Super Ferry

[Al Mialkovsky]

Is this thing ever going to work? I see that it's been out of service for 3+ weeks now and they won't get it back into the water until after March 25th.

Wouldn't it bite to take your car to another island only to find out you won't be bringing your car back home?

 

[friscuba]

I'd be reluctant to use it mid-December through mid-March. I think people are going to realize they might need a backup plan if they're planning the trip in advance to where they can't see the longterm surf forecast. It'll be curious to see what the car rental agencies do, I suspect they'll be left shuttling cars on a semi-regular basis.

 

[rgbmatt]

The superferry's not practical for ordinary travellers - it's unreliable and expensive. Flying and renting a car is still cheaper & easier. Although I'm a supporter of the superferry, I don't see myself ever using it.

The people who really benefit from it are businesses who need to move supplies & equipment between islands. Fortunately, they can still ship stuff over on Young Brothers if the ferry goes down.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Honestly our thing is to be able to ride the ferry over and either take a van full of dive gear and camp for a week or haul over the motorcycle and do a loop around the island.

Seems like such a good idea but it isn't very affordable.

Oh and I just read that the date to start up again is April 25th now so 10 weeks out of service.

 

[kidspot]

I was considering taking it to Oahu this week, but they are down ... so far my 3 trips they have been out of commission. Making it a difficult sell to folks who want to use it with all the hickups here at startup... I really hope they get all the wrinkles worked out and do well as a business, but between the protestors, low airfare, weather and vessel damages ... it's gonna be tough to be competitive or gain a reputation for consistent service.

I'm planning on taking my car over this summer ... but I'm not gonna pre-buy tickets yet.

Best wishes to the Superferry folks ... I really want to see their plan work!

Aloha, Tim

 

[KrisB]

At the moment, it's actually cheaper to use the Superferry (when it's running) than to fly and rent, PROVIDING you're staying three or more days.

Once they jack the prices back up and put the fuel surcharge back in place (scheduled for sometime in the summer), that will turn into a minimum of 5-6 day stay for any sort of value.

Of course, for those of us on Maui, it still makes sense to use the Superferry for shopping trips beyond what you can find on-island, as long as it will fit in the back of a pickup.

They're really going to be catering to a specialized market -- not the mainstream that they're promoting to.

Oh -- for the record -- I've ridden it on two round-trip voyages. Once in early December, once in early January. The trip back in December was rough. The rest of the three were great!

One tip: don't pay extra for the front lounge. Once the trip starts, they stop checking passes for entry.

 

[rgbmatt]

Are those protesters still going at it? Oddly enough, everybody I've talked to who's actually used the superferry is from Maui - it sounds like it's more beneficial to your island than ours.

 

[Charlie99]

The people who really benefit from it are businesses who need to move supplies & equipment between islands.

The people on Maui who need those services benefit too!

My condo owners association is having a hard time finding someone to replace a bunch of fascia boards on some 4 story buildings. The guys on Maui don't have the people and equipment to work 4 stories up on a cherry picker or scaffolding. Lots of guys on Oahu do, and using the Superferry (when it's running) is quicker and less hassle than bringing everything over by barge.

I'm surprised that the Superferry hasn't started up some sort of express freight operation. When I added central AC to my condo a few years ago, the contractor used air freight to bring over a couple of pretty good sized compressors and air handlers rather than putting up with the hassles and delays of Young Brothers.

 

[rgbmatt]

I'm surprised that the Superferry hasn't started up some sort of express freight operation. When I added central AC to my condo a few years ago, the contractor used air freight to bring over a couple of pretty good sized compressors and air handlers rather than putting up with the hassles and delays of Young Brothers.

That'd be a good small business idea once the ferry is better established. Door-to-door interisland deliveries.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Are those protesters still going at it? Oddly enough, everybody I've talked to who's actually used the superferry is from Maui - it sounds like it's more beneficial to your island than ours.

The protesters were mostly on Kauai, and they were successful, in that the SF has only docked at Kauai once (out of two attempts). Until the SF comes back to Kauai they don't have to protest.

The Maui legal battle continues, with an appeal to the Hawaii Supreme Court.