The port of embarkation and debarkation, Honolulu, is Hawai‘i’s capital and biggest city. Most flights from the mainland to Hawai‘i land at Honolulu International Airport. Our ship docks near the Aloha Tower, a legendary structure that has welcomed cruise guests since 1926. Among O‘ahu’s highlights: Pearl Harbor and the USS Missouri, the North Shore (known for huge waves and prime surfing), Diamond Head Crater, Sea Life Park, the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Ko‘olau Golf Club, located beneath the towering Pali cliffs, with views of the azure Pacific waters off O‘ahu’s windward coast.

The Big Island of Hawai‘i is so big that we visit two ports here: Hilo, closest to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and Kona, strategic to Hawai‘i’s leeward western shore. A place of rolling, grassy hills, lush forests, black-sand beaches and moonlike lava fields (the astronauts trained here), and the three well-known volcanoes: snow-topped Mauna Kea, brooding Mauna Loa and Kīlauea. This entire area – called Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park – offers a unique and thrilling experience. Kīlauea Volcano has been steadily and safely erupting (with varying degrees of output) for decades. The recently cooled lava here represents some of the newest land on earth. To visit it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and offers visitors an insight into the origins of these spectacular islands.

Post Excursions 

 Hawai‘i is the second most popular island to visit, in part because of its varied, dramatic landscapes, its first-rate attractions, and its many recreational activities. Haleakalā Mountain is a massive volcano that towers over Maui’s southern half. Its crater is so big it could contain Manhattan. (Don’t worry: That’s not about to happen.) Hāna is a picturesque town. But getting to Hāna is the real attraction. The Road to Hāna is a vine-lined, waterfall-draped, twisting tropical road. Lahaina is the atmospheric town that once was the destination of whalers from Mystic (Connecticut), Nantucket, and New Bedford (Massachusetts), which explains the New England-style architecture here. Maui also offers many opportunities for golf, bicycling, diving, hiking, and whale-watching. Indeed, the waters off Maui may be the best whale-watching spot in the world.

Most agree: Kaua‘i is the closest of any island in the Hawaiian chain to a tropical paradise. It has some dramatic attractions: Waimea Canyon, the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”; the Fern Grotto, which seems straight out of a tropical fantasy; and Hanalei Bay, the setting of the classic movie South Pacific. (Jurassic Park, King Kong, and many other movies were filmed here, too.) Golf, surfing, ziplining, hiking, diving, snorkeling—they’re all popular attractions on Kaua‘i.