Family fun!!...at Diamond Head!
Posted on: 2018/06/05
I decided to take my entire family on a hike just to experience it and since we did not have a car rental planned, we decided to book a shuttle with Kaimana Tours! I was even more excited that they allowed us to bring my toddler (2 years old) as a lap child as long as we have a baby carrier, free of charge!
We were picked up by van on time directly from our hotel. The driver was very nice and friendly! The hike to the top was not too bad at all, even my girls enjoyed it (ages 8 & 10). Most of us are beginner hikers and the best part, the view of Waikiki was just breathtaking! I would definitely book Kaimana Tours again next time we visit! maybe go to Manoa Falls or Makapuu Point next time!! I will for sure recommend this to family and friends!
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children | ||
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Swim with Dolphins is Real!!!
Posted on: 2018/06/04
It was my day off and kids were at school so I figured, why not do a "me" just for a day! I invited my friend to join me since she happened to have the same day off. We booked the Morning Cruise at 7:00am since the water is usually warmer and calmer, and we decided to drive ourselves to the harbor. What's good is that there is a restaurant at the harbor where you can buy coffee or breakfast before heading out.
Upon check-in, we were already given our snorkeling equipments, and an option to rent their body suits, which we rented for $10 each. They asked us to sign the liability waiver, and I think' it's cool that they even take your instagram information so they can tag you photos (if you're in it) that they upload at the end of the tour.
The staff and crew are very funny and entertaining! As we were heading out to the ocean, they peformed Polynesian dancing, and playing ukulele. They also performed traditional Hawaiian prayer for our safety. As we were getting closer, we could already see the pod of dolphins, af the signal from the crew members, we jumped to the water and started to swim with these beautiful dolphins!!! I never swam with dolphins in the open water before and this was really exciting!! There were lootsss of them!!
We hopped back on to the boat for our next snorkeling location and that before jumping in the water again, we were given some activity options to take such as stand-up paddle boarding, canoe ride, water slide, and many more!! It was just an awesome experience!!
Their lunch burgers were delicious too which were served as we were headed back to the harbor. It was long day but it was all worth it!!
Oh by the way, make sure to take seasickness pills if you get nauseous easily!
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| Attended as: | Friends | ||
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Whale Sightings, Beautiful Day, Delicious Food, Activities....FUN!!!
Posted on: 2017/02/03
I was so excited to see whales and I wasn't disappointed! Guaranteed indeed.
We saw a few pod of whales and it was always entertaining to watch them swim by and see their blows. I actually saw one that threw its tail out of the water up close when I was heading to the restroom, but very quickly that no one noticed it I think. I just got lucky, haha!
It was a nice cruise, great customer service from the crew, delicious food, and gorgeous views of the Waikiki coastline and Diamond Head! There were fun activities on board too like lei making, ukulele lessons, and hula lessons. I really enjoyed the trip! I was with a group of friends but as a mom, I would definitely recommend this for families with young children as well, it's a great activity for all ages so anyone are welcome!
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| Attended as: | Friends | ||
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Fly Like a Bird!!
Posted on: 2016/06/07
It's been almost a week and I still can't get over it! Thank you so much VELTRA and Hawaiian Parasail for accommodating me and my family to parasail with you on Memorial Day! I know it was a holiday and I expected it to be extremely busy and I can't thank you enough that you were still able to get us in! Your staff were very friendly, just wonderful people!!
This was a surprise for my two daughters and we all had a blast! Nice weather, and fantaaaaaaaaastic view!!! Too bad husband and my son could not join us (my son is only 4) but I'll be sure to have them experience this as well when my son is old enough.
The captains are amazing! Kevin and Russell were so much fun, they made our day very relaxing and comfortable, great photographers too! The pictures came out really nice so thank you for capturing the moment we were up in the air, a memory that we will keep forever.
Thank you once again for giving us the opportunity to experience this, we enjoyed it very much!
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children | ||
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Best way to see the island in one day!
Posted on: 2015/10/13
Tour was fun and educational! Marcus was an amazing guide, very informative and full of knowledge! Would definitely recommend this tour.
We were picked up in Kona then drove north to pick up other passengers on the tour. On our way there, we could immediately see these huge acres of lava rocks and we learned that these were formed during the eruption of Mt. Hualalai.
We took the Saddle Road to Hilo which took us a good 2.5 hours of a drive so make sure use the restroom before your pick-up. We only had one bathroom break in between. It was an interesting drive as we were able to view different landscapes; from green pastures to plain black; different climates from hot humid, to breezy wind, then drove through clouds to pouring rain as we were approaching Hilo. Our first stop was at Rainbow Falls, and it was beautiful! Then, we drove to the Akatsuka Orchid Gardens and saw great assortment of gorgeous orchids! This is also where we stopped for lunch, my tuna sandwich was huge and delicious!!
Finally, our visit to the Volcanoes National Park! We got to view the Kilauea Iki Crater and walked through a small trail full of ferns, and blooming flowers that I've never seen before. We also visited the Thurston Lava Tube, the experience here is just amazing and unique! It's pretty steep though so make sure you are in your comfortable shoes. Then, we were off to steam vents, where we could see smoke coming out from the ground. The Jagger Museum was absolutely informative and I liked it that it was placed right next to the crater with such an amazing view of the Halemaumau Crater! Maybe when I return one day, I would come here at night to see the glow of lava.
We also stopped by Punalu'u Black Sand Beach, another unique place I've seen where we also had a free coffee tasting! Then finally, a visit at Na'alehu, the "Southern Most in the USA" and made sure to taste the popular malasadas and cream puffs at Punalu`u Bake Shop, just perfect to end the day..Soo Yummy!
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| Attended as: | Friends | ||
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It's always a wonderful experience with Star of Honolulu!
Posted on: 2015/05/01
It's my 3rd time with Star of Honolulu and they never fail to amaze me!
I was greeted with a beautiful smile by Kathleen at the ticket office. She was very nice, friendly, and it seems like she was enjoying her job. Before we boarded, the dancers are always very entertaining, a unique way to welcome their guests (yes, I've been to other dinner cruises and only Star of Honolulu has this great idea).
At the boat, here comes the cheerful and very energetic Freddie, who took us to our table. He didn't realize there were eight (8) of us but he was able to accommodate us right away having our own table by the window! He is the Assistant Floor Manager and I was really impressed with his friendliness and bright personality, he is funny too! The couples that we were with are visitors from Canada, celebrating their Silver Wedding Anniversary. I forgot to mention this special occasion when I made the booking so I told Freddie if there’s a way he can announce it after dinner. Knowing how busy they were, I never expected it to happen but I was extremely happy and grateful that he didn't forget. After the Polynesian entertainment, he immediately pulled my couple family towards the stage to make their dance. All the other couples, honeymooners, anniversary celebrants, followed. It was an honor!! Thank you so much Freddie for that, it was a memory of a lifetime for my family.
I would also like to give credit to Jay, who was our server that night, in fact all the crew members because they know how to take care of their guests, they're fast and attentive! The One Star package is not bad at all, I actually like this better than the Three Star believe it or not and IT'S ALL YOU CAN EAT CRAB LEGS!! Yummy! The steak was delicious also, so tender and juicy!
Will definitely cruise with Star of Honolu again and again! True "Aloha" spirit..good impression for those visiting the islands for the first time...greatly satisfied with the services they offer. Thumbs up SOH!!
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children | ||
| Activity Date: | 2015/04/21 | ||
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Had an amazing time!
Posted on: 2015/03/13
I had an amazing time! Cruise was fun! I've been to many dinner cruises on the island and the Navatek boat is indeed by far the smoothest ride I've ever been. We went during the Nagaoka Festival in Waikiki and the fireworks display was so outstanding, which made it more enjoyable and memorable for us!
The staff at the Ticket Desk were also very friendly. We got there 45-minutes early and Josh was very kind enough to answer the many questions I had while we were waiting. It wasn't their normal schedule that night and Josh was able to share their regular schedule with me, the transportation and check-in procedures, and wait times from boarding to departure.
As for the servers on the boat, they were okay but they could have been better! I would have preferred them to be more energetic and quicker. Our server that night seemed a little too tired and it also took us a while to get the drinks we ordered. Very good food though! The teriyaki garlic chicken was my favorite..yummmm!!!!
The Polynesian entertainment was good but I wish it was longer. They only performed three (3) different dances and that was it. The host and singer was also good, I like that she interact with the audience while singing but I wish she could have sang songs that are more familiar to the audience. I thought the songs were too old to be sung these days.
Something that I never expected though is the dancing at the end of the cruise! We danced the night away and that was so much fun! I loved it! I'm glad I took this trip as I didn't know this is also available at Navatek. I've always thought this to be more intimate, for couples celebrating their anniversaries or honeymooners who want a quiet and romantic moment but this can be for families or group of friends as well.
Thank you Navatek for allowing me and my family to enjoy your cruise!
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children | ||
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Hawaiian Paradise...I was so blown away! Glad we did it!
Posted on: 2015/03/02
In celebration of our 11th Year Anniversary, my husband and I agreed getting on a helicopter tour. At first, I was worried about motion sickness, and all these negative thoughts we had in our minds especially that we have young children but as we were heading to the helicopter site, the fear that we've had before is turning to an excitement, even more so after we were checked-in by Vincent, who was very helpful, funny, and was able to answer some of the questions and concerns I had before the flight. The weather was cooperating with us too as it was sunny, bright blue skies, with no high winds considering that there was a storm and strong winds the day before. We were asked to check-in 45 minutes before the flight and I thought that was too early but once we got there, the time actually went by too fast as we watched videos of these great sceneries taken on the flights that got us even more fired up!
Adam was our pilot that day and he was very professional, friendly, and informative. He even had us take our time to see the whales as we spotted them swimming in the ocean (we saw 4), and also tons of turtles floating above the water. I like how he communicates with everyone as well and made sure that we are all doing okay.
We are local residents by the way, we've been living in Oahu for 19 years and I have never seen the island so remarkably beautiful until we took this flight! It was amazing and I never stopped talking about it! The sceneries were breathtaking, especially the views of Kaneohe Sandbar! Just incredibly stunning, and what a stress reliever! I don't know how else to express myself but our experience was beyond our expectation! I never appreciated Mother Nature as much as I do now so thank you Blue Hawaiian Helicopters for showing us these and the wonderful experience that will truly last a lifetime! Lucky to live Hawaii..INDEED!
Aloha! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us. We are so happy you had a wonderful time. Please come back and see us again. Mahalo, The Blue Crew
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| Attended as: | Couples | ||
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Beautiful Leis!!
Posted on: 2014/07/16
We live in Oahu and since it’s summer, my husband and I decided to take our children ages 9, 7, & 2 to Maui. It's their first time on the island so I thought of giving them a little surprise upon arrival there. I also ordered my husband and I a lei just for us to experience it as well but my husband was not aware of this.
My husband and I got the Deluxe Honeymoon Special while the kids received the Standard Orchid Leis.
On our way down the escalator, we saw our Lei Greeter right away! We were behind our kids and it was so funny when the girls approached the greeter immediately upon seeing the sign with our family name! They were so excited and couldn't stop asking questions, like how do they know your name Mom? How do they know we are here? I thought that was awesome! The Leis were lovely, so fresh and beautiful, much more with the Deluxe Leis we got for me and my husband! Again, my husband wasn't expecting this but he loved it!
Kainoa, our greeter was also very nice and friendly, he made sure we know where we were going, directed us to the baggage claim and gave us directions to pick-up our car rental. Overall, the experience was great! We arrived at 6:40am and being greeted with fresh flowers early in the morning was just very calming..it gives you that "good vibe" feeling that the rest of your journey will be fun and memorable and it was!
I would love, love, love to have my family and friends experience this as well when visiting the islands.. this is a nice surprise! Thank you Maui Lei Greetings!
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I would do it AGAIN!!!
Posted on: 2014/02/16
We had a fabulous, fabulous time!!! , the staff are very professional and knows exactly what they are doing! They really make their passengers safe and secure, and have fun at the same time..oh! and we got to see whales too! There were two of them swam by us..it was AMMMAAAZZZING!!! Thanks to Travis for always looking out! I haven't been to any Parasailing or Jet Ski so this is definitely a memorable experience. Definitely recommended for couples!
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Aloha Ms. Ems,
Thank you so much for your 5-Star Review! We are so great you got some great pictures from your day off. And we appreciate you calling attention to the fact that our tours are open to locals and visitors alike! It's a great way to have a little 'staycation.' We're so glad you enjoyed all aspects of the tour. Mahalo for sharing your experience :).
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