Honolulu Cruise Port Guide
Everything between your flight and the gangway in Honolulu: terminals, transfers, Pearl Harbor and pre-cruise stays.
Get Honolulu Cruise QuotesThe Honolulu Cruise Port at a Glance
The Honolulu cruise port is the busiest passenger harbor in Hawaii and the place where most island cruises begin and end. Ships tie up on the downtown waterfront of Honolulu Harbor, a short ride from both the airport and Waikiki. Cruise Honolulu is a practical guide to that one port: which terminal you will use, how embarkation and disembarkation days run, how to get between the pier and the airport, and how to fit Pearl Harbor or a beach afternoon into a turnaround day.
Other sites in our network describe Hawaii cruises as a whole. Cruise Hawaii compares island-hopping with Pacific crossings, and Hawaii-Cruise.com introduces the four main islands. Here we stay on the dock in Honolulu, because the details of your first and last day decide how relaxed the rest of the trip feels.
Two kinds of sailings use the harbor. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America starts and ends a seven-night inter-island loop here every week, so Honolulu sees a full embarkation and disembarkation cycle almost every weekend. Foreign-flagged ships also call on longer voyages from the West Coast, Canada or the South Pacific, and a few begin or end their voyages in Honolulu. Each pattern has its own logistics, and we cover both.
Plan Your Port Days
Honolulu cruise terminal
Pier 2 is the primary terminal and Pier 11 the alternate. Where they are, how to reach them and what is (and is not) inside.
Terminal guide →
Pearl Harbor from the ship
Visiting the memorial on an embarkation or disembarkation day, with bag storage, reservations and timing.
Pearl Harbor plan →
Pre- and post-cruise stays
Waikiki, downtown or near the airport: where a night before or after your cruise makes sense.
Where to stay →Cruising From Honolulu: The Two Patterns
| Pride of America round trip | Longer voyages calling or starting here | |
|---|---|---|
| How often | Year-round, weekly | Seasonal, a handful of sailings per line |
| Typical day in Honolulu | Board in the afternoon, sail in the evening; return a week later in the morning | A port call of one day, or a start or finish of a one-way voyage |
| Getting here | Fly into Honolulu | Board on the mainland or abroad; Honolulu is a port of call |
| What it means for you | Plan an arrival day and a departure day around the ship | Plan a single shore day, or hotel nights if your voyage starts or ends here |
If you are flying in for a round trip, the most useful pages are embarkation day and airport transfers. If Honolulu is one stop on a longer voyage, start with cruises from Honolulu and the Pearl Harbor page, since the memorial is the shore day most people choose.
Five Things That Make Honolulu Turnarounds Easier
- Fly in the day before. Inter-island sailings leave on schedule whether or not a mainland flight is late, and the next chance to join the ship is on another island.
- Check your pier the week you sail. Most sailings use Pier 2, but the alternate terminal at Pier 11 is used when the harbor is busy. Your boarding documents give the final answer.
- Book a late flight home. Disembarkation on Pride of America happens in the morning. A late afternoon or evening flight leaves time for Pearl Harbor or a last swim.
- Use the bag storage. A luggage service near the Pearl Harbor visitor center lets you visit the memorial between ship and airport.
- Keep documents and medicines in your carry-on. Checked bags are delivered to your cabin later on boarding day, sometimes well into the evening.
Printable lists for documents and packing are on Cruising Checklist. If anyone in your party uses a wheelchair or scooter, Accessible Ocean Cruises explains how to request assistance at the terminal and on board.
Before You Go Ashore
Honolulu rewards a little planning. Downtown, close to the piers, you will find ʻIolani Palace, the State Capitol and Chinatown’s markets and restaurants. Waikiki is a short ride east, and the windward side and North Shore make good full-day trips if your ship overnights or you add hotel nights.
For things to do, places to eat and current events in the city, our local guide Best of Honolulu is updated by people who live there. For the rest of the islands, see Best in Hawaii. Need a hotel or a flight? Rooms Cheap and Airfares for Less are our network’s hotel and airfare search sites.
Honolulu Cruise Port Questions
Where is the Honolulu cruise port?
Cruise ships use Honolulu Harbor on the downtown waterfront. The state lists Pier 2 as the primary cruise terminal and Pier 11, beside the Aloha Tower area, as the alternate. Your cruise documents name the pier for your sailing.
How do I find out which ships are in port on my dates?
The state harbors division links to a public Hawaii ports ship schedule that lists passenger and cruise ship calls for Honolulu and the neighbor-island ports.
Can I see Pearl Harbor on the day my cruise ends?
Many people do. The memorial has no entrance fee, and luggage can be left for a fee at the bag storage near the visitor center entrance, so a disembarkation-day visit on the way to an evening flight is practical. See our Pearl Harbor page.
Is the Honolulu cruise terminal walkable from Waikiki?
Not with luggage. Waikiki is several miles east of the harbor, so most guests take a taxi, rideshare or pre-arranged transfer between their hotel and the pier.
Who Is Behind This Site
Cruise Honolulu is part of the Smart Traveler network, led by Mister Cruise. He has sold travel since 1972 and worked full-time in the industry since 1977. He has sold or originated more than $500 million in cruises and has trained more than 500 travel agents.
When you ask for a quote, our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise handle it personally — not a call center — and book everything for you. Meet Mister Cruise →
Cruise offers that include Hawaii go out first on the Mister Cruise special-offers newsletter. If you love planning trips like this one, Be a Travel Agent explains how to turn that into a home-based travel business. You can browse every cruise line and specialist in the Official Cruise Directory, travel beyond cruising in the Official Travel Directory, and find America’s best local places on Best of the USA.
Plan a Cruise From Honolulu
Tell us your dates, how many are traveling and whether you want hotel nights before or after. Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will match you with sailings from the Honolulu cruise port and send free quotes.
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