Ali’i Kai Catamaran

Aloha! We had a wonderful time on this dinner cruise. The food and entertainment was great. The view from the boat was magical! Most of all, the Ohana that we made with our dedicated hostesses Mele and Flo, was heartwarming. Flo took my special needs daughter out on the dance floor and she had a blast!!! She connected with Flo more than anyone else we met on our vacation. Upon returning to our hotel, Flo gave my sweet chick a bracelet to remember her by. She loves it and wears it day and night. They are friends forever! Mahalo Flo! We appreciate your kindness and thoughtfulness. Much love from The Bay!!! Mahalo!!!

Such a friendly company. The escorts were great. The food was good and the entertainment we thought was just as good as A luau. Sunset was beautiful. Couple of tips we got this Mel free with kit Go Oahu cards, I’d look into it. Also, extra $ 15 for window seat. Might want to skip that sit by the aisle by buffet, that’s where the dancing takes place

Myself, wife and her family recently went on this dinner cruise this part week and I thought by looks of the boat were cheesy. I was wrong because the food was great and the show was good too.

Oh my goodness!!! If you are ever in this area on a Friday you MUST join the party on the boat. Very family friendly and the staff rocks. Sylvia and Dianna you girls are awesome.

The food was low level buffet gruel. The servers are all about getting another charge out of you. We denied purchasing a second drink and we’re ignored for our refills.

The food was good and the atmosphere was great. It is very touristy and not a whole lot of the Hawaiian culture other than the dancing but fun! The bathrooms give off a bit of a smell.

Locals — this is not for you. The entire experience is catered to and made for tourists. That being said, if you realize this and are okay with it, it can be a lot of fun!
We street parked in downtown and walked over to the piers and after wandering for a moment trying to find the right one, we found the boat. We were greeted warmly by the people at the check in stand, who quickly checked us in and got us on board. We had a seat by the window, which was nice, and they took our order as we waited for everyone else to board. Although they obviously are efficient and have this practiced, I thought it would have been a little speedier to get everyone on board and going. We were told to be there by 4:45, and we didn’t move until after 5:15pm. But they got us some wine to get the night started so all is good.
After the mandatory «ALOOOHHHAAA!» we all got up to eat. It didn’t take too long to get through the buffet line and the food was pretty good! The salmon wasn’t the best, but everything else from chicken to mashed potatoes to rolls to mac salad was delicious. We stuffed ourselves full and headed up to the observation deck before the crowds hit it.
It’s a beautiful sight — the boat took us out past Diamond Head along the Waikiki coast. I took a ton of pictures and the staff up top were happy to take pictures of my boyfriend and myself. Although it was a little tricky to stand up straight with some wine in your system and the movements of the boat.
We went back down for dessert and more wine and yes, they do take the buffet down rather fast, but they simply move it to the back to clear the floor for the dancers. Once the sunsets, there is a rowdy show with Samoan dancing, hula, and the like. They bring the tourists up to dance and play around — it’s all good fun.
Do not go into this if you don’t like crowds or tourists or cheesy fun. That’s what it’s all about and it’s delivered well! The service was great, everyone was very friendly, and as long as you’re not paying FULL price (get a Living Social or Groupon deal!), I think it’s well worth the money. I’d recommend (to the right group of people of course, haha).

I bought this dinner cruise deal off livingsocial and I was a little unsure at first because I saw some of the reviews on Unilocal and on other places. But I’m so glad we did it because it turned out to be so much fun!
It was a little confusing and hard to find the pier at first (there are a LOT of piers at aloha tower, mind you) but once we found it we were greeted warmly by the gentleman and ladies at the check-​in stand. We started by taking a professional picture next to a flag (one of those pictures that you can be sure they’ll ask you to buy at some point) and then we walked over to board the boat. The livingsocial deal was their premium seating so the hostess walked us to our «premium» table next to an open window with a pretty sweet view. The hostess even gave each of us these little shell lei’s to get us started.
Food wise, I wasn’t expecting a super gourmet meal considering it was a Hawaiian style buffet. But their food was actually
pretty good. Aside from the usual salads and starches, they had kalua pig, some kind of shoyu chicken, and a carving station at the end of the buffet line. Then their cold buffet table which had three types of cake and fresh fruits (pineapples, strawberries, and watermelon.) When we checked in, they even gave us drink tickets too which can be used for sodas, juices, beers, and house wines.
After eating, you can go upstairs to the observation deck and see almost the entire south side of Oahu from diamond head to the Waianae mountains. We even got lucky and saw a couple whales, which I was totally not expecting!
Overall, it is definitely a very touristy experience so if that’s something you hate I’d say you should steer clear of this boat. But if you’re down for a little staycation fun and you’re willing to get into the luau-​y spirit, you’ll def have lots of fun. Everyone on the boat is very friendly and attentive an made sure that we always had something to drink. There’s even a lady who comes out with a picture that they took of us fitted in a keychain for sale for $ 13. I give this dinner cruise 5 stars and I definitely recommend!

Food and view were amazing! Service wasn’t so great and the show was very cheesy.
The bus ride seemed very long since we had to stop many times for pick up. Honestly I recommend getting a cab to the pier. Then once there you have to wait outside for a while as bus by bus they are taken inside. You are seated at larger communal tables. Which drink menus under the glass. The drink menus were very confusing. It also took 20 mins just to get a glass of wine.
However going upstairs and seeing the view makes all those just seem to go away. It was great. Beautiful for sunset. And the food was amazing!

I took my husband on the sunset cruise for his birthday dinner. I found a deal somewhere online AND heard there were lots of vegetarian options on the menu as well so I thought might as well try it out! I was hoping for an intimate and romantic sunset cruise so enjoy with the hubby as we work so much, we hardly get to spend time together. I might have made the mistake of overlooking other reviews on here because this is not at all intimate. It was not a bad experience, just not what I was looking for.
The dinner is buffet style, local faire and delicious. The only thing is that you are seated at long tables with a bunch of strangers. Like I said, not what I was looking for. The place was packed with 3 tour buses which I’m guessing are part of a packaged deal because after dinner, there was some entertainment and there were a few kind of inside jokes with all the tour bus passengers that kind of made our dinner feel not so special. It was almost like a summer camp where all the buses were shouting their «cheers» and competing to be the loudest or most spirited. It really cheapened our experience. It was definitely geared towards the tourists with the standard how-​to-​do-​the-​hula-​dance lessons etc.
While the entertainment was going on, we decided to head up to the top deck and relax while taking in the sunset and sipping coffee. That was honestly the best part of the evening for us because it was just us, even though we could still hear the campy shouting below us.
The staff was great. I liked how they called everyone «cousin.» Not sure why, I just liked it, ok?! Haha. I was, however, unimpressed with the photo-​takers. They were pushy and seemed angry when we said we’d pass on the photo they took of us which looked SOO UGLY and gross. Maybe if you let us know you were taking a picture before you took it, we’d actually consider paying $ 12 for a little keychain. Photos are for remembering moments. This is not a moment I’d like to be reminded of, necessarily.

As many others have said, dont do it. Or if you are still going to despite warnings, do not pay 100 per person for this experience.
Once you’re on the bus you are constantly being yelled at to make noise and chant and scream in what seemed like a horror team building exercise. I thought this was going to be a romantic dinner for my wife and I, I have rarely been so wrong about something in my life.
The food is buffet and aside from the rice, it’s pretty bad. There were some performances happening which were ok but then the yelling and screaming and trying to get all inmates on this floating prison… I mean guests on this catamaran to dance and yell out bus numbers etc etc was just not my thing. Spent most of my time up on the 3^rd level observation deck.
Don’t get me wrong the view is fantastic, went on a Friday night so saw a firework display which was ok but I just couldn’t wait to get away.

This was a fun time with great views of Waikiki (and the fireworks there on Fridays), Diamondhead, and the sunset. There was a little too much ‘forced’ fun for my liking — contests among the passengers on various shuttle buses, constant call-​and-​returns, demands for louder cheers, etc. — but the staff was lively and friendly, and the food was good. If you’re one of the later people ‘invited’ by the staff to the buffet though (they stagger everyone by table to manage the flow), be sure to eat quickly — or bring more than one plate of food back to your table — because the staff starts taking down the buffet to create a dance floor (for the performers and later for the guests) soon after the end of the line. The early people have plenty of time to eat in a leisurely fashion and still return to the line several times, while the later people might be able to squeeze in one additional trip if they eat quickly.

My parents and I went on the Ali’i Kai sunset dinner cruise on the first day of our trip to Hawaii in 2002 as part of a package deal that also included admission to the Polynesian Culture Center. The cruise comes in two flavors: the Makahiki dinner buffet and the Hukilau clam bake. Ours was the dinner buffet.
The MC began by welcoming everyone aboard the catamaran and giving a talk about Hawaiian culture. This was followed by the buffet dinner. People gathered on the deck to watch the sunset as evening approached. It was then time for the entertainment, for which we were treated to various Hawaiian dance performances. The band later played some party music, and it was our turn to hit the dance floor. The boat was somewhat crowded at times due to the number of people, but it wasn’t too bad otherwise.
Another thing to mention was that the food wasn’t too special — at least from what I remember. While the rest of the cruise was just amazing, the dinner was the only thing that didn’t really stand out. Seeing that the cruise can cost up to $ 100 per adult, you’d expect the chow to be much better. But to be fair, this was over 12 years ago, so things could definitely have changed since then.
On the whole, the Ali’i Kai dinner cruise was the best part of our stay in Hawaii. If it wasn’t for this excursion, our vacation wouldn’t have been anywhere as exciting.
– TL;DR version –
Highs: Awesome entertainment; great opportunity to watch the sunset
Lows: The boat is a little crowded; food is so-​so
Bottom line: Shortcomings aside, the Ali’i Kai sunset dinner cruise is a must-​have experience for any first-​time visitor to Oahu.
Final verdict: 3.8 stars (rounded up to four)

Mediocre cafeteria food. Traffic jam layout of the buffet. Plastic chairs. Ticket sellers will lie to you about bottomless drinks. Call Roberts of Hawaii to confirm any claims made to you by the ticket seller. Roberts is the owner/​operator of the cruise. Don’t pay more than $ 25 if you must go and be sure to go on a Friday when the Hilton launches fireworks.

I have read through some of the past reviews and I want this review to provide people with some honest insight on the Ali-​i Kai Catamaran voyage. I was recently in Honolulu on business and took some friends on this catamaran for a fun evening of floating dinner, drinks and entertainment.
First of all, the Ali’i Kai is «old-​school dinner and entertainment» in the best of ways. If you are looking for the BEST food on the BEST cruise, this isn’t for you. The food is good and plentiful, but served up more as if you are eating at a close friend’s home. They don’t seem to pretend to be anything more than that. The entertainment is the real Hawaiian thing.
If you are looking for charm, WONDERFUL people serving dinner and drinks and real Hawaiian entertainment with amazing hospitality, GO IMMEDIATELY. The views from the ship along Waikiki are breath-​taking and the opportunity to stand on the upper deck of the Ali-​i Kai Catamaran provides some priceless moments of viewing.
The pricing is reasonable, the experience is charming and professional. Save your need for «macadamian nut encrusted entrees» for another night and go have a heaping dinner, a FANTASTIC Mai-​Tai and a whole lot of fun with the real people of Hawaii.

It was like eating from an ordinary american buffet with much less selections. the only thing different was the kalua pork which wasn’t tasty at all.
Even if there was good food, I couldn’t eat anyways. I got sea sick for the first time. Our server said she was gonna bring me something to help. Didn’t.
The only thing fun was the interactive entertainment towards the end.,
To top it all, they charged $ 56.50 for my 4-​yr old who hardly ate anything.
It was so bad that we decided to go to polynesian cultural center the next day.
If its your first time in hawaii, go get a luau by the beach. Not this.

This was definitely an experience. Not great, not exactly bad, but definitely a story to come home with.
So, we found the Ali’i Kai Catamaran dinner cruise listed in our hotel directory and figured why not. We had plenty of time to kill and not a whole lot planned for our trip.
We had no issue finding the pick-​up location, loading onto the bus, could tolerate the «bus cheer» and seating arrangements once we boarded the boat.
To start your adventure, they take a photo of you when you first arrive on the ship, print it out and then offer it to you for $ 40. We learned that this is pretty standard of most activities near Waikiki Beach.
The food, with the exception of the proteins, was pretty standard fare– I think there was salad, rolls and mashed potatoes. The deserts was kind of the same; fresh fruit, brownies and cake. Nothing special. Definitely not what I would consider $ 100 ticket worthy.
The «show» was amusing, but didn’t seem too authentic (we also attended a luau the following night which blew this out of the water). At one point, people started stuffing money into the performers clothes. The men of Hawaii «show» contains a lot of hip thrusting. The Asians found it really amusing. The also greatly enjoyed the hour of dancing you do after the «show» is over.
All in all, if you have the time (and money) to blow, sure, check it out. If you’re looking for an «authentic Hawaiian experience», this is NOT it.

DONT DO IT
I decided on our last night that we would take a beautiful sunset cruise before we left our 10 day trip in Oahu, I thought it would be so romantic… I was wrong.
We boarded a bus, where we were the only people in our 30s, people showed up in track pants, dirty from the beach, this was a 100 dollar dinner per person? Back home that means something…
Okay, I’m fine with that. until we had to start singing and chanting on the bus and told 30 times to scream louder? We were not into it and I think it made our women angry… because she started pestering us to be louder.
This was 100 dollars a person, we upgraded to the window seat to find out if other people upgraded to the window seat then we would sit with them, okay… but the boat is going in one motion meaning one couple would have there back to The scenery? That makes no sense.
When we got on people were already eating and the boat was not loaded or all the guests haven’t even arrived? I don’t understand this. People paid 100’s of dollars to walk on to see people already eating, massive food lines… it looked like buffet chaos.
Okay. Fine.
We ordered a drink, 45 minutes went by and everyone in our section got there drinks… except us. Drinking was the only way to survive this ride…
It took 4 people to figure out how to get a drink, remember we upgraded? Why did we? Not sure…
The food was gross, and like others said, when you thought you were getting seconds you weren’t. They took the buffet down faster then they set it up. We are working class people who spent 240 dollars for a romantic ride and dinner, we could have gone anywhere and had a better experience.
The dancing… why? The screaming? Why are people forced to do it? Why, why, why?
It was terrible, I don’t advice anyone to do it. Makes me upset I will have to work to make that money back, I don’t want your 12 dollar key chain or 20 dollar photo.
I wanted a romantic dinner and sunset cruise, not a children’s mad house and tourist disaster.
I express the price numerous times, because I believe people should be told about the full experience before spending the money.
I wish I got my money back…

The food was okay, I actually enjoyed it because I’m a picky eater and don’t like a whole lot of fancy things on my plate. Garlic mashed potatoes were good, chicken, beef, and pork were good. I enjoyed the chicken very much but forgot what exactly it was, what it wasn’t was Teriyaki, so for me that was good since I’m not a fan of Teri. There was also salmon that I heard was good, but I didn’t eat any. Dessert was fine too, brownies, coconut cake, pineapple cake, and the last I’m not sure if it was spice cake or carrot cake, I didn’t try it to find out
This cruise definitely caters to tourists/​Robert’s Tour bus groups. With that in mind, if you are from here just know that you drive yourself you will still have to endure the «bus number battle».
I supposed you could always go up to the observation deck if you wanted to escape that. The area where the entertainers have their show is right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean of tables with plastic patio chairs. Don’t be claustrophobic. If you are by the windows, you really won’t see much.
Since it was Friday, had a nice view of the fireworks and the full moon. If I had to pay for this dinner cruise, even at the most discounted rate, I would gladly stay home instead. I’ve been on other dinner cruises that were much more concerned about the guests being comfortable and enjoying themselves, over how many tourists can we cramp into a boat to make a profit.
My advice is check it out for yourself, everyone has different views of what is acceptable for them. I had a good time because of the people I was with. Don’t try to make this a romantic excursion or a quiet evening on the water, that it is not.

Food: ¹⁄₅; Some of the other reviews mentioned AYCE prime rib, but it wasn’t served tonight, so I was a bit disappointed. That’s not why I gave it the ¹⁄₅ though. The food overall was unimpressive. Tonight’s menu had salmon, teriyaki chicken, pork, and some other sides. That pork was okay at best. Everything else wasn’t appetizing. Their piña colada was also nothing special and nothing compared to the one served at the restaurant at the Hilton-​Hawaiian Village.
View: 4.5÷5; the sunset was absolutely spectacular. Unfortunately, because it’s December right now, the sunset didn’t last very long. It was enough for me to snap a few very good pictures though. The upstairs observation deck is also a nice place for pictures and viewing the skyline.
I don’t have much to say about the music and the dancing as I spent most of the evening on the outdoor observation deck on the second floor. I can say that it was very, very loud though. There’s also a rather silly bus chant that you learn on the bus on the way to the boat (another reason why I spent the evening outside!)
As a 20 year-​old college student, I can’t say this cruise was too enjoyable, the photography opportunities aside. However, a lot of older people (and fobs!) really seem to enjoy themselves!