Holland America Line · ms Zaandam

Nine hours. We'd rather tell you the truth about that.

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.

Zaandam's window at Kahului is the tightest of any ship we serve: eight in the morning to five in the evening. The full Road to Hana takes about nine hours done properly. We could sell it to you. We'd rather you had a good day than a tense one.

See prices for your group How your day fits

Only two or three of you? Split the cost with others from your sailing →

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

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

Where most operators would stay quiet

The full road doesn't fit. Here's what does.

Nine hours ashore against a nine-hour tour leaves no margin at all, and a day with no margin is a day spent watching a clock instead of a coastline. One traffic incident on the Hana Highway and you are the people running down the pier. We're not going to put you there.

What we'd run for you instead is the half-day private Hana — the first stretch of the road, which is the stretch with the waterfalls, the bamboo and the coast views, at $1,100 for up to four guests. You're back at the pier by mid-afternoon having actually relaxed. If your group is set on the whole road, text us and we'll look at your specific sailing honestly rather than waving it through.

8:00 AM

Zaandam docks

Pier pickup, your real arrival time, no shuttle.

8:15 AM

On the road

North shore, Hoʻokipa, and into the rainforest stretch.

Midday

The best of the coast

Waterfalls, the bamboo, swimming holes, the pull-outs that matter.

~2:30 PM

Back at the pier

Two and a half hours in hand, and a day nobody had to rush.

A half day here buys you a real margin and a calm afternoon. The full road, on this ship, buys you neither.

ms Zaandam at Kahului

Scheduled port calls · 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM · about 1,432 guests aboard

Sat 24 Oct 2026
Fri 27 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.

ms Zaandam 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. 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? Call (808) 856-6318 or text us and we'll take the booking over the phone.

Before you book

The questions we actually get.

Why are you talking us out of the bigger tour?

Because the bigger tour would be worse for you on this ship, and a tense guest who just made it back isn't someone who recommends us. From four guests up we'd make more money selling you the full day. We'd rather you had the day you came for.

Could we do the full road if we really wanted to?

Text us with your exact sailing and we'll look at it with you. If your departure is later than the published five o'clock, or your party is happy with a genuinely brisk pace and fewer stops, it can become reasonable. We'll tell you plainly either way, and we won't take the booking if we don't think it works.

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.