Catamaran Tours

flinkerfrosch

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Hello:)

My family (2 boys ages 8 & 10) myself and my husband will be staying at Aulani for 12 days in Nov.
Can anyone recommend a good Catamaran Tour for snorkelling or even just site seeing.
I really want to get out on the ocean;)

Thank you!
 
If your boys are pirate fans, Hawaii Pirate Ship Adventures was campy and fun. They have water cannons to shoot at other ships, a lesson in sword fighting, and kids can help pull a treasure chest out of the ocean (with a coin "treasure" to keep). It's not a catamaran though and there's no snorkeling. :)
 
If your boys are pirate fans, Hawaii Pirate Ship Adventures was campy and fun. They have water cannons to shoot at other ships, a lesson in sword fighting, and kids can help pull a treasure chest out of the ocean (with a coin "treasure" to keep). It's not a catamaran though and there's no snorkeling. :)

Thank you. I will mention this to my boys and see what they think.
 
We are planning on doing the MaiTai Catamaran (possibly sunset tour). There are four different ones you can choose from.
I can't comment whether they're good or not because it will be our first time, so just sharing in case you want to research it!
 


We are planning on doing the MaiTai Catamaran (possibly sunset tour). There are four different ones you can choose from.
I can't comment whether they're good or not because it will be our first time, so just sharing in case you want to research it!


I just checked this out, thank you! Prices are good and I like that you’re out on the water for a decent amount of time.

I also checked out;
Holokai Kayak & Snorkel Adventure

This company also looks amazing and Kane’ohe Bay looks gorgeous! Especially the Sandbar and Gilligans Island is there too. Also, amazing snorkeling in this area as well:)

You can rent Kayaks and go sightseeing or go on a guided tour in Kayaks or a small Catamaran.

I’m going to get some more info;)
 
Stay away from Hawaiian Nautical. We did a sunset cruise last week with them and were very disappointed.
 


We are planning on doing the MaiTai Catamaran (possibly sunset tour). There are four different ones you can choose from.
I can't comment whether they're good or not because it will be our first time, so just sharing in case you want to research it!
We did the Maitai Tradewinds sail. I purchased a Groupon and I think the 6 of us went for like $85. It was super cheap. The tradewinds sail basically just went straight out and back but we had a great time. It was a 2 person crew and they were nice and funny. We had some very nice views of the island and they sold inexpensive mai tais and beer. A couple of things...1) it a beach loading so you will probably get wet getting on the catamaran. 2) we got SOAKED sitting in the front. I don't know if the waves were bigger than normal but based on the crew and the fact that Waikiki is known for surfing, I suspect it is very common. 2) Just like everywhere else we went on the island, they pushed the purchase of the "family photo" This was actually the only one we purchased. It was a great photo with Diamondhead in the background. I think it was $20. We actually bought 2. We hiked Diamondhead in the morning, had a great lunch rooftop in Waikiki and then did the Catamaran before heading back to Aulani for some rest. To recap. the ride wasn't anything "spectacular" and we probably wouldn't do it again but we were really glad we did. It's fun to see the island from the water and we couldn't beat the price.
One other thing, if you come in thru the Sheraton, the MaiTai boat loads to the right as you are looking at the beach. There is a different one on the left and a member of another party that sailed with us missed the boat because she went to the wrong one. Hope this helps...
 
we have done all the Waikiki boats. I would agree on the Maitai, its the best choice. The boat is very clean and sails very well and has good seating. The best party boat is the Na Hoku II with the red and yellow sails, good for the 20-30 crowd. Done the pirate boat and it was pretty fun, they leave from the Marina across from ala moana mall, perfect for 10 year olds, they have a groupon but be careful it is for usually Hawaii residence only. The Hilton has a Hawaii Nautical but it is very over priced.

Day sails are the best for families and are cheaper, the sunset sails tend to be all you can drink, so expect a lot of drinkers, I have gone many times and they can be really fun.

Waikiki is protected from the wind by diamondhead, so it is very calm until they get past diamondhead. That is where it gets the big waves, they will go out there crashing thru them, and its part of the fun and you will get wet if you sit in the front.

Its common to see turtles on the way out, they like to swim along the coast, you can see whales in the winter and a occasional dolphin group.

Sunset sails on the Maitai sell out maybe a week in advance, day sails a day or two, and you can reserve online. Na HokuII takes reservation the day of the sail on the beach but will be sold out by the end of the day, and its cash only

leahi.com nahokuII.com hawaiipirateship.com

Very good advice about making sure you go to the correct boat, there are 7 on Waikiki beach.
 
We did the Maitai Tradewinds sail. I purchased a Groupon and I think the 6 of us went for like $85. It was super cheap. The tradewinds sail basically just went straight out and back but we had a great time. It was a 2 person crew and they were nice and funny. We had some very nice views of the island and they sold inexpensive mai tais and beer. A couple of things...1) it a beach loading so you will probably get wet getting on the catamaran. 2) we got SOAKED sitting in the front. I don't know if the waves were bigger than normal but based on the crew and the fact that Waikiki is known for surfing, I suspect it is very common. 2) Just like everywhere else we went on the island, they pushed the purchase of the "family photo" This was actually the only one we purchased. It was a great photo with Diamondhead in the background. I think it was $20. We actually bought 2. We hiked Diamondhead in the morning, had a great lunch rooftop in Waikiki and then did the Catamaran before heading back to Aulani for some rest. To recap. the ride wasn't anything "spectacular" and we probably wouldn't do it again but we were really glad we did. It's fun to see the island from the water and we couldn't beat the price.
One other thing, if you come in thru the Sheraton, the MaiTai boat loads to the right as you are looking at the beach. There is a different one on the left and a member of another party that sailed with us missed the boat because she went to the wrong one. Hope this helps...

Thank you very much for all your help and info:) After lots of research, we actually decided on doing a Private Boat Tour in Kaneohe Bay and the Sandbar. I just wanted to get out on the ocean, and this works out perfectly for us!
 
we have done all the Waikiki boats. I would agree on the Maitai, its the best choice. The boat is very clean and sails very well and has good seating. The best party boat is the Na Hoku II with the red and yellow sails, good for the 20-30 crowd. Done the pirate boat and it was pretty fun, they leave from the Marina across from ala moana mall, perfect for 10 year olds, they have a groupon but be careful it is for usually Hawaii residence only. The Hilton has a Hawaii Nautical but it is very over priced.

Day sails are the best for families and are cheaper, the sunset sails tend to be all you can drink, so expect a lot of drinkers, I have gone many times and they can be really fun.

Waikiki is protected from the wind by diamondhead, so it is very calm until they get past diamondhead. That is where it gets the big waves, they will go out there crashing thru them, and its part of the fun and you will get wet if you sit in the front.

Its common to see turtles on the way out, they like to swim along the coast, you can see whales in the winter and a occasional dolphin group.

Sunset sails on the Maitai sell out maybe a week in advance, day sails a day or two, and you can reserve online. Na HokuII takes reservation the day of the sail on the beach but will be sold out by the end of the day, and its cash only

leahi.com nahokuII.com hawaiipirateship.com

Very good advice about making sure you go to the correct boat, there are 7 on Waikiki beach.


Thank you for taking the time to give me all this info :)
After researching like crazy, and all the tours/Catamarans etc...we decided on a Private Boat Tour instead.
 
We went snorkeling in Waikiki on the Holokai Catamaran Turtle Canyon Snorkle sail. We really enjoyed it.
 
Has anyone used Makani? We have the Go Oahu card and upgraded to their Turtle Canyon snorkel sailing.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top