Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, is the busiest cruise port in Hawaii. In fact, the cruise port of Honolulu is expected to welcome 112 cruise ships for 2010, according to the State of Hawaii's Department of Transportation. Cruise passengers in port for just the day can book cruise excursions through their cruise line or organize independently. Here is a sampling of what to do in the cruise port of Honolulu.
Honolulu Tours and Waikiki Beach
Getting around in Honolulu and Waikiki Beach is fairly easy. For example, Waikiki Beach is only three miles from the cruise port and a great place to sunbathe, shop or dine. The best swimming beach is at Ala Moana Beach Park, across from Ala Moana Center Mall. The Waikiki Trolley offers 30 different stops throughout Honolulu at a cost for $30 for the day. Taxis and public transportation are also convenient and budget-friendly.
One of the most popular excursions in Honolulu is a visit to the summit of Diamond Head crater for a panoramic view of Waikiki Beach. Most cruise lines offer some sort of tour to the summit accompanied by a guide who explains Hawaiian history and the dormant volcano's creation. The hike is generally about one hour (1.5 miles) with stairways, a 200-foot tunnel with an elevation change of 560 feet. Alternatively, the Waikiki Trolley Green Line offers stops at Diamond Head crater every 35 minutes.
Pearl Harbor Tours
Cruise Ship Shore Excursion – Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) offers their Pearl Harbor and USS Missouri cruise excursion for disembarking passengers. Visit the Arizona Memorial Center that straddles the hull of the sunken USS Arizona. This tour also includes a self-guided tour of the "Mighty Mo" battleship where visitors can explore the passages, rooms, and corridors of the ship. NCL offers the 7.5-hour tour at a cost of $79 per adult.
Visit Pearl Harbor Independently – Cruise passengers can tour Pearl Harbor independently, but they may not save much money or time. The cost of the 45-minute taxi is approximately $40 each way. Although the entrance to the USS Arizona Memorial is free, the cost to tour the USS Missouri costs $20 per adult. Tickets are on a first-come-first served basis and may "sell" out by noon on busy days.
Oahu Hawaii Tours
Royal Caribbean Cruise Excursion – Royal Caribbean offers their Polynesian Cultural Center and Circle Island tour. This cruise excursion features a visit to the Polynesia Cultural Center located on the island's north shore. Other highlights include downtown Honolulu, the Pali Lookout, North Shore surf beaches and Waimea Bay. The cost of this 8.5-hour tour is $129 per adult ($89 per child) and includes lunch.
Norwegian Cruise Line Cruise Excursion – NCL's Best of Oahu Grand Finale tour is a 12-hour tour that visits Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian Cultural Center and a stop at the Pali Lookout in the Ko'olau mountain range. The NCL tour includes dinner and costs $149 per adult ($99 per child).
Cruise passengers can save money by booking shore excursions on their own and taking advantage of Honolulu's transportation options. Yet, one should consider that complicated tours involving long bus rides and out of the way locations may be better booked through the cruise line. Missing a flight, or worse yet, the remainder of a cruise may not offset the savings of booking an excursion independently. An alternative is to extend the Hawaii cruise vacation with one of many Honolulu hotels.
Renee Ruggero - Renee is a published travel writer and cruise industry insider with more than 1,000 days on cruise ships, visiting over 50 countries.
