Hawaii dropped its ban on large cruise ships in January, opening the
door for cruise lines to redeploy their vessels back to the Islands.
And while Hawaii has never been a major stand-alone cruise
destination, with only one large ship offering inter-island options, the
increase in U.S. domestic cruise options means more sailings to the
Islands from West Coast ports.
Due to cabotage laws, cruise ships of more than 100 passengers must
touch a foreign port before visiting Hawaii; the exception is Norwegian
Cruise Line's Pride of America, which is a U.S.-flagged ship. Most ships
that leave ports in California call in Ensenada, Mexico, to comply with
the law.
Princess Cruises is slated to have the largest Hawaii presence this
year, with five ships visiting the Islands, including the 3,560-guest
Royal Princess, the first of the line's Royal Class ships to sail to the
state. It will visit three ports: Kona, on the Big Island; Lahaina, on
Maui; and Honolulu, where it will spend two days.
Hawaii fans will benefit from the line's redeployment of some
capacity from Asia. The Diamond Princess, for example, had been
scheduled to sail from Japan this year but will instead be based in San
Diego through February, offering itineraries that include the Hawaiian
Islands.
Holland America Line will offer eight cruises to Hawaii in 2022-2023
on three ships: the Koningsdam, Zuiderdam and Volendam. Prior to the
pandemic, the line offered six sailings. The increase is part of a
strategy to offer longer cruises from domestic ports.
The Pride of America, the only U.S.-flagged large cruise ship that
sails round-trip Hawaii cruises, resumed its cruises on 9 April, making a
slow return to the Islands. It was originally scheduled to relaunch in
January but postponed that twice. It is now offering seven-day cruises
visiting five ports on four Hawaiian islands.
//the only U.S.-flagged large cruise ship that sails round-trip Hawaii cruises
UnCruise Adventures' Safari Explorer. The small ship was among the first to sail in Hawaii when it returned to the Islands in November, and its season sold out. Photo Credit: Courtesy of UnCruise Adventures
UnCruise Adventures is among the few small-ship operators that offer
overnight cruises in Hawaii. Due to the size of its ship, the
36-passenger Safari Explorer, it was one of the first cruise lines to
resume Hawaii sailings, offering one-week, inter-island voyages starting
last November.
The season sold out, and UnCruise expects the same success when it
resumes operations this year, said UnCruise spokeswoman Liz Galloway.
Sailings are set to run from November to April, and she warned that
cabins book fast and that bookings are already strong.
The trend could be a boon to Hawaii's cruise industry, which has
always been limited because of the cabotage laws. Aside from the Pride
of America, passengers must be willing and able to go on sailings that
include the lengthy back-and-forth from the mainland U.S.
"It's a marquee destination," said Shannon McKee, a contracted cruise
consultant for the Hawaii Tourism Authority. "The challenge with Hawaii
is its geographical location. It's five days there and it's five days
back, no matter where you're sailing from... It's a lot to get to
Hawaii."
News editor Johanna Jainchill contributed to this report.
Source: Travel Weekly