Description: My father-in-law, when he was stationed in Maui during World War II, worked on the Lahaina Ka’anapali Railroad when the US Army assumed operation of it. For that reason, my husband wanted to ride the railroad and booked us on the Sugar Cane Train dinner for the Thursday night.
In the pouring rain (with interludes of lightning), we returned from our outing to the railroad parking lot. We checked in at the small wooden kiosk, along with other passengers who huddled to avoid the rain. Each passenger received a bandanna with a silk-screened company logo. As the staff advised us to wait in our cars to seek shelter from the downpour, we hopped over rivers of water, which drained from the parking lot to the road below.
Finally, the train appeared but passed the station. The staff informed us that the train had to pass the station and turn around at the roundabout so that we would face south when we boarded.
We scrambled onto the train and found seats in the well-used passenger cars. As the train slowly rolled down the track, we could smell the natural gas emanating from the engine. We rode through Ka’anapali and arrived at Lahaina station. There, we disembarked and strolled into the gift shop. My husband watched the staff moved the engine onto a turntable and reversed the train’s direction.
As we headed back to Ka’anapali station, the rain slowed to a light drizzle. When we arrived, four young girls and a band greeted us with a hula dance. We had the choice of remaining on the train or eating at the picnic tables behind the station. The contingency plan in case of rain was to move passengers onto the train and have the performers dance on a covered patio instead of the lattice stage at the back of the station.
As it turned out, the performers split their show between the stage and in front of the train for some passengers chose to remain on the train to have dinner. We opted for the picnic tables and, fortunately, it didn’t rain on us.
The barbecue buffet featured ribs, chicken, corn, salads, fresh fruit and dessert. Apparently, the Sheraton had catered the meal. Perhaps they should never have told us this because the food was average and my expectations of Sheraton catering had been higher. Nevertheless, this was our first all-you-can-eat dinner so we stretched our stomachs. The show began about halfway through our meal.
Some of the performers were young girls, who were especially endearing as they danced with the adult dancers. We enjoyed the cute performance but the Hyatt Luau provided more entertainment.
After dinner, we boarded the train for the train depot where we had started our journey. In retrospect, we recommend this event for families with children. However, for adults, the ride, dinner and show may leave you feeling as if you had overspent for average food and entertainment value.
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