Kahului Maui Hawaii USA Cruise Port Guide

Location:

Cruise ships dock at Kahului, Maui's commercial hub on the east side of the island. Though the pier is in an industrial area, there's not much to see within walking distance. The neighboring town of Wailuku is the county seat.

The island's town square, Queen Ka'ahumanu Center is Maui's premiere shopping and entertainment destination. It is located in the heart of Maui in Kahului. Queen Ka'ahumanu Center is also the main transit hub for the Maui Bus service. From the pier, the shopping center is a little over a mile away and may take you around 25 minutes to walk there. After browsing through the shopping center, the transit hub is located at the rear of the center near Macy's Men's, Children's, Home Store through the breeze way between Long's Drugs and Champs Sports. The Maui Buses arrive and depart at the top and bottom of the hour. For the latest schedule, please check here. For a trip to Lahaina (West Maui), take the Lahaina Islander Bus Route #20. For a trip to Kihei (South Maui), take the Kihei Islander Bus Route #10. Maui Bus fares (as of 7/1/17) are $2.00 per boarding or $4.00 for a day pass available from the drivers. Please note that on heavier cruise ship days, trips to and from Lahaina may experience crowded buses. Please plan accordingly. Monthly pass holders are given priority boarding when buses are crowded.

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Holland America and Crystal Cruises all anchor off the historic town of Lahaina. The tenders will go to Front Street, a hub of shops, galleries and restaurants.

Printable map to take along.

Cruise calendar for this port.

Live Nautical Chart with Wikipedia Markers

Port Location on Google Maps

Monthly Climate Averages for Kahului Maui Hawaii USA

Sightseeing:

Kahului, Maui's deep-water port, is home to nearly a third of the island's resident population and busy with shipping traffic. While commerce keeps the city bustling, it also means that Kahului's waterfront is more ships and sailing-vessels then sand. Beaches east of the city center are certainly nothing to sniff at though, whether you're after a swim or a few hours of sun.

Less than a landing strip away from Maui's main airport in Kahului, the Kanaha Beach Park is rated one of the best places to learn how to sailboard in the world and consequently most visitors happily let the sound of the surf drown out the noise of the flights landing behind the trees. The same winds that made the area popular with sail boarders have lured in kite-boarders, though sea-kayakers and tentative surfers also find the regular breeze and gentle swell a good way to get up to speed before venturing on to the house-high breaks Hawaii is famous for.

If you think water sports are better left to the birds, stop in at the Kanaha Pond State Sanctuary, also close to the airport, for views of commercial airlines, migratory waterfowl and the endangered Hawaiian stilt and coot.

Kahului's city center boasts such home-town amenities as shopping malls and the Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum.

Tours Excursions Transportation:

It pays to compare your cruise line shore excursions here.

It's best to rent a car to see the island's most visited attractions. Public transportation is not a good alternative. All major firms are located here. Make reservations in advance, as they use shuttles to get you to your car.

Nearby Places:

For more of the historic and less of the air-conditioned mall, head out of town along Route 320 to Wailuku, Maui's county-seat with several historic buildings and a museum that exhibits relics from the missionaries-in-Hawaii era.

Continue up Route 320, the 'Road to 'Iao', for 'Iao Valley State Park. A rock pillar, 'The Needle' rises up out of the foliage to a height of 2,250 feet above sea level. It was once a look-out and also an altar. Exploring the views and verdant greenery in the park on a number of short hikes requires, however, no big sacrifice.

Watch for sugarcane fields on the drive out of Kahului. The city is 20 miles-a 45 minute drive-east of Lahaina around Puu Kukui, at 5,788 feet the highest peak in the West Maui Mountains.

Kahului is 38 miles north of Haleakala National Park and 23 east of Lahaina.

Shopping and Food

Currency:

The official U.S. currency is the United States dollar (symbol: $). ATM's everywhere.

Major credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard are widely used and accepted, even for transactions worth only a few dollars. In fact, in some cases, it may be the only way to make a transaction. Note to overseas visitors: Prices of goods and services always seem lower than they really are, as taxes and gratuities are seldom included.

Most states have a sales tax, ranging from 2.9% to nearly 10% of the retail price; 4-6% is typical. Sales tax is almost never included in posted prices (except for gasoline, and in most states, alcoholic beverages consumed on-premises), but instead will be calculated and added to the total when you pay.

Tipping in America is widely used and expected. While Americans themselves often debate correct levels and exactly who deserves to be tipped, generally accepted standard rates are:

Full-service restaurants: 15-20% (Often this is the only income of the wait(ress). Tips are either left in cash or you can add it to the credit card slip) Note: Few restaurants add an automatic service charge, in which case it is up to you how much you tip extra. Check your bill!
Taxi drivers, hairdressers, other personal services: 10-15%
Bartenders: $1 per drink if inexpensive or 15% of total
Bellhops: $1-2 per bag ($3-5 minimum regardless)
Hotel doorman: $1 per bag (if they assist), $1 for calling a cab
Shuttle bus drivers: $2-5 (optional)
Private car & limousine drivers: 15-20%
Housekeeping in hotels: $1-2 per day for long stays or $5 minimum for very short stays (optional)
Food delivery (pizza, etc.): $2-5, possibly more for very large orders

Currency Converter

Communication:

Many local coffee shops and cafes offer Wi-Fi access.

Emergency 911

Opening Hours and Holidays:

In major metropolitan areas like New York and Los Angeles, many drugstores and supermarkets are routinely open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, while department stores, shopping centers and most other large retailers are typically open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and often with shorter hours on Sundays - generally 11 a.m. or noon to 5 or 6 p.m. On holidays, the tendency is to remain open (with the exception of the most important holidays like Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day where stores are generally closed)

Holidays in the USA

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