Driving Directions

Please park at or near 1739 Ala Moana Blvd. (Hawaii Yacht Club).

DO NOT LET UBER/TAXI drop you off at CHART HOUSE or HAWAIIAN PARASAIL. 

You can easily locate the X-Dock where you will board the gondola on from a Google map search by typing “Hawaii WOW Gondola Cruises” and clicking on the “directions” button from your current location and also selecting “satellite view” so that you can see the floating dock that doesn’t appear on Google’s cartoon view. You can also see the map below or click on the following link https://tinyurl.com/WaikikiGondolaMap 

The X-Dock gate is about 15 car lengths from the Hawaii Yacht Club building

Walking Directions 

On Google Maps search for a pin called “Dock-X at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor” which is located next to a gated entrance marked       “X-Dock B,C,D Docks“. If you continued all the way down the road and reached the Hawaii Yacht Club, you just went a little too far. Just reverse a short distance and you should be able to see the sign that says “X-Dock B,C,D Docks“

As long as you are able to see the gated entrance named “X-Dock B,C,D Docks” at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, you should easily find Dock C (2nd left past the gate) and just walk toward the end where the gondolas are berthed.

If you should have any difficulty, we are here to help. Please give us a call and we will do our best to get you back on track to where you need to go. 

On the contrary, we host family cruises (for birthdays, holidays, or Mother’s Day). 

We can also host business lunches on board the gondolas. Our lunch cruises are a delightful way to break the ice or conduct business informally during a pleasant midday cruise.

Though we have many couples who inquire about a gondola cruise experience, we can accommodate up to four people on one boat or larger groups in several boats cruising in close proximity.

While some guests prefer to dress up for the occasion, especially if they are going to dinner or a show after their cruise, we always recommend that you dress comfortably and seasonally appropriate.

Although we are located conveniently near the world-famous Waikiki Beach, we expect some moderate amount of clothing to be worn. 

For example, dress for the sun during warm days and dress warmly if there is a cool breeze during a Hawaiian winter night, (although we do carry blankets on board). We find our guests generally dress in a nice but casual fashion, as they would to go to a restaurant. 

Ladies with heels: remember you will be walking on a dock to board the gondola, so we advise against stilettos.

Also, although available, adults will not be required to wear life jackets while aboard.

We suggest bringing sunglasses as well.

All of our gondolas have life jackets under the deck. That being said, please know that the gondolas are very safe and we’ve never had occasion to use any life jackets. If you or any of your guests would like to wear one, please advise us in advance so we can have them ready for you.

Please be advised that under Hawaii law, every child under 13 years of age on a moving recreational vessel must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Upon arrival and check in at the harbor, one of our staff will outfit your child with a life jacket for them to wear during the cruise.

No, we do not allow outside food on the gondola, but we do offer a bottled water or juice and Italian pastry included in the experience for no additional cost.

All of our cruises come with a complimentary bottled water or juice per guest. Only guests over 21 are permitted by law to consume alcohol. As such, if you are over 21 and wish to enjoy an adult beverage, you are welcome to bring your own bottles of alcohol. Please note that a corkage fee will be applicable for each bottle you bring aboard. Please drink responsibly. A respectful conduct will be expected at all times.

No. Smoking and/or vaping are not permitted at any time during the gondola cruise nor on the harbor.

We have two types of gondola rides: private rides and shared rides. In either case, up to four passengers can ride on each gondola at a time.

For parties of five or more, multiple gondolas may be reserved on either a private or shared ride basis.

If there is one or more open seats in one of the available shared-ride gondolas at a given time, we may fill it with another guest who expresses interest in riding at that scheduled cruise time.

In the same way that riders of a zipline excursion would be required to indicate their weight to ensure a safe experience, so to do our unique small group gondola boats have maximum weight restrictions that we must work within.

Therefore, to ensure the safety of all passengers of our gondola cruises, as well as the gondolier, the cumulative weight limit of all guest passengers (again, each boat can carry up to 4 guests) must not exceed 600lbs. For this reason, guests will have to provide their weight at the time of the booking. At our sole and absolute discretion, if it becomes clear that weight capacity is exceeded upon receiving your booking order or at the time of the scheduled cruise, we reserve the right to either cancel your booking or redistribute the guests to other gondolas, if available.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

There is no age limit to enjoy the experience. However, passengers under 24 months old must ride on an adult’s lap.

Yes! Please bring your camera, GoPro, or other recording device and remember to share the love by tagging us and using hashtags (#waikikigondola and #hawaiiwow) on any and all of your favorite social media platforms.

We take pride in our perfect safety record and implement every reasonable measure to maintain it.

This is a professional scenic tour, not a thrill ride so you should not experience any discomfort or nausea.

Our cruises are very smooth, and turns are slow and gentle.

All of our cruises are non-refundable within 24 hours of the scheduled departure, but they are transferrable. Once you make a reservation, that date and time are held specifically for you. If you are unable to make a scheduled cruise, we suggest having a friend or family member cruise in your place instead of letting the gondola sit empty for your reservation time. Please notify us if you intend to have other guests take your place so we may collect the relevant information in advance of their arrival.

Cancellations are permitted up to 24 hours in advance of your scheduled cruise. Reschedules requested the day of the cruise (i.e. within the non-refundable period) and especially for non-preapproved reasons (such as inclement weather) will incur an additional $35 fee per guest and are based on availability. This reschedule fee may be higher and determined on a per case basis, if special requests were approved and preparations were made for your scheduled cruise time. The credit of the amount previously paid is for new cruises within a year of the originally booked date.

We do recommend arriving at least 15-20 minutes prior to your cruise time in order to check in with our staff, find a parking spot, use the restroom, etc.

While we do suggest giving yourself a safety cushion of time so as not to be hurried, early arrival doesn’t necessarily mean you will depart early from the embarkation point. The gondolier may be preparing the boat, especially if he or she has had a cruise prior to yours. Your cruise will depart at the appointed time.

We embark by reservation, so your gondola and gondolier’s time are blocked specifically for your cruise. If you are running late, your gondolier will be waiting for you by the gondola. Cruise length and distance travelled will be factored in by the gondolier to the remaining time left of your scheduled cruise time. Because all of our cruises are non-refundable within 24 hours of the scheduled cruise time, please still plan to arrive even if you are running late so you can at least enjoy a portion of your cruise.

Most of the time rain in Hawaii is generally short-lived. As such, we operate in rain or shine, so please keep this in mind when making bookings. If it does rain, we will have umbrellas and ponchos available.

If we deem the conditions unsafe to operate, we will contact all guests as soon as possible to go over options. Such options may include a rain check/gift certificate to the guest, who can redeem it at a time of their convenience subject to availability within one year from the original cruise date.

All major credit cards are accepted (i.e. VISA, MASTERCARD, AMEX, DISCOVER, JCB).

We also accept payment via Paypal and Venmo.

If you don’t already have an account or are not logged in, you can either sign up or login when the secure credential fields pop-up.

Alternatively, you may pay without logging in to an account as a “guest” and input the applicable credit card details.