Pacific Islands Cruise: Oahu, Maui & Bora Bora

One of the great cities of the world, San Francisco is a must visit for every traveler. With its year-round fresh produce and seafood, the city is a food lovers delight, featuring hundreds of international restaurants to choose from, while its destination neighborhoods like Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square and Chinatown are equally renowned for their culinary options, cultural offerings and outstanding shopping. Take a ride on one of San Francisco’s historic cable cars over Nob Hill to Ghiradelli Square for fantastic views of the city and some world-famous chocolate, cruise out to Alcatraz, take a day trip to the award-winning wineries of Sonoma and Napa, or visit Golden Gate Park, and be sure to include a walk (or run) across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.

Hilo is a town on Hawaii, commonly called the Big Island, in the state of Hawaii. It’s known for Wailuku River State Park, featuring Waianuenue, or Rainbow Falls, with its colorful mist effects. The bubbling basalt-lava rock pools known as the Boiling Pots are nearby. To the south is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, home to rainforests and the active Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes.

Honolulu, on the island of Oahu’s south shore, is capital of Hawaii and gateway to the U.S. island chain. The Waikiki neighborhood is its center for dining, nightlife and shopping, famed for its iconic crescent beach backed by palms and high-rise hotels, with volcanic Diamond Head crater looming in the distance.

Kauai is an island in the Central Pacific, part of the Hawaiian archipelago. It’s nicknamed “the Garden Isle” thanks to the tropical rainforest covering much of its surface. The dramatic cliffs and pinnacles of its Na Pali Coast have served as a backdrop for major Hollywood films, while 10-mile-long Waimea Canyon and the Nounou Trails traversing the Sleeping Giant mountain ridge are hiking destinations.

Mo’orea is a South Pacific island, part of French Polynesia’s Society Islands archipelago. It’s known for its jagged volcanic mountains and sandy beaches. In the north, Mount Rotui overlooks picturesque Ōpūnohu Bay and the settlements around Cook’s Bay. Inland, hiking trails wind through rainforest on the slopes of Mount Tohivea. The Belvedere Lookout has panoramic views of the island’s peaks and Tahiti beyond.

Bora Bora is a small South Pacific island northwest of Tahiti in French Polynesia. Surrounded by sand-fringed motus (islets) and a turquoise lagoon protected by a coral reef, it’s known for its scuba diving. It’s also a popular luxury resort destination where some guest bungalows are perched over the water on stilts. At the island’s center rises Mt. Otemanu, a 727m dormant volcano.

Papeete, on Tahiti, is the capital of French Polynesia, a group of islands in the South Pacific. Beside the port, busy Place Vai’ete fills with roulottes, or food carts, in the evenings. Nearby, the large Marché de Papeete market sells local produce, fish and handicrafts. The Robert Wan Pearl Museum focuses on the local pearl industry and sells jewelry. A red spire tops the 19th-century Notre Dame Cathedral.