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Cruises to Kauai
Nawiliwili is the rare Hawaii port where one smart choice can mean canyon lookouts, sea cliffs, waterfalls, or a low-key Lihue day.
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Nawiliwili is the rare Hawaii port where one smart choice can mean canyon lookouts, sea cliffs, waterfalls, or a low-key Lihue day.
Find Kauai on Google Maps before you plan the port day.
Nawiliwili gives cruise passengers a real Kauai decision: go big on landscape or keep the day close and textured. The island's headline sights are not clustered in one easy loop, so the best port stop is usually built around one anchor experience. Waimea Canyon delivers the wide-angle drama. A Na Pali Coast boat tour goes all in on cliffs and water. The Wailua River area works for waterfalls and a gentler pace. Trying to do all of it can flatten the day into transit, which is not the point of being on Kauai.
This is a port where booking the sailing makes sense if you want nature to carry the day. Nawiliwili is not about a dense city checklist; it is about choosing the right kind of scenery for your energy level. Photographers should lean toward canyon lookouts or the Na Pali Coast. Families and mixed-age groups may prefer Spouting Horn, Kilohana Plantation, or the Fern Grotto. If weather turns or you want something grounded in place, Lihue's museum option keeps the stop useful without forcing a long ride.
Waimea Canyon is the move for cruisers who want Kauai to feel huge. The canyon's lookout points make the day visually memorable without requiring a hard hike, since bus tours and shuttle options from the port can get you to paved viewpoints and short walks. It fits photographers, first-time Hawaii visitors, and anyone who prefers mountain drama over beach time. Because it is a larger outing, treat it as the day's main event rather than something to squeeze between multiple far-flung stops.
Big views, easy walking, and a port day that feels unmistakably Kauai.
The Na Pali Coast is the most cinematic option from Nawiliwili: cliffs rising straight from the water, sea caves, and waterfalls in a stretch of coast best seen by boat. It is ideal if you want maximum scenery with limited time and do not want to commit to a strenuous trail. Morning departures are especially cruise-friendly, but the key is schedule discipline. This is not the outing to pair with a packed inland itinerary; let the coast be the reason you left the ship.
Known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, this vast canyon offers stunning vistas from multiple lookout points reachable by bus tour. Ideal for cruisers wanting panoramic photos and short walks on paved paths. Shuttle services from the port make it convenient.
Take a boat tour along the dramatic Na Pali Coast, featuring towering cliffs, sea caves, and waterfalls accessible only by sea. Perfect for cruise passengers with limited time seeking breathtaking views without a strenuous hike. Morning departures align well with port schedules.
Explore this historic sugar plantation with rum tasting, train rides, and gardens. A relaxed stop for lunch and shopping, just 20 minutes from the port. Offers insights into Kauai's plantation history.
Current sailings visiting this port, sorted by the lowest tracked cabin price per night.
Built 2000
Los Angeles · Maui · Honolulu · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 1998
Los Angeles · Hilo · Kona · Kauai · Honolulu · International Date Line · Apia · Lautoka · Fiji · Dravuni Island · Mystery Island · Port Vila · Nouméa · Sydney
Built 2006
Los Angeles · Hilo · Honolulu · Kauai · Maui · Ensenada
Built 2006
Los Angeles · Hilo · Honolulu · Kauai · Kona · Ensenada
Built 2007
Los Angeles · Hilo · Honolulu · Kauai · Kona · Ensenada
Built 2007
Los Angeles · Hilo · Kona · Honolulu · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2007
Los Angeles · Hilo · Honolulu · Kona · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2007
Los Angeles · Hilo · Kona · Honolulu · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2008
San Francisco · Kauai · Maui · Honolulu · Kona · Ensenada
Built 2008
San Francisco · Hilo · Honolulu · Kauai · Kona · Ensenada
Built 2007
Los Angeles · Hilo · Honolulu · Kauai · Maui · Ensenada
Built 2008
San Francisco · Hilo · Kona · Kauai · Honolulu · Ensenada
Built 2000
Los Angeles · Maui · Honolulu · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 2000
Los Angeles · Maui · Honolulu · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 2000
Los Angeles · Maui · Honolulu · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 2007
Los Angeles · Hilo · Maui · Honolulu · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2008
San Francisco · Maui · Hilo · Honolulu · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2008
San Francisco · Hilo · Honolulu · Maui · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2007
Los Angeles · Hilo · Honolulu · Kauai · Kona · Ensenada
Built 2000
Los Angeles · Maui · Honolulu · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 2008
San Francisco · Hilo · Honolulu · Maui · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2006
Los Angeles · Hilo · Honolulu · Maui · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2008
San Francisco · Hilo · Maui · Honolulu · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2007
Los Angeles · Kauai · Kona · Maui · Honolulu · Ensenada
Built 1998
Vancouver · Ketchikan · Icy Strait Point · Sitka · Haines · Maui · Kauai · Hilo · Kona · Honolulu
Built 2008
San Francisco · Honolulu · Kauai · Maui · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 1998
Honolulu · Hilo · Maui · Kauai · Icy Strait Point · Haines · Sitka · Ketchikan · Vancouver
Built 2000
Los Angeles · Maui · Honolulu · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 1998
Honolulu · Kona · Kauai · Maui · Icy Strait Point · Skagway · Sitka · Ketchikan · Vancouver
Built 2006
Los Angeles · Kauai · Maui · Honolulu · Kona · Ensenada
Built 1998
Tahiti · Moorea · Raiatea · Bora Bora · Hilo · Kauai · Maui · Honolulu
Built 1998
Sydney · Auckland · International Date Line · Tahiti · Moorea · Hilo · Kona · Kauai · Honolulu · Maui · Apia · Fiji · Brisbane
Built 1998
Vancouver · Ketchikan · Juneau · Icy Strait Point · Sitka · Maui · Kauai · Kona · Hilo · Honolulu
Built 2004
Los Angeles · Maui · Hilo · Kona · Honolulu · Kauai · International Date Line · Tokyo
Built 2016
Built 2008
San Francisco · Honolulu · Kona · Maui · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2007
Los Angeles · Hilo · Honolulu · Maui · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2008
San Francisco · Hilo · Honolulu · Maui · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2006
Los Angeles · Kauai · Honolulu · Hilo · Kona · Ensenada
Built 2008
San Francisco · Hilo · Honolulu · Kauai · Kona · Ensenada
Built 2008
San Francisco · Hilo · Kona · Honolulu · Kauai · Ensenada
Built 2004
Los Angeles · Maui · Hilo · Kona · Honolulu · Kauai · International Date Line · Tokyo · Kagoshima · Naha · Hong Kong · Da Nang · Cam Ranh · Ho Chi Minh City · Singapore
Built 2006
Brisbane · Fiji · Apia · International Date Line · Honolulu · Kauai · Maui · Hilo · Kona · Tahiti · Moorea · Auckland · Sydney
Built 2008
San Francisco · Honolulu · Kauai · Kona · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 2001
Seattle · Honolulu · Kauai · Maui · Hilo · Victoria
Built 2007
Los Angeles · Honolulu · Kauai · Hilo · Maui · Ensenada
Built 1998
Tahiti · Moorea · Raiatea · Bora Bora · Hilo · Kauai · Honolulu
Built 2002
Los Angeles · Honolulu · Maui · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 2006
Los Angeles · Kauai · Kona · Hilo · Honolulu · Ensenada
Built 2002
Los Angeles · Honolulu · Maui · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 2002
Los Angeles · Honolulu · Maui · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 2002
Los Angeles · Maui · Honolulu · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 2002
Los Angeles · Maui · Kauai · Honolulu · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 2002
Los Angeles · Honolulu · Maui · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 2002
Los Angeles · Maui · Kona · Kauai · Honolulu · Ensenada
Built 2001
Seattle · Honolulu · Kauai · Maui · Hilo · Victoria
Built 2002
Seattle · Honolulu · Kauai · Maui · Hilo · Victoria
Built 2008
San Francisco · Kona · Honolulu · Kauai · Maui · Ensenada
Built 2002
Los Angeles · Honolulu · Maui · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
Built 2002
Los Angeles · Honolulu · Maui · Kauai · Hilo · Ensenada
A boat departure that leaves enough buffer to return comfortably.
Wailua Falls is a strong choice when you want a quick visual payoff without turning the whole stop into a long excursion. The twin 80-foot falls are viewed from a roadside overlook, so the experience is simple and accessible compared with Kauai's more involved nature plans. It works well as a stop on the way to another east-side sight, especially the Fern Grotto. Swimming below the falls is possible but slippery, so most cruise passengers should think of this as a viewpoint, not an adventure swim.
Add it to a Wailua River or Fern Grotto plan instead of making it the whole day.
Fern Grotto is for travelers who want Kauai at a softer volume. The experience centers on a boat ride up the Wailua River to a fern-covered cave, with Hawaiian music adding to the slow, old-school feel. It suits couples, families, and anyone traveling with people who do not want a strenuous day. The scenery is gentler than Waimea Canyon or Na Pali, but that is the appeal: you get water, greenery, and a defined excursion that fits a shorter port stop cleanly.
Romantic, low-impact, and easy to combine with nearby waterfall viewing.
Kilohana Plantation is the right call when you want a port day with food, gardens, shopping, and a bit of island history rather than another lookout. Set about 20 minutes from the port, the historic sugar plantation can be a relaxed middle of the day stop, with train rides and rum tasting giving it more structure than a generic shopping break. It fits multi-generation groups and travelers who want to learn something without sitting through a heavy museum visit. Pair it with a nearby nature stop if your schedule allows.
A relaxed lunch-and-wander plan close enough to keep the day low stress.
Spouting Horn is a compact stop with real payoff: seawater forced through a lava tube, shooting up to 50 feet along the Poipu coast. From Nawiliwili, the drive is about 45 minutes, so it makes the most sense if you are already building a south-shore plan with beach time or nearby shopping. Families will appreciate the easy viewing and interpretive signs. It is not a full-day anchor on its own, but as a punctuation mark on a wider route, it earns its slot.
Make it part of a south-shore loop, not a standalone mission.
Kauai Museum is the practical save when the weather shifts, your group is tired, or you want context before heading back to the ship. Located in Lihue, it focuses on Hawaiian culture, history, artifacts, and local storytelling in a format that can work as a shorter indoor visit. It is not the most dramatic option on the island, but that is exactly why it is useful. For cruisers who dislike overbuilt excursion days, it offers a grounded, manageable way to understand where you are.
Rainy-day culture, lighter pacing, and a closer-to-port plan.
View these twin 80-foot waterfalls from the roadside overlook, a short drive from the port. Easy access makes it great for a quick stop en route to other sites like the Fern Grotto. Swimming is possible below but slippery.
Watch seawater shoot up to 50 feet from a natural lava tube at this iconic blowhole on Poipu's coast. Combine with beach time or shopping nearby; it's a quick 45-minute drive from Nawiliwili. Family-friendly with interpretive signs.
Wander lush Japanese gardens with koi ponds and teahouses, a 10-minute drive from port. Quiet alternative to busier attractions, ideal for tea and tranquility. Entry includes garden tour.
Cruise up the Wailua River to this fern-draped cave, once a wedding chapel site. A gentle boat ride with Hawaiian music suits all ages and fits short port stops. Romantic and serene.
Discover Hawaiian culture and history through exhibits and artifacts in Lihue. Quick indoor visit great for rainy days, walking distance options from terminal. Affordable and educational.
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