How to find a cruise to Hawaii from the West Coast

HAWAII magazine reader Ken Fiske emailed us with a question regarding travel options to Hawaii:

We have friends who want to come to Hawaii with us but don’t want to fly. Are there any passenger ships operating between the West Coast and Hawaii?

You ask, we answer.

Good news. Several cruise lines have Hawaii port calls on their schedules. Bonus: These cruises won’t  just get you to and from Hawaii, each also stops at multiple ports throughout the Islands along the way.

There are currently three cruise lines offering sailings specifically to the Hawaiian Islands from California. 

• Holland America Line‘s current schedule takes passengers to four of the eight main Hawaiian Islands. The cruise line offers 15-day and 14-day “circle Hawaii” itineraries on the ms Zaandam. The 15-day cruise will make stops in Hilo and Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii; Lahaina, Maui; Lihue, Kauai and Honolulu, Oahu. With the exception of Kailua-Kona, Holland America’s 14-day Hawaii itinerary is identical. The 14-day cruise starts at $1,499 for an interior stateroom; a 15-day cruise starts at $1,599. Both cruises are round-trip from San Diego, Calif., with a stop in Ensenada, Mexico, on the way back from Hawaii. Click here for more info.

• Princess Cruises’ Sapphire Princess and Golden Princess offer 14-day cruises to Hawaii, roundtrip from Los Angeles, Calif. Prices start at $1,199 for an interior stateroom on the Golden Princess and $1,995 aboard the Sapphire Princess. Both ships stop at Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii; Lahaina, Maui; Lihue, Kauai and Honolulu, Oahu. Click here for more info.

• The Cunard Line‘s Queen Victoria will be setting sail on two 14-day Hawaii adventure cruises in 2011—on Jan. 30 and Feb. 17. Both cruises are roundtrip from Los Angeles, Calif., with port calls in Lahaina, Maui; Lihue, Kauai and Honolulu, Oahu. Prices start at $2,495 for an inside stateroom, on both cruises. Click here for more info on the Jan 30 sailing; click here for more info on the Feb 17 sailing.

Keep in mind that cruise prices are per person and based on double occupancy. In addition, prices do not include government fees and taxes and possible fuel supplement charges per person per day.