Hawaii cruise ships call at five ports on four islands: Honolulu on Oahu, Kahului on Maui, Hilo and Kailua-Kona on Hawaii Island, and Nawiliwili on Kauai. Kailua-Kona is the only tender port. Honolulu is where cruises begin and end; the other four are stops on a round-island week or a transpacific crossing.
Hawaii cruise ports map
Hawaii has 5 cruise ports: Honolulu and Nawiliwili in the north-west; Kahului in the north-east; Hilo and Kailua-Kona in the south-east. Tap a pin to open that port’s guide.
Hawaii cruise ports at a glance
Just one of the five drops you in the middle of a town, and just one is where cruises start and finish.
| Island | Port | Alongside or tender | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oahu | Honolulu | Alongside at Pier 2 or Pier 11 | Starting or ending a cruise; Pearl Harbor and Waikiki |
| Maui | Kahului | Alongside at Pier 1 | Haleakala, Iao Valley and the north shore |
| Hawaii Island | Hilo | Alongside at Pier 1 | Hawaii Volcanoes National Park |
| Hawaii Island | Kailua-Kona | Tender to Kailua Pier | Ali’i Drive shops, cafes and historic sites on foot |
| Kauai | Nawiliwili | Alongside at Pier 2, with Pier 3 for a second ship | Kalapaki Beach on foot; Lihue ten minutes away |
Round-island week or transpacific crossing: which cruise you are on
Norwegian Cruise Line is the only line with a ship based in the islands: Pride of America sails weekly from Honolulu. The usual week goes Honolulu, an overnight in Kahului, Hilo, Kailua-Kona, an overnight in Nawiliwili, then back to Honolulu.
Every other ship that calls at Honolulu is on a one-way transpacific cruise, eastbound or westbound, and it often adds other Hawaiian stops. Those crossings start or finish at a cruise port on the US west coast, so the islands land in the middle of the itinerary, not at the beginning. Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Viking are among the lines that do it.
Honolulu cruise port: Pier 2 and Pier 11
Honolulu has two cruise piers about half a mile apart, and both are alongside berths, so no tendering. Pier 2 on Ala Moana Boulevard is the main cruise terminal. Pier 11 on Aloha Tower Drive is the second one, right next to Aloha Tower Marketplace.
Which pier your ship gets isn’t published in advance, so check the port documents your cruise line sends or ask guest services the evening before. It changes your morning: Chinatown is a couple of blocks from Pier 11, while Kakaako, the food district around Salt at Our Kakaako, is just under a mile from Pier 2.
Waikiki is 15 to 20 minutes by taxi from Pier 2, and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport is about 15 minutes. No hotel is a reasonable walk from either pier, and no Honolulu hotel runs a port shuttle, so people stay in Waikiki or downtown and take a taxi or rideshare down to the ship.
Pearl Harbor is 25 to 30 minutes by road. From the memorial, leave two hours before all-aboard.
From Waikiki or Diamond Head, leave 90 minutes before. From downtown, 75 minutes.
Kahului cruise port: where Maui ships dock now
Ships berth alongside at Kahului Harbor, no tendering, and Pier 1 is the cruise berth with first priority for booked cruise ships. From the Pier 1 shed, a fenced walkway runs along Pier 3 and through the Pier 2 yard to East Ka’ahumanu Street, crossing two vehicle access roads. Taxis, vans and buses pick up at the foot of Pier 1A.
The catch is where it sits. Central Kahului is one to two miles from the pier, the walk is neither pleasant nor safe, and the harbour has no rental car desks and no overnight parking, so you collect hire cars at the airport beside the harbour rather than at the pier.
The work-around is a shuttle or rideshare to Queen Ka’ahumanu Center, about 1.5 miles away, then pick up the car from the airport.
Maui Bus charges a few dollars a boarding and runs daily, but no route goes to the cruise harbour or up to Haleakala’s summit or Hana. Carnival, Disney and Oceania also call at Kahului, though less often than the round-island ship.
Lahaina, Maui’s old west-side tender stop, still isn’t taking cruise calls. The small boat harbour there is limited to permitted commercial operators, daytime only, and closes at 6pm. Lahaina’s historic district, courthouse and Banyan Tree Park remain closed to the public.
Hilo cruise port: alongside at Pier 1
Hilo isn’t a tender port. Ships berth alongside at Pier 1, the only berth in the harbour big enough for a cruise ship, and it shares the space with interisland cargo barges. You walk off into a terminal in the Pier 1 shed, with restrooms, a security room and fire systems.
The harbour is protected by a 10,080-ft breakwater with a 35-ft channel and basin, but long-period swell can still delay berthing and the work alongside. If there’s swell running, treat your arrival time as provisional and keep morning plans loose.
Hilo is the port for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and most people come ashore for the park rather than the town.
Kailua-Kona cruise port: tendering into the middle of town
Kona has no berth for cruise ships. They anchor in Kailua Bay and tender you to Kailua Pier on Kaahumanu Place, right in the middle of Kailua Village.
Expect boat steps and a moving platform. On large-ship calls the state opens a second secure area at the end of the pier to keep tenders moving, and tour buses, vans and small boats pick up right there.
What makes Kona easy is what’s right outside the gate: shops, restaurants, cafes and historic sites along Ali’i Drive, a few minutes’ walk from the landing.
What makes it uncertain is the water. Tendering here is weather-sensitive, so swell can change or cancel the call, and there’s no fixed rule for when the last tender runs. Work to the times in the daily programme and the tender tickets you’re given, rather than assuming you can come back whenever you like.
Nawiliwili cruise port: the berth outside Lihue
Nawiliwili has alongside berths at Pier 2, designated for cruise vessels and general cargo, with Pier 3 used when a second cruise ship is in. The terminal sits on Kanoa Road in Lihue, about a 10-minute drive from the town centre.
It’s the easiest of the four neighbour-island ports on foot. Souvenir shops and eateries are a walk from the terminal, and Kalapaki Beach is a short walk too, so this is the one Hawaii port where a beach day needs no transport at all.
More cruise port guides
Hawaii cruise port FAQs
Where do cruise ships dock in Hawaii?
Cruise ships dock alongside at Honolulu on Oahu, Kahului on Maui, Hilo on Hawaii Island and Nawiliwili on Kauai. The fifth port, Kailua-Kona, has no berth at all: ships anchor in Kailua Bay and tender you to Kailua Pier in the middle of the village.
Do you need to book Pearl Harbor in advance?
Book the USS Arizona program at Pearl Harbor in advance through recreation.gov, which releases places at 3pm Hawaii time 56 days ahead, then a limited batch at 3pm the day before. There are no walk-in tickets and bags aren’t allowed at the visitor centre. Details are on the National Park Service Pearl Harbor site.
How do you get from Honolulu airport to the cruise terminal?
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport is about 15 minutes from the piers. Cruise line transfers usually apply only if you booked flights with the line. Otherwise take a taxi, a rideshare or an independent shuttle. TheBus route 20 stops about 0.2 miles from Pier 2, not at the terminal.
Can you do the Road to Hana on a cruise port day?
You can do the Road to Hana on a cruise port day, but not comfortably. The road runs 64 miles with about 600 curves and 54 one-lane bridges, and a full round trip takes 9 to 10 hours. The ship’s own version takes about nine and a half, leaving no slack for a delay on the way back.
Can you see Haleakala from Kahului in a day?
You can see Haleakala from Kahului in a day, but it’s a long one. The summit is two and a half hours from Kahului plus 30 minutes inside the park, with no fuel or food up there. Sunrise entry needs a reservation booked 60 days ahead; after 7am it doesn’t.
Can you walk to a beach from a Hawaii cruise port?
You can walk to a beach from one Hawaii cruise port: Nawiliwili, where Kalapaki Beach is within walking distance of the terminal. At the other four ports a beach day means a taxi, a shuttle or a ship excursion.
Is there luggage storage at the Honolulu cruise terminal?
The Honolulu cruise terminal has luggage storage, porters, a waiting area and seating, but no Wi-Fi. It solves the off-the-ship-early, flight-in-the-evening problem, though check with your cruise line that it will be staffed on your turnaround day.
Last Updated: 3 November 2026