Lanai is it a snooze?

[DougMacP]

We are doing a cruise through Hawaii on RCI in September....Never been to Lanai before so we booked a pretty pricey excursion out of Maui.  Ferry over, guided tour, beach time, lunch (on your own it appears) and return....all for the low low price of $232.99. per person  (absent a helicopter one of the more expensive excursions).   Was thinking we've been to all the other islands multiple times...why not?  Then I did a google earth tour of the island.  Not exactly lush with spectacular vistas.....more like a few hills and pine forests, with one major resort that I'm sure we won't be able to get past the gate.   Lanai has no bus service, so if you ferry over it is a long way into town.  

 

Question:  Has anyone done the ferry over from Maui and explored on your own?  Or if you've done this excursion was it worth the price?  Thanks 

[Silver Sweethearts]

2 hours ago, DougMacP said:

Question:  Has anyone done the ferry over from Maui and explored on your own?   

 

We took the Expeditions ferry, which was nice (though the trip can get a bit rough if the wind comes up between islands).  We rented a car (a Jeep if we remember correctly) and drove around the island ourselves.  At least in our opinion, it was nothing special and we wouldn't do it again.  You can see pretty much the same things staying on Maui.  

[Astro Flyer]

In my experience the primary reason to go to Lanai is for scuba diving along the protected southern end near Manele Bay.

 

As Silver wrote, conditions can be rough returning to Maui.  Once it was so rough that the dive boat had to cross to Olowalu & then turn north along the more protected coastline back to Lahaina.

 

 

[marden1970]

There is a private excursion company called Trilogy.  They have an all day excursion that's great if it fits with the time frame of your stop.  It is not quite as expensive and does include continental breakfast on the way over, lunch on the island and then drinks and dessert on the way back.  sailtrilogy.com.

[CruiserBruce]

Along with scuba, there is some good snorkeling along the southern/southeastern corner of Lanai. But you can access that from Maui via many outfits (not just Trilogy, which is a bigger boat), like Captain Steve's. So, it depends on your interests.

[cb at sea]

We did a boat trip there....with a snorkel stop, lunch included, and a tour of the island.  I have to say it was the most fun day!  The snorkel area was choppy on our trip, so I opted to use that time as a beach stop, instead of snorkeling.  Lunch was served on the beach, with tablecloths, real plates/silverware/glasses....very nice!  The "tours" were in smaller vans, with local people guiding it...we stopped at one guide's home to pick fruit from a tree!  Very friendly people.

 

On the trip back to Maui, our boat was under-sail, and we made ice cream during the sail back!

 

It's been MANY years, but it was so much fun!

[Beachiekeen]

We’ve taken the ferry to Lanai, had a day at the beach, did some snorkeling had lunch at the Four Seasons and drinks at their pool bar. At the end, we ended up wishing we had done the tour with Trilogy. It comes very highly recommended on Trip Advisor and is what we will do next time. 

[dfields1814]

Went there on a land trip. Stayed at the Four Seasons. Very, very overpriced for what you get especially in the restaurants. Went on the helicopter ride. That was pretty good. The pool was small for a resort. Actually I had a better time in Kona and Maui. Lunch at the Four Seasons? I know how much it cost but it was very pricey. I know I paid close to $100 for breakfast for two that served pretty much the same meal as a local diner does for $25. However, the view is a million times better at the Four Seasons than at the local Denny's.

Edited July 1, 2019 by dfields1814

[princeton123211]

We go to Maui every year and occasionally go to Lanai for a change of scenery for a day or two. I really think its only worth it if you are staying over at the Four Seasons (or for a lot less $$ there is the little Hotel Lanai in town-- also managed by FS but its more of a quaint inn). It's such a schlep for only a few hours and as others have said, the crossing can be rough. I would never do it in the context of a few hours stopover on a cruise.