Family tributes to 'gentle soul' lost at sea on cruise

The devastated family of a Queensland man lost at sea after going overboard while on a Hawaii-bound cruise has posted loving tributes after search efforts were suspended.

Brisbane man Warwick Tollemache, 35, disappeared from the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship hundreds of kilometres south of the Hawaiian islands on Wednesday night, Australian time.

The US Coast Guard on Friday called off the aerial and marine search after finding no trace of Mr Tollemache and discussing his chances of survival with his family. 

"Our family is heartbroken at the loss of our beloved Warwick," Mandy Tollemache wrote on social media. 

"He was a kind, beautiful, and gentle soul who was adored by everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed." 

Discussions with the man's next of kin and the Australian consulate, as well as relevant case information, helped inform the decision, search and rescue mission coordinator Kevin Cooper said in a statement.

"The coast guard has made the difficult decision to suspend the active search for the passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas," he said.

The incident happened in the Pacific Ocean about 800 kilometres south of Kailua-Kona, on the west coast of Hawaii's Big Island.

The cruise ship deployed six life rings and stayed in the area for two hours before continuing on its way, with the coast guard taking over the search on Wednesday morning.

A Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircrew completed five searches over the course of six hours while on scene.

The operation came as passengers left the cruise ship in Honolulu, where it docked after 15 days at sea.

One of those on board, Susan Whittington, said passengers were given little information about what had happened after they were woken at night by the ship shuddering to a halt.

"We were wondering what was going on and it was followed by an announcement over the intercom saying that a passenger had gone overboard," she said.

"You couldn't really see much, just the lights searching the area, but then it was very late at night.

"It was almost impossible to see anything in the water, so we didn't hold hope for there being an outcome from it. It was quite distressing and there weren't a lot of details after that."

The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing assistance to Mr Tollemache's family.

AAP has contacted cruise operator Royal Caribbean for comment.