Kailua-KonaCruise Port Guide
Tender in, step onto Aliʻi Drive, and the beach is right beside the pier. Timed plans, real prices on Kona's snorkel boats, and the free bus down the coast.
Welcome to Kailua-Kona
Pro Picks
Snorkel cruise · 4–4.5 hrsCaptain Cook Monument Snorkel Catamaran
A shaded catamaran with a bathroom cruises down the coast to Kealakekua Bay, where you can snorkel the reef below the Captain Cook Monument, with sandwiches and fruit on board. It checks in at Honokōhau Harbor, about 3.5 miles north of the tender pier, so pick a morning departure and budget the taxi both ways.
From $80/ person
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Submarine · 1.5 hrsAtlantis Submarine Dive
A real submarine takes you down past 100 feet over a reef off Kona, so you see fish and coral without getting wet. It checks in at the hotel right next to Kailua Pier, which makes it the easiest tour to fit around the tenders; riders must be at least 36 inches tall.
From $160.41/ person
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ATV tour · 2 hrsCoffee Farm & Polynesian Culture ATV Ride
Drive your own automatic ATV through a coffee farm and a grove of rainbow eucalyptus to stops on Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan and Fijian culture. The farm is up the hill in Hōlualoa, a taxi ride from the pier; drivers must be 16, and long pants and closed-toe shoes are required.
From $257.33/ person
Book Now →Your time ashore
Count from leaving the ship to being back aboard.
Kailua-Kona in 2 hours
Outrigger Canoe
Outrigger Canoe Ride in Kailua Bay
Paddle a traditional outrigger canoe around the bay beside the pier while your steersman, a lifeguard, explains how Hawaiians voyaged. It starts at the beach shack next to the tender landing; arrive 15 minutes early and expect to get wet.
From$78.52
Time required1 hour
Submarine
Atlantis Submarine Dive
Dive past 100 feet over a Kona reef in a real submarine, dry the whole time. Check-in is at the hotel right beside Kailua Pier, so you can be back at the tenders soon after you surface.
From$160.41
Time required1.5 hours
Farm Tour
Kona Sea Salt Farm Tour
A guided 45-minute walk round the island's only working salt farm, which makes salt from deep ocean water. The farm is near Kona's airport, so add a taxi ride each way from the pier.
From$25
Time required45 minutes
Kailua-Kona in 4 hours
Whale Watching
Humpback Whale Watching Cruise
Look for humpbacks and hear their songs through an underwater microphone; if none show up, you get another trip free. Whale season runs November to May, and the boat leaves Honokōhau Harbor, 3.5 miles north of town.
From$115
Time required2.5 hours
Snorkel Boat
Kealakekua Bay Small-Group Snorkel
A small boat gives you a full hour of snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay's protected marine sanctuary, then pulls up by the Captain Cook Monument. It leaves near Keauhou Bay, about 6 miles south of the pier; arrive 15 minutes early.
From$124.87
Time required3 hours
ATV Tour
Coffee Farm & Polynesian Culture ATV Ride
Ride an ATV through a coffee farm and rainbow eucalyptus to Polynesian culture stops. It's up the hill in Hōlualoa, a taxi ride from the pier; drivers must be 16 and wear long pants.
From$257.33
Time required2 hours
Kailua-Kona in 7 hours
Snorkel Cruise
Captain Cook Monument Snorkel Catamaran
A catamaran with shade and lunch runs down to Kealakekua Bay for snorkeling below the Captain Cook Monument. It checks in at Honokōhau Harbor north of town; call 12 hours ahead to confirm and take an early departure.
From$80
Time required4 - 4.5 hours
Sail & Snorkel
Morning Sail & Snorkel to Captain Cook
A 50-foot sailing catamaran heads to Kealakekua Bay, with a naturalist's reef briefing before you snorkel. It sails from Keauhou Bay, about 6 miles south of the pier; you must be able to swim, and full-face masks aren't allowed.
From$178.72
Time required4.5 hours
Snorkel Raft
Kona Coast Snorkel Raft
A fast 41-foot raft with shade and a bathroom makes two snorkel stops, with a breakfast snack, a picnic lunch and gear included. It's a morning trip; the listing points drivers to parking about five minutes' walk from Kailua Pier, so confirm the check-in spot when you book.
From$154.59
Time required4hr
Island Tour
Kona Coffee & Sea Turtles Tour
A guide meets you as you step off the tender for a tour of Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park (watch for green sea turtles), a coffee farm with tasting, a white-sand beach and the Painted Church. It runs 5 hours, so it fits a 7:00am–5:00pm call with room to spare.
From$145
Time required5 hours
Within a stroll of the boat
Six stops within about ten minutes of Kailua Pier, where the tenders land, starting with Kamakahonu Beach right beside it. Turn right along Aliʻi Drive for the palace and market, or up Palani Road for coffee and a brewery.
Beach · under 0.1 mi · ~2 min
Kamakahonu Beach
The small sandy cove right next to the pier, with calm, shallow water and a beach shack renting snorkel gear. There's no lifeguard; stay inside the buoys, which keep swimmers out of the tender lane.
Landmark · 0.1 mi · ~3 min
Ahuʻena Heiau
The temple on the edge of the cove that served Kamehameha the Great, who spent his last years at this bay and died here in 1819. You see it best from the beach or the pier.
Museum · 0.2 mi · ~5 min
Huliheʻe Palace
An 1838 lava-rock royal home, now a museum, facing historic Mokuʻaikaua Church across Aliʻi Drive. It opens Wednesday to Saturday, 10am–3pm; visiting adults pay $16.
Market · 0.4 mi · ~9 min
Kona Farmers Market
Stalls of local fruit, flowers, crafts and Kona coffee along Aliʻi Drive, open Wednesday to Sunday from 7am to 4pm.
Cafe · 0.4 mi · ~10 min
Kona Coffee & Tea
A coffee shop a few minutes up Palani Road from the pier, for a coffee before or after the waterfront.
Drinks · 0.4 mi · ~11 min
Kona Pub & Brewery
Kona Brewing's own pub, serving pizza, burgers and local plates, open daily from 11am. It's up Palani Road and round the corner on Pawai Place.
Handy Helpers
Small things that make a port day easier.
Private Driver, Waiting at the Dock
A pre-booked driver meets you at the dock for a fixed price. No haggling, no waiting for a taxi to fill.
Bike rental
Cover more ground than on foot. Book ahead and return it well before all-aboard.
Travel eSIM
Install it on ship WiFi and your maps and ride apps work the moment you land in Kailua-Kona.
Quick answers
Facts last checked .
How we checked these answers
Every answer is built from facts we checked against the sources below and cross-checked with recent port guides. Where sources disagreed, the answer says so instead of guessing a number.
- Princess Cruises — Kona
- Hawaiʻi DLNR — largest cruise ship to call on Kailua-Kona (2019)
- Hawaiʻi DLNR — boating office opens on Kailua-Kona Pier (2016)
- Norwegian Cruise Line — Kona
- Hawaiʻi County Mass Transit Agency — Take Hele-On to the ports
- Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (GoHawaii) — Historic Kailua Village
- Daughters of Hawaiʻi — Huliheʻe Palace
- Kona Farmers Market
- Ahuʻena Heiau
- Hawaiʻi County Mass Transit Agency — Route 201 Aliʻi Drive timetable
- Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (GoHawaii) — Kahaluʻu Beach Park
- Hawaiʻi County Mass Transit Agency — Hele-On fares
- NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary — boating guidelines
- Uber — Kailua-Kona
Getting ashore
Do cruise ships dock at Kona, or is it a tender port?
Kona is a tender port: cruise ships anchor in Kailua Bay and carry passengers by tender boat to Kailua Pier, right in Kailua-Kona town. Every line uses the same landing, including Norwegian's Pride of America (weekly on Wednesdays), Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Oceania. Only the smallest ships can tie up at the pier. Destination Kona Coast volunteers hand out local information there on every cruise ship day, and there are restrooms and an ATM.
Can I walk from the Kona cruise pier to town?
Yes. Kailua Pier opens straight onto Aliʻi Drive, Kailua-Kona's waterfront street of shops and restaurants, and Huliheʻe Palace is about 0.2 miles away, a 5-minute walk. The Kona Farmers Market (Wednesday to Sunday, 7am–4pm) is about 0.4 miles along the same street. The stroll map shows six stops within about ten minutes of the tender landing.
What is there to do in Kona from the cruise port?
Yes. The tenders land you in the middle of Kailua-Kona, with a calm swimming beach right beside the pier and Aliʻi Drive's shops, cafes and Huliheʻe Palace a few minutes' walk away. Free things close by: Kamakahonu Beach, the view of Ahuʻena Heiau, Kamehameha the Great's temple at the edge of the cove, and browsing the farmers market. An outrigger canoe ride, the Atlantis submarine and a coffee-farm tour all start at or beside the pier.
How early should I head back to the tender in Kona?
Get back to Kailua Pier well before your ship's last tender, not its sail-away time: Kona is a tender port, and most calls in late 2026 leave at 5:00pm. Your ship's daily program lists the last tender. Cruise lines don't wait for passengers running late on their own plans, so on a full day pick tours that finish by mid-afternoon.
Beaches & water
What are the best beaches near the Kona cruise port?
Yes: Kamakahonu Beach is right beside Kailua Pier, a small cove with calm, shallow water and no lifeguard. Honl's Beach is about a mile down Aliʻi Drive but rocky at the waterline. For a bigger beach, the free Hele-On Route 201 bus leaves the corner by the pier at 12 minutes past each hour and reaches Magic Sands Beach (about 3.5 miles) in roughly 11 minutes and Kahaluʻu Beach Park (about 5 miles) in about 13.
Can I snorkel in Kona without a tour?
Yes. You can snorkel off Kamakahonu Beach right beside Kailua Pier (a beach shack rents gear; stay inside the buoys that mark the boat lane), or take the free Route 201 bus about 5 miles south to Kahaluʻu Beach Park, which has calm water, green sea turtles often near shore and a lifeguard. It sometimes closes during coral spawning. Hawaii bans the sale of sunscreen with oxybenzone or octinoxate, so pack a reef-safe one.
Can I see manta rays on a Kona port day?
Usually not: Kona's manta ray snorkels and boat trips run at night, and most ships calling at Kona leave at 5:00pm. They only work on the occasional call that stays into the evening, such as an 8:00pm or 9:00pm departure, and then only if the tour gets you back before the last tender. The full-day plans list daytime snorkel boats instead.
When can you go whale watching from Kona?
Yes, from November through May: NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary says that's humpback season in Hawaiʻi, with the most whales from January through March. Kona whale cruises check in at Honokōhau Harbor, about 3.5 miles north of the tender pier, so add a taxi ride each way. See the 4-hour plans for one that runs about 2.5 hours.
Where do Kona boat tours leave from?
Most Kona snorkel boats and whale cruises don't leave from the tender pier: they check in at Honokōhau Harbor, about 3.5 miles north of town, or Keauhou Bay, about 6 miles south. Allow for a taxi or Uber each way. The outrigger canoe ride, the Atlantis submarine and the Coffee and Sea Turtles tour are the exceptions, starting at or right beside Kailua Pier.
Sights & getting around
Can I visit Huliheʻe Palace on a port day?
Yes, if your call falls Wednesday to Saturday: the Daughters of Hawaiʻi open Huliheʻe Palace from 10:00am to 3:00pm on those days, with last entry at 2:30pm. Self-guided entry is $16 for visiting adults and $14 for ages 6 to 17, and a guided tour at 11:30am costs $20 with a reservation. The 1838 lava-rock palace is on Aliʻi Drive, about a 5-minute walk from Kailua Pier.
Does Kona have a hop-on hop-off bus?
The county's free Hele-On Route 201 bus works like one along Kona's coast: Hawaiʻi County says Hele-On is free for everyone until December 31, 2028. Route 201 runs hourly along Aliʻi Drive from about 6am to 9pm, stopping at the corner by Kailua Pier, Honl's Beach, Magic Sands and Kahaluʻu Beach, so you can get off, swim and catch a later bus. Southbound buses leave the pier stop at 12 minutes past the hour.
Are there taxis or Uber at the Kona cruise port?
Yes. Taxis wait by Kailua Pier, with a pickup area in the lot beside it, and drivers take US cash and major cards; Uber also operates in Kailua-Kona, though Uber says pickups can take longer than in bigger cities. Along Aliʻi Drive, the free Hele-On bus is the cheapest option. Kona's airport is about 15 minutes north, and a few rental offices are near the pier.
Money, time & documents
Do I need a passport to get off the ship in Kona?
No passport is needed for U.S. citizens to step ashore in Kona, because Hawaii is part of the United States. Whether you need one for the cruise depends on the itinerary: Hawaii sailings that also call in Mexico, Canada or the South Pacific may require one, so follow your cruise line's document rules.
What time zone is Kona in, and does it match ship time?
Kona is on Hawaii Standard Time (UTC-10) all year, because Hawaii doesn't use daylight saving time. That puts it two hours behind the U.S. Pacific coast in winter and three hours behind in summer. Ships keep their own clock, so check the ship's time against the island's before you go ashore.
Do I need reef-safe sunscreen in Kona?
Bring a reef-safe sunscreen to Kona: Hawaii law bans selling sunscreens that contain oxybenzone or octinoxate without a prescription, because they harm coral. The law covers sales in the state, not what's already in your bag, so check the label of the bottle you pack before you snorkel.