Maui Lanai Ferry

"Transportation as Entertainment? You betcha!"

Maui and Lanai are two islands in the Hawaiian chain located about 9 miles apart from each other. Vacationers to Maui easily cap their trip with a one night stop-over on Lanai on their way home. If booking through a travel agent, most agents are not familiar enough with Hawaii to suggest using the Maui-Lanai Ferry - which is a bummer, because it is a blast!

The ferry ride across the Auau Channel lasts a bit over an hour, costs $30 per adult, $20 per child (2-11), is significantly easier then airline travel, much faster (no need to arrive hours before scheduled departure time), cheaper then an airline ticket, and more scenic.

The website does a nice job describing the documented scenery along the way. The views were terrific and what kid doesn't like riding on a boat? I found the ferry ride to be a gentle immersion into the laid back, local style of Lanai. You realize you are traveling to a tiny, no services island when you see locals boarding with bags of rice, dog food, Wal-Mart bags and groceries, and the ferry boat captain is asked to hold the boat while someone runs to the mini-mart to pick up a six pack to share on the ride over.

The cabin holds around 40 passengers (I think) and has walls, seats, and windows, which is good news for parents concerned about kids falling overboard. The boat goes fast enough that you see the water splashing on the windows and feel the bounce of the ocean, but is also large enough you don't feel port-starboard rocking motion.

If you are planning on visiting Lanai, give some serious consideration to taking the ferry over rather then an airplane . While I do not think Lanai is a very good place for kids, the convenience of the ferry trip makes Lanai a possible day trip from Maui.