Page 2) Smith's Kauai Wailua River Cruise to Fern Grotto with Live Entertainment reviews, Kauai tours & activities, fun things to do in Kauai (With pictures only) | HawaiiActivities.com

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Smith's Kauai Wailua River Cruise to Fern Grotto with Live Entertainment

Overall Rating

4.46 4.46 / 5

Reviews

330 reviews
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Fern Grotto was beautiful

Reviewed by: Jaszmine, 2022/07/19

The cruise was okay. Due to the roof on the boat, it was difficult to see much. You walk a paved path to pretty scenery. Lots of people.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2022/07/11
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Wailua River Cruise

Reviewed by: Lina Aquino, 2022/07/02

The river cruise was fantastic! Last time we did this was 2007. This June 2022, took my children and grandchildren and they had a good time. A little suggestion, maybe next time, take the cruise a little further down where at least we can get a glimpse of the water fall, that will be awesome!!!!

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2022/06/08
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Very glad we did this!

Reviewed by: Niveen , 2022/07/02

Fun cruise exploring the river and history as told by the cruise captain. The walk through the “jungle” leading to the fern grotto was very enjoyable. The cruise back was fun - included song and dance. Recommend!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2022/06/14
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Just book it!

Reviewed by: Kristin Wolf, 2022/07/01

This was such an enjoyable boat tour! The captain and crew were friendly, funny and talented. The fern grotto was beautiful and the music and hula were so fun! Our kids enjoyed it too!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2022/06/29
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Boat ride was so relaxing!

Reviewed by: Mary, 2022/06/19

The tour was so nice and relaxing! Skipper and the rest of the staff was amazing. The waterfall at the end was breathtaking!The walk in to the fall was 10-15mins and along the path are different plants natives to Hawaii. Would definitely do again! Mahalo.

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2022/06/17
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Great experience

Reviewed by: Grace, 2022/05/05

Absolutely beautiful cruise, nice easy walk to grotto. The crew was fantastic, great music and history told throughout the cruise. My elderly mother really enjoyed the cruise.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2022/05/03
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Great family activity

Reviewed by: Hannah, 2022/04/29

Perfect length to keep young kids entertained, fun captain stories and singing.

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2022/04/25
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Smith’s river cruise

Reviewed by: Beverly Kramer , 2022/03/22

Once again the Smith family didn’t disappoint us with this river cruise. Telling us a little bit about the Smith family and the 5 generations who have worked there. Told us about the plant life on the island. We were treated to a Hawaiian song at the end of our short hike. My 81 year old father had no problems walking this short walk. On the way back to the dock we were given hula lessons and told what each hand gesture meant. Then we all did the luau while the song was being sung. It was awesome!

When we arrived to the island I thought I booked the cruise on the Wednesday but it was on Tuesday. I was called because we weren’t there and told it was no problem and that they would be rescheduled for the Wednesday.

Wonderful experience! I HIGHLY recommend is cruise!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2022/03/15
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Awesome beyond words!

Reviewed by: Tiffany , 2022/03/16

We could not have imagined how beautiful the scenery would be. The singing and dancing was an added bonus. The Smith family really did an amazing job providing a fun filled adventure.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2022/03/14
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A lovely, peaceful boat trip along a beautiful river

Reviewed by: Ginger from Kansas, 2022/02/13

The Smith's Wailua River Cruise was very good. The open windows were fantastic for taking pictures. We cruised at a relaxing speed. It was fun to watch the people in Kayaks and on paddle boards along the way. There is a roof on the boat so it's very shady & the padded bench seats are comfortable. We were entertained with interesting history about the river and area.
It was easy to get in & out of the boat. The Fern Grotto was a very lush & beautiful area. There were no mosquitoes or flying insects when we were there between 11 A. M & 12:30 P. M.
At the Grotto & on the boat, we were entertained with singing and dancing. It was a very enjoyable time for all.

  • A view from the boat

  • Part of the Fern Grotto

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2022/02/11
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Always my favorite!

Reviewed by: Sonja Newton, 2022/01/31

Every time I come to Kauai, I do this River Cruise and it never gets old. It is entertaining, educational, beautiful and just plain fun for all ages. I especially appreciate that the staff and crew always seen to be enjoying themselves as well!

  • Fun for everyone, including my daughter and her husband who recently moved to the island and hadn't had a chance to experience it this way!

  • Fun for everyone including my 90 year old father. Thank you for making him feel special!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2022/01/06
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Great family tour

Reviewed by: :-), 2021/11/14

We have two toddlers so this was a nice adventure to take with little ones. The fern grotto is beautiful.

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2021/10/18
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So worth it!

Reviewed by: Catharina , 2021/09/27

Great short cruise for the money, even includes entertainment. We loved it! We would do it again.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2021/09/22
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Aloha ! Remarkable performances by the musicians and Aloha dancers

Reviewed by: Hazel De Leon, 2021/09/02

Aloha ! Remarkable performances by the musicians and Aloha dancers. A very entertaining group! My family was amazed all througout the river cruise. The walk to the Fern Grotto was a unique experience because the beauty of the lush and large tropical plants was amazing and beautiful. Overall, an exciting experience to see a beautiful garden ( Fern Grotto) . It is very well recommended to have the river cruise and if we come back to Kauai, we will do the Wailua river cruise again.

  • Beautiful Fern Grotto

  • A lush garden

  • At the Fern Grotto

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2021/08/02
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Very interesting and beautiful

Reviewed by: Mamacreamz , 2020/03/28

This is a wonderful tour. The boat is comfortable and a mild ride for all ages. The waterfall and fern grotto are beautiful. You receive history of the area and enjoy Hawaiian song and dance. There is time to walk around and enjoy the beauty

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2020/03/08
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Leisure Cruise

Reviewed by: Terrible Trío , 2020/02/01

Had an awesome time. Crew was friendly and the singers were great!

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2020/01/07
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Smith family does amazing job with style

Reviewed by: Lisa Fleishman , 2020/01/06

Smith family knows how to do everything with style class and professionalism.. always a great family time. Everyone knows how to make you feel apart of everything

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2020/01/03
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Wailua Cruise

Reviewed by: Debbie, 2019/11/08

A very nice peaceful river ride. Enjoyed the history discussion on cruise.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2019/11/05
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Fern Grotto cruise experience

Reviewed by: Richard from Oahu, 2019/07/20

We appreciated the ride up to view the grotto, which everyone visiting Kaua’i should see. The best part was the music! Made me thirsty!

I highly recommend the Smith boat ride without reservation.

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2019/07/17
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Fun ride

Reviewed by: Dave , 2019/06/11

Beautiful views. It is a lot of fun. Great entertainment. Nice people. Would recommend it.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2019/06/08
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Great tour of the river

Reviewed by: Nikki, 2019/05/22

Friendly people and nice tour with lots of information

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2019/05/19
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Ok.

Reviewed by: Deb D, 2019/05/02

Relatively 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2019/04/29
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Very interesting trip

Reviewed by: Martin, 2019/02/28

Excellent organization of the trip, nice music and dance, very impressive walk to fern grotto. All-in-one: Beautiful trip worth the money

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2019/02/25
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It was a fun boat ride.

Reviewed by: Gladys Espino, 2019/01/03

The boat felt a little outdated but the staff and the scenery made up for it. Our girls had fun riding the boat, watching the hula dancers, and learning about some history.

  • Here's a picture of a waterfall at Fern Grotto

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2018/07/04
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Great Activity!

Reviewed by: Chuck&Vickie, 2018/09/27

This was a great activity. The boat ride was great. The captain's commentary was insightful and the scenery was beautiful. The entertainment was also very good.

  • At the Grotto

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2018/09/24
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Great option to see Wailua river and Fern Grotto for those not kayaking

Reviewed by: B.L., 2017/12/17

5 years ago I came to Kauai and kayaked up the Wailua river. This time I'm taking family here who are not all physically fit and it would be a pity if there was no other way to see the Wailua river and Fern Grotto! Fortunately there's Smith's River Cruise! It offers a relaxing way to see the river, take a boat ride, and walk around the Fern Grotto. Well worth the ticket price! You also get to see a fun performance by the crew there and on the boat ride back, and get to join in the dancing.

  • Performance at Fern Grotto

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2017/12/10
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Fern Grotto Boat Tour

Reviewed by: Oahu Vacationers, 2017/11/15

We had to U-turn few mins late since GPS couldn’t find the Wailua Marina location - Waze app had “Wailua River State Park” but it took us down a tiny steep road... luckily we arrived on time for the 11am tour. Had great photos along the way! Enjoyed the boat ride; aside from the humidity and brown muddy water due to the rain night before...bring a fan or baby wipes. We saw 2 kayakers and 2 paddle boarders. Nice boat attendees and Hawaiian musicians. A lovely, less than 2 hr tour with lots of time to explore rest of the island! Mahalo!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2017/11/12
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Our trip to the Fern Grotto

Reviewed by: Tom H., 2017/11/06

It was definitely worth the time to visit the Fern Grotto. It was enjoyable and we even got a bit of Hawaiian history!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2017/11/03
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Wailua Smith Boat Tour

Reviewed by: Janet, 2017/05/24

This 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2017/05/21
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Lovely ride

Reviewed by: Chris P, 2017/05/20

Smooth, interesting and all round pleasant ride to a beautiful place.

  • Cruisin

  • Fern Grotto

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2017/05/17
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