hawaii, but it will give you a different kind of volcano experience compared to the national park on the Big Island.

This is a must-visit so you can see the vast volcanic desert landscape from the top of the Haleakala volcano at high altitude.

The Haleakala summit is at 10,000+ feet.

 

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How to visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

A visit to Haleakala National Park will be worth it if you drive to the Haleakala summit and hike even just part of the Sliding Sands Trail! The Haleakala sunrise is also very popular.

There is just one road to get to the top of Haleakala, and it is a winding curvy road up the mountain. There’s a parking lot at the top, and from there you’ll walk a short trail to see the views from the top of the mountain!

About a half mile below the summit is the visitor center and Sliding Sands trailhead, where there is another parking lot. Don’t miss this!

The views from next to the visitor center are amazing. This is where you can see into the Haleakala crater without stepping foot onto a trail.

From the visitor center, you can also hike the short Pa Kaoao Trail which will give you more crater views.

If you want to go hiking, then Sliding Sands Trail is the Haleakala crater hike to do. The trail is 10 miles long, but even if you just hike it for 30 minutes and it will be worth it.

It’s a $30 per car national park entry fee. See current fees.

If you are doing the Haleakala sunrise on your own, you will need a reservation to get entry into the national park through recreation.gov. This reservation is only required if you want to enter the national park between 3am and 7am.

 

If you don’t have a car, then the day-time Haleakala National Park tour will also include Iao Valley, which is another icon of Maui.

There are also Haleakala sunrise tours where you can have someone drive you up and back down the mountain.

Or, you can have someone drive you up and then bike down the mountain through a Haleakala sunrise bike tour!

If you don’t want to get up for sunrise, lots of people say that a Haleakala sunset is also worth it.

 

Kahului cruise port to Haleakala National Park

If you want to go to Haleakala National Park during your cruise, you’ll want to make sure Kahului is on your Hawaii cruise itinerary.

Driving from Kahului to the national park entry is a 1 hour drive. (map)

A straight drive from the national park entry to the Haleakala summit parking lot is a 30 minute slow curvy mountain drive. (map)

To do the Haleakala sunrise during a cruise, you’ll need an overnight on Maui so that you can do the sunrise on day 2 of Maui.

NCL Pride of America Hawaii cruises usually have an overnight on Maui.

 

 

National park pass

If you plan to go to both Hawaii national parks within a year, you will want to buy the Hawaii national park pass (“Hawaii tri-park pass”), which you can get when you arrive. This will also get you into Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island, which is on the Kona side of the island. (Go snorkeling nearby at Two Step!)

If you plan to go to 3 national parks in the US within a year that have standard entry fees, then you will want to get the annual national park pass (“America the Beautiful pass“), which you can also get when you arrive.

If you are 62+ years old, then you want to get a senior annual pass even if you are visiting just one park. Or, you may want to get the senior lifetime pass. See the senior passes section on the National Park Service website.

 

 

3. Pearl Harbor National Memorial (Honolulu | Oahu)

The national park site not to miss on Oahu is Pearl Harbor National Memorial.

This is a must-visit for a greater appreciation and understanding of a tragic event that impacted the world.

 

How to visit Pearl Harbor National Memorial

A visit to Pearl Harbor will be worth it if you go to the visitor center, walk around the grounds there, and then take the ferry to USS Arizona Memorial.

You can further enhance your experience by going to more of the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites, like the USS Bowfin Submarine, USS Missouri, and/or the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

You can go to Pearl Harbor on your own by bus or uber. It’s close enough to Waikiki and Honolulu cruise port that an uber won’t be too expensive.

If going on your own, you will want to get a ticket for the USS Arizona Memorial at recreation.gov.

There are also Pearl Harbor tours with guides to help you learn more about the tragedy surrounding Pearl Harbor.

 

Honolulu cruise port to Pearl Harbor

Driving from Honolulu cruise port to the Pearl Harbor visitor center is a 20 minute drive (map). You can go by uber or taxi.

You can also get to Pearl Harbor by bus. From the cruise port, it’s a direct bus. The bus stop is a 15 minute walk from the cruise port. (map)

 

Waikiki to Pearl Harbor

Driving from Waikiki to the Pearl Harbor visitor center is a 30 minute drive (map).

To get to Pearl Harbor from Waikiki by bus will take around 1 hour. (map)

 

 

Now… general types of activities, with my top pick on each island… it’s hard! My opinion is subject to change. 😆

I’ve spent 3 weeks on Maui and 3 week on the Big Island. Over multiple trips I’ve spent something like 10 weeks on Oahu. I’ve spent minimal time on Kauai, so for that island will be what I would want to do! My Hawaii “land” trips and cruises were as a solo traveler.

 

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4. Hiking

Hiking is one of the top free things to do in Hawaii. Each island has hiking with amazing views that you can do on your own.

I have probably done 20+ hikes in Hawaii and basically all of them were amazing in their own way.

 

The Lanikai pillbox hike on Oahu is a perfect hike to do in Hawaii because you can get amazing ocean views and afterwards you can go to a nearby beach! You can go to Lanikai and Kailua by bus from Honolulu cruise port (map). When I went to Kailua and Lanikai on a cruise ship visit, I first went to Kailua Beach and Lanikai Beach, and then did the hike!

 

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On Maui, the Waihee Ridge Trail will get you both mountain views and ocean views! You do need a car to do this hike. For more Hawaii views of the West Maui mountains, you can go to Iao Valley State Monument after your hike. I also did the Makamakaole Trail after doing the Waihee Ridge Trail. (map)

 

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On the Kona side of the Big Island, the Captain Cook hike will get you views of lava fields and the ocean, and will get you to Kealakekua Bay, which is one of the best snorkeling spots on the island! You’ll want a car for this hike. (map)

On Kauai, the most famous trail is the Kalalau Trail. The trail itself is an 11-mile one-way trail, but you can also do this as a shorter hike that is worth it. It requires extra planning even for the short hike since you’ll need to make reservations at the Haena State Park website. You’ll want a car for this hike. (map)

 

For more hikes, see my list of best hikes in Hawaii you need to do!

 

 

5. Marine life

While you’re in Hawaii, you can give yourself a chance to see humpback whales, sea turtles, Hawaiian monk seals, dolphins, manta rays, and/or colorful fishies! The only one of these I haven’t personally seen is manta rays.

But there’s actually a manta ray tour that you can do for guaranteed sightings! I haven’t done that, so I haven’t seen them. 🤪

I’m happy to say I’ve never seen a shark in Hawaii 😅 but there is actually a shark dive tour that you can do if you do want to see sharks.

 

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Hawaii’s whale watching season is in the winter months. Maui is considered the best Hawaiian island for whale watching, although you can might see humpback whales off the shores of all islands.

Snorkeling is one of the top things to do in Hawaii. There are free snorkeling spots on each of the Hawaiian islands, and there are also some popular snorkeling tours.

 

On Maui, go whale watching, see Hawaiian monk seals and turtles on the beach at Hookipa Beach near Paia, maybe see dolphins near Lanai, and go snorkeling to see colorful fishies and maybe even turtles at Kapalua Bay or Ulua Beach.

You can get to Kapalua Bay and Ulua Beach by bus. When going from a cruise ship, it will be easier (aka less time) to go to Ulua Beach.

The most famous snorkeling tour on Maui is to the Molokini Crater.

 

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Oh Oahu, see turtles on the beach at Laniakea Beach on the North Shore, go snorkeling to see colorful fishies at Sharks Cove on the North Shore or Hanauma Bay, go swimming with turtles in Waikiki, and go swimming with dolphins on the west side of Oahu.

You can get to the North Shore by bus, but it will take a long time. (I’ve gone by bus!) Hanuama Bay doesn’t take as long, but it still takes a lot of time and walking.

If you know you want to go to Waikiki, then there are snorkeling beaches in Waikiki that you can get to on your own and are free.

There are a few different ways to get from Honolulu cruise port to Waikiki.

 

On the Big Island, see turtles on the beach at Punaluu black sand beach on the Hilo side, go snorkeling to see colorful fishies at Kealakekua Bay or Two Step on the Kona side, and go swimming with manta rays at night in Kona.

 

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On Kauai, see turtles on the beach and go snorkeling to see colorful fishies at Poipu Beach.

Poipu Beach is a 30 minute drive from the Kauai cruise port in Nawiliwili.

There is a beach within walking distance of a cruise port, which is Kalapaki Beach. You might see turtles if you go snorkeling here.

I’ve seen turtles in the water near Nawiliwili Park, walking along the water there (map). I saw people snorkeling right near the turtles, which you would get to by swimming from Kalapaki Beach!

 

 

6. Waterfalls

Hawaii has a ton of waterfalls, some are harder to access, and some you can see quite easily.

If you want to see a ton of waterfalls in a few hours, then the easy way to do that is by driving the Hana Highway (aka Road to Hana) on Maui. You’ll need a car for this, or you’ll need time to do an all-day Road to Hana tour.

 

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To get you started on waterfalls in Hawaii, some beautiful ones are Waimoku Falls on Maui (hike the Pipiwai Trail at the “end” of the Road to Hana), Akaka Falls on the Big Island (drive to Akaka Falls State Park and do a short walk to it), Manoa Falls on Oahu (drive or take a bus to the trailhead and hike through a rainforest to waterfalls), and Wailua Falls on Kauai (drive to it and do a short hike or do a movie locations tour).

 

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For more waterfalls, see my list of best waterfalls in Hawaii you need to see!

 

 

7. Black sand beach

There aren’t too many places around the world that you can see truly black sand beaches, but yes, Hawaii is one of those places!

The best islands to see a black sand beach are the Big Island and Maui. Either way, you’ll need a car, or a tour.

On the Big Island, the best black sand beaches are in the Pahoa/Puna area, which means that you can go alongside a trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

You want to go to Pohoiki Beach and/or New Kaimu beach. These are very black black sand beaches!

You can actually walk on Pohoiki Beach, while you’ll see the New Kaimu beach from above after a walk across lava fields. So both are amazing experiences in their own way.

 

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On Maui, the best well-known black sand beach is at Waianapanapa State Park. This is in the town of Hana, which means you’ll need to drive the Road to Hana to get there. You’ll need to make reservations at the Waianapanapa State Park website.

Coming from a cruise ship, you may not have time to drive all the way to Hana if you only have one day on Maui.

 

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For more beaches, see my list of best beaches in Hawaii you need to see!

 

 

8. Hawaiian food and entertainment

The best way to experience Hawaii’s Polynesian roots is by going to a luau! You can do this on all islands.

The luau that you will go to is a completely tourist experience but it is still a fun way to learn about Hawaiian culture.

A luau will include Hawaiian food, dance, and music. Some luaus also include a fire show which is incredible to watch.

Luaus with a fire show include the Mauka Warriors luau on Oahu, the Maui Nui luau on Maui, the Hale Hoaloha luau on the Big Island, and Luau Ka Hikina on Kauai.

 

Another fun way to experience and learn about Polynesian culture is at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

During the day, they have activities that are fun for kids and adults to learn about different Polynesian islands. The day-time activities are the island villages.

You can also plan to stay all day long and go to the island villages during the day, followed by a luau in the evening.

If you want to stay through the evening it’s better to do this later in your trip because of jet lag if you’re coming from the mainland US! Or else you might get sleepy by dinner!

 

On Oahu, another (smaller) way to experience Hawaiian culture for free is through the hula show in Waikiki! See more about things to do in Honolulu.

 

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For more food, see my list of best food in Hawaii you need to eat!

 

 

9. Helicopter ride

For an epic Hawaii experience, see Hawaii from above through a helicopter tour!

All the Hawaiian islands offer helicopter tours with different types of epic views.

Do a Na Pali coast tour on Kauai, a Hawaii Volcanoes National Park tour on the Big Island, a Haleakala National Park tour on Maui, or a Magnum PI tour on Oahu.

 

 

10. Beach

For beach vacations, you’ll find beaches to love on all Hawaiian islands, although Oahu and Maui will give you lots of beach options if you want to explore different parts of any given island.

To get you started, beautiful beaches that are also good for swimming include Kailua Bay on Oahu, Kapalua Bay on Maui, Kekaha Kai State Park on the Big Island, and Poipu Beach on Kauai.

 

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👆 No matter the island, ABC Stores are a classic Hawaii store to visit!

 

 

More Hawaii travel planning:

• Best Hawaii waterfalls you need to see!
• Best Hawaii beaches you need to see!
• Best Hawaii hikes you need to do!
• Best Hawaii food you need to eat!
• Top 10 things to do in Honolulu
• Top 10 things to do in Maui

 

HAPPY TRAVELING TO HAWAII!