I’ve been trying to find out information on NICE dinner cruises in Maui for my parents 60th wedding anniversary. Every time I think that we are settled on a cruise, I find reviews saying that they aren’t worth the $ – that there were no tables, that the drinks weren’t good, or the up-grade service worth the $$. I’m very frustrated as I’ve been working on this for over a month and we leave for Maui Nov. 19th!!!
Do you have any advice for us? Your website said that Quicksilver was one of the BETTER dinner cruises, and to “book now” but there was no link to book. Can you please tell me which dinner cruises are consdered the nicest ones. There are 17 of us going for the Thanksgiving week. Thanks so much and any recommendations, and/or any discounts available would be very helpful!
By the way, I have spoken a few times with John of Tom’s Barefoot, but he really doesn’t seem to personally know which cruises are any good – but someone on Maui musst know. We are not first time visitors to Maui and one sibbling lived in the island s for many years so we will have some basis expectation for a nice cruise. I REALLY appreciate any help you can give us!
Thanks so much!
Andy
Thanks, Andy, for asking a really good question.
First of all, our site doesn’t book activities, but merely recommends ones that we like. When it comes to Dinner Cruises in Maui, they’re all different, and they all change. In our opinion, you’re not going to get a 5 star meal on any boat, but you’ll have a great time and enjoy good food (three to four star). The legistics are just too difficult to manage a perfect meal. With anything, you’ll always find bad reviews. There’s always 1 guy that’s pissed off about something and thinks he’s a critic. With dinner cruises, it’s even easier to find faults. All it takes is the wind to pick up and knock over a mai tai for some schmuck to be unhappy for the rest of the trip. You have to be prepared for little things like this when on a moving boat. The good thing is that the crew is usually very good at fixing problems and making everyone comfortable and leaving happy.
Quicksilver – The boat is big enough, and the food is pretty good. We like this dinner cruise because it doesn’t feel too cramped, and they serve prime rib. They have the best food that we’ve found thus far.
Maui Princess – We hear this one is pretty good, and they have a large deck. We haven’t been on it yet, but we hear good things from friends.
Alii Nui – They’ve been trying to get a high-end dinner cruise together for a little while using Maui Executive Catering. You might want to inquire to see if you can do a private charter. MEC does incredible food, and I’m sure if they started doing a dinner cruise, it would be the best on island.
Kai Kanani – They do a great cocktail and pupu cruise on a beautiful boat. They don’t serve dinner though, and it’s a beach entry which can be dicey for older guests. THOUGH, I had my 80 year old grandmother get off and on the catamaran without issue. So, it all depends on the guest, I suppose.
Discount Prices – Talk to Mark at Auntie Snorkel for pricing. They have discounted rates and a lot of information. We booked a trip recently with them and felt confident in their knowledge and prices.
No matter what you decide, it will be an unforgettable event. Everyone gets a kick out of eating on the water with the sunset, live music, and a feast. We live here and we do dinner cruises every chance we get. It’s a lot of fun and perfect for a wedding anniversary.
I hope this helps, Andy. Have a great time while on island! ALOHA!
