We just returned from a trip to Kauai, and had a nice time EXCEPT for a horrible boat cruise on Blue Dolphin charters.

The concierge at the Hyatt recommended a catamaran cruise to see the Na Pali coast, and when we expressed concerns about seasickness, she told us to stay in the middle of the boat, face toward the bow, and have a mai tai.

The ride was very, very rough, and a lot (10) of the people, my partner included, got very ILL. It was horrifying, and the worst part is that you are STUCK on that boat for the Five Hour duration. No amount of begging, cajoling or bribing the captain could get us off that cruise from Hell.

At the end of the day, we were out over $200, and lost a precious day of our vacation. They should warn customers when the seas are rough and if anyone has the slightest proclivity toward motion sickness, they should advise you to opt out of the trip. But, that would eat into profits.

Since all of our trips over to Kauai are usually from Thanksgiving through early Dec or late Dec through mid January, we have never taken one of these rides simply for this fact.

When we've gone over with other couples, they are suprised we've never done it before and didn't won't go with them.
Well, when they came back they were either green or upset because of the high surf and no refund policy.
Best way to do it this time of year is to make sure it is a good day and see if you can make a last minute reservation before you go.

Even tho I'm a big boating enthusiast, I'd rather take a helicopter ride on Kauai.
Kal

I just made the same mistake on a Liko Kauai cruise of the Napali two weeks ago.
Thanks to Fodors tips, we took our dramamine and were not seasick, but were very disappointed at how little of the coast we were able to see. The seas were to rough for the captain to go more than a third up the coast. The snorkelling was poor, in cloudy water in an area we could have reached by car. The guide kept telling us all teh great things they do and see on this tour "in the summer." Fortunately we had a discount, but were still out $300 for a family of four.

We were fortunate to take the Captain Zodiac raft excursion along the Napali Coast in the summer of 1997. It was one of the best highlights of our honeymoon. Too bad Captain Zodiac is no longer in business - much better than the catamarans !!

Bottom line; NEVER go boating when it is choppy and windy. Anywhere!

Thanks for posting the warning.

We went on a snorkeling trip Nov 18 on Maui. I found the trip out to Molokini in the early morning to be much rougher than I expected. The crew was totally helpful to the few people who were having trouble. I'd say they were very prepared with a variety of remedies. The boat was large with a deck above and a small deck below which may be more stable that a regular style catamaran. The trip back was quite smooth. It was on Four Winds II. This seemed to be the opposite of all the advice given in tour guides. By noon the water was calmer than it had been at 7.

If it's any consolation to you we were not able to snorkel on our Na Pali coast trip in Sept 2001 because it was too rough. The crew however was really entertaining and we were able to actually sail (no motor) back to Hanalei Bay where we had begun the trip. This was on Captain Sundown.

It's not only in winter that you may not snorkel.

topping for Gordon.

Just another tourist scam in Hawaii. Is anyone surprised by this?

Cats are notoriously rougher than single hulled boats. I've been sailing both for almost 20 years.

Yes, I knew a guy with a cast-iron stomach on monohulls but was reduced to a sick jelly on a cat ! Totally different motion. Me, doesn't matter how many hulls, if it gets rough I'll be green for the first day or two, then OK. Can't read in a car either ...