NCL Hawaii Cruises

NCL saw Hawaii cruises as a way to give its cruise line a sense of distinctiveness in a very crowded marketplace. The difficulty with Hawaii cruises for many lines concerns U.S. law about foreign-flagged ships. If a cruise ship isn't registered as American, it cannot leave American waters and then return without visiting at least one foreign port. This causes a problem with the Hawaiian islands. U.S. waters only extend twelve miles from shore, which means that a ship must leave American waters if it wishes to go from one island to another. Unless it's U.S. flagged, that ship is out of luck, and with no cruise ships registered as American for many years, Hawaii stops were limited to just a single port (usually Honolulu), and then only infrequently.

NCL viewed the situation as an opportunity. Hawaii's lush beauty made it perfect for the cruise market, and its status as a U.S. state meant that American passengers wouldn't have to worry about customs hassles and passport questions to visit it. NCL registered a pair of ships as American--the first cruise company in nearly 50 years to do so--and developed an island-hopping itinerary that explored Hawaii in depth, instead of just using it as a single stop. Hawaii cruises are a regular part of NCL's schedule, with trips lasting between seven days and two weeks.

Getting Deals on NCL Hawaii Cruises

Other cruise lines have followed NCL's example, and Hawaii now sees a number of cruises a year. An online agency like Direct Line Cruises can provide details on them and help find the best deals among them.

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