Hawaii’s Superferry Christened

Note: Hawaii’s Superferry system was closed down. See our guide to Hawaii’s inter-island travel for alternatives for getting from island to island.

The superferry was christened yesterday and named Alakai which means “ocean path”.  Nice name!

The ferry is scheduled to begin service in July but has already been getting some high interest according to the Honolulu Advertiser article.

It is one of two vessels Hawaii Superferry will eventually have in Hawai’i waters. The second, which is still under construction, will start service to the Big Island in 2009.

Both will hold about 900 passengers and 250 cars.

Hawaii Superferry has already started advertising its upcoming service to Maui and Kaua’i, and Garibaldi said its offices have been swamped with calls from people wanting tickets. The company will start taking reservations in May.

“We’ve had a lot of inquiries,” Garibaldi said yesterday by phone from Mobile. “People want to book right now.”

Alakai will go to and from Kaua’i and Maui once daily.

Advance one-way tickets purchased on the Web will cost $47 for trips Tuesday to Thursday, and $57 for trips Friday to Monday, according to the Hawaii Superferry Web site.

Base tickets will cost between $52 and $62.

Cars will cost between $59 and $69 to ship.

I think the superferry will be a neat way to see other islands on vacation, especially if you have a rental car.