Flexible travelers will find last minute bargains on Hawaii cruise travel. If a cruise ship is undersold less than 90 days prior to a sail date, the cruise line will offer deeply discounted prices in order to fill cabins prior to sailing. As of August 2010, Princess Cruises offered a 14-day Hawaii cruise sailing in October from $1,495.
Repositioning cruises occur when a cruise line is moving a ship from one seasonal destination to another. Because the cruise is off-season and only a one-way trip, Cruise lines offer deeply discounted prices on these itineraries. Occasionally, cruise lines offer these repositioning cruises on one of their Hawaii ships. In August 2010, Carnival Cruises offered a 12-night repositioning cruise out of Honolulu starting at $1,049.
Another way to save money on a cruise to Hawaii is to eliminate the cost of airfare. Holland America and Princess Cruise lines offer round-trip Hawaii cruises from San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. California residents, or travelers who can get to California, save as much as $400 per person on airfare by cruising from one of those three port cities. As of August 2010, Princess Cruises offered a 14-day Hawaii cruise sailing from Los Angeles from $1,495.
Hawaii's peak season includes anytime when children would be out of school. This means the cheapest cruises will be in August, November, February and May. Choosing a cruise during this "off season" period can mean substantial savings off published cruise fares and much smaller crowds once in the islands.
Cruisers traveling solo to Hawaii can save money by booking a group singles cruise. Carnival Cruise Line offers Singles Group Cruises designed to help singles meet and mingle while on vacation. On these singles cruises, solo guests may room with a single friend of their choosing, or may opt to have the cruise line assign them a roommate. Either way, the single traveler can avoid paying a pricey single supplement.
