We will most likely take our tour from the Southshore. I've been looking at Holo Holo, Captain Andy and Liko. I like that Liko leaves a little later, 8 am vs. 6 am. Captain Andy and Holo Holo get great reviews though and you get "free" beer! LOL.
If anyone has used any of these companies I'd love to hear your opinions. Also, I figured the morning tours, although ungodly early, would be better for smooth seas and sealife. Am I right about that? Thanks.

The earlier you leave the smoother the water is likely to be. Are any of you likely to get seasick?

We've gone with Captain Andy before, and it was awesome! On the way back from our snorkeling stop, the waves were pretty rough, and everybody (except the people inside the boat) got soaked. I thought it was fantastic, but I didn't have kids with me. This was several years ago, and we still talk about how much fun we had on that boat trip!

None of us has been seasick in the past. We took a 2 week cruise to Hawaii in the middle of the winter. We had very high seas and we were all ok. I'm more concerned about how the smooth seas look much prettier and that the dolphins might be more active in the morning.

Just back and we did Blue Dolphin....and loved it.

...and yes, a few people we not feeling too well at Na Pali...but one couple hit the bar a little early in the trip, and that could have been a factor. I would suggest the morning 5 1/2 hr cruise.

Food was good enough, plenty of free adult beverages, and the boats are clean.

We did Holoholo last year and enjoyed it. If you search for my post there should be a link to some of the pictures I took. I'm not sure how to help you pick - good luck.

We went on Liko's and enjoyed it quite a bit the crew was great. I think they all end up being out about the same time as many of the boats from the north were in the snorkel area the same time we were. Liko's is a powercat instead of the catamarans like most of the others. If you do a search you should find many cures for seasickness such as Bonine, non-drowsy Dramamine, patches another is ginger candy the hard candy is said to be better. The time of year also makes a big difference with summer being much smoother on the northside.

We did Holo Holo as well and we loved it. We did the sunset cruise because we have snorkeled a lot and wanted to just relax and enjoy the Na Pali Coast. We had a nice meal and drinks. The real clincher for us however was the discount in the Entertainment Book. I can't remember how much it was but it ended up being at least $200 savings for the six of us.

Was it the latest Entertainment book that offered the discount? I have been trying to decide whether it's worth it to get it just for Kauai.

we loved HoloHolo last year - really was the best as they actually sailed (just a bit, though) and you could catch waves on the trampoline up front (most don't allow this). the Entertainment book is not worth it for just Kauai (it's really good for Oahu), but the discount on the snorkeling cruise more than pays for the book if you buy it half-price like we did. then we passed it on to someone who was island hopping.

Just back and LOVED the Na Pali Catamaran tour which left from Hanalei (Ching Young shopping center) on the North Shore. Small catamaran takes 16 people max. First to the "snorkel spot" and we saw a sea turtle, a monk seal (swam by the boat) and tons of spinner dolphins. This was the highlight of my Kauai trip!

Check in is at 6:45 a.m. - and you need to be there at 6:45 even though the tour doesn't start until 7:30 (and lasts 4 hours). The 45 minutes gets filled with check-in and shuttles to the canoe and catamaran.

Another vote for NaPali Catamaran. Fantastic! If you have any tendency to get seasick, think about taking a Bonine or Dramamine II (anything with meclazine) at least an hour before you leave.

We just returned from Kauai -- we did Captain Andy's on April 20. GREAT experience although the sea was WAY rough, so if you get seasick, don't go! They say it's like this all the time. But it was a blast and the scenery is just BEAUTIFUL.

Count me in for Napali Catamaran. Truly the highlight of my trip to Kauai. Did the afternoon trip...couldn't understand why the captain gave all of the guests rain coats...until we started making our way back. Wow, what big waves we experienced...happy to have the rain gear. Great time, amazing scenery...if prone to seasickness would recommend taking something or using pressure point wristbands. Would take the trip again in a second.

Holo Holo get's my vote one of the highlites of our trip.

We did the Captain Andy sunset cruise, and it was great. Water on the Na Pali coast can be rough, though; if you have any tendency toward seasickness, wear Seabands or take Dramamine. We were fine, but a woman on our boat was lying down for most of the trip and looking quite green.

Seeing the sunset was beautiful from the boat, and we really enjoyed the dinner and drinks they prepared.