Wailua River Cruise to Fern Grotto

I 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... more 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.

My wife and I had taken guided tours before mainly in the Carribean. On those tours, we stopped for various activities: touring a ruin, lunch on the beach, and a hike through a rainforest. Our guide, Kevin, did an exce... morellent job trying to show us everything (and finding restrooms). The fault was not in the guide but in the attempted scope of the tour. It was six hours of driving and stopping for photos and then more driving. For instance, there were two waterfalls on the tour: One (twin falls) in the great distance and the other along the roadside (blink and you would miss it). It would be better if we could be taken to the trailhead and allowed to hike close to the falls. Or maybe with some preplanning, we could have swum at one of the beaches we stopped at. Although my wife and I are in our 60s and 70s, we are both very active. It was an introduction to the Island but we were exhausted at the end of the six hours.

My husband and I did this trip with our 20 and 14 year olds. We all enjoyed it. The boat scenery is beautiful the grotto is an amazing site and the music and entertainment on the way home was nice. We all even participat... moreed in the hula lesson.

Beautiful river excursion; would have loved more time and not so rushed at the Grotto. One song seemed lame. Wanted time to take pictures of foliage on way down. Definitely would not recommend for wheelchair guests. It w... moreas steep and pavement unfriendly to wheelchair wheels and very steep and slippery incline uphill.
Entertainment on way back was very fun and good.

We took this River Cruise on our 20th wedding anniversary. it was to remind us of the beauty of the Fern Grotto that we visit many years ago. The boat ride was fun. We loved the narration, the music and hula dancing. I h... moreighly recommend this cruise.

The crew was very interactive with guests. They told the story of the grotto and about Hawaiian history. The fern grotto isn’t what it used to be but still a beautiful spot.