Oahu - Hawaii with Kids - page 134

reason you came to Hawaii, right? A shuttle will pick you up at your Waikiki
hotel between 9 and 9:30am and bring you back at about 4pm—it's a lot
quicker than taking TheBus.
Kaneohe Bay. & 808/942-5077. $69 adults, $59 children 13-17, $49 children 12 and under. Rates include
all-you-can-eat barbecue lunch and transportation from Waikiki hotels. No cruises Sun and holidays. Bus: 55
or 56.
Dream Cruises Ages 4 & up. If you aren't lucky enough to be in Hawaii
during humpback-whale season (roughly Jan-Apr), you can go dolphin-watch-
ing instead. The kids will love Dream Cruises' year-round dolphin-watching
cruises that check out friendly pods of bottle-nosed and spinner dolphins near
Yokahama Bay on the northern end of Oahu. Getting “up-close and personal”
with these protected marine mammals could be the highlight of your vacation.
During whale season, the company guarantees that if you don't see whales, you
can sail again for free. Departing from the Kewalo Basin are a variety of cruises,
ranging from a nearly all-day snorkel/splash tour that anchors off Waikiki for
snorkeling, swimming, and lunch, to a 2-hour sunset dinner-and-dancing cruise
with views of the Waikiki skyline.
Kewalo Basin and Waianae Small Boat Harbor. & 800/400-7300 or 808/592-5200. www.dream-cruises.
com. $28-$66 adults, $19-$40 children 4-12. Rates include hotel pickup and drop-off, plus some meals.
Navatek I Ages 2 & up. This is for families who are afraid to go on a
boat for fear of mal-de-mar (seasickness). This boat guarantees that you'll be
“seasick-free”—that's enough reason to book. The 140-foot-long Navatek I isn't
even called a boat; it's actually a SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull)
vessel. That means the ship's superstructure—the part you ride on—rests on twin
torpedo-like hulls that cut through the water so you don't bob like a cork. It's
the smoothest ride on Mamala Bay. In fact, Navatek I is the only dinner-cruise
ship to receive U.S. Coast Guard certification to travel beyond Diamond Head.
The boat trips range from 2 to 3 hours. Sunset dinner cruises leave Pier 6
(across from the Hawaii Maritime Museum) nightly. If you have your heart set
on seeing the city lights, take the Royal Sunset Dinner Cruise, which runs from
5:15 to 7:15pm. The best deal is the lunch cruise, with a full buffet lunch and
a great view of Oahu offshore. The lunch cruise lasts from 11:30am to 2pm.
Both cruises include live Hawaiian music.
Aloha Tower Marketplace, Pier 6. Reservations: c/o Hawaiian Cruises Ltd. & 808/973-1311. www.go-
atlantis.com. Dinner cruises $60-$100 adults, $40-$73 children 2-11; lunch cruises $52 adults, $33 children
2-11. Validated parking before 4:30pm $3, after 4:30pm flat parking fee of $2. Bus: 8, 19, 20, 55, 56, or 57;
or the Waikiki Trolley to stop no. 7.
BODYBOARDING (BOOGIE BOARDING) & BODYSURFING
Good places to learn to bodyboard are in the small waves of Waikiki Beach and
Kailua Beach, and Bellows Field Beach Park, off Kalanianaole Highway
(Hwy. 72) in Waimanalo, which is open to the public on weekends (from noon
Fri to midnight on Sun and holidays). To get here, turn toward the ocean on
Hughs Road, then right on Tinker Road, which takes you right to the park.
Waikiki Beach has vendors to teach you and your kids how to learn to surf for
$25 an hour per person. (The kids must be strong swimmers to take the surfing
lessons.)
OCEAN KAYAKING
For a wonderful family adventure, rent a kayak, arrive at Lanikai Beach just as the
sun is appearing, and paddle across the emerald lagoon to the pyramid-shaped