Introduction
Planning activities during pregnancy requires a little more research because individual tour operators have different participation restrictions. Some specifically prohibit pregnant guests, while others do not address pregnancy at all.
Blue Hawaiian Activities can help you identify those restrictions and explain what an experience involves — including walking, stairs, ladders, boat travel and tour duration — so you have the information you need before booking.
Every pregnancy is different, and we are island concierges, not medical professionals. Always discuss your activity plans with your doctor or other healthcare provider before booking.
Key Takeaways
- Some Hawaiʻi tour operators specifically prohibit participation during pregnancy.
- Blue Hawaiian Activities follows the pregnancy restrictions provided by each tour operator.
- When an operator does not state a pregnancy policy, we can help confirm its current requirements before you book.
- Tour descriptions can help you evaluate factors such as walking, stairs, ladders, boat travel and duration.
- No activity should be considered medically appropriate based solely on the absence of a pregnancy restriction.
Tours That Restrict Pregnant Guests, In the Operator’s Own Words
These are not our judgments. They are quotes from the activity pages.
Every zipline in the catalog carries a version of the same line. The Ka’anapali Zipline Adventure says “Not for pregnant guests,” the Big Island Zipline Adventure says “it’s unsafe to zip while pregnant,” and Kaua’i’s Koloa Zipline Tour lists “No pregnancies.”
Off-road is the same story. The O’ahu ATV Off-Road Adventure reads “If you are pregnant congratulations but, unfortunately, you cannot participate in this tour,” and the Kohala UTV Adventure is “not for those with back or neck problems, expectant mothers.”
Watersports and horseback are out too. The Hawaiian Parasail Adventure says “Not recommended for expectant mothers,” and the O’ahu Scenic Horseback Ride states “No pregnant riders will be allowed” even though it is a walking-only ride.
Two more that surprise people. The Rappel Waterfalls Adventure on Maui is “not appropriate for pregnant women,” and the Mauna Kea Summit Adventure opens with a “High Altitude Health Warning!” telling guests not to attempt the summit if they are pregnant.
Kaua’i’s Nāpali boats are the biggest ones to flag, because they read like scenic cruises. The Na Pali Coast Morning Catamaran Tour says “No pregnant women” and calls itself a high-speed power catamaran, not a slow sail.
The dinner cruises there restrict pregnancy too. The Na Pali Sunset Sail Dinner Cruise states “For safety, no pregnant women or children under 5 are allowed on this tour” and, separately, “No expectant mothers.”
For a sunset at sea, read our sunset dinner cruise comparison and pick a different island. Blue Hawaiian Activities will not book you onto a tour whose own page says you cannot be on it.
Seated, Air-Conditioned, and Self-Paced on O’ahu
The Atlantis Premium Submarine Adventure is 60 minutes, and its page describes “a spacious air-conditioned interior, large view ports and comfortable seating” with individual seat-backs.
No swimming, no sun, no standing. One real requirement: you must be able to independently navigate a nearly vertical 10-step ladder into and out of the submarine.
The Glass Bottom Boat Tour is the no-ladder alternative at the same 60-minute length. You stay on deck and watch reefs, turtles, and shipwrecks through viewports in the hull.
It departs Kewalo Basin slip F21, a 15 to 20 minute drive from Waikīkī, and transportation is not included.
For a fully self-paced day, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum General Admission gives full access to 50+ aircraft across Hangar 37, Hangar 79, and The Raytheon Pavilion. Guided audio tours are free.
If you would rather be driven, Salute To Pearl Harbor picks up at select Waikīkī hotels at 7:30am or 9:45am and returns at 12:45pm or 2:30pm.
For travelers looking for lower-exertion options, the submarine and aviation museum provide two very different experiences without hiking. Review the physical requirements of each and discuss any concerns with your healthcare provider before booking.
Shorter Sunset Cruises and Sails
The Waikiki Sunset Sail runs 1.5 hours, described on the page as a 90-minute voyage, departing at 5pm or 5:30pm depending on the season. Standard and VIP are two ticket tiers of the same sail, not two different boats.
The Hilton Sunset Cocktail Cruise aboard the Spirit of Aloha has a deck-level cabin with a bar, tables, seating, and restrooms. Note the requirement: you must be able to climb and descend the boat’s stairs, and it is not wheelchair accessible.
On Maui, the Ma’alaea Sunset Sail is a two-hour sail with tables “set for intimacy and comfort” and several pupus served, and the page notes it “Includes Whale Watch During Whale Season!” Departure windows shift by month, from 4:00pm in winter to 5:15pm in summer.
Kona’s version is the Kona Sunset Cocktail Sail, 1.5 to 2 hours aboard the Honi Olani, a 53-foot catamaran with restrooms, plenty of shade, and ample seating. Its page lists Adult (13+) at $164.02 and Child (4-12) at $82.01.
Farm, Chocolate, and Culture Tours
The 90-minute Chocolate Tasting & Tour at Lonohana in Honolulu is an indoor walking tour of a converted 1930s movie theater, now a working factory. Guests wear hair and shoe coverings, and parking is street only.
The Bee Farm Tour & Honey Tasting in Waialua runs 1.5 to 2 hours at 9am or 3pm and involves a short walk through a banana orchard. You must not be allergic to bee stings.
On Hawai’i Island, the Farm Tour & Craft Chocolate Tasting at Honoli’i Orchards goes furthest on this. Guests who cannot walk the farm during the 1.5-hour walking portion “are invited to lounge in our tasting room during that time.”
Budget the whole block, though. The tour runs 3 to 3.5 hours, 10:00am to 1:30pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the page still requires that guests “be able to walk up the ramp to our tasting room.”
The Kona Salt Farm Tour is the shortest option here at 45 minutes, with “Some walking required.”
On Maui, both the Maui Chocolate Farm Tour & Tasting and the Maui Pineapple Tour run 1.5 hours with vehicle transport built in. Both pages state they are not ADA accessible, and the pineapple tour spells it out: three large steps on and off the bus about three times, and standing for roughly 20 minutes at a stretch.
Kaua’i’s two options are three-hour commitments as well. The Chocolate Farm Tour & Tasting at Lydgate Farms is three hours on graveled pathways with “some light walking required,” and the Botanical Garden Walk & Chocolate Tour is three hours with “a very basic level of fitness” required and “a few steep inclines.”
For a seated evening instead, Paina Luau Waikiki runs Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays from 5pm to 8pm. General and VIP are seating tiers of the same luau, with check-in on the 3rd floor of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.
Scenic Drives Where Someone Else Does the Driving
Kaua’i’s Waimea Canyon & Koke’e Adventure Tour runs Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, with pickups starting at 7:15am and drop-offs ending by 5:30pm. Most of it is seated in a deluxe touring vehicle, though the itinerary includes a short, easy trail hike and the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge.
Its page lists Adult (13+) at $228.92 and Child (3-11) at $166.38, with lunch at Koke’e Lodge on your own.
The Big Island Highlights Day Tour is the comfortable one and the long one. The tour lasts approximately 11 hours, so consider the full duration when deciding whether it is a good fit for your plans.
One altitude note. The Mauna Kea Star Tour is roughly six hours, 3pm to 9pm, and its page states it “does not visit Maunakea’s summit out of deference to Native Hawaiian concerns.”
That page lists no pregnancy restriction, unlike the summit tour. Call us first anyway and we will confirm the observing site’s altitude with the operator.
Whale Watching, Seasonal and Fixed-Length
Whale watch boats are our most-requested winter booking, and every one runs a fixed length with no swimming and no gear. Boat conditions can vary significantly with weather and sea state. The absence of a pregnancy restriction on an activity page should not be interpreted as medical clearance to participate. Our whale watching comparison by island covers the calendar in more detail.
On Maui, the Ka’anapali Classic Whale Watch runs December 15 to April 15 at 8am and 10:30am for about two hours. Its page says beach loading “eliminates the hassle of driving to a state harbor,” so there is no harbor drive on either end.
O’ahu’s Whale Watching Adventure is two hours daily across the same dates. Kaua’i’s Poipu Whale Watching Tour is a two-hour afternoon trip in the calm south shore waters, December to March.
The Kona Whale Watch runs 2.5 hours at 1pm daily except Wednesday, December through April.
Sea state is the one variable we cannot promise. The Poipu page is the one that spells it out, telling guests to bring motion sickness preventatives if necessary.
Conclusion
Pregnancy restrictions vary widely among Hawaiʻi activity operators. Some tours — including many ziplines, ATV and UTV experiences, horseback rides, parasailing, waterfall rappelling, Mauna Kea summit tours and certain Nāpali Coast boats — specifically prohibit or discourage participation during pregnancy.
Other activity pages may not list a pregnancy restriction at all. That does not mean an activity has been determined to be medically appropriate during pregnancy. Blue Hawaiian Activities can help you understand what a tour involves, confirm an operator’s current participation requirements and identify details such as walking, stairs, ladders, boarding procedures, altitude and tour duration.
Once you have that information, discuss the activity with your healthcare provider before booking. When you’re ready, book with Blue Hawaiian Activities and we’ll help you find experiences that meet both your provider’s guidance and the operator’s participation requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What lower-exertion Hawaii activities can pregnant travelers consider?
Some activities offer shorter durations, seating or less walking than more physically demanding tours. Examples in our catalog include submarine tours, glass-bottom boat tours, museums, cultural experiences and certain short cruises. However, lower exertion does not mean an activity is medically appropriate during pregnancy. Review the activity’s physical requirements and discuss your plans with your healthcare provider before booking.
Which Hawaii tours do not allow pregnant travelers?
Every zipline page in the catalog states a pregnancy restriction, as do most ATV, UTV, and horseback pages, the jet ski and parasail notes, waterfall rappelling, the Mauna Kea Summit Adventure, and Kaua’i’s Nāpali catamaran and dinner cruises. A few off-road and parasail pages say nothing about pregnancy either way. Blue Hawaiian Activities reports what each page states and calls the operator about the ones that are silent.
Is a submarine tour in Hawaii safe for pregnant travelers?
Blue Hawaiian Activities cannot determine whether a submarine tour is medically appropriate during pregnancy. The Atlantis submarine tours require guests to independently navigate a nearly vertical ladder, and individual activity pages list additional participation requirements. Review those requirements with your healthcare provider before booking.
Can pregnant travelers go whale watching in Hawaii?
Pregnancy policies vary by operator, and the absence of a pregnancy restriction does not mean a whale-watching tour has been determined to be medically appropriate during pregnancy. Whale watches take place on moving vessels, and sea conditions can vary. Blue Hawaiian Activities can confirm the operator’s current participation requirements and vessel details so you can discuss the activity with your healthcare provider.
When should I book after confirming an activity is right for me?
Once you’ve reviewed the operator’s requirements and discussed the activity with your healthcare provider, booking early gives you the best selection of available dates and times. Blue Hawaiian Activities can confirm current availability and participation requirements before you book.
