Princess Cruises · Sapphire Princess

The smaller ship. The same eleven hours.

Q: What's the best way to reach you?

Text us on (808) 856-6318 . It's the fastest way to get a real person on Maui, and it means you have the conversation in writing on your phone. Calls to the same number are welcome, and the enquiry form above reaches us too — but a text gets answered quickest.

Sapphire Princess carries about 2,680 guests — a few hundred fewer than her fleetmates — and calls at Kahului from eight in the morning until seven at night. Eleven hours ashore is enough for the whole Road to Hana, unhurried.

See prices for your group How your day fits

★★★★★ 5.0 average across 1,071 verified TripAdvisor reviews

Full refunds for cruise passengers Back to your ship, guaranteed in writing PUC 4504-C

One day, and it counts

Hana is only possible from this port.

Hilo and Kona are a different island. Nawiliwili is Kauaʻi. The Road to Hana exists on exactly one of your port days, which is why people who skip it rarely get another chance at it.

Your window is eleven hours and the full day runs about nine. The margin is real, and it is built in rather than hoped for.

8:00 AM

Sapphire Princess docks

Pier pick-up, your real arrival time, no shuttle.

8:15 AM

On the road

North shore, Hoʻokipa, and into the rainforest stretch.

Through the day

The road, at your pace

Waterfalls, black sand, the bamboo, the swimming holes, Aunty Sandyʻs banana bread.

~5:00 PM

Back at the pier

Two hours in hand before all-aboard.

We plan the day backwards from all-aboard, so the margin exists by design rather than by luck.

Sapphire Princess at Kahului

Scheduled port calls · 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM · about 2,680 guests aboard

Sat 28 Nov 2026

Schedules published by the port, and they do change — weather, mechanical, itinerary swaps. Your own booking confirmation is the one that counts. Send us your date and we'll build the day around what your ship is actually doing.

Texting is the fastest way to reach us. Tap (808) 856-6318 and a real person on Maui answers, usually within a couple of hours — or call the same number if you'd rather talk.

The only fear worth naming

You will not miss the ship.

It's the reason people book the cruise line's own excursion instead. The line tells you plainly that the ship waits for its own tours and not for you — so let's take the fear off the table properly, in writing.

We track your ship

Not your scheduled arrival — your actual one. If you dock late, your pickup moves with you and nobody is left standing on the pier wondering.

We build in the margin

The route is planned backwards from your all-aboard time, and your guide is watching the clock the entire day so that you don't have to.

Local, and licensed

Operated by Experience Hawaiʻi — State of Hawaiʻi PUC certified 4504-C. Guides who live on this island and drive this road every week.

Our promise, in writing

We guarantee to return you to your ship before it sails. In the extremely unlikely event that a delay on our side causes you to miss it, we will arrange and pay for your transport to your next port of call.

Sapphire Princess does not overnight in Kahului, so there is no second morning to fall back on. That's exactly why the margin on this page is built in rather than hoped for — and why we would rather run you a shorter day than a tense one.

If your ship can't dock at all — weather, mechanical, a changed itinerary — you pay nothing. No argument, no fee, no fine print.

What the day actually is

A private vehicle, and a road that belongs to you.

No coach, no forty strangers, no fixed twelve-minute stops. It's your group and your guide, and the route bends toward whatever you turn out to love — waterfalls, black sand, the swimming holes, the food, the quiet.

Waterfall pools Black sand beach at Waiʻanapanapa

Black sand Green sea turtles resting on the sand

Sea turtles Bamboo grove

Bamboo forest Guests swimming beneath a waterfall

Swimming holes

In our guests' own words

Don't take our word for it.

The two below were left on Google this month by guests who travelled with us. The thousand behind them were earned by Experience Hawaiʻi, the company that operates Maui Cruise Tours — same guides, same vehicles, timed for your ship.

★★★★★ · Google

My favourite experience of the whole trip

“Truly a transformational journey. Ida was an incredible guide who helped me connect with the depth of the land, its culture, its way of life, and the profound beauty that goes far beyond what the eyes can see. Truly meaningful, enriching, and unforgettable.”

S

Sierra JordanGoogle Local Guide · Oct 2026

★★★★★ · Google

I don't often write reviews

“This experience was so special that I felt compelled to share it. The tour was exceptional and gave me a much deeper appreciation for Hawaii and its way of life. Professional, incredibly fun, educational, and feels like we made real friends.”

M

Mary Jean ArreolaGoogle · Oct 2026

★★★★★ · TripAdvisor

Definitely hire these guys

Three generations in one vehicle. John timed the drive so precisely he called ahead and their pizza was ready in Hana. He drove the dark road home while everyone slept, and her nine-year-old, who gets severe motion sickness, had none at all.

J

JenlynGuide: John · Olathe, KS

1,071verified reviews

5.0average rating

100%private — your group only

Check every one of them on TripAdvisor

Awarded Best Private Tour to Hana and Best Private Tour to Maui by US News & World Report. Every price on this page is the total for your whole vehicle, not a per-person rate.

Pick your group size

One price, the whole vehicle.

You're not buying seats — you're buying the tour. The price below is for your entire group, so the more of you there are, the less it costs each.

Full refunds for cruise passengers. Plans change, ships change, life changes. Cancel and you get your money back — Norwegian's own excursions stop refunding 24 hours out, and most private operators cut you off a week ahead. We don't.

Pick your group size and book in the next minute — you'll choose your date at checkout. We text you within a few hours to confirm your guide and your pickup time — and Stripe emails you a receipt the moment you pay. If anything about your day doesn't work, you're refunded in full, no questions.

Sailing with friends? Or want to be? Two guests works out to $650 each. Six guests works out to $283 each — same vehicle, same guide, same day. You don't have to already know them: make a link, post it in your roll call, and watch the price fall as people from your sailing join.
Split the cost →

Worth doing the arithmetic

Norwegian's own Scenic Road to Hāna with Lunch is $329.99 a head — on a coach, on a fixed route, with strangers. Ours is one price for the vehicle. Here's where those two lines cross:

Your partyShip's coach tourUs, privateDifference

2 adults$659.98$1,300+$640

4 adults$1,319.96$1,300−$20

6 adults$1,979.94$1,700−$280

8 adults$2,639.92$2,300−$340

10 adults$3,299.90$2,900−$400

We'll be straight with you: below four guests, we cost more. You'd be paying for a vehicle and a guide that belong only to you, and for a day that bends to what you actually want. That's a real choice and some people shouldn't make it. From four guests up, private is simply the cheaper option as well as the better one.

Rather ask a question first?

Not everyone wants to book from a page, and that's completely fine. Tell us your ship date and anything you're wondering about — a real person on Maui answers, usually within a couple of hours. No payment, no card, no pressure.

Leave this empty

Your name Email

Phone (so we can text you) Date you're in Kahului

How many guests Which day suits you

Anything we should know? Optional

No payment now. No card. We reply by text or email, usually within a couple of hours.

Ready right now, or organising a bigger group? Text (808) 856-6318 — it's the fastest way to reach us — or call the same number, and we'll take the booking there and then.

Before you book

The questions we actually get.

My ticket shows different port times. Which is right?

Yours. Sapphire Princess calls at Kahului on more than one itinerary and the window shifts between them. Send us your actual arrival and departure and we build the day around what your ship is really doing.

Is a smaller ship an advantage ashore?

A little. Fewer guests means shorter queues coming off the vessel, so you are typically on the road a few minutes earlier. On a day where margin matters, a few minutes is not nothing.

Where do you pick us up?

At the pier in Kahului, right where you come off the ship. No taxi queue, no rental counter, no walking. We drop you back at the same spot.

Isn't this the same as the shore excursion the cruise line sells?

No. Those run as large group tours on a fixed route with fixed stop times, and they load forty people before the vehicle moves. This is a private vehicle for your party only, on a route your guide shapes around what you actually enjoy — and usually for less per person once there are four or more of you.

Is the road too much for kids, or for someone prone to motion sickness?

It's a winding road and we won't pretend otherwise — but our guides drive it several times a week and pace it for the people in the vehicle, which makes an enormous difference. We've carried toddlers, grandparents, and guests with mobility needs. Tell us in advance and the day gets built accordingly.

What's included?

Pier pickup and drop-off, ship tracking, a private vehicle, snacks and cold drinks, and all park and site fees. Bring a swimsuit, a towel, reef-safe sunscreen, closed-toe shoes, and a charged camera.

What if we need to change or cancel?

You get a full refund. We offer full refunds on cancellations for cruise passengers — no window to beat, no percentage held back. Most cruise lines stop refunding their own excursions 24 hours before sailing and most private Maui operators cut you off a week out; we'd rather you booked without that hanging over you. Text or call, and we'd honestly far rather move your date than refund it.

What happens if our ship never makes it into Kahului?

You pay nothing. If weather, mechanical trouble or an itinerary change stops your ship docking, the tour is refunded in full — you're not carrying a risk you have no control over.

What's the best way to reach you?

Text us on (808) 856-6318. It's the fastest way to get a real person on Maui, and it means you have the conversation in writing on your phone. Calls to the same number are welcome, and the enquiry form above reaches us too — but a text gets answered quickest.

Are you licensed and insured?

Yes. Maui Cruise Tours is operated by Experience Hawaiʻi, State of Hawaiʻi PUC certified 4504-C, with 1,071 verified five-star reviews on TripAdvisor and two US News & World Report awards — Best Private Tour to Hana and Best Private Tour to Maui.