Saw some dolphins, turtles, and fish, but not what we paid for

Posted on: 2015/09/22

My husband and I were looking forward to seeing lots of fish/dolphins and enjoying a barbecue lunch and cocktails. Our boarding passes didn't match the boat that we boarded, but we didn't think much of it. The boat started heading toward Lana'i, and the continental breakfast started (Costco muffins cut in half, fresh fruit, granola bars, and coffee or warm pineapple juice). Breakfast was good, but it quickly became EXTREMELY choppy. There was quite a south swell, so my husband and I didn't complain. When we arrived at Lana'i, we had to skip a snorkeling site due to rough water but were able to snorkel in a marine preserve bay. We saw a lot of fish and thought visibility was okay, but more experienced passengers thought that the visibility was awful.

We headed off to a Maui snorkeling site after an hour. On the way, we were treated to our "barbecue" lunch: cold-cut sandwiches, chips, and soda or water. We had all been looking forward to barbecue and almost every adult had been talking about the cocktails they were going to order. Compared to what we paid for, lunch was a real disappointment. But it was about to get worse; the water became even rougher, and passengers started vomiting everywhere - out the cabin windows and all over the floor right where everyone was eating. We did end up seeing dolphins, though.

The second snorkel site had pretty bad visibility, but we did see a few turtles! After an hour, we got back on the boat and headed back to the harbor.

We talked to a couple of locals (one an activity concierge) on the boat, and they said this trip is usually one of the best ones out there. But frankly, if you pay for barbecue and cocktails, you should be getting that (or something comparable with an explanation/apology). This did not happen on our trip. The locals said that the original boat would not have been as rough, as it was much bigger, too. We don't usually complain, but we wish we had gotten a bit of a refund. At least the crew was nice.