Getting to Hawaii/I do not fly.
 

I know I am opening myself up to all kinds of rude comments with this post, but here goes: Is there a ferry boat of some sort that can take me from Los Angelas or San Diego, CA directly to Hawaii? We do not fly but I really want to see Hawaii.

Some of the cargo ships and tankers take passengers but you are at the mercy of their schedule. It is a long trip to Hawaii by boat and a long trip back. Do a search on google for passengers on freight boats or tankers. Good luck!

is there any other way?

There may be cruise ships that stop in Hawaii, but they aren't going to stay very long.<BR><BR>If you REALLY want to go, then maybe now is a chance to overcome an irrational fear (if it is fear that is preventing you from flying) and focus on a goal. If you are unable or unwilling to overcome your irrational fear, or there is some other limitation you have that prevents you from flying, then it may be that you will never see Hawaii.

CJ, the distance between Las Angeles California and Honolulu Hawaii is roughly 2500 miles. Given that most frieghters chug along at 30 knots (37.5 miles per hour) it would take you around two weeks just to get there and two weeks to get home. A ferry service would be extremely expensive therefore not finacially feasable. If you don't want to fly, your only recourse is by boat and that would be by frieghter. They do have passenger cabins aboard.

What about getting some anti-anxiety medication from your doctor? Or even sleeping pills? I know that's extreme, but if you REALLY want/need to go, that may be the only way you can get there on a plane.

We just returned from Hawaii and during our stay there we saw at least 10 cruise ships. It seems they pull into port for a day or two then go onto another island. This seems to be your only option.

Dan, the OP was trying how to figure out how to get to Hawaii without flying. Not if cruises were there.

Dan - those cruise ships travel BEWTEEN the islands. They DO NOT travel to the mainland. <BR><BR>cj - flying is your only viable option unless you want to spend 4 or 5 weeks just traveling to/from HI by freighter. Adding a couple of weeks to see the islands and you are up to 7 weeks. A LOT of time to spend simply to avoid a flight. <BR><BR>

Carnival has cruises from the mainland to/from Hawaii. Maybe you could book a cruise to Hawaii, get off & play tourist and then catch another cruise home ? Expensive but possible.

Percy, those are repositioning cruises and the OP would be stuck there until the cruise line goes back. Could be up to 6 months.

"Stuck in Hawaii for 6 months"? Where do I sign up?

Holland America has round trip cruises from San Diego to Hawaii. You can see the cruise itinerary, prices, etc., at www.hollandamerica.com. Good luck!

If these freight ships go 30 mph, then it will take about 4 days to get to Honolulu. <BR><BR>I don't know where people come up with "weeks at sea".<BR><BR>BTW, why don't you fly? I used to hate it, but once you get over it an entire new world opens up.<BR><BR>Coachboy

CJ, it looks like Coachboy is correct. 15 day cruises to Hawaii from San Diego and it takes 4 days to get there.

Princess cruises does 15 day RT Hawaii out of LA. 4 days to get there 5 days visiting the islands and 4 days back. These cruises fill up quick.

How well do you swim?

Don't forget your yellow ducky.

I have an adventurous friend on the mainland who caught a freighter from Seattle to Honolulu last summer. It took him four-five days and he did it just for fun.<BR><BR>We have another friend who just popped in on us. He had come in on some sort of ship with sails - not a clipper ship, more a large modern sailboat with a staff of 12-15 hands.<BR><BR>After their adventure at sea each flew back to the mainland, but you can probably catch a freighter back. CSX and Matson ferry cars several times a month. They may take a limited number of passengers willing to pay a premium.

WOW, Sandy was helpful. I think we could all learn a lesson from her.

I don't know why some people insist on answering posts when they don't know what they are talking about. Take a Holland America cruise to Hawaii. You can do round trip cruising from San Diego. There are other cruises that go there as well. In this case it may pay to go to a cruise agency for help.