Relaxing, Chill, Perfect!

Posted on: 2018/01/04

A friend and I both took our ladies on a surprise sunset cruise with Makani Catamaran and it was fantastic. It was definitely one of those experiences that was so much fun time flew right by.

The great thing about this catamaran cruise is that you launch out of Kewalo Basin on a slip, not off of a beach like some Waikiki cruises. This means that if you want you can really dress however you like- shoes, jeans, dresses.

Once you get on the boat, you're introduced to the crew and they go through the obligatory house-keeping topics: Crew introductions, location of bathrooms, safety items, where you can go on the boat, etc. Then they go over how food and drinks work.

Food for us was a buffet of five items: Veggie/tofu wraps, rice, potatoes, shoyu(soy sauce) and ginger chicken- which was the best in my opinion, and beef stir fry. Each item had one tray's worth of food, which was easily enough to satisfy everyone on board, although I don't believe there were any left overs. I've read reviews stating the food was a little nicer than Panda's Express, and that seems like a very fair statement.

The cruise came with one free drink. On the boat non-alcoholic drinks are $2 and alcoholic drinks are $6, and the more alcoholic ones like Long Island Iced Teas are $8. You can buy a commemorative cup for $8 which holds about twice as much as the disposable cups you would get otherwise. Our bartender made good recommendations based on what flavors I told him we were looking for.

The best part is just being out at sea with the people you're with. Aside from the crew instructions at the beginning, it's very hands-off. You just wander around the ship enjoying your company and great views. Although it can get a little windy, it's quiet enough that you can converse at a normal volume easily. If you get cold you can spend a few minutes on the inside of the boat to warm up a bit.

If this is within your budget, I highly recommend it. It's simple, clean, and fun.