Catamarans cruise in Kauai
 

My husband and I are going to Kauai in two weeks. We are spending 8 days there. Due to the helicopter's accident, we are not taking the heli flight any more, although it was my husband's dream doing so. Instead of that, I'm thinking of a catamaran cruise on Na Pali Coast. Which is the best one? Anyone who has taken any boat cruise in Kauai, please let me know any comment about it. Is it necessary to book in advance? We will be in the Sheraton in Poipu beach. Any suggestion about Kauai interesting spots to see will be appreciated. THANKS

Hey lery,
You can catch cat cruises out of Port Allen (close to Poipu), or out of Hanalei. We took one out of Port Allen a few years ago but I think it is another company now. The boat was Ecofriendly and ran on used vegetable oil. Suggest you pick up a copy of "The Ultimate Guide to Kauai" by wizard Pub. (www.wizardpub.com)to get the most out of your trip. They also recommend a boat tour out of Hanalei (Napali catamaran) we tried to take this one but my wife had difficulty making the transfer from the outrigger canoe to the Powercat during rough conditions this past March-its probably much calmer water now so you should be OK. What is nice about leaving from Hanalei bay is that you spend less time on the boat trying to get to the scenic Napali Coast. The trip from Port Allen takes more time to get to the scenic area in my opinion.
<b>Favorite Kauai Activities</b>
1. Kee Beach snorkeling, on a calm day. Lydgate Park on rough day, or Poipu Beach
2. NaPali coast trail (for rugged hikers, and or do boat/snorkeling tour) entrance at Kee Beach, where the road ends, north shore.
3. Waimea canyon (Hawaii's Grand Canyon)

<b>Enjoy your stay in paradise</b> :S-

Well, we have been back from Kauai for a week now. We stayed at the Marriott Waiohai in Poipu which is right down the street from the Sheraton Poipu. The last time we were in Kauai we did a NaPali coast tour out of Port Allen. I was somewhat disappointed in that tour as we really did not get to see the most beautiful part (IMHO) of the Napali Coast. This time we left out of Hanalei! It was much better to leave from there. Yes, you do have to get up earlier to make it to Hanalei by 6:45 am from Poipu, but I think it was definitely worth it. We went on Napali Catamaran. http://www.napalicatamaran.com/ They did an excellent job and we really enjoyed it. Our captain was originally from Kauai and said that he has never been to the mainland. He had a lot of great information to share and it was an absolutely gorgeous trip. The snorkeling was pretty decent and there were giant sea turtles at the location we went to. The snorkeling was much better at this location than the location we snorkeled at on the last trip. We loved it and definitely feel comfortable recommending this outfit. This is also the company that the Ultimate Kauai guidebook recommends. You should definitely book this ASAP as they only take 16 passengers and it fills up fast.

We are also going to Kauai, Sept 4-13. I've been checking out different boat tours trying to decide which one to use. We will be staying at the Kauai Marriott Beach Club. I like the Na Pali Catamaran the best so far for the fact they only take 16 people. How long was the drive to Hanalei at that time? Did you book in advance over the internet? Thanks for your help. Any other comments will be appreciated.

We took the catamaran out of Hanalei called Captain Sundown. Great crew. Since you can't use the pier to board the boat they put your stuff in these waterproof containers and then you jump into an outrigger and paddle out to the boat. On the way back in if you catch a wave, like we did, you don't have to paddle in cause you get to &quot;surf&quot; in very cool.

The trip was great as we saw the entire Na Pali coast and sailed a big part of it rather than running the notoro foe the whole trip. Crew was very attentive. Only 16 guests allowed so no big crowds!

Wow, weird line...Should have written &quot;The trip was great as we saw the entire Na Pali coast and sailed a big part of it rather than running the motor for the whole trip.&quot;

We made reservations online, then we failed to confirm after we arrived and they gave them away to someone else. They gave us another day during our trip and it worked out ok. The most difiicult part of the drive is getting through Lihue from Poipu so from the Sheraton you'll have to leave early to make your way through morning traffic. For bizzyb you'll be able to get around trhe traffic so you'll get to leave earlier.

We made it by the skin of our teeth but they know where you are coming from and they do wait for you if you've confirmed. There was another couple coming from Poipu too and arrived after we did and they looked really harried. If I were to do it again I'd leave really early and have coffee/breakfast in Hanalei.

I had wondered about Captain Sundown too. The Ultimate Kauai guidebook said that this was a company they could not recommend, but gave no details as to why they could not recommend them. Yes, definitely be sure to confirm your reservations when you get on the island. I made our reservations over the phone from home and had the record of the person I talked to etc, but when we got to the island and I called to confirm they had us on a different day than we had originally scheduled. I had booked us for a Monday and they had us down for a Tuesday. They gave us a hefty discount due to their mistake, but I am just thankful that we were still going to be on Kauai and able to take the trip. Be sure and not schedule it for the last day you are there.

We took the afternoon trip on HoloHolo out of Port Allen &amp; loved it.

Let me piggyback on mauitammy's note about price with Captain Sundown. Though their prices had increased they asked how we had heard of them and we said the Maui Revealed Book and they gave us the price that was quoted in the book. We didn't even mention it, they just offered.

The Na Pali boat tour business is very competitive and there is some animosity because Captain Sundown can still leave from Hanalei Bay and the others can't. Though I do love all the &quot;Revealed&quot; books I think there is some favoritism going on in some cases.

We used Captain Andy's, it was great! Amazing scenic views, fun crew. The only complaint was that it was a *tad* crowded on the catamaran. We'd do it again.

We took the helicopter trip instead, but many people we talked to said they liked the Liko Kauai cruises which leave out of the Kekaha area - it included a snorkel trip, I think and a waterfall pic op.