Cruising to Hawaii

I am looking to book a cruise to Hawaii in 2019 with my sister who lives in Washington state. I live in Maryland. My question is what is the best Port to leave from? I have heard leaving from Vancouver or San Fransciso is a rocky cruise. Can anyone share their experiences, what Cruise line they used and time of year? We don't have any problems leaving out of the southern ports.

Thanks!

Impossible to predict sea conditions! Choose the port that is the most appropriate/convenient.

Vancouver sailings will probably have cooler and possibly rainier weather the 1st couple of days, simply because you'll be farther north. Vancouver requires a passport, the California ports do not. You can also do the cruise out of LA (at least Princess does some) or San Diego (Holland America). Any Pacific port can have a few heavier sea days closer to the mainland coast, but that's completely unpredictable. Hawaii waters are usually relatively calm, but tropical storms or even hurricanes can cause rough waters in the fall months. As far as which cruise line, aside from the demographics for each and the individual ship ratings, you might want to see which ones offer a port overnight experience and which ones include Kona as a port - it's one of our favorites but not all lines stop there. Also some stop in Ensenada, which is not everyone's favorite port.

Lots of sea days. If you really want to experience the Islands, fly to Hawaii....spend a week then hop on the NCL ship and do an island tour. The time change (especially from the E. coast) can really screw you up....get there, get acclimated, and see some of Hawaii! Land vacations will give you a MUCH better time than a Pacific crossing will ever give you!

It can be rocky any day of any cruise, anywhere. The ocean moves, and ships move on the ocean.

If you have an issue with sea sickness, you must be prepared for it EVERY day you are onboard.

I have sailed on Hawaiian cruises from Los Angeles and on cruises that ended in Vancouver. The sea conditions will be whatever they will be for the weather pattern that exists at that time. One simply has to accept this.

Personally, I enjoy the days at sea that such a voyage provides.

I very recently researched the 7 day NCL Hawaiian cruise and found the pricing to be exorbitant. A lower category veranda cabin, single occupancy, would cost me significantly more per day than I have ever paid for a longer cruise, i.e. Asia Pacific, Grand World Voyage, etc. I won't be booking that cruise.

I am looking to book a cruise to Hawaii in 2019 with my sister who lives in Washington state. I live in Maryland. My question is what is the best Port to leave from? I have heard leaving from Vancouver or San Fransciso is a rocky cruise. Can anyone share their experiences, what Cruise line they used and time of year? We don't have any problems leaving out of the southern ports.

Thanks!

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

We've sailed from Los Angeles (San Pedro) to Hawaii on Princess (twice). We've sailed from SF to Hawaii, also on Princess (twice). We've also sailed from Hawaii to Vancouver on Celebrity. Typical itinerary includes 4 or 5 sea days, then a day at each island, then 4 or 5 sea days back, with a stop in Ensenada.

Sailing out of San Francisco (and under the Golden Gate Bridge) wdas our favorite. We sailed mostly in the spring and the weather was a bit cold the first few days and the last few days of the cruise. The weather got nicer and warmer as we got closer to Hawaii.

Perhaps we've been lucky, but we don't remember having a "rocky" cruise...pretty smooth sailing all the way. Note: We love sea days. The cruises we took from California to Hawaii were 14 or 15 day cruises.

We agree that if you really want to experience Hawaii, you must visit on a land vacation. However, if you don't mind just getting a "taste" of each island, and enjoy the many sea days, then we highly recommend this cruise.

Note: It's been a while since we've sailed on Princess, but when we did, we made sure our cruise to Hawaii included the husband and wife team called "ELUA". While onboard, Elua not only plays beautiful Hawaiian music...they teach ukelele lessons, hula lessons, lei making, and conduct lectures on Hawaiian culture. Aloha and Happy Sailing. :)

If you are interested in a round-trip cruise from Southern CA to Hawaii and back, then you need to love days at sea since typically you will have about 9 days at sea and only 5 or 6 days in Hawaii.

My choice would be a one-way cruise combined with a short land stay. Several cruise lines including Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival have a limited number of one-way cruises in the spring and fall between Hawaii and Vancouver.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

We did Hawaii on our own -- each time a couple of weeks giving us a chance to do many tours and visit the 4 main islands.

Not too long ago we did a round trip cruise out of San Diego just for the fun of it. Went the end of March. The first couple of days from San Diego and the last 2 days returning to San Diego were rough and chilly. Heard many people complain that they did not have a chance to see a lot of the islands -- not enough time.

We did a round trip cruise out of Long Beach....15 days. It was WONDERFUL!!!!!! 5 days out, 5 ports, 5 days back, in February...and the seas and weather were fabulous! Oh, and PS: we are from the East Coast and have no idea what CB is talking about....but never do anyway.

I am looking to book a cruise to Hawaii in 2019 with my sister who lives in Washington state. I live in Maryland. My question is what is the best Port to leave from? I have heard leaving from Vancouver or San Fransciso is a rocky cruise. Can anyone share their experiences, what Cruise line they used and time of year? We don't have any problems leaving out of the southern ports.

Thanks!

Vancouver cruises to/from Hawaii are normally scheduled at the beginning and end of the Alaska season. A benefit of using Vancouver for embarkation or disembarkation is the US PVSA does not apply, so cruises do not have to be R/T, therefore you could cruise 1 way and have a pre or post excursion in Hawaii. These cruises are usually in April/May or September/October, so the weather should be reasonable. No guarantee of smooth sailing, but vastly superior to sailing in December.

Departures from any US port must be a R/T cruise and include a foreign port, to comply with US PVSA. Many of these cruises are usually the winter Fall/Winter/Spring months. Winter cruises from the southern ports would have about the same probability of rough weather as the Vancouver cruises at beginning/end of Alaska season. Once a couple of days off-shore, you should pick up the NE Trades winds all the way to Hawaii.

You best choice for departure port is most likely based on the time of year you schedule the cruise.

For best scenic departures, Vancouver and San Francisco are definitely the best, in my opinion.

Do you and your sister want the sea days or do you want Hawaii?

It is something to think about.

I am looking to book a cruise to Hawaii in 2019 with my sister who lives in Washington state. I live in Maryland. My question is what is the best Port to leave from? I have heard leaving from Vancouver or San Fransciso is a rocky cruise. Can anyone share their experiences, what Cruise line they used and time of year? We don't have any problems leaving out of the southern ports.

Thanks!

Hi ,

Norweign cruise line do a 6 night cruise around the island, Pride of America , maybe fly to Hawaii and have more time exploring the islands

Hi ,

Norweign cruise line do a 6 night cruise around the island, Pride of America , maybe fly to Hawaii and have more time exploring the islands

It is actually a 7 night cruise.