Expeditions Ferry

Schedule was on time. Check in process and ticketing was easy. 45 minute ride from Lahaina to Lina’i.
Not much to do in Lina’i. We went to the city with a few shop. I think the highlight was talking to the local taxi driver on our way from the Four Seasons hotel to the City.
I wouldn’t recommend this trip if you are only visiting Maui as you have very nice beaches in Maui.
Good for couples looking for a more private beach or less crowded than Maui beaches.

This was my first time on the Lana’i ferry – and it was awesome.
We plopped our coolers inside the boat on the bottom floor (there’s a space for large items) and grabbed a seat. The upstairs outdoor deck fills up really fast so you’ll need to be early and in line to snag one of those spots. I chose to stand at the back on the bottom so I could take it all in and of course, take a million photos.
The staff was really nice and getting your tickets is super easy. The only issue is parking – the dirt lot is a few blocks away, which is fine – but the sign reads: for 3 hours parking max. We planned to be gone the entire day. We did end up parking there and it was fine, but I’m not sure if we just got lucky or what?
Seats are pretty comfortable, the ride was smooth and the boat was really clean. DEF looking forward to my next ride. Bring a hoodie for traveling as it can get cool when the wind picks up.

Awesome day on Lanai! People, do your research. A lot of the negative reviews here are based on people not doing ANY research.
*Call ahead to get your name on the list. We called the morning of our ride, and took the 9:15 ferry. Our names were on the list. Also, get there a half hour early like they tell you, so you can get in line and get a good seat.
*When you call to book, no money changes hands. You pay on the boat, and they take cash or credit card.
*If you don’t want the sun on you, sit inside, because going and coming back both have the sun at the back of the boat.
We took the 9:15 ferry to Lanai, and the 2:00 back to Maui. We walked to the beach only, so that was the perfect amount of time for us. The beach is top 5 that we’ve been to. It felt like a private island beach that a cruise ship takes you to, but without the thousands of people.
*There are bathrooms, outside feet washing/​rinse off stations, picnic benches, and plenty of awesome beach space. There is a good bit of undertow, so be mindful.
*if you want to go to Lanai city, there were shuttles for $ 10/​person each way. We chose to walk to the beach (10 minute walk)
*The ferry back can get choppy. The 2:00 is probably the last one you want to consider if you are affected by rough boat rides. The later in the day, the more the trade winds make for a bumpy ride.
People have complained about the staff being rude, but they were absolutely fine. A few of them aren’t very «chatty», but they’re not giving you a tour… they’re transporting you from point A to point B. Chat with your companions if you need.
We’ll definitely use this service again in the future, with a little more exploring of the island.
Overall this was a great experience. For $ 60 round trip/​person, it was well worth it to visit another island, and see a great beach.

For $ 40 roundtrip, you can sail from Manele Boat Harbor, Lanai to Lahaina, Maui or vice versa. It is a 45 minute ride during which you can see spinning dolphins and flying fish and whales during whale season! And you can see scenery and terrain of Lanai that is hidden because it is inaccessible except by boat!
A most enjoyable ride either inside or outside, your choice! Friendly staff and great ride for a great price. Woo hoo!

Easy to make reservation. The staff are friendly and helpful. The ferry runs on time and the boat was clean and comfortable. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. It was a nice part of our Hawaiian experience to see Maui and Lanai from the water.

Awesome time! The ferry was so comfortable and a great time all around! Loved this trip! Will be coming back, hopefully soon!

I love ferries but I hate boats. They always seem to take me to the most interesting, beautiful places. Expeditions Ferry was no different. Something about the thrill of going to a place that can only be reached by a commuter ferry gets me very excited to be on the sea or open ocean.
The ferry itself was what you would expect a commuter boat to be. There were many comfortable seats inside (cooled by AC) and outside (cooled by ocean air and spray). The ferry was big enough that there weren’t any feelings of sickness. It was calm enough to take a nap on the return trip.
The only complaint I have with this particular ferry company was the attitude of the attendant at the ticket booth on the Lahaina side of the voyage. The customer service aspect of the interaction I had with them could have been better.
Overall, the experience I had with Expeditions Ferry helped me to enjoy the ocean and a new corner of Hawaii that I have been dying to explore. I would recommend this company for anyone looking to make the trip from Maui to Lanai.

Comfortable, clean, well run ferry operation between Mai and Lanai.

We booked the Lanai 4×4 Jeep package. I guess the forecast called for heavy rains and this placed called and asked us if we still wanted to go or cancel with a full refund as most trails were going to be closed. WOW, first the that’s happened on the Islands. We’re booking with them every time from here on.

Just to see another Hawaiian Island is reason enough to take the ferry to and from Lanai. Not quite knowing where to sit and not wanting to get super sunburned by sitting on the back deck seats, we chose to sit in the smaller I side area on the same level as the captain manning the ferry. If you do as well, sit to one of the sides, in the middle row and you’ll get some AC blown your way. We first sat in the first row and it was super stuffy. Way to Lanai is rather smooth and easy going. We took the 4:30 ferry back and it was very bumpy and lots of white caps. I heard the later you go, the worst it gets. Great way to get to ‘another island’! As you exit the ferry, head all the way to the left of the dock to take the island shuttle if you don’t have tickets already for a different shuttle. $ 10 credit card only!

The only positive experience about this ferry was that the ride was somewhat smooth. Other than that, the ferry was absolutely awful.
We arrived at the dock 45 minutes before our departure to avoid waiting in line. The lady at the counter said that we didn’t have a reservation (which was proven false by the gate attendee on the dock), and then proceeded to say «are you going to pay me or talk on the phone?» while we were trying to track down the receipt proving we had a reservation. As we got on the ferry, the gate attendee got very frustrated with us because he was confused by the fact that our online reservations were recorded on the paper but we still handed him a reservation slip.
The crew overall seemed very condescending and rude. I would not ride this ferry again to deal with the bad customer service and the mediocre boat ride.

One of the only ways to get from Maui to Lanai. If you dont have your sea legs I recommend sitting on the upper deck outside as it helps with sea sickness. The ride can get choppy so pay attention.

This ferry goes from southern Lana’i to Lahaina, Maui, HI. It’s clean, it’s well run, it leaves when it says it’s gunna leave, it gets in when it says it’s gunna get in. And the folks are friendly. I was happy with my experience.

We took the boat ride to Lanai where we stayed at the 4seasons. Great experience calm waters and an added plus saw a whale going out and another whale come in! Pretty friendly staff though they don’t help anyone even the elderly load their stuff into the boat. I found that somehow interesting that they wouldn’t help old and clearly incapable people.

Awesome experience!
–reservations were easy to make (less than 5 minutes online)
–they offer kama’aina rates
We took the 1030 ferry out to Lahaina, from Manele. The ride was smooth. Great scenery, and we even got to see whales!
If you want to enjoy the scenery sit on the top level. Don’t forget your sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, camera and if you tend to get sea sick, don’t forget to take motion sickness pills!

Last minute adventure to lanai for lunch.
The morning ride over was A LOT smoother than the afternoon ride home.

Thumbs up for military friendliness!!!
Everything went without a glitch on our trip to and from Lana’i out of Lahaina Harbor, Maui, HI.

This is an excellent way to have a tour of ALL of the island of Lana’i, not just a walk from the boat dock to the Four Seasons and back.
Is there a lot to see on Lana’i? No. Since one company, now one of the billionaire Larry Ellison’s, owns 98% of the island, there hasn’t been much development of either tourism sites or even natural sites. Or even home sites outside the small town on the island. However the natural sites, and the fabulous views from up high on empty mountain tops and from down low on empty beaches is worth the trip. Our guide Bruce, who managed the wild 4×4 ride during a day of exploring all of the island, made it priceless. He knows both his history and his botany. In Lana’i’s case, the two are intertwined — ever since a pissed-​off Hawaiian king burnt down every tree on the island some hundreds of years ago.
The ferry ride over is great, with beautiful views of the rough mountain faces going down to the ocean. The two Four Seasons hotels are interesting to see. To hear the BS about all the great things Larry Ellison is going to do for the island is entertaining (and hopefully true). What makes it worthwhile as a day trip out of Lahaina is to see the native beauty and efforts that have been made to restore the island for the last 90 years.

It’s hard not to be a fan of the ferry, considering it’s the only regular way to and from Lana’i. Still, I have never had a bad experience with them, so I give them more than just an «A-​OK» experience. A few notes for those using this transport:
1) Order your tickets in advance (you can now do it online). Those that show up that day, depending on the time, may find the ferry is already full. It doesn’t usually happen, but it’s better safe than sorry.
2) The busiest times are the first two (6:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. from Lahaina) and last (6:45 p.m. from Manele Bay). This is when people head over to Lana’i for jobs and day trips, followed by the same people returning at the end of the day.
3) If you want to ride on top during the day, do two things: be there early and have a hat/​sunscreen. Many people want to sit on top to watch the ocean (especially during whale watching season), so it fills up fast. In addition, you’re out in the ocean with the sun beating down on you; make sure you’re protected or else you’ll have an unpleasant, sunburned day once on Lana’i.
4) For those that get sea sick, the morning and afternoon ferries are usually best. The evening trip is often much choppier, due to trade winds or a lack of visibility (if nighttime).
5) Have something prepared for any day trip. Some tourists still think they can hop the ferry over and magically be in town. Manele Bay is a good 15 minute drive from town, in the middle of nowhere on the south side of the island. It is not within walking distance of anything, so make sure you’ve arranged for transport or a shuttle.
Be aware of these things and plan ahead, and you’ll have an enjoyable visit to the Pineapple Island.

Took the self dive 4×4 jeep excursion and had a whale of a time. Got somewhat red dust covered but would still go with the soft top down. Washed our faces and had cocktails at both Four Seasons. Don’t miss Happy Hour at Manele Bay. The ferry ride home after sunset was rough.

Well… seeing how this is really the only way normal people can get to/​from Maui-​Lanai… and I didn’t puke… and we didn’t sink, there’s really nothing I can complain about this ride.
I take it back –1 star for banning alcohol. What’s a boat ride on vacation without alcohol!?!

I travel to Lanai for work twice a week from Maui and the best part of my day is spent cruising over on Expeditions. The crew is very friendly and helpful. And you can’t beat the whale and dolphin watching between Maui and Lanai. If you are headed to Lanai, I can’t think of a better way to travel!

On our recent trip to Lana’i we took the ferry to Lahaina, Maui for the day. Our 40 minute trip to/​from Lana’i/Maui was relaxing. Rates were reasonable at $ 60 round trip per person. The ferry was on-​time, clean and the crew was very friendly. Bring your camera, a cocktail, sit back and enjoy the ride!