Page 9) Smith's Kauai Wailua River Cruise to Fern Grotto with Live Entertainment reviews, Kauai tours & activities, fun things to do in Kauai | 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

329 reviews
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Padricipant

Reviewed by: Sharon Norris, 2014/10/05

Very lovely experience and I would recommend everyone participate in this adventure.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2014/10/01
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Fern Grotto

Reviewed by: Eoka, 2014/09/20

We enjoyed the lush surroundings, however, it cannot compare to our previous trip which was many years ago. At that time we were able to actually walk into the Fern Grotto and listen to the singers in the grotto. We did enjoy the entertainment on our return trip back to the dock.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2014/09/17
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More than expected!

Reviewed by: MarshFamily, 2014/09/20

This tour is awesome! So much more than expected! The family/crew were all very nice and very entertaining! I would recommend this tour to anyone looking to learn a little bit of island history and relax on the comfortable boat!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2014/09/17
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Delightful!

Reviewed by: Felicia, 2014/09/13

Was definitely worth the time! I would have liked to be able to approach the grotto, but our guide was magnificent & the boat team made it a very enjoyable trip. Talented dancer & singers! We will cherish this memory!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2014/08/18
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Wailua River Cruise to Fern Grotto

Reviewed by: Shirin Khosravinejat, 2014/08/23

It was fun. Polite, professional staff,
Enjoyable performance; however the stop was somewhat short at fern Grotto.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2014/07/31
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Not so exciting

Reviewed by: Jim, 2014/08/10

River was calm. Performance was nice, but overall not so exciting. Won't do it again.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
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Wailua River Cruise to Fern Grotto

Reviewed by: Jackie, 2014/08/04

I 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2014/07/28
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What is a review title

Reviewed by: Gladys Perry, 2014/08/03

I was disappointed that we could no longer go up to the fern area due to damage beyond the River Cruise control.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2014/04/30
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More than Worth the Money

Reviewed by: Kelly Crain, 2014/07/19

I really enjoyed this. The staff were friendly, but not pushy. Nobody tried to sell me something else or tried to get me to upgrade to something else. The boat ride was pleasant, scenic, and informative. The grotto is pretty, but I think the benefit is the boat ride, music, and hula demonstrations. I would definitely do this again.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2014/07/12
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Fern Grotto Tour

Reviewed by: Love Kauai, 2014/07/07

Our tour had no enthusiasm and excitement in his voice. The crew seemed like this was a task. The Hawaiian dancers were good, the singer was good.
Had been on the Fern Grotto tour a few years ago and was much better.

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2014/06/10
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Fern Grotto

Reviewed by: deborah cothran, 2014/06/15

Great! For $18 each, picked up at resort, trip down river to the Fern Grotto. We knew that previous rains had altered the view, so there was no disappointment. Live entertainment on the way out and a great island history lesson on the way back. A good, short tour of this part of Kaua'i

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2014/06/10
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Wailua River Cruise

Reviewed by: Dan and Holly, 2014/05/31

Awesome time! We were very pleased with our experience!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2014/05/05
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Wailua River cruise to Fern Gratto

Reviewed by: marlene, 2014/05/31

We would recommend to everyone. Really enjoyed the view. If you for to Kauaii you have to see.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2014/05/05
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Wailua River Cruise

Reviewed by: JSchwarcz, 2014/05/18

Beautiful trip down the Wailua River with great entertainment! Fern Grotto was spectacular!!! A must see when in Kauai!!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2014/04/26
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Absolutely loved the cruise!

Reviewed by: Deb L, 2014/05/01

The cruise up the river on the barge was well narrated and very enjoyable. A great deal of history and general information about the area was shared with us, and various landmarks were pointed out.

Once we reached the Fern Grotto, we were entertained by the Smith family as they played the traditional wedding song, and we were given additional information about the Fern Grotto itself - including it's history and how it was made famous.

The return ride on the barge included the entertainers joining us and continuing the music and dancing. Visitors were encouraged to learn to hula and taught various moves.

As someone who tends to get very seasick, I had no issues at all on the cruise. Not even in the slightest.

  • The Fern Grotto

  • Kayakers on the river

  • onboard entertainment

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2014/04/15
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Fern grotto

Reviewed by: ZNmez, 2014/03/08

The cruise was not too long, about two hours in total. The Wailua River is beautiful! The crew did a great version of the island "wedding song" while at the Fern Grotto. It was amazing to learn to hula from such talented dancers! Such a beautiful art!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
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Fern Grotto Tour

Reviewed by: Kauai Val, 2014/01/28

This is an awesome activity. I love the leisurely cruise up the river, the beautiful tropical foliage, the traditional Hawaiian music and the hula entertainment. This is the best bang for your buck in the islands. Definitely a must do!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2014/01/25
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Good combination of dance, scenery, & river view

Reviewed by: Ann, 2014/01/14

I think this trip was reasonably priced and you get a variety of things: river, hula performance, and the fern grotto--not a dull moment for this trip.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2014/01/11
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Fun Experience

Reviewed by: Chere, 2013/12/28

We learned about the island, how to hula, and took some amazing pictures. The Smiths were great

  • Fern Grotto

  • On the ride over...

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2013/03/08
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Relaxing Afternoon on the River

Reviewed by: JamesD, 2013/09/28

Truly enjoyed the smooth ride up river with explanation of the local culture and sites. Musicians and dancers obviously enjoyed their craft and were top notch. Very pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2013/09/09
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Great!

Reviewed by: Rebekah, 2013/06/18

free shuttle picking up, great river scenery, live music, magic grotto, great service!

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2013/06/06
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Fern Grotto Tour

Reviewed by: Dave, 2013/06/13

The Smith's Fern Grotto tour was a good way to see the fern grotto and understand some of the history. There was a 20 minute boat ride to the fern grotto landing, time to take pictures, presentation of a Hawaiian Wedding song, complete with hula interruption and demonstration of various hula dances on the boat ride back. All in all - recommended tour.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2013/06/03
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Beautiful

Reviewed by: Sixto, 2013/06/07

A relaxing experience with beautiful views and great entertainment.

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2013/06/04
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Great Job

Reviewed by: Salt Lake City, 2013/02/14

Smith tours did a great Job with the boat ride.
The grotto.
The entertainment was a nice touch and very well done.
Would recomment this trip to all
One of the good values exploring Kauai

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
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Disappointing

Reviewed by: jcaruthers, 2012/11/05

My 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
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Beautiful

Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2012/10/12

The Grotto is beautiful. A must see for all visitors.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
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Okay not great

Reviewed by: Peggy - Global Traveler, 2012/08/06

20 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

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Great fun

Reviewed by: Carl O, 2012/07/21

We thoroughly enjoyed this informative and beautiful cruise. The Captain shared much information and was very entertaining. On the way back, the entertainment was excellent. Good time!

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Fern Grotto - June 2012

Reviewed by: ANDRA, 2012/07/01

Loved the staff, they were great, fun, and informative. However, was not what I expected. I am not sure what would have made it a better experience. The Fern Grotto itself was beautiful, but there were too many people on the deck to enjoy it. Made it crowded and uncomfortable.

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
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WE HAD A GREAT TIME !!!

Reviewed by: BETH, 2012/02/27

Six of us just returned from Oahu and Kauai!! Had a WONDERFUL time!!! And the Fern Grotto boat ride was just really nice!! The staff was WONDERFUL, and they made us all feel so welcomed!!! We just really had a GREAT TIME!!! I would recommend this to anyone!!!! The walk to the fern grotto was EASY, and the photo ops were priceless!!! Just alot of fun with my friends!!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
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