The trip
Overview
Hawaii by ship solves the problem Hawaii by air creates: the islands are far apart, the inter-island flights eat your holiday, and every hop means repacking. On this sixteen-night round-trip from Los Angeles you unpack once and wake up at four islands — Oahu, Maui, the Big Island and Kauai — with four or five sea days each way across the Pacific to bookend them. A pre-cruise night in Los Angeles is built in, because arriving long-haul on sailing day is a risk we do not take.
The island days are the reward: Pearl Harbor and Waikiki from Honolulu, the road to Hana or upcountry Maui, Kilauea's volcanic landscapes from Hilo, and the Napali cliffs and Waimea Canyon on Kauai. Ports and order depend on the sailing we quote, and the routing we confirm always matches it. The sea days either side are proper ocean time — this route suits people who like being at sea, not just being somewhere.
From the UAE, one long-haul flight to Los Angeles replaces the two or three flights an island-hopping land trip needs. It is a long holiday by design — the crossing cannot be hurried — which is exactly why it suits a once-in-a-few-years trip.
Highlights
- ✦Four Hawaiian islands with a single unpack
- ✦Possible calls at Honolulu, Maui, Hilo and Kauai
- ✦Pearl Harbor, volcanic national-park landscapes and the Napali coast
- ✦Four to five Pacific sea days each way — real ocean voyaging
- ✦A built-in Los Angeles hotel night before boarding
Who it suits
- ●Travellers who want all four main islands without inter-island flights
- ●Sea-day lovers — a third of this voyage is open Pacific
- ●Couples and retirees planning a landmark long holiday
Why this journey works
- ✓One unpack replaces the repacking that ruins island-hopping land trips
- ✓The round-trip shape needs just one US gateway and one set of flights from Dubai
- ✓Sea days on the way out build the anticipation the islands deserve
Day by day
Days 1–2
Los Angeles — land, sleep, board
The long flight from Dubai lands you in Los Angeles mid-afternoon; a harbour-area or Santa Monica hotel night resets the clock. Boarding the next day runs from midday, and the ship clears the breakwater by early evening with the California coast falling astern.
Days 3–6
The Pacific, westbound
Four sea days and change across the eastern Pacific. The ship leans into it: Polynesian culture talks and hula or ukulele classes are a fixture on this route, alongside the usual sea-day machinery of spa, decks and long dinners. The air warms noticeably each day as you make southing.
Days 7–11
The islands — four in five days
A typical rotation: Honolulu with time for Pearl Harbor and Waikiki, sometimes as an overnight call; Maui for the Iao Valley, Lahaina-area coastline or upcountry Haleakala; Hilo for the volcanic country of the Big Island; and Nawiliwili on Kauai for Waimea Canyon and the Napali coast by boat or air. Each island is distinct enough that the days never blur. Exact calls depend on your sailing.
Days 12–16
The Pacific, eastbound — and Ensenada
The return crossing, with the clocks now working against you by an hour every other night, plus a brief call at Ensenada on Mexico's Baja coast that these routings require. Time to actually read the books bought for the trip.
Day 17
Los Angeles and home
Disembark in the morning. Fly straight back to Dubai, or add California days — the trip already has the flights, so a Los Angeles, San Diego or desert extension costs only hotel nights.
Possible ports of call
Route inspiration — cruise line, ship, island rotation and any overnight calls are confirmed at quote stage against the actual sailing.
When to go
These round-trips run most of the year from the West Coast, with spring and autumn the most comfortable crossings and December-to-April sailings coinciding with humpback whale season off Maui — a genuine bonus seen from the ship itself. Hawaii's weather is famously steady; the wetter windward sides green the islands, the leeward coasts stay drier. Book school-holiday-adjacent dates early.
Planning around seasons, regions and style? Read the full United States destination guide →
What’s included
- ✓Return flights from Dubai to Los Angeles
- ✓One pre-cruise hotel night in Los Angeles with breakfast
- ✓Cruise fare for the selected sailing and cabin category
- ✓Transfers between airport, hotel and the cruise terminal
- ✓Port charges and taxes for the quoted sailing
- ✓PCT travel consultant support before and during travel
Not included
- —Shore excursions
- —Drinks packages and gratuities unless quoted
- —Travel insurance
- —US ESTA or visa where required
Ways to extend it
- +Add three nights in Los Angeles or San Diego after the cruise
- +Extend with a Las Vegas and national-parks leg
- +Upgrade to a balcony cabin for whale season
Gallery
