Maui Nui Lū‘au — Attraction in Maui

We just got back from the Luau (Monday night, light attendance) and I gotta tell you, it was really entertaining. The food was good (a little bit of all sorts of flavors). Is there better food on the island? Of course, but this is a HOTEL luau we’re talking about here. We booked last minute and this is what was available. It’s overpriced, yeah, but we were kind of stuck with a timeframe. It’s not a total waste of money. They can’t please everyone, so go with a positive attitude and don’t expect a gold platter because you overpaid. If you don’t have fun then it’s your own fault really. The fish was and mac/potato salad were meh, but everything else had good flavor. The drinks we had were not watered down, and we got a little tipsy even. If you’re a regular heavy drinker then they’re probably too light for you. They are unlimited, so drink up if you’re trying to get hammered at a family show. Dessert was pretty terrible, to be honest. The show really was spectacular. The men and women were all so funny and talented, my goodness can they dance. We all received leis upon entry right around 505pm. We received a text saying to show up at 5:10, and I’m glad we didn’t listen. We got there at 4:45 and got a decent place in line. You are assigned a table beforehand, but it was nice to pick the seat at the table early. We were at table 25 and pretty close to the stage. Sound was great. A light music show started pretty promptly, maybe a half hour in, and it continued constantly throughout the night with a few 10 minute breaks. Food was opened around 6 and it went pretty smoothly. You can keep going back as late as 715pm is what we were told. The fire portion of the show started at 7pm and was an hour long. Great show. We did get to see the cliff diver and that was fun! The sunset was great. We walked from across the street so we didn’t get stuck in parking traffic.

Pros: Great location. Pretty leis. Good food. Open bar with vodka, rum, bourbon, gin, and wines. Plus pre-made piña coladas and mai tais. Employees were really nice and funny.

Cons: Overpriced. No shade while the sun is up and hot. Professional pics are before leis are handed out.

Tips: Don’t be a Karen and don’t expect to get what you paid for. It’s a corporate hotel chain Luau so they’re trying to make money off of tourists. Don’t go if you’re one who usually complains. Sunscreen for sure! Line up earlyish. If you’re in a group or a couple, have one person grab drinks while the other gets escorted to the table to “reserve” seats so you skip the line. Go stand near the beach close to sunset to see the diver. Run up to the dancers right afterwards to take...

Good: The Show was amazing. Bad: Drinks were TERRIBLE, Food was okay - Bring sunscreen, you're in full sun till 7:15.

This was our first Luau for our first trip to Hawaii (Maui). Pricing was tough at $180/person for the four of us, but we wanted the full Hawaii experience. We arrived about 10 minutes early (5:50pm) and found a massive line waiting to get in. We didn't know they booked over 600 people for this Luau on a Wednesday evening. There wasn't any organization to the entrance, so we missed the fresh leis and someone had to grab us four. Once we were let in, we were seated at table 11 - which was in the second row from the front, not too bad....but I saw tables into the 60's toward the back. 10 people to a table, so get your mingle on. Drinks were the worst part of this event. Literally hundreds of pre-poured MaiTais and PinaColadas sitting on folding tables. People would come up and grab 4-6 at a time. They were really watered down and had ZERO alcohol. I later grabbed a MaiTai from the "open" bar and it was the same. Kids got a couple of pepsis in a cup full of ice with warm 2-liters poured into it. Since we were table 11, we got released pretty quick for the buffet style dinner - 4 table lines. Typical Luau food - pork, teriyaki steak, chicken, fish and the rest. It was okay, probably the worst food we had on the island (especially for the money). Desserts were small island inspired items, nothing rememberable. The highlight overall was the show. The dancers, musicians and MC were great. They really saved this Titanic from going down. In hind sight, it would be great to just watch the show (which we snuck in for Friday's performance beach side to watch again) and skip the meal and crowd. It sucks that this was by far the MOST expensive food/drinks, yet the worst we had on our trip - really seemed like they took advantage of the "Luau" for visitors. At 65 tables (approx) with 10 people per table times $180, this place racks in...

This was unfortunately a sub par luau experience, with poor operations and a remarkably bad sound system. In retrospect I'd either book a really great one like Old Lahaina Luau, or not go. The operations of it were so bad that ultimately we left early. It felt like an overcrowded wedding, bad drinks, mediocre food, hours of waiting around for the actual luau show (hula dancers etc) to start.

Pros: -Kind, helpful staff. -Beautiful grounds and beachside location! -Everyone gets a lei, nice touch! -Lovely dancers and music! -Easy access if you stay at the Sheraton (and $5 validated valet parking if not)! -Cool to see the pit where the pig is buried.

Cons: -SLOW to get started, with hot and sweaty waiting area. Arrived at 5 as instructed, but it was all still being set up. What actually happens is that check-in BEGINS at 5:30, with lines beginning to start forming at 5, and then check-in is insanely slow because of optional photo opps and the long lines that have formed. We weren't checked in and seated until 6:15, so that's over an hour of standing in a long hot sunny line if you don't queue up early - and even if you do probably ~45 mins. -Once you are in you mill around a lot. There is an open bar and some shopping/vendors, but the drinks are weak and bad. -Finally there is a buffet, which was decent but nothing to write home about. There are some sporadic little things going on onstage, like musical acts or teaching us how to crack open a coconut, but the MC is quite hard to hear (unless you are in preferred front row seating) so we didn't really know what was going on up there as general guests. -The true show didn't start until after sunset, so maybe 7:15 or so in the summer. This is after basically milling around plus a quick dinner for 2+ hours. I wish it could have happened at the same time as dinner more or less. -The desserts were truly TRULY terrible. Like airplane desserts but worse even. I...