Superferry
 

What is the latest on the Superferry from Honolulu to Maui and the Big Island.

It was a hot topic when I was in the Islands in 04, but I can't find much on it on the 'net.

It seems like a good idea to me, if only because I dislike the Interisland flying drill. It would be really nice if they allowed rental cars to be dropped interisland.

According to the website www.hawaiisuperferry.com, the first ship is expected to be delivered in late 2006, with service to begin in early 2007.

It's been described as an "Airplane on Water":?
http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=33312

There was a thread on this recently with a lot of facts & opinions. Also do a search at www.starbulletin.com and www.honoluluadvertiser.com for the news stories--last I heard, service to Maui is starting at the end of the month. I already boarded it for a preview and will be riding it on a trial run tomorrow.

I've seen several threads on here and tripadvisors mostly on Kauai forums some on Oahu. It's not suppose to start service to the BI until the second one arrives in '09 if I remember right.

I can tell that many folks on Kaua'i are not happy about this thing coming to their island. They call it the Stuperferry.

Here's the thread, one of many:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34956532

Ain't going to The Big Island anytime soon, if at all.

I predict financial failure.

Perhaps I'm incorrect, but wouldn't the giant cruise ships (including the 3 NCL ships stationed in Hawaii) do more damage than the superferry? Anyone know the statistics for pollution by the ships in Hawaii's waters?

went to the openhouse yesterday out of curiosity. it's okay. not planning on using it, not on these channels anyway, unless ss1.5, not likely. cost of r/t to include vehicle for 3 is $583. outrageous. we had the hydrofoil when i was a kid. they went under, don't see how the superferry will do any better.

Just rode it this morning! Very nice, all the kids on board loved it. I guess if you are a family traveling inter-island, it's a good thing. I am not their target market, though, so it's hard for me to say.

I wish them the best of luck...

Reply to <font color="blue">MelissaHI<font color="black">,
Where did you go?
How long did it take, was the ride rough((?))</font></font>

I don't see how it can attract enough passengers to stay in business. It made sense when the airlines did away with coupons and air fares were high. Recently, it seems the interisland fares have come down quite a bit (although maybe that's temporary, until Go puts Aloha out of business, who knows). With the fuel surcharges, it would cost around $476 for two adults, one child, and one car for a round trip (including discounts for advance and internet booking). That seems like a lot.

I don't have anything against the ferry though. The big cruise ships are allowed to dump raw sewage so long as they are three miles out (not such a great distance, IMO). The ferry, however, claims they collect all sewage and dispose of it when it returns to land. Also, any rain, water, oil, etc., runoff from the vehicles that are being transported is also collected and disposed of when returning to port, not at sea. They claim to have people watching for whales also.

If all that is true, I think the ferry is less damaging to Hawaii than the big cruise ships. But from a practical point, I just don't see how they will get the ridership they need.

It was just a test run, we didn't land anywhere. We rode out of Honolulu Harbor, a little southeast, then westward toward Waianae but not quite. Then we turned around and came back. it was 1.5 to 2 hours max.

The ride was a little rough because we had to go slow till we passed the bouy outside Honolulu Harbor. The kids onboard thought it was a carnival ride.

Be warned that if you pay in advance for a reservation on the super ferry and the company fails before your trip, you will probably lose your money.

I'm looking forward to giving it a try, myself. No need to return my rental car and rented snorkle gear just to re-rent them all on the next island. And no airport hassle! The first service starts late August and I'll be trying it out in October.

Whenever I take the little ferry from Lahaina to Lanai I always see local families returning with coolers full of Costco purchases. I expect Honolulu retailers will get a big benefit from similar shopping trips.

But it isn't just for tourists and local families. I'm excited by the potential for better produce and restaurant food. Neighbor island farmers have two equally bad choices when it comes to getting their produce to Oahu: expensive air delivery or an infrequent and extremely slow (multi-day) cargo ship. Now they will be able to get their goods to Honolulu without even unloading their truck.

Just as bobludlow giddily describes his anticipation of how shopping will so dramatically improve, environmental activists and local people are extremely concerned about the potential to spread invasive and non-native species and pests from one island to the next. Perhaps Bob has never had to live next to Coqui frogs.
Also, there are big box stores and Hilo Hatties on every island except Lanai and Molokai, and it's not as if locals are going to spend thousand's of dollars in Honolulu.

cheaper to fly...check go! or aloha airlines. They have inter-island flights for less than the superferry and get there in 1/2 hrs time.
Its not just about pollution. Its also about the safety of the Humpback whales. I agree with the prediction of financial failure. Why spend the afternoon on a stomach-dropping ferry when you can get from Kaua'i to BI in a half hour!

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ap...708220405/1001

surprised passengers got seasick? people didn't put the emergency brakes on? one lady complained her car got salty and now had to take it to the car wash.

funny

Oahu has 7x the population of Maui and 15x the population of Kauai. Anyone who thinks that the shopping is &quot;just as good&quot; on the neighbor islands is misinformed. Likewise anyone who thinks they could fit just as much in two under-20-pound checked bags plus one carry-on as they could in their own car, truck, or RV.

Coqui frogs have already been found in all of the major islands, and the superferry is working with the Hawaii Invasive Species Council to minimize environmental risks. Why a coqui would prefer the superferry to the hundreds of other boats, barges, and planes constantly cruising between the islands is beyond me, though. Maybe they are as &quot;giddy&quot; as I am about the prospect of an alternative to Aloha's cramped seats.

Unless something has changed Bob you can't take your rental car on the ferry.

Thanks for the heads up. It looks like the superferry requires proof of ownership (sensible decision on their part) OR a special form from the owner giving permission. I can understand why a rental company with fixed assets in various islands might want to prevent people from using the ferry. But if they all prevent it, then it creates a powerful incentive for one company (a start-up, even) to buck the trend and allow cross-island rentals. So it might not be allowed at the outset (I'll be sure to check on that before finalizing my October plans) but I expect it to be easy as pie within a year or two. It just makes too much sense from a customer satisfaction and market share gain perspective.

You need to understand, it's not just a rental car issue. The harbors are treated like airports here, maybe even more so because there's only one port per island (except the Big Island). 98% of all goods that come into the state, come in through Honolulu Harbor, so they have to take a lot of precautions.

Personally, it just doesn't make sense to use it unless you're going on a very long trip where the cost of a rental car offsets the cost of the ferry (because it ain't that cheap).

Also, you're going to be spending 3 hours on it each way if I'm not mistaken. That's time I could be spending at the destination itself.

Isn't there a lack of choice re departure time also - say, if you want to travel from Oahu to Maui, there's only one departure per day?

As it stands now, the ferry does not work for me in either price or convenience.

Maybe I'll consider it later if they change the pricing structure.

I talked to my boss about the advertiser article and he thought the fuss over seasickness was exaggerated. He rode the ferry with me and he thought it was fine once we were at 40 knots....I think he thinks people were being babies about the waves! I'm just sharing and paraphrasing.

There is another ferry starting up soon, shuttling people from Waianae to downtown for work and back. Those boats are smaller!

I believe I read that you have to add a 30% fuel surcharge to whatever fare is quoted. It really puts the price up there.

stuperferry is delayed. imagine that...


http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2...breaking01.txt

This is how rumors get started. They are still scheduled to open on time. You got to read all the news

how's this? from a very reliable source, i’m almost certain it is delayed. but don’t tell anyone…

Big News yesterday: $5 one way fares until September 5. The courts have said that an EIS is required, which may delay regular scheduled service that was to have started next week. But the Super Ferry people are pre-empting the courts by starting service early on Sunday. The courts may actually put a stop to this on Monday, but in the meantime its &quot;bargain time&quot; for everyone who can go right away. I'm sure they'll honor the $5 fare if booked now. Might the courts be so ticked off at the blatant move to circumvent them that they fine the Super Ferry people enough to shut them down for good?

Leburta, Fine them for doing what ?

the Department of Transportation gave them approval to start service Sunday. They'll battle it out in court Monday.

Rusty: Who knows?

I don't know enough about the permitting process that went on, but the State was so anxious to get a company to use their own money to try to start up any kind of ferry service again that they waived the EIS for the Maui stop. Now the courts are saying that an EIS is required after all.

The poor guys who have spent millions to bring in the Super Ferry say that they did everything that was asked of them. No wonder they've come up with a novel way to start up service anyway, assuming that no court will meet to stop them over the weekend.

those poor guys who paid for the superferry are you and me John Q Taxpayer

Mikeswife

The flight might be half an hour, but add in the lines for ag check, security check etc and you might not be saving as much time as you think.

If I think of the ferry, I think of Kauai and the little two lane streets around Nawiliwili(sp) and the instant traffic jam when it unloads:)

A lot of people were opposed to the superferry - until $5 rates were offered. The maiden voyage is sold out and most of the other trips during the $5 promotional period ending Sept 5th.

pspercy - I wouldnt waste my time, personally. Kaua'i has all I'll ever need. And you are right, traffic is bad enough all ready!

I read about the protesters this morning. I'm so proud of the people of Kauai for standing up to the Superferry.

I'm not proud of them....kinda embarrassed personally

I have to agree with HT. I went to www.honoluluadvertiser.com to read the argument comments posted on the story. It's really ridiculous!