Best walking ports during Hawaiian cruise

[Kay.redmann]

Starting to think cruises are really back and I am dreaming of my April 2022 Hawaiian cruise out of LA. I know the good and bad of private excursions but we  prefer to book with Princess - it works for us. However we also want to have a port or two where we walk and explore the port area on our own.  We have never been to Hawaii can anyone share with me the friendliest ports for exploring on foot.  
 

Also I would love to hear the “best” place to get shaved ice or maybe a Spam musubi?  What else is a must have in Hawaii?  Where do we find the coffee?  Thanks in advance…I am having so much fun to dreaming of our Hawaiian adventure. 

[BarbinMich]

We have been to Hawaii many times, the first time on a cruise.  After that we would go for 2 wks in Jan (live in Mich.), staying one week at a rented condo apt on one island and the 2nd week on a different island.  As I recall there really aren't many good walks on any of the islands except Honolulu where there are loads of sidewalks.  On the other islands we always rented a car so we could drive to some of the sights.  On most of the other islands, sidewalks are limited to just the main town; otherwise you need a car or go on a tour.

[Silver Sweethearts]

7 hours ago, Kay.redmann said:

Starting to think cruises are really back and I am dreaming of my April 2022 Hawaiian cruise out of LA. I know the good and bad of private excursions but we  prefer to book with Princess - it works for us. However we also want to have a port or two where we walk and explore the port area on our own.  We have never been to Hawaii can anyone share with me the friendliest ports for exploring on foot.  
 

Also I would love to hear the “best” place to get shaved ice or maybe a Spam musubi?  What else is a must have in Hawaii?  Where do we find the coffee?  Thanks in advance…I am having so much fun to dreaming of our Hawaiian adventure. 

 

Princess should tender in at Lahaina, Maui - a great town to explore on foot.  Your tender will drop you right in town.  Front Street is their main street, and it runs right along the ocean.  We could go on and on, but google it and see if it is what you have in mind.  

[Kay.redmann]

3 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

Princess should tender in at Lahaina, Maui - a great town to explore on foot.  Your tender will drop you right in town.  Front Street is their main street, and it runs right along the ocean.  We could go on and on, but google it and see if it is what you have in mind.  

Great I played with it on on google earth. Thx

[CruiserBruce]

6 hours ago, BarbinMich said:

We have been to Hawaii many times, the first time on a cruise.  After that we would go for 2 wks in Jan (live in Mich.), staying one week at a rented condo apt on one island and the 2nd week on a different island.  As I recall there really aren't many good walks on any of the islands except Honolulu where there are loads of sidewalks.  On the other islands we always rented a car so we could drive to some of the sights.  On most of the other islands, sidewalks are limited to just the main town; otherwise you need a car or go on a tour.

Memory might be slipping,  depending on exactly which ports the Princess cruise stops at. Lahaina, Kona and Honolulu are definitely walkable. Kauai,  no. Hilo, yes, but nothing outstanding. 

[Ashland]

Kona...yes definitely.

Hilo there's a HOHO bus near where ships docks.

[GoHuskies!]

Of course Kona and Lahaina are seen as good walking ports, because they are tender ports.  Kona is a small town and it is certainly walkable and interesting the first time you go there.  Lahaina, on the other hand, is big enough and has a great deal of history there, and can be of interest for many visits.  Read Michener's "Hawaii" before you go.  Lahaina has more shops, restaurants, waterfront sights, interesting places than you can shake a stick at.  April shouldn't be too hot, but remember--the meaning of "Lahaina" is "merciless sun".  If you forget sunblock, EVERYTHING is available in Lahaina.

[Kay.redmann]

Great info everyone thanks!

[KeepCalmBearOn]

Lahaina is a great walking port. For Spam Musubi you can walk to Nagasako Okazu-Ya Deli, in the same parking lot as Foodland Market. Nagasako has great plate lunches and Foodland is our last stop before heading back to the ship; we get three or four kinds of poke and some other delicacies from the take out deli and enjoy a repast on our balcony.

 

In Hilo, the HoHo bus is a good option, but if you've never been to Hawaii, I'd take the ship excursion to Volcano National Park or rent a car and drive yourself to VNP.

 

Honolulu is good for walking,  near the port is Downtown Honolulu, with the Aliʻiolani Hale, Kawaiaha'o Church, Iolani Palace, the State Capitol Building, over into Chinatown and Mei Sum Dim Sum or Legend Seafood. See the map below.

 

https://goo.gl/maps/G3kFoAxJq6xGHbad7

 

OR.... you can cab, Uber or ride The Bus to Waikiki to walk around. If you do that, I'd go have lunch at Orchids at Halekulani.

 

Lihue isn't especially walkable from the port, other than the walk to the Royal Sonesta Hotel (formerly Marriott Kauai, formerly Westin, formerly Kauai Surf) and the beach at Kalapaki. Kauai is probably the best port if you want a Hawaii beach day because Kalapaki is so close and a very nice beach.

[gmcwalker]

Recently Princess and most if not all Cruise Lines that would dock at Lahaina have diverted to Kahului Harbor because of uncertainty of tender operations during the new pier and upgrade construction in the Lahaina Harbor.

[bethtex]

On 9/3/2021 at 2:29 PM, gmcwalker said:

Recently Princess and most if not all Cruise Lines that would dock at Lahaina have diverted to Kahului Harbor because of uncertainty of tender operations during the new pier and upgrade construction in the Lahaina Harbor.

I was just going to ask about that.  My cruise in Nov - Dec 2021 says Maui (Kahului) - any info on that port?  Still in a walkable area?

Other ports we are looking for things to do are Kona and Hilo.

[Silver Sweethearts]

1 hour ago, bethtex said:

I was just going to ask about that.  My cruise in Nov - Dec 2021 says Maui (Kahului) - any info on that port?  Still in a walkable area?

Other ports we are looking for things to do are Kona and Hilo.

Unlike rather charming Lahaina, Kahului is a commercial/industrial area that really has nothing to offer a visitor and is not in what one would consider an inviting area for walking.  It is not someplace where you would want to spend the day.  In our opinion, if you can find transportation to your liking, take it and go see the other parts of the island.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

1 hour ago, bethtex said:

I was just going to ask about that.  My cruise in Nov - Dec 2021 says Maui (Kahului) - any info on that port?  Still in a walkable area?

 

Other ports we are looking for things to do are Kona and Hilo.

 

Kahului isn't especially interesting. There is a nice Whole Foods and Longs Drug Store right where the port starts if you want to grab some wine, beer or snacks on the way back to the ship. If we docked in Kahului, we'd rent a car and drive to Lahaina probably.

 

Hilo you want to book an excursion to Volcano National Park or rent a car and drive yourself.

 

Kona is small, not too much to see. A lot of people book snorkel tours from Kona. We'd probably rent a car and drive up to the Four Seasons, Mauna Kea or Mauna Lani hotels for lunch and/or cocktails.

[gmcwalker]

As to Kahului, Maui. 

Aloha, As far as the best walking town in Maui it is Lahaina and then Paia.

Here is an example of excursions available from Kahilui from an independent company. Princess excursion are likely to be similar however these excursions are probably timed for Carnival and NCL arrivals at Kahilui. I would not book without contacting the company first or getting further information

Excursions in Kahului, Maui, Hawaii (shoreexcursionsgroup.com)

[NikiPinkston]

Check out the Hula Hula Hopper from Kahului Harbor: https://hulahulahopper.com/.  They pick you up right in the harbor and have a nice itinerary.  We had reservations during our canceled March, 2020 NCL cruise & will book with them again if our February, 2022 cruise sails as planned.  It looks like they also have tours now, but we plan to do the Lahaina & Submarine tour through the ship on our second day in Maui

[NikiPinkston]

2 minutes ago, NikiPinkston said:

Check out the Hula Hula Hopper from Kahului Harbor: https://hulahulahopper.com/.  They pick you up right in the harbor and have a nice itinerary.  We had reservations during our canceled March, 2020 NCL cruise & will book with them again if our February, 2022 cruise sails as planned.  It looks like they also have tours now, but we plan to do the Lahaina & Submarine tour through the ship on our second day in Maui

I'm happy to see that the Maui Tropical Plantation has re-opened!