Anthem of the Seas - Hawaii from Vancouver

Where this cruise calls, day by day

6 ports and 7 sea days over 12 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Vancouver, BC

   CanadaDepart

   Canada Place is the rare cruise terminal that is genuinely in the middle of the city - white sail-roofs on the downtown waterfront, with Gastown five minutes away on foot. Most Vancouver calls are turnaround days for Alaska, which means customs queues and half a day rather than a whole one. Ships that don't fit or can't get a slot go to Ballantyne Pier, which is a shuttle ride out.

   • The Stanley Park seawall and the totem poles at Brockton Point
   • Granville Island Public Market, reached by the little rainbow ferries
   • Capilano Suspension Bridge and the Grouse Mountain gondola on the North Shore
   • Gastown's steam clock, then Chinatown and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

   Getting ashore

   Docked. Canada Place opens onto the downtown waterfront beside the Waterfront SkyTrain station; the overflow berth at Ballantyne Pier is a few kilometres east and needs a taxi or shuttle.

   Best months

   May-Sep (Alaska season); Jul-Aug driest

2. Day 2

   Seattle, WA

   United StatesPort

   Seattle is the busiest Alaska turnaround port in the US, and which pier you get matters. Pier 91 at Smith Cove is a converted cargo terminal about three miles north of downtown; Pier 66 on Bell Street puts you a steep ten-minute walk from Pike Place Market. Because sailings from here are US-flagged only in part, almost every Seattle Alaska itinerary is legally obliged to call in Canada, usually Victoria.

   • Pike Place Market and the original Starbucks, best done before 9am
   • The Museum of Pop Culture and Chihuly Garden and Glass at Seattle Center
   • A ferry across Elliott Bay to Bainbridge Island for the skyline view back
   • Pioneer Square and the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park museum, free and directly relevant to where you are sailing

   Getting ashore

   Two terminals: Pier 66 is downtown and walkable, Pier 91 is three miles out and needs a taxi or shuttle - check your ticket, they are not interchangeable.

   Best months

   May-Sep (Jul-Aug reliably dry and warm; May and Sep wetter but far less crowded)

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4 · At sea

5. Day 5 · At sea

6. Day 6 · At sea

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8

   Kona (Kailua-Kona)

   United StatesPort

   Kona has no cruise pier, so every passenger comes ashore by tender onto Kailua Pier in the middle of town - and when the surf is up the call is shortened or cancelled outright, which happens often enough to plan around. Once landed you are on the dry, lava-black leeward side of the Big Island, with Alii Drive's shops and the old royal compound within a few hundred yards.

   • Hulihee Palace and Mokuaikaua Church, Hawaii's oldest Christian church, both on Alii Drive
   • Snorkelling at Kealakekua Bay by the Captain Cook monument
   • Kona coffee farm tours in the uplands around Holualoa and Captain Cook
   • Puuhonua o Honaunau, the restored place of refuge south of town

   Getting ashore

   Tender only, landing at Kailua Pier right in town; tendering is genuinely weather-dependent here and calls are sometimes dropped.

   Best months

   Year-round (Apr-Sep calmest seas for tendering; Dec-Mar swell causes the most cancellations)

9. Day 9 · At sea

10. Day 10

    Napali Coast (Scenic Cruising)

    United StatesPort

    The Na Pali coast is 16 miles of Kauai's northwest shore with no road of any kind - cliffs up to 4,000 feet, fluted green ridges and hanging valleys that can only be reached on foot, by air or from the water. Ships run the coast slowly, usually in late afternoon light, as a set-piece before leaving the islands. Winter swell can push the transit further offshore or off the itinerary.

    • Kalalau Valley and its beach at the end of the 11-mile Kalalau Trail
    • Honopu Valley's sea arch, reachable only by swimming ashore
    • Sea caves and waterfalls at the cliff base along Nualolo and Awaawapuhi
    • Spinner dolphins and, in winter, humpback whales offshore

    Getting ashore

    Scenic cruising only - no landing anywhere on this coast, and how close the ship runs depends on sea state.

    Best months

    Apr-Oct (summer seas are calmest and allow the closest passes; winter swell often pushes ships out)

11. Day 11

    Honolulu

    United StatesPort

    Ships dock at Pier 2 beside the Aloha Tower, which for decades was the tallest building in Hawaii and still marks the edge of downtown Honolulu. You step off into a real working capital city of office towers and Chinatown lunch counters, not a resort strip - Waikiki is a separate place three or four miles east. Most Hawaii itineraries either start here or stay overnight.

    • Pearl Harbor: the USS Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri and the Bowfin submarine
    • Diamond Head crater hike, which requires an advance reservation for out-of-state visitors
    • Iolani Palace, the only royal palace on American soil, with the room where Queen Liliuokalani was imprisoned
    • Waikiki Beach and the Honolulu Museum of Art

    Getting ashore

    Docks downtown at Pier 2 by the Aloha Tower; Chinatown and the palace are walkable, Waikiki and Pearl Harbor are not.

    Best months

    Year-round (Apr-Oct driest; Dec-Apr for humpback whales offshore)

12. Day 12 · At sea

13. Day 13

    Honolulu

    United StatesArrive

    Ships dock at Pier 2 beside the Aloha Tower, which for decades was the tallest building in Hawaii and still marks the edge of downtown Honolulu. You step off into a real working capital city of office towers and Chinatown lunch counters, not a resort strip - Waikiki is a separate place three or four miles east. Most Hawaii itineraries either start here or stay overnight.

    • Pearl Harbor: the USS Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri and the Bowfin submarine
    • Diamond Head crater hike, which requires an advance reservation for out-of-state visitors
    • Iolani Palace, the only royal palace on American soil, with the room where Queen Liliuokalani was imprisoned
    • Waikiki Beach and the Honolulu Museum of Art

    Getting ashore

    Docks downtown at Pier 2 by the Aloha Tower; Chinatown and the palace are walkable, Waikiki and Pearl Harbor are not.

    Best months

    Year-round (Apr-Oct driest; Dec-Apr for humpback whales offshore)