Kona (Kailua-Kona) cruise port

Tender into the sunny side of the Big Island: coffee, manta rays and Captain Cook’s bay.

Kona is the dry, sunny west coast of the Big Island, and it is a tender port: ships anchor in Kailua Bay and the tender lands you at Kailua Pier in the middle of Kailua-Kona village, steps from Ali’i Drive, Hulihe’e Palace and the seawall. Most cruisers either snorkel Kealakekua Bay by catamaran, tour a Kona coffee farm on the way to the Place of Refuge, or simply walk the village and the beaches on the free trolley. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at Kona from every line, priced with taxes and fees included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.

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Tenderships anchor in Kailua Bay; tenders land at Kailua Pier in the middle of the village

Townwalk straight off the pier onto Ali’i Drive; US dollars, Hawaii time

Year round80s and sunny on the Kona side; whales December to April

All inevery price includes taxes and fees

Start here

Three ways to do Kona

Spend the day on the water, drive the coffee belt to the Place of Refuge, or walk the village and beaches on your own; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.

On the water

Kealakekua Bay snorkel by catamaran

Fair Wind II and Hula Kai sail from Keauhou, 15 minutes south of the pier, to the Captain Cook Monument
Spinner dolphins on the way, coral gardens and yellow tang in the bay; morning trips include breakfast and lunch
About $175 to $195 adult for the morning trip, about $130 to $145 for the afternoon, as of 2026

Best for: first-timers, snorkelers, families with kids over 4

Coffee and history

Kona coffee farms and the Place of Refuge

A coffee farm tasting on the slopes of Hualalai, then Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, the ancient sanctuary on the lava shore
Most tours add St. Benedict’s Painted Church and a stop for green sea turtles
About 4 to 5 hours, about $140 to $200 through the ship; Robert’s Hawaii runs a shorter historic Kona version

Best for: couples, history lovers, anyone who does not want to get wet

On your own

Ali’i Drive, the palace and the free trolley

Hulihe’e Palace (about $16) and Ahu’ena Heiau, where Kamehameha the Great died, are both within half a mile of the pier
The free trolley loops from the pier to Magic Sands and Kahalu’u Beach, the best easy snorkel on the island
Kona Farmers Market, shave ice and a seawall sunset if your ship stays late

Best for: walkers, budget days, repeat Hawaii cruisers

Live from the cruise lines

Kona cruises: SmartCruiser picks first

Every cruise that calls at Kona 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 Kona

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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.

Where you start

Home ports that sail to Kona

Pick a home port and the list above filters to cruises leaving from there.

HonoluluNorwegian’s Pride of America calls at Kona every Wednesday on its 7 night Hawaii loop, plus Oceania and Norwegian Spirit sailings that start in Honolulu. Los AngelesPrincess 15 and 16 night Hawaii round trips with four or five island days, Kona included. San DiegoHolland America Zaandam and Koningsdam Circle Hawaii sailings of 17 to 18 days. San FranciscoPrincess 15 night Hawaii round trips from the Embarcadero. VancouverRoyal Caribbean Quantum and Anthem of the Seas and Holland America cross to Hawaii in spring and fall as the Alaska season begins and ends. SeattleHolland America Noordam combines Alaska and Hawaii on one long September sailing that calls at Kona.

In port

Things to do in Kona

The tender lands you in the village, so the easy things are on foot and the big ones are a 15 to 45 minute drive down the coast.

Kealakekua Bay snorkel cruiseThe signature Kona day: a catamaran from Keauhou Bay to the Captain Cook Monument, where the water is glass-clear and the reef drops away under you. Fair Wind II morning trips run about 4.5 hours with breakfast and lunch for about $175 to $195; afternoon trips about 3.5 hours for about $130 to $145. Cruise passengers must book the morning trip at least 24 hours ahead.

Kona coffee farm and the Place of RefugeA tasting at a working farm on the Hualalai slopes, then Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, the walled sanctuary where lawbreakers once fled for absolution, with tikis and a black lava shore. About 4 to 5 hours and about $140 to $200 through the ship; on your own, the park is about 25 miles south and charges about $20 a car.

Kahalu’u Beach ParkThe easiest great snorkel on the island: turtles, parrotfish and coral in a protected cove about 5 miles south of the pier. The free trolley stops there, a taxi is about $20, and gear rents on the beach for about $15 to $20.

Hulihe’e Palace and Ahu’ena HeiauThe 1838 royal vacation home on Ali’i Drive (about $16, or about $22 with the guided tour) and, right beside the pier, the restored temple where Kamehameha the Great spent his last years. Both are an easy walk from the tender.

Manta ray night snorkelIf your ship stays late, Kona’s famous after-dark float with giant mantas feeding under the lights runs from Keauhou or Honokohau, about 2 hours and about $100 to $150 as of 2026. Only book it if all-aboard is 9 pm or later, and book the operator’s first departure.

Magic Sands and the free trolleyThe open-air trolley meets the tenders and loops down Ali’i Drive past the shops to Magic Sands (La’aloa) beach and Kahalu’u, about an hour round trip. Magic Sands is the body-surfing beach; its sand really does wash away in winter.

Kona Farmers Market and Ali’i DriveA 10 minute walk from the pier: Kona coffee, tropical fruit and jewelry, with Kona Inn Shopping Village on the way. Some vendors are cash only. Finish with a shave ice and the seawall walk south from the Kona Inn.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park from KonaPossible on a long call, but it is about 2.5 hours each way across the island; on a 10 hour Kona call most tours only reach Mauna Loa’s lower slopes. If your itinerary also stops at Hilo, do the volcano from there.

Pick your style

Which lines call at Kona?

Kona is on nearly every Hawaii itinerary, from the weekly inter-island loop to the long round trips from the West Coast.

      NorwegianPride of America calls every Wednesday, 7 am to 5 pm, on the only year-round 7 night inter-island cruise from Honolulu; Norwegian Spirit adds Hawaii crossings in spring and fall.SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      PrincessGrand, Ruby, Crown and Emerald Princess on 15 and 16 night Hawaii round trips from Los Angeles and San Francisco.SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Holland AmericaZaandam, Koningsdam and Noordam on Circle Hawaii sailings from San Diego and Vancouver and the Alaska-to-Hawaii voyages from Seattle.SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Royal CaribbeanQuantum and Anthem of the Seas call at Kona on the Hawaii crossings between Vancouver, Honolulu and the South Pacific in spring and fall.SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      CelebrityCelebrity ships call at the Big Island on Hawaii sailings and Pacific crossings between Vancouver, Honolulu and Sydney.SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      OceaniaOceania Riviera stops at Kailua-Kona on Honolulu round trips and the Honolulu to Papeete sailings.SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      CunardQueen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 anchor off Kona on world voyage and Pacific segments.SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
    

Timing

When to go

Kona is the dry side of the island, about 300 sunny days a year with highs in the 80s every month, so the choice is really about whales, crowds and fares rather than weather.

December to AprilHighs 80 to 82, the slightly wetter season at about 1.5 inches a month, and humpback whales in the channel; the most popular Hawaii cruise months and the highest fares.

May to JuneHighs in the mid 80s, almost no rain, calm seas for the Kealakekua snorkel and fewer ships; our favorite value window.

July to AugustWarmest, about 87 and half an inch of rain a month; families on the Pride of America and the busiest tender lines.

September to NovemberStill mid 80s and dry; the Ironman closes the pier in mid October, and September is the month hurricanes come closest, though direct hits are rare. Good fares as ships reposition from Alaska.

Good to know

Kona questions we answer every day

Do ships dock in Kona or tender?

Kona is a tender port. Ships anchor in Kailua Bay and the ship’s tenders run you to Kailua Pier, a ride of about 10 to 15 minutes, landing you in the center of Kailua-Kona village with the shops of Ali’i Drive and the palace within a few hundred yards. Tender lines are longest in the first hour; if you have a ship excursion you meet in the lounge and go first, and on your own it is faster to wait until mid morning.

How do I get around Kona?

The village is a walk. A free open-air trolley meets the tenders and loops down Ali’i Drive to Magic Sands and Kahalu’u beach. Taxis wait in the lot west of the pier (about $20 to Kahalu’u, about $25 to Keauhou), Uber works in town, and Enterprise, Thrifty and Dollar rent cars across from the pier at the King Kamehameha hotel if you want the coffee belt on your own.

What currency, language and time zone?

US dollars and English; Hawaii Standard Time, two hours behind the West Coast in winter and three in summer, so check whether your ship keeps ship’s time. Cell service is normal US coverage and the pier has free Wi-Fi nearby. Hawaii adds a 4.7 percent sales tax that is rarely shown on price tags, and from 2026 cruise passengers pay the state’s accommodation tax as part of the fare, which our prices include.

Is Kona safe?

Yes; it is a small resort town in the United States. The real cautions are the sun and the ocean: reef-safe sunscreen is required by state law, the lava rock is sharp so bring water shoes, and winter surf at Magic Sands can be strong. Lock valuables out of sight in rental cars at beach parks.

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

The Kealakekua Bay snorkel on Fair Wind II or Hula Kai is the one we recommend first; the ship sells the same boats. Book through the ship if your call is short, because the morning boat returns around 1 pm and the tender back adds time. The coffee-and-Place-of-Refuge tour is the best choice for non-swimmers. Independent operators are fine for the beaches and the palace, which are walkable.

Do I need a passport for a Hawaii cruise?

Hawaii is a US state, so the Pride of America loop from Honolulu needs only government photo ID for US citizens. Round trips from Los Angeles, San Diego or San Francisco are closed-loop sailings that stop in Ensenada, Mexico, so US citizens may sail with a government photo ID plus an original or certified birth certificate, but we recommend a passport. Cruises that start or end in Vancouver require a valid passport.

Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?

Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions and gratuities are extra.

Talk to a Kona cruise specialist

Tell us whether you want the one week island loop or the long round trip from the West Coast and we will find the Kona sailing with the most included value. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.

1-800-444-1560