Today most of the major cruise lines have sailings that will cruise Hawaii. Most of those cruises are either taken to Hawaii or from Hawaii. At this time Norwegian Cruise Line is the only one that cruises Hawaii all year round. The ships that Norwegian Cruise Line uses currently must go to Fanning Island to meet government laws. They will start sailing around the Hawaiian Islands next year without having to go to Fanning Island, even though they will have some extended cruises that include Fanning Island.
Regardless of which cruise line you take to cruise Hawaii the one fact remains the same is that all the cruise lines will most likely stop at the same islands. The four islands that are most frequently cruised are Oahu, Maui, Hawaii and Kauai. Other islands are being looked into for cruise ports but at this time these are the four islands most frequented by the cruise ships.
There are several things that are great about cruising the Hawaiian Islands. One is that you get a feel for several different islands, which may give you an idea of where you may want to stay if you ever came back for a land vacation. Another thing I find great is that each Island is different from the next island. In Hawaii you will find something different on every island that will distinguish it from all the other islands. When I have cruised in the Caribbean I find many things that are identical on each island and I find it hard to find something that may stand out on one island from the next. There are obvious differences when in Hawaii. One thing I will not make mentions of in this is the beaches. The reason for that is that there are so many beaches in Hawaii. There are beautiful beaches on all islands, some are white sand and some are black sand. I will mention at the end of this some reference material that will help with that information.
Lets start with the island of Oahu. Everyone knows of this island because this is where Honolulu is, as well as Waikiki and Pearl Harbor. Oahu is the most commercial and tourist oriented of all the islands. You will find all the big hotels and shopping centers on Oahu. Most everyone seems to take a trip to Waikiki beach on Oahu also. There are many other things that a person should try to see while on Oahu. If I were to add days on before or after a cruise this may be where you would want to do that.
Some of the more popular things to see on Oahu, and well worth seeing, are Diamondhead, the Polynesian Village, Punch Bowl and of course Pearl Harbor. The Punch Bowl is a cemetery with many of those that died in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The cemetery is set in a dormant volcano crater and is extremely beautiful. There is a large monument, which has maps of South Pacific battles and a small chapel.
The Polynesian Village is set up so you can see how some of the people from the islands lived. It has shops and shows to see while there. Diamondhead can be quite a challenge to climb for some but the views are breathtaking.
Of course everyone is aware of Pearl Harbor. The Arizona museum and the monument are a must to see. There is also an old World War II submarine that you can take a tour of. While here you can sign up to go and see the Missouri, which stands guard over the Arizona. To go on the Missouri you must take a tour because it is still on an active military base. I would also pay extra to tour the Missouri because the guides are former personnel who worked on the Missouri and they will give you a more detailed tour and information. You can tour the Missouri on your own if you wish but you must take the tour bus to and from the ship to be allowed admittance to the ship.
The next island I will discuss is the big island as they call it. This is the actual island called Hawaii. This island is probably the most diverse of all the islands. The cruise ships generally stop at two ports on this island due to its size. The ships will stop in Hilo and Kona. This island has snowcapped mountains where they do skiing. It also has a rain forest on one end and a desert on another section of the island. Most of all, this island has a live flowing volcano.
If Kona sounds familiar it is because it is known for its coffee. You will be reminded of this many times when you travel to Kona. Kona will be the starting point for tours that will take you to the rain forest, which a rain forest is, always a beautiful place to see, in my opinion, if you want to see great plant life.
Hilo is where you would start out for a tour of Volcano National Park. Here there is an information station with the history of the volcano and of course many pictures to purchase. From this information station you will see steam vents and many lava fields. There are walkways to try and get closer to seeing the actual flow of the lava but make sure you follow the properly marked paths because you are on a live volcano.
Some of the tours in Volcano National Park will allow you to walk in various parts of the volcano. Some of the tours may take you through the lava tubes. The lava tube are where the lava has left giant tunnels that they now have available for people to walk through and see what lava can do. If while walking around you come upon a steam vent be careful not to breathe to heavily in the steam. It is full of sulfur and it can make you sick.
As I said this island also has rain forests and desert and snow capped mountains so there are many diverse tours on this island and many of the tours can fill up your day and take quite a few hours. I focused mainly on the volcano because this truly is an amazing sight to see and this is a tour I have taken several times. If you are lucky enough your ship may sail by the volcano at night and when the volcano is flowing heavily this is an unbelievable sight that you will remember the rest of your life.
The next island I want to mention is Kauai. This has to be one of the most beautiful islands you will ever see. You may have seen parts of this island many times and never knew it. This island is where many movies are made when they want beautiful waterfalls and thick rain forests. This island is known for its river tours and flight tours. Wherever you travel on Kauai you will have the fragrance of the plant life all around you. The Fern Grotto is one of the most popular tours on this island and well worth the time to take. I honestly do not think that the beauty of this island can be described properly in words. When you go to this island make sure your camera is ready and be prepared to take a lot of pictures. In the winter months this island is also one that you would want to save a whale watch tour for. Many of the humpback whales will be near this island.
The final island I will mention is of course Maui. In Maui one of the most popular things to do is either a sunrise or sunset bike ride or tour of Haleakaela. This will literally take you above the clouds and provide some magnificent views. It will get cold towards the top of this mountain but believe me you will not regret going.
Maui is also a place you may want to consider renting a car. The views from the road that circles the island are fantastic. There are a couple things to be aware of if you rent a car and drive around the island. Some of the car rental places will not honor the insurance on the car if you drive to a few specific places on the island due to the rough terrain. You must also be aware that this island has a lot of traffic accidents and these are partly due to people sightseeing while driving and not paying attention to where they are going. This is one problem that you will have with such beautiful scenery.
On Maui you will want to visit Lahaina, which at one time was the whaling capital of Hawaii. There will be very interesting shops in Lahaina and here you will find the Pacific Whaling Foundation. Lahaina during the winter will be the place you will absolutely want to do a whale watching tour. This town will be full of cruise ship tourists as well as land tourists during the whale season. If you do not want a tour from the ship in Lahaina there will be plenty of local tours that leave from the marina here every couple hours. This is also a good place to have the camera ready at sunset for those special pictures.
The truth is that if you take a cruise of Hawaii the chances are you will want to come back. There are far to many things to do and see in the time you will be in port on a cruise of Hawaii. There are far to many things to talk about that you should see in Hawaii so I have only touched on a few of the highlights. Cruising Hawaii is a great way to see Hawaii and see multiple islands in a totally relaxed atmosphere. You may find you want to come and spend a longer time on land next trip but if you are like me you will have a cruise either before or after your land trip to get a taste of those other islands again.
I mentioned near the beginning of this that I would make you aware of some reference material on Hawaii. I have found and I have used some books in the past that I have purchased at various bookstores. These books all have the same ending to their name. You will find Maui Revealed, Oahu Revealed, Hawaii Revealed and Kauai Revealed. These books, in my opinion, are some of the best reference books you will ever find on Hawaii. They will tell you of everything from beaches to Hotels. I would highly recommend looking for them before you ever travel to Hawaii. |
