Our October Maui trip is coming soon and I'am trying to plan some activities. We are definetly doing Feast at LeLes, it is already booked. Is the Atlantis Submarine tour worth the money? I was thinking of getting the package where you get tickets for the Maui Ocean Center, Maui tropical plantation and Hawaii nature center and Atlantis all for $99.00. Are these places enjoyable? Also I was looking at the Pride of Maui Sunset Grill Tour. Has anyone been on this? I dont know if I will get seasick trying to eat dinner on a boat. Should we go at sunset to Mamas Fish House instead? Road to Hana is a given, we are doing that. One last question, should we bring jackets for any of the activities? Does October get cool at night? Thanks a bunch!

Bring a jacket and leave it in the car and decide when you get there. Hana can be rainy - i've read.

If going on a boat of any kind at any time, take dramimine the day before and day of (read directions and label) so that your nice outing doesn't get ruined if seasickness is an issue.

Part of the enjoyment in Hawaii is taking it slow. Sounds like you have too many activities planned. Why not just get there and see how it goes. Rent a car and drive around. Go snorkeling off shore. There is a lot of beauty for free.

Thank you tmt and sdtravels for your input. I take dramamine on the flight back and forth, it makes me sleepy tho. Unfortunately I cant swim so snorkeling would be hard. That is why I thought the submarine tour would be good. Alot of the activities have to be planned in advance. If you wait until you get there, they might be sold out. Aside from the Pride of Maui dinner tour (I think we will skip this and go to Mamas Fish House) has anyone done any of the other tours that I mentioned? Thanks

Hi:

The Feast of Le Le was fun, the food was tasty, the show entertaining and it was great that it wasn't a buffet. Pick a designated driver. The Maui Ocean Center was enjoyable as well and didn't take more than a couple of hours to go through. Nice gift shop- I bought a few souveiner presents there. We did an Atlantis submarine tour in Grand Cayman (NOT Maui) and it actually exceeded my expectations. We snorkel, but don't scuba and it was a great way to see the deep parts of the reef that otherwise we never would. there we saw lots of fish and coral and I recommended it to several people. I can not, however, comment on what you will see in Maui. Rather than do a dinner cruise I would recommend a sunset cruise, we left from the Hyatt at Kanapali (alas, the boat is no more after a tragedy)from Kanapali and then going out to dinner once you get back on land. This worked well for us. We just grabbed sandwiches after the cruise at someplace in Whaler's Viaage. I loved Mama's Fish House it was a great splurge. We had reservations for right after sunset, so we took pictures on the beach, enjoyed the sunset from outside and then ate inside. One thing we wanted to do, but couldn't was zip line. Make reservations before you leave if you want to go. What about a snorkel trip or even just a day sailing trip that could be fun? Snorkeling off the beach is great all over the place. Have a great trip. I've only been there in May, so no clue about October weather.

Enjoy the trip!
Kristen

Thanks Kristen for the info. I'am pretty sure we are going to do the submarine tour and Maui Ocean center. Iam too chicken to do the zip-line tours(afraid of heights). Iam still looking into a sunset cruise. I tried snorkeling on poipu beach in Kaui 2 years ago but I had trouble since I cant swim.

As for snorkeling - what about using a noodle or a snorkeling life vest.

I used the vest when I was there - my first time snorkeling and wasn't a swimmer either. The vest can be blown up lightly, just enough for non swimmers comfort, but yet doesn't keep you from putting your face in the water.

It was so worth it.

That is an interesting idea tmt. Maybe I,ll try that. Thanks

October is one of the best months to visit Maui...low visitor count compared to winter and summer. You should be able to make reservations for almost anything while on island and not have a problem with them being sold out. I snorkel (sort of) from shore. I can see plenty of fish without going in water over my head. Have never mastered the snorkel piece, so just use goggles and fins. The Maui Ocean Center and Maui Tropical Planatation are both worth an hour or two. The Tropical Plantation had gone downhill, but new owners are sprucing it up. I've been there several times, most recently this May. I enjoy the tram ride through the various orchards. Also bought a lovely lei there for only $10. Of all the things you mention, I would not spend money to be enclosed on the submarine tour. For the same price, you can take a snorkel cruise and see some great scenery. If you sit outside, it is unlikely you would get sick. All of the tour boats have vests and other flotation vests. They are very safety conscious. The setting at Mama's is spectacular. It is nice (and a bit less expensive) for lunch, when you can watch the windsurfers out on the bright blue water.

We did the Atlantis trip (but by itself) and thought it was well worth it. We also did a sunset tour on a catamaran (sorry, can't recall/find the name but it wasn't Pride of Maui) and thoroughly enjoyed it as well. It was not a dinner cruise, but they provided drinks and snacks. Very calm and no motion problems at all - and DW is fairly prone to that.

Thank you Barbara5353 and dfr4848 for your personal experiences. Your feedback is very helpful.

jinx, are you going to see the sunrise at Haleakala? That's a fun experience - make sure to bundle up for that; we actually saw ice on the ground there. It was my husband's favorite things that we did, and we got amazing pictures of the sun coming up over the clouds.

jinxiejo:
As volcanogirl suggested Haleakala is a must and you will need a nice sweater, even if you can’t make it for sunrise/sunset do try and go, it is beautiful, I too was looking forward to watching the sunrise but, my friends would have killed me! Since you are going to Hana try and visit the Red Sand Beach it is very pretty. You do not mention which side of the island you will be staying, but if you are in Kaanapali we did the star gazing at the Hyatt and it was really neat, it is at night so you really won’t take anything out of your day trips, on Fridays and Saturdays (I think) they have at 11:00 p.m. reserved for couples and they serve champagne and strawberries. We went to the 9:00 p.m. show and enjoyed it. Hope this helps if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Have a great time
Gina

Hi Gina and Volcanogirl, I had been contemplating going up Haleakala. Is the drive up and or down difficult? About how long of a drive is it? My DH's eyesight is not that good so it will be me driving. I will driving to Hana also ( we have to check out The Red Sand beach) which I have heard can be a little tricky in some parts.
We are staying in a condo at Ekahi Village in Wailea for 7 days. The stargazing at Kaanapali sounds really neat also. Wow, so many interesting things to do so little time! Thanks for all your help.

We stayed in Wailea and loved it; that area is really beautiful and pretty posh. Honestly, I don't remember how long the Haleakala drive took - maybe check with your hotel? I just remember getting up at about 4:00a.m. to drive up there. Do it your very first morning, so you're still on US time - that makes it much easier. Our guide book said that no matter how many clothes you have on, it won't be enough. We thought that was so funny, but literally there were people up there in shorts and flip flops just shaking. I'd recommend bringing coffee or hot chocolate if you can swing it or a blanket from your hotel. I don't remember the drive being difficult, but it just goes up and up and up. It's a neat experience, and we got beautiful pictures.

Thanks Volcanogirl for the info. I guess I will be packing my winter coat and boots. Who would think you would need them in Hawaii, LOL! Iam so glad to hear you liked the Wailea area, it took me a long time to decide on staying there. I am sure I made the right choice. Thanks again!!

You're welcome - we had a hard time deciding where to stay as well. We had the benefit of having friends who had been there, and we looked at all their pics and got recommendations. Wailea is pretty and romantic. I don't think I'd bring a big winter coat if I were you; we just wore sweatshirt with windbreaker and were able to tough it out. You will have so much fun!

jinxiejo:
You really should not bring your coat, as Volcanogirl suggested you could use a blanket from your hotel, I am sure you'll be packing your hiking boots, that should be enough, the ride up takes about 1 1/2 hours, and this was during the day, it is not difficult but you will find some curves, you will need to go slow since their probably will be some fog. Close to where your staying their is a beach called Big Beach very pretty, it you go their on the side of the road on the left hand side their is a truck selling tacos the food is great. Hope this helps.
Gina

Hi Gina, your suggestions really do help. I was sort of kidding about bringing my winter coat. I,ll bring layers of clothing so I can keep adding or taking off as needed. I did read about and looked at pictures of Big Beach. It looks like a perfect beach to visit and its close by. I,ll have to check out those tacos, yum! Thanks again!

big beach is really nice,but beware over a small ridge is little beach and many are sans clothes.lots of nudies on this small beach