They range from a 17-night voyage in January on the 2,650-passenger Koningsdam (five Hawaii ports plus an obligatory stopover in Ensenada) and a 94-night odyssey a year later on the 1,432-capacity Volendam that roams Oceania after calls in Oahu, Maui and the Big Island. (Courtesy of Holland America Line)įor those not ready to cruise just yet, Holland America has more round trips from San Diego that can be booked now and put on an extended layaway. Noordam, anchored off Lahaina, is a sister of the 1,964-passenger Zuiderdam that sails to Hawaii in October. Other stops are Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands of New Zealand and several in French Polynesia. The enviable voyage out of San Diego includes a six-night Hawaiian leg that consists of five ports on four islands. The longest left in 2022 is a 45-night journey on Holland America’s 1,964-passenger Zuiderdam from Oct. These include the eight remaining round trips this year out of Southern California. That’s why every other cruise that includes Hawaii on the itinerary must pay an international visit in adherence to the Civil War-era law. The Stars and Stripes wave proudly on its stern because Pride of America was partially built in the United States - the first in nearly a half-century when it was completed - and thus was given congressional exception from the 135-year-old Passenger Vessel Services Act that requires a call in a foreign port. Notice there’s no sea days, and Pride of America being the world’s only active U.S.-flagged cruise ship is the reason.
Pride of America, homeported in Honolulu, is the only U.S.-built cruise ship afloat. Between embarkation and disembarkation on the two Saturdays, there’s a Sunday-Monday overnighter in Kahului on Maui, Tuesday and Wednesday calls on the Big Island (Hilo and Kona, respectively), then a Thursday-Friday overnighter in Nawiliwili on Kauai. Through at least 2024, Pride of America will visit four Hawaiian islands and five ports every seven days. Homeported in Honolulu since its maiden voyage in 2005 - save for times during refurbishment or a pandemic - the luxury liner is scheduled to return to active duty on April 9. Nearly half of those voyages will be on Norwegian’s Pride of America, making the 2,186-passenger ship the big kahuna in Hawaiian waters. Besides Princess, which successfully retested the waters earlier this year, brands renewing their Aloha spirit include Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Holland America, Norwegian, Oceania, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn and Viking.īy year’s end, just over 20 cruise ships will have taken nearly 150 trips with Hawaii on the itinerary, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. Doing their share to shore up these numbers are at least nine major cruise lines with Hawaiian itineraries in 2022. The recent restart of cruising in the Hawaiian Islands is expected to help offset the 30 to 40 percent drop in tourism that state officials said was caused by the emergence of the omicron variant. “Welcoming the cruise industry back to Hawaii is an important part of our economic recovery, particularly for our local shops, restaurants and tour operators,” said John De Fries, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Hawaii’s economy is so dependent on tourism, even the arrival of a half-full Grand Princess was met with fanfare and sighs of relief in January when the 2,590-passenger ship pulled into Honolulu Harbor. The end of a near-two-year ban on large cruise ships means that air travel is no longer the only way to reach this tropical treasure.
Paradise lost is paradise refound for those dreaming of a Hawaiian vacation by sea.
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