Honolulu cruise port

Honolulu: Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and Waikiki from a downtown pier.

Honolulu is the big-city stop on every Hawaii cruise, and the ships from the West Coast dock right downtown: at Pier 2, the main cruise terminal on Ala Moana Boulevard, or at Piers 10 and 11 beside the Aloha Tower, both a short walk from Chinatown and the Iolani Palace and about 3 miles from Waikiki Beach. Most cruisers spend the morning at Pearl Harbor and the afternoon on Waikiki or up Diamond Head, and many ships give you an overnight or two full days to do both. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at Honolulu from every line, priced with taxes, fees and port expenses included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.

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DockedPier 2 or Piers 10 and 11 at Aloha Tower, downtown
USD, Hawaii time2 hours behind Los Angeles in winter, 3 in summer
Apr to Octdriest months, highs 84 to 88
All inevery price includes taxes and fees
Start here

Three ways to do Honolulu

Pearl Harbor, Waikiki and Diamond Head, or a circle-island drive to the North Shore; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.

Big excursion

Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona

  • The USS Arizona Memorial boat program is free but needs a timed reservation ($1 fee) that sells out, so most cruisers book the ship tour, about $80 to $130 for 5 to 6 hours with the Memorial, the museum galleries and often the USS Missouri
  • Independent: a cab or rideshare is about $30 to $40 each way, 20 minutes; the Pearl Harbor museum, Bowfin submarine and Missouri passes run about $20 to $35 each
  • No bags of any kind allowed inside the site; bring ID and leave the backpack on the ship

Best for: first-timers, history lovers, anyone with only one day

Beach day

Waikiki and Diamond Head

  • Waikiki is 3 miles from the pier, about $20 to $30 by cab or rideshare or $3.25 on TheBus; surf lessons about $80 to $100, outrigger canoe rides about $30
  • Diamond Head crater is a 1.6-mile round-trip hike to a 360-degree view; nonresidents need a $5 reservation, book 30 days ahead, and go early for the shade
  • Hanauma Bay snorkeling is 30 minutes east, $25 a person, closed Monday and Tuesday, with reservations two days ahead; ship tours about $90 to $120 include the slot

Best for: families, beach lovers, repeat visitors who have done Pearl Harbor

Island drive

North Shore and the windward coast

  • Circle-island tours take 7 to 8 hours for about $100 to $150: the Pali Lookout, Kualoa Ranch valleys from the movies, the Dole Plantation and the big-wave beaches at Waimea and Sunset
  • Garlic shrimp from the trucks at Haleiwa or Kahuku is the lunch
  • The Polynesian Cultural Center at Laie runs about $100 to $200 with the luau and is a full day on its own

Best for: two-day calls, overnights, anyone who has seen Waikiki

Live from the cruise lines

Honolulu cruises: SmartCruiser picks first

Every cruise that calls at Honolulu from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.

SmartCruiser picks

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Every cruise that calls at Honolulu

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Prices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.

In port

Things to do in Honolulu

Most ships give you a long day or an overnight here, enough for Pearl Harbor and one more thing.

Pearl Harbor National MemorialThe USS Arizona Memorial, the Pearl Harbor museums, the USS Bowfin submarine and the battleship Missouri where the war ended. Free entry; the Arizona boat program needs a $1 timed reservation released 8 weeks and 24 hours ahead, so book the ship tour (about $80 to $130, 5 to 6 hours) if you cannot get one. About 20 minutes from the pier.
Waikiki BeachTwo miles of hotels, surf breaks and the Duke Kahanamoku statue, 3 miles from the pier: about $20 to $30 by cab or rideshare, or TheBus for $3.25. Surf lessons about $80 to $100, outrigger canoe rides about $30, and the Royal Hawaiian for a mai tai.
Diamond HeadThe 760-foot crater at the end of Waikiki with a 1.6-mile round-trip trail, stairs and a tunnel to the summit view. Nonresidents need a $5 per person reservation plus $10 to park, released 30 days ahead; go before 9 for the shade. About 25 minutes from the pier.
Hanauma BayThe snorkeling crater on the east shore with reef fish in waist-deep water. $25 a person for nonresidents, kids free, closed Monday and Tuesday, reservations open two days ahead at 7 a.m.; the Roberts shuttle packages at about $30 to $45 include guaranteed entry.
Iolani Palace and downtownThe only royal palace in the United States, 10 minutes on foot from Aloha Tower, with the King Kamehameha statue, the state capitol and Chinatown’s lei stands and dim sum a block or two away. Palace tours about $25 to $35; the Aloha Tower observation deck is free.
North Shore and Kualoa RanchCircle-island tours (7 to 8 hours, about $100 to $150) take in the Pali Lookout, the Kualoa valleys from Jurassic Park, the Dole Plantation and the North Shore surf towns; Kualoa’s own UTV and movie-site tours are about $90 to $150.
Polynesian Cultural CenterSix island villages, canoe pageant and the Ha: Breath of Life show at Laie, about an hour from the pier; packages with the luau run about $100 to $200 and it is a full day, so pair it with an overnight call.
Ala Moana Center and the Kakaako muralsBetween the pier and Waikiki: the biggest open-air mall in the Pacific for ABC Store souvenirs and Hawaiian brands, and the warehouse murals of Kakaako a 15-minute walk from Pier 2. Ala Moana Beach Park next door is the locals’ calm-water beach.
Pick your style

Which lines call at Honolulu?

Every line that sails Hawaii calls at Honolulu, most on 14 to 18 night round trips from the West Coast or one-way sailings to and from Vancouver.

Princess CruisesEmerald, Grand and Ruby Princess on 15 to 16 night round trips from Los Angeles and San Francisco, plus one-ways to and from VancouverSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit Holland America LineKoningsdam, Noordam and Zaandam on 17 to 18 night Circle Hawaii sailings from San Diego and Vancouver, with Honolulu overnights on many datesSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit Celebrity CruisesCelebrity Edge and Solstice-class ships on 10 to 12 night one-way Hawaii sailings between Vancouver and Honolulu in spring and fallSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit Royal CaribbeanQuantum and Anthem of the Seas on transpacific and Vancouver to Honolulu repositioning cruisesSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit CarnivalCarnival Radiance and fleetmates on 14 to 15 night Hawaii round trips from Long BeachSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit Norwegian Cruise LinePride of America sails 7 night inter-island loops from Honolulu year-round, and Norwegian Spirit links Honolulu with Tahiti and the South PacificSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit Oceania CruisesOceania Riviera and fleetmates on longer Hawaii, French Polynesia and transpacific voyagesSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit Disney Cruise LineDisney Wonder on 9 to 10 night one-way Hawaii sailings between Vancouver and Honolulu around the Alaska seasonSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
Timing

When to go

Honolulu is 80 to 88 degrees every month with trade winds and brief showers; April to October is driest and the spring and fall are when most West Coast and Vancouver sailings call.

January to MarchHighs around 80, the coolest and wettest months with passing showers on the windward side, big surf on the North Shore and humpback whales offshore; the busiest season for the Los Angeles round trips.
April to JuneHighs in the low to mid 80s, drying out, calmer seas and fewer visitors; the spring repositioning sailings from Vancouver and the best value window.
July to SeptemberWarmest and driest, highs 87 to 88 with cooling trades; summer vacation crowds on Waikiki and the quietest cruise months.
October to DecemberHighs in the mid 80s easing to 80, showers returning by December, the fall repositioning calls from Alaska and the holiday sailings from the West Coast.
Good to know

Honolulu questions we answer every day

Where do ships dock in Honolulu and how far is Waikiki?

Two places, both downtown. Pier 2 is the main cruise terminal at 521 Ala Moana Boulevard, where Pride of America is based and where Princess, Holland America, Carnival and most visiting ships tie up; Piers 10 and 11 beside the Aloha Tower are the alternate berths a quarter mile north. Both are walk-off, with a free trolley between Pier 2 and the Aloha Tower Marketplace when ships are in. Downtown and the Iolani Palace are a 10 to 15 minute walk; Waikiki is about 3 miles, 15 minutes by cab. Your ship’s port guide names the pier.

How do I get around and what do taxis cost?

Taxis and Uber and Lyft meet the ship: about $20 to $30 to Waikiki, about $30 to $40 to Pearl Harbor, and about $20 to the airport. TheBus is $3.25 cash or $3 on a HOLO card for a 2-hour pass, with routes to Waikiki, Pearl Harbor and Hanauma Bay from the stops on Ala Moana Boulevard. Rental cars are at the airport and in Waikiki, but parking in Waikiki is hard; for a one-day circle-island drive, a tour is easier.

What about money, phone service and the time zone?

It is the United States: dollars, US phone plans with no roaming, and cards everywhere. Hawaii Standard Time is 2 hours behind the West Coast in winter and 3 in summer because Hawaii does not observe daylight saving, so check whether your ship keeps ship’s time or Hawaii time. Since January 2026 Hawaii adds an 11 percent transient accommodations tax to cruise fares for the nights the ship is in Hawaiian waters; the prices on this page include it.

Is Honolulu safe?

Yes. It is a US state capital with heavy tourist policing in Waikiki and downtown. The usual city sense applies at night around Chinatown and the Ala Moana park, and the real risks are the ocean (swim at lifeguarded beaches, respect the surf flags) and the sun. Leave nothing visible in a rental car at trailheads.

What is the best excursion, and should I book it through the ship?

Pearl Harbor, every time, and through the ship unless you have your own USS Arizona reservation: the free timed slots sell out within minutes and the ship tours include them. Waikiki and Diamond Head you can do on your own by cab, with Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay reservations booked in advance. On an overnight call, add the North Shore or the Polynesian Cultural Center on the second day.

Do I need a passport for a Hawaii cruise?

Round trips from Los Angeles, San Francisco or San Diego that stay in Hawaii, and Pride of America’s loops from Honolulu, are domestic, so US citizens need only a government photo ID, though most of those round trips add a stop in Ensenada, Mexico, which keeps them closed-loop and allows a photo ID plus birth certificate. We recommend a passport for everyone, and any sailing that starts or ends in Vancouver requires one. Non-US citizens need a passport and any US visa or ESTA.

Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?

Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses, including Hawaii’s 2026 cruise accommodations tax. Flights, hotels, shore excursions, drinks and gratuities are extra.

Talk to a Honolulu cruise specialist

We know which West Coast and Vancouver sailings give you an overnight in Honolulu and which carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit, so call to check availability and book. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.

1-800-444-1560