All Reviews for Family & Accessible Travel

excellent loved it.

Myself and a close friend were visiting Oahu for 5 days, and she decided that we should take the time to go 'swimming with sharks.'

Now, keep in mind that I have a tremendous fear of drowning and also am not too keen on the idea of swimming with sharks, but I was convinced to 'live a little,' and I signed us up for the North Shore Shark Adventure- and I am SO GLAD that I did.

The staff were EXTREMELY helpful, witty, and sarcastic in the right places. They put everyone's fears to rest at the beginning of the tour, and were extremely knowledgeable about everything regarding the tour and more. (Who knew that specific sharks will just bump you with their noses and then leave you alone because they have taste buds on the outside of their bodies?)

For our tour, the wind was really picking up and the seas were a bit choppy, so there was a little bit more salt water swallowed than I care for and 1/2 our party got seasick..* (they recommend buying dramamine at the beginning of the to

Thank you for such a fantastic trail ride! Our guide, Brittany was great and it was so nice to have options for canter. Out of all the holiday riding experiences we have had, this has been the best by far. I can definitely say that if it wasn't for the 21 hour flight from the UK, we would be there every weekend!

The Beach on the North Shore tour was beautiful, very clean, and a refreshing change from Waikiki Beach. The waves were much stronger and had great surfing beaches along the way for those interested in that. Really enjoyed watching folks on that diving rock there. The ride was long, but the driver was very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable and relayed lots of information about Hawaii. The stroll through the small, older town with shops and eateries was unique. Loved the music provided by that musical family that lives there and entertains the tourists. A relief to see more enjoyable aspects of Oahu without the hassle of driving.

What a great excursion! The most challenging part of the experience is getting in and out of the boat -- which really is not that hard. It is so great to see sharks up close. I highly recommend this adventure. My boyfriend was freaked out that I had booked this excursion...and now all he does is brag about it. He has no regrets and both of us would do it again in a heart beat. Don't miss out on this treat.

I have been to Oahu several times and this has been my favorite tour so far!

We did this "tour" on our second trip to Hawaii. It is a great opportunity to experience the North Shore on your own but still get the guided tour experience. This is a "tour" you could take multiple times and have a new experience every time. We loved the options and being able to choose our adventure once we got there.

I recently visited Oahu for the 2nd time. My first luau experience in 2003 was with Germaine's Luau. That was very fun, but I felt it was too "touristy".

So on my recent trip to Oahu to visit a friend, we decided to try the luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I am sooo glad that we did. The whole experience was amazing. We did the half day late entry package (upgraded to Ambassador). There is so much to see and learn about the Polynesian Islands and cultures. The dinner was seriously the best food, along with real students at the PCC performing a show during the dinner.

Then the "Ha! Breath of Life" show after dinner was so incredible. The story was great and the performances from all the different polynesian cultures were so wonderful. I cannot stress enough how much I am reccommending you visit the Polynesian Cultural Center and take in everything you can while you are there.

This was an outstanding activity that we will talk about for years to come. What an experience. I would do it again. The staff was outstanding to the details.

Definitely a must do when visiting Oahu! It is a once in a lifetime experience! Definitely buy the DVD that is offered so you can enjoy the adventure without having to worry about taking pictures! There were a lot of swells the day we went out & even though I normally never get seasick, I was slightly nauseous by the end of the ride. There were a lot of sharks that day & the boat crew really made the experience worth while! GO DO IT!! You will not regret it!

I did pay for the tour of back stage but did recive it. other then that it was a great package..

I had an absolutely fabulous time. I had a personal guide, Stephanie, and she was great. Assisted me when I needed it. Kept my camera and took my picture with everything. II was treated like royalty by her. I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting the islands. And I would recommend the Super Ambassador tour. I don't have any pictures uploaded yet so cannot include any at this time.

Wow, where do I begin? We enjoyed the PCC alot! We were greeted at the pick up point by positive and pleasent staff. When we boarded the bus we were entertained all the way to the center. Our guide was Cuz Ken and he was very professional and entertaning. The day was full of events starting with lunch and then leading on to a series of islands. Each island had a unique cultrual display of dancing and interaction with the audience. We were busy all day, from 10:30am to 10:30pm. The lunch and dinner were very nicely organized and presented. We were so moved by the evening show "The Breath of Life", we bought the dvd! We would recommend this tour to anyone!

We went on a guided tour arrive at the Cultural Center @ 2pm. That's the way to go if you have limited time and what to navigate the park and catch as many of the mini-shows at each village as possible. Our guide set a leisurely pace, so the group and older folks can stick together.

The food at the luau was medicore. But the village experience and the night show, HA waws great!

The shuttle ride fom Wakiki was informative. It was a wonderful way to explore more of the island on limited time and budget. The Cultural Center was amazing. The staff went above and beyond expectations. The dinner was just average. I expectected a higher quality of food. Did not go back for seconds so I had more time to explore the Cultural Center.

Amazing!!! We had the opportunity to learn about the history and people of Polynesia. Very entertaining and interactive. We had the Super Ambassador package which basically means VIP. We had front row seating to all shows, our own personal guided tour and dvd. Our guide, cousin Spencer went beyond the call of duty to make our experience the most enjoyable time we have ever had. Alo'ha!!!!

Wow! The cruise was wonderful. We bought the 3-star package and the food was excellent, the service was great. Our server was perfect and made us feel pretty special. The show after dinner was top-notch, too, and a lot of fun. We did not cruise as far as we might have, but the weather was not cooperating. Can't help that. The highlight of our Honolulu vacation!

Selected Ambassador package and got a guided tour as part of it. Guide was fine, but we were not able to look around the "villages." Instead, we only went from one presentation to the next, missing portions of some of them, and then it was time for the luau. Interesting, but not outstanding. The facility should open earlier in the day. For the price, you should at least have time to see most of it. Luau food was not particularly good, lunch menu was better, and the "show" during the luau left a lot to be desired. "Ha", the show afterwards was very good, however.

We had a great time on this tour. The staff was great and it was a very laid back atmosphere. The weather even cooperated with us. We would defintely recommend it to others.

I really had a great time...I was looking for snorkeling and that was the best part of the day. Then we also saw the turtles beach and the Haleiwa town...really a lot of fun! I'd do it again if I will ever go back to Hawaii :)

I wanted to go to the North Shore to see the big waves and the surfing scenes, but instead, I joined a shark tour.

I get seasick, I don't like water, and I can't swim. I've been scared of sharks since middle school, so I usually avoid the ocean. However, I’m glad I went, even though I got seasick, dislike water, and can't swim!

Even if you're just observing, it's perfectly fine, so if you're not comfortable wearing a swimsuit, that's okay. You can enjoy seeing the fins and large shapes from the boat.

I recommend bringing an underwater camera, which you can find at ABC Stores; they sell them for around $13, while on the boat, they cost $15.

Once you're on the boat, all conversations are in English, haha. Even if you don't understand everything, please pay attention to the safety instructions. They will give you a booklet with instructions in Japanese, so make sure to read it.

The staff, both the older man and the younger guy, are really friendly. You’ll go into the water for 20 minutes at a time, and there are safety instructions for that, so be sure to check. They provide snorkeling gear, but I thought just the goggles would be enough for me since I’ve never used them before and found them cumbersome.

My friend is a very good swimmer, and after diving, he said he was close enough to the sharks that he thought about reaching out to touch them. There were definitely sharks that were over 3 meters long swimming around. They were calmly attacking the bait thrown by the staff.

Despite being someone who struggles with everything, I had a lot of fun. I was clinging to the cage because I was scared, so my arms are incredibly sore now. I’m thinking of booking this tour again when I go to Hawaii. I don’t think there are many tours like this in Japan, so I highly recommend it.

The ocean is incredibly beautiful, the scenery is great, and the sharks are huge. It was a really good experience.

I would advise against bringing small children. The same goes for anyone with heart issues; the water is cold, and seeing the sharks might be shocking. The boat moves quite fast, so if you're going during a cooler season, I recommend bringing a thick jacket.

Next time I go, I plan to practice getting used to the cold water.

It might be hard to see, but I’ll leave some photos here.

ノースショアに行きたかったのは、高波とサーフィンの情景をを見に・・・思っていたのですが、サメツアーに参加です。

私は船酔いするし水が嫌い、もちろん泳げないし中学以来サメが怖いから海に行かない奴なんですが、これは！船酔いしても水が嫌いでも泳げなくても行って良かったです。

見学だけでもＯＫですので、水着はどうも嫌と思う方でも大丈夫、船の上からヒレや大きな姿が存分に楽しめます。

ＡＢＣストアなどに水中用カメラが売っているので御持参されることをお勧めします、船内15ドル・ＡＢＣ13ドル前後。

船に乗ったら会話はすべて英語ｗ
分からないなりにも注意事項はよく聞いていてください、日本語の注意事項冊子を渡されるので読んで下さい。

スタッフのおじさんとお兄さんは凄くフレンドリーです。
1回20分海に入ります、入る時の注意事項もあるので要チェック。シュノーケルは貸してくれますが、私は水中眼鏡だけでいいなと思いました。使った事無いので邪魔で邪魔で。

友人は泳ぎがかなり上手いため潜水したあと、「手を伸ばして触ろうかと思った」ほど近くまでサメがよってきています。　本当に３mはゆうにある子達がウヨウヨ。
おじさんが投げる餌に悠然と襲い掛かってました。

何もかも苦手な私がなんかとっても楽しかった、確かに苦手だったので檻にしがみ付いていた為、腕が物凄く筋肉痛です。ハワイに行くときはまた予約しようかなと思います。
日本ではなかなかこういったツアーは無いと思うのでお勧めです。

海が物凄くきれい、景色も良い、サメもでかい
とてもいい経験でした。

小さいお子さんは止めた方がいいでしょう。
心臓が悪い方も同様、水が冷たいしサメ見たらショックかも。
船がかなり高速で動くので気温が低い時期は厚手の上着を持参された方がいいと思います。


今度行く時は冷たい水につかる練習して行こうと思います。

分かりづらいですが、写真おいておきます。

This was my third time to Oahu. I was looking for a North Shore tour that offered a visit to Haleiwa and Waimea Falls, this was the only tour that offered both!! The tour was fantastic and I would definitely partake again. Cheers : )

.Had a great time with luau and show. We opted for late day entry as we don't walk very much. We saw 2 villages and shows and had a leisurely dinner , time to shop and on to the show. Fabulous. EVERYONE WHO HAS NEVER BEEN TO HAWAII OR HAS BEEN AND NOT SEEN THE SHOW SHOULD ATTEND .

I participated in a seaside horseback riding plan with my mother on January 20th.

On this day, there were four participants in total: the two of us at the seaside and two in the valley.

Unfortunately, we couldn't stop by Moanalua Gardens as it was under construction, but we made a special stop at the Healing Stones in Wahiawa before heading to Dole Plantation. We had a good amount of time there, allowing us to leisurely enjoy the famous Dole Whip pineapple soft serve.

We also tried our hand at turtle watching on the North Shore beach, but the waves were high that day, and no turtles came ashore.

At 11 AM, we had lunch in Haleiwa. Our guide took us to the restaurant we wanted, and we had garlic shrimp at MACKY'S. The lemon pepper flavor was refreshing and highly recommended.

At noon, we dropped off the two participants from the valley horseback riding plan at Happy Trails, and we headed to Turtle Bay Resort, the seaside horseback riding point. Luckily, we spotted a whale from the car window during our drive!

Our horseback riding experience started at 12:30 PM, and during this time, it was just the two of us. We were lucky! I have some riding experience, but it was my mother's first time, so we decided to join this beginner-friendly plan. However, I found it a bit lacking for experienced riders since we weren't allowed to canter. Still, the scenery was beautiful with both bush and seaside views, so we could enjoy the atmosphere.

The ride was conducted at a walk to a brisk walk, which I think would be perfectly fine for beginners or those with little experience, and I was very satisfied with the content. There were some ups and downs along the way. The horses seemed well-trained, making them very easy to ride.

For the seaside horseback riding, the riding instructions were briefly explained by our guide/driver in the car, and there were none at the site. We were immediately assigned our horses and got on. Because of this, we had a solid 45 minutes of riding!

I think it was a great tour in terms of being able to enjoy horseback riding casually.

As a side note, one of the participants in the valley horseback riding fell off while dismounting and ended up muddy when we went to pick them up. For those going in the future, please enjoy yourselves without letting your guard down until the end!

母と２人で海辺乗馬プランに参加(1/20)しました。

この日の参加者は私たち海辺２人＋渓谷２人の計４人。

残念ながらモアナルアガーデンは工事中ということで立ち寄ることができず、今回は特別にワヒアワのヒーリングストーンに寄って、ドールプランテーションへ。しっかり滞在時間を取ってくださったので、名物のパイナップルソフトクリームのドールホイップをゆっくり食べることができました。
ノースショアのビーチでウミガメウォッチングにもチャレンジしましたが、この日は波が高くて浜辺に上がってくる奇亀はいませんでした。。
１１時にハレイワでランチ。希望のお店に連れて行ってくださったので、ＭＡＣＫＹ’Ｓでガーリックシュリンプを食べました。レモンペッパー味がさっぱりでおすすめです。
１２時に渓谷乗馬プランの２人をハッピートレイルズで降ろして、私たちは海岸乗馬ポイントであるタートルベイリゾートへ。移動中、運よく車窓からクジラが観測できました！

１２時３０分から乗馬体験。この時間帯は私たち２人の貸し切りでした。ラッキーです☆
私は乗馬経験者ですが、母は初体験でしたので、今回はこの初心者向けのプランに参加することにしたわけですが、やはりどーしても経験者には物足りないです。。駈歩はやらせてもらえませんからね。が、ブッシュあり海辺ありで、景色はとても良いので雰囲気だけは楽しめます。
常歩~速歩程度で行われるので、初めての人や経験の少ない人には問題なく、大満足の内容になってると思いました。わりとアップダウンはあります。馬はよく調教されているようでしたので、とても乗りやすかったです。
なお、海辺乗馬の場合は、乗馬の注意事項は車内でガイド兼運転手さんから簡単に説明があっただけで、現地ではまったくなし。いきなり馬がセレクトされ、騎乗する流れでした。その分、４５分しっかり乗れます！！

気軽に乗馬が楽しめる点においては、とても良いツアーだったと思います。

余談ですが、渓谷乗馬の１人が下馬する時に落ちてしまったそうで、迎えに行った時に泥んこになってました。これから行かれる方は最後まで気を抜かずに楽しんで来てください。

This way a great way to explore the North Shore without having to do the driving. The driver, Keoki, was great! He showed much aloha which made this trip very special. Thanks again Keoki!

The story performed, Breath of Life, was a perfect show for Christmas. For a short time I forgot I was in Hawaii in the warmth and back home in snow and the true meaning of Christmas --- thank you to all for your hard work.

This time, I participated in this tour for horseback riding. It includes sightseeing at "This Tree, What Tree" and the North Shore, so it feels like a good deal. On the day of the tour, there were three groups with eight people, all of whom went horseback riding in the valley. It was a homey tour, and we were able to bond with the other participants.

Now, let me comment on the main horseback riding experience. It was our first time riding. I was a bit anxious because it was mentioned in the previous posts that the riding lecture would be in English. Happy Train is a small ranch run by a couple, and they explained everything with great enthusiasm using gestures, so it was easy to understand. In fact, the horses were well-trained, and we didn't need to give any commands at all.

We rode along a hilly mountain path, with the ranch's wife leading the way in a single file. The husband followed at the back. The ranch's dog (a Border Collie) also came along. It was mostly in the forest, and surprisingly, it wasn't too hot. There were a couple of spots where the view opened up, and we could see the sea of the North Shore. Since the horses are polo-style, we held the reins with one hand, allowing us to take photos (with a compact camera) with the other hand. The ranch staff also took photos for us along the way, so definitely bring a camera. I brought a waist pouch, but you can also borrow one.

The horses were really well-trained and walked in a straight line. They stopped automatically when the horse in front stopped, which made it quite easy. My wife's horse was unique, as it tended to walk on the edges and even pushed into the bushes at times... but that was quite funny.

I think even a six-year-old would be fine with this. However, since they are animals, one must not let their guard down, and we had to sign a waiver.

An hour and a half passed in no time. The ranch's wife shared various stories about the trees and nature while we were riding, and I really wished I could speak more English.

So, while experienced riders might find it a bit lacking, I believe it is a fantastic activity for beginners or those like us trying it for the first time. Both my wife and I consider this the number one memory of our trip to Hawaii.

今回、乗馬目的でこのツアーに参加しました。「この木なんの木」やノースショアの観光もついているのでお得感はあります。当日の参加者は３グループ８人で、全員渓谷での乗馬でした。アットホームなツアーで参加者で打ち解けることができました。
メインの乗馬についてコメントします。わたしたちにとって初めての乗馬です。あらかじめこちらの書き込みで乗馬のレクチャーは英語でと書かれていたので不安もありました。ハッピートレインは夫婦でやっておられる小さい牧場なのですが、夫婦が一生懸命に手振り身振りを交えながらレクチャーしてくださるのでよくわかりました。というより、馬がよく調教されていて、こちらが指示する必要がまったくなかったです。
アップダウンが結構ある山道を牧場の奥さんを先頭に一列になって進んでいきます。旦那さんが最後尾で付いてくれます。牧場の犬（ボーダーコリー）もついて来ていました。ほとんど森林の中で思ったより暑くなかったです。２か所ほど視界が開けていてノースショアの海が見えました。ポロスタイルの馬ですので片手で手綱を持ちますのでもう片方の手で写真（コンパクトカメラで）を撮ることができます。また牧場の方が途中で写真を撮ってくれますので是非カメラを持参してください。わたしはウエストポーチを持って行きましたが、貸してももらえます。
本当によく調教されていて一列できっちり歩いてくれます。前が止まると勝手に止まってくれますし、ちょっと物足りないくらい楽でした。妻の馬だけユニークな馬で、はしっこばかり歩いたり、ブッシュに突っ込んでいくとかありましたが…。それはそれで大笑いでした。
これなら、６歳の子でも大丈夫だと思います。しかし、動物のことですので油断は禁物ですし誓約書も書かされます。
１時間半あっというまに時間が経ちました。牧場の奥さんが乗馬中も色々と木や自然の話をしてくださるので、もっと英語が話せたらよかったとつくづく思いました。
ということで乗馬の経験者の方には少し物足りないと思いますが、わたしたちのような初挑戦や、初心者の方には大満足のアクティビティだと思います。妻も私も今回のハワイ旅行の思い出ナンバー１です。

This was an amazing experience. The whole family enjoyed it so much, we can't wait to do it again next year.

We had a great time on this tour. The group was small, so the guide could be flexible and give individual attention to each participant. There was a range of activities so you could choose how active you wanted to be. We did the Wailea Falls hike and stand-up paddling. We had lunch at the cafe at Wailea Falls, very good Hawaiian-style food. We were glad we paid the extra for an instructor on the paddling as it was challenging. I would only recommend doing it on your own if you are experienced. I highly recommend this tour if you are interested in learning more about the North Shore.

I am so happy that I was able to participate on this activity - it was WONDERFUL! I loved my Cousin Lloyd who was my group guide... everyone was wonderful, friendly, informative, and very respectful of their responsibilities - portraying to us the visitors a part of history and sharing of their culture. Everyone was funny, attentive and kind. I loved it! I will definitely do this again for my future visits. The Luau was delicious and Ha: The Breath of Life was incredible... too bad the video was not available for me to bring for my family to see in AZ. A big thanks for everyone that makes this possible from funding, to costumes, practices, etc... I truly appreciate all the work and effort involved in this. God bless!