Hilo

Hilo is the largest settlement on Hawaii Island, also known as the Big Island, and sits on the eastern, windward side of the island. The town overlooks Hilo Bay, positioned on two shield volcanoes: Mauna Kea, which is dormant, and Mauna Loa, which is active. The port is mainly a port of call, bringing cruise ships into the heart of one of Hawaii's most distinctive destinations.

Cruise ships dock at a terminal facility located approximately 3 kilometres, or about 2 miles, from the town's centre. Passengers are usually greeted by locals performing live traditional music and dancing. The route between the cruise ship terminal and downtown is walkable, though part of it runs through the town's industrial zone. Shuttle buses serve the port, and local buses connect to the downtown area and beyond.

Hilo carries a deep and defining history rooted in resilience. Once the economy was historically based on sugar plantations in the surrounding areas, prior to their closure in the 1990s. More notably, the Hilo bayfront has been destroyed by tsunamis twice. A tsunami in 1946 from an earthquake near the Aleutian Islands killed 96 people in Hilo alone, and another tsunami in 1960 from an earthquake off the coast of Chile claimed 61 lives. Today's town, with its waterfront rebuilt since the last destructive wave of water in 1960, flourishes as a hub of galleries, independent shops, farmers markets and homegrown destination restaurants.

The region's humid, wet weather allows lush greenery and tropical beauty to flourish, with the town seeing roughly 275 days of rain per year while still being warm. Downtown offers colonial-era storefronts and local art galleries. Among the city's best-known tourist attractions are the tsunami museum, Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens, large shopping centers, numerous restaurants and cafes, and a picturesque downtown with the Farmers Market. Liliuokalani Gardens is a 24-acre Japanese garden alongside Hilo Bay, the largest authentic ornamental Japanese garden outside of Japan. Beyond town, the Merrie Monarch Festival, held in spring beginning on Easter Sunday, is the world's preeminent hula competition and festival. Crewers can also explore rainforests, dramatic waterfalls, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, with Mauna Kea, the world's tallest peak from base to summit, outstripping Everest by nearly 1,400 metres, drawing visitors to world-class astronomy observatories.

On The Cruise Globe, you can track the exact route your ship sailed and see where it docked at Hilo.