Smith's Kauai Wailua River Cruise to Fern Grotto with Live Entertainment
Overall Rating
4.46
Try to find good seats
Reviewed by: Csaba, 2023/10/21Ordered tickets online, showed up early at the location and waited in the line to get in the boat. I was lucky to get good seats in the boat where the view is better than seating in the middle. If you take this trip you will see what I mean.
Some of the people ended up seating in the middle and they didn’t look happy about that…
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2023/09/29 |
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Way too crowded
Reviewed by: TravelerT, 2023/09/13I was expecting to "be at one with nature" but there were so many people. We took a short walk up the path, which was beautiful but no time to stop & appreciate it or take photos. Then, when reaching to grotto, it was so crowded, there are other people in all the photos. You don't actually go into the fern grotto, you see it from a short distance. We were told we could take photos on the way down, but the path is narrow and there's the huge line of people behind you so you can't stop. The river ride was nice, but the entertainment took away from the peacefulness of the ride.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2023/09/11 |
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Beautiful, but boring.
Reviewed by: Traveler, 2023/08/23The overall cost was reasonable, the grotto beautiful, but the cruise and experience was pretty dull overall.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2023/08/21 |
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Step back into a 1960’s adventure.
Reviewed by: Wanda , 2023/05/28Unfortunately most of the wonder has been lost. A relaxing ride on a river filled with kayakers.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2023/05/26 |
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Pleasant River Ride with Entertainment
Reviewed by: R. Schaffer, 2023/05/27The site is well kept and attractive. The boat is clean and roomy. There is entertainment one way and on the way back, information about the area and the River. At the Fern Grotto you have a short walk into the forest area and a view into The Grotto. I was hoping for more historical information and a closer look at the grotto.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2023/05/03 |
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Not worth it if you have to get transportation there…
Reviewed by: Nicole & Thomas, 2022/06/12The tour was nothing to write home about. The captain had corny jokes; from the boat, you couldn’t see anything but the hau trees that lined the river; once you get to the grotto, it’s a pretty view but you’re 50-100yards from the cave entrance. The family sang but with all the people there, you could barely hear.
The taxi ride from Poipu was $70 each way. Add that to the cost of 2 tickets($60), this tour was not worth $200. Had we been located closer to the harbor, we might have been able to justify the cost.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/06/10 |
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Rush to get an edge seat!
Reviewed by: Familywithkids, 2022/04/16The grotto was beautiful, the dancing and singing was great. The overhead boat speakers were really hard to hear- we couldn't make out the stories they were telling well. If you get stuck in the middle, you can't see anything. Overall, it's not something I'd do more than once.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2022/04/14 |
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Friendly staff.
Reviewed by: Annalisa, 2022/02/23The staff was very friendly and they try really hard to be sure you have fun even if the cruise itself can be a little bit boring.
I didn’t appreciate that they don’t say anything to people who don’t wear a mask even if it’s still mandatory. That part was really annoying.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2022/02/21 |
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Tired
Reviewed by: Sharon, 2021/12/11The building where we pay and gather is very depressing. The boat ride was uneventful, the grotto was a beauty of nature. We music was okay, we could tell the performers were tired because it was the last trip of the day, but they were nice and accommodating.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/11/17 |
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Ok.
Reviewed by: Deb D, 2019/05/02Relatively inexpensive way to see some of the river greenery. Appreciated the history/culture narration. Lead entertainer on the way back was funny! Hula ladies don’t really seem into it, you feel like they are just doing a job and don’t necessarily enjoy it, and they seemed tired. Fern grotto a beautiful site.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/04/29 |
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Good for a rainy day!
Reviewed by: Christy, 2018/02/28It was something to do on a rainy day to fill a couple hours.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2018/02/25 |
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Wailua Smith Boat Tour
Reviewed by: Janet, 2017/05/24This was a very throw back to the past type of experience. Simple fun, nice people, old fashioned hospitality. The river is in full sun, would not recommend kayak option..not enough interesting flora along the way. Hula and Hawaiian music on the boat ride fun. Fern Grotto was devastated in 1992 and a shadow of it's former glory. Guide gave good local information in an entertaining sort of presentation. I'd take grandma and grandpa or very young kids on this tour.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2017/05/21 |
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I just don't enjoy large group tours
Reviewed by: Linsey, 2017/03/26This is a great tour for those that want an easy, non-strenuous ride up and back on the river. I just did not enjoy being packed in with that many people to see the attraction after hiking and adventuring all week and then going on a garden tour directly before this one. I thought it was the only way to get to the grotto, and didn't like being herded in a huge group to see the ferns and hurry and take a photo. We really wished we knew that renting kayaks from the same company was an option because that looked way more our style. Aside from that, the staff was nice and gave an informative tour and musical entertainment for the ride. Best suited for older or more conservative tourists.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/03/23 |
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River cruise
Reviewed by: Gary & Elvia, 2016/10/22It was nice, although it was short. I rented a kayak for the same river. Hindsight I should of did my homework.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/09/28 |
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Disappointing
Reviewed by: Peter, 2016/09/25Hurricane Iniki did in the fern grotto which I had not been aware of so was disappointed in that as it was always so beautiful. Other than that the river ride is always nice and Wailua such a beautiful place. The crew and entertainers were delightful and all in all it's a fun ride but as I said the fern grotto which is what most come to see was pretty much done in my mother nature. I had been on this ride more than once and first time as a child as my father was born in Lihue so I knew the grotto as it had been years ago so this most likely is what led me to my disappointment but first time goers will still find it a lovely trip and fun for all. Aloha
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/09/04 |
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Average boat tour
Reviewed by: Lucie, 2015/09/22This was 2 hour boat tour to Fern Grotto and back with live music. The tour was average, nothing special.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2015/08/24 |
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Enjoyable but not as impressive as a trip 10 years ago
Reviewed by: Marcia, 2015/09/19Everything on Kauai has a beautiful plant variety. It is awesome
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2015/08/28 |
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Awesome entertainment!
Reviewed by: Hulala, 2014/12/09I was not particularly excited about this excursion because the fern grotto is all dried up and you can't go in anymore. However the entertainment was great. I dont think they could have made the excursion better with all the story telling, music and dancing. It was alot more than i expected and it was a great start to the luau we saw after!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Not so exciting
Reviewed by: Jim, 2014/08/10River was calm. Performance was nice, but overall not so exciting. Won't do it again.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Wailua River Cruise to Fern Grotto
Reviewed by: Jackie, 2014/08/04I was disappointed. I had been there about 4 years ago and the Fern Grotto was beautiful with lots of beautiful flowers to look at. It was so over grown you could hardly see the water fall. I also felt rushed, no time to admire the flowers that were there. I would not recommend this.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2014/07/28 |
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What is a review title
Reviewed by: Gladys Perry, 2014/08/03I was disappointed that we could no longer go up to the fern area due to damage beyond the River Cruise control.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2014/04/30 |
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Disappointing
Reviewed by: jcaruthers, 2012/11/05My new husband and I went on this River cruise as recommended by our travel agent as the most romantic thing we could do for our honeymoon.
The only romantic thing about it was the Hawaiian wedding song while we stood on a deck with 100 other people. This would not be my idea of romantic. Maybe it used to be a romantic place to go when you could go inside the cave but now it just looks like a rock wall with some ferns in it.
We didn't get the best start to our boat ride but we were both disappointed when we arrived to our location. The entertainment was fun and were really the only reason the trip was worth it. I wouldn't recomend it to anyone as a place to see on their honeymoon. The only thing that redeemed it was that it was probably the cheapest thing we did while we were there.
Since this site won't let me pick wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I chose families.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Okay not great
Reviewed by: Peggy - Global Traveler, 2012/08/0620 years ago this was a really great trip as you were able to go inside the cave and the water fall there was more than a trickle. Since the Iniki Hurricane in the 90's that is no longer possible. The landslide that happened ended the cave tour part and ended the waterfall being as it was.
I would recommend this to any one who has just landed in Kauai, older couples perhaps, who have never seen a fern grotto of any kind. For kids it is boring. Heard that a few times :)
As for a wedding... I would honestly not recommend this particular trip as it is average or just okay. The boat trip up and back in the boat was the best part. For wedding parties I would honestly recommend arranging something with the Smith Family or one of the local Resorts and doing it as part of a Luau. That would be better. Hawaii Activities can help you find many other events that would be better for a wedding. They rock!
This is a nice easy trip and okay to see. But if you have limited
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
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River Tour
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2011/04/07Great for kids.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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River Ride
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2011/04/07Good for families with small children.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Fern Grotto is beautiful!
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2009/11/22We thought the Fern Grotto was beautiful and the river cruise scenery was spectacular. Entertainment on board was so so.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
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Fern Grotto
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2009/05/28Not what I expected, could have skipped it to spend more time at the Smith's laua.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
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fern grotto river cruise
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2009/01/05I don't regret doing this, however, I would not do it again. Decent activity for first timers.
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| Attended as: | Families |
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