On most islands in Hawaii there is a clear distinction between what is referred to as a sunset sail and a sunset dinner cruise. Both cruises will usually stay out about 2 hours and the big difference between the two is that the dinner cruises will include dinner and the sunset sails will just offer pupu’s or hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. On Kauai, there are some cruises that are sunset cruises and others that are dinner cruises but the distinction between them is not so cut and dry. This is primarily a function of the ‘Na Pali Coast’. If you stay south and cruise the Poipu coast the same parameters apply just like on the other islands. You could do a 2 hour sunset cruise or one that includes some more substantial food as well. Because it takes perhaps 4 or even 5 hours to take a cruise from the main port of Port Allen up to Na Pali most people will be wanting to have something to eat as well and hence they provide the full dinner cruise. Other boats will stick to the script of the traditional sunset cruises and provide heavy pupu’s as well which for all intents and purposes turns out to be the same thing. Regardless, because the big swells crash along the Na Pali Coastline in the winter months, both types of cruises are ‘nixed’ during those months and the only game in town will be along the Poipu coastline. Most of these cruises will include some level of food or hors d’oeuvres along with cocktails but we find that these offerings do tend to vary from boat to boat during these winter months.