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The Holiday Inn Express Waikiki tops our list on the plainest tie-breaker there is — the parking rate. Four hotels finish on 36, and this one serves a free breakfast, runs a pool and a snack and beverage bar on its fifth-floor Sky Deck, and prints self-parking at $49 a day with in and out.
That's the whole case, and for a cruise night it's a good one: eat downstairs, swim upstairs, and you're about 3 miles from Pier 2 by road, our estimate with no traffic.
The $33 daily service charge, plus tax, comes with the room, and you must be 21 to check in, per IHG — a rule for whoever's name is on the booking, not a suggestion.
Book it if breakfast and a known parking number matter more to you than a view.
Book it if
- Budget cruisers who want breakfast
- Swimmers
- Pet owners, two pets up to 50 lb
Look elsewhere if
- You're under 21.
- You want to walk to the ship.
- You want a kitchen.
Your night before, from here
From check-in to the gangway, using only what Holiday Inn Express Waikiki publishes.
An outdoor pool on the fifth-floor Sky Deck, open 8 AM to 10 PM, with a whirlpool, cabanas and the Skydeck snack and beverage bar. There's a fitness center and a self-service laundry.
IHG lists no ride to the ship: "No, there is not a complimentary local area shuttle available." Pier 2 is about 3 miles by road from Kuhio Avenue — a taxi or rideshare of roughly 8 minutes with no traffic, by our estimate.
Free breakfast, per IHG.
IHG gives no distance to the cruise terminal and doesn't mention cruises. It puts the hotel three blocks from Waikiki Beach and four from the Hawaii Convention Center, at the Ala Moana end of Waikiki. Our no-traffic estimate from Holiday Inn Express Waikiki to Pier 2 is about 8 minutes — your documents set the check-in window, not the hotel.
Self-parking is $49 a day with in and out, per IHG. IHG prices a stay, not a cruise: it says nothing about leaving the car while you sail.
Night-Before Score: 36 of 100
Scored only from what the hotel publishes. Here’s how the Night-Before Score works.
Getting here, and on to the ship
Holiday Inn Express Waikiki is about 8.9 road miles from HNL and about 3 from Pier 2 — our estimates, not the hotel’s. Question marks are rides you arrange.
"No, there is not a complimentary local area shuttle available," per IHG, which puts HNL about 8.5 miles away.
IHG lists no ride to the ship: "No, there is not a complimentary local area shuttle available." Pier 2 is about 3 miles by road from Kuhio Avenue — a taxi or rideshare of roughly 8 minutes with no traffic, by our estimate.
IHG gives no distance to the cruise terminal and doesn't mention cruises. It puts the hotel three blocks from Waikiki Beach and four from the Hawaii Convention Center, at the Ala Moana end of Waikiki.
From HNL without a hotel shuttle
By our road estimate, HNL to Holiday Inn Express Waikiki is about 8.9 miles — roughly 18 minutes with no traffic, not counting the wait at the curb. Fares: the airport page.
Self-parking is $49 a day with in and out, per IHG. IHG prices a stay, not a cruise: it says nothing about leaving the car while you sail.
Parking for your stay: $49 a day, in and out.
IHG lists no ride to the ship: "No, there is not a complimentary local area shuttle available." Pier 2 is about 3 miles by road from Kuhio Avenue — a taxi or rideshare of roughly 8 minutes with no traffic, by our estimate.
IHG gives no distance to the cruise terminal and doesn't mention cruises. It puts the hotel three blocks from Waikiki Beach and four from the Hawaii Convention Center, at the Ala Moana end of Waikiki.
Landing on sail morning instead? Skip Holiday Inn Express Waikiki and ride straight from HNL to the pier — the airport page prices it.
Which terminal
Pier 2 or Pier 11From Holiday Inn Express Waikiki, our road estimate puts Pier 2 about 3 miles away and Pier 11, at Aloha Tower, about 3.2 — both piers explained. Your documents name yours.
Source: hidot.hawaii.govDistance
No mileage statedIHG gives no distance to the cruise terminal and doesn't mention cruises. It puts the hotel three blocks from Waikiki Beach and four from the Hawaii Convention Center, at the Ala Moana end of Waikiki.
Source: ihg.comShuttle departures
No shuttleWith no Holiday Inn Express Waikiki shuttle to the pier, your check-in window sets the time, not a timetable — our no-traffic estimate to Pier 2 is about 8 minutes.
Source: ihg.comParking while you sail
Cruise parking
Cruise parking unconfirmedSelf-parking is $49 a day with in and out, per IHG. IHG prices a stay, not a cruise: it says nothing about leaving the car while you sail.
Source: ihg.comParking by the piers
No cruise parking at the piersAgainst $49 a day to self-park at the hotel, Harbor Court’s garage on Merchant Street sits about 3.2 road miles from Holiday Inn Express Waikiki, our estimate — a $21 weekday maximum on Parkopedia, not a weekly rate. The piers have no cruise parking.
Where the car goes while you sail · Honolulu cruise parking, compared · Waikiki by car, or not.
Source: ncl.comThe evening and the morning
The evening
Pool · Food or bar on siteAn outdoor pool on the fifth-floor Sky Deck, open 8 AM to 10 PM, with a whirlpool, cabanas and the Skydeck snack and beverage bar. There's a fitness center and a self-service laundry.
Breakfast
FreeFree breakfast, per IHG.
Address
Kuhio Avenue, Waikiki2058 Kuhio Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
Hotel website
The fine print, in one place
Times, fees, rooms and the small stuff, as Holiday Inn Express Waikiki publishes it. The gaps here are luggage storage and whether you can park while you cruise — a call to Holiday Inn Express Waikiki settles both.
Check-in and check-out
Minimum age
To check in, per the hotel.
Resort fee
$33 a day, plus tax: a daily service charge that "covers all amenities"
Wi-Fi
Included
Parking for your stay
$49 a day, in and out
Breakfast
Free breakfast
Pool
Outdoor pool on the 5th-floor Sky Deck, 8 AM–10 PM, with a whirlpool and cabanas
Pets
Two pets at most, 50 lb; a $250 fee for stays over 7 nights, per IHG.
Food and drink on site
- Skydeck snack and beverage bar5th-floor Sky Deck
Rooms
600 rooms on 44 floors, 43 of them accessible.
Accessibility
43 accessible rooms, per IHG.
On site
- EV chargingYes
- Guest laundryYes
- Fitness centerYes
- Pets allowedYes
Nearby, by the hotel’s count
- Waikiki Beachthree blocks
- Hawaii Convention Centerfour blocks
Distances as Holiday Inn Express Waikiki or its brand lists them, on a square-root scale so short walks stay visible.
Also worth knowing
- Two pets at most, 50 lb; a $250 fee for stays over 7 nights
- EV charging: two spaces on the third floor
- Early check-in: contact the hotel
- Onsite self-service laundry
Before you book
Worth knowing
- Check-in 3 PM, check-out noon. Minimum check-in age 21.
- A $33 daily service charge, plus tax, which IHG says "covers all amenities".
- Self-parking $49 a day, with in and out.
- No shuttle; IHG puts HNL about 8.5 miles away.
- 600 rooms on 44 floors, 43 of them accessible, per IHG.
- EV charging: two spaces on the third floor.
What we couldn’t confirm
- The distance to the terminal
- Luggage storage
- Whether you can park while you cruise
Every hotel fact here comes from Holiday Inn Express Waikiki’s own pages, read October 2, 2026, unless we name another source — so before you book, confirm the $33 daily service charge.
Worth a look alongside it
Around Holiday Inn Express Waikiki: the Hawaii cruise guide, the splurge list, a car for the Waikiki night and a car after the cruise.
Wake up three blocks from Waikiki Beach, breakfast on the house.
Tell us your sail date and we’ll check Holiday Inn Express Waikiki for the night before. No payment on the form.
Holiday Inn Express Waikiki FAQ
Does the Holiday Inn Express Waikiki have free breakfast?
Yes, per IHG. Budget for the $33 daily service charge, plus tax, on top of the room — IHG says it "covers all amenities", and it isn't optional.
How much is parking at the Holiday Inn Express Waikiki?
Self-parking is $49 a day with in and out privileges, per IHG, the lowest printed rate of the four hotels tied at the top of our list. IHG doesn't say whether you can leave the car there while you cruise, so ask the front desk before you plan on it.
How far is the Holiday Inn Express Waikiki from the Honolulu cruise port?
About 3 miles by road to Pier 2, roughly 8 minutes with no traffic, and about 3.2 miles to Pier 11 at Aloha Tower — our estimates, not the hotel's. IHG doesn't mention cruises or a shuttle, so it's a taxi or rideshare.
Can I check in at the Holiday Inn Express Waikiki if I'm under 21?
No. IHG sets the minimum check-in age at 21, where every other hotel in our twenty that states an age says 18. Check-in is 3 PM and check-out noon.
Is there EV charging at the Holiday Inn Express Waikiki?
Yes, two spaces on the third floor, per IHG. With only two, don't count on one being free when you pull in.
Booking the cruise too?
Tell us your dates and we'll line up the ship, the hotel and the ride. A real advisor does the work. No obligation.
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