RE: Na Pali Coastal tour

[lkjames1]

Going to Hawaii on RCL in September and am interested in finding out if anyone has done on their own a Na Pali Coastal boat tour.... Any info would be greatly appreciated. :)

[bankofdad]

Going to Hawaii on RCL in September and am interested in finding out if anyone has done on their own a Na Pali Coastal boat tour.... Any info would be greatly appreciated. :)

 

We did our own through Holoholo Charters out of Port Allen. It was absolutely fantastic! We had not problem making their check-in time, as they were on "winter" tour hours at the time (that schedule begins for them around September 15.

 

If you on RCL and stopping in Kauai, I this that's on the Radiance, is that correct? JUst a few items that could make getting to Holoholo an issue for you. First, Radiance tenders, we docked. That means didn't have to wait our turn for a tender, after the ship's excursions got off. The other thing is that I do not know anyhting about the customs situation in Kauai for RCL. We sailed on Pride of Aloha, which is American flagged. Maybe others on the RCL board can relay their tender and customs experiences for Nawiliwili.

 

That said, if you can do it it's great! Here's an extract from my trip review:

 

The first day in Kauai we chose Holoholo Carters for the 5.5 hour morning NaPali tour. In researching NaPali coast tour options, I discovered that NCL buys out NaPali Explorer on days they are in port, and in the summer months (May through September), the ship does not arrive in port early enough to make the check in times for other NaPali Coast operators, because most of them offer two tours daily, with the morning tours leaving around 6:30AM, and the PM tours can be a rough ride because of the trade winds. However, beginning in mid-September that changes. Most operators only do one daily tour, which leaves Port Allen or Waimea Harbor at 8-8:30AM.

 

We had originally booked the NaPali tour through the ship just to ensure we would get a chance to see the coast up-close from a small boat perspective. The NaPali Explorer is a rigid hull inflatable, and unlike the Dolphin Express boat, it does not have side guard rails to lean on (you hold onto ropes when moving). By comparison, the Holoholo is a 49’ sailing catamaran, and was extremely comfortable. During our tour we did see the Explorer up close several times, and we were very pleased with our decision. The trip was fabulous, great crew, great vessel, and fun ride, great food for breakfast and lunch, and open bar after snorkeling (although the snorkeling was not very good). Select this type of excursion for the scenic tour, not the snorkeling. There are better places on the island for that.

 

The only catch with an early morning tour is though the ship arrives at the dock prior to 7AM, we were not cleared to disembark until 7:25AM. I had pre-arranged a taxi pick-up (through Kauai Taxi), and they were at the pier waiting. We made it to Port Allen for check easily before the 8AM posted check-in time and 8:30AM departure. Had the cruise ship offered this tour, we would have selected it for the convenience. I would highly recommend that if you need taxi service on Kauai, pre-arrange it. I did not see many taxis waiting at all (maybe two).