Which luau?

[goosemay]

We are headed to Hawaii on Pride of America next summer. Although I tend to pass on expensive excursions, I'm bringing my sister along who has never been to Hawaii and never cruised. I see three luaus- all have mixed reviews. Help! One is Smith's, one is at the Grand Hyatt, and the other was a large ( a thousand people?) under a large, covered venue. I prefer small and excellent food over a petting zoo and additional tours. Thoughts? Thank you!

[phissy]

The luau in Lahaina (i think it is Smiths) is the one most prefer. We have been to Maui many times and on POA last year. You have enough time to research and look at reviews . I would recommend to make reservation off of the ship. NCL excursions are pretty pricey, and available easily directly booked.

[hawk/hornfan]

We did a Hawaii cruise aboard Celebrity in 2015, while in Maui we attended the Old Lahaina Luau. It is excellent. https://www.oldlahainaluau.com/

[zerooveride]

I'm going in less than two weeks to the Diamond Head Luau in Honolulu. Got it on Groupon. I'll let you know how it is

[mking8288]

The Hawaii destination forum will have more details & current tips for 2018 ahead. But, if you are flying into HNL ahead of POA sailing and touring pre- and/or post-cruise, the land-based ones in Oahu are just as good & entertainment - it's basically prepared & cooked in the ground pit the native way. They offer AAA & AARP discounts, free RT hotel pickup & dropoff and is less expensive than ship tours - and, you have time to consider other tours & plenty to do in Maui.

 

Otherwise, don't be surprised to see POA crew "working" at the luau ;p ... to help out. Mahalo

[RD29P5]

If your island time allows go to the Luau Kalamaku on Kauai in Lihue, not nearly as crowed as the bigger islands. The Kilohana Plantation is an ideal location. Added bonus is the Koloa Rum Company store right next door.

https://www.luaukalamaku.com/

[Silver Sweethearts]

The luau in Lahaina (i think it is Smiths) is the one most prefer. We have been to Maui many times and on POA last year. You have enough time to research and look at reviews . I would recommend to make reservation off of the ship. NCL excursions are pretty pricey, and available easily directly booked.

 

You are probably thinking of either Old Lahaina Luau or The Feast At Lele (also in Lahaina). The Smith luau is not on Maui. Old Lahaina Luau is a Hawaiian luau with buffet service. The Feast At Lele is a Polynesian luau with table service. Just remember you will need to have or arrange transportation to and from Lahaina, as the POA docks in Kahului (the better part of an hour away from Lahaina).

[Kierste]

In Kauai, our favorite luau is Smiths, been there forever and a great time.

[hdcnm]

We also went to Smiths - it was amazing. The grounds are so beautiful.

[twobuckbear]

We also went to Smiths - it was amazing. The grounds are so beautiful.

 

 

15 years of luaus.....Smith's is the best! Beautiful grounds, great show and lots of good food n drink.

[dexddd]

I tenth that for Smiths. They have various packages - buy ahead, buy ahead with bus transport, etc. Check out their website.

[SSMcruises]

I did the one at Grand Hyatt two years ago. We were staying at the property which allowed us to change days at the last minute. It was about to rain so they were moving it into the banquet space, and I did not want to attend indoors.

 

It was a nice evening, and we enjoyed it. It did not seem to drag and was certainly entertaining. People started lining up about 30 minutes beforehand, we joined the line maybe 15 minutes beforehand and were able to get front seats. Its group seating at long tables, we chatted with those sitting around us, which did make it more enjoyable.

 

I did not like group excursions, big crowds or feeling like one of thousands...but I did not feel that at the Grand Hyatt at all. It was well managed and quick to get served.

 

Enjoy!

[zerooveride]

Someone who was just on POA told me that about half the ship went to the NCL luau. Too many people for me!

[dubcnote]

In Maui, Old Lahaina Luau is excellent. In Oahu, Germaine's Luau was great as well.

[Peachypooh]

If a luau is done right it is a wonderful time. If not it is pretty miserable. Check out the menus if you can, what you would be sitting on (benches, folding chairs, the ground) What time the show starts if (you don't want to hang around for a very long time after you eat.) We went to one at the Sheraton on Maui (don't know if they do it anymore) and it was perfect. We checked out one at the KoOlina beach resort on Oahu and decided to skip. Done right it is a really fun time.

[EllieinNJ]

We also did Germaine's in Oahu before the cruise.You can get discount tickets on Savon, just like Groupon, which includes drinks and a bus. Just be aware that the bus ride is about 45 minutes each way. The bus "monitor" keeps up a never-ending supply of chatter each way. We all had to tell her to be quiet coming back because some of us wanted to sleep.

[SNJCruisers]

We did a Hawaii cruise aboard Celebrity in 2015, while in Maui we attended the Old Lahaina Luau. It is excellent. https://www.oldlahainaluau.com/

Went here on multiple visits to Maui over 20 years ago and it was fantastic. Not crowded....they don't bring bus loads of people that turn it into a cattle call.

[pe4all]

I'm going in less than two weeks to the Diamond Head Luau in Honolulu. Got it on Groupon. I'll let you know how it is

We did this luau in December. It was pretty good. Got the vip package through groupon. They don't roast the pig in front of you, but it had great dancers and fire-twirlers!

[zerooveride]

We did this luau in December. It was pretty good. Got the vip package through groupon. They don't roast the pig in front of you, but it had great dancers and fire-twirlers!

 

We did the Groupon thing too. We're doing it the night before the cruise.

[tempus137]

We did the Chief's luau on Oahu, at Sea Life Park. There were activities before hand, such as basket weaving & spear throwing, different levels of service / seating from table service to buffet line. The show was great and they brought birthday & anniversary people up on stage. It is a fairly long bus trip from Waikiki.

[pe4all]

We did the Groupon thing too. We're doing it the night before the cruise.

I think you will enjoy it. We walked from our hotel (Holiday Inn Waikiki) to the aquarium. The aquarium was very small, but I loved watching the seahorses they had. You then get a welcome rum punch and necklace as you enter the luau area. They have different "stations" set up - headband weaving, ukelele playing, etc. They then had you sit for the show. As we were VIP, (with the more expensive groupon) they brought the food and drinks to us, and the service was fantastic. If you wanted more of any food, they would get it for you. We did not have to stand on the buffet line, as all the other tables did. We did it on a Friday night. It poured on us, but they gave ponchos out, which really helped!

[CatsinShow]

If you want to do one in Kona, the Royal Kona Resort does one. It's not a huge luau but the food smelled and looked pretty good (I did not actually do the luau but I had a room overlooking it so I saw part of it and smelled everything).

 

In Honolulu I did Jerome's. The food and drinks were good. Fun atmosphere. Large luau.